Simon Says... and Just Because!!!

Hi... mum is very confused again and very unsteady so Dr, is coming this pm... Miranda is in for her bone graft - finally, yey!!! - so it's all happening this week. Boys due for a sleepover too tonight, so that will keep me on my mettle then, eh??? LOL!!!
Anyway, as I said before, it's an ill wind etc. and my mind is running on with ideas if I can just find  time for them... alongside all the washing, toileting, etc etc... tee hee... so I escape to my craftyoom and do stuff!! and I have made an entry for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge, which is London, Paris or New York, this week. I thought how nice to have a spring break in Paris, and decided to make this...

 I could not resist my usual collage style - pile them on and stack them high!! - so I chose a variety of stamps including Crafty Individuals, TH, Invoke Arts and Rubber Stamp Concepts (main image)... they are all layered and I used distress inks and archival, with clear embossing powder for some images...

 Here is the whole piece, roughly 6"x6" in a frame. That is some 7Gypsies tissue tape round the edges. It is all postage stamps. I imagined a really blue sky and pink blossoms, hoping for a light and airy, if rather vintage, feel...

 I needed an embellishment, as the piece is quite flat as it is. So I thought of a rosette. All three cities are in countries with red, white and blue as national colours, hence the paper chosen. I finished off with a gem in the centre and three coloured hat pins... aww, cute!!

 Lots of lovely gentle texture from the embossing. Wonder if SSSS will mind I featured ALL THREE cities!! ?? Still, the main bit is Paris, which is a wonderful city... went oodles of years ago, probably two zillion light years, when I was 12!!! LOVED it...

And finally, the bottom left corner has a sort of baroque curly thing - curtesy of Vinaj - as a finishing touch, and I set the piece on a sheet from the Tattered Time pad from DCWV - well when don't I use that pad these days??? tee hee...

So that's it... I am quite happy with it and shall pop and enter it now. Such a happy piece has brought out the sunshine - as they promised us today - so the light is filling my dear 'ole craftyoom as I write. Thanks for coming to take a peek and leaving a comment. They mean so much when I am feeling frustrated over mum's sad condition..
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #142 - Lots and Lots!!!

Oh my but this carer lark ain't  'arf  'ard!!! Mum was on the floor and very very sick on Sunday morning - not how I wanted to start the day... anyway, suffice to say she was at death's door all day and could not even move her own feet to walk... bit better yesterday and back to old self (boo) today...

But it's an ill wind and all that, so with a REALLY quiet day or two, yours truly has been busy... oh yesh!! So I am very pleased to see you here hot foot from (or to) the blog of Julia, who runs this whole showing-your-desk lark!! Your lovely comments keep me sane - well, relatively!! tee hee...

Without more ado, get a cuppa and take a longer ride, cos I have a lot of photos to show you and I hope you enjoy... I will endeavour not to chat TOO much!!!

 Firstly I wanna show you my TIO challenge entry for this coming fortnight... it's a book title chosen by Wanda, called "Bird Song", set in WW1... Here the background tag is made and I am starting on the birdie... you all know I LOVE working with this die!!

 The birdie is getting embossed here - oooo my fave thing in crafting, mostly!!

 He is about done now, and even has an ickle black beady eye!!! Awww... Chirpy chirpy...

 Here's the full monty, "money shot"... the whole desk, still reasonably tidy from last week, with only out what I am using... the biggest box in front, here, is of my embossing powders!! wot a lot I got???

WW1... I wanted a vintage feel for this one, so it is almost monchrome - can you have "almost monochrome"?? Is that like being almost pregnant??!! Anyway, it's all my brown drawer pf distress inks, plus a tiny bit of spun sugar to warm the tones, and then verdigis on the cage and green on my ickle birdie...

 I stamped into the hot powder with a ginkgo leaf stamp, for his feathers and gave him a real metal wing, coloured with rub 'n buff gold and bronze - used it round the tag and on the metal parts too...

 I love the way the doily turned out, and the curled metal on the 'dirty' . faded ribbon embellishment, is meant to remind us of barbed wire...

 The piece is full of texture and light and shade, mainly from the under-stamping of the other birdies and nests in various colours of  DIs... also, the cage is free to move and catch the light...

I am really happy with the way it turned out, and my dream is over with the rest of my teams' tags on TIO... why don't YOU join in this time?? BTW, the under stamps are from two sets by Stamp in the Hand...

And what other goodies can I show you?? Well, I have been VERY busy with my jewellery again, and here it all is below. I have recently splashed out and tried Jewellery Maker for their gems!!!! WOW!! If you are like me and mad for the stuff, then they have the most WONDERFUL gemstones. Reasonable prices for real v glass/plastic/resin!!! So eyes down to see what I got made...

 This first piece was made as a sort of commission for one of mum's regular carers... she comes twice a day and is a real help to me too... so I gave it to her instead of selling it!!! Lovely jasper, imperial jasper and amythist. She was delighted!!!

 This piece is for me, until I decide not!!! tee hee... I was inspied by those large grey lanterns so I used them again... this time on a beading wire instead of doing my own wire work...

 This piece is what inspired the carer to ask me to make for her... it is mainly Vintaj and some beads from my stash... now there IS a LOT of wire work in this one, but I really LOVED doing it... there are ickle diamonds of abalone shell in it and the matching earrings... lovely on the neckline...

 And lastly, this is a work in progress... I have used lots of Vintaj again, and had a go at rivetting - using that hammer and block, given to me by the very fragrant Freddie... those of you who visit often will remember me raving over a small, but HEAVY cylinder of steel... well the rivets went in great using it - look...

 They are holding in the butterfly and the flower centre... ooo it was REALLY satisfying and I won't tell you what I was thinkig as I hammered!!!!! - too naughty!!!

And lastly, here are the two sides... there are some green gems in this but they did not phot well...I have yet to add chain. I think I will use assymetric chain too, fat at one side and rather more dainty on the other... we'll see...

Well, thanks for sticking it out this far - if you did!! - I made it round a LOT more blogs last week, so I hope to see even MORE of your desks this time... oh, and BTW, Miranda has a date for that bone graft - it will be THIS Thursday, so I shall be caring for my two grandsons again, here, and her when she is out, especially she if can't weight-bear for a while - it's awful hard to carry food and cups of tea whilst hopping with a zimmer!!! - ooo I should'nt laugh but really I think I am getting a little hysterical at the thought of yet more caring to do!!! It will be the early morning school run that will be the killer!!!

Sorry - off now, honest!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx
I want to enter this piece in a couple of other challenges:-
GingerSnap Creations - use only two colours
                                     - #139 use a faux technique

WOYWW #141 - OMG I am getting Organised!!!

Help!!! I hardly recognise my "craftyoom"... It is getting sorted, ready for being sorted, and it is nearly half way!!! I can't believe it... What do YOU think?? If you want to sneak a peek at other desks, more worthy than this, just pop on over to our dear Mistress of the Desks, Julia, to snoop at many from all around the world... Meanwhile here is mine...

Can you recognise it then?? Even I have to look twice!! The drawers now on the desk hold punches, below and acrylic blocks at the top. My wireless comes with me every day from my bedroom, so I can listen to 5Live... The drawers to the right, next to my printer, now house my -

distress ink pads and blending tools. Each pad has it's own block, named, and set in an empty Ferrero Rocher box, as you can see in the bottom drawer. I have reds, oranges and pinks on top. Next come the browns, then the blues and greens. At the bottom are the purples and black, plus the archival and embossing pads. It works well, as I can easily lift out which drawer(s) I need... good eh??

So what am I making on my newly emptied and tidied desk - which is really much bigger than I remembered!!?? Well, I have been doing a card for the fragrant Freddie, for Valentine's... I cut strips of Kanban cream and black, and laid them diagonally across the cardstock.

 A closer view of the strips and papers. Yummyness!!

Here is the finished panel, with the addition of ribbons.

 I got carried away and forgot to take piccies of the next stages!! Mounted the panel on black and then a red crease card 8"x8"...

This is the central section. The hearts are triple embossed in red/black and red/gold, and decorated with corner peeloffs... The curled back pieces are parchment, cut and twirled, then stuck down so they look as if they are peeled back to reveal the hearts...

So here is the full view, set against yet another page of that WONDROUS Tattered Time pad from DCWV... I love that set of papers and can't wait to start my Laura Denison project, to make a mini album... I have the kit all set to go...

This final view shows the depth of the rolling on the parchment... I used this technique once before when I made a card for myself to express myself about my Taiji and getting my black jacket... Oh that seems so many eons ago. It's actually just gone 4 years on February 7th!!!

However, my Taiji is still inside me - it's what makes me strong... that made me able to take in my mother and all those attendent problems... better week again so far - we even took her to see the horses on Sunday, and she fed the pony treats from her wheelchair in the stable!! Great stuff...

So that's it guys... I got round a few more of you again last week, and I am aiming for many more this time, so thanks for dropping by and leaving your lovely comments, I really appreciate and need every one!!
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

I am entering this in a couple of challenges:-
Artistic Stamper - Monthy challenge - hearts
Simon Says Stamp and Show - anything goes
My Mojo Monthly by Sarah - share hearts

TIO #109 - The Time Traveler's Wife

Well, I have managed another ickle go in my "craftyoom" and made a tag for TIO... it's right up my street this title, and I really enjoyed just getting all inky again after such a long time...

So, how did it go?? I had the idea of seeing the wife and that she was always watching over him - her heart and love would be an anchor for his travels through time...

 The large, TH clock is part of a machine that is rather odd and broken, which takes him off at the drop of a millisecond... the backing paper for my piece is an all time favourite (oopps!!! sorry for such an awful pun!!!) being Tattered Time by DCWV... I think it adds a great dimension. Acually, we don't ever see a machine, but this is my poetic licence!!! Well it's MY tag...

This is a full frontal!!! The whole tag has a brooding feel. I used weathered wood and the crimble iced thingie distress inks. A touch of patina acrylic for the TH clock and a dab of black soot over all. I also used worn lipstick and festive berries for the row of vertical hearts and a bronze rub 'n buff on all edges...

As usual, I have layered many stamps, including TH, Kanban, Hero Arts and Judikins, all stamped in weathered wood etc and stone grey stazon.

I hope the piece makes you think of the smudgy, misty, foggy, ill-defined nature of the poor man's time travelling, and how disconcerting and diorienting it was for him and his wife?? I think she looks on with a loving gaze, willing him back to her time after time...

And finally... what about that beatiful ickle heart. Well, I have several of those, courtesy of the wonderful Dyan Reaveley, when I bought my Pan Pastels recently. All the packages came in tissue and wrapped up with a ickle red heart, and here you see one of them. They are really beautiful, and make the packages feel even more special. Thanks Dy...

I hope you like it and that you will come and join us this fortnight  - YES we are giving you (and ourselves!!!) a little longer to get your tag done... so get inky and have a go. Thanks for looking and please leave a comment, cos I love reading what you think.
Love and light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #140 - Something Else Theraputic!!

Happy WOYWW Week Everybody... Pop here if you want to have a sneaky peeky at the desks of the world - well a goodly few of  'em anyways!!! Hope you have had a good one?? Mine has been a lot less painful since I went to see my former Taiji teacher and "back specialist" par excellence. She did her magic and we had a nice chat... Thanks Peta...

Mum has been positively angelic today (Tuesday) and it would be fab if she was like that all the time... - it did mean I got some "me"time to make something!! HURRAH. - unfortunately she has had a run of horrid and difficult days, and I never did get to make my TIO tag!!! Boo hoo...

 So here is my desk... NOT untidy but productive!!! At last... I sorted last week, then designed in my head... then today, I fitted the bits together to make a piece for Miranda, to cheer her up. She has had no heating for a little more than a week!!! YES - in THIS bad weather... the man was there today to fix it, so I took the necklace and earring set down as a surprise!!

 There are new tools too... pink ones- QUITE unlike me, but then they are working whereas my previous ones were not so good anymore!! Spot anything else new??? See later for the answer...

 Here's the finished pieces. The photo is not good of the earrings, as the daylight got into the camera a bit... they are actually plum coloured like the necklace ones... it fits short on the neckline, with the pendant just below the little neck indentation (suprasternal notch!!!! oh  la la .. get me!!!)

 So here it is close up... I embossed a Vintaj round blank in a folder then rubbed to polish and burnish. Then I added some ickle stones to a Vintaj flower piece and strung the two together. It's very dimensional...

 These are some of the beads and Vintaj findings, Loving this ickle butterfly from a QVC set.

 The other side has a dragonfly - SO CUTE!! What do you think of my display area?? Cool and stuff, eh?? tee hee!!! and now for that newbie thingie on my desk from earler ----- taadaa!!!!!

It's my new block and hammer for doing rivets and such!!! I bought the hammer but didn't have anything to hit it on, so the fragrant Freddie treated me to this WONDROUS steel block!! It is SOOOO heavy, guys... NOT one to drop on toes, or anything else for that matter!!

Ok, I am away now to do my links, then off to bed. I have a TIME tag to finish for TIO tomorrow, in the morning, so hope mum lets me get on again... bye all and have a great week
Love and Light
Frankie
xx

WOYWW #139 - Don't Faint, It's a Bit Tidier!!!

Hi All.... I hope you are all well. I have missed you and hope I can get back to visiting you properly again... where? well right HERE chez Julia of course...

And do I have anything on offer?? Well YES for a change. I have been having a tidy and a sort around in readiness for a proper spring clean... YEA and verily thus... it IS THAT BAD that I have to tidy up before I can tidy!!!! Ha ha ha ... So on the newly EMPTY desk I decided to get out my beads and findings ready to put into my crimble pressies - the TH boxes!!! I have some new Vintaj on order too, so I shall be having a good go at that before long... I DO HOPE!!!!

And why have I been SO absent??? Well I have had a shockingly awful week and bit with mum... she really is beyond the pale at times... still that's mine to sort out!!! Surfice it to say I don't get much time to myself, and none in my "craftyoom" until today. Freddie fitted a bolt on mum's door for when I need to be sure she is safe and not roaming around the house, tripping on my chinese rugs and cat toys, not to mention any one of my 6 cats!!!!!! So I used it today, to get time to sort and sift!!! Yumminess it was too...

 The thingy with footies on is my Jay's design for his birthday invitations... so I hope to get those finished tomorrow, so he can send them out on Friday... His background is beautifully multi-coloured, so I am doing a smooch with his colours in distress inks then cutting his footballs out and pasting...

And I even made a start with sorting and labelling my newest boxes of card. This unit is directly behind me when I am at my desk. I have started at the top and am working my way down... After the week I have had, tidying is strangely theraputic!!!! Oh my, those of you who know me or visit often will KNOW I am needing help!!! Tee hee... oh well, here's hoping Miranda will hear about her bone graft soon, so she can start and finish her next six weeks in plaster before the year gets too much older!!!

I will definitely be coming round to see you, so pop the kettle on!!!
Love and light to you all
Frankie
xx