November!

A pinch & and a punch for the first day of the month! by that I mean a pinch of embossing powder and a Martha Stewart punch - of course - what else could it be?! {chuckle}

The pc is now mended - yay - though after the tower was fixed the screen died! ......

So, I like a tag, or several, they're great for using up scraps from the desk, or testing out new stamps and/or techniques - whatever the reason - I like tags!! (and now I've bought Tim H's big tag die I'm liking them all the more because I can cut them out of all manner lovely cardboards, acetate, paper etc etc etc - the list could go on!

This tag was created with a plain luggage tag & a piece of leftover corrugated cardboard - love the HotPicks PaperArtsy stamps : the flower head is from HotPicks 1005, long 'branches' 1008, & words are from HPXT04.  I liked how this turned out - especially as I am continuing to embrace yellow (if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm really not keen on yellow but now I coming around to it)(when I find the photos I'll show you my recent ArtsyCrafts project - lemon&lime!! bring it on!)

You'll have to excuse the wierd angle of this photograph (in the folder its landscape oriented but on screen Blogger seems to think it would look better portrait! gggrrrr) aaaanyhooo - I wanted to include it to show two level of black image stamping - I stamped the long branches, dried them, and then stamped the flower heads & added embossing powders and heated.  I liked how it made the flower heads 'pop' as they are now 'shiny'. (you can just about see that in the photo - tilt your head to the right.....)

Edit:  I altered it in Photoshop - yay for me! lol - see you learn something new every day!!

This tag is again using a parcel tag & another piece of leftover corrugated cardboard - there's a lot of that on my desk at the moment! lol  These dimensional paper flowers are all over crafting projects at the moment - I think this is first/second one I've made and they're really easy to make - though to glue them in future I'm going to use hot glue.. Leaves are PaperArtsy dies, the loopy border strip is a Martha Stewart punch (punching atlas paper) and the wording is a Tim H stamp.. oh and there's a little Sizzix flourish die in there too.. & some distress ink, silver versacolor & a scrap of book text....

Take care

Catching up...

Its half term at the moment and I'm catching up with bits and pieces  which is good but its been hampered slightly by:

• Our main pc is a little the worse for wear and so a nice man has taken it away to (hopefully) make it better.. (you know how computer help lines always tell you to turn the machine off and on again - well ours was doing that all my itself!!! ggrrrr) and the laptop doesn't have a seperate mouse (just one of those plate thingies in front of the keyboard - aaaargh I just can't get on with those - I need a mouse!! lol)
• I've run out of glue sticks - how is that posible - I was sure I had a load in a drawer somewhere but apparently not!  I discovered its quite hard to craft without a glue stick - and not just any old glue stick - a Tombow glue stick - love Tombow but dislike that its not overly widely available.. I've been online and bought 6 sticks - I almost bough 10 but decided this may have been a bit obesssive! lol

What else has happened in JoLand - well there was this last friday:

Hubby arranged these - he never does things by half!!  These balloons couldn't be any bigger or pinker could they!! lol  v v fab - but Bertie & Lola are a little unsure about them - especially as they have bells on (the balloons not the cats! lol)

There was the first of 2 ArtsyCrafts weekends - which was really good - lots of lovely ladies making lots of lovely stuff... The projects were really really nice - The ladies who are going to Warrington this weekend are in for a real treat.  I'll post photos once the second weekend is done & dusted.

I downloaded the NewYork photos (loved New York!) ready for the pc going to be repaired - here are a few photos (there are soooo many I can't show you them all - and I'm sure you've got better things to look at on the internet than my holiday snaps! lol)

I loved the NewYork brownstone houses - elegant and tradional against all the skyscrapers that everyone associates with NewYork (and yes we did see the Sex & The City street but I didn't walk down it ala Carrie Bradshaw - I didn't have the right shoes (trainers rather than Manolo Bkahnik's) lol)

I took this photo down on the Lower East side - love the peeling posters (the posters might even have been painted on).  This was near the Tenement Museum - if you go to NY you really HAVE to go there. The museum is just wonderful - its been put together with such care, love and attention that its a definite must see.  The guide who took us round almost reduced me to tears twice.  Very moving.  This one tenement building had 7000, yes SEVEN THOUSAND occupants over a 50 year period!! Can you imagine! That works out to be, on average, 140 new people through in each year!!  10 approx a month!!  I have trouble getting my head round those numbers!

 And this is the view from window on the journey home - oooh fluffy clouds - they look like you should be able to bounce on them! (and coming into land it did feel like the plane was bouncing on them!) and I love the Union Jack on the edge of the wing!

Well thats all for today (got to go feed the car (yes the car) & then catch the shops before they close) - tomorrow I might have some creative bits to show you! ... but I'm not making any promises! lol

Insight into Jo-Land

I was wandering around the www today looking at the sites/ peeps I follow on twitter, planning to sign up for a course that Copy&Paste are running to do with Christmas but I got side tracked at Julie Kirk's blog (one half of Copy&Paste) by the list of questions she asked & answered (all about 'shopping' at home - ie using things that you've already bought but not used yet)- she invited readers to answer them:

so here are my answers - its a little glimpse of what its like in Jo-land! (a very nice place, of which I am queen and she who must (maybe) be obeyed rofl)

1. It would be amazing if my house really was a shop like ...  Can't decide: so many shops so little time!

2. But at the moment it's probably more like ...  no-one's just mine - bit of this bit of that..

3. The best-stocked area of my house has got to be ... my workroom or the bathroom shelf (though quite a lot of that is M's)


4. But I'm not sure I would dare do a stock-take of my ... Craft stash! because if I added up what's here and at the studio it actually makes me feel quite sick - there is soon to be a major cull/destash of this because its now cramping my thoughts....


5. I could actually open my doors right now and sell off most of my ... music cd's, craft stash, junk jewellery (necklaces, bangles)... and I'd still have plenty left!


6. If I could go shopping in someone else's house I'd choose ... oooh too many choices!!


7. With the money I'll save by shopping at home for my supplies, I could buy ... hhmm thats a toughy - I'd save it all up until I saw the perfect 'something' - and as those things come up unexpectedly its good to have the money squirrelled away 'just in case!  oooh no, I know, I know - I'd buy an Isamu Noguchi table (been wanting  one for a while)

8. During this class I hope I will get to 'buy' / revisit / finally get to use my stock of ... Everything!! lol but especially chipboard shapes & alphabets, not forgetting the buttons, buttons, and oh, more buttons....


9. The best thing about shopping at home will be ... not carrying any bags of 'purchases', rediscovering forgotton treasures - and turning all that stash into lovely items!! destashing AND creating - thats a double whammy!

 10. Shopping at home will mean I can get away with wearing ... no make-up and my oh-so-comfy pink-with-white-spots pj bottoms & a t-shirt .

aaaanyhoo enough about 'shopping' in Jo-land!  thats all for now.. got to go and create something!!  (I've got some new Tim Holtz & Sizzix dies to play with!)

Call off the search party! I'm here!...

...and I been a truly bad bad blogger - almost a whole month has gone by without updating of the blog - thats truly shameful ... I blame the very quick & easy Twitter! lol
but I'm getting back on track.
Normal service will resume asap! I may even WOYWW!!

Poor little neglected blog!

It is isn't it - I feel like I haven't blogged for ages.... and thats 'cos I haven't! lol
Sorry about that - to the blog and to you lovely peeps out there who stop by.
There seems to have been so much going on - since the 16th September when I last posted (10 days! I should be ashamed! and even that was a quicky post) I have:

• Demo'd the Letterpress at The Craft Barn which I enjoyed hugely - so many nice people came to the event over the two days.
• Spent an evening at PaperArtsy HQ watching the Tim Holtz ticket sales - very exciting! Sold out in around 40 minutes! If you tried to get a ticket I hope you were successful and I look forward to seeing you there!
• Spent 2 days teaching at Imagine That - both were Christmas classes - oh yes - Christmas!! (in case you're keeping track - its around 90 days away! eek!)
• Made stuff and sold it a craft fair - which was yesterday - a bit chilly but a great day. Several of the Critters were sold and have gone to keep other people company.  Its good to get your stuff out there and to see people's reactions to it - its all part of the process, part of the learning.
• been working on the ongoing preparations for this weekends Artisan show at Leamington - I'm going to be working on the make'n'takes at the PaperArtsy stand - make sure you stop by please, make'n'take and check out their great new products!
• getting ready for the start of the College year when I start teaching a new course twice a week!

I think thats quite enough don't you!  Loved doing all of the above!

I like to include a photo on all my posts so here is a piccy from our trip to New York...
I try to photograph anything/everything that catches my eye (dh calls me 'two step' because he thinks I take a photograph every two steps lol) and shop windows are a constant source - these little mannequins were in shoe shop window - they only measure about 12 inches in height and I love that the clothes are made from folded paper!

Aren't they clever!  I really like shop displays like this.

Christmas!!!!!!

...is only 100 days away!! How is that possible?!?

Aaaanyhoo no time for contemplations about the passing of time - its my day over at Banana Frog and as its only 100 days to the big C (not to be confused with my big 40 which is ever looming (36 days and not really counting lol)) I've created an ATC advent thingymajigy over on the blog - click on the pretty picture underneath to visit

Just when you thought ArtsyCraft Events couldn't get any better...

I love working at the ArtsyCrafts events with the uber talented Leandra (PaperArtsy) & Lin(LBCrafts) and their FABULOUS creative weekends... but now they've managed to outdo themselves... if you are drinking while reading this I suggest you put the drink down before you read on....(or spluttering or spillage may occur)

brace yourselves...

In February next year ....

wait for it...... drum roll please...

Tim Holtz will be coming to the UK and teaching classes at ArtsyCrafts! Oh YES!!

You heard correctly - Tim Holtz, the one and only is coming to town!

See - just when you thought AC weekends couldn't get better! There are obviously no ends to Leandra and Lin's talents!
I can't put these things better than Leandra so head on over to the PaperArtsy blog where you'll get all the fabulous details - DON'T miss out - its going to be sooooo good! 
I must be jetlagged because at the moment I can't explain in words how excited I am about this weekend - its going to be so good! SOOOOOOO EXCITING! (there, caps 'll do it everytime!) You'll just have to imagine me doing my happy dance in front of my computer with intervals of happy clapping!!! to a soundtrack of overexcited squealing!



Pace yourselves - go read all the details and get your payment details ready: tickets go on sale 8pm on Monday.

Good luck.  Hope to see you there.

Phew!! Trains, Planes and Automobiles

Its been a busier week than normal.  Last week I (and dh) took:
taxis
2 planes
subway rides
1 ferry
1 boat
and 1 helicopter (oh yes! a helicopter!)
all as part of our trip to NEW YORK - yes the city that really is SO GOOD they named it twice! It was one of those holidays that you have to have another holiday to get over and rest! lol

I'll show you some (not all) (not enough time!) of the best bits of the trip, and some of the photos of things that made me laugh or inspired.

No rest for the wicked though! - This weekend I'll be demo'ing the Letterpress kit at the Craft Barn's Extravaganza - Saturday and Sunday - if you're planning on coming please stop by and say hello! If you buy Craft Stamper (and why wouldn't you?!) the Letterpress is what my article in this month's issue is all about.  There are also a few other CS design team on the list of demonstrators so come and say hello, but please - no heckling or throwing of tomatoes! lol

And finally, and by no means least - Leandra at PaperArtsy has a secret (and its a big one!) and I don't think she can keep it to herself much longer. If you pop over to her blog this evening she might just share the secret with you .. or maybe she won't... she likes to keep everyone guessing.....

Eye Candy!!!

Its been ages since I've been to Bluewater and I'd forgotten how great it is for inspiration or just to see things that make you go 'ooooh!' and 'aahhh'!

Hubby had to DRAG me away from the window of All Saints - (apparently its not the done thing to stroke shop windows...) not because of the clothes but because the window was FULL of antique sewing machines!!!!

I like antique sewing machines almost as much as I like buttons!  I was in one of our local charity shops a week or so ago (it was a tuesday,  12.30ish - I'm only telling you 'cos its important later) and there was a lovely machine - a treadle machine.  I've always wanted one, and this one was really cute - had a little cabinet but what made it even nicer was that it had all the bits and pieces still with it that the owner had used ... it was really obvious that it had been looked after - the treadle had a piece of carpet on it so feet didn't get cold, there was a sewing kit and threads etc it was lovely... and for £20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought about it and almost bought it but then my practical sensible voice inside said "really?! why do you want it, where will you put it?". 

I left and went to see a friend and her V cute puppy but in the end it got the better of me and I went back to buy the machine (£20.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bargain!!)..... at 4.45pm  ... can you see where this is going?  NOOOOO! in that 4-hour-ish gap ON A TUESDAY AFTERNOON!!! somebody else had gone in and thought "hmm thats what I need today! a vintage sewing machine" NOOOOOOOO!!!! what are the chances of that! (and did I mention it was raining?!) (seriously what were the chances!!)

(I blame the puppy - if he hadn't been so damn cute I wouldn't have been cooing over him for so long would I! and I'd probably have a nice vintage sewing machine!) (and breeeeaaathe....)

So the moral of the story is - buy it when you see it!!

aaanyhoo on a less ranting note Marks&Spencer have a lovely colour range of home furnishings at the moment - dark teals, greys and burgundy plums.... mmm v nice! and how nice is the felt flower cushion on the chair...

Oops and sorted!

Doh! on Wednesday my desk was all about the Critters (who are multiplying as we speak) and suggested that if people liked them then maybe they'd like to 'follow' them.... which would've been made much easier if I'd put a follow button on the site - which I hadn't! DOH!  (PS Doone - you weren't being 'blind' there wasn't a button invisible, hidden or other!)
Sorry about that, but its now sorted and the Critters have a button over on their site (to go see click on Critters photo on right).....
Please follow if you'd like too, ... but not too closely as they may scare easily and please don't feed them especially after midnight - if you've seen Gremlins then you know why! lol

Here's another addition - I'm not sure about its face - bit small for the body? Not quite right? but then thats part of the Critters' charm isn't it?! 

WOYWW

Greetings from sunny Westcliff!!  I had to point out the 'sunny' part of that because its been a while since the sun put in appearance  - I don't mean to be picky but its August and so I EXPECT sun!!

Anyhoo back to the subject in hand.... before I post a piccy of my desk this week (and don't get over excited but its a completely different desk! ta da) :
I'd like to thank those of you who gave me some information about New York - much appreciated.. and to those of you who wanted to sneak into my suitcase sorry, and much as I'd have loved your company I'm sure, but the case is quite full already (I'm a 'keep packing until you have to sit on it to close it' type of suitcase packer!  lol only joking...ish). 
So thanks, and sorry in equal measures!

Here's the desk:  Its all about the Critters today - making them to sell next month (it'll be hard to see them go...).  Its all going to get very exciting in CritterVille - new additions in many forms arriving left right and centre (go here to meet the gang...)

The desk is across the room from the one I generally show you.. its the 'sewing' desk - I try to keep it clean(ish)
So, from left right - bind it all (haven't put it away yet, ahem), sewing machine, behind the machines are some of my buttons (you can never have too many can you? (well, yes according to a friend of my who has a phobia of them)), fabric for turning into Critters, cuttlebug for cutting out some shapes for faces etc (oooh I have a new wing die - and I'm not afraid to use it!) and in the backgound are a few of my houses ready for sale.... thats a lot of stuff on one desk isn't it!  When I actually start creating I will clear it off a bit (where I'm going to put it I don't know - might need another table rofl)

Off you all go to snoop about - when I've made my Critter quota for the day that's exactly what I'll be doing!
Happy snooping!

PS - The Critters would love some new followers - so if you like them please follow them!  :o)  You wouldn't want to hurt their feelings would you??

Banana Frog day!

Hop on over to the blog to see what I made this month......

WOYWW - its been a while!

Here it is - my desk - do you notice anything about it? go on, look carefully.... yep thats right - its clearer! I was going to say tidier but then that might be pushing the believability a bit too far - but it is clearer - less 'stuff' around the edges... oh come on course there is look at the white bits- that desk top!  So other things on there are my little sketchbook (in centre with pink spots on page), essential cup of coffee, coloured rubons (recently dug those out of the stash (buried deep!) I'd forgotton how nice they are!), PaperArtsy stamps, Hero Arts stamps and samples for a class, oh and not forgetting the very important general 'stuff'

Right you lovely snoopers - I need your help please (no not another plant identification - got my sambucus!) - I'm planning a trip to New York (oh yeah! New York baby - so good they named it twice!) and I'd like your recommendations for what I should do while I'm there - not the obvious stuff - I've already got a list as long as my arm of that (Statue of Liberty etc) but unusual stuff.... answers on a postcard, sorry, in the comments section please!

Thanks muchly in advance for any info!

And if you want to know what all this desk snooping is about head on over to Julia's blog and she'll explain everything, and you'll find a list of all the other desks that are open for viewing...

Right, other peeps' worktops here I come!