Eeeek nobody said!

I have just been packing up some kits for the class next week and noticed that there was a flower missing from the front of my book - no worries I thought I will just add another one later, then I have come on here and just checked the photo thats going in our newsletter and there is no flower on there either, which means that there is no flower on the picture below on my WOYWW post!  You have all put such nice comments but nobody said that there was a lovely book with a blob of glue on it and not a lovely coordinating flower!  Anyway as I have had to rephoto it for the newsletter I will update it here too:

here it is with coordinating orange bloom! 

Here are a sample of the inside pages:

Fairly plain and simple as we have a lot to get through in a 3 hourish class but obviously this can be inked and distressed to suit if desired.  Again I still havent got the bling to go on the flowers yet so they are still a bit plain but they should be here on Tuesday (fingers crossed!) otherwise it will be a trip to Hobbycraft for me and we all know what a chore that is (tee hee!).

Havent done much else craft wise at the moment with the children being at home - we have spent most of our time in the garden or park, playing the Xbox or monopoly or rummikub - such fun!

Thanks for looking.

Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday

Its that time again!  Here is my desk:

Not too much has been happening on it since last week when I finished off my August class which is this:

this is the box (just needs a brad to finish off the tag which I am awaiting from our Suppliers)

and this is the book that goes inside.  Its made using Echo Park papers and the bind it all - very nice!

And then I had a bit of a to do on Sunday when I fell over and have twisted my ankle so its been painful to walk about so I have sat on my settee and made a few of these:

They need a bit more tweeking and will probably never be used knowing me but I am pleased with them all the same.  Gold ones are made from crepe paper and the others organza and tulle.

If you want to join in the desk fun pop over to Julia's at http://stamping-ground.blogspot.com/ - I am not sure how many desks I can get around this week due to the children been here but I will try my best!

Thanks for looking :)

Oh the agony

It's my Grandmas birthday tomorrow so I have put together a cute little book for her similar to the one I will be doing at the class in August - I did this thinking that it would be quick and easy to put together but oh no nothing is that easy is it!  Have spent hours fiddling with this and that, where to put this, does this picture go? etc, etc, and I have no idea why - my Grandma would love anything I make even if it was one photo placed on a piece of card and put in an envelope, she would cherish it.  I know that she keeps all my cards and things I make in a box or folder by her chair - at 88 tomorrow she isnt very mobile - and sits there for hours looking through them all so as much as its lovely to have my stuff really appreciated and loved and anything would be suitable I still spend hours agonising to ensure that its perfect!  we crafters cant win can we!  Anyway here is the book:

Couldnt decide on whether to use the orange or red ribbon so have had to use both - yes I have been up since 7am this morning deliberating!

Here are some inside pages:

as you can see I have kept them all plain and simple - even so its still taken me all week to complete!

Here is my card:

This is based on the sketch at http://fridaysketchersblog.blogspot.com/ so I would like to enter it into their challenge - have kept to the sketch completely in the hopes I would create it quicker but it still took me an evening - flowers, as usual, are handmade using Tims tattered flower die and then I have used a lovely new leaf punch that punches and embosses at the same time (to speed me up!) and a Martha Stewart border punch, papers and chipboard are My Minds Eye from our kit in March.

And then here is the card from my children:

all their own work DS1 did the inking (which he thinks is "very easy and effective" and will try again - bless him) and DS2 did the colouring in.  Obviously they have told me that the card is finished and ready to go and now that I have photographed it I can see one glaring error that there is no "Great Grandma" on it so that now needs to be rectified - thank goodness I have 1.5 hours before we leave for the birthday celebrations!

Thanks for looking :)

They are all done!

Phew - teachers gifts all done now!  despite all the attempts at the ribbons (have used about five different ones so far which is why these boxes weren't completed on Monday which was my plan) and also Morag very kindly picked me up 10 metres of brown ribbon from Birmingham on Tuesday too but in the end I did revert to inking up some white ribbon for each box in the middle shade of distress ink I used (you know me - always do three!) - anyway here they are:

These are the tops of the boxes, the one on the left is for Mrs Hopkins who is DS2's teaching assistant, the middle one is for Mr Chamberlain who is DS1's teacher - yes thats right the pink one is for the bloke! but its his favourite colour so I just had to really (he is also the art teacher - trust me to have to make something for someone who has a degree in Art!) and the green one with the birdie on is for Miss Wood who is DS2's teacher.

These are the fronts of the boxes, and

these are the backs.  The sides either have fairies or bullrushes on them.  Each box then contains a box of teabags and some biscuits (I know Mr C will be impressed by this!).

I have lost all inspiration for their cards so I have just made these quick ones to match the boxes - it was all I could think of!

I know you are all thinking that they arent finished as they have no wording on the fronts but I dont know whether to put "To My Teacher" or "Thank You" on them so I am waiting for the children to come back from my Mom and Dads to ask what they want on them, and then I will probably use my lovely new dymo to write it out!

Anyway thats it for now because if you noticed I said "children to come back from my Mom and Dads" because, yippee, they are picking them up from school for me this afternoon so I have a. no school run and b. approximately 3 more hours of playing!  whoo hoo

Thanks for looking :)

WOYWW #59

Quite a tidy desk for me this week - it was my crop on Sunday so most of my tools are still downstairs and I have to confess I was tweeking the box and suitcase on my dining room table yesterday so that is a bit of mess!

BIA box is a teacher gift - am so unhappy with the ribbon!  top tip to everyone when making one of these boxes ensure you have enough of the right colour ribbon before you start!  this one has been tied together with a burgundy ribbon (made it look very gothic) and a white one (made it washed out) and I have now setttled for this blue one to match the broken china swirl on the top but am still not sure - will check in John Lewis later today if they have a better matching one, then need to sort out my other teacher one which is done in worn lipstick.  The suitcase is my class that I am teaching at our all day crop in August, it contains a cute mini book done with Echo Park papers - that just needs its tag affixing on the front - its done so I am not quite sure why I havent tied it on yet!  The white box is actually empty and just awaiting to go in the bin!  its there to remind me I have no more ATG tapes but they are on order so I should be ok soon!  Can you see the lovely little packet of feet there? bought those last month at our crop they are going to go on a bia box for me - not done that yet though!  Just 3 teachers cards and 2 cards for my Grandma and a nice little gift for her to make this week and then I can do something for me!

The little pile of stamps are my Hanglars which are still a. unused (oops) and b. homeless - need to stamp them out, laminate the sheet and put them away in a folder - another one of those tasks on my never ending list of things to do! have also treated myself to some Elzybells stamps as they are half price at the moment which are in the same situation but are still in my crop bag downstairs.

Have a lovely Wednesday everyone and will hopefully get round to most of your blogs by tomorrow - only managed 100 last week and this week might be much the same!

Thanks for looking :)

And another card!

Here is the card I have just posted off to my Uncle - its based on the sketch at  http://sweetstopsketches.blogspot.com/ with the extra twist of using a tag.  Have kept the card plain and simple again as it has had to be posted - arent the post office ruining a lot of our creative fun - I would have loved to have put lots more chess piece embellishments on but havent been able to get a post office to get it weighed so its had to go normal first class.  Have made a note to self to make a very embellished thick card and take it to be weighed and priced up so that I know if I cant get to the post office when I have left making a card to the last minute (as happens at times!) I will know roughly much postage to put on it!

Anyway sorry for moaning and thanks for looking :)

Another quick card

This is another quick card I have put together this week:

I would like to enter this into the http://movingalongwiththetimes.blogspot.com/ as I have followed their sketch.  Made using My Minds Eye papers, martha stewart punch, Prima Animal Bash flowers with the centres made with glitter, a fabulous Lily of the Valley stamped image which has been coloured with promarkers.  Thanks for looking :)

A quick birthday card

I made and sent this card earlier this week based on a friday sketches sketch and have just realised that I havent posted it on here and therefore missed their entry deadline which was yesterday!  Oh well - its a very basic card for me as I havent used any layers and bulky flowers as I have had to post the card and thats quite limiting now that the Royal Mail have strict guidelines isnt it!

Anyway here it is using some lovely My Minds Eye papers of which I still have loads of (luckily!).

They are boys papers which I think work just as well for a girl too!

Thanks for looking:)  and also just to let you know that our August all day crop is now sold out - thanks for all your interest and support.

WOYWW #58

Thought today I would keep it short and sweet and show you my ribbon storage as not much is happening on my desk at the moment as I have been busy finishing my crossstitch (see below) and also preparing classes that I dont want to show just yet!

Thanks for looking :) and also thank you so much for all of your wonderful comments over the past three weeks - I really enjoy reading them all!

To find out what all the desk business is about go to http://www.stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

edited to add that the ribbons are wound around dolly pegs with the one end hanging over the top held by the ribbon wound around the peg and the other loose end tucked in at the bottom (if you do this too dont hold the end in by a pin as they all keep catching and its a nightmare!). The box is actually part of the 16 really useful boxes set - its meant to house the 16 boxes but I have just taken mine out and stacked them on three individual piles and used the case as an extra storage unit).

Its finally done!

Have been working on this rocketship cross stitch for about 2 years now!  Its been right pain to do because of the dark background but still its all finished now!  It has been ironed but looks a bit crumpled again but I am hoping its ok to be framed as I dont want to iron it again now that it has the sequins on.

Its going to look brilliant hanging up in my little boys room (alongside the pirate bunting!).  Just remind me never to do dark background crossstitch again!

Thanks for looking.

Our Scrappin Escape

Look at the lovely poster Morag has done for our August crop day:

We just have four spaces left now so if you would like to come along and join in the fun contact either Morag or myself or email us both via the contact tab on http://www.whathousework.co.uk/.  Cost for the day (10.00am - 10.00pm) is just £40.  If you would like an overnight stay too just let us know and we will give you the best local hotel details.

Thanks for looking :)

WOYWW #57

Have been doing some crafting but not much to show at the moment as everything I am doing (I always have more than one project on at the go at any one time!) are all in different stages of development and haven't been finished yet but here is my desk at 11pm last night:

sorry its a blurry photo, and also today I will show you my delicious boxes:

I bought the largest one of these from a lovely little curio shop near me and I was so pleased with it that I showed it to everyone I knew, then on my birthday my Mom and Dad treated me to the other two as a surprise gift - isnt that lovely!

Anyway here are the contents which I am sure you are all waiting to see!

This one has my brads in.

This is my journalling box where I keep journalling bits and pieces along with journal and date stamps.

And this is my sticker box - yes I know have loads but does anyone else have a thing for stickers where they have to have them and then doesn't really know what to do with them?  or is that just me?

Thanks for looking and I am hoping to pop by and see all of your desks in the next few days too!  To find out what all the desk business is about go to http://www.stamping-ground.blogspot.com/

What a great tip!

I am sure I picked this idea up on my travels through the desks on WOYWW however I cant remember who's desk it was but whoever you are thank you!

I bought these items from Hobbycrafts:

Which were both in the sale so I got 3 packs of the rectangle signs and 1 pack of the handles for £2.49! bargain and with them I have made seven of these:

(Well actually I have made one so far as a tester but it seems ok so I am now off to saw the other five bits of the rectangle pieces and make the rest!)

So now I don't have to keep changing my distress tool every five mins and then have to faff as the velcro keeps coming off it - and yes I did see the tip about stapling the velcro onto the handle but they have now worked themselves out too so I am back to the not so sticky velcro.  Am really rather pleased with myself!

Todays the day!

Its the Summer Fayre today and the sun is shining!  Wish us luck :)