Well, it's certainly been raining men in my house over the past few weeks.  No, not had lots of 'real' men but I have been putting the Tim Holtz stamps to good use.  If you look back at my post here you will see the canvasses I did with these same stamps when on the Oyster Stamps Retreat.

Well it has been Chas's birthday and so I wanted to make him a different card to the ones I have done in previous years (I always try to make something different) so this time I sent off for a Sizzix Die.  Then realised I needed another one for the joiny up bit!  Doh!

"Double Doh" because when I tried to get one everyone was out of stock!  Panic!  And still are.

Write to Rita, her daughter used this die with a lovely card maybe she can advise and I can "wing it".  Oh heck, just realised Rita is on holiday.  Anne (Redanne) she has used this die as well.  So off went another email.  Almost immediately came a reply from (Red)Anne - she would cut me some out and send them.  Then another reply from Annie, Rita's daughter (bless Rita she had got in touch with her despite being away) saying she would send me some.  Check out their blogs, they do some fabulous work.

Anyway, now to my card, which had to be created in a bit of a rush I am afraid

the front when open

and

the back

and the die is still not in stock!

Hope you find time to join in with a "Male" card - we would love to see what you do over on Artful Times.

I used Memento London Fog to stamp the background images, Archival Black for the main images and guess what?  Distress Inks for the colour.

Coincidence:  Pure accident that today happens to be the birthday of my Dad.  Still miss him (and my mum).  Didn't realise when I chose this theme or put it at this challenge number.

WOYWW 221

Well, I did it.  I caught up with my comments but am afraid this week will be much the same - a late catch up as I am going to my friend Wendy's early Friday morning in preparation for a workshop which we are going to.  Am so excited!  It is the Finnabair workshop - and I will get to meet Alison as I espied her name on the last email.

We heard a noise outside on Sunday evening and this is what we saw when we looked outside

A flippin' big branch had broken off the Ash tree

Might not seem bad to any of you but as the tree has a Preservation order on it ...  Of course, if something is going to happen it has to be on a Bank Holiday weekend.  Got in touch with the Council yesterday and apparently we should have our trees examined by a surgeon every three years.  If you have trees in your garden read up about it and certainly do so if you are thinking of buying a property which has trees in its garden.  So yesterday was taken up sawing the thing up and disposing of it and now today I really must get some cleaning done, clothes sorted for weekend and supplies packed.  Might even bake for Wendy's lovely husband.  Oh, and I need to get in touch with some tree surgeons for them to come and give me estimates for work on all our trees.  Bang goes my week in the sun!

Well, this is my desk for all you lovely WOYWW followers

as you can see I must be in a black and white mood

Had to  make four birthday cards, one for my dear friend Paul for this weekend, which is why it is turned around, and three others for members of Vickie Stampers.  So, that is it folks, short and s...hort! Pop over to the stamping ground to see what Julia has to say this week and see how many folks are up there with pictures of latest makes and desks.

Final Pics - Oyster Retreat Part 4

Cannot believe it is a week ago that I was doing my canvasses with these lovely ladies.  Missing everyone, missing the fab food we had - and of course missing having it made and the washing up done.

Here is the last round up of my photographs:

Friendships made

Pretty Lilac

waiting to start eating

Additions 

Lilac Time

Sharing a joke

Is that a tree I espy?

Work on a Sunday?

Where should I put it?

and finally

I dreamed about it and dared to do it in black!

Thanks everyone who took part in whatever way.

Upcoming shows I will be at: Harrogate 4/5th October

                                               Leigh Show 12th/13th October

                                               Lincoln Show 3rd November ... anybody coming?

Part 3 Oyster Retreat

Have finally got my stamping room looking a bit more like normal now.  Surprising how I have managed to condense the equipment I brought back into a medium sized box.  Mind you I am quite good (read "very" good) at packing.  Am 'itching' to get another canvas made and also to make some more resin paper for some flowers plus a bit of jewellery of course.

Here are some pictures from last weekend (again apologies I did not get photographs of all of my groups)

Here's Hilary (new to crafting) with her lovely canvas

Pat - pretty in lilac

and in pink

sunny yellow

love the turquoise with the pale lemon

and Romayne with her dusky pink

Still got a few more but will save them for tomorrow - I'm on a promise - got the freezer to defrost and I did promise I would do it this last week.

WOYWW 220 and Putting Things Right

Last week I had to forgo commenting but I have left all the comments made in my 'inbox' and I will spend a day commenting on all the ones I have missed.  So sorry about that but I was up to my armpits and eyeballs in prep for the Oyster Retreat (see labels down side and more to come) and then only got back Monday evening and was so tired (hard bed at the second hotel = little sleep) that I just went to my own bed.  Yesterday was my Chloe day, my adorable little five year old who is so full of fun and love (friend's daughter) so this is my first opportunity to put things right.  Sorry about that.

Anyway, this is my desk - still as it is from dumping all the stuff from Tracey.  Did a bit of a 'pan' along one side of my room.  Not a bit of space so Chloe and I had to die cut on the dining room table yesterday.

As I teased you long enough with sneak peeks here are my samples from the weekend

Canvas gessoed, then Pan Pastels to colour and put through punchinella/negatives from dies cuts, Distress Inks on cardstock for die cuts, images stamped (with block underneath for stability). (Stamps by Tim Holtz, dies - Spellbinders and Memory Box, Flowers - Heartfelt Creations (all available from Oyster Stamps).  Bottom Right is an Ice Resin Flower.  Everyone made a small piece of resin paper.

Then ice resin - everyone made a tiny heart which was supposed to go on the canvas, some will, some will be worn.  Heart had scrapbook paper inside then a Bindi before the resin was poured in.  The pendant (ear ring really) was left clear, done on packing tape, with a piece of grass inside.

Steampunk heart - three layers (or might have been four) of ice resin poured in at stages over various watch part additions.

Scrap book paper in first, then guitar charm added and more ice resin, then treble clef and more ice resin until it domed.  Hopefully looks as if the treble clef is floating/suspended.  (what seems to be a mark along the left side must be the light catching - the whole pendant is crystal clear)

Hope that gives you an insight into what we did in my class.  There were four classes on at one time with 10 people in each.  In my first class they learnt a bit about ice resin and did the heart and then they learned how to use Distress Inks in a three colour way to die cut what they wanted on their canvas.  This was a one and a half hour class so a lot was achieved.

Next day they came back for a further one and a half hour class, gessoed the canvas, put on the base colour (PP's give such good and quick coverage), did some stencilling, stamped images and assembled. I would say 99% went home with a finished canvas so it was achievable and I am so proud of them and how well they all worked.  A pendant and a canvas in three hours!

Have uploaded some pictures from the Retreat with the ladies but will be uploading many more over the next couple of days so watch out for them.  In the meantime go along to Ms Julia's blog and see what the other WOYWW'ers are up to and where they have been.

Have a good week!

(More pictures of the ladies at the Retreat tomorrow)

Working My Way Through My Weekend (Oyster Retreat Part 2)

Well I am back home now and coming down to earth after my fabulous weekend meeting and making new friends with lots of lovely people.   A BIG Welcome to my lovely lovely new followers Janet, Karen and Hellen.

Didn't sleep well Sunday night when I changed hotels and had a firm mattress on my bed.  I don't do firm.  [Nice to have my OH with me though (hope he does not read this) as I missed him being around (can't have him knowing I  missed him)]  Anyway that is why I am up at silly o'clock doing my blog - I was in bed for 9 pm last night!

Thought I would take the opportunity to upload some more photos from my fab time away.  Have to confess I was worried that the ladies on the weekend would find my style and class a bit daunting and so would hate it.  Most of them gave it a try and came up with some fabulous results which I hope to share with you over the coming days.  I am just so sad that I did not get photographs of the first groups - I just have this mental block about taking photos when I am busy and it wasn't until I saw Martine (love you honey bun) with her camera that I got mine out.  So if any of the ladies in my first groups read this please will you send me a photo of your finished canvas.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

and I leave you with this one which proves what a good time we were having - more tomorrow - back to bed for an hour.

Don't know what all the hype was about followers and all that a few weeks ago - I have got three new followers in the normal way and have just 'followed' someone myself.  

Oyster Retreat (Part 1)

Just resting up in the hotel before setting off home tomorrow after the firstOyster Retreat. Had a super time, what a lovely bunch of ladies we had attending. Missing them all already. Plus missing the wonderful staff who I had the pleasure to work alongside.

My two workshops were connected. The first day they made components to use on a canvas. One of these caused a great deal of excitement as they had nearly all heard of the product but not used it. What was the product you are asking? It was Ice Resin.

The first thing was to have a brief word about the two mixes, how long it takes etc etc and then it was time for the first group to begin mixing - then pouring into the heart shaped bezels. Great excitement and eager waiting for the next day when the resin would have dried.

Sunday saw the participants "Getting Down and Dirty" with me. This took a lot of the ladies out of their comfort zone but as you can see there were some great, and varied, canvasses.

Here is Pauline who says she is going to make another, and she bought one so I hope I get to see her next one. Didn't she do well?


A lot of these ladies had never done anything like this before so it was taking them out of their comfort zone. They worked so well. Here is Karen with hers.


That is only two and there will be more when I get home. Am so looking forward to my own bed, my pc and all the home comforts. Just found out some dear friends have broken down on the motorway. Hope they are not too long before they get home as they have worked so hard to produce such a wonderful weekend as the one we have just had.

Night! Must get some sleep.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Twinchies

Over on Artful Times I chose "Twinchies" as one of the challenges to do - without having ever made one. I love 'inchies' so thought the slightly bigger size might be nice and easy to do.

 Looking around my stash I found I had some "almost" two inch square stamps in a set and so I set to and used them. I love trees so these were particularly appealing to me when I bought them - not a clue when - but they were unused. Now how many of you, hands up, don't be shy, do just that? Buy stamps and don't use them?

 Anyway, as it is Tuesday 5 am and I am three days late with this posting (but going to try to snuck it in) I will leave it there. I just stamped and embossed with clear ep and added touches of distress inks to give some colour. As they were not quite 2" I mounted them on black cardstock so that they were.  Hope you like the challenge and join in - remember partial images work just as well.

and here's another which was using a Magenta stamp

The stamp has lots of tiny squares and so I stamped a few of these then cut them up into fours (as here), or individually, and used them on quick cards to say things like "thank you" and "get well" etc.

Brilliance Ink swiped over an image stamped and embossed on glossy card.  Nice and easy peasy. 

WOYWW 219

Not my desk I am afraid and hope that Julia does not mind but it is littered with all my stuff for the weekend and I don't really want to upload it until Saturday.  So I decided to show you my display of tags in my room

These are various tags I have had sent to me over the past few months plus one or two of my own produced for my challenge blog or produced at CHA with Dina Wakely (bottom right and top right).  Top left you might recognise - yes it is from Redanne.

And that mirror is my Palooza I once did with Tim Holtz at CHA.

This is the side of my cupboard as you walk through the door.  This is for other than tags so I keep postcards I have had sent (handmade of course), favourite pictures from a catalogue I get from Italy and some photographs.  Oh, and there are some business cards I do not want to lose down the left hand side.

Not wishing to give Julia a heart attack this week but hurrying so I can go and get some more work done (lots of birthdays coming up so I need a card making session pronto) I will leave it there.

Have a lovely week everyone, apologies if I did not get to you last week with being away - I did my best, honestly.  Welcome to my newest follower and grab a cuppa all of you and visit the stamping ground blog for lots of goodies and friendship.

ps You must visit Pam at The Taming of the Glue for her account of Flat Susan if you missed it last week.

Hopefully I will upload some photos of our trip to Beamish and Alnwick later in the week.

WOYWW 218

Well, as I mentioned last week I am not at home but celebrating my dear OH's 60th birthday in Northumberland.  Bless him!  Had a birthday meal at home with our Andy and his partner Samantha on Sunday and as a result left my craft room in a terrible state.
As you no doubt realise this is a scheduled post but this is honestly as my desk stands this lovely Wednesday morning.

Remnants of things used for the up and coming Retreat next week - oh em gee - will only be home for four days and then off with my friend to Northampton.  And still not put to bed my workshop - well half of it is done - just want another sample which is nearly finished. In the meantime

a peek at a couple of ice resin pieces I will be taking with me as samples of what you can do

and sample flowers (hope I am not giving too much away).  Fingers crossed I will have time to upload pictures of my samples over the weekend when they have been seen on the Retreat.  Do pop by and see what I have been doing.

BUT ... I got two lovely posts (as in mail received) - complete surprises - one from Patsy inthe Phillipines because I had won her atc - thank you so much Patsy, it is lovely.  The other was from Eliza and Yoda and was this delightful collaged postcard.  Look at the envelope it came in - that is a keeper along with the postcard.  Thank you Eliza and Yoda.  Was I lucky this week or what?

Love your handwriting Eliza

Hope you are all well and that you are ready for the marathon trek into 'desk world', courtesy of Ms Julia our esteemed founder.  Grab a cuppa, draw up a chair and feast your eyes on WOYWW Wonderland.

A Beautiful Baby Boy

One of my friends became a Great Grandmother for the very first time the other week.  Her grand-daughter gave birth to a healthy 8 lb 11 oz baby boy!  It was so funny when we were on the 'phone.  She mentioned that someone had sent the father's mother a "Congrats Grandparents" card and said she had never heard of that (she is a card maker) and how silly it was.  I sat there, not knowing whether to laugh or own up - I had made one for her. It was with the Birth Congratulations card and she would be getting it the following day.

How we laughed about it when she eventually plucked up courage to ring me and thank me.  Here are the two cards - I did not know what to do and got a bit tired of my usual baby cards so used a teddy bear on this one.

and for my friend

'another boy' card (they have lots of boys in the family)

Both using Spellbinders gorgeous frames (obtainable from Oyster Stamps) and painted with Twinkling H2o's.

Artful Times - Ribbing

No, we are not "ribbing" one another, we are using ribbed/corrugated card over on Artful Times.  I know this stuff is a big favourite of Sam's and I must admit she is getting me hooked on it too.  You must pop over to the Artful Times Challenge blog and see what Sam and Cathryn have done - fabulous!  Then join in with our challenge - you might win a voucher (sadly you left it too late to win Cathryn's beautiful tag the other week plus other goodies - congratulations Marina - lucky you!)

I made a hanger with mine

I think I was needing a bit of solitude when I made this as I was thinking how tranquil it would be to have a house on a hill.  In some ways our bungalow is on a bit of a steep rise and when there used to be flooding down the road near the river I was always glad to see how the torrential rainstorms ran down our drive stopping us from ever having the problem.  I felt so sorry for those folks down the hill (the problem of the river flooding has now been rectified thank goodness).

I tore bits of corrugated card from a box into these triangular shapes and using packing underneath built them up and out so that they stand proud from one another.  Used my Distress Stains to colour and cut my houses out with a TH die.

Now when things get too much I can look at this and imagine I am away from it all - tranquility on the top of a hill.