WOYWW 156 - Happy 3rd Anniversary!!!

Woohooo!  Here we are then, third anniversary at last!  And we're off on our mammoth blog hop.  I for one am going to attempt to get round EVERYONE this week.  We have a four day holiday weekend here in the UK, in honour of our lovely Queen celebrating 60 years on the throne, so I might stand a chance of getting to more than my usual clutch!  I will certainly visit everyone who visits me.

Now, if you're wondering what I'm on about - go and visit The Stamping Ground where you can commence your world-wide wanderings across the workdesks of the world....LOL

Yes, I'm up for an ATC swap, and I've made 5 in total.  Not a lot I know, but quite a bit of work went into them, and I've had a kind of busy weekend (more on that in a mo) so didn't manage to get more than my lucky number done!  So, I'm going to send an ATC to the next person in the list after me who is participating, and then if anyone else wants to swap with me I'll accept the first four askers.  Let me know via the comments and we can work out addresses etc. 

NB - Edited to add.... actually, anyone who wants to swap ATCs with me, I'll happily make some more if you can be patient and wait a couple of extra days, but they won't be the shiny silver ones below.... LOL.... mainly on account of me having run out of the adhesive aluminium for the  moment.

My desk this week.....

It's busy but not as busy as it could be.  If you look really hard, you'll see my ATCs at the back there.  The main thing I'm working on is a pillow box for a gift for a friend's daughter who turns 11 later this week.  I got the cutting file from Silhouette for my Silhouette SD, and then I'm just inking up the cut shape with blue (french blue) and green (aquamarine) chalk inks, and stamping a seaweed frond in London Fog stazon.  That's all coated with lashings of ice coloured stickles... I'll add ribbon and a charm once it's assembled.  Her card is a mermaid Tilda, she having a thing for mermaids at the mo.  I've not made the card yet, so watch this space for a pic once done.

So....if you read last week's small print you will have seen that I had a... *coff*... special birthday on Saturday, and Mr B was planning things.  I had known about a couple of potential visitors, but not feeling 100% in the run up, I begged him to cancel any massive party ideas he had, so bless him, he did just that.  However, two people he didn't cancel, and I'm glad he didn't.  My two best friends from secondary school - Vrinda and Nicola - came up on Saturday evening and stayed till Sunday, and we had a low-key but fab time.  I last saw Vrinda just over a year or so ago, but Nicky I'd not seen for nearly 4 years.  It's funny - I look at them and see them just as we were as teens.  Hard to think that their collective children have 83 years between them.  LOL.  Make that 94 years between OURS, even though Lil Miss B isn't my own, she's still mine...

I won't go on too much more - suffice it to say that the birthday fairy bought me lots of lovely goodies including plenty of craft supplies.....and a scrapbooking tote trolley!  YAY.  I also got a fab gargoyle and moon-gazing hare for the garden...

And before I forget - thank you to everyone who left lovely comments on my blog and FB - your birthday wishes were much appreciated!

WOYWW 155 - nearly there!

Woot!  One week left to the third anniversary of WOYWW!  Are your ATCs ready yet?  Mine aren't...  but I'm working on them, and they will be done by next Wednesday, for sure....

For those who have happened upon my blog by accident, please do go and check out Julia's blog here for all the info.  I've not gone mad, I'm just a desk-nut...LOL....

Now, to answer a couple of questions that have cropped up - 1) the talc is to de-sticky the EZ mount where the stamps aren't, so that it doesn't clog up my scissors so much.  2) Stamping isn't something I'm new at - I got my first two stamps and EP in 1988 - and it was such a new hobby that the lady in the shop was demonstrating embossing powder.... using a toaster!!!!  Ah yes, I remember those days well.  If you're interested, the stamps were an ivy garland, and my initial, and my first EPs were gold, copper and sparkle.  I think I still have some of the sparkle somewhere....and I definitely do have - and still use - the stamps.  The monogram I used to use to tart up my writing paper.  Ah yes, those definitely WERE the days!

And indeed, what is on my desk this week?

Well, an awful lot of the same as last week - ATC stuff.  Which, please note, I have turned face down so you can't see what I've done!  Can't spoil the surprise now, can we?

Here's a gratuitous under-my-desk shot - someone commented on my blog recently that I must have short legs cos of everything under my desk, but I think the photo was misleading, because it's the desk to the right of where I sit that is piled high - the one I sit at is less so.  Under it you can see my paint crate, my knitting bag, and something REALLY random - a bag with a couple of Xmas prezzies in!  Not sure why they didn't make it to their intended recipients...

Next picture isn't so much me patting my own back as patting Lil Miss B's.   Akilli Melek (Caroline) mentioned on last week's WOYWW that she was involved in a sale to support the hospice she and her Mr go to with Little Miss A, and I offered to send some cards up.  Now, Lil Miss B has been having a topper frenzy lately, making lots of toppers to put on cards, but not doing anything with them.  I asked her if she'd like to help out and donate some, and the result is below.  Half those cards were made by her, half by me - and I bet you can't pick out which ones..... very well done, Lil Miss B, very well done!  I'm proud of you....



Hope to see a lot of you around in a comment box near you this week! 

Although, actually, I might not.  If you've read this far, well done!  My apologies if I don't make it round to very many this week, only, you see, it's a certain birthday on Saturday and I have a feeling - from the whispers going on around me - that something is up someone's sleeve and whilst I don't know what it is, I get the impression it doesn't involve sitting at my PC looking at blogs.  Apologies!

WOYWW 154 - a hive of activity

Welcome once more to WOYWW - the weekly wonder as dreamt up by our delightful desk diva, Julia Dunnit!  No, I've not gone mad, but if you think I have, you need to hop over to her blog here and have a look for yourself!

Short and sweet this week from me!  Here's my desk.  I'm working on my ATCs still - I don't know whether I'll do just one, or a whole bunch; you'll have to wait and see on the day!

I'm also working on getting some old stamps of mine mounted up.  These ones don't generally see the light of day (out of sight, out of mind), though I know they are always there, in the back of my mind.  Until recently, I kept them in a postcard album, which wasn't ideal.  Then Lil Miss B started collecting postcards, and as of this weekend now owns said album.  So, it's made me do something proper with the stamps in question, and I'm in the throes of mounting them onto EZ mount and some old Kling-on I had.  I prefer EZ mount, personally, but have to do the best with what I've got at the moment.

Other than that - not much to report!

Catch you on the hop, so to speak.....

Kings and Queens of England

You'll have to forgive me this little vagary on my normal posting.  Allow me to elaborate.

25 years ago I used to do a lot of babysitting, and one of the families had the following poem on the wall in their downstairs toilet.  I managed to take a copy of it, and then with the change of computer, lost it.

I've been looking online for YEARS to find another one - yet it's not out there.  In having a clear out of ancient paperwork that I've been trawling around with me for the last ten years, I came across a printed copy - YAY!  It seems to be a Victorian poem, but I've added six lines at the bottom to bring it up to date.  I'm putting it up here on my blog because I feel it needs to be out there on the web for everyone else to share, as it's nicer than the others I've seen (like Willy, Willy, Harry, Stee)! 

Enjoy....

Kings and Queens of England

First William the Norman

Then William his son

Henry, Stephen and Henry

Then Richard and John

Next Henry the Third

Edwards one, two and three

And again after Richard

Three Henrys we see
Two Edwards, third Richard

If rightly I guess

Two Henrys, sixth Edward

Jane, Mary and Bess

Then Jamie the Scotsman

Then Charles whom they slew

Yet received after Cromwell

Another Charles too

Next James the second

Ascended the throne

Then good William and Mary

Together came on

Till Anne, Georges four,

And fourth William all past

Comes the reign of Victoria –

Long may it last!

Next Edward seven, George the fifth

Then there came a mighty tiff,

Cos Edward eight, he abdicated

So George the sixth was coronated.

Leaving us with Lizzy two

A queen who’s known by me and you!

WOYWW 153 - some semblance of normality

And we're at it again - welcome back to WOYWW!  For all the deets, head to Julia's web residence here and hop on the WOYWW train.  T'is indeed addictive.

Last week though, I ducked out.  I was railroaded by a snotty grotty cold that actually knocked me off my feet for 24 hours.  I stayed home from work last Weds, and indeed, it's a mark of how poorly I was because I didn't even sneak a peak at WOYWW let alone post my own desk up.  Well, couldn't have you all visiting me and catching my cold now, could we? LOL

This week my desk is chaotic.  I went to the crop on Saturday, but only managed to not quite finish what I'd started the previous month!  Mr Mojo wasn't up to playing nicely with friends, so I fiddled and faddled, and faffed.  And now the double layout is at home for finishing, as I didn't have the letters I needed for a title.  They're done now, but that's how my desk will look this Wednesday because I'm too tired to tidy up tonight.  In fact, Mr B is more tired as he took himself to bed at 10pm, and as I type this he is snoring softly on the bed, not having even undressed or climbed in!  Awww.  No, I'm not taking a photo because he does need a little dignity, even for him!

As some of you will have read, we made some art dolls for Julia as a WOYWW 156 gift - I won't post my pics up yet as I'll let her have the fun of sharing them in closer detail with y'all.... And I think this is a lovely picture of her looking delighted, regardless of what awful photos she thinks I took!

Till next week!  See you in a comments box near you....

WOYWW 151 - the countdown has begun!

Ooh! This is all looking a bit different in the "create post" window, so let's hope we all get it right this week or it's going to be a short blog hop!

This week my desk is showing the startings of an ATC for the swap coming up in 5 weeks - this year I'm getting a jump on the makings. 

Nothing else to report this week - we're rather busy with the play which will be all over by next week, thankfully.  Never before has a play been so much effort!  Below is a picture of Mr B and Avril as Ma & Pop Larkin - fab photo...

See you in a comments box near you - hopefully!



WOYWW 150 - the hostile takeover...

LOL

Not really.  Nothing hostile about my mother!  No, just means that once again my desk is clear as it doubles as a dressing table for visitors.  After my last reference to this a couple of people said I shouldn't bother tidying up my craft desk for visitors, and generally speaking I don't, but it's a bit different when they need the space for their potions and lotions and the like.

So, welcome to WOYWW once more!  The weekly wonder of desk hopping the world over!  For all the deets and links, go here.

So what's on my desk this week, aside from my Mother's "stuff"?  Apart from the usual, there's a 12 x 12 picture frame which needs painting and shabby-chic'ing.  Wobbly man has gone off on one and is sulking behind the tote bag.  You can see my collections of brads, eyelets and card candi lurking there too.  And you can just about see the finished B box peeking out. 

Just for you guys, here's some close-ups!  The base of the box is a matchbox - I'm sure that's no surprise to most of you - painted with an irridescent hot pink acrylic paint.  I used self adhesive aluminium glued over a cardboard base onto which had been stuck some shapes (in this case the letters, the bees and the flowers) and used these to create the main relief design.  Some Ten Second Studio tools and some black acrylic paint later, et voila!  The other sides were made from card cut to size, inked with two shades of cats eye chalk inks, plus some TH distress ink in Black Soot, and stamped with an Inkadinkado inchy background stamp.  I added some bling with some stickles, glued it all together, and there you have one B box.

I think the quote was from.... was from.... Lost Coast?  Or is it Zettiology lady?  Or maybe Third Coast.  I'm crap at remembering the manufacturer, especially when it comes in as a plate of rubber.... Sorry...

Anyway, catch you in a comments box near you!  I managed to visit all my visitors last week, plus a few!  Ace.....

WOYWW 149 - the staycation one...

Well, you'd think with a few days off I'd have made it round everybody's blogs this week, wouldn't you?  Must try harder!  I didn't even make it around everyone who visited me (hangs head in shame), so please do accept my apologies, and expect a visit very shortly!

This week we have a busy desk - I've been making something I promised to do for a friend years ago, and as it's her birthday on Thursday I felt moved to make something for the occasion.  Thus you see the B box.  Don't ask.  It's a long, convoluted and somewhat obscure story (I'll tell you later Doone) and more than a little odd...

Crop this week saw me produce three layouts, of which I only managed to finish...none.   All three have had to have something added, whether it was a simple date, or a better title...or...well, number three isn't quite done yet and I wouldn't dare to show it on here anyway for fear that Mrs D would have my guts for garters...

Oh yes.  The reason I'm rambling on about my desk?  WOYWW of course!  For those that don't know - it's a weekly hop round a few of the desks in the world that are baring all.  Join in here if you dare!  I have a lovely badge courtesy of Ms Julia which I have epically failed to photograph this week.....DOH!

See you in a comments box near you!

WOYWW 148 - back to normality!

Welcome  back to WOYWW - the Wednesday wander through the realms of the neat, the not so neat, and the downright untidy! 

My desk this week is back to its usual untidy state - what you witness below is the aftermath of an "ohmyGodit'sKaren'sbirthdayonFriday" and "Ihaven'tmadeheracardanditneedstogointotheposttomorrow" session.  We've all had one of those, I'm sure!

Close up of the card (Karen doesn't do PCs full stop, let alone bloghop!) - image is one of the Li'l Grumpies by Smeared Ink.  I love them.  They're so downright....grumpy.  With phrases like "suck it up" and "bite me", could they be anything else?  I made my own insert - it reads "live a little, I dare ya".  As a cancer survivor, Karen will appreciate the sentiment, and her rock chick heart will love the Grumpie.  Hehehe.



A swift glance behind us on the bed reveals the death-throes of a prepping-for-a-crop flurry.  Yup, crop this month is on Saturday, and having almost literally bumped into Laura (airingcupboardstamping) in Salisbury BHS last Sat, I said I'd go, so I'm going.  Wish me luck in my prepping!

See you somewhere in a comments box near you - after the Blogger issues this week, I didn't managed to get round many folks!

WOYWW 147 - The Blogoversary one....

Wooohooo!

It's that time of the week again when we go on a massive snoop-fest courtesy of Ms Dunnit over at The Stamping Ground.

This week I actually have a creative desk, and I'll share with you a couple of other pics I've taken of recent cards from the Morti Makings...

Mr B has been heard to comment lately that I'm being very tidy in my creativity.  Not so, says I.  T'is simply a matter of having to jostle for space with another someone who has had Mother's Day cards to make, so if you don't want it spoiled, put it away!

And then there's the small matter of everyone turning 40 and I need cards.  And weddings... my sister, you understand, not me.  Not yet, at any rate!  Now that she has her card, I can blog it.  Coolio!

So, my desk this week is showing the makings of yet another 40th Birthday card, along with my Mothers Day gift from Lil Miss B - a Tim Holtz Alterations die (woo, go me!) , but not a lot else.  This was taken last night, and is how the desk looks this morning.

Next up, the two Mother's Day cards I made - remarkably similar, eh?  You gotta love the Stamp Tapestry collections, they make it so simple!  I used my trusty lego stamp postioner to get the Happy Mother's Day text in the right place.

Lastly, the Wedding card I recently made for my sister and her fella - main sentiment was cut out using a file from Silhouette SD, the punch is Martha Stewart.  A bit of dry embossing, a couple of peeloffs (yup, gotta love those straight line ones) and some flat backed self adhesive pearls, and Bob's your Uncle.



So, today I have been short and sweet as requested by Julia - hope to see you all on the blog-hop!

PS... Aah, yes... The small matter of this blog's 6th Blogoversary, for it is indeed today.  I know it is traditional these days to offer some Blog Candy on so festive an occasion, but to be honest with all you guys, I simply can't afford it this year.  All the spare pennies (and I shall be having words with Mr B regarding the gift of a TH die for Mother's Day) are heading in the general direction of a rather reined-in wedding next year, so I hope you'll all forgive me for not offering anything amazing this time round.  Maybe next year, if wedding funds allow....