Another Fairy Captured :)

There was I, working away at my desk when a little fluttering movement near my laptop keys caught my eye. As I looked over to my computer, I spied this little fellow frolicking on my keys!

He said his name was Collin Ole, but that he liked to be called "Ollie" and he lived in a holly tree in my garden. He'd been waiting for Christmas and Winter to arrive, but had become confused with all the cold weather we've had here, and so wanted to ask a human what was going on, and what season it was.

Unfortunately, the only human he could find was me, so he didn't really get many decent answers :)

By sheer chance I was in the middle of making a decorated jar just the right size for Ollie... and so he asked if he could live there for a while.

Ollie loves the Poinsettia and holly leaves inside the jar - and was most impressed when I told him that I made all the berries myself from bits of polymer clay.

 The outside of the jar has lots of flowers and pearls, ribbons and feathers... but isn't too girly - Ollie likes that too.

 The top of the lid hides a little secret...

Under the red poinsettia is a hidden compartment...

 A quick flick of the switch, and Ollie is bathed in a gentle flickering glow...

He says he likes that too, because it reminds him of winter fires in the hearth, and it doesn't get too hot either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

These fairy jars are a great way of using up small bits and pieces, are really quick, and are easy too. I like to decoupage and layer the paper figures in my jars - even though I'm rubbish at it *lol* Glitter and a glass partition can hide a multiple of sins and bad cuts :)

I'm entering this one (same as the last one) into the Crafty Snippets challenge over at Di's place - Pixies Crafty Workshop. It'll be the first time I've ever entered twice in one week! :)

Crafty Snippets week 68

I have found the perfect way to use up LOADS of those little bits and pieces I have laying around. It's something that's been popular a few years back - something that passed me by completely until this week... captured fairies!

All you need is an empty (and clean) jar (or bottle if you're really clever and brave), a paper figure, loads of little bits and pieces, and a dash of imagination.

If in doubt, look up Artedar or Cynthialoowho on youtube (or just google "captured fairy").

So... here's "Rosa Alma", a wee little fairy captured in a jar...

 The back of her jar (an empty candle jar)...

 and a couple of charms I added...

I used scraps of ribbon, bits of feather, lace, paper and fabric flowers.... anything pink that I could lay my hands on :) If it wasn't pink, I 'dyed' it using cosmic shimmer and/or ink.

So much fun to do... a great project to immerse yourself in for a few hours inbetween other major projects, or when your mojo is waning.

My snippets drawer is dangerously low on bits and pieces now - woohoo!

So... off to the playground to post the piccie and have a play.

Don't forget to go visit Pixie's Crafty Workshop, and have a smooch around the playground for how other people use their little crafty snippets :)

Mothers Day & Crafty Snippet - Week 67

I haven't been totally idle whilst away... and thought I'd share the finished present I made for my wonderful and beautiful Mum this Mothers Day.

This particular project was very difficult, as everything had to be cut from scraps and leftovers - I just didn't have much red items left in my stash! I used a Marianne die (number LR0264) - I am so in love with these dies - so, so gorgeous, I wish I could afford to buy them all :)

Here's the piccies...

It took ages to get the brad in the bottom, as it goes through the first five fan leaves... there's a brad on the other side that goes through five fan leaves too, so they cross over. Never again! lol

Mum loves poppies, and I had a couple of 6x6 papers with poppies on that were a free gift in a magazine. I had used most of the other free papers, and felt relieved that I had saved these. The lettering was bought from QVC a few years back. Not many letters left now, and what did remain were all different colours - nothing that a black permanent marker couldn't solve :)

The reverse of the fan has photographs of my brother and I... utterly adorable! lol

Everything was mod-podged before assembly to keep it a bit more durable.

The fan sat snuggled in a custom-made box of red lined with a lace off-cut, with the lid edged in black card.

Finally, the lid was decorated with leftover Papermania flowers that all had to be coloured with red ink, because they were ALL the wrong original colour, and then mod-podged. I fussy-cut some spare poppies from the 6x6 paper, and added these too.

As this is nearly all snippets and leftovers, I think I'll pop along to the playground at Pixies Crafty Workshop and play along with the Crafty Snippets week 67.

She's Baaa-aaack!!!

Hoping to get on here and do some catching up later... as I've been off blogger for a little while. I had a bit of worrying health news, and had to wait for some test results... but I'm all okay now. I know it's an obvious thing to ask, but will all ladies who are offered a smear test please, please go ahead and have one! Even if nothing appears wrong, a couple of minutes of discomfort is a small price to pay for peace of mind. If you do think somethng is wrong, don't ignore it. See your doctor or nurse, get a smear and talk to someone! When the test results come back clear, your world will be amazingly worry free :)

And if the test results aren't such good news... then you'll know you've made the right choice, and have taken one huge step towards regaining your health.

So... scare over for me and hopefully normal activity will resume soon :)

If I'm ever absent from here, I can sometimes be found on Facebook ... because let's face it... that candy won't crush itself :D

WOYWW #196

Wednesday... Yay!!!

Playing again for

"What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday"

I'm showing a really boring desk this week. This is because I've mainly finished all my current projects - the photo frame made from a broken shaving mirror is finished (see previous post HERE), and apart from journaling, The Family Recipe mini album is finished too. I bought a couple of die sets - the clock one was such a bargain, I blogged and bragged about the cost - just £2.06! and I had to make some badges for a baywatch themed party my daughter is having - I obviously will not be attending, as no-one deserves to see me dressed up in a red swimsuit *lol* Of course, I guess I could roll in as a beached whale?!

So... that's all on my desk this week. I guess I should take this opportunity to have a tidy up before my Wednesday Night Craft Time... but tidying means that I'll spend the next month (at least) remembering where I tidied things away to!

If you want to join Ms Julia and a tonne of other super-sharing crafty geekstars, just pop on over to

The Stamping Ground

and follow the instructions - easypeasy :)

Upcycled Broken Shaving Mirror

I finished 'upcycling' the broken shaving mirror :) I didn't have to buy anything new for this project - everything I used was leftovers and already in my stash drawers. I'll be taking this project to the Playground too, as it's all snippets and leftovers :) I may add more embellishments at a later date... I'll just have to see how I feel *lol*

I started with the double-sided mirror that had been broken on one side. I still use the magnifying side when I pluck my eyebrows, so didn't really want to throw it away... but it seemed to be such a waste of space keeping it lying around for that odd occassion. That's when I decided to make it into a photoframe.

I started off by taking the mirror off of the stand and covering it with the torn book pages I had left from other projects (I did mention that these would be use a lot! *lol*). I used a mixture of white glue and water to fix the pages to the frame.

I carefully put glue just on the frame and avoided the mirror. After it had dried, I just ran a craft knife carefully around the edges of the mirror to remove the excess paper.

I pressed a sheet of copy paper into the frame to make a template for the photograph.

Bethany (youngest daughter) wanted me to leave to decoration as the book pages, but I wanted something older looking - shabby chic and vintage. I had a pot of distress crackle paint (brushed courdroy) that had dried out. I mixed this with a bit of water and hoped it would still crackle when I painted it on. It was a bit thick, but seemed to work :) I then rubbed the frame down with sandpaper to expose the paper underneath. Vintage Photo ink was used to darken the whole project and give it that aged look. I sealed the whole thing with my leftover mix of gloss and matt ModPodge.

I had some paper flowers left over from scrapbooking projects (mostly Prima) and so used these to embellish the frame and the stand. I didn't want too much on the mirror side, so just used one Prma rose and hoped the embellishments poking round from the other side would be enough.

 I had chosen the photograph I wanted to use and found some half-used lines of flat-backed pearls for the edging after I had laid the photo in place. I didn't want lace all around the frame - and didn't have enough anyway as this was just snippets and leftovers. I gathered up a short piece and glued it onto part of the frame, and then added flowers and leaves to the photo. To cover the rough running stitch used to gather the lace on the stand, I used more flat-backed pearls. They are on a bit wonky, but it seems to look as though it was supposed to be that way - following the contours of the gathers.

 I used my last piece of lace for the bottom of the stand with the last three roses I could find that matched the colour scheme. The leaves were leftovers from some flowers I had bought for another project (I think it was a bridal bouquet). Then I ModPodged everything... well, almost. I left the lace alone :) The reason I use ModPodge on the flowers and the photograph is so that it can be dusted and cleaned much easier.

 Hubby liked the finished project, and so do I :)

I will probably add another couple of layers of ModPodge to the photograph in the coming weeks just to make sure it's sealed in safely.

I really enjoyed making something out of what was basically rubbish... and there's several rooms in the home this could be placed and look really lovely.

Right, I'm off to Di's now for a wander around other Crafty Snippets projects this week :)

Pop on over to join in the fun at the playground HERE

Bargain!

With the prices of crafting items always seemingly on the up, up, up!, I always enjoy bagging a bargain. I was out shopping at a local store looking for the new creativity! pack when I cam across a set of dies I wanted... at such a low price I nearly wet myself with excitement! :D

Someone had obviously priced these wrongly, and so I picked up a set and marched to the checkout. When they let me have the dies at this price, I only wish I had bagged the whole lot they had!

Here's the set of dies... and yes, the price really is just £2.06. I saw the same set in HobbyCraft for £12.99, and I think the price here should have been £12.75.

I never did get the creativity! pack, and the store attendant took all the other mis-priced die sets off of the shelves :(

A Closer Peek... & 10 Things....

I had a few comments about the photographs on my desk for WOYWW this week... and so I have decided to share two of  my very favourites with everyone. Firstly... oh, how embarrassing... a photograph of two adorable children taken round about 1972-3. It is my older brother and me (with a lollipop). I just love the expression on my brothers face - like he really doesn't want to be there at all, and definitely didn't want his photograph taken.

The next one is a photograph of my great-grandmother Winnie and her brother Fred.

Winnie's nick-name was "Fairy" because of her long blonde curls... and her father named his fishing boat after her too - "The Fairy". I love this photograph of brother and sister looking so serious... it reminds me in so many ways of their father, and our history - it's a very long and quite sad story - but a story that got me hooked onto genealogy and tracing my family back through generations. One family line (from Winnie and Fred) I have traced back to the mid 1600's.

All this reminiscing brings me onto "10 Things" - a little challenge.

It's a simple list of ten things I miss. This was an idea of a friend of mine, a way of getting to know other people and remembering things about our childhoods, how things used to be, and having a bit of a giggle.

So, here's my 10... I Miss:

1. Sonic booms. When I was a little girl, Concorde would set off loud booms in the air, and all the children would stop playing for a little while and look for the distinctive plane flying overhead.

2. Hearing a plane engine and just wondering where it was flying to or from... rather than hearing a plane engine and listening to changes, wondering if it will get to where it's going to safely. Post 9/11 changes have been drastic.

3. Kentucky Fried Chicken. I'm a vegetarian because I can't digest meat very well - it makes me quite sick. Quorn, TVP and Tofu etc, are brilliant at mimicking most foods - but KFC cannot be replicated. I miss it so much *lol* I miss bacon too - another food that cannot be copied without the non-meat rashers looking and tasting like insoles.

4. My Nan's trifle. She used sherry in the jelly, rum in the custard, and brandy in the cream topping. You could have one serving of her teatime treat and not pass a breathalyser test!

5. Not being the baby of the family. Not only was I the younger sibling... I was also the only girl for two generations on my Dads side of the family. I was so spoilt :) Sometimes it would be nice to go back to the times when I had no responsibilities, and all the attention... just for a few moments.

6. Hedgehog flavoured crisps. I just really liked them - and, no, they really were NOT hedgehog flavoured :) I liked strawberry wotsits too.

7. Billy McIndoe. I don't actually miss Billy... I miss the bread delivery he made. Every Saturday morning, he'd come round the estate in his large white Mothers Pride emblazoned van, selling bread and cakes and all sorts of scrummy things from his van. Okay, I admit that when I was about 7 years old, I had a huge crush on Billy. But then, I loved David Essex too. It may have been the hair. *lol*

8. Christmas Eve as a child... that feeling of excitement and wonder is something that stays with me... but it's never quite intense as when I was a little girl. Perhaps it's the lose of naivety that is the difference?

9. Seeing my feet when I stand up. I really should get back on this diet *lol*
10. Quiet roads. I can remember visiting my grandparents in West Dean when I was little... driving for over an hour in the car just to get there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, and hardly seeing another motorist on the road. This was only the 70's... yet things have changed so much!

Well, there  it  is (or there they are?)- 10 things I miss. Of course, there's a whole lot of other things - grandparents and people I have loved who have passed on. Crisps at 4pence a packet, Bagpuss (my cat, not the television programme), my grandfathers voice, grandmothers wisdom, being a child in the six weeks holidays... but the idea of this is to list the things that other people might not miss...
So... are you up for the challenge? Can you list 10 things that you miss? It was actually harder than I thought it would be. Let me know if you blog your "10 Things" by leaving a comment and a link to your "10 Things" post- then I can have a peek too :)

Crafting Mishaps #6

Oh dear! Some people (i.e: ME) shouldn't be let loose with dangerous crafting items. Though, to be fair, glitter is a dangerous crafting item when I'm around (see crafting mishaps 3 and crafting mishaps 1 for proof).

It all started when I saw some retractable DIY knives really cheap in the 99p store. "Hmm", I wondered... "could these be as good as craft knives to use? I'll buy some and find out".

The second important piece of information in this sorry tale, is that I always over-use my craft blades. I'm such a skinflint that I use them until they're totally blunt. And then I'll use them for a bit longer. I know, I know... dangerous and really stupid!

Well... I had packed up my bag ready for crafting night at Pickwells, so my craft knives were jammed into an overflowing compartment and I didn't fancy having to rummage through my neatly packed (!!*lol*) bag to find them. Never mind, thought I... I'll just use the retractable DIY knives I purchased.

I was only cutting photographs - nothing heavyweight at all. Trouble is, my craft knife is somewhat blunt, and so unthinkingly, I placed a lot of pressure onto the retractable knife I was using... and sliced clean through my little craft mat.

It appears that I am not such a weak and feeble woman as I previously thought I was. It could have been worse... I could have sliced through my bigger mat and damaged my desk. I so liked that little mat too - handy for taking to craft meets, clearly indicated centimetres (which was why I was using it instead of my larger mat with inches), and pretty impervious to heat guns. Not impervious to retractable DIY knives though. Oops!

Maybe some glue and double sided sticky tape could fix this problem...?

WOYWW #195

I wasn't going to participate on "What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday" this week... but half an hour ago, Baby decided to wake me up with a wet nose to my chin, and a swipe of a soft paw to the cheek :) Bless.

So, seeing as the little kitty won't let me get back to sleep (swishing of big fluffy tail in face, purring in ear, etc) I decided to come into the craft room, empty my bag from Pickwell Craft Club last night and have a bit of fun and join in with hundreds (well... 175 last week!) of other crafters and nosey people who weekly pop over to Ms Julia's "Stamping Ground" blog and add their name to Mr Linky :)

I've finished the "Family Recipe" album - apart from what I'm going to decorate the cover with - and I'm actually putting photographs in it too! The piccies are all chosen, and just need to be cut down to size and placed into the album. I haven't started the journaling yet... that part will takes AGES! The photographs left at the side of the album are ones that will go into the album, but slid into a couple of 1/4" thick pocket-type-sort-of-pages I constructed, along with copies of certificates and memorabilia.

Of course, being at Pickwells last night AND having birthday money burning a hole in my pocket, I just had to buy the Tim Holtz Alterations "Elegant Flourishes" Bigz die (Sizzix, 656639). Expect to see this a LOT in future projects :) This die was the main reason I always wished for a Big Shot :)

I'm running out of pads for my smudgy-inky thingies, so bought those too - and a few little sale items just fell into my basket as I walked past them. Honest! :)

The mirror, as you can see, is still sat at the back of my desk, untouched and dusty just waiting for me to get round to doing something wonderful (!) with it. I will get there. Eventually. It just doesn't help when adorable little furry animals wake me up at some unGodly hour of the morning wanting attention! I'm slipping back to bed for a couple of hours - hopefully with no interruptions... but (as Arnie said) "I'll be back!" to have a snoop at your desks later :)

Have a wonderful WOYWW everyone!

WOYWW #194

Another Wednesday rolls into view (and over me, it feels like!) and so once again it's time for the mayhem that can only be...

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday

Da da da dada ta-da!!!

Did you have a drum roll in your head just then?! *lol*

Anyways... as everyone should know by now, you just pop over to Ms Julia's blog (The Stamping Ground) and follow the simple instructions. If they weren't simple, I wouldn't be able to follow them :)

So here's the mess desk this week:

Hubby bought me a bag of tiny nuts and bolts, and I haven't had time to look through them or put them away - which is the only reason they are still sat on my desk. I use them for putting hinges and clasps onto my mini album boxes. The main part of my desk is being covered by the mini-album I'm still making. I have 1 last page to do... and then I have to decide on binding, covers, etc. At the back is a bathroom mirror which has been broken. The other side is still a mirror which I shall just keep as it is. For the rest of the mirror (that is no longer *lol*) I will give it a big clean-up and then choose a photograph to place in the empty space, modpodge it to within an inch of it's life and then embellish. That's something to do for another time though... have to get this album finished first!

As for the Big Shot... you can see from the plates that it's being well-used already :) And it's not even my birthday until tomorrow.

I am sooo spoilt!

Here's hoping everyone has a brilliant Wednesday!

Yay!!! Happy Dance!

Guess who's got her "T" key fixed ? :)

Now I don't have to explain to people that I really do mean that I need a "T", not a "TEA".. or that I have no "T" key, not that I don't have a "TIKI" - thank goodness I didn't have gifts of tiki dolls or miniature huts *lol*

So, now I have a "T" key installed that works (-AND I did it all myself!) and a new wireless hub, I may be able to back online and blogging.

Happy dancing!

Many Many Thanks to Sheridan - a lady with exceptional talent who you can find over at "No Time For Washing Up" who nominated me for a Liebster Award on my Pockets & Pages blog.

Want to know more?

THE AWARD
This award was designed to be a blog award in the pay it forward fashion. Once you've been nominated, you award it to blogs that you like that have fewer than 200 followers, to encourage new visitors to visit these new blogs.

ACCEPTANCE

Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog. Post the award onto your blog. Give the award to five bloggers who you appreciate that have fewer than 200 followers. Leave a comment on their blog letting them know that you have given them this awesome award!

Here's my five, in no particular order:

I really have to have Dawn on this list - a lady with such joy for life and sharing:

http://everydaymemorieswithprojectlife.blogspot.co.uk/

Hettie - another talent that cannot go unnoticed :)
http://hettiecraftcz.blogspot.co.uk/

Sandra, becaue she's also talented... and she has naughty chickens *lol*
http://stampingforpleasure.blogspot.co.uk/

Cathy is a must too - oh, her card designs are so fabulous!
http://cathyscardspot.blogspot.com.au/

Eliza has the cutest kitty - and a great imagination too
http://queenartoypia.blogspot.co.uk/

You can take it from me that all these ladies are BRILLIANTLY TALENTED!
Go have a peek - I promise you'll love them all :)

Crafty Snippet - Week 59

I am so annoyed right now... my "T" key tried another flying lesson, and the hinge is broken completely now :( It's so difficult to type!

Still, I have finished a few projects this past week, including a box I made for my In-Laws letters (their story briefly told here on WOYWW #192).  The box itself is made from left-over chipboard (which I have only just discovered that we Brits call "greyboard") apart from one piece of 12x12" I needed for the lid top. All the metalwork - hinges, latch, corners, etc were leftovers from when I made a suitcase project, the inside ripped-page detail was leftovers from a few recent projects, the ModPodge is still the pot of mixed leftovers I have been using, and even the paint I used for the outside edges is a pot left over from some miniature painting I had done. I bought a pad of 12x12" patterned papers for another project, but didn't use them in the end  and thought this sheet of black with the white writing would be perfect. So, apart from the one greyboard sheet and the patterned paper... this is another project made from leftover snippets - perfect for an entry into Di's challenge "Crafty Snippets" over at Pixies Crafty Workshop.

(Just a quick word of warning - the girls over there are such a fun-loving bunch you'll soon be a member of their gang and addicted to Di's blog *lol*)

The finished chest

All the metalware was already in my stash, lefover from previous projects

The inner is decorated with torn pages - I've so much of this left, it will probably appear in many more projects yet!

Left-over paint - messy, but cheap :)

I should add that this was probably one of my quicker projects, taking me just one night to complete. I was going to add more to the finished chest - brads that look like screws, some cardboard decorative hinges detailed with silver embossing powder... but in the end, I liked it just as it stands :)

The bottom of the box has felt-covered brads as 'feet' to protect any surface it stands on... these were leftovers too :) though it took a lot of rummaging to find four matching ones.

WOYWW #193

The tidyness that was my desk has disappeared... in fact, my whole craft room looks a mess. It looks like Hobbycraft exploded in my room!

I'm mid-project, working 'on the fly' and making things up as I go along and that's my excuse for the mess on my desk that I'm revealing for WOYWW. It could be worse though... I could NOT have a Big Shot sat on my desk :) Yes, Hubby let me have my birthday package early and I have been playing with my new toys.

A little close-up of the first page of the new mini-album I'm working on... it's using the "Kitschy Kitchen" collection - but instead of a recipe book, I'm making a family album.

I just got out a load of things that I thought might match and have strewn them around - including ribbons and packets of embellishments hung up under my shelves!

So much for the resolution idea of "A tidy desk is a creative desk" *lol*

Right... I'm off to peek at some other desks - and if you don't have a clue what's going on here (*gasp*) then pop on over to see Julia at The Stamping Ground and join in with "What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday".

Happy Birthday To Me!

Well, it's not actually my birthday yet... but a package arrived today - an early birthday pressie from me to me :) I know I should be using the stash I already have, but I couldn't resist these items at the prices I paid - and not included here is a pack of KaiserCraft Kraft shapes collectables from the Sears & Son collection - gorgeous! All moustaches, bowlers and ties with some vintage adverts and tags thrown in :)

I'm so excited - I shall start using these as soon as I figure out what I want to do with them :)

No Blogging For Bubbles :(

I have been blogless since Wednesday :( After just starting to blog (semi-) regularly again, it's been a hard couple of days. Some of the problems may be due to my trying to fix this "T" key... the tabs that hold the key in place are broken, so I thought that maybe superglue would be a useful addition :)

I also blame my whole new fixation on mending and using things I already have instead of buying something new. So, here was I with a broken "T" and a bit of superglue... and I accidentally glued down the key completely. This is actually a bit more disastrous than it sounds, as I couldn't shut down properly, and then when I restarted the computer it was made some very unpleasant noises at me. When it comes to technology, I'm more of a "run away, it might blow up" sort of person rather than a "let's look at this logically and sort it out" kind of woman.

I decided to use my playbook instead... and my internet access went off completely. I don't like BT a whole lot right now!

So... no internet access and a dodgy keyboard put pay to me getting online and blogging.

I've sort-of mended the "T" key - it's partially stuck down, but lifted enough so that I can press on it and use it (with a little difficulty)... and the laptop no longer is making weird and not-so-wonderful noises at me. Obviously I am also back online :)

Sadly, I missed WOYWW... and have no time right now to catch up.

On a much better note, I finally took the plunge and asked Hubby to get me a Sizzix Big Shot for my birthday. It's all ordered, and I have just received an e-mail telling me that it will be here on Monday! If I really suck-up and make Hubby a nice dinner, he might let me have my birthday present early :) After years of fussy-cutting large swirls, hand-cutting page edges and being unable to die-cut large shapes, I will be playing with spellbinders and on-the-edge dies until I run out of paper :)

Now all I have to do is invest in some large dies :)

Off to my "Pockets & Pages" blog now - I have some updating to do :)

WOYWW #192

Wednesday again - already?!?! Apart from being a time when I really do need to get tidied up here, and mend this blinkin' "T" button on my keyboard, it's also time for "What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday" hosted (as nearly always) by the super-bloggity-linky-dink Julia at The Stamping Ground.

So... here is my desk... and there's somehing really special on there today...

I've just about finished the clock and album I've been working on, and decided that it was about time I made a start on a box with a hinged lid and a clasp. There won't be an album for this box... it's for the 'something special'.  Take a peek over to the right of the photo. Here's a little close-up of what it is... a stack of letters...

Okay, so it's not special to anyone else but my family - and here's why:

My Hubby's Mum and Dad separated and divorced when he was a teenager, his Dad (Ron) never remarried and seemed very happy living his eccentric and slightly odd-ball life. A few years ago, Ron passed away unexpectedly and it was left mainly to Hubby and myself to clear Dad's house. We had gone through most things - finding paintings and poetry he had created and Christmas cards he had saved for more than 60 years! I did mention eccentric, right? Well, someone had told Dad that instead of insulation in his loft, he could use binbags filled with empty plasic milk cartons - apparently they'd work just as well (no, I really don't know if this actually worked! *lol*). Hubby was voted by me to go into the loft space and clear out all these bags and cartons. It was there that he found a box... safely and carefully packaged. When we opened it, inside were these letters.

Hubby's Mum (Mary), as a teenage young woman, wanted a penfriend to write to and had asked a driver whom she worked with (in Essex) if he knew of anyone who might be interested. He did... and passed on Mary's details to a young man living in Battersea named Ron. This is how Hubby's parents met and married. The letters we found are from the very first exchange, right up to when they bought some land and built a house, married and then finally moved in together. The letters are so wonderful - Mum said I was more than welcome to keep them and read them when I asked her. It amazes me as I read through them, that if not for a simple message of "Would you like to write to me?" my wonderful Hubby wouldn't even exist!

I've rambled on enough... time for me to have a peek at some other people's workdesks now.

Oh, before I toddle off... here's a WUYWW - the "U" is for "Under"... couldn't resist this one - she's such a spoilt little Baby!

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!

New Blog Page

Just a quickie post to say that I may not be blogging here for a few days - I am adding a new blog page to PatchWork Apples to show the mni-albums I have made, page by page. This means that I have to take photographs (when the batteries on the camera have charged!), resize the photos and post them with some explanation about how the pages are constructed, etc. It's really for my benefit more than anything else, as I may be giving away some of the albums and want to keep a record of how I made the pages, what they looked like, and so-on. Oh... alright, I admit it... I'm also doing this partly to show off some of my albums in a bit more detail. So I'm selfish AND vain! *lol*

Right... I'd better go find the battery charger then. Why is it that the batteries always run out when you need them the most? Typical!

Well, maybe if I wasn't spending so much time taking photographs of my pets, the batteries would be fine.

Which reminds me... I was sorting out the craft room a little bit more, and left an empty drawer on the floor. It took less than a minute for this to happen:

Miss Violet all curled up comfy and sound asleep!

Awww :)

WOYWW #191

Oh, dear...

I did what "they" always say to do, and I wrote out a list because "they" say that with a list you won't buy things you don't need.

What "they" fail to realise is that:

a) The list on paper in my hand and the list in my head are two different things entirely

and

b) when TWO shops don't have what is on your list (paper or head list), but have a 'SALE' section, list-be-damned!

One shop said over the tannoy system, whilst I was scurrying around the crafting section for the umpteenth time desperately seeking 3/16" eyelets, "If we don't stock it, you don't need it". Hurrumph! to that! They didn't stock it, and I needed it!

So I did what any woman in my situation would do... I shopped :)

Two shops and under £30 later, here's my little haul:

And yes, this really is my desk today... how tidy is that?!?

I had craft night at Pickwells Tuesday night, so all my crafting gear was packed up ready to take with me... only I was let down for a lift at the last minute, so wasn't able to go. My desk was an empty space, so I placed all my new-bought goodies onto it and thought I'd post a piccie.

Trouble is, a tidy desk is definitely a boring one :)

Next week, I'm sure it will be back to it's normal post-bomb-blast self *lol*

If you want to share your workspace piccies, pop over to see Julia at The Stamping Ground and follow the instructions for "What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday"

Spend some quality time being a nosey so-and-so and peeking through the wonders that are other people's crafting work spaces.

Have a wonderful WOYWW everyone!

Just a quick add to answer the questions from yesterday:

No-one stocked any Graphic 45 papers

The punches were boring and totally un-tempting

Haskins had run out of carrot cake!

This along with the frustrating lack of magnetic clasps/snaps, brads and eyelets - and being woken up a quarter to four in the morning by a rain-soaked and muddy kitty stomping over the bed,  made my day somewhat of a disaster!

Oh, Men!

I had to share this...

A few days ago, here I was sat typing away, when I was distracted by something flying in front of my face. I turned in my chair, but could see nothing - maybe just a trick of the eye then? I carried on typing... well, for a couple of words anyway... it was then that I realised my "T" key from the computer keyboard was missing. Yes, it was my "T" that had flown across my vision. Do you know how hard it is typing without a proper "T"? I wondered as I typed what words I can use to replace words with a "T" in them... and it's so slow when there's no "T" and just a little rubber nipple instead. You realise that the English language is littered with way too many words containing the letter "T"! It's a conspiracy - or a conspiraTy :)

I complained to hubby - dropping a few hints that maybe I needed a new computer with a "T" that worked? Hubby needs the hint to be wrapped around a brick and aimed at his head to notice it. Still, he went shopping that evening, came home and put the shopping away then came upstairs to my craft room.

"I've got a surprise for you" he said.

Oh...oh...ohhhhh.... my mind raced, I held my breath, and waited for him to step inside my crafting haven with a new laptop in his hands.

"There you go" he said as he placed his gift on my workdesk.

It was a cup of tea.

Yes, hubby really can't take a hint. He thought I had been complaining that I couldn't work without a TEA... not a "T" key.
It was a nice cuppa though :)

Right, I have wittered and whined enough... time to get ready for a trip to HobbyCraft. Oh, the temptation is going to be so great - will I resist the Graphic45 papers, the punches, and the carrot cake from Haskins next door?
I only need sticky dots and small magnets... but what will find it's way into my basket before I get to the till?

Crafting Mishaps #5

Just because I haven't written about a crafting mishap since October 2011, does not mean to say that they don't happen any more... just sometimes it's too embarrassing to reveal them! I mean... can one person really be so dumb?

For years I've owned an ATG (Advanced Tape Glider), and have always finished off placing a line of tape on a page with a little flick of the wrist to break the tape. It has limited me somewhat, as it really hurts my wrist joint. Today, whilst crafting and making some more pages for my mini album, I discovered that all I have to do when I want to stop a line of sticky, is to take my finger off the trigger. Why on earth had I not figured this out before???

I really should have dyed my hair red when the kiddies asked me too - I am such a dumb blonde!

The ATG mayhem does not stop there...

Poor little Miss Violet (Baby, one of our kitties) is not happy with me.

I had been making photo mats for the album, and trying to get a sort of conveyor belt thing going? Cutting all the mats, inking them, taping them, then sticking them all onto the bases. Easy :)

I had the photo mats all lined up, ready with the ATG tape  on them to be stuck onto the backing sheets. It was at this moment when Baby jumped onto the craft desk... and placed her little paws onto the sticky photo mats. Oh, she did look a sight, taking a step and violently shaking a paw to get the paper off of it. I tried to help - really I did... but laughter isn't conducive to helping kitties from sticky situations. Oh, my! She glared at me so much!

This glaring was nothing compared to the hisses I got when I took her to the bathroom to gently wash the tape from her pawpaws.

Perhaps now she'll stay off the craft desk?

Not likely - she's here now! *lol* It's like she knows the ATG gun is the source of her sticky paws, and she's sat here eyeing up like it's going to be supper as soon as my back is turned. Time to hide the pink gun, methinks!

What Kind Of Woman Am I?

This is NOT a crafting post :)

I was just sat here, thinking to myself...

"Am I a 'behind-the-bike-sheds' kinda gal... or more of an 'up-the-treehouse' adventurer"?

Either way, it's probably best in either situation that I don't have egg-nog, as I'm likely to throw up. Maybe a gin & bitter lemon, a Sheridans or a Baileys?

If you think this is all a bit random, but still enjoy a smile, then I suggest you take a quick trip over to Pixies place and get involved! Make friends with her pals, and join the gang :)

Gosh, I haven't giggled so much in ages!

Up a tree house, indeed! Not with my head (or lack of) for heights... I'll just stand look-out :)

And a quick Congraulations to Di... wow, 800 posts (plus)!

You'll wear your fingers out!

A Crafty Snippet :)

This post is a bit photo-heavy (8 or 9 piccies I think) so I do apologise for that.

Anyways... I thought I'd share one page of the mini-album I'm making - it's all made from scraps and leftovers from previous projects (as I'm in a super-frugal frame of mind!). So far I've made 5 pages, 2 envelope pages, and 2 chopped pages... this is a 'chopped' page - so called just because it's smaller than the main pages. As it's all made from scraps and stash-finds, I thought I'd enter into Pixie's Crafty Snippets (week 57) and try to win a little prize too. The prize is just a bonus - the fun part is seeing what other people can do with leftovers and 'snippets' from their crafty stash. Pop over to Pixie's Crafty Workshop and have a go :)

So... here's my page - the front:

The red patterned flap opens up to reveal a journalling spot and a photo mat...

The photo mat is just held onto the page by a band and a small semi-circle piece of card, and slips out easily so you can see the pretty paper underneath...

Next, another photo mat will be revealed if you pull the journalling spot upwards and out of the pocket...

 Turn the folder over and there's a journalling spot...

This opens up each side to reveal another photo-mat and two more journalling spots...

Now onto the back of the original page - the pocket... showing yet another pocket with another photo-mat...

The phot-mat can be taken out completely to show the papers underneath.

All the photo mats can hold photographs 6x4" - I've tried to keep all the spaces for photos as large as I could, and then used smaller spaces and tags for journalling.

I'm trying not to throw out any pieces or scraps of patterned card until the project is finished - and then using all the small pieces within the project. It's easier than I thought it would be so far - especially with so many pockets that are matted with small pieces of the patterned paper, and I've also made quite a few pages where a photo mat is held to the page with a simple band of card and a half-oval at the bottom of the page.

So... a crafty snippet.

Don't forget to pop over to Pixie's Place and join in :)