WOYWW #218

I can't believe it is Wednesday already, and I detected the smell and feel of Autumn not only last night but this morning and it is still like it. I am cold! What happened to the heatwave that was supposed to stay until September? Not that I wanted it that hot for that long, and the garden would have been totally frazzled by then.

Anyway it is that day again, that day that those who want to share their crafty spaces messes with the world. This was all started by Julia Dunnit of The Stamping Ground, and you can join in too!

 First the birds, I have been trying to sneak up on the little flock of sparrows and other little birds that all descend on my feeder when I am looking out of the kitchen window, and the conservatory window which is beyond the kitchen. So I have tried to grab a photo, I set up the camera with long lens, on the right settings and kept it in the kitchen - then when the little birds arrived I snuck out and - every time they saw me! This was the most I could capture in one shot, and I know it is a bit out of focus! I have one with a sparrow flying in too but only two birds.

 The only bird that doesn't fly away is the lovey collared dovey!

 So here is the desk, from this end, baby book that I made ages ago and I am finally making a box for it, having decided that I can't make an envelope big enough. Then the black on red images are done with an oriental stamp that I bought years ago after falling in love with it when it was used in a magazine tutorial. I think they did their's black embossed on black and cut out some of the background, which was gorgeous and I will try. This is the first time the stamp has seen ink, I was putting some other stamps away, it was in the same box and I decided I would use it, yes I would, and I did! Also next to that are some panels ready to make into cards, some Hero Arts newsprint balloons, and a Dustin Pike image and Spyder Lyn Image to make Christmas cards. Then those die cut frames, I haven't decided what to make with them yet. Then some embossed card, I am so cross, I can't use my A4 Crafts Too embossing folder in the eBosser and don't have another machine big enough, I did sucessfully use my first ever Spellbinders M Bosser, and was very happy with it so have bought a few more - guess what - the second folder won't go through, the eBosser spits it out again - grrrrr! The only consolation is that they will fit the Big Shot so I guess I will be getting that out even more. General mess in the background and Really Useful box full of images coloured or waiting to be coloured, and some die cuts and images ready to use.

From the other end, you can see more of the Christmas images, and that chameleon which I need to finish the zoo book with. Some stamps I am using or going to use, and some that need putting away if I can find the box they came from, and some new ones that need a space to go. There is a blank stepper card that I  creased in the wrong place that I am thinking I can cover the side panels with card panels first of all to fix the problem and not waste the card blank.

I wonder if it is better to be last over at WOYWW, first is great but will never happen, middle - hmmm, don't get that many comments! I noticed that I get over 100 views and maybe 12 comments. So please see the note below if you can't comment.

Just a note to say if you want to comment on this post you need to go to "home" and scroll down to the post and then press "comment", I have reported this issue yet again to blogger.

WOYWW #214 not tidy, if you are of a nervous neat disposition please don't look!

First you better look at some nice calming pond photos.

This is the view from my upper patio, and I ate my breakfast and lunch sitting right here! We have white and pink lilies flowering.

Pink lilies through the Kenny proof netting!

O.K. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, relax, and open your eyes to see my messy workspace! In the background against the exercise bike is the trug and baskets of stash I took to the fete for my stall - and brought them right back again! I bought the bright green trug and a few matching baskets to catch people's eye, or so I thought!

You can see a tub of saved "bits" I seem to have a few of these, anyone want some random "bits"? You can also see a few ink pads, two of which I got free at the Artstamps Exhibition at Newbury on Saturday - my birthday treat to me! I better show you a photo of my haul hadn't I! You can see a new set of Promarkers, which arrived all packaged up in lots of bubble wrap from France, I got all excited because I hadn't ordered anything from France and thought I had won something exciting for a minute, lovely new colours though and from Letraset.

In the middle are a few stamps I am using, and some Promarkers, and on the far side you might just see the pages from the book in progress I am making for Kenny. I used the Promarkers that are out for the book. There is still a lot of tidying to do though.

This is the rug behind my work desk, andI have had a good sort out, move round and vacuum of the rug. The Promarkers are out because I am using them, but I have managed to find a space on the shelves for the box to fit. The problem now is that the shelf of unmounted stamp folders is full and I have 3 on the floor! The carrier bag is full of offcuts and bits I will be passing to one of the neighbours children to use, there are two girls and a boy, the boy is probably too old but the girls love the bits.

The bad news is that Craftwell are unsympathetic about my eBosser problems, telling me to "watch the video" and "refer to the platform chart", and indeed "Funky Foam and Chipboard might just be too thick" (yes I know but I want a solution so I can cut them), and "unfortunately we have not used a Crafts Too A4 folder so we don't know how thick the folder is in order to put together a combination for it", I have offered to send it to them, it is useless to me if I can't use it in the eBosser and it is too big for the Big Shot!

O.K. here is my haul from the show, mostly stamps from Visible Image, Stampersaurus, Little Claire and Indigo Blue, paints and portable craft light from Indigo Blue at show special prices, free ink pads from Stampersaurus, glitter film from Little Clair, and a couple of pens and that A4 embossing folder I cannot use!

I got there at 3pm or maybe a little later, we got up much later than planned so didn't leave home until 1:30, and I didn't realise until I got home and read the little catalogue provided that there were stalls upstairs, some of which were new to me so I missed a load, but if I get there next year I will know, and I will get there earlier. Also there was a Husband Creche upstairs (only Husbands?).

The craft light is something I was looking for when we last went to Devon, the hotel lighting is not great for reading or working on anything, well it isn't if himself has gone to bed and turned the ceiling light off! I had a couple of tiny reading lights which were of little use so I hope this will be a good solution. I doubt I can take it down in the lounge and plug it in though! It will have to be for the room, and I could use it in our living room and sit crafting if it doesn't disturb himself's TV viewing!

Daddy's taking me to the Quirky Zoo - 2nd installment.

 The zoo story book is growing, I have printed off some words to add to the cover and first page. What do you think? Chameleon image from Bugaboo, coloured with Promarkers, die cuts are Sizzix for the album and branch, and Spellbinders for the words.

Should I add more words, like - "there he is", and/or add a small arrow?

This image is Lion Topper from Bugaboo, with Chameleon.

I have entered these pages in the following challenges:

Catch the Bug blogspot - July anything goes.

We are also sponsored by Doodle Dragon, and I will make something with those images for the reminder.

Edited to say: I have an eBosser as you may know, but I am really glad I still have the Big Shot. Why? Well first of all I tried to cut the album pages using my Bigz XL die and chipboard on the eBosser, no way would it take this, needs a thinner platform underneath. So I cut the chipboard with the Big Shot. I thought I would cut the paper to cover the chipboard with the eBosser, shouldn't have a problem with that - should it? I have used Bigz XL dies in the eBosser before with paper (it would not take funky foam last week though) and although the dies are longer than the platform the actual cutting blades are usually just within it, not this time! So I ended up with one page not cut at one end. Big Shot out again, solved the issue. I am also not happy at all about a new Crafts Too A4 embossing folder that I bought, the eBosser will not take it, kept turning off, eventually reversed the sandwich, so a few centimetres of card were embossed perfectly the rest rejected. I cannot use the folder in anything except the eBosser. I have messaged Craftwell about the failure to be able to cut chipboard, funky foam, use Sizzlets and my new embossing folder but as yet I have had no reply. (One lady was so frustrated by her die sandwich jamming in the machine she broke it up and put it in the bin and posted that she had done that on the Craftwell facebook page), a bit drastic when all you need is a rubber mallet, or hammer and piece of wood to carefully hammer the sandwich back out again). Any helpful suggestions, like buy extra platforms, would be welcome!

Sweet sweet music

In honour of the Bradford on Avon Music Festival this weekend at the Wiltshire School of Music I have been making musical cards. I only just saw these stamps by Crafty Individuals at the beginning of the week and had to have them, and they came really quickly with some freebies, thanks Crafty Individuals! 

I stamped the music stamp onto some marled card, and cut a frame using a Spellbinders die, which I cut the centre out of to make a frame. The reason you are seeing three photos of this card is because I tried 3 different dies in the centre to get different effects. I embossed the frame then used the die as a stencil to shade it with plum Memento ink, and then cut the music sheet to fit behind. I stamped the piano and instruments and cut them out to add, oh and I should have said the first thing I did was stamp and heat emboss the sentiment using stamps from a Hero Arts clear set.

Do you like this frame the best? I just used a square Nestie in the middle here.

Or this one? I used the next size down of the main die this time.

They are all easel cards, inside I added a panel of the green card, some ribbon with musical notes, some Prima blooms and a gem, and a French horn, or is that a tuba?

Slightly different inside, I used Tim Holtz Ideology tape on this one.

I had high hopes of making more cards using this wonderful Dreamweavers stencil, and I tried it embossing it by passing it through the eBosser ( I had several attempts before getting anything like what I wanted, the one with two pieces of card to shim it worked best but then the machine reversed it and wouldn't accept that a second time, after which all attemps were not so good), then I tried the Big Shot, the Big Shot gave me a better definition, and I tried the embossing paste. I had a few problems with the ebosser and didn't end up with the result I had hoped for. I got in a mess with the paste trying to do the black piano keys only despite have the little brass masking tool, well I just got in a mess! So this one ended up with the dry embossed image cut from the keys, and I used black Promarker pen to mark the embossed notes, words and the black keys. I also used Cordinations Black Magic embossed with a music note folder and sanded, then die cut with Grand Nestabilities die. I mounted them on gold and added Happy Birthday cut out of some printed card I bought ages ago at a show, and I used Sizzix ;Lollipop dies for that.

I am entering the ABC challenge E for embossing, take your pick the cards above all have embossing!

These little characters are stamps which I think I bought from Smiling Summer Girl on ebay many years ago, I think they are mythical folk art figures maybe Mexican and beginning with X but I could be wrong! It is really bugging me that I can't remember what they are called. The set includes the figures in different sizes, so the block comes smaller, and the small individuals come in a bigger size. The sentiment might be from her too. If anyone knows please tell me. Anyway this is a CAS or clean and simple card, I used Kaleidoscope ink and stamped directly onto the card.

When the new stamps arrived I tried to use every bit of the one EZ mount sheet I had left, and some scraps! So the Crafty Individuals had to be mounted so I could use them and as many Krafting Kimmies as I could fit!

Ermmm, I think I need to order some more EZ mount!

Shaun and Richard outside in the cold and very wet laying a new base for the new greenhouse to come, with toughened glass so that Kenny doesn't have any accidents. The old greenhouse is being used as shelter here, and will be going to a new home next week!

Bother forgot to add a title, adding it now! More snow!

Here is another Doodle Dragon Studio image, with layers and snow. Paper by Papermania, images coloured with Promarkers and enhanced with Polar White Flower Soft, Ribbon by Crafty Ribbons and doesn't it go well with this paper! Die cuts with Nestabilities by the eBosser below!

My eBosser finally made it to the U.K. and to my house! Lovely Oyster Stamps gave me a new Spellbinders die as a little extra for the delay too. I need to move things round a little I think.

This is a digi by Spyder Lyn, she is a clever lady! I love that Mrs Claus has found a forgotten present after Santa has got back from delivering! Coloured with Promarkers, free paper with a magazine at least a year ago, die cut with Nesties and eBosser, sentiment panel stamped with Unity stamp from Blossom Stackers set in silver and heat embossed with silver tinsel powder. Peace is from a Hero Arts clear set. The fabulous ribbon is exclusive to Crafty Ribbons and I won it in a Friday Freebie.

I have entered this one in:

 ABC Christmas - V for vibrant colours, that paper is pretty vibrant! Ends Wednesday 14th.

One Stop Craft Challenge - colour challenge ends Saturday.

There She Goes - dress up your colouring with glitter etc closes Monday 12th

I know there are all sorts of problems with Blogger at the moment including with comments, so you probably won't be able to leave any right now but I hope you will come back when it is fixed and tell me what you think.