WOYWW #207 - Spoons!

Hi there all you avid WOYWWers and welcome to the penultimate edition before the 4th anniversary. Pop over to Julia's desk to see what I am on about.

Well here's my little desk all tidy again as I do the tidying after I have finished things. I've just stuck the scrappages although some journaling is still required.

This week I have been décopatch MAD doing a spoon, then the cat and then the little chest of drawers. The bottom drawer holds 2 ATCs nicely side by side so in there you'll just about make out my set of 7 ATCs ready for next week. I then did another spoon and have a third waiting in the wings.

Also this week I did the technique challenge on 12 months in view with alcohol inks on acetate and a blowy thingy. The page is in my CD mini-book as fortunately I had made a couple of acetate pages.

The fantastic card is my SWAP from Elizabeth on the UKPC Group. She's made a great job of the sketch which was set this month.

And finally if you have made it this far and like my décopatch spoons the yellow one is up for grabs. Just leave a comment saying you'd like to go in the draw for it. I'll pick a name out before next week's mega blog hop. Happy WOYWW.

Décopatch - Chest of Drawers

Yes even more décopatching! Got to work on my little chest of drawers yesterday. Not brave enough to use my different papers for a patchwork effect so just did the base in a green crackle and the drawer fronts in the patterned paper I'd used yesterday for my cat.

The décopatch site showed the chest up the other way but I thought the drawers ought to sit on a solid surface and not in a space, so turned it the other way. This made the bottom drawer too close to the surface so I glued some ceramic beads on the bottom to lift the base as the bottom drawer was catching on my craft mat.

Also, my bottom drawer was a bit wonky, so I sprayed it with water and sat my Cuttlebug on it as it dried, which seemed to do the trick. It is just the right size to store 2 ATCs side by side. Jolly useful as I needed to make a set for the WOYWW 4th Anniversary and I even used up all the left over pieces of the papers for one of the backgrounds.

Here are my drawers and cat together - aww.

Décopatch - Pensive Cat

Once you start, you just can't stop! 

Décopatched my Pensive Cat today, started with the eyes using the circle pattern and worked out from there. Still only using one paper but as it was a patchwork one it was like using multiple papers.

I added gems for the eyes, a few paper flowers on the neckline and tail and finished off with some crystal stickles.


He's even cuter now! Hmmm, I wonder what will be next?

Décopatched Spoon!

There we have it! I have lost the plot completely and have décopatched a wooden spoon! 

Thought perhaps I could give up cooking completely and just décopatch the spoons!

I guess it is a bit like the paintbrush decorating thing (yes I have some of those waiting in the wings too).

Just realised why I like décopatch so much as it is painting WITHOUT paint. I have never been much of a paint person, always seem to mess it up so this is the perfect answer.

Give me sticking and glueing anyday.

12 Months in View - Technique Challenge

This month's technique challenge over on 12 Months in View is blowing alcohol inks on acetate.

I have only done this on glossy card before (Timmy Tag), and as I wasn't getting such a great effect with blowing through a straw then, I even splashed out buying a proper blowythingy which you can use in any orientation!



I just  happened to have included two acetate pages in my CD mini-book so have had a go on one of those. Definitely didn't know when to stop and enjoyed the process immensely.

WOYWW #206 - Décopatch and more...

Oh to my desk this week for WOYWW - lots of little projects too see.

I took prompt delivery of my new décopatch items and papers from DécopatchMe. The Pensive Cat and a little Chest of Drawers. Can't wait to get going on them.



Also I drilled a hole in a wooden spoon which I'm going to décopatch too. Woman at work in workshop, mind your fingers!

So - yes, I have gone décopatch MAD since Craft club last week where I first did my initials "BJ" and since then a little box.










At another craft club we did rosettes and I made 6 cards and an ATC from them. Earlier in the week I made a CD cover mini-book. Lastly my Craft Barn Alpha Challenge piece. Try finding a special day beginning with "K" - not easy!













So pop along to Julia's place to join the WOYWW fun this week, and visit desks all over the world.

Alpha Challenge #10 - Kissing Friday

Well very nearly flummoxed by the Craft Barn's letter of the fortnight being "K" and my own challenge of finding a "special day" to illustrate!

Fortunate for me there is a great school site to help out at such moments and there is was - Kissing Friday.

Apparently the first Friday after Ash Wednesday where English schoolboys were entitled to kiss the girls without fear of punishment or rejection. Sadly this custom waned in the 40's.

Craft Groups & Rosettes

Been to craft group today where we did rosettes and pinwheels, although I haven't done the latter - yet!

Saw a great example of a man's card and with Father's Day and my husband's birthday on the horizon I thought I'd concentrate on those.





One lady found a little piece of orange spotty ribbon and tasked me to use it "somehow" - hence the ATC.







I did allow myself a purply pink moment afterwards though.

 Also it was questioned why I went to "craft club" if I had already done most things, well here are my ponderings:-

I have crafted "home alone" for many years and find it good to get out of the house and meet other people and see how they do things, learn new techniques or how to update trusted ones. Also to use and try out tools otherwise I hadn't, today was the turn of the Hougie Board. Another great thing is to work with lots of different stamps and papers and card.

Yes - craft groups are fun.

Décopatch - Box

At Craft Club we got 3 sheets of decopatch paper. I used one and a bit for my decopatch letters and the third I saved for this little box which I bought AGES ago and it has been sitting all forlorn on my shelf ever since.





I tried to be careful not to overlap too much as I wasn't sure I'd manage to cover it all. As it worked out I covered it all EXCEPT for the inside base, which I lined with black felt and also cut some felt tattered florals.

I edged the lid with some lace and then got to work with the hot glue gun (getting a lot of use at the moment). I sort of made up the design as I went along and it ended up quite a bit different to my draft!











I added 2 spare black felt flowers to the inside of the lid with some more of the white flowers I got at craft club too. At last my little box transformed. Now what to keep in it.

Just thought this might fit the May CountryView Challenge of, "How does your Garden Grow?"

Certainly very floral with my favourite butterfly or pili-pala as I like to call them now as I have learnt the Welsh word!

CD Mini-Book

One of the Challenges on 12 Months in View last month was to alter an old CD. My biggest challenge here was to find some old CDs but fortunately my husband found a couple of old ones from work. Also one lady mentioned that they work well as the covers to a mini-book so I thought I'd give that a go.











My Big Bite made holes in the CDs without much trouble. I made some card and acetate pages and used book rings to bind.

I had a Kaisercraft patterned paper pad I had bought on a whim some time ago and decided to use that for the pages, which I have duly covered.






I have just decorated the front cover and will ponder the rest as and when the mood takes me. I have done a small collection of embellishments from other kits which colour match too, so ready to go...

Décopatch - Letters

I have finished decorating my "BJ" letters which I decopatched at Craft Club on Tuesday night, and now, together with the "G" I received in a SWAP, they are on my wall.













I used my hot glue gun to stick all the lovely flowers I acquired at craft club to my letters and added a few to the "G" to tie them together.

As I said on my previous post the papers being the same design but different colours was quite by accident and a very happy one at that.

Oh and the other wall adornments are a large embroidery I did as a teen, a sheep embroidery and a bobbin lace swan. I seem to be collecting butterflies too. My Timmy tags are on display on the mantle and I usually have my scrapbook pages hanging over the large embroidery on their hanger before going in the album.

So I guess this is What's On Your WALL Thursday (WOYWT) - LOL

WOYWW #205 - STUFF!

Well we have a before and after Craft Club desk for your delectation today.

My BEFORE desk has some cards I have made (one for a swap) based on a sketch. In the process of making a mini book with CD covers, using a Kaiser Craft pad.The tags and pockets for my round-up of Spring in my 12 Months Journal which is open at the May calendar page. Been having a Bluebell frenzy this week and my Garden photos are all on previous posts.

As for my AFTER desk. The organiser of the craft club was getting rid of stuff so I just had to acquire some of it. So I have lots of paper flowers and diecuts, some card blanks, a few flower fairy sheets and a roll of mesh stuff. I got a stencil from Helen too - thanks Helen! Love your journals.

I think that is quite enough STUFF for now don't you?


Anyway the class was on decopatch, I missed most of the paper selection as I was looking at the STUFF! I just had to have blue for my "BJ" so I took the last ones available and would you know they were the same design to the "G" I received in a SWAP but in a different colour - excellent.

I have popped some of the flowers I acquired on top as potential decoration when I finish glueing the outside of them. Probably will add the little turquoise flowers to my "G" to bring them together too.

I did make my Timmy May Tag this week aswell.

So that is me in a frenzy of colour and STUFF this week. Pop over to Julia's pad to have your world opened to loads more WOYWW desks in various states of  creativeness.

Oh and I have run out of the ATG acid free refills and 3M don't seem to have any in stock HELP!

12 Months in View - Bluebell MAD

Here are some more shots of the Bluebells from the garden.

I think they are the English variety but only time will tell as the flowers open and the heads droop (hopefully).





The pollen looks decidedly creamy-white and I needed to turn the bell upwards for the close-up, both good signs of the English variety.

The Origami bluebell I made earlier in the week was a little large to say the least!











So I cut the usual sized origami paper into 4 and made smaller bells - much better. Just had to add some stamens and wire them onto some thicker wire I found in the shed!















Certainly having a bit of a Bluebell MAD Bank Holiday today!