WOYWW

Yes, I know there's clutter in this picture, but I have done a lot of tidying since last week. Honest, I have. Some of the bits on the table are left over from the compendium challenge, and I plan to use them again today to make a card. The little wooden cube box had mulled wine spices in it, and I plan to re-decorate it, but in the meantime it is holding some inchies and tiny embellishments that I am going to use to make a card.

The real clutter is in the boxes that are sitting on the chair in front of the table. I keep sticking those scraps-that-will-come-in-handy-some-day in boxes, so this will be the final phase of my tidying. Going through all the boxes (there are lots of small ones on a shelf opposite my table in addition to those on the chair), deciding what to keep, and categorising what I keep, to make for easier future rummaging.

To see lots of workdesks in all their glory click the link and take a magic carpet ride to Julia's Stamping Ground blog. Enjoy the trip !

Compendium Challenge 27

This week we're on page 60 of Tim Holtz' Compendium of Curiosities trying out Distress Misting Masks. For all the details on the challenge and lots of examples of the technique, go to Linda's Studio L3 blog. Instructions on how to do the technique are in Tim's book.

I used Victorian Velvet distress ink, Blush Perfect Pearls, and Tim masks. The girl and text stamps are Crafty Individuals and the flower is a freebie from a magazine. The pink shading was done with Copic pens. I tried various settings on the camera to try to get the shine of the mica (with, as last night, the help of the cat). You can see some of it here, but I'm afraid much of it looks brown in the photo !

Sunday Stamper - Diamonds

You know when you're trying to take a photo, and you're trying to get the texture of the Black Soot Distress EP and the shine of the clear embossing powder on the diamonds to show up and the sparkle of the Diamond Stickles; and then someone comes wandering across your picture and just sits down next to your subject. Doesn't give a second glance to your handiwork.

But instead dreams of fat little mice.

On the left is my card for Hels' Sunday Stamper challenge.

Simon Says Stamp and Show

The latest challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show is to use our newest stamp. Mine, acquired in a January sale, (I've been very abstemious, I'll have you know .... so far ....) is a set of Inkadinkado small square stamps of swirls and flowers. I fancied doing some cards with inchies.

For this one, the background card is coloured with Old Paper DI. The squares are cut with a hand punch. Some are cut from white card embossed in the Big Shot and highlighted with Scattered Straw. On others I used two of the stamps with Distress EP on white card heat embossed with either White Pearl or Ranger Superfine Detail Gold powder, and coloured with Antique Linen or Scattered Straw. The embellishments are a gem, a pearl, a charm and shapes cut from gold paper with tiny hand punches.

The first WOYWW of 2011

The first WOYWW of 2011. WOYWW? New to you? Visit Julia's Stamping Ground to get the lowdown.

Well, I did start to give the workdesk its 'deep clean,' but as usual got sidetracked and only did enough to create some space to work on the new Compendium challenge, and lay out a new set of stamps acquired in the sales ready for my next project, a card to be made from inchies. Then I completely obliterated the space by placing the basket on the table. That's there because I'm going to have a sort through my sewing stuff, and put the most used items in here. Have concerns about this as one of the cats seems to have already sussed that it makes a cosy bed. On top of the acrylic block you can see one of my most used tools, the unravelled paper clip, for de-blocking the nozzle of the Glossy Accents bottle.

Happy WOYWW !

CCC 26

This week's Compendium of Curiosities Challenge set by Linda at Studio L3 is from page 45 of Tim's book, and is Rusted Grunge.

I've done all but one of my challenge pieces in this shape, so I thought perhaps I might make this one the cover of a book or a box to keep all the pieces together. I used the woodgrain embossing folder with Brushed Corduroy, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Crushed Olive DIs. When it came to doing the Rusted Grunge, I used the DI as per the instructions, but don't have EP in that colour, so had to use Tea Dye. However, it still looks reasonably rusty.

This gives a closer view of the effect.


Thank you, Linda, for another fun challenge.

Happy New Year and CCC 25

Well, I think I've been a bit carried away with this Christmas and New Year lark, and have woken up only just in time to do my Compendium of Curiosities Challenge number 25. For full information on this, zip on over to Linda's Studio L3 blog. It's page 34 in the Compendium and is entitled Scribbled Stain Distress.

I've used Broken China, Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans and Tumbled Glass distress ink pads, and Broken China, Faded Jeans, Tumbled Glass and Peeled Paint distress re-inkers for the technique. I'm still in Christmas mode so the stamping is from an Inkadinkado set I've just got in a sale, and a Tim snowflake stamp using black Archival and Broken China DI. And seeing as the theme's still Christmassy, I couldn't resist a shiny star and a few puffs of Sea Glass Glimmer Mist.

By now I've eaten almost all of the the chocolate and Christmas cake, and it will soon be time to face up to the New Year and the consumption of a healthier bill of fare. Until then, I'll enjoy the remaining cake and choccy, and wish you all a New Year of Happiness, Health and Contentment (which includes many hours resulting in inky painty fingers, of course).