WOYWW #482

If you would like to share your mess desk with like minded friends, please link up with us at Chez Julia (Stamping Ground).  There's lots of us over there, sharing all our little (or not so little) hobbies.  Come on over and join in............

9 Days to go ......... just saying....

Well, it's a bit hectic round here today.
We have to have a new car .... a passing driver happened to hit our present car but not hard enough for him to stop!  We cannot get the replacement pieces the car needs and, as we were hoping to replace it next year, PJ is out to look at a new one ....... just a bit sooner (by six months) than we expected.
 

The very kind neighbour next door just gifted me with a fine bag of mixed stamps - Kiloware to any Philatelists on board! - so I have those to sort into Interesting and Pass-Them-On piles.

Then there's my desk .....
.... this month's magazine has arrived and it needs to be read and filed .... maybe a card or two made ..... the free gift (as well as all the stamps) is asking to be used......
One of my swaps needs to be photographed and the sender thanked ......

BTW   someone queried the small paper pad on my desk - still there - it's from Little Claire, I just love their products, small enough for my ATCs and Coins.

AND.......
IT'S WEDNESDAY!
Little Soldier's day with the Grandees!!

So there you have it!!  
Another retirement day!  
I cannot believe that I spent my latter working years just waiting to retire and sit around doing things I wanted to do when I wanted to do them ...... why oh why did no-one tell me I would be busier than ever ....... without having to watch the clock of course!!!!    lol
When I get chance I will be round to visit but, in advance, thank you to my visitors and for the lovely comments you leave ....... I don't get notification of these so I am backtracking WOYWW as I am sure there was a comment left about this happening.......

WOYWW #481

If you would like to share your mess desk with like minded friends, please link up with us at Chez Julia (Stamping Ground).  There's lots of us over there, sharing all our little (or not so little) hobbies.  Come on over and join in............


I see the heat is back!!!  We may have had the cooler temps but still no rain .....

While waiting for the bus in our local village (one an hour but it has slowly become almost a door to door service so we just LOVE it!) I popped into Aldi.  Now this isn't a shop I go into normally but when you have to kill 40mins it's as good a way to spend your time ..... or money ......
Among other 'things', I found an Art Box which contained 4x13cms sq canvases and all these foam 'brushes'..... my mind is full of arty backgrounds.

So there you have it for the moment ...... Thursday could well be a different view!

I had to move the Lavender bags away, I am still stamping them at the moment, I estimate that I am about halfway through them all.

That's it for this week, short but sweet, off to the Park Funday with Little Soldier and then I'll be back to visit ....... have fun ......

Trip to the Park

I found an announcement on 'that' social media site which looked interesting.  Looking into it further it appeared to be an outing which we could all enjoy ......
Fun Day at Jubilee Park.
Eventually PJ and I managed to sort out the Park, cooked up a picnic lunch, collected Little Soldier and off we went.
There was so much going on ...... I will let the photos speak for themselves.....

Our first view....

Sooo much going on.....

Birds of Prey..... we only looked at them at rest but missed the display.

We had a look round this tent then fetched Grandad to have a look as well!

The Reptile Tent

First Driving Lesson

 

Being chased by girls!

Bouncy Castle

Such a great day out!

Another very busy day .... in West Brom

This is one day out that I personally love, don't know about the others!!
It was decided that we would travel into town on the train, so off we all went.... Little Soldier being very excited cos he went into town with Mommy and Daddy so he knew the way and would show us.

Once in town we headed up New Street as we were going to call into MacDonalds for lunch, on the way we discovered a Dinosaur.  

We had a good read of the map and found out there were lots more around the town .... maybe we would be able to find some more .... have to keep a lookout.....

After we finished lunch we caught the tram outside Grand Central (we know it as New Street Station!) into West Bromwich, which meant that we would go right through the city and out the other side.
We found lots to see on the way there, including these carved bricks set into the wall at the Hawthorns stop.
We found out it was Market Day and the High Street was just one long market (note to Mommy - we must come back and visit!).
We wandered through all the shopping centre, up the escalator and out the other side and there it was!!

Funky Monkey!

Little Soldier was off ....whoa there! ... we have to pay the man first!

Grandma and Granddad settled down with a cup of coffee and watched as Little Soldier had a great time ..... up, down, over, under .....

Don't try to look at him ... he was too fast for the camera!!

This group of lads formed a train to go down what looked like rollers and then ran back up the sides .... such fun!

Then there were the shops and cars to explore .....

.... the ship to steer, the roundabout to ride.....

You getting the picture? ..... such goings on ......


Then....


Time was up.....
....it was back to the Tram we had to go ......
We came into West Bromwich on a Blue Tram but we were hoping we could catch a pink one to take us back to Birmingham.... what luck!!

Once we arrived at our stop, we went to look for a Hat Shop so Granddad could buy a new hat but we couldn't find it anywhere and, eventually, Grandma said 'enough!  Teatime' 
We headed into the Square Peg and had a delicious tea - Fish and Chips!!

We waited for the train to take us home, meeting up with friends while at the station so it was the best end to a perfect day.......
Some of the memories made - 
Little Soldier, hearing me call Peter so he could look at the carved bricks, then proceeded to call Granddad 'Peter' .... so funny.
Granddad and Little Soldier silhouetted against the window, but busy colouring in a picture while they waited for tea .... so heartwarming.

WOYWW #480

This is What'sOnYourWorkdeskWednesday - checkout the tab at the top of the page for further info - and our thanks go to Julia for hosting again.

Woyww week 480!  the weeks are going soooo fast now, must be on a countdown to Chrismas!!!
This week sees me getting ready to create my last two swaps for the month.  Butterfly and Bloom ....

Various bits of detritus lying around the outside - yes, still using the push back method of tidying!!
If you look at the top right hand corner, you will see some strip stamps.  I've unmounted them and am going to try using them with an acrylic block.  I never used them when they were on the roller and they must be *$*&@ years old!!  Watch this space.

Another busy day with Little Soldier today.  Going on a Dinosaur hunt, ride a tram, have lunch in a Portuguese restaurant and then a soft play.  We may even find time to come home on a train ..... all go round here, betcha worn out just reading about it!

I hope I catch up with you all later .....

After all these years ......

After several nights of rain clouds I am still vainly watching the night sky in a vain effort to see a shooting star.  Last night/morning it happened!!
I have watched the skies for years, admiring the stars, amazement at the moon, tried to work out constellations ......then the Perseid Meteor Shower was all over the media ..... now or never?
So every night while I am in my 'sleepless' state, instead of walking round the house I stood at the landing window until I became too cold in the hope that at least one meteor would make it through the cloud.
Last night was no different except that the night sky was clear and well lit by those gorgeous sparkly things ..... then it happened ..... right in front of my eyes ..... in a nano second ..... gone.
I stood at the window in shock, willing another to come just to confirm what I had seen ..... no such luck, count yourself fortunate, return to bed and sleep the sleep of the just .... after you have calmed down of course!!
After all these years ..... I've seen my first 'shooting star' .... they're real!



On another happy note .... Little Soldier had his first try at stamping .... Stamping Platforms are a marvellous invention!!!

Today I am stripping the lavender flowers/seeds ready to fill my little stamped muslin bags.....

Happy dancing round here..... inbetween the stripping of lavender stalks of course!!

WOYWW #479

This is What'sOnYourWorkdeskWednesday - checkout the tab at the top of the page for further info - and our thanks go to Julia for hosting again.

Sorry I am so late joining in this week .... we had rather a full day yesterday .... At Stratford on Avon .... more details later.
For the time being this is my desk:

I have bought and printed out some Vera Lane images.  I am colouring them at the moment and they will then be made into ATCs for a swap.
I am using my neo crayons and will then add water with a fine paintbrush.
My head is still in Stratford!  We had such a lovely day, not too hot, with a soft breeze and it wasn't very crowded .... at least where we were on the 'other' side of the river!!
Ah! Well!  back to the colouring and cutting!!
Thank you to my visitors last week and all your great comments ....... 

June Coins

Another swap for Coins on an ATC etc Group!

This time the theme is anything goes and I am pleased about this.  Coins are so new to the Artworld that we all need to practice with these new shapes and sizes so a swap like this is, in my opinion, good for a few more themed ones!!!



I sent out three from my original painted backgrounds and stamped silhouettes.








My partner sent these Kokeshi dolls by return.  
I love these so much that I have bought some from the Vera Lane Studio.


Thank you so much Cheryl for sending such great coins and introducing me to VeraLane.

July Theme Swap

Vintage Ladies
I used some of the pages from my old French Dictionary, bought so many years ago in a wonderful French market ........ happy days!

Anyhows, I searched for pictures of ladies, tore round that side of the page and attached them to some card that I had used as a 'wipe off'.  I then washed them with DO avoiding the area of the photos and details.  
Some embroidery threads, paper ribbon, string and flowers in vintage colours added to the cards, then swiped the edges with the DO inkpad.

I love theses cards ..... difficult to part with them ........

My returns are beautifu:l


Acid Drops and Whatnots!!
Thank you Alexis.

The colours are beautiful in real life.

Thank you ChrisF.

Superb colours used here!!

Thank you Kathleen.

Thank you JanW for a great selection of returns.

June Swap - Light/Dark

InkyFingeredCat has set up a UK coin swapping group on Facebook - had to join in didn't I?

I have this outline cat stamp so that is where I started.....I punched some light and dark paper coins ..... then stamped some cats onto white paper ....
I cut the papers in half and then attached them to the base coin.   I debated whether to cut up the cats or just stamp one onto the card.  I stamped.  Then I coloured and managed to fit them together quite well.  I added a pc printed sentiment.

For this coin I painted the background and added a strip of blue paper across the centre.  The little birds were freebies from a magazine and just fitted along the centre of the strip.  I drew a 'branch' under the birds and then attached a pc printed sentiment.

I cut a coin from some left over papers and then stamped and embossed the word.  The light blue and the brown just seemed to go together, especially when the brown and white butterfly was added!


I completed an extra one as a Thank You for hosting the swap.  When I saw this tiny photo in my swap - GeckoGalz I think - I knew I had to use it.  I matted it to a grey paper and added a bow.  This was then added to a painted - Cosmic Shimmer Chalk Paint - on which I had stamped and embossed the word DREAM.

My returns were accompanied by this sweet tiny card.....




Thank you Catherine and also for a great swap out.

Butterfly and Bee.

Thank you JenniferD

That tiny star is inset.
Thank you Mara.

Bright and yellow.

Thank you Pat C.

July Colour Swap

Black and White with a splash of Red

I love doing artwork with one colour on Black and White!


I took a stamped image from my stash and fussy cut it before colouring the tulip heads red.  I tied a black and white ribbon round the card and then used Tim's letter words for the sentiment.

This is a Stamping Up Image from my stash, I coloured her hat and petticoat in red, tied a thin fancy ribbon round the card and attached a PC printed sentiment.

These two cards were made using a colouring book from Lidl, supposed to be coloured with highlighters pens, but I became bored and put it away in my stash.



I cut this page to fit, added a few strawberry images, fussy cut, from another page.  I tied a plain narrow black ribbon round this card and used some words from Tim's book for the sentiment.

Another image, fussy cut, and coloured with a magazine torn sentiment attached over a small checked narrow ribbon.

My returns were:

A collage of images.
Thank you Gerry. 

A painted background, micro beads and glazed sentiment.

Thank you Jacqueline.

Painted and fussy cut magpies with embossed poles.

Thank you Lisa.