Hello, my friends spread throughout the world. It’s good to be back home after our week away. Yes, we made it – but more about that later… I’m here to join in with What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday, which last week celebrated its 7th birthday, and is usually hosted by the delectable Julia. However, she is “indisposed”, so we are currently hosted by that fabulous wiz with a sewing machine – Jan – right here. Why don’t you join us…

So, here’s what you all need to see – my workdesk.

You can see that my posh new shelves are still neat and tidy – only because we haven’t been there to mess them up. In the foreground is a book Mrs D has lent us, a bag of goodies which I can use if I like them – and then the box contains most of Mrs D’s dies which I am looking after for her whilst she is away, and ditto her stamps in the white folder. The desktop on the computer is a picture of teasel heads I took last year at Martin Mere. Not a lot of activity, you say – and you would be right. I have done nothing but try to catch up since getting home.

I knew I couldn’t take part in last week’s ATC swap as we were due to be away. Imagine my surprise and delight to come home to this lovely design by Shaz silverwolf. She simply wanted to send me one anyway. THANK YOU so much Shaz – a lovely gift.

So that is my desk… Just before going away I learned that my entry in the Winter wonderland “Anything but a card” challenge had won first prize!! I had the opportunity to choose $12 of digital images from Di’s Digital Images. These gorgeous fun images are really reasonably priced – and beautifully drawn. Before we went away I printed my choice onto different sort of paper – watercolour card, thin card, and the reverse of some Centura Pearl card. They came out beautifully, and I had fun beginning to colour them. Aren’t they just fun and quirky?

We have enjoyed our break, and managed to go out most days. John coped well with a situation we simply didn’t know at all, and didn’t go down with an infection. We drove around Coniston lake, went from Windermere up over the pass via Thirlmere to Keswick and then back over the Shap, visited Martin Mere on a gloriously sunny and warm day, and went to The Paper warehouse in Kendal… yes, afraid so… couldn’t resist some of the half price and 30% off offers!!!

Some freebies with magazines, a Britannia die at half price, a spellbinders die at 30% off, a Woodware stamp also at 30% off, some pergamano supplies, stickles, liquid pearls, a large stamp block, water colour paper, and a notebook. Yes, I’m going to try (when I get some time) to alter its cover… about time I went outside my little comfort zone!!!

We were sitting in the lounge at the holiday bungalow one afternoon – and – look who came calling! A delightful surprise. I don’t think I have ever been so close to a Roe deer. He was quite casual about dropping in to people’s gardens and munching on their greenery! Wasn’t bothered about me being so close – until I opened the window to get a clearer shot, and then became quite nervous.

So, that is it for this week, folks. I pray Julia may now be beginning her recovery after major surgery – and wish her well.

Take care, dear friends. God bless.

Margaret

Hello, my friends. I trust this finds you well, Julia resting leisurely, and all enjoying some artycraftytime!!! My photo this week was actually taken on Monday – and Tuesday, and I assure you the desk hasn’t changed since Tuesday morning. The place is tidy ready for us to go away on Saturday. Yippee!!!!! So far it’s looking good for our time away.

So… my desk…

I am determined to leave the desk tidy now until we get home – nothing is going to be done as I won’t have time to do anything. However… we did pop over to Holland Arms garden centre for coffee and cake at lunchtime…. and John did just happen to lead me down to the craft shop… and I just might have made a couple of purchases…. Some envelopes. Distress paints which were on offer, two fancy little pots, a pack of blending sponges, some ribbon on offer at 50p for 3metres, and a half price stamp set. Nothing much, you understand…

So there you have it, folks. Have a fantastic anniversary next week – we will have no internet at the cottage so I won’t see anything of it. I wish Julia every blessing as she goes to hospital for her op. May Father God guard and keep you, Julia, watching over everything that goes on!

Take care all. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. Only two weeks until the great 7year anniversary. We, all things being equal, will be away, so I won’t be participating this year. But I do hope you all have a great deal of fun on May 25th!!

Not much to show on my desk this week – BUT – I’ve had loads of craft time this week… so much so, that here, here, here, and here, are my efforts. I’ve managed to continue with the jungle clearance in the garden – and I have finished two cardigans for little ones in Uganda.

Now I just need to make 10bags for Bibles, put everything ready to take away with me, finish the jungle clearance….

That’s it this week, dear ones. Many thanks for those who continue to pray for John. He continues to amaze the medics, and has now been out of hospital for over 4 months. THANK YOU!!!

I do apologise to Diane F and Zsuzsa (Inkydinkydoodle). I can’t leave comments on your posts – and can’t find an email address to say I’ve visited. I do come – and I love to see your work – just can’t tell you so!

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

Goodness me. What a weekend I have had. There has been time to play with allsorts of arty crafty stuff! Time to enter challenges. Even sufficient time to make the cracker shown here in the previous post.

So this time around the 52card throwdown challenge is a sketch:

and here is my effort:

The image was made on deep blue mirror card using glittery embossing paste through a brass stencil I have had for years. This was then mounted on a die cut in gold shimmery card (Sue Wilson – St Bart’s). The little banner was cut from a piece of paper I have had for years, then mounted onto some card, also in my un-named stash! The card base was edged with Memento ink using the “dip, dab, dust” method explained by Inkylicious. The whole topper was then mounted onto the base card.

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

The challenge this time at the Winter Wonderland is Anything but a Card. I have decided that my entry will be this pergamano cracker. I have made several of these over the years, and I love them. The trouble is, I always give them away. I wonder if I might get to keep this piece of my art work and pop it on the tree??

To tell you how it was made I have put together a collage of pictures…

Pergamano is a very ancient craft. It is patterns on parchment. To make any pergamano piece takes time. Firstly the pattern must be traced onto the parchment. This can be done in white pencil or ink, or some areas can be done in coloured inks. In this instance I traced the poinsettia with a red ink, the leaves with green, and the sledge I painted with gold ink. I planned to use a square grid with holes in the right places to do the white patterning, so, instead of tracing the entire white pattern, I simply put in a few markers for placement.

The next step was to paint the poinsettia and leaves on the front of the parchment, using watercolour pencils. Then the design needed to be pricked out. Using a special very fine needle-pointed tool, I lightly pricked out all the holes in the pattern through the grid. This enabled me to get the lines straight!!!

Then the design needed embossing. Card makers are very familiar with embossing in lots of forms. This is different, but the end result is the same – raised patterns on the parchment. Using a ball tool, I embossed the veins on the leaf from the front, then turning the parchment over, embossed the flowers, leaves, sledge and small dots from the back. The “folds” of the cracker were also embossed at this point; mountain folds from the back, valley folds from the front.

Then all the holes were re-pricked, but deeper this time to make them larger. The final pattern step is making those little tiny “crosses” seen in the picture above. These have to be cut out of the patterns of holes! Each cross takes four cuts with tiny curved scissors…. However, although painstaking, it is actually very relaxing. I can’t be doing or thinking of, anything else at the time. Wonderful!

The entire piece was then cut out around the edges, and put together using DST to hold the square shape. Fancy red ribbon completes the cracker, and there is the lovely piece created totally by hand. I know that my own pergamano work isn’t perfect, but the sense of satisfaction when a piece is finished is amazing. If you would like to see more of the pieces I have made…. pop in here… That Advent calendar took months but we use it every Christmas – and folk love to see it hanging on a green swag.

So, that’s my entry..

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

Hello there. So, this is my entry to the Merry Monday Challenge 203 – Ombre and glitter. I didn’t even know what ombre was, so asked Kristie who had set the challenge – and she described it as the graduation of colour from light to dark (or vice versa). Well, I don’t know if this qualifies – is right – or anything…

So, I thought I wouldn’t be able to enter at all…. time was running out… Until I remembered the Christmas piece I had made the other week trying out those fancy egg shaped blending sponges. The colour definitely now blends, and it does move between darker and lighter shades…. but is that what is needed? I have no idea – I simply submit it! I stamped the Christmas tree image, then used a variety of Distress Inks, blended together using said fancy blending sponges. The image was cut out on the Big Shot, then the base card was coloured using slightly brighter Distress Inks in the same range of colours. The topper was attached to the card, prinkles added for glitteriness, the Nadolig Llawen peel-off was added, then three pieces of gold candy. Voila! A Christmas card!

Now I must get this “out there”, then head off to church for the young people’s Talent Show!!! Be back later to comment on other entries…
Take care. God bless.

Margaret

At last I have time to enter a challenge again and attempt to grow my Christmas card pile! This is to be entered in the Glory of Christmas Challenge #83 – stamp or digi only. The design around the edge of a blocking template was made using the Cardio “Festive Fir Cones” set of stamps, and the sentiment was from the Indigo Blu “Joy to the World” set. The images were stamped using a mixture of Whispers and Memento inks. I make many Christmas cards for our church charity, and this is the sort of design I might use for that – simple, no layers (important with British postal rates being so pricey), and a clean look.

Take care. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. Yes, this is my desktop post manic card making session! I suddenly realised Monday evening that it was a dear friend’s 70th birthday – that day! Now you have to understand that at the beginning of the year I make a list of necessary cards for the year, and pin it up – in my eye line – above my workdesk! No, I hadn’t raised my eyes recently…. So, a VERY rapid make, written, signed, put into the envelope and sealed, added a stamp, and posted. Yes, without taking a photo! I think I’m losing the plot!!!

However, despite the faux pas, I have been busy this week. I continued with the garden jungle clearance – and discovered, to my delight, that beneath a huge amount of raspberry canes, which I have been trying to kill off ever since we moved here as they don’t produce fruit, were a great bunch of bluebells, and some wood anemones. Fantastic. So.. here’s workspace number 2…

It was the Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza at the weekend – and our church opens its doors, puts on a BBQ in the carpark, and serves tea and cakes inside. I love it – it’s my thing – but I knew I couldn’t do it this year because of being around for John. Two dear members offered to come and be in the house for John so that I could go and play! It was so very generous and kind – and I had a wonderful time on both Saturday and Sunday, serving tea and cakes non-stop. I don’t know what the end result profit was – all to be given to children’s charities, but I know that on the teas we took  over £600 on the two days! It’s a fantastic three day event which brings in around 30,000 visitors a day to the town! Yes, 30,000 a day! The main street is closed for a funfair, there is a parade each day, all sorts on the promenade, pipe bands, steam engines, prizes for the best dressed Victorian. The atmosphere is lovely – and above all, SAFE. Here’s a taster… I didn’t manage to see the whole parade this year as I was busy serving. So here is desk number three…

The lone piper comes each year – and we once persuaded him to play for us in the church!

Now for a bit of show-and-tell. I’ve been playing. Some weeks back someone mentioned the egg shaped blending sponges. They also said where it is possible to buy a bag of make up ones really cheaply – I only wish I could remember where! However, I decided to give them a go, as I have never been really satisfied with my efforts at colour blending. Neet was demo-ing colouring with Distress inks at the York show, and she thought it was probably because I wasn’t using sufficient ink. So, I tried being brave and going for some vivid colour… I admit to liking what I did, succeeded in not giving up when the colours were pale, and was impressed how clean the sponges came with just cold water.

Then a brief look at some of the cards I’ve been making. Needless to say, it wasn’t only the birthday card I forgot to photograph!! Several others disappeared into the post before snapping as well!

So that is my week. Lots done, a feeling of having achieved – which is nice.

I do thank you for your lovely comments last week – obviously photos of Wales go down well! I did manage to visit everyone on the list – but, I’m sorry, there were two or three of you I simply couldn’t leave a comment with. I couldn’t find an e-mail to write to either, and you are on Google +. I did appreciate your work, though.

Take care my dear friends. God bless you.

Margaret

Why I am writing this? Showing you my space? Pop over to http://stamping-ground.blogspot.co.uk/ and join us!!