Kinda blue and some other colours too.

WOYWW often sets me thinking and last week it was something Elizabeth from Bleubeard and Elizabeth had been trying out-reversing the image. Now I didn't want to reverse the image but I thought I would have a play at palette stamping or kiss stamping as Stampin' Up call it and give my Tombo pens an airing. I used a plain heart from Hero Arts which is probably not available now 'cos I got it for 50p from a Stamp Man sale. First just brushed a pink Tombo on the edges then inked a little Stampin 'Up flower from the butterfly set with same pen and stamped onto the heart-huffed it to moisten and stamped-voila. (I've not shown how many tries I had at this-my first one on scrap worked perfectly but then I tried to be clever with different papers-finally ending up with Back to Basics Craftwork cards. Carefully cut with scallop scissors.

Background is Tombo pens. Use the brush end at an angle and wiggle it then same small flower. Solid paper is Tesco Premium printer paper brayered with SU pink passion.

Yes I've got a Martha Stewart punch which doesn't get used enough. Some Card Candy and the little butterfly from the SU set.
Here we have some more kiss stamping using some more 50p bargains. Same heart and SU pumpkin Pie ink. Brayered the ink onto the check background (which was bought years ago and NOT 50p) then stamped onto the heart and cut out with zigzag scissors. Coloured the stripey block (50p again) with Tombos-stamped and cut with fancy scissors. Added faux stitching with the fine tip of the pens. Sentiment is another of my golden oldies which fits the SU punch beautifully.

By then I was in the groove and got out some denim Adirondack ink (as I type I can see there is still some on my hands.) This time I brayered the ink onto the stripe and rolled the brayer onto some scrap to clean it-but hoho Betty-I loved the patchy denim look it created so I did it over a whole card front. I do know how to get a smooth solid look but I didn't want that. Added some double faux stitching lines and stamped the SU stamp onto some card scrap where I'd brayered off remaining ink. What bugged me was I had no matching ribbon or denim I could cut or rip. A friend gave me some old jeans for that purpose but when I saw how much they were fetching in the charity shop I took them to Oxfam to let someone else have the benefit.
I was in the groove completely by then and decided to roll the brayer onto a cuttlebug folder. I loved the shabby edge so kept it and went skewiffy with the whole card. Just in case you think this was easy-well I had to take a picture of the elements laid down loose how I liked them before I disassembled it to glue it together. Lace edge has been dyed with the Adirondack ink and the strip above is a stamp from a Hero Arts set. Craftwork Cards sentiment and tiny flower is from Nortex mill in Bolton glued on an SU stamped flower. I misted the Cuttlebug folder and got another impression from the remaining ink.
Now I know we all love our papers and promarkers but I am enjoying getting back to basics. Sometimes I use a sketch (cos I'm rubbish at getting all the elements right) and colour a picture and layer it with nesties-some swirls here and flowers there. I'm not knocking it but..................................

By the way if you like Paula Pascual's sentiment stamps and haven't got any yet some are back in stock at QVC. The three sets they have are a deal at £10.99 for the three plus £2.99 p and p.

Ordered mine yesterday. When they were on air I saw them for about 30 seconds while I was dialling the number they sold out. Check out her blog-it's pow.

Made a double date

Well just found out he can't come. He's stood me up 'cos he forgot when we arranged it that he was going to a party. Dad didn't know so it's cup of tea time for us and off into the whirlwind social life that kids seem to lead these days for him.

Bus pass beano

The Greater Manchester grey brigade have an advantage over you other lot. We can use our bus passes on the train. Not on the Orient Express-oh no no-nothing so exotic but we can travel on the train within Greater Manchester outside peak travel times (anyone who has to travel during peak time has my sympathy-they need body armour) and it's free. Bus to Bolton Station FREE then tram from V ictoria Station FREE to Market Street in Manchester and Affleks Palace. Manchester is a vibrant place and it isn't always raining as my pictures prove. I know at one time Manchester and nearby Salford had the largest student population in Europe. Even coming the few miles from Bolton I always feel like a country bumpkin. The above shot is a remainder from WW2 of a bombed building which has been transformed into a dragonny creature. Just behind me as I took that shot was the destination.

It's a strange place full of a mish mash of shops. I tried on a top hat which fitted perfectly but it was £34.99 so it stayed in the shop. This is where I ended up-The bead shop . I'd been told about it ages ago but wanted to check it out first. Now I know how to get there I'll be writing a list. I spotted quite a bit of stuff that would be great for cards but I do make jewellery occasionally. Just bought some bits to finish off my little doodad for the WOYWWAC. Now don't get too excited 'cos it's not a masterpiece and probably doesn't fulfill the brief but hey I thought I'd show willing and challenge myself at the same time. Signing off now as step-GS is coming to have a dabble in my craft room. He's ten and enthusiastic and I'm sixtyblob and an FMS sufferer so I have to be wound up with a key LOL and set going. We are going to work on the little monster thing he's been making. He has lots of ideas and I have to work out how to make them work so it's get your brain in gear time.

WOYWW my number 7 and haha fooled you.

Well I can hear the rumble of running feet as everyone charges over to Julia's for the next to last before the big one (doesn't sound right but you know what I mean) so today I'm showing you another desk! WHY? Well I wasn't going to do anything but I had a little idea and it's on my other desk so I didn't want to give you even an inkling. This is the study and it's what you get if you don't downsize when the kids leave home. Technically this is DH's desk (yes I've got a bureau downstairs and I'm such a show off !). Yesterday I discovered that one reason I'm struggling on t'internet (dialect meaning the internet for all you non North of England people) is because it is rubbish in my workroom. Think wireless modem interferes with phone or vice versa so I've shifted the laptop in here temporarily. Gives me a chance to show you the other craft tool in my collection complete with a recent acquisition that I'm in the process of sorting out-a download from Making Handmade cards. A recent discovery of mine. I joined for the freebie download which is very pretty but yesterday I actually spent money!!!!!!!
Here on my screen is the Decadence kit which I'm going to combine with Craftwork Cards "Touch of Glamour" and "Gilded Cages" stamps and see what I can come up with.

Before next week I thought I would add a note of thanks to Julia for starting all this. Wonder if she realised just what she was getting into. In seven weeks I've discovered wonderful people and visited desks all over the world. I would love to visit them all and leave comments but exhaustion and real life get in the way. There are others with difficult health conditions like me and difficult home circumstances but we are all united in our love of craft-which I believe makes the world go round. (You'll have me in tears soon!)

More than the above it has motivated me to try -or revisit-other techniques. I've learned stuff too and I've also seen on other people's desk things I've got. I'm sure I'll think of something else during the day but grey matter isn't warmed up yet.

Thanks again Julia, have a lovely day and if anybody is reading this who hasn't given it a go yet get over to www.stamping-ground.blogspot.com -you know you want to.

What a weekend! Not the weather-the partying

First of all the finished card. Kept it simple but there's a little surprise. Side panels are two small narrow cards held closed with a narrow leather thong passed under the decorative strip and threaded through a bead. I knotted the ends together so that the bead wouldn't slide off by mistake.Left hand side open. Printed on some cream parchment. Right hand side was used for the birthday message. This is the first time I've tried this format and I think it is quite useful. There is room for lots of variation.
It was only going to be a plain box but the grungeboard was out and I cut some vertical striped paper diagonally to create the chevron. Letters inked black and rubbed with wax looked just like metal. Card went down a treat.
Managed to stay the course with rest thrown in here and there.

More will be revealed later.

WOYWWmy number6 and rushing to hairdressers

Off to Julia's again for that special day of the week to see what everyone has been up to.

If you've not done it yet then today's the day. You know you want to.

So what IS on my work desk today.

BIG PAUSE

During this time blogger refused to upload pics so went to hairdressers.

Then my latest purchase arrived and I started to unpack it. Yes folks you've persuaded me the way forward has to be some really useful boxes so on Sunday I ordered a unit from Storage 4 Crafts.

Boxes open I realised a piece was missing so I phoned and they were extremely helpful and the missing piece is now on it's way from Devon to Lancashire.

I have bravely waded in and started to reorganise SOME of my stuff into the 18 boxes.

Several shoe boxes and tomato boxes are now in the bin and I've rediscovered many old friends.

Back to WOYWW.

My son's partner has a special birthday on Sunday and a big party is taking place at a local pub with two live bands and children's entertainer. She is very proud of her Native American ancestry so I've been struggling to make something appropriate. Luckily thanks to WOYWW I found Mo's Digital Pencil and she had a Jingle Dancer. I have made the embellishments myself by using a free moccasin pattern downloaded and resized for teeny tiny feet. Cut from a window leather which luckily I hadn't used and sewn with button thread. I bound the feathers together too. Now all I have to do is make a card!

Off to check out what you lot are up to over at Julia's place. Are you coming?

Testing testing testing

Just finding out if I can create a new post as blogger is playing up horrendously and I can't moderate my comments or post any comments on other blogs as I would like a life of sorts I'm not going to try to follow this up with blogger but hope it will sort itself out. So if you've posted a comment I can see them I just can't moderate them. GRRRRRRRRR.

WOYWW my number5

We're all at it again for Julia over at Stamping Ground. Hop over and check out what it's all in aid of if you don't already know. Advertising done with it's back to the nitty gritty. This week is a brutally honest shot of the controlled chaos I craft in. It is lovely when it is tidy but tidying eats into crafting time and energy so I'm lucky enough to be able to shut the door on it. There's a lot of ongoing play on that work top and this weeks little bee in my bonnet has been mainly down to Tim Holz and Shaz (The Ramblings of a Fairy). You can probably see one flower left on my desk and I've posted a pic of what I did with the other three I made using -and modifying Shaz's instructions. I used some offcuts of rose coloured writing paper I use for inserts and cut 5 scallops with my nestie-Shaz recommends the SU punch but I've not got that so instead I cut into the scallop circles to create more petal effect then inked with tattered rose and walnut distress ink . By the time I'd done the fourth one I was really into it. I sprayed the paper and scrunched and pushed and curled.

STOP

I could have made loads by then but I've made myself make cards with them before I allow myself the pleasure of doing some more-maybe blues or creams and golds or reds.

Now where does Tim come into this-apart from the distress inks-well I used some more carefully hoarded offcuts of cream paper to create some backgrounds and some I stamped with some Touch of Glamour clear stamps from Craftwork Cards BUT I found a new to me Tim technique here and fell in love. He stamps with distress ink and brushes Perfect Pearls onto the still wet ink. Oh Oh Oh I love it. So far I've only done these but imagine Broken China Colour brushed with a silver metallic or pewter metallic for Christmas. The detail stays crisp and there is a lovely sheen. He resprays with a mister to get the ink underneath to bleed out but I didn't want that to happen. The rose leaves I'm chuffed with 'cos they're stamps with an old Anita's stamp which was dirt cheap in a sale and I've never used. It is the perfect size and tucked under the flower you can't see its imperfections. I stamped in distress ink onto an inked background and then used perfect pearls again. Papers are Paper Mill stash and Craftwork Cards and Payper Box and Papermania (I'm anybodies if the price is right)
Just in case you think I'm desperately untidy here is some of my paper stash in a unit bought from a craft shop that was closing down. I use poly bags which I label for a lot of my paper and I try to file back into the bag all the offcuts so I don't need to cut into a new sheet of A4. Have just heard DH's tablet alarm so it must be lunch time.
I'll stop now and pop over to Julia's. Why don't you come with me? It's great fun.

Just a quickie

Thanks for all the lovely comments and sorry I just haven't been around to everyone but circumstances a bit awkward so I thought I would report back on yesterday.

Sadly the "zapping" did not work as everyone was hoping so after an extremely long day of waiting around we are back on the health treadmill again.

NUFF SAID

Back to the tidy workroom it was a bit of a set up and the wider view would have told a different story. Have come to a decision to sort out the ordering of some really useful boxes for starters as can't cope with the mess any more. I know I shouldn't be making excuses but it just gets harder to sort this all out as health gets worse so I need to find a simple solution.

As for what Ikki says about my spotting the way the swirl works with the oval -that's because all I do is mess around-when it comes to actually producing something finished it is an uphill struggle. Sometimes I get there and sometimes they go in the hmm hmm pile and sometimes they go in the bin. It's good fun trying.

Nothing to report on the hougie board yet except it is as easy as it looked on TV and I have made a stepper blank with no problems at all-just got no inspiration regarding decoration. Did see straight away a simple method of making a bag with it but will post when there's a finished sample to show. Just got to get into measure mode instead of A5 A6 etc etc as the whole thing works on measuring (centimetres one side and inches the other) rather than A4 divided like most scoring boards. Trouble is I have plenty of ideas in my head it's just putting them into practice that's the problem. So instead of blogging I'm going to do just that. Byeee

WOYWW4 and nothing from him because I'm jealous!

No more sharing, that man has enough fans as it is! Closer in you can see that I have been taking Ikki's message to heart and trying to get the best from my Spellbinders dies. This little swirl is from a shapeabilities set and I have just noticed that it fits the Craftwork Cards oval messages. Hoping to do a bit more with this idea as it will probably fit the Stampin' Up oval punch as well.
This is a little card I made using the sugared almonds collection from Craftwork Cards
and that Martha Stewart edge punch I lusted after so much and then hardly used it.Here's another I made using a Stampin' Up set and a Craftwork Cards card blank. I'm trying to build up a stock of simple cards because my little sis takes them and sells them for me. I had just finished making several when she rang and asked if I had a plain sympathy card. Thank goodness I'd invested in this set because it took moments to make one with the sentiment she asked for which was in the set.
I've just fished out some golden oldies from the cupboard because I've got an idea for using the flower-from Magenta-and the strange rectangular ones which are called block-it stamps (just in case you've never seen them before.
As I was doing this the doorbell rang and the Hougie board arrived so I'm cutting it short and might get back to you later if there's anything worth reporting.

DH is being zapped tomorrow-don't worry I'm not torturing him because he's got women swooning over his etchings LOL-he is having a procedure called cardio-version which is to attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm.

Aha just remembered the wierdest thing happened after last weeks WOYWW -I saw someone had mentioned a thing called WORDLE so took a look and when I checked out the gallery someone had done a Betty wordle with the words Betty funny hardworking creative loving. Did I print it out? You bet I did.Think I'll buy a gold frame for it! That site supposedly has ten hits a second so how strange is that? By the way I did have a go at zentangling too but think I'll keep that for when I've nothing to do-actually might take some with me to the hospital tomorrow.

Hougie is calling folks Tata.

Just remembered-check out the great video on Shaz's blog-this is such a great flower making video. Haven't tried it yet but if the results on her blog are anything to go by it definitely works. Thanks for the sympathy as well my back is improving.

Haha forgot to say if you would like to play the WOYWW game just pop along to Julia's blog and if I can manage to do it you can too.

Well, well, well OR NOT

Am doing this standing up (which is how you should stamp apparently). Why?

I am paying the price for Wednesday. Don't worry Julia I know it is my own fault. Too much blogging and hopping about to take a peek at other people's work desks has left me with an extremely sore back. Unfortunately this has created a jangle everywhere else and the whole lot has come out in sympathy. Any one else out there with FMS will know what I'm on about.

This did not stop me from succumbing to the perils of Create and Craft yesterday. I ordered a Hougie board! If you don't know what one is well I'll let you know how I get on with it-if I don't break in half (or should that be one third/ two thirds) at the base of my (think it's the muscles) spine.!

Have managed to make some simple cards with an SU set I got recently so will probably post piccies if my back allows me to sort it out. Patience factor is at zero at the moment.

Cheers Betty