Sometimes it really IS the small things....

Ok, so a few of you noticed it was a certain....um....day today.  And I thank all you wonderful folks who left fab messages for me around the ether on forums and facebook and the like.  .

Yup.  Another year has sauntered past and pee'd on the proverbial fire that is my youth.  LOL.

Well, Mr B outdid himself on the present front this year.  Notable examples include an entire VILLAGE of Lilliput Lane that he managed to acquire (long story), a fabulous moon-gazing hare made of teak, a smoking dragon, tub of gesso, Hotel Chocolat chocolates..... I could go on.

But as my title tonight suggests, sometimes it really is the smallest things that mean a lot.  One of the first presents I opened this morning was this little fella....

Cute, eh?

Not just cute, but practical - press his tummy, and his feet light up! 

Now this gift matters hugely in two ways.  Mr B really does listen - I had a small torch affair on my keyring that was starting to die on me - it wouldn't stay lit etc.  So being switched on (snigger.... I punned unintentionally then) he has bought me a replacement.

Equally though, he knows my love of this blog which I take EVERY opportunity to promote (cue multiple retelling of how-I-got-the-torch-tale at work today) and have mentioned previously on here.  Go look.  He's on day 297.  He's nearly done for a second year, and you HAVE to go see all the pics.

Hmmm.  Now I just need a name for Lego-guy.......

WOYWW 103 - the one without the desk

Another week has swung by, and now we only have one more week before the great WOYWW PIF.  Yay!  And as I expect a few desks will be this week - sorry, mine's a no-show because it has PIF-in-progress upon it.  First up though, an apology to all who visited me and to all those I didn't get round to.  I've had problems at work AND at home with logging into Blogger - I've been able to leave comments on a couple of blogs, but half the time it just wanted to call me "Anonymous".  Charming!  I hate anonymous comments on my blog, so I won't leave them myself.  I like folks to know who I am!

Anyway, for the uninitiated, WOYWW can be found here, the brainchild of the delightful and daring Mrs Dunnit.  Our one and only Maitre d'esk.  Hehehehehe

Well, as I can't show you my actual desk, I'll bring you up to date with a couple of WIPs instead.  First up is George the Mouse.  Remember the dodgy looking mask from a couple of weeks ago?  Well,  not so much mask as hat.  Well, here is how he looks currently.  This week he'll have a coat or two of paint, and then be ready for his first performance on Saturday.  and if you think he's cute, you should see the dragon that goes with him!



Also, here's the latest on my hardanger piece.  As you can see, it's progressing slowly, but progressing it is.  I figured this time I would work all the kloster blocks on the remaining three sections before cutting and doing the woven and wrapped bars.  Gobbledegook to a lot of you, I know, but someone out there knows what I mean! 

 

Lastly, I just want to share a couple of pics from the garden - I finally managed to get a pic of Mr Woodpecker on the birdfeeder outside the kitchen window!  In fact, I got several but figured this one was sweet, with him eyeing up the peanuts there just to the left....

....before taking a leap and grabbing a nut before flying off again:

He's also been slaking his thirst in the water bowl - a sure sign that his usual haunts for water are drying up in this drought...

Also visiting us are several greenfinches - this evening (Tuesday as I type this) we spotted them on the feeder in the late evening sunshine, and the sun just made the green feathers sing out.  Bless 'em!



I'm off - catch you on the hop!  I'm off to see which desks will allow me to comment this week! 

It's all about me....?

Well, this is the hot new topic on the block....er... I mean blog.  Jumbleberries, Deanne at Quirky Boots, and Julia at Stamping Ground have posted this fun list this week so we can all get to know them just a little bit better.



I figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! 

A. Age: 38 (but next birthday at the end of the month - just like Jumbleberries!).
B. Bed size: double - used to have a Superkingsize (so Queen is no longer the name, huh?), but hated it.  Go figure
C. Chore that you hate: cleaning the toilet.  Yack.
D. Dogs: None right at this moment, but at the end of July my ex is handing back my fur babies.  Yay.
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee.  Preferably in multiples (though in a mug is better).
F. Favorite color: purple  - in any shade.
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'6"
I. Instruments you play: Um.  This is where it gets embarrassing.  Piano, flute, recorder (soprano, treble, & tenor), used to play clarinet, learning to play the lap harp and desperately want a hammered dulcimer.....
J. Job title: Accounts Assistant and HR Administrator.  Or perhaps better would be general dogsbody!  I'm the Go-To girl, it would seem!
K. Kids: one - fabby step-daughter aged 10
L. Live: Currently in Corton, Wiltshire
M. Mother's name: Constance
N. Nicknames: Morti, Nant, Tish.
O. Overnight hospital stays: a week for a tonsilectomy aged 4, then three weeks for something else when I was 19....
P. Pet peeve: being interrupted
Q. Quote from a movie: "Wormsign?  We have wormsign the likes of which GOD has never seen!"
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: two, one of each
T. Time you wake up: on a working day, around 6.00am
U. Underwear: Unmentionable!
V. Vegetable you hate: it depends.  What won't I eat?  I'll force most things into me but avocado is a no-no unless in guacamole.
W. What makes you run late: That ten year old I mentioned before.  And surfing the net.
X. X-Rays you've had: Dental, left wrist when I broke it, and many many spinal ones.
Y. Yummy food that you make: From the noises of appreciation tonight, I turn out an awesome omelette, apparently.
Z. Zoo animal: White tiger.


Go on, have a go!

WOYWW 102 - The shot taken in daylight....

Mrs D of The Great WOYWW Wander asked me last week if I ever craft in daylight.  The answer is, not during the winter no (except at weekends) and usually what happens in summer is I end up taking my WOYWW photo in the dead of night. 

So here, for the purposes of proving that I'm not a shade or a vampire, is my desk in daylight.

If you enlarge the picture you will see that the quality is rather dire - for some reason my camera doesn't like taking shots in half light, but if I'd taken a photo with flash it would have rather negated the point, eh?  Equally, you can see why I don't tend to craft in daylight - the light is awful in here.

So what's on my desk?  The usual, not a lot.  I took this last night, just before I did my entry for the Tri-Colour Challenge over on UK STampers (see previous dated post).  I failed to cover my PIF up properly, so I've had to employ Mr Photoshop to hide a bit.  ROFL.

I then put the light on so I could get a reasonable shot of my UFO - the Hardanger piece I referred to in last week's WOYWW.  As you can see, I have actually done something to it.

No Julia, there are in fact several crafts I DON'T do. LOL - Crochet for one; you have my utmost admiration for that. (Never could get the tension right, which meant I was pretty good at crocheting triangles but not squares LOL). Basket weaving for another (though I'm tempted for practical reasons!). Crewelwok leaves me cold. I could go on.

I managed to get round a fair few desks last week, before my Blogger at work started playing up.  I keep getting "your cookies are not enabled" messages, but although I've done everything they've said, I still can't get Blogger to work.  Thus, I am Blogger-less at lunchtime, which puts a SERIOUS dent in my WOYWW browsing. 

I'm getting a helluva good score on Zuma Blitz though....

Catch you on the hop!

UK Stampers Tri-Colour challenge

Over on UK Stampers we've got a little competition which has been sponsored by The Craft Room.  I figured I'd join in, especially as I saw the above swatch (the three colours we have to use) and knew exactly what I wanted to do.  The colours themselves said "clean and simple", so that's what I've stuck to.

I've used Cat's Eye chalk inks in Azurite, Ice Jade and Lime Pastel, plus a brown watercolour pencil for the tree trunks.  I've used torn or cut paper to make stencils and masks, and just sponged the inks over the card.  Lastly, the greeting has been stamped using one of Papermania's  Clare Curd Collection stamps.

That's it, nice and simple!

Design Team Call.....

There's a new Challenge Blog on the block, and for once I've been alert enough to pick up on it at its beginning stages.  The blog is for the online shop, The Craft Room, and they've put a call out for a Design Team, which I've thought that I might actually try my hand at for a change.  I've been a guest designer for Sketch Saturday in the past and loved it, so why not, eh?

Trouble is, they've asked us to pick three projects we're proud of that best showcase our style of crafting.  Being a Gemini, this is extremely difficult for me, and I've had to discard at least three projects!  Two of them were three dimensional - my altered "sculpture" and my punky peg.  I've abandoned them because whilst I love them, I get the feeling that cards might be more de-rigeur...

They'd also like us to tell them why we'd be good for their team.  Now many of you out there are probably wondering why I'm going for it, as I don't appear to do much crafting - well, I do quite a lot actually, I just don't tend to shout about it!  Till now.... LOL

Well, why would I be good?  I'm different, that's for sure!  I like some of the cute cards that are out there, but I am very much my own style whilst using elements of what's available.  I can do cute, or grungy, but I'm aware that everyone has a budget and I can work my new stash with my old quite easily.  I'll also put a different spin on a style and be the oddball in the pack that does something a little left-field from time to time (like the punky peg).  Speaking of punky peg, I don't go into a flap if asked to work outside the box, and do something 3D for a change.  Madame Versatile, c'est moi.... Definitely not same old same old. 

So, onto my fave pieces.  And what a pain to only be able to pick three!

I love this card.  It's so "me" - with my love of medieval.... It was worked from a sketch.

This next card I loved as well.   Funnily enough, I gave it as a wedding card, would you believe?  The couple in question had a quiet civil ceremony followed by a loud and rumbunctious handfasting.  The blue card is made using the same ink I used for all the stamping, to ensure it co-ordinated.  So, three stamps, one colour?  That's me....

Lastly, and an absolute fave of mine, is the most recent piece I did for a circle journal.  The idea was to use the stamp sent around with it, which was two in this case - the opened and closed doors.  I just LOVE masking and getting the most out of my stamps, and the quote I used appealed to my sense of quirky.  Colouring was all done with Copics....

I'd love to be involved with a DT because it will push me to think beyond my current abilities, to bring something new and fresh to my own table and therefore to others.  I've been encouraged this way by my involvement with UK Stampers, and being on a The Craft Room's DT will take it a step further I hope.  And if I'm not what they're looking for, then I wish the other entrants the very best of luck!

WOYWW # 101 - the aerial shot

Hehehehe

Welcome to WOYWW 101 (that's number 101, not the Americanism on all things to do with WOYWW).  For those new to this malarkey, please visit our desk diva extraordinaire JULIA for more info etc....

I managed to get around about a third of last week's desks, and a fab selection they are too.

So, what's on my desk this week?

Well, I thought I'd ring the changes, ape our glorious Mrs Dunnit, and show you the bird's eye view of my space.  The delicately shrouded object in the right hand side of the desk is my PIF for WOYWW 104, but of course, we can't be showing that yet, can we?

On my desk, not a lot.  Just a piece of Hardanger work that is in grave need of finishing.  Wouldn't be so bad except I started it three years ago and have only got one quarter done.  Definitely high on my list of UFOs that need completing!

Ok, onwards and upwards - to the workdesks and beyond...........!

On the dangers of archery.......

One of the little known (well, to non-archers) but common problems with archery is that of the breaking bow.

No particularly common with the fibreglass, take-down composites or compound bows, it is - unfortunately - an all too common occurrence with wooden bows, and especially longbows.

Witness below - what happens when a wooden bow breaks at full draw (that is, the string pulled all the way back).

In nearly 20 years of shooting, I've only ever witnessed this event four times.  And each of those four times the archer has stepped away from the broken bow with no injuries at all.

We thank all the Gods (and Goddesses) that she still has two eyes.

WOYWW #100 - 'owzat!

Tenuous link there to cricket..... LOL..... not that this post has anything to do with cricket other than the pronouncement this week that Mr B hates teaching cricket, and Lil Miss B hates playing cricket, so it's a jolly good job that Mr B had someone else come in to school to teach it this week, and the coach that Lil Miss B was supposed to have failed to turn up!

Anyway, I digress!

WOYWW this week is the great 100!  Only three more weeks, and then we hit 104 which means we have the PIF-fest.  And for that reason alone, I cannae show ye much of what has been on my desk.  Only a tantalizing glimpse of a bone folder and a tub of texture paste..... hehehehehe. 

Other items that have been on the family craft desk (aka the kitchen table) include Lil Miss B's attempt at a lizard, and Mr B's progress on the mouse mask.  Go with it, it's a naff photo.  We're getting there, he only has 4 weeks left to get them all finished so methinks this weekend is going to be more Mache Madness, but it's all good clean fun!  If a little sticky...

Lastly, I thought I'd share with you some of the visitors to our garden of late. Amazing though it may seem, these guys really have joined us! 

Now, I'm not sure quite what was going through this little guy's mind as he was here, but we did learn (in our investigations to ensure he was a moorhen not a coot) that this chap can climb trees for roosting purposes.  So that might explain why he was a few hundred yards from the nearest river, but trying to get in the pond.  Hmm, or perhaps not.

Now, partridge are a particularly dumb bird, but these two were either brave or stupid wandering into a garden where there are a couple of longbows.  Fear not - I managed to prevent Mr B from loosing an arrow or two in their direction.  Luckily we don't have an air rifle!

Lastly, and if I do say so myself - most impressive of the lot, was the arrival (and regular repeat visits now) of the woodpecker (Lesser Spotted no less!).  He now comes to the feeder right by the house, but I've yet to manage to snap him in front of the kitchen window.  Just goes to show that all that headbanging finally put a touch of sense into him and now he goes for the fast food.....LOL

Catch you on the 'hop....... 

We have a winner

Well, I'm a little late in posting this (tch, family life y'know?) but the winner is......

drumroll please........

Number 18 who is Lou Dot Mac.

Lou..... c'mon down!

Thank you everyone for taking part - you are all stars!