who did that???

i swear it wasn't me! lol and to hide my shame i've made the picture really small...if you want to see the true horror...just click the picture and i'm fairly confident it will get huge!

why is it whenever i'm crafting i end up working in the smallest possible area on my desk and collecting all sorts of crafting paraphernalia in stacks all around me..? it drives me nuts...and i can only imagine how it makes my hubby feel!! maybe that is why just pops in with raw carrots and quickly hops off again...either that or he's a rabbit! ;0)

tick tock...i altered a clock!

Wow...i'm usually complaining that its too dark to photograph anything well...*i need some daylight*...but today...i think its actually a bit too sunny...and its overexposed and washed out all the colours!! i'd rather be grumpy with sunshine than without it though, eh? ;) i love this simple clock blank that is available at Bubbly Funk {just click here if you want to buy one!} and i thought it would be ideal in my craftroom...so i've used up some scraps of pp and bits and bobs in soft colours that go with my room. the hands were black which i didn't love...so i coloured them pearly white with a paint dabber and let them dry before attaching them...i created my clock face background by taking a pale pp and stamping over it and adding stickers and rubons and a large paper flower cutout, added some number stickers and dots, then smeared the whole lot in transparent Viva Decor crackle paint to give it a slightly glossy, sealed finish with a barely there crackle look. as a finishing touch, i ran a like of crystal stickles all around the edge for a bit of extra definition and added a sparkly gem sticker to the top of the hand shaft to finish it off nicely :) another fairly quick and simple project...must be something in the air at the moment...or maybe i'm just busy...anyho...i have hanging baskets to water...so i must be away...ttfn!

metal mania...

this week's challenge over on the simon says stamp and show blog is to use metal...and i had to play along with that theme, right?

i've used 10 seconds studio metal and embossed it by hand, and with folders, i've inked it, stamped it, cut it out, glittered it...accented it with glossy accents and sanded it! i've also used metal tags, metallic glitter and metallic paint...as well as a couple of staples...so i think i've got the metal thing covered... ;)


one of the things i love about metal work is how versatile it is and how much dimension you can get into even a basically flat project...




i was particularly chuffed with how this rose turned out...its cut in metal and alcohol inked, then covered in distress stickles so its all sparkly...very vintage looking :)

ooooh....and i haven't shown you the whole thing...so...can you tell what it is yet??? lol

its a new doorhanger for my craftroom!

use it or lose it...

...its true in Yoga...if you don't use your body to its full potential...you quickly lose that potential...and its now true in the craftroom...if i've not used it...i'm chucking it/passing it on/or popping it on ebay! these quick card makes were an example of this process in action...i had had this 6X6 K&Co paper pad sitting around forever...and so i decided to use it up in a mass card making session!



the card on the right here uses Hels' sketch again...and the rest are just bosh, bosh, bosh cards! but now i have a draw full of ready to go cards rather than unloved paper and embellies...much happier with that!




i bet you've got a few papers and bits and bobs sitting around that could do with using up, eh? lol and it does feel good to have some cards ready...before crisis time! ;)

woyww?

welcome to all followers of the good lady julia ...here is my wednesday confession...more push it back...pile it high...and if necessary...paint over it, i'm afraid...but that is just the way i've always done things!

as you can see...i'm making a start on christmas...in fact i'm taking part in a swap...so i won't be showing you the finished articles...not yet anyway!

thanks for stopping by...i hope you like what you see...and maybe you'll even feel moved to say hello!

wednesday chaos...

thanks for dropping by the craftroom for the wonderful wednesday madness that the darling Julia began all those months ago...as you can see...today i think i just might be due a tidy up!!

i do hope you like my attempt at an arty angle on the craftroom...and the fact that i've got my dorset knobs tin reflected in the laptop screen!! lol

wowyww...and winners!

hi there Wednesday folk...thanks for dropping by to see what is indeed on my workdesk today...and the answer is this...we've been drawing the winners for the sketch i posted two weeks ago...so without further ado...the winners are:

becky!

christina!

terri~ann!

if you lovely ladies could leave me your addresses as a pm to agirlcalledbob over on UKScrappers...i'll have your page kits on the way to you in the morning!

thanks so much to everyone who had a go...i loved seeing all your LO's...and i really enjoyed having you play with me! :0)

as for what else has been going on here over the last few days...well you may have noticed i've totally fallen in love with the embossed metal patchwork i've been doing...and here is another one...this time a letter A for my craftroom:

clearly, i've done it in the colours i love, and it matches the decor i've got going on in here...and i have to say i really rather like this one!! ;0)

i've covered it all round, which took a little bit of fiddling, but was well worth it...and in case you can't see...here is a close~up to show you just how shiny and pearlescent the peacock coloured metal is:

if you haven't seen it yet...i've done a step~by~step tutorial to creating this look a couple of posts back...

right...off you go on your rounds of all the woyww'ers...and don't forget to stop by Julia and leave her some love for starting this whole thing off...i just might see you there! :0)

WOYWW...?

hi Wednesday workspacers!

firstly a bit of an apology...i seemed to somehow insert a link to March in last week's posting...so although it was lovely to have so many unseasonal Birthday wishes...you may not have actually seen what was on my desk!! lol

it was in fact...a wine crate...naked and ready for painting...and now here it is...on my wall...proudly displaying my collection of favourite inkpads!

while i had the paint out...i decided to paint the edges of my most used inkpads and label them so i'd know which was which :0)

as you can see from my Stazon collection...it does not pay to be mean with the paint...a good thick layer makes a much better label!

using the wine crate like this, is not only handy for ink storage...its also created a shelf for me to display the *CREATE* sign that someone gave me forever ago...which leads me on to whats going to be on my desk today...that sign is...as its only half~way through its transformation into something lovely!

hope you all have a sunny, productive Wednesday...and if this post has left you totally baffled...pop over to Julia's she'll explain all :0)

WOYWW...?

...welcome back wednesday girls {and boys?}...a bit like Julia's desk today...mine is piled so high with bits and bobs that i've taken to crafting in the carport...its a bit uncomfortable...but i can smell the sweet peas...at least...i can at the moment...but i'll be opening the paint can soon! ;0)

as for what am i making?? the answer to one of my storage issues *hopes* :0)

as usual...i will try to visit as many of you as i can...i do so love a nosey~poke around your spaces too! lol

Swinging for WOYWW!

its that time again folks...and for Julia and her gang's amusement...today i've decided to *swing* and show you the rest of the craftroom! i hope you enjoy the tour!

this is what i laughingly refer to as *the tidy bit*...here lives a selection of magazines i've been published in...a jumble of pp and cardstock which could do with re~labelling in the Cropper Hopper storage...a few pizza boxes full of half~used kits...and heaps of rubber and acrylic stamps :0) as you may notice...this often where i dump my crop bag!

for those of you who drop by regularly...you will be aware that i have an obsession with symmetry in my home...so of course, on either side of the bookcase...i have identical drawers! and of course, a chair...whose cushion i have very badly covered in that ditsy fabric i can't get enough of atm!!

finally...every room needs an entry/exit point, right? so...here is the back of my door...this is where i store *things i'm about to use*...some of them have been there for years! ;0)

so now i've embarrassed myself...i feel i must go and tidy up...but i'll hop on over to your place first...and then maybe take a bath...lol

{for anyone who still hasn't got into WOYWW...check out Julia her followers...here!}

oh its been a manic few days in our house...

as is evidenced by the state of my desk...as you can see a work in progress...and a whole lot of *things that i may or may not use in the next hour* ;0) Rosie, hon...if you're not already...you'd better sit down...before you faint!!

i think you'll agree, its a it messy!

these two shots are for Julia, herself, who noticed last week my obsession with symetry...not only is the desk storage symetrical...but i have matching drawers on either end of the desk too...and don't even get me started on the other wall....!!!!


finally, a quick glimpse of the class i'm working on for the weekend's crop...almost there with this one...and i'm so enjoying playing with Timmie's dies...i wish they were mine *drools with envy*

right...best get off and check out all the other WOYWWers' desks...i may be some while...

ask as you shall receive...

...i don't normally do this...but yesterday Rosie asked me why i don't share my desk with Julia and all her friends...so i thought...this week, in honour of Rosie {and because i'll pretty much do anything she asks me!} here is the Waterhouse Workspace in all its glory:

as you can see the photo was taken just as i'd finished this LO, a photo of my MIL having the giggle with her 2 brothers....and in case you were wondering...his Nibs really likes this one ;0)

i don't know who made the pp's {K&Co, maybe?} as they were a gift from my lovely friend Ruth...and just perfect for this photo as they match the decor in the livingroom!

i've made ribbon petals to extend the size of the gorgeous Prima flower....and i used plaid to help keep the design classic rather than girly...and added a border of mismatched buttons in toning shades around the photograph, stitched with dark green floss to tie them in with the background pp. the rubon saying, the little flowery border and the journalling block are from a set which i think is Cloud 9...one of my favourites...so i've been saving them for *special* pages.

i've sewn around the journalling block too...and made tails for it, with ribbons by Basic Grey, and added brads to the flower centres. apart from that i've added chipboard letters that i think i got in the Poundshop!

so there you have it...the creative chaos i like to call *my space*...i hope it doesn't scare you away! lol

i just may have invented a new technique...

you may have noticed from the photo of my lino trout...that cleaning my stamps isn't always high on my priority list...and here is another example...another little lino cutting from Christmases past...totally covered in a layer of silver acrylic...with a top coat of blue ink!!

and its not just the stamps that get abandoned half~way through a job...take a look at the state of this brayer!!!

i've used it to *bray* with thick artist quality silver paint and left it to dry...so it no longer functions as a nice smooth ink spreading device...but now it occurs to me...i may have just invented my own personal textured brayer!!! {by accident of course...not by design!! lol}

think i'll have a play with it this afternoon...and see what happens!

have you made any discoveries by accident...that have turned out to become favourite tips or techniques??? do share your crafting mishaps...so i don't feel quite such a lonesome twit!!

:0)

tooled up and ready for action!

well....here it is...the apron i started before Christmas as a gift to my sister...but then decided it just wasn't *her* has had a little makeover courtesy of Leigh~Ann's toolbelt apron project in Style School!

i had already made the basic apron with the pockets and the appliqued flowers...

but now i've added three bookrings suspended from ribbon loops attached with gromlets to hang tools like DSST and my rotary cutter...

****hint****

if you decide to have a go at this...see how i've made the ribbon lengths different to allow tools to hang more comfortably?

on the other side i've added a lush velvet ribbon loop to stash my scissors...and just to finish it off i have embroidered my signature too...dotting the i with a cute flower shaped eyelet!

now...i must go and created something...i am ready for anything! lol

busy...busy...like a little buzzing bee!

ta daaaaa...I have completed Scrapdolly's second prompt of the year...this one was all about our *aims* for the coming year...i intend to spend this year focussing on and achieving some of my goals...and not letting the usual things limit me {wherever possible}...so here is what i've created:

i've used no pp's for this page...just lots of stamps and inks and mica powders...and pretty much every kind of embellishment i adore! in contrast to last weeks' subdued colours and content...this is a super bright, breezy and busy, busy page...i've used one of my wedding photos because that was a day when i didn't let anything hold me back...i certainly went for it that day!

these little gift boxes are my way of giving some of the enamel effect flowers to my loved ones as little presents...if i love you...one may well be coming your way soon!! ;0) i think they look super cute!

next we have another project from Style School...although again...its a bit tricky to recognise it as such...the original was a wire hanger wrapped in wool with polariods trimmed with ribbon clipped to bits of wool dangling and a pom pom...

mine is another of my wedding photos {seem to be feeling quite loved up atm!!} and two pics from the honeymoon...i've acutally been planning this in my head for some time...the hanger is a sumptuous gold silk covered one that came with my *wedding night nightie*... the ribbons are recycled from the table decorations at the reception and the lace is left over from the album i did of my sister & BIL's wedding...

this gold rose is one of the Tim Holtz style grungeboard roses that we made at Dyan's weekend in Harrogate...it was red and grey with doodling on it...but i painted it to make it match the colour scheme in our bedroom...

and these panels were my *genius moment* lol these fabric sections are the swatches for our new headboad...to which i've added a metal frame...some bling...i've sewn on a couple of mother of pearl type buttons from my box...and the little bows are the hanging ribbons from the nightie...the whole thing is then suspendedfrom a length of
yummy velvet ribbon.

i'm really pleased with this one :0) it soo reminds me of our special day...and in case you can't read it...the little tag a the top reads *remember this day always* in my handwriting...

hope you like these projects...i'd love to hear your opinions...and i hope to be back soon with more to share!

advent calendar idea No1

hi everyone :)

a huge thanks to those who drop by...and especially those who take the time to leave me cute comments...its so good to get a little feedback when you're online crafting...you wouldn't want to feel all alone in the craftroom, now would you? ;) its so great to know that you're crafting too...and i really hope sometimes i inspire you to go off and make something lovely!

right, today its the first of my advent calendars...the weather is still grotty...so the photos aren't superb...but i think its enough for you to get the idea...and if you do decide to run with it...please let me know by leaving me a comment and a link to what you've done :) thanks!

ta daaaa...a shot showing not only a section of the calendar...but also a glimpse into my messy world!! lol

what i've done is take a pack of wage envelopes {£1.99 for a pack of 50 in my local PO} and stamp them 1-25 in pearly brilliance ink. i've then stamped a cute Christmas tree by Tanda Stamps on the first 24, and a cute Santa on 25.

i've added a gem star to the top of each tree and drawn in a trunk, and i've coloured the santa brightly to make the final day look *special*...

Santa's fir trim is coloured with Liquid Applique...something i seem to reach for every Christmas time for snow and fir...and every spring time for lambs' wool!! you apply it like regular paint and heat it with a heat gun until it bubbles up. if you haven't tried this stuff its fabby...and you can use it on t-shirts and bags/shoes too which is a great project to do with the kids :)

i've hung my envelopes from ribbon attached with household pegs...and i've stamped the pegs for added interest using the same Christmas tree stamp...i've done my alternating in bronze to match the tree and green to match the numbers...

***a hint***

the pegs are longer than the tree stamp...so stamp up to the metal clip from one end, then repeat with the other end :)
easy when you know how!

ok, i'm off for lunch now...hope you enjoyed stopping by...and have a crafty afternoon...tomorrow...i shall share the project i did last Christmas for Craft Stamper magazine using this same stamp!

I'm still working on...

...the new improved craft room...but its almost there now...and i am loving it!! its so much easier to scrap/craft when you have a little bit of *calm* and its so much easier to feel creative when you have a clear bit of desk on which to work!!!

God bless Ikea and QVC...where would i be without you guys! lol

The chair is pretty cool too, huh? Its DH's Grandfathers' work chair...and I love it :) I'm hoping to put castors on it tho...cos its pretty heavy going to move it around...anybody done this? I'd love to hear any hints or where to buy appropriate castors/supports...??? Thanks!