WOYWW 86

Good morning to you all and sorry about last week! can you believe I forgot about you all...... It wasn't until Thursday last week and I said to my oh I better get my what's on photo done and he said what, for next week as its Thursday today? Can you believe it I was working on a project so hard last week that I didn't come up for air until the Thursday. But I am here this week in all my messy glory.

I am still working on an ATC book as you can see by the cream envelopes I made for the inner. If you click on the photo you might just be able to see the box I made for it to go into, but its a secret so keep it to yourselves please. I am into gold leaf at the moment as it was everywhere in Bangkok and I picked up the packet at the front for less that £2 whilst I was there. You can see a couple of stamps I have been using that need cleaning, one is a background I got from The Artistic Stamper that I am so in love with and have been using on everything at the moment and the other is a stamp I won from Artyjen when she did one of her random blog candy's.

If you are not sure just what I am on about pop over to our leader HERE and have a gander at the rest of us WOYWWers.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

12 Days swap book

I have finished the covers of my swap book and put it all together at last, so here it is.

I used hard board for the covers and covered them with some of the papers the pages came in. On the front I cut out the letters using the brown paper I had wrapped my page in and then went around the edges with a gel pen as I thought they didn't stand out too well. I used 3 rings to bind this and tied pieces of the ribbons that the parcels were wrapped with to each one, I also added the charms to two of the rings.

In this photo you can see how I have also added the number tags to the rings before each page as I though they were worth keeping as well. I managed to use 4 different papers and one material on the covers.
I think it has come out well.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Random photos taken in Bangkok.

Just thought I would post a few random photos that were taken while we were away.

This first one was taken on the overground train system. Do you remember the days when they would do this in the UK, though I don't think they ever did get up for a Buddhist monk.

Now this one shows that not everything has to move.

This one was taken... well you can see where it was taken, its the last line that gets me! If you cant read it click on the photo to make it bigger.

This one I could not get my head around! do they mean the pickpockets are targeting non Thai's or do they mean the gang is not Thai? answers on a postcard etc etc. 

But my favourite one of all that had me running to the ladies is this one......

The one for the ladies was not as good so I didn't bother with a photo of that. I hope you enjoyed this lot, I will not subject you to all the holiday snaps all 885 of them, but I might add something now and again.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

WOYWW 84

Are you ready for this? I had a great week working at my desk last week and just didn't tidy between projects, so this is the result.................

You can see the start of a card I am trying to make, another pile of mount board I was given yesterday and my paints all thrown into a box under my table. I think the more room you have the worse it gets.

Now if you are wondering why I am showing such a mess to all and sundry! its because our great leader Julia tells us its OK to do this once a week, just to get it off our chest. So if you would like to have a look at other desks in not quite as bad a state as mine just go HERE and peek away.

Thanks for reading,
Cath

Jan pages......late again

I was just having a quick look through my blog and realised that I had not shown you my pages for January's 365 challenge yet. So here is my first page in my new big book.

I painted the page with a number of blues using baby wipes, added a few circles and a stamp to the bottom. I also added snowflakes down the sides but you cant see then very well as I had to cover the right side to get the days in. The January is just printed out from the computer using book pages. It is still a bit bare but I like to play throughout the month as the mood takes me, so there should be a lot more going on by the end of the month.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Simon Says Stamp and Show your new stamps.

I haven't done anything for the Simon says challenge for months so decided it was about time I just did something I enjoyed and as it is all about stamps it gave me scope to do anything I wanted. Now the stamp I chose may not be a new one to most of you but I only got it whilst in the UK in November so to me its my newest set.

The stamp set I used was from PaperArtsy. The frame is one I have had from Ikea for ages waiting to used, so I covered it in gesso then dry brushed it with indigo paint. The stamp is on some mount board that I was given before Christmas. The swirl is a very old Bo Bunny one covered in Collections elements paper which I also used for the flower. The number came from some I saved from a house clearance. Added the ribbon to the outside of the glass. Hope you like it.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Day 12

Today is the last day of the swap as we are now at the 12th day, so you better have all those Christmas decorations down by now. Today's package came from Jo Ann and again I cant find a blog address for her.

The package was wrapped in a very jolly paper tied with a gold thread, on which were threaded a small light bulb charm, a metal parcel and a round Christmas charm.

Inside was a very nice Drummer boy with all his fellow drummers just waiting to give us a song. The main drummer stands proud of the card with a nice gold chain holding his hat on whilst his fellow drummers are all stamped and lined up around him.
I am going to miss opening a gift each day, but I think I will bind these into a book so I don't loose any and then it can go with all my Christmas things so I can wonder at the craftsmanship each year as I bring it out for the table.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

12 Days of Christmas swap page 11

Today is my page. When I finished making my pages I wrapped all of them up and picked one to keep for my self as I knew I would not bother wrapping it otherwise. The wrapping is just brown paper and string as I didn't know about the fancy wrapping until they had gone. I added a small tag with the date number on and a eye sticker for good luck.

I didn't think to take shots whilst I was making this piece so I will just have to show you the finished item and explain what I did.

I started with a basic white card and sprayed it green. Then a smaller piece of corrugated card I painted red then a slight spray with the same green. I then stamped the tree shape on to dictionary pages cut them out and dipped them into my melt pot with green embossing powder in. When dry I added the dots with glitter glue but they all haven't stayed on. The tag was coloured with an ink pad in red then the edges brushed with a copper paint. The piper was printed onto tracing paper ripped out and added to the tartan that was attached with eyelets to the tag. A small piece of ribbon and  the wording done on my Dymo machine and that was it. I hope you like my interpretation of 11 Pipers Piping.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of this swap, it is the first I have ever done but hopefully not the last as I enjoyed the whole experience very much.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

WOYWW 83

Its good to be back and working on my own desk, I have missed you all this last few weeks. This time last week I was doing some last minute shopping and packing ready for our overnight flight back home. So what have I been up to since I got back? I managed to get sorted for Mondays class and last nights, but last nights class was cancelled due to the heavy rain. It looks like we had a whole years rain in one night. But you haven't come here to listen to me waffling on about the weather you have come to see my desk, so here it is.

As you can see I am working on my 12 days of Christmas swap, I thought I would bind all the pages in to a book using some of the papers they were wrapped in on the covers. You can also see right at the back the new Cath Kidston! bag I got at one of the markets I went to. And some wax paper that I have never seen before to stop my journal pages sticking when I am to impatient to wait to use the next page. Then right at the front a bag of Hershey's Kisses that someone bought me as I said I had never tried them before, I hadn't been missing anything. So if this has wetted your appetite for more go along to our leader Julia Here and she will direct you to more desks than you can imagine in all states of tidiness.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Day 10

Today's parcel from Kathy Pawloski was very nicely wrapped in what looks like patterned brown paper with the cutest charm hanging from it.

When I opened this the card almost popped out at me as the Lord is a leaping off the page.

You just can't see it on here but the figure is on a spring made from paper and jiggles when you move it. I cant find a blog for this artist so I am not sure how the background was made but it has a wonderful texture. Then on the back Kathy has made a small booklet giving details about the basis of  10 Lords a Leaping.

The little booklet tucks into a pocket on the back.

So tomorrow is my turn, I just hope everyone likes it as much as I have liked there's.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Day 9 of the 12 days of Christmas swap

Today is day 9 of the swap and not a day I was looking forward to opening as the lady who made the swap for today died just after she sent them in. I didn't know Gina but had heard a lot about her on the group and had seen pieces of her work on the site. So it felt strange opening this package, but what a package this was.

The box had been hand made to hold the piece so it was not damaged in the post and embossed with the word nine in silver embossing powder.

Inside was the most amazing dancing lady. All her joints move so you can pose her and it is set off by the lovely jewelled muslin on the side. The piece along the bottom is metal that has been put through an embossing machine and goes around to the back. I feel so honoured to have such a wonderful piece from such a talented artist. She will be missed by all that knew her or enjoyed her art.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

December pages finished......

I have finally got my December pages scanned so I can get them on here. I have enjoyed doing this all through the year and plan on carrying on this year, but I have got a bigger book this year. So here is my year in print.

December

November







October







September

 







August

 July








June







May

 April







 March

Febuary







January









That was last year over with, I wonder what this one will bring!

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

12 Day swap pages 7 and 8

So here are pages 7 and 8, it looks like I fixed the problem with the lighting so these are a better colour.

Day 7 was done by Carol Barker but it looks like she doesn't have a blog. The package was wrapped in a lovely turquoise tissue paper with a tag made to look like a stamp. If you look close you can see the number 7 has seven written in it.

The card inside has been painted a blue/green with seven swans on and again the number seven.

Number 8

Number 8 came wrapped in a very jolly Christmas paper that reminded my of my childhood.

Inside was a very nice hand drawn card with 8 milk bottles on to represent 8 maids a milking. This card was from Marilyn who does not seem to have a blog either so we cant see other pieces of her work.

So that is me now up to date with the swaps. Not sure if I am looking forward to opening tomorrows or not. I will explain all then.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath

Happy New Year.

Happy New Year everyone, I hope this year is a good one for you all.

I did manage to get the first six swaps done and on here before I went away but for some reason Mr Blogger has only shown the first three! and lost the rest, so here are days 4,5,and 6.

Day 4

Here is the package for day 4, I am sorry about the quality of the photos I don't know what I did wrong on these. The packaging for this was made out of brown paper stamped on both sides and tied with black fibres.

The card inside has been made using digital photos, inking and the number hung from brads. I cannot do it justice on here so go and have a look at Michelle Jacksons blog HERE to see how it was made and the other wonderful things she does.

Day 5

Day 5s parcel was wrapped up in a lovely red spotty tissue paper tied with gold thread.

The card inside is made from red card with a very nice embossed green card attached, then on that she had set a couple of entwined hearts and five gold rings. This piece came from Marilyn in Australia who doesn't have a blog so I cant point you to her. It is a shame as the photos I took do not show it at its best.

Day 6

Day six came wrapped in tissue that looks red on here but is actually lilac! My bad photography again I think. The parcel was wrapped with a red ribbon and a lovely tag letting me know that this was from Amy McDonald.

I think there must of been something wrong with the lights when I took the photos of these first six swaps as this also looks orange when it is cream in real life. I am not sure how Amy has done this as she has not added this to her blog yet, which can be seen HERE. The colours and texture of this piece are just wonderful.

So there you have it the first six swaps are finally on here, I will be back tomorrow with day seven and eight. I hope you are enjoying seeing these as much as I am enjoying opening them. To see other photos taken of these swaps go to Elizabeth's blog HERE as she is the host and is showing all the cards on her blog.

Thanks for reading,
 Cath