Wednesday 25 July 2012

WOYWW

Hello peeps, welcome to this week's mess....known as What's on your Workdesk Wednesday.  Ruled by the magnificent Queen Dunnit!  If you don't have a scooby what I am blathering on about you can find all the deets here

So this week, the mess is as bad as usual, some new Dog Bites Man cards on the desk (check out last weeks post to suss what I am yabbering on about) and some dried lavender.

I have lots in the garden so I dry bunches of it to make lavender bags for Christmas presents (oops sorry, just used the C word...it sort of slipped out!!).  The rest of the mess on the desk, just mess....no excuses...it just is!

Hope you all have a fab WOYWW

Li'l Pidge 

Tuesday 24 July 2012

What do you do to protect yourself?

 Hello from a sunny west country!  Yep, finally Summer appears to have arrived...lets hope it decides to unpack its suitcase and stay a while!


Last week on WOYWW  was a small orange dolls dress.  I gesso'd the dress, stamped it and made a chain belt for it which I attached small items, a wrench, sewing machine etc....all items that a woman has at her disposal as part of her daily life.


The box was a left over freebie from fellow Coven member Trace and Julie's dad gave me some edging-thanks girls.  I thought I would make something to represent a Woman's Armour-some days we wear certain clothes to protect ourselves (a suit for  a meeting may put us in the right frame of mind for example) but I find that being a woman means I can do ANYTHING....so long as I have the correct tools (and a large dose of bloody mindedness!)



 The box represents all the tools a woman uses, clothes, a bit of bling, food, sewing, timekeeper, keeper of family contacts and memories.....so many tools!





The box was covered in vintage book pages and whitewashed with a little distress ink to add some age, I added feet which were old domino's.

A one of  a kind piece, I put my heart and soul into it, and I must admit, I really quite like it-it's not my usual style but does sum up my determination to try and do EVERYTHING in my life!!!!

I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge which is Hey Girl and can be found here

I hope you get to enjoy the sun for those in the UK, and Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Wednesday 18 July 2012

WOYWW

So, it is time for that familiar cry (no....not  'rain again!') of 'Wednesday?  Already?'

As there are many desks to get round (not that I make that many rounds.....but I know some of you are very dedicated in getting round) I will keep this short.

This is my desk:

On it are some bits and bobs (on the right some MDF pennants I plan on painting), a cloth dolls dress....I have plans for that...watch this space!

Also, a few months ago I bought a pack of cards in a charity shop....they are called 'Man Bites Dog' and its a game where you pick 3-5 random cards and make a sentence.  I thought they would make great ATC's etc so bought them.  As usual they have sat on my desk for the past couple of months so I thought over the next few weeks I would pick 3-5 random cards and make a sentence for WOYWWers....I am sure they wont make sense every week....but my first attempt is a good one!!

If you are not sure what WOYWW is, you can visit the Queen on desks, Julia here

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Friday 13 July 2012

Giant Swans

 Hello peeps!  So, finally it is the end of the week, and what another wet week it was, finishing with flash flooding here in the West country today!  Yep, summer is well and truly here!

On a positive note I had a couple of days off this week to spend some time with my Nan who is over visiting from New Zealand.  88 yrs old and still travelling the world (she came to the UK via Disney florida!!)-I hope I am like her as I get older.

In order to spend some quality nan/grand daughter time, we went for a day trip to Wells, to visit the Cathedral and shops.  A bonus is that they currently have 60 large swan statues that have been decorated and placed at various points around the city.


Over the past couple of years we have had lions in Bath and Gorillas in Bristol, so I had to take photo's of the swans we found so I can make another scrap book of them!  So far we found about 20, not bad for a days wandering (and a few stops for coffee!)

I thought I would also share with you another one of my travel journal pages.  I made the background with distress stains, using white distress stain on a script stamp to add some details, over stamping with TH papillon stamp.  I stamped some other butterflies on a page from a japanese book and added some border stamping and journaling to finish the page.


I hope that you all have a fab weekend, whatever you have planned.


Happy Crafting


Li'l Pidge
 

Wednesday 11 July 2012

WOYWW

Wednesday again?!?!  I am sure, a couple of years ago before I started this that weeks didn't fly past as quick!  I blame Julia!!

So, this week over on WOYWW there are desks all over the globe, tempting me to....'look at me!  I am shiny, I am clean and organised' and other that say 'hello....you're a bit like me, grubby but well loved'!!!

So, on my grubbby desk this week?


On the right is my ever expanding scraps box that is starting to take over again, I need to challenge myself to make some cards JUST FROM THE SCRAPS......but that takes a lot of effort and I need to be in the right frame of mind!! (so not this week then!)

The rest of it is, lets be honest, junk left over from a previous card making session!!! (like I said, grubby!)
 

The other week I had some leather bits left over and drying, these are a couple of leather mushrooms I made.  I found instructions and photo's in a magazine I bought in Paris a couple of years ago that I kept hold of but was lucky enough to scrounge some leather off cuts so thought I would have a go, not bad, I think they need a little tweaking but now I am on the lookout for red leather offcuts to make toadstools!!!

I will keep this short as there are many desks to see, please pop over to Julia's blog for a legal snoop around desks across the globe.

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge

 

Friday 6 July 2012

Bunting with a twist

I have finally given in....its everywhere......bunting is taking over the UK at the moment!  So, in a desperate attempt to use up some of my fabric stash I decided to have  a go at making some.


First I made a card template (digging deep in the recycling bin to find some nice thin card) and then cut up LOTS of fabric.  I sewed them together and added some ribbon to string them all together.  It took about 4 hours to make.....but I admit I am not a quick machinist!



I used red and black skull fabric, 2 tone black and white and cherry fabric.....not your usual type of bunting but it sums me up quite well.  I sprayed it with scotchguard so hopefully that will help it stay a bit clean (though with all this wet weather I must admit that I have brought it back inside for the time being!).  

I had them strung around our veranda (did you spy my mini totem pole?)......now I just need a party to show them off!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend (and not too wet!!) whatever you have planned.

Li'l Pidge x
 

Wednesday 4 July 2012

WOYWW


Hello peeps, sorry I missed last week but work is hectic and my family (Nan, aunt and uncle) are over visiting from New Zealand so I have had no time to craft as we are trying to spend as much quality (by that I mean gossiping!!) time together.

So, this week my desk is mainly full of scrap papers, some left over leather bits that I am making into 3D mushrooms, on the right is my ever trusty (and expanding) red box of scraps and in pride of place is July's 366Challenge over on Kate Cranes page.

I haven't finished the page yet, I know, its already a few days into the month but I am going with a Sea theme as with any luck we MAY get some sun here in the UK (June was officially the wettest since records began!) and I can get a trip to the sea and swim (I love wild swimming).

Any hoo.....why am I showing you my desk?  Well, pop over to Julia's blog here and there are LOADS of us (its in the hundreds now...crazy I know...!) all over the world sharing our sometimes messy (I like the think of it as creative) and some sickeningly tidy desks. 

Since there are so many desks I am keeping my post short!

Happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Sunday 1 July 2012

A bit of leather...

So, a couple of weeks ago I had some leather on my desk.  No, nothing dodgy going on, I was just going into melt down as to what I could make my dad for Fathers day!  After 41 years of having me as his daughter I have made him SO many different things I must admit to running out of ideas!

Dad doesnt really need much (apart from new legs and lungs....but I cannot help him there!) then I had a brain wave (I thought it was a headache then realised it was the grey matter churning over!!)....men have keys....a surprising amount of them if truth be told!!  

So I decided to make him a keyring.  Its a simple one, but hopefully says it all.


I stamped DAD in with some kisses and rubbed some acrylic paint in, wiping it off after and added a little leather polish to seal it.  I used my crop o dile to add an eyelet and added a ring and lobster clasp, that way he has a choice as to how to attach keys depending on how strong his fingers are (if they are like mine....not great!).

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend.

Happy Crafting 
 li'l Pidge x