Welcome to the makings of a fab weekend!

Morning peeps,

First order of business this morning is to welcome new follower, Bonnie, thanks for stopping by, hope you will stop by again sometime soon.

Hope you've all had a great week and have something splendid to look forward to this weekend.

I nipped out to a pals on Wednesday morning, to catch up over coffee. We also met up with some pals for dinner on Wednesday, we went here, we've been here a number of times now and signed up for their loyalty scheme - hubs got a free main course!!! Yesterday morning it was a good long natter with a pal by phone as, sadly, she lives too far from me to simply pop in for coffee and a natter but it was almost as good as a personal catch up!

I recently spoke to a pal who was bemoaning the fact she had so much stash as yet uninked which reminded me that I had recently acquired "Les chats russes" by Katzelkraft and had, until yesterday, only inked one of the images to the set ....... so, I set about rectifying that pronto ... and inked not one but two! re-SULT!

My card

And a closer view of the image panel, you'd be grumpy too - with a mouse on your tail!

And my insert and envelope

Materials used:

• White C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of 9½ x 13½cm white card panels
• Two pieces of 9.9 x 13.9cm black card panels
• Snippets of card in both black and white
• Katzelkraft mouse stamped using Ranger Archival ink in jet black ink on to my snippet, insert and both the front and back of my envelope and also on to a post it which I then cut out and used as a mask
• Katzelkraft cat image stamped over the mask using Ranger Archival jet black ink
• Paper Artsy splatter image stamped using Versacolour chateau grey and Memento pear tart inks
• Sentiments by The Cat's Pyjamas and Precious Remembrance Shop stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Alcohol markers to colour image
• Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen and Copic Atyou Spica glitter pen in black used to highlight text and elements of image

Stamp sets used

I'll be entering the above make for the following challenges:-

1. Addicted to Stamps and More - challenge No. 181 - ANYTHING GOES
2. Fab 'n Funky - challenge No. 292 - MALE BIRTHDAY
3. Penny's challenge - challenge No. 265 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Ruby's Rainbow - challenge No. 123 - HUMOROUS BIRTHDAY
5. The Cats Pyjamas - challenge No. 308 - USE AN ANIMAL

And Woo Hoo! I went to upload my entry over at The Cats Pyjamas this morning and found out I won their last challenge (TCPTUES307)  - thanks peeps, just dashed off to claim my prize!

With more than a passing nod to the talent of Kate Crane, I find I've been on a bit of a spoon dolly kick and made Mark I, II and III bases ...... Mark II featured in my post on Wednesday and Mark I lay sadly neglected for a day or so as I over "pinked" those flesh tones. However, a coat of white paint with a hint of tan seemed to sort that out so here's how Mark I looks ... If you check out Kate's you will find her spoon dolly much more creative than my own but still, I remain pretty happy with the results, after all, I'm a rubber stamper and this is way out of my personal comfort zone but, THANKS KATE

Dolly I

 

Now she has hair!

Materials used:

• Wooden spoon
• Gesso
• White acrylic paint with a hint of pink
• Inktense blocks and pencils
• Water and fine paint brush
• Graded (black thru grey) yarn, six strands plaited - for her hair
• Hot glue gun, for attaching her hair
• Blue alcohol marker and Faber Castell Pitt pen

Now, what I need dear readers ..... will be ideas about clothes for ETHEL (my last spoon dolly was Talullah .... I think these names are popping in to head from really old movies/actresses .. Talullah Bankhead and Ethel Barrymore - heaven only knows what the next one might be called) - any help will be most welcome.

And now, the Friday Funny, courtesy of Winifred - thanks mate - ENJOY .. it's a little irreverent but Winifred used to be a nun so I've no reason to suppose it will be found to be offensive.

Have a great weekend

Morning and welcome to another What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday

Morning all

Hope your week is going well - we're half way to the weekend! Oh My Goodness, we've had several sunny days in a row - this was in danger of setting a precedent or even an expectation that spring is on its way!!! What have we woken to this morning? RAIN! With a forecast that it's in for the day too - triffik!

I'd also like to welcome two new followers today, they are Pam, and Angela, and I hope you'll stop by and visit with them.

I'm seeing a pal this morning, for coffee and exchange of spoons for money!!!  . . . . Whilst blog hopping recently I spotted a project (link below) using coffee shop spoons for altered art. Decided I'd quite like to have a go so trawled t'internet for supplies - found them in packs of a hundred! Now, aside from using them as spoons I knew I would NEVER use 100 so spoke to a few friends who, between them, relieved me of 75. I reckoned 25 would be plenty - the excess could be used as ... well, spoons! See further below for details of how my first attempt went!

Off at a tangent though ....... I recently had occasion to send a sympathy card and realised that it was my last so I decided that it's always so much easier to make them when I don't actually need to so ... made a couple at the weekend and then another for today's post ...... hopefully they will last me quite some time ....

My card

And in close up

And the insert and envelope

Materials used:-

• White C6/A2, 250gsm, card blank and matching sized envelope
• Two pieces of white card cut to 9½ x 13½cm
• Two pieces of black card cut to mat with 1.6mm border
• Chocolate Baroque image (from their set entitled "Wisteria Lane which, incidentally, I almost DIDN'T buy recently but have used loads since I succumbed!) stamped using Versafine onyx black ink
• Acid Drops and Whatnots frame stamped using Memento grey flannel ink
• Stampers Anonymous sentiment stamped using Memento tuxedo black ink
• Crystal stickles to "trace" the frame and brighten up such a sombre card whilst still (IMHO) being suitable for a sympathy card

I'll be entering this make for the following challenges:-

1. Ooh La La - challenge No. 198 - CLEAN AND SIMPLE
2. Crafting from the heart - challenge No. 99 - ANYTHING GOES
3. Craft Your Passion - challenge No. 299 - ANYTHING GOES
4. Use Your Stuff - challenge No. 211 - BLACK and WHITE

I recently saw a post by Kate Crane in which she deployed coffee shop spoons to make a spoon dolly - had to have a go but (being far less talented than Kate) found it harder than it looked! MUCH HARDER! Especially as I actually had no fabric to use for her "costume"!

Here's the little minx in her underwear

There's a reason for the body proportions and Bridget Jones pants - I dropped the paintbrush! I put a couple of coats of white gesso down then one coat of white acrylic mixed with a little inktense block in brown. I drew in her eyes (this is where the lack of artistic talent really came out!) with a pitt pen and alcohol marker. I used red inktense block for her underwear and boots and the same Pitt pen ("S") to draw the lace, fishnets and bootlaces! Added a little shading with a red alcohol marker and also her lips. Now .... clothes and hair .......

With her flirty net outfit
Think I need to work on "proportion"!!!!

And her wiry hair!

I added some white and red net for her top and skirt - which was tricky to ruche and attach - might change this plan for my next dolly! A little check ribbon as a belt - to cover the slightly less than tidy join! Then a couple of cocktail sticks were deployed to wind her hair wire around, once removed from the sticks  ..... her "hair" was attached using a hot glue gun and then"teased" in to shape - glad I didn't pursue a career as a hairdresser!!! A little neocolour II water soluble crayon to add a little colour to her cheek and then some crystals at her "throat" and BINGO TALULLAH was born!! 

I'll be entering Talullah for the following challenges:-

1. We Love 2 Create (Pan Pastels) - challenge No. 4 - ANYTHING (mixed media) GOES
2. Crafty Boots - February 15th challenge - NO STAMPS ALLOWED

I WILL have another go and may "acquire" some fabric but I only had net so it just had to be used! - couldn't wait till I could beg, borrow or steal some fabric! Think I need a little practise at this spoon dolly malarkey but .. gettin' there! Actually, as I'm typing this I'm thinking handkerchief and inktense blocks for some jazzy fabric design ... all I need to do is decide whether to decorate the fabric before or after I cut the "dress"!!!! Any recommendations readers?

And now since it IS WOYWW ..... here's a peek at mine!

STILL not tidy - sorry peeps!