WOYWW 145

Not much has changed since last week, except I got a lovely WOYWW badge! It did not get squished by the mail and is truly a highlight of my week.

Darling Daughter had the flu, and I spent time shopping for disinfectants, tissues and stocking up on orange juice for the child and asthma meds for myself in case I got hit with it. So far I've dodged the respiratory virus (touch wood), not sure I've been so lucky about the digestive variety that is galloping around the neighbourhood. It seems that every time I go to the doctor's, I come home with something else.

If you are wondering what's all this WOYWW, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet, snap a picture of your workspace and join in the fun!

WOYWW 144 - Girl Scoutiness :D

I still haven't put away my Graphic 45 Magic of Oz stamps, but I have utilized that extra paper crown. I've also broken out an older Club Ruby Designer's kit (pre-design team). These don't go bad. The half pearls are from my stash (I find I use things more if they are actually on my desk).

One of the projects I'm working on is this page (in progress) for the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts. Yep, yep I knew Daisy (Juliette Gordon Lowe aka the founder of Girl Scouts) lol. Daisy loved pearls, so I get to use them liberally on these layouts.

If you are wondering about all this WOYWW, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander at desks around the world. Better yet, take a picture and join in the fun!

Handmade Cookbook that Sits on a Shelf

The trouble I have with recipe files is that there's no place to put them that doesn't get in my way eventually. One solution, a recipe file that goes in a book box, which will sit on a bookcase with the rest of my cookbooks. I painted the "pages" gold and covered the outside with cloth (with mod podge). The back cover is actually a stand (ribbon unfolds). The lettering is from Cricut's Lyrical Letters and the pot holder is from From My Kitchen, but they could also be handpainted or collaged.

When I make the next one I will make the holes for the rings further from the edges to they can't fall off the sides. The way these are now, it reminds me of straps that never stay on my shoulders.

WOYWW 143 - Ding Dong the Clock is Done, and the Layout too :D

This is my workdesk after the frenzy of finishing my projects for the Graphic 45 2012 Audition, they can be seen here in their entirety, including a better view of the clock :D. The stamps are Hampton Art Graphic 45 Magic of Oz 2 (which I used several times in my audition projects). The flowers are from the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge cut about 1". The quilling tool saved my bacon rolling those. The little crown in the front was originally going on the clock, but I decided on another one, so the first one will be put on the end of a wand (I think).

And here is my entry for Sarah's My Monthly Mojo which is what all the triangle practice was for (also what inspired me to try out for Graphic 45).  Other than that it's been pretty quiet on the crafty front as I'm trying to catch up on some things that were ignored last week lol.

If you are wondering what's all this WOYWW, then head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander :D. Better yet, take a picture of your workspace and join in.

My Mojo Monthly - February 2012 - Heartstrings

February's theme on My Mojo Monthly is heartstrings. I am not a romantic, and until I was pregnant with my daughter, I really didn't care for heart shapes at all unless they were broken or anatomical. I still covet an anatomical heart stamp or two, but I am much more tolerant of hearts than I was before :D. While I was pregnant, I also became addicted to House Mouse and my feet grew a size and a half and I'll no-longer crawl over broken glass for Chinese take-out (I still like it a lot though). The baby books left me woefully unprepared for these side-effects of pregnancy lol.

While my page does have a heart on it, it was totally inspired by a picture of a dog named Boo who was not rescued despite some Herculean efforts by volunteers to find her a home. (BTW if you are looking for a pet, please consider rescues.)

I don't know if it's the worried look on her face or the fact she reminds me of my own rescue pup when she is doing her Stellaluna impression, but when I found out she had been killed, it just broke my heart. So I did what scrappy people do, I made a tribute page for her. I felt awareness is something. Working with all the gorgeous Graphic 45 paper made me want to audition for the Graphic 45 Design Team. My tribute to Boo was my first entry.

The winged heart is made with the Cricut Imagine and Love Struck 2010 cartridge covered with Glossy Accents). I spent a lot of time with my craft knife and steel-edged Tim Holtz ruler.

I started by cutting off the frame from Graphic 45 Fashionista "Fashionista". Then I cut off the outter row from Fashionista "Bon Marche". Then I made a large mat from the "Bon Marche" leftovers and made an "X" with a craft knife and painted the folded over bits with gold paint. Added another layer and painted those with a second shade of gold. The final mat is Graphic 45 Botanicabella "Summer Sonata". The background cardstock is an ochre color heavily inked with Wild Honey Distress Ink to add dimension. Finally Boo's picture is attached to heavy cardstock and attached to the mat with two layers of foam tape.

Graphic 45 Design Team 2012 Audition

Tribute to Boo Layout

Time Flies Home Decor

Head in the Clouds Gift Boxes (the Sky and the Ground are both functional boxes).

No Place Like Home Card

And Your Little Dog Too Pin

Birthday Fishes Card

All About Me Layout (an older project, but still a favorite). 

Tribute to Boo Layout:

Cut off frame from Fashionista "Fashionista". Cut off first set of triangles from Fashionista "Bon Marche" and glue to the back of the "Fashionista" frame. Gold colored cardstock sheet distressed with Wild Honey Distress Ink. Made a large mat with the left over "Bon Marche" paper leaving the points on one side. Cut a large X with a craft knife and gently peel back, paint the underside with gold paint (Aleene's Premium Coat Gold Paint). Cut a second mat to fit behind the first with an X cut across the middle (paint the underside with a different gold paint (Accent Crown Jewels Imperial Antique Gold). Botanicabella "Summer Sonata" final mat layer. Photograph of Boo attached to heavy cardstock and the edges painted with gold. Mounted on two layers of foam tape. Edge layout with gold paint. Embellishment made with Cricut Imagine and winged heart from Love Struck 2010 topped with Glossy Accents.

Time Flies Home Decor:

Clock sides covered with Communique "On the Dot". Front covered with Playtimes Past "Life's A Ball!" Wings are made with the Cricut Indie Art cartridge with the base cardstock thoroughly inked with Wild Honey, Barn Door and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks. The wing layers are Botanicabella "Garden Suite". The legs are made with small party hats from Sesame Streets Elmo's Party wrapped tightly, covered with tissue paper and gesso, the points folded to make feet and painted. The crown is made with Tropical Travelogue "Garden Isle" glued into a tube, cut into spikes which are rolled down with a Darice Rhinestone sticker. The secret ingredient is Beacon's 3 in 1 Advanced Craft Glue. One foot is standing on a small flower made from the Close to My Heart Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge cut from Playtimes Past "Toy Soldier Parade".

Head in the Clouds Gift Boxes:
The body is a small Styrofoam cone with about 2 inches cut off the top. The dress is made with the Party Hat cut from Cricut's Sesame Street's Elmo's Party. The top is cut off and cut into a fringe to fold over the top of the cone. The legs are small pieces of doweling covered with Playtimes Past "Life's A Ball!". The shoes are made with pieces of foam core covered with tissue paper and gesso, painted black. The small box is from Club Scrap. The lid is inked with Peeled Paint Distress Ink and covered with Fashionista "Perfumeries". The head in the clouds box is 3" x 3" x 3" made by scoring a 9" x 9" piece of heavy cardstock at 3" and 6" covered with 5 3" x 3" blue cardstock and clouds distressed with Tea Dye Distress ink.

No Place Like Home Card:
Papertrey Ink Kraft cardstock cut into an A2 sized card. The house is hand cut from Tropical Travelogue "Hibiscus Heaven" inked with Tea Dye Distress Ink. The stamps are all from Hampton Art Graphic 45 Magic of Oz 2 cling. Except for the shoes, everything is stamped with Black Soot Distress Ink. The shoes are stamped with Barn Door Distress Ink and covered with Prisma Glitter.

And Your Little Dog Too Pin:
Stamp Toto from Hampton Art Graphic 45 Magic of Oz 2 cling with Stazon Jet Black ink on the back of a Darice Altered Art Jewelry 1" Crystal Drop. Paint the dog with acrylic paint (Plaid Folk Art Porcelain Blue). Let dry. Punch a 1" circle from Playtimes Past "Toy Soldier Parade". Apply a dollop of Gold Stickles and smear across back of Crystal Drop attached the punched paper and rub across the entire surface. Build a pin base of cardstock and cover with Ribbon Trends Light Blue Gingham 3/8" ribbon. Tie a bow over that. Attach pin back.

Birthday Fishes Card:
Stamp fish from Inkadinkado's Patterned Pets on tracing paper. Cut out three fish. Make a pattern for the fish body and trace onto Tropical Travelogue "Garden Isle", paint the edges with a wash made from Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink and a spritz of water. Attach to cutouts. Dot the eyes with Gelly Roll Glaze. Attach to mat made from Tropical Travelogue "Oceania" with foam dots. Hand cut party hats for the background fish out of scraps (I used Playtimes Past: "Toy Soldier Parade"). Add another mat of black cardstock and attach to an A2 card made with Papertrey Ink's Fine Linen cardstock.

All About Me Layout:
This was one of my projects for Club Ruby Designers' Design Team audition last year, but still one of my favorite projects. It was the first time I was able to finally cut a piece of Graphic 45 paper (Hallowe'en in Wonderland). Everything in the layout comes from the Club Ruby Designers Halloween Wonderland Kit from October 2010.

WOYWW 142

On my desk today.

I've started altering the clock. The cones are part of it :D. They are sitting on my holographic red project log (which makes it difficult to write in, but oh well lol).

I'm also working on a display pin. This is toto from Graphic 45's Oz stamps, stamped on a glass drop and painted in.

So Tuesday morning I was up in the wee hours and watching QVC UK's craft day (so much safer that way financially lol). Dyan Reaveley is on showing Configurations and discussing the popularity of Tim Holtz in the UK and then she mentions WOYWW and that many of the desks have TH photos on them. The host didn't even ask what WOYWW was, so I'm guessing everyone knows now? lol

Sarah was able to identify the Giggle stamp set from week 140 as Sandylion Kelly Panacci Clear Stamps - Giggle! Thank you again Sarah :D. BTW it's not too late to join in Sarah's February My Monthly Mojo. Quite inspiring and a good place to go to re-charge wanning mojo's :D.

And here is more progress on what the triangle practice last week was for:  a tribute page to a little dog who wasn't saved in the nick or time or otherwise. The main components are put together, but not yet attached. I'll show it to you the finished project . Lots of hand cutting and gold paint (two tones). The edges will be pinned down.

If you are wondering what's all this WOYWW, head over to Julia Dunnit's Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet, snap a pic of your crafty desk and join in the fun :D.