March Papertrey Ink Blog Hop (with a side helping of blog candy)

The challenge for this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop was to use embroidery floss in our project.  I used some two-toned handspun embroidery thread made with white corriedale wool and some unidentified dyEd wool curls.

My project is a little piece for home decor (approximately 4.25" squarish). I made the basic house embellishment a couple of weeks ago and there it sat much as it was pictured in that post (Tim Holtz Townscape On The Edge Die used to make a mask spritzed with Adirondack New Lettuce). For this project I lined the edges of the houses with a black pigma micron pen and added a little stick figure in one of the windows. I made the banner out of some K&Co. scraps from another project with the help of a lovely very tiny hole punch I've owned for about 15 years and have no idea of the brand. The cardstock is PTI Vintage Cream and a mat of True Black. I used the tiny hearts from Wonderfully Whimsical for the smoke and Wild Honey Distress Ink.

The blog candy I'm offering is a sampling of my handspun embroidery thread. All you have to do for a chance to win this is leave a comment saying something like, "I'd really love some thread", or "me, me", or "yes please". That way people who really don't care for handspun embroidery thread or spin their own won't have to chance winning just to leave a comment :D.

Added: You can leave a comment for a chance to win this sample until April 23, 2011. The blog candy winner will be drawn April 24, 2011 and posted April 25.

WOYWW - 92 Middle Ground through Extremes?

I'm tickled pink I have my idea mostly worked out for the PIF, but no hints :D.

Instead I'll show you one of my favorite things, well actually a couple of favorites, wrapped up in one. First I treated myself to the Tim Holtz On The Edge Townscape die. I didn't have any on the edge plates, but since it is a one-sided die, I just used the regular plates. I was so excited to get started I just cut open the package and used one side to cut. It looked like a mask, so I put it on some scrap cardstock and spritzed away with my New Lettuce (?) Color Wash which I then flipped over to another piece of cardstock with the spritzed side down, and rubbed the spritz to a few sheet of cardstock. Thusly making a negative and positive with one spritz :D.

This was down with just the mask laid over, no adhesive. I get so excited when I can make two things out of one action :D. My personal challenge has been to find the middle ground or gray when I tend to go more black and white as it were.

If you are wondering about WOYWW (What's on your workdesk? Wednesday) hop over to the Stamping Ground and have a lovely gander at lots of crafty goodness. Better yet, join in the fun and show us yours :D.

WOYWW - 91

It's snowing again! However, it didn't get to cover the asphalt so whoo hoo lol.

I popped into Michael's while I was out doing errands and found some Glow-in-the-Dark YuDu ink. I lovvvvvve Glow-in-the-Dark :D. I also picked up some milled lavendar and mustard distress inks and some dusty concord distress stickles. I added two 2-tier lazy susans to my craft desk. Late to the fair today, but I made it :D.

If you are wondering is on other people's workdesk today hop over to the Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet, take a picture or two and join in :D.

Got Spring?

We had about ten inches of snow yesterday, and I'm soooo ready for spring. I got my Friendship Jar and Friendship Jar Spring fillers stamp sets yesterday so I could have some spring inside at least.

This was my first time using a copic highlight around a stamp. Thanks to Nicole Heady (of Papertrey Ink) and this wonderful video. I used a light gray copic marker because it's what I had, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I am usually not a purple person, but the new (PTI) Royal Velvet is so luscious. The tulips are from the Friendship Jar Spring Fillers stamp set. The jar is from the Friendship Jar stamp set and I cut a jar out of a plastic sheet that the stamps were on with the Friendship Jar die. The lid cut very well, but I had to do a little extra cutting with a pair of scissors for the jar. I think I need more shims, but I was in a hurry lol. I put a little glossy accents over the jar stamp and used that for glue. I used a craft knife to cut lines just outside the jars for the ribbon. I made the card for the first Club Ruby Designers challenge, there is a free membership option if you are interested :D.

February 2011 PTI Blog Hop

This month's challenge was to use scallops. I used the little scallop flower from the Paper Tray stamp set. The sentiment is also from the Paper Tray stamp set. The cardstock is all PTI. The circle is Blueberry Sky, the mat is Vintage Cream and the card is Hawaiian Shores. The ink is Ocean Tides (also PTI). The only things that aren't PTI are the ribbon and the purple rhinestones which didn't have labels, but they are lovely :D.

WOYWW 90 - Out for a Spin

Hello, my name is Ohhh Snap, and I'm a craftoholic. I haven't been doing much in my craftroom this week, but I've been doing a bit of spindle spinning. And for the record, I am a spinster. I am not a spinner, there is no stationary bicycle in my home, and no lycra in my wardrobe. I am the only spinster in my spinning guild btw, everyone else shudders at the word spinster. The three spindles on the left are Journey Wheel Spindles and they are a engineering dream. The two on the right I made with wooden toy wheels and dowels. They are very portable and decorated for fun.

My two current favorites. On the left a Journey Wheel Spindle made of holly wood with, I believe, alpaca. On the right another Journey Wheel Spindle made of moose horn with natural flax tow roving being spun. There's a method to winding hurdy gurdy, if the thread breaks it's more difficult to find if you've wound your thread on in neat concentric rows :D.

Some of my mini-skeins. On the top is a single ply silk (spun on a Lendrum Spinning Wheel), a 2 ply tencel/wool blend that is dreamy, and on the bottom is a single ply linen (spun from bleached flax tow roving).

My little bag of embroidery thread experiments. I like to ply threads against themselves, white, gray and black and sometimes other colors to see how they work when sewn.

If you are wondering what is the WOYWW, or if you are interested in having a lovely snoop at other people's workdesks, or even better joining in, head over to Ms. Dunnit's Stamping Ground :D

WOYWW - It's soooo my type :D

It's short and sweet this week. The workdesk looks pretty much like it did last week. So this week it's all about my new typewriter :D. Despite my friend's protestations, this lovely came home with me from the thrift store for $5.49! And it came with another typewriter ribbon, a keyboard card and an instruction manual. It just makes me all swoony. And the case wasn't even a little mildewy! As someone who as brought home many an abandoned typewriter, I've learned the portables in cases are usually in the best condition.

If you are new to WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday) and are wondering what's it all about (Alfie lol), or if you want to have a gander at lots more lovely spaces, head over to the Stamping Ground.

But my happiness of the day while I was writing this post has been so counterbalanced by the news of the assault of reporter Lara Logan while she was covering the celebration in Egypt. I believe every act of misogyny is an attack on us all and diminishes every one's well being as human beings. I also believe that if we are silent, it will be taken as a sign of our complacency.  So I am breaking my policy of no "news" on my blog.