WOYWW 204 - portable workspace

Except for the April Papertrey Ink Blog Hop, I haven't even sat down at my desk until this morning. So today I'm showing you my "purse projects". It's a plastic pencil case I bought at the dollar store about 10 years ago to hold my portable projects.

Basically it's for some spindles and my long-term (about 15 years lol) handspun embroidery name tag. The paper towel roll (aka kitchen roll) holds some silk at the far end and it's either a wool-rayon or wool-silk blend on the middle and left. It usually winds up holding my needle threader too. The plastic bag hold more handspun embroidery thread. This is also where I stash little bits of things I find during my outings. The lastest is a nice paper doily that was too pretty to put a drink on lol.

The spindle in the middle is a Bosworth "Moosie" spindle made out of moose antler (Bosworth spindles are my favorite professionally made spindles btw) which I'm currently using to spin unbleached flax.  The snowman and the beaded spindles are ones I assembled from toy wooden wheels and decorated. The snowman is being used for some Churro and the beaded spindle (a semi-irregular peyote stitch using three types of seed beads) is my go-to spindle for silk (in this case a dyed silk "cap", not a cap for wearing just a name for a type of silk preparation for spinning).

My name tag sampler using a variety of handspun threads. The dark brown is a natural brown corriedale wool, the bottom blue is a blue wool plied with an undyed silk. On the needle is the wool-rayon(silk?) blend. I started it about 15 years ago, but kept misplacing it.. So when I found it this year, it's become my mission to complete it, and it's almost done! It didn't help that over the course of those 15 years my eyesight has become UN 20/20 and the stitch count is about 18 stitches per inch lol.

In a new level of scrappiness, I discovered that I could tie those little trimmings with twine to make an embellishment lol. This is the detail from my April Papertrey Ink Blog Hop card. I started working before coffee had fully kicked in, and stamped with the back of the stamp, and I decided I liked it.

Head over to Julia's Stamping Ground for more WOYWW fun.

Papertrey Ink April Blog Hop

This month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop challenge is to feature something tilted.

The tilt is made with the back of the stripe stamp from Background Basics: Retro flanked by the striped side. The tag is from Tags for Spring.

The detail is made with the cast offs from cutting down the mat which had some of the striped stamping on it, so I tied three of them together in two places with PTI Rustic Twine.

Finally, after many years of punching out a shape and then stamping on it, I had an epiphany many of you probably already had. Stamp first, then punch. (Visualize face palm).

Materials:
PTI cardstock: Vintage Cream (cardbase), Kraft
Stamps: Background Basics: Retro, Tags for Spring.
Ink: Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Misc. PTI rustic twine.

WOYWW 203

The clipboards holding things, a flat glass ornament looking for the right stamp combinations, a silk flower that was daubled with by paint, garden and camping brads finally brought to the craftroom after a 4 year wait (no expiration date on them thankfully). Distress Inks to be labelled. And in the back, cards that didn't pass muster, but will live another day as something smaller (like clipboard art).

Besides the versatility of the clipboards, it's fun to make small bite-sized projects. The Proud Member of the Coffee Achievers was made because I had never used that happy bean stamp. Then I started experimenting with a bit of organza ribbon and a brooch pinned on the ribbon..

If you are pining because you can't find a little clipboard, don't fret. Tim Holtz has the little clips, so you can make your own with wood, chipboard, metal etc.

Saturday I went to my monthly (spinning) guild meeting for a workshop requiring a wheel (instead of my usual spindles). Only I had forgotten the wheel wasn't working properly, so I spent most of the meeting fiddling with it. Of course I forgot about it when I got home until I noticed a bag stuffed with 4 oz of angora fiber had burst open.

The other part of my workdesk this week is on my Lendrum spinning wheel (all clean, oiled where it should be oiled and the wobbly wheel spinning much truer). Yes, I'm spinning the angora over the mystery orange from last summer. Not really sure what I'm doing with either lol. Another thing about spinning angora, it makes me think of the quote delivered by Johnny Depp in the film Ed Wood, "Don't you think angora has a certain tactile sensuality lacking in all other fabrics?"

 Head over to Julia's Stamping Ground for more WOYWW fun.

WOYWW 202

I found these lovely miniature clipboards at AC Moore (2 for $1) so I've been fiddling about with ideas for changeable art jewelry. This one I used my crop-a-dile and punched two small holes for cording for a necklace. The other I think I'll turn into a brooch. Under the stamps in the back, you can just see a bit of my mini-smash book, I'll check to see if I've posted that one and will write more another time if I haven't.

Head over to Julia's Stamping Ground for more WOYWW fun.

A Maze(zing) Birthday Book

This book was one of my Design Team Projects for Club Ruby Designers back in 2011. The basic tutorial can be found in this post.

In this case, I cut two covers to go over the ribbon glued to the front and back of the book. The fronts and backs of the pages were glued together to give a more finished appearance. The pages were decorated with party embellishments leaving room for small pictures and journaling.

Other variations can be found by clicking on the maze book label to the right, or using the search button at the top right of the page.

WOYWW 201

One clear spot for stamping a collage that didn't happen because I got distracted. My scissors have been altered by a designer dog. They are unmistakably mine at crops lol. The spindle whorl on the left was an experiment with stamping and Glossy Accents (not a good choice for a spindle, but now I know). The other two are being prepped for decorating.

I used my Gypsy and Cricut  to cut freezer paper stencils for tee-shirts. Yes, we are a Whovian household lol.

I'm also still working on a layout that was "done" over a year ago. The title (Bugs & Kisses) needs to stand out more (the blue felt letters are the same tone as the green ribbon). So I'm adding Black Hematite Viva Decor Glitter Liner.  BTW this stuff lasts a long time, I've used this one bottle on at least 20 projects.

Head over to Julia's Stamping Ground for info about WOYWW, the ATC 208 swap and links to lots and lots of crafty spaces. Better yet, snap a picture of yours and join in the fun : D.

A Tee-Shirt, Some Freezer Paper and some Paint

I was under strict instructions not to remove the tee-shirt from it's box, so that's the lesson learned for not photographing earlier. The tee-shirt is a tardis blue color. I only cut the freezer paper (with my Cricut) and gave the instructions.  I used my Gypsy for the layout and Street Sign cart (I love this cart) and a couple of hearts.