Playground picks and prize draw result

Time for the weekly picks and the draw for last week's prize. But first of all, what a fun time was had at the WOYWW Crop yesterday. Fabulous company, lots of fun and laughter - as well as a gorgeous lunch and loads of delicious cakes throughout the day......and some crafting of course, almost forgot that bit. Thank you so much Jan and Julia, what stars you are!

In all the excitement I only took a couple of photos - this first one is to show the amount of stuff that our playmate Sam brings along with her, and Fergus of course:

And that doesn't include the two fabulous quilts she also brought to let us see - the tiny bit of stuff in the bottom right hand corner is mine I must admit :)

I wanted to do a 'before and after', so late on in the afternoon I took this photo:

Isn't this a lovely photo of the Playground Scallywag - and in fact there wasn't as much (ahem) 'mess' as I'd expected either! We were both a bit high on the Collall glue though :)

Over the whole day I only coloured six images I'd stamped to take along. First job was to guide Sam in making a pop up box card and lots of the rest of the time was spent chatting, eating and tootling round the room to see what everyone else was up to - basically, just being a 'sticky beak' makes me happy!

Right, onto this week's Playground Picks:

 

Our Sarn made this lovely card, and it's actually here with me in the flesh (or should that be in the card)! A great technique using an ordinary wax crayon to resist the ink - who needs expensive goodies to make such an impact huh?

Such a sweet card, made by Shaz. Plenty of snippets used here and a really cute image!

I love this card, made by Linby. Brilliant paper piecing and even the teeny little headband is paper pieced! I think I'd have resorted to a fine marker - but it really was so worth the fiddly cutting.

Loads of lovely snippets were used by Carol L on this beautiful card - love the colours combinations and such a great idea to create the herringbone background.

Fabulous little flowers by the dozen on this lovely card, made by Kim. Someone else with loads of patience.

And, I think you'll agree, this is the star of my picks - made by Viv. Who would believe this fabulous jar started out life as a humble marmalade jar? Amazing!

That was a quick canter through this week, every single entry was worthy of being a 'pick' - so to check out what everyone made - remember you can always go back and look at last week's entries.

And the winner of last week's stamps and LOTV Art Pad images to colour is:

Irene

I have your address Irene and will post your prize off this week. Well done!

That's all for today folks, remember that the Snippets Playground is back to the usual routine this coming week - and you can join in here.

Di
x

WOYWW - 210

Hanging my head in shame here:

First of all - the mess just shoved to the right is so bad I ain't gonna show it.

 

And this is a closer look at what I left yesterday afternoon when I ran away to post all the Snippets Playground prizes from last week (they're on the way girls).  I woz toying with what to make for a challenge, one of my ink pad swatches, and - to the front right - the partly made WOYWW ATCs I should have finished and posted by now! Bad girl :(  At least I didn't link with an asterisk * a couple of weeks ago saying I'd swap to celebrate four years of snooping - but some really wonderful friends still sent beautiful WOYWW ATCs so that's my next mission.

To see what other much more organised and timely WOYWWers are up to this week - do hop over to Julia's and check out her desk and all the other desks. Oh, and have a lovely WOYWW!

I'm here, snooping round the garden with camera in the middle of the night like someone not right in the head (but I'll do my best Sandee after your request!) , and Spike the hedgehog just won't stay still and pose - sigh :( Wouldn't a piccie of the goat, ducks, hens and sheep here in the Snippets Playground do? Trust me, there's so much 'carp' around out there I need to do hand stands when I come back into the house!

Di
x

WOYWW - 208

Crumbs, it's already here! Four years of WOYWW courtesy of Queen Julia and the big ATC swop - wahoo, you can also grab a badge like this one above from Julia's.

That's the good news, the bad news is I haven't made a single ATC due to this little lot:

Yup, I finally finished those 250 magnetic bookmarks for the school reunion this coming weekend - yesterday afternoon. Talk about 'Last Minute Dippy Di' here!

Also, the 'gubbins' at the front is the start of a card I was asked to make for our outgoing lady chairman. Those flowers took hours to make as each single layer is three sections - talk about glutton for punishment/detention/writing of lines, especially 'cos she seems to think I'm still a school junior! The ribbon is to go on the box I need to make for the card.

I've already made promises to some close bloggy friends to exchange ATCs - and they understand why I'm up against the end stop. Also, two other lovely bloggy friends have already sent me ATCs to be opened today - and I've kept to what they asked - but I do know they're both pretty mean with sewing machines and the envelopes are a tad plump :)

Sooooo, am not linking with an 'asterisk' today, why put more pressure on folks when I'm not even ready. BUT if you already have plans to send an ATC to 'Chez Moi' - or really would like one from me - do please let me know in a comment and I'll make my little batch right after the reunion weekend. Big Brownie Promise! Oh, and to 'The Knicker Sisters' - I'll be returning the favour and you're on my little list :)

Happy 208th WOYWW!

Di
x

WOYWW 206

Super fast WOYWW from me - almost didn't join in but, as it's only a couple of weeks until Week 208 and the ATC swop, it didn't seem right not to play as I do hope to take part:

The usual cup of coffee - almost cold, as usual. The makings of a card, those Radley dog buttons still waiting to be played with - and a whole load of panic here. This is why:

Looks pretty innocent I know - but there's 250 bookmarks lurking in there. All are at least printed, chopped to size and the fold scored, 50 or so with the corners already rounded (punch, punch, punch), pretzel bags trimmed down to size for packing before little 'Flip over the page Magnetic Bookmarks' labels are added to seal the bags.

The reason, it's only just over two weeks until my old school reunion and these will be little table favours on the Saturday evening when we have our riot posh dinner/dance.

And this is what they'll look like once the magnets are added. Harrumph though, still smarting here 'cos the weekend is the same one as the WOYWW crop :(

That's me - need to finish the card and then get back to punching off bookmark corners - only 800 corners left to punch, sigh.

To see what everyone else is up to, with a LOT more sense (as well as much smaller mouths when asked what they can come up with for table favours),  hop over to Julia's and then onto see who else linked in :)

Happy WOYWW! Punch, punch. punch :(

Di
x

WOYWW 204

I had to come and play this week - after having a great day on Monday with Julia, Lunch Lady Jan and Brenda (who is over here on holiday). If you want to see, there's a piccie of the four of us here. Of course I whined about not being able to make it to the WOYWW Crop on 1st June due to the date not being right - but it fell on stony ground, sigh :(

Right, my desk yesterday afternoon:

Just the makings of a card using the Scrabble letters I won from my pal Annie recently, the fabulous Arboscello Tree Die to post off to Maureen our Snippets Playground winner, some adorable Radley style doggie buttons that I bought in Salisbury (still mulling those over), SU card swatch, lots of scribbled reminder notes and some snippets of ribbon to remind me to replenish stocks.

Oh, and one of those gadgets that I think I must have inherited from my Mum, it's the grey gizmo with the red semi-perforating wheel. You used a type of carbon paper to mark dart lines on material when dressmaking. I found it lurking in a 'long forgotten box' yesterday and think, only think mind you, it could be handy for faux stitching?

That's me for today - fairly short and sweet - do be sure to hop over to Julia's to check her desk out (I was too busy admiring her husband's fabulous staircase woodwork on Monday to sidle in for a quick peek) - and then off you can go to check out what loads of other folk are up to, I could well bump into you on the rounds :)

Di
x

WOYWW 201- with a note from me Mum

After missing a few WOYWWs here's the note from me Mum:

'Dear Miss Julia and Co., my apologies for Diane having missed WOYWW playtime over recent weeks, her appearances have been sporadic to say the least. So, I've hidden the dusters (but can't find the yellow one with lace edging made by Annie and Jo as she refuses to be parted from it). Have also removed the plugs from the vacuum cleaners and hidden her mop and bucket. Yours sincerely, Diane's Mum.'

So, this was my desk late yesterday:

Not toooo messy I guess. Usual cup of coffee, remains of a card I'd just finished making, big basket of cards waiting for inserts (sigh), Pro Markers to be returned to their rightful home, snippets to be filed, and an embossing folder I'd been playing with. Oh, and some scraps of ribbon to remind me to buy more of the same or similar.

And this is a bad photo of my laptop screen as it's much more orange in real life but you can get the drift, it's my background on the laptop:

 

Sunset, taken by Len on the beach in Koh Samui, Thailand, looking across at offshore islands. It cheers me up no end during the dull days we're still having here in the UK - and also makes me yearn to return before too long.

Off you go, over to our lovely hostess Queen Julia's to see what everyone else is up to this week.

Happy WOYWW!

Di

x

WOYWW 199 - warning, long post

After missing WOYWW for a few weeks I reckon I should have a note from my Mum :(

Still plodding on with organising my stamps - am onto the clear ones now and they're gonna take a lot of time I can see, you're likely to be finished way ahead of me Elizabeth!! This is what I was up to yesterday:

There's a reason I took the photo at 10:30 yesterday morning - Len was out and I was about to try something while he wasn't around that could potentially have meant running for the fire extinguisher :)

This was my first attempt at the storage for clear stamps. A piece of white card and the stamps from two different sets stamped before laminating the sheet. In truth, the stamps do all need to be stamped onto index cards as well 'cos, although I'm keeping them in sets within the binders, for example - images such as the bird will  sit better under the category 'birds' in the card index box.

BUT, the white card I'm trying to use up is not especially stamp ink friendly, it's OK. Plus, actually fitting the stamps onto my own stamped images wasn't really a walk in the park - and I thought it looked a bit messy.

And then - I suddenly wondered why on earth I was thinking of disposing of the acetate that comes with most stamp sets with the images already printed on!? Soooooooo, I waited until Len was out and the coast was clear, plugged in the laminator, said a quick prayer to St. Mytrimmer (Patron Saint of crafters) and had another play:

And it worked - so much neater!! No fires either :)) The main thing is to put some card in the laminate 'sandwich' behind the acetate to prevent buckling - and you need the card anyhow for the images behind the stamps to stand out well.

And here's the laminated article, trimmed and corners rounded to reduce finger slicing, with the stamps on and a piece of same sized clear acetate on top so the sandwich slides in and out easily. The stamps tend to adhere to the acetate better than to the shiny laminate anyhow but hey - am I bovvered so long as they don't fall off one side or the other?!

Then, the laminate, stamps and protective clear acetate all slide into a side opening clear file pocket - ready to be stored in lever arch files.

I know that everyone has their own way of storing non-wood mounted stamps, often driven by space, shelving etc. I've seen DVD cases and lots of other ideas - but this seems to be a solution that's gonna work for me. It all hinges on the A6 card file box where I have single stamped images in categories, with details and their location also written on.

In time, all of this shelf is likely to be taken up by files of actual stamps - at the moment I haven't labelled the files but from left to right they are:

- dies, on A4 magnetic sheets in file pockets

- three postcard albums for unmounted rubber stamps

- two lever arch files - ready for the clear stamps

- and the cream file is full of tips and techniques saved from magazines or sent to me by Sarn.......plus a lot of receipts so I know where I bought certain things from. As I've said previously, I'm dead meat if Len ever takes a look in there and tots up the evidence though :))

Sorry for rabbiting but without making a video (snort!) this is the best way I can explain what's going on right now.

So, do hop over to Julia's to check out what everyone else is up to - and have a lovely WOYWW!

Di
x

WOYWW 196

Incredible - the sun shone here yesterday! This was my desk before I reluctantly tootled off to do some ironing yesterday afternoon, it's so lovely to be able to craft in decent light for a change:

Ha! It looks suspiciously tidy dontcha think? Good job you couldn't see the piles of stuff heaped on our bed - but at least the coffee cup had already been taken into the kitchen.The rationale behind piling stuff onto our bed BTW is that it forces me to clear it all away at the end of the day so we can sleep - and in the process do a little more tidying as well.

This is what I was playing with:

Twinkling H2Os just to tickle a second layer of butterfly wings for the image I'd been colouring with Pro Markers.

OCD to the fore again - before ruining touching the butterflies with H2Os I was trying a little patch to the bottom right on the card I'd stamped on and scribbled some Pro Marker on. The stamp is Penny Black's 'Butterfly Suite' BTW.

The Pro Marker storage rack has been in residence here for ages. Sadly, it was a prototype, and production of a new line never happened due to manufacturing problems. But, of course Crafter's Companion now have their super stackable marker pen storage - which is versatile for all shapes and sizes. But, me still loves my rack and it's just such a shame it never materialised as a viable product for big manufacturing runs.

That's my WOYWW for this week - and we did have a bed to sleep in :)

To see what everyone else is playing with on their desks this week just hop over to Julia's (The Queen of WOYWW) and join in the fun and frolics. See you there!

Quick edit: Julia is totally right, the storage rack is mahoosive large. It lives on a shelf behind the desk and, as it's in effect one piece of cleverly shaped and drilled perspex, just lifts to where I need it. Either in front of me, or to the side - depending on surrounding mess :)

Di
x

WOYWW 194 - more OCD stuff

Yay, sunshine here yesterday - and this was my desk just before I ran away and left it, and I'd even taken the coffee mug back into the kitchen:

Back to organising stamps - a job I can only do so much of in one go before the urge to scream gets a grip.

My system is 'simples', I know, a bit like me really. No fancy spreadsheets or regimented and categorised boxes of stamps here. It all hinges around a little index box of cards - I described just how it works a whole year ago on WOYWW, here, and am still nibbling away. The good news is that the (third) postcard album below is the last of the unmounted rubber stamps, they just happen to be Christmas ones but with the system I use it doesn't matter.

The wooden ones are already done, with stamps stored in 'best fit' Really Useful Boxes - no more than two layers per A4 sized box. Just all the clear ones to tackle, and then the little index box of stamped images can be sorted into categories. 

We each have our own way of doing things I know - this system works for me, and I ain't changing horses mid-stream :)

Now, off you go - over to Julia's to see what others have been up to. I bet a lot of folk are delirious about the couple of sunny days we've had here in the UK. It's been lovely.

Happy WOYWW!

Di
x 

WOYWW 193 - and some ideas

My desk when I ran away yesterday afternoon to post some letters and do a little bit of shopping:

Usual mug of cold coffee, basket of cards awaiting inserts and the mess leftovers from what I'd been doing earlier. Oooer, and at the back a packet of mini Easter eggs in a lovely box - from Sarn, and a super card from Sam as well.

I think I must have caught a virus, it's the 'sort and tidy' one that seems to be doing the rounds in a lot of craft rooms right now. After doing SU card stock swatches last week, I moved onto finish off making swatches for all the ink pads. Then sat twiddling my thumbs yesterday wondering what else I could do to make life easier/less stressful when crafting. Sometimes I'm a bit like a dog looking for a lost bone with stuff flying in all directions :(

The cataloguing of stamps is a mahoosive ongoing project that I can't stick at all the time but a comment left by Helen on my last week's WOYWW post, about something her friend did, triggered off this:

It's a sort of swatch, for punches :) Not every single one, just those used for sentiments so I can try it against the card and of course against the stamped sentiment (or even the unstamped one) to check for size and shape. I used Shrinkles shrink plastic (the frosted one) 'cos that was all I could lay my paws on in here then wrote the names of the punches on in permanent ink and rounded the corners - they were lethal sharp before that little extra step.

Another small, but to me important, discovery has been how to cope with the Tonic glass mat on the desk here. I totally, love the glass mat but found that card was slipping about so l during the week I played with this as a solution when stamping and sticking bits of card together. For me, it works brilliantly without having to put summick non-slip underneath my work:

It's a repositional tape runner, by Dovecraft. A quick swipe or two on the back of what you want to be kept totally immovable, then just turn it over and stick to the glass mat.

This is the back of a piece of embossed card that I'd just turned back over after adhering a Stickeroo topper - where there was absolutely no room for error. You can see a sort of  globule of removeable glue, I'd just started to rub it off with my finger. Yay - another solution :))

The creation that was being worked on is hidden until it arrives at its destination - so I've nuffin' more to show - why not go to Julia's where you might see more creativity and less of the OCD stuff. But hey, at least I didn't just say it's the same old mess :)

Happy WOYWW!!

Di
x

WOYWW 192 - and I need to get out more!

Sigh, looking at my desk yesterday afternoon I realised that maybe, just maybe, I truly do need to see someone about this OCD trait that jumps up and waves its arms every now and then.

Storage isn't bad in the craft room here, but the only way I can store 12" x 12" card stock is in 12" square Really Useful Boxes - flat and on a fairly high shelf. Got fed up rootling through them, especially the luscious Stampin' Up plain ones, so yesterday I took the bull by the horns and spent a happy couple of hours doing this:

The fruits of my labours - a home made colour swatch. I know, I know, SU do sell their own but this satisfied the OCD trait that wanted to come and play. The SU Stampin' Spots are there 'cos I was checking which additional colours I might want - the answer is none 'cos they've practically discontinued them :( Shame!

The storage container with the Stampin' Spots in is really for peel offs, from Hobbycraft - it holds 20 with one spare space so you can move 'em round like those games we used to play with as kids, makes it much easier to lift a little pad out.

The finished 2" x 2" swatch, tied with ribbon until I nip out to buy more book binder rings - the one lying on the desk would defy even the strongest person! I found a lot of the card colours in the snippets folder but for some colours I had to cut into a fresh sheet (ack! pain) - just a 2" strip, the remains of which are also in the SU Really Useful Box to be used to back sentiments, make flowers etc.

e

The colours are sorted into SU Collections and each one has the colour on a printed label on the back.

Err, I also have swatches for my collection of coloured ink pads - just with a swipe of colour on the front of white card and the name on the back. No need to do it for the SU ones as the card swatch does that job I think. Yup, the men in white coats could be here soon!

And, whilst ferreting round in a drawer I found this - it's a pack of two Replacement Cutting Channel Mats for Woodware's T-400 Finger Guard Trimmer. NOTE, it's the smaller 24cm one, NOT the 35cm T-200. I ordered them wrongly a while ago and, rather than throw them out, am more than happy to post free and for nothing to anyone who might have a T-400 Woodware Trimmer. Just drop me an email - di_wray@hotmail.com. If more than one person is interested, then it's first come, first served.

Now, if you want to really see fun and messy - hop over to Julia's to inspect her desk and then travel onwards to many others who will be linking in today.

Happy WOYWW!

Di
x

WOYWW - 191

Taken when I trotted back home yesterday after an afternoon crafting with a friend:

Sigh, this is becoming an all too familiar sight, abandoned coffee cup when I dropped everything and ran off to play, basket of cards at the back waiting for inserts and scribbled notes all over.

The flowers were given to me by my crafting friend yesterday afternoon - 90 Kaiser flowers in lovely Christmassy colours (sshhhhh, she doesn't know what she just gave away).

There are a couple of new Clarity stamps ready to be played with, once I face the brayer challenge again, plus a mahoooosive one further back. I almost had the vapours when I saw the size of it but it turns out to either be a wrong code on their website or a wrong pick at dispatch. BUT, how about this for service - when I rang Clarity to speak about it, they said straight away they'd send the correct size out and I should just keep the bigger one! That's what I call getting Brownie points from a happy customer. Particularly as the big stamp would be of interest to others so will be a prize in the Playground sometime :)

OK, that's me for WOYWW - do hop over to Julia's to see what others are up to.

Di
x

WOYWW 190 - and a revelation

My desk yesterday before I trotted out to the Post Office. I'd brayered and stamped a scene for the very first time then got sidetracked with the 'Less Is More' challenge so had returned to 'the scene of the crime' and was fiddling round thinking about how to best make a card:

It's been a bit of a learning curve but following Shaz's brilliant tutorial along with using my new little helper in here, known as the Splodge Away Blending Mat (thank you for nudging me into getting one Sarn!), a lot of the angst and hair tearing was chased away. A loooong way to go with practising to get colours graduating properly I know but this was the best one I could manage:

Bwah, ha, ha - I didn't have a little 'birds in flight' stamp so hand drew what looks to me like some very overfed eagles....you wouldn't wanna be pooped on by these :( Little Clarity 'birds in flight' stamp now on order.

But, on this journey of discovery I then wondered how to tackle the stamped reflection. As you know, I have an intense dislike for don't get on with the brayer too well and the thought of pushing Mr Luck and brayering the reversed image like many folk do just made my teeth itch.

Wahoooo - a revelation!! Whilst Googling I stumbled across a technique that's too good not to share - it sort of blew me away in its simplicity, and I do know that lots of you might just sigh and say you already do 'reflections' this way but I'm gonna share anyhow!

Ha! Watching Create and Craft TV whilst ironing in the kitchen yesterday afternoon I saw a demo where the person doing the demo merely turned the card round by 180 degrees and stamped a second time - the result wasn't a true mirror image. Len rushed to see why I was waving the iron round shouting at the TV 'No, no!!!!' :)

So this is what my revelation was - stamp your main image onto your chosen piece of 'already brayered with a background' card, then re-ink the stamp and stamp onto a cellophane bag - one used to package cards in would be perfect:

This is the cello bag with the stamped image on, just laid down on some spare card so you can see - snort, and also see me reflected taking the photo :)

Then, take your piece of 'backgrounded' card with the previously stamped image on, flip over the cello bag with the same stamped image on so it's ink side down, line up the lower edge of the image and gently rub your hand over the bag  - or you could let the brayer play and use that I guess, just in case it sulks.

Hey presto - my little practise:

Easy as pie! I used Memento Tuxedo Black for both lots of stamping but for a softer reflection I might try Memento 'London Fog' for the cello bag stamping step.

The wavy black background for the image has been rejected here in favour of simplicity - but the card remains unfinished, until I get time to play today, so it's hopefully gonna be in tomorrow's blog post if you want to see the finished card plus list of 'ingredients'.

Right, off you go to Queen Julia's now and then onwards to see what other WOYWWers have been up to. Have a great day!

Di
x

WOYWW 189 - and Happy Wedding Anniversary to Darnell

Things were just ticking along here yesterday - until an email kicked me into action:

Darnell, who is much loved in Blogland and is a regular on WOYWW as well as in the Snippets Playground has a Wedding Anniversary today - so out came the card, paper, Penny Black Stickeroos (no time for the luxury of stamping or colouring), ribbons and of course I found time to make a fresh cup of coffee.

I'm a very slow crafter so it was a little while later that this was finished:

Tah, dah!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Anniversary Darnell and Mister K - from all your WOYWW and Snippets Playground little Playmates  - hope you have a lovely day!

I used:

- 6" x 6" square white card stock

- a luscious deep pink snippet of backing card by SU

- patterned backing paper by Bo Bunny from the 'et cetera Collection'

- Penny Black Stickeroo from the 'Heart and Flowers' sheet

- deep pink and cream organza ribbon from the ribbon box, along with a sweet little 'double hearts' charm - tied with some iridescent cord

To join in WOYWW - hop over to our lovely hostess Julia's here - I suspect there might be more cards and good wishes for Darnell and her hunky hubby flying around :)

Di
x

WOYWW 188

SIGH, just a mess I'm afraid - nothing new there then :(

This was the light at mid-afternoon yesterday - not lot of it sadly, so depressing.

Same old, same old - making a stepper card, cuppa cold coffee to the left and a basket of cards needing inserts, envelopes and cello bags to the back.

The blur of red and white strips is me being a squirrel as always - snipped off rather lovely unreusable Costco Christmas gift bags (ie handles) for re-use.

Told yer - same old, same old.........but to see much more exhilarating (big word) sights - just hop over to Julia's pad here. Bound to be much more fun there.

Happy WOYWW!

Di
x

WOYWW 187

Just a quickie to wish all you WOYWWers a very Happy New Year - here's hoping that 2013 is a great year for you all.

My hope is that's it's the year I solve a little mystery on my desk:

 It's the little fella at back left on the glass cutting mat I'm fretting over

In the course of tidying up my desk after Christmas I found a little pea green plastic 'stud' thingy. No doubt if I throw it away it's gonna turn out to be something essential - not off the Cuttlebug 'cos that's pink, not off the new Xyron 'cos I've checked its nether regions thoroughly - besides which it's emerald and not pea green, not off the trimmer......in fact eet eez a total mystery :(

Absolutely baffled here - any ideas on a postcard please!

Now shooo, off you go to Julia's to see what she's up to, and thence to loads of other crafters linking in their desks - with or without a pea green stud to fret over.

Edit: Oh Sarn, you clever little Miss Marples!! Thank you for solving the mystery of the 'pea green stud' :) It was indeed from the new Cuttlebug labels die packaging - I found a video on YouTube demonstrating these fabby cut and emboss dies - and although the demonstrator had removed the studs when using the dies, those still in packaging on the demo table had the studs still in, holding the cardboard packaging in place!! Whoop, whoop - wouldn't you just know that a fellow crafter would have the answer, thank you soooo much :)

Di
x

WOYWW 185

This time next week the fat man in the red suit will have been and gone so it didn't seem right to skip out of the fun on WOYWW yet again..............I need to nose around what's going on, despite some tail chasing. This is what my desk was like yesterday just after dark:

A couple of cards awaiting inserts, my LIM card for this week's challenge, letters to post, ripped out page from a craft magazine behind 'cos I love the birdie stamps and neeeeed them, a flyer from a local charity who takes donations of TVs and those flipping new ink pads still waiting for a home. So exciting, no? Sigh - it sure isn't but one thing is................

I WISH ALL YOU WOYWWers AND ANY OTHER WONDERFUL CRAFTING FRIENDS THE VERY BEST FOR A MARVELLOUS CHRISTMAS AND A FABULOUS 2013 :)

Yup, I shouted that - and to see what anyone else could be shouting, please hop over to Julia's here.

We were in Southern Germany and not at home enough to be aware of the dreadful tragedy unfolding in Connecticut - I've wept since we came home and realised the full extent of what happened and can only join in the thoughts and prayers of others for the families involved. For them, Christmas will never, ever, be the same as it was before.

Di
x