Merry Christmas!

I'm still neglecting my craft room and my blog due to the ongoing tennis elbow and frozen shoulder problems - it's been very challenging and although there has been some improvement, it can easily be setback again if I try and push my luck!

So no desk this week but I thought a wintery scene was the next best thing!

I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and creative festive season and  say thank you for the kind, supportive comments and friendship throughout the  past year.

 

 
I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW 

A Messy Desk!

 A bit of a messy desk this week - I haven't managed to finish anything and horror of horrors I actually have pushback!  The shells at the back have been pushed out of the way while they wait for me to varnish them, and some gentle collage making has been going on.  I say gentle because the tennis elbow in my right arm has now be joined by a frozen shoulder - they certainly make crafting challenging!

And on that note, can anyone please recommend an accurate guillotine - I always use a steel rule and a Stanley knife but that is just out of the question at the moment and it seems 90% of my crafting requires cutting straight lines!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

UPSIDE DOWN COLLAGES!

 Just to keep the creativity flowing I decided to dip into the Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  I've had quite a break from it but enjoyed doing these two little collages - the requirement was to use two images and flip one upside down.  

The most exciting part of my week has been obtaining a new storage box for my sewing threads!   The 4 Gutermann boxes that I previously had were fiddly, the lids fell off frequently and I had an extra tray of loose reels that wouldn't fit in the boxes.  This one is great, and has freed up a lot of drawer space.  It's also got me doing some long awaited mending!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

A Small Burst of Creative Energy

 Goodness, in the blink of an eye we are half way through September and I don't quite know how I managed to take a 2 month break from blogging and creativity.  The tennis elbow hasn't helped and although it's a fair bit better again, it's still frustratingly hanging around. 

However I've had a few 'word of mouth' commissions for some jewellery, and that has got me busy again.  It became a two man job, with help from the Hubs because of the elbow problems - he's been a star!

These are on my desk at the moment, waiting for the lids to be decorated - as you can see I've built up a bit of a stock!  All are made from old china that has been damaged and unable to be used for purpose.  I love old china and I've been collecting it for years with the vague and unrealistic idea of making a large mosaic garden table!   

 

Such sad news this week with the death of our beloved Queen, very strange and unsettling times - I have been far more affected by it than I expected to be.  It's been so very emotional and my heart goes out to the Royal family.

I am linking up with Julia over at WOYWW.

Buddleia Card and Book Collage

 

I've achieved quite a lot since I last posted considering we had my step-son and his family visiting from the USA last week.  

I've completed another collage using the prompts in The Collage Workbook - it was all about using bits of old books - which was lucky, as I have loads!  

 I also had to make a sympathy card and I found this Buddleia stamp set in my stash that I'm sure I've never used ...

 ...and I've been gold leafing some prints too!  

Housework is next on the agenda! 

But before that I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW for the weekly desk hop.

Blue Mono Printing and the Midnight Garden

A bit of a printing fest going on this week, and it's all a bit blue!  I've continued with the mono printing from last week but changed the colours to suit my midnight garden theme - I seem to come round to that each summer as I really do love the muted colours and beautiful shapes of my garden as it goes from dusk into night.    

The bright sunshine we've been having has meant I can get some more cyanotype printing done - topping up my stash for card making and collages - always a favourite activity!

 

  I've also been running low on notecards so I have printed off another run of them using some of these photos of old and new cyanotype prints. I need to trim them all up - about 30 in total - a job I don't enjoy so we'll see if it gets done by next week - I'm betting it doesn't!!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Stamped Collage and Mono Printing

 A busy desk this week! 

A collage from the Collage Workbook challenges - this week incorporating stamping - I used some little seedling stamps that I hand carved a long time ago and gold leafed a few -I meant to gold leaf just one as a 'statement seedling' but I find it hard to stop leafing whenever I start so it reached 7 before I found my self-restraint!!

I also did some mono printing - here are a few that are still on my desk, out of what felt like hundreds I had printed!

And I received the last of the happy mail from the ATC swap - Jan very kindly sent me a replacement ATC as it looks like the original got lost in the post - I'm so thrilled to receive it and what a gorgeous card too - an absolute treasure, thank you so much Jan.

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Word Collage and ATC Swap

  This week I've made another collage for my journey through The Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman - for this one I had to use one word only in it and not a lot else!

In my newly reorganised studio I've 'lost' a sepia pen, two bottles of epoxy resin and a small office date stamp - each has been put in a convenient, logical and completely different place to where they used to live!  I am resisting buying more as I know that as soon as I do they will resurface!  However, despite having no sepia pen I've managed to start a new collage!

This week has also seen more happy mail - a beautiful ATC and card from Sylvia, it arrived more quickly than I thought and I love the little extras - thank you so much Sylvia.  That leaves just one ATC due and I have a horrible feeling it's probably been lost in the post but I'm keeping my fingers crossed it might still turn up.

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

ATC Swap for WOYWW

 What a lovely week it's been with happy (and beautiful) mail dropping through the door for the WOYWW 13th Anniversary ATC swap.

The theme was Connections, and here are some of my ATC's that I sent out, but more importantly...

 ...here are the beauties I received during the week!

Thank you so much for these gorgeous little works of art - they will be treasured - and I think a couple are still on their way so more happy mail to come!

There has been no crafting going on this week but we did do a trip to Exbury Gardens, which is about a 5 minute drive from where we live - I just had to visit the Wisteria while it was in full bloom!  We were early enough to be the only ones there, so we were able to enjoy our flask of coffee on the bench inside it without ending up in anyone else's photos!  

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week

 

WOYWW 13th Anniversary

Happy 13th Anniversary to all Deskers over at WOYWW - what an achievement, what a fabulous group to be part of and of course a huge thank you and gold star to Julia who makes this possible each week.

Everything has been ATC's here so there's nothing on my desk to show today -  so here's a card I made for the Hubs a few weeks ago!  I've been busy finishing my ATC's and with some help with the die cutting and some left handed stamping (elbow still playing up) I've managed to complete my bundle and they are ready to be sent to their new homes - cutting it a bit fine but I did it!

 

Typography Collage

I made this a couple of weeks ago, continuing my journey with Randel Plowman's Collage Workbook - I had to find a word or phrase and work it in to the collage, so I got out my old typewriter, found some old book scraps and set to work!

I then made some backgrounds for the ATC swap next week followed by some 'extreme gardening', tackling the brambles, ivy and next door's Leylandii that are trying to take over the garden.  The end result of all this hard work is tennis elbow! Not nearly as innocuous as it sounds!

Despite this I'm planning on taking part in the swap and will definitely make a few extra ATC's for anyone wanting to swap, especially now that I already have the backgrounds prepared!  

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW

Numbers Collages

 Two collages from the challenges in the Collage Workbook - both based around numbers.  The backgrounds are pages from an old Logarithms book I found during my clear out, and a technical plan the Hubs was throwing out from his days as an electronics engineer - I think he only parted with it because I said I could find a use for it - and then of course I had to!! 

Some mono prints are sitting on my desk at the moment - I'm gearing up to use some of them in collages but I'm not sure when or how  - as usual there's a lot going on in my head but not very much in practice!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Just adding a quick question - has anyone else had trouble setting up email notifications for comments on their blog - it's completely disappeared so any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Deconstructed Collages

A couple of collages this week, still following the challenges in the Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  Well one collage actually.  The top one was started in December - I got stuck and left it. This week I decided to stencil the word Paris over it.  Instantly regretted it.  I made a pig's ear of the stencilling - a rookie error, the stencil wasn't taped down securely.  But also it was accidentally upside down (I really should have known better!).  So as the requirement was to deconstruct a collage and peel layers away I deconstructed it and re-made it using bits of the first one.   What a palaver for something I'm not overly keen on anyway - they say it's the journey don't they!

I know I keep banging on about my recent big clear out - last week was a Logarithms book I was thrilled to find and this week it's floppy disks - remember those!  We found a box of about 400 in the loft and went through them destroying any that had personal info on - it left me with a lovely little pile of springs and some odd metal pieces.  I don't really know why I'm keeping them at all, but they were irresistible to me!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Collages, Squares and Rectangles

 I've squeezed in a little bit of collage time this week, despite real life demanding a lot of my time, and I've been continuing with The Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  This first collage is using several images cut into squares and rectangles and rearranged.

And these next two collages are of a single image cut into squares and reassembled.  I have done two as I decided I was getting a bit 'black and white' and needed to branch into some colour!

Some more collaging on my desk this morning - this time it's about including numbers and what better use for an old Logarithms book that I found during our mammoth clear out recently.  I loathed them at school, and I'm so glad to have found a better use for them!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Stripes Collage and WOYWW

What a strange week it's been - the Hubster and I had our 4th jabs this week and he's absolutely fine, not a single symptom and yet I was laid out for nearly three days with nausea and flu like symptoms - very different from the last three jabs but I'm not complaining as I'm very aware I'd rather have those than the actual virus!  

While feeling rather weakened I've done a little dabbling in the studio and completed a very simple little collage from the Collage Workbook by Randel Plowman.  The objective was to make a collage using two images torn into strips - even I could manage that I thought - however it all started going askew, obviously the strips weren't completely parallel to each other but to be honest I'd expended so much energy on it by then that I just didn't care - normally I'd start again so you can judge how wiped out I felt!

Not quite a desk shot but one just to the side of my desk. Earlier in the week (pre-jabs) I tackled the ghastly mess that was my 12x12 papers - they are now sorted - some have gone to local ladies who craft, the rest are in colour groups, labelled and sitting in these wonderful Ikea magazine racks that have grown over the years from just 6 to a whole wall full!

 

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.  

Abstract Art and Birthdays

My youngest nephew turned 17 last week and I needed a card and gift envelope - hopefully a card that wasn't too 'hobby' orientated, I've done guitars, fishing, Dungeons and Dragons and so on, and I felt it was time for something more grown-up!  So after some thought I decided to have a go at some abstract painting - my nephew is very arty so I hoped he'd appreciate it!

The layout of the card came from one I saw on Pinterest quite a time ago - I made a note of it in my sketch book but didn't record who it was by, so I hope if anyone recognises it, please let me know and I can give credit where it's due.  

I added gold leaf as the final touch but I'm afraid it doesn't really show up as gold in the photo.

I had such an  enjoyable time making the paintings that I've had another go in a different colour way - I shall cut this up and make some cards.

 During the week I found a lovely mint green cutting board hidden behind some very old portfolios - I can't remember buying it and have no idea how long it's been there but it blends with my 'new' room perfectly (last weeks post shows my mini makeover!) and hopefully I won't warp this one with the heat gun like I did my old grey one!

I joining in the the desk hop over at Julia's this week - you can find us at WOYWW.

Studio Makeover!

  OK I know I've mentioned it a lot lately, but I've been having a clear out!  Not all of it went to charity as I've found some long-hidden treasures that I've used to give my studio a bit of a makeover!

I've replaced my old brush pots with the jade coloured jars that I have had stored away and forgotten about, and the pretty floral jug which was found in my late father-in-law's suitcase of memories!  I decided they looked quite good together and although a creature of habit, I'm enjoying the change of colour scheme!

I also came across a dinner plate and mug while doing my online supermarket shop and they match the 'new' pots very nicely - perfect for a pencil pot and a tray for 'mess'.   

I'm feeling quite smug that I remembered to clean my water pot to a passable standard before photographing it - it was mud coloured yesterday, inside and out!  

It has been a week of quite terrible news and I feel very blessed to be able to indulge in such trifles as these and to feel safe in my own home and surrounding area.  My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine and I hope and pray they will find peace soon.  

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Watercolour Painting and New Stash!

 I finally have access to my desk after a few weeks of major sorting and clutter clearing!  I have nearly finished making a card and gift envelope for my brother-in-laws birthday tomorrow - on the desk is the envelope nearly done after some pre-breakfast additions this morning! Leaving it to the last minute has certainly upped the stress levels!

I also have some lovely new stash on my desk, courtesy of Julia's Forsaken Stash blog.  I just couldn't resist them and as I haven't purchased new stash for such a long time I really enjoyed getting these beauties through the post!

I am linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Velvet Moth Creations!

It's been a busy week!

 I have set up a new blog called velvetmothcreations.blogspot.com which will show some of my creations currently for sale. 

I have also set up a new Velvet Moth Facebook page as I have had problems accessing my old one for a very long time - the new page is at  https://www.facebook.com/velvetmothcreations   so please pop along and say hello! (see blog buttons on the right).

Some of the cards currently over on the new blog...

 

Sorting Yarn

I still can't get to my desk this week, but a crafty/woolly sort-out is taking place from my armchair! 

  My yarn baskets are stuffed to overflowing, and my studio is still full of boxes waiting to go back into the eaves. During this chaos and with the merest tap against the baskets, I've managed to send balls of wool rolling all around the limited floor space, channelling quite a few along the narrowest of gaps to hidden corners of the room.  It's one heck of a job to find them all and even now I suspect some are still lurking under my desk and cabinets!  

The plan now is to reorganise, rewind and hopefully reduce the quantity in each basket so it becomes less precarious and more manageable - definitely an 'in front of the TV' job!

 

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW this week.

Darning Looby Loo!

Since last joining in on the desks I have been continuing my mission to halve the 'treasures' in my eaves and I must say it's been going very well.  I still can't get across my studio floor to my desk but that's because it's covered in re-packed boxes, all beautifully labelled and waiting to go back in to the eaves (back ache allowing!).  I have more than achieved my goal of halving it, and I have uncovered some long lost friends that need a little attention!

My dear Looby Loo was knitted for me by mum and went everywhere with me! One of my earliest memories is settling down with her to watch Andy Pandy on Watch with Mother (anyone remember that?).  I started to give her a gentle wash and as I did so several tiny moth holes turned into rather large gaping and frayed holes.  She has been sitting by my armchair waiting to be mended for most of the week but to be honest I'm feeling rather nervous about how to go about it.  The Repair Shop's Teddy Bear ladies make it look so easy!!

I'm joining in with Julia over at WOYWW this week.