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

 

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.

Bunnies and Butterflies Tag

The theme over at Tag Tuesday is Bunnies and Butterflies.  So here is my Spring offering - a little more pink than planned but I struggled to work the colours around the stamp, which I was determined to use!

A Paris Tag

The theme is Paris over at Tag Tuesday.
  Despite using pretty much everything 'Paris' that I had - rubber stamps, stencil, real stamps, and a photo image it still doesn't scream Paris to me!  Perhaps it's the colour, which somehow morphed from pretty spring colours into rusty autumn ones - don't ask me how!

Orange and Duck Egg Tag Cards and WOYWW

    Using my favourite tag stamp again and some left over bits and pieces.   

I found the rolled paper beads on Etsy and fell in love with them - I always knew I'd find the perfect use for them one day!

I'm linking up with Julia over at WOYWW - why not pop over and see what other people have on their desks this week. 

Little Book of Insects

I decided to have a little play at book-binding this week as I wanted a notebook for sketching and jotting down ideas about moths and other insects.  I was quite pleased with how neat the binding was, as I am usually rather haphazard with where I make my holes, often piercing them too close together despite marking them out.

Whilst decorating the front of the book I forgot I'd used olive green thread for the binding and it doesn't really match the decoration, but I don't think it's too noticeable and perhaps I'm being a bit pernickety!

I am sharing this over at Julia's WOYWW and the 
Mini Album Makers Challenge.


Update: I was so pleased to make the Top 5 this month - thank you to the team from the Mini Album Makers Challenge.

February's Forgotten Stash Part 2

Carrying on my quest to try out a forgotten and unused item in my stash each month I have been using the Tim Holtz Artful Dwellings die.

While decorating the shapes for my winter garden piece last week (see here) I found  several were looking rather architectural so I put them aside to make a separate piece.

I used copper, brown and gold metallic leaf on some of the stamped images and although difficult to see you can just about catch some of the shine below.  I'm particularly fond of the Italian architectural stamp and I'm pleased I've found it a good home!

I'm linking up with Julia over at What's On Your Work Desk Wednesday.

TAG TUESDAY - VINTAGE THEME

I've had a great time making this weeks vintage tag - I used a wonderful old photograph of my Great Grandfathers friend on a Penny Farthing.  It was taken in the early days of the Raleigh Cycle company where they both worked. I've used it before in art work and just love it.

I also found a very old book called The Art and Pastime of Cycling that belonged to my Great Grandfather and I copied the title and a chart about cycling onto acetate and placed it above the collaged tag to add another layer.

Two genuine old stamps complete this happy, carefree image of the world being his oyster! 

TAG TUESDAY

I am so thrilled to be part of Tag Tuesday, where each week we are given a theme and we make a tag - simple but hugely fun!   It's hosted by the super-talented Carolyn Saxby (love-stitching-red), and if you haven't already visited her blogs I highly recommend them.  You can also click the Tag Tuesday icon on the right to visit the blog and see all the amazing tag art being posted there.

 

Theme for week 1: Snow  

Theme for week 2: Snow Sport and Games.