Wednesday, packday, rushday, have I got it all in day...???

Greetings from the Wednesday work desk...!
Trying to show you all what is going on down my way. It's all go as I'm off to Paris on  Thursday to revel in the delights of the Paper & Co. Show. This is my 40th birthday treat and seeing as I spent my official birthday in the Labour Ward last week - I am ready to party!

Well...stamp, cut, ink, glue, splodge, and distress. I am up for the lot! Normally I do my own thing at workshops but this time I have jumped in at the deep end and joined a team for the evenings. Going full speed with the crop evenings, team projects, challenges and even agreed to dress up like a fairy one night. See - going mad in my old age already. I am in a team with four lovely ladies - two from Greece and two from Israel. They are all fab scrappers and I am...well - just so not a scrapper - at all - and we have a Fairy Team theme - so I am in for some new experiences. Bring on the pink stuff.

My biggest worry is not how I will look in glitter wings and a tiara, but getting all my stuff into the case (and back!) I can only take 18 kilos and I have a materials list as long as a toilet roll. I am going to have to be seriously strict...definitely no space for any glam clothes. Not the romantic getaway everyone thinks it is! Still - Paris, playing, paint and paper art....I am in love after all. Been hugely busy getting things ready for the trip. Here are some flower brooches I have made for my team. (It was a bit dark...)

I have also made some Christmas tree pendants. I might not be the fairy fan but for the Flower Fairies I can always make an exception. The drawings and colours are just so lovely, can't resist. Made oval and round ones with a fairy on the front and the greeting on the back.
What did I do before Viva Gold was invented? Love it so much...as good as smoothing butter on fresh, warm bread. Goes on a treat.
Note to self: must remember to wash hands before scratching nose...

And then as if that isn't enough we decided to put a fat book together - but that means getting five pages ready. I played a little safe and went for French vintage using collage and stamping. I wish I had had more time to work on them- but I am all done which is a wonder,  as I had visions of being up until 4am.

I also had to get a Christmas wall hanging ready for my second workshop - yes number two is in the making and bookings already coming in. I will show it next time and also some pics from Paris. Doing some serious time in the craft room this week. Poor hubby is a little left out and a bit lonely this week but still supports me all the way - what a man. I think Crafters hubby's are nature's way of compensating for Sporting Widows.

Thanks for all the kind words and reactions last week - sister and baby doing fine, although we all still need a month of sleep. Next week I have some spare time, so I really want to have a good nose around by all - yes all - your work-desks! Famous last words - but I have missed having a mooch. Anyway - must go...Join in with this nosey around at Julia's.

Au Revoir...have a great weekend and watch out for the first snowflakes!

Sarah xx

What's on your Workdesk (by golly it's...) Wednesday!

Wednesday Work-desk greetings to you all!

Time for the weekly mooch and meander around the arty spaces of many a folk. Last week I told of my upcoming workshop, my 40th and a baby alert. Yes - a nice relaxing week was in tow. Here is my desk today..I'd like to say "in full swing" which is a more poetic way of saying "too much on the go..." Seem to have things piling up or half-done, so time to get down to it and get busy before the Festive efforts will be out of date. Also starting to realise that the annual Chrimble card stint looms yet closer.

Last weeks workshop went really well, although I was a bit nervous beforehand. I had the pleasure of entertaining nine ladies with various crafty capers. I had to really keep the tempo up as the time just hurtled by - but we all got there.

I got some great feedback and everyone was very happy despite me thinking I rattled on like some school matron for the whole session.

Hubby came along and took some nice action shots. Check out that table - looking like a workshop should...

 
Found a little time to work on the collage course. Yes another ATC - and yes a damsel with wings...I know, I know...but I am actually working more on balance and composition and an ATC gives me the chance to have a mini workshop all to myself!

So the milestone of my 40th year has arrived and departed...so what did I do? Well - a weekend away with a visit to the theatre. Sounding glamorous? I actually spent three hugely intensive days in the hospital delivery suite with my sister and ended up in the operating theatre witnessing a Caesarean and the amazing miracle of this bonny little chap being brought into the world.

Quite lot to take in... so I will just leave you with Isaac himself...

and his little tootsies...

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday...???

 Top of the morning to you!
 Well - what ain't on my desk is a better question...and if it ain't on my desk, then its all over the floor, or piled on the chair or spread across the landing, or in that crate....seems to be everywhere. This week you find me amongst the wonders of workshop prepping. I had said that I would be teaching my first ever workshop, so my craft room is a torrent of kits, crates, plans, pots and a wee bit of nail-biting...I think I have even packed the kitchen sink  - that's down to my "you never know attitude".

I have ten ladies coming, all of which, I have never met before, so I am being a real Girl Scout and trying to be ready for anything. I think Time will be my biggest enemy (as is often the case in a workshop). I just want them to all have a great creative time of discovery and enjoyment! Here you can just see some samples in the background. I am doing one vintage collage card and one more upbeat stamped card. Keeping things simple yet interesting I hope!

The other side of my room has been taken over by the kits. I am putting everything they need in one bag so that they can also finish off at home. I really enjoyed doing this bit actually and they do make such a nice photo. I wouldn't fancy doing 100 of the things though. I always love getting my first bag of goodies at a workshop - almost as good as sweeties!

 In between all of this I am also dabbling with my own Christmas card ideas - and no I haven't started yet - the month still begins with an N! 

Just been playing around with some patchwork ideas or maybe I just love faffing around with pretty papers and my square punch too much... 

Have you noticed the amazingly sharp, richly colourful and perfectly focused piccies in my blog today? At Chez La-de-Dah, we are now the proud owners of a Sony Alpha SLT-A33. At the mo, Mr. Hubby, the gadget freak, is the official boss and lord of this wonderful machine. I am just leaving him a list of my photographical blog orders until I get some time to have a play, but even my layman brain has already sussed out that this is one fancy pants camera and I do feel like showing off - just a bit then. We even did a panoramic shot of my craft room - but I will spare you all from that chaos. 

Hope you all have a good WOYWW - will try to get around to you all again - which all depends entirely upon on Mother Nature.  I am living minute to minute as my sister is about to have a baby and I am going to be there!  And as if that wasn't enough frivolity for one week - I will be 40 on Saturday. Yes - it's all go at this funny farm, I can tell you. So, there could be just about anything on my desk next week! Time will reveal all. Toodle-pip for now,
Sarah x

WOYWW, Random Ramblings and Simon Says/Embellish Challenge.

Well hello All, hello Wednesday and hello November...

Yes, indeed, both Wednesday and November have arrived. Okay - so now I am officially allowed to start feeling a trifle Christmassy. Can't quite do that in October and now the clocks have changed here and it is sooooooo dark, even at 4pm, I can just start to sense some Festive quivers in my toes. Haven't blogged since last week. I have lots of projects on the go and I had decided to buckle down and not to blog until at least something was finished. So the aftermath upstairs is as such - which I still need to clear up.
 I am still working on the collage course which is really great but quite a challenge at times. The whole composition changes when working with paper images and layers rather than stamps and ink. I am also challenging myself to try the "less can be more" approach and see how simple I can keep things. Mmmmm. I don't want to smother things by over-embellishing, but let the image hold it's own.

I have just finished a hanging which I am also going to enter into the Shabby Challenge over at Simon Says and the Vintage Challenge at Embellish Magazine. I have used an old book cover for the base as it had a nice green canvas covering. I aged a background paper using DI and then stamped some details with Archival ink. I added a floral strip, a doily and then layers of music and pages from a Vintage carol book. I used gesso on the music papers to tone them down and added some vintage lace and gold thread...

 For the main image I used a scan from my vintage postcard collection and tinted the image by painting with watered down Distress inks. I also added some Viva gold to the edges to give it some warmth. I love the subdued tones with the splash of colour from the holly. I finished off by adding some old buttons, a crochet scrap and some handmade (by me!) ribbon and lace flowers.

 I used two brass eyelets and some gold and green ribbon to make the hanging cord. It was quite hard to photograph and capture the true tones and details as the colours are quite subtle, but all in all, I am quite pleased. She looks very seasonal and snug in real life!

I also said I would show the pieces I made at the Artsy Crafty weekend after just a sneaky look last week. Now both weekends ore over, we are free to tell all. I ran out of gold metal whilst finishing off my main project, so for now I will just share the Shadow box.

This one really grew on me and I would like to have a go at another one using my own design. There was a lot of jiggery-pokery involved but as you can see - worth the effort.
 So - a busy time and lots more yet to do. But I a woman on a mission - determined to finish off all those half-done, almost there, very nearly pieces.

Next week I am also teaching my first ever craft workshop - so that is quite a major leap. I have taught a over a thousand dance classes in my time but this will be quite a knee-knocker for me...but I embracing both the opportunity and challenge! Will give you the gossip next time.
Hoping to tippy-toe through your arty spaces again - have a good one and thanks for taking the time to be here.
Sarah