Handicrafts by Kate Perry and other ramblings

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

WOYWW166

I'm really on the ball today. I'm writing this just after midnight, but I guess it is still only 11.00 pm in UK. I have had a slightly more productive week that I have managed just lately, making a few cards mostly for men. I have one more male card to make for my son, and it is the early stages of this, that you can see spread over my work desk today.
I am playing with alcohol inks and a krylon gold pen, to make a vibrant background. I have all the original colours of Adirondak alcohol inks, and some of the newer ones, but I nearly always end up using my favourite three, cranberry, butterscotch and red pepper. There is a cut out shape on my sticky carrier mat from my silhouette cameo machine, and some odd shaped, partial images, printed on white paper. Hopefully I will be able to show you how these all pull together in a couple of days.


I like my workspace to be fairly tidy, but if I pan round to the left, you can see an area that I don't often display. I guess you can see why! The green box houses my pan pastels and has my distress markers in front of it, there is a pile of paper off cuts left after my card making this week, and an array of odds and bods that I bought when I visited a new todo shop this week. They have all been thrown over there, burying my box of 'all things sticky' which is supposed to be readily available at all times, mainly because I haven't a clue where I am going to store them. There are a couple of spray bottles, some cotton cosmetic pads for using oil pastels to colour parchment, and some wooden items that I might get around to altering one day! ('Todo' means 'all' in Spanish, and todo shops are general stores, often also known as Chinese bazaars. They are cheap and cheerful, sell a bit of everything, and you get what you pay for, so the quality is not high. But they are a useful source of oddments).


Several people, last week, asked me what I do with my daily photo project, so here are the pages from July that I posted last week, now mounted on their backing paper. 

Because both the script and photos almost fill their page, there is little room for anything else. For July I stamped a few leafy vines on the script with a Lavinia stamp and added some wooden flowers embossed with UTEE in russet. On the photo page I cut the letters to say July on my silhouette machine, and cut a mat for each one in a slightly darker colour, and again I used the same vine stamp and a couple more flowers. That is all it needs as I do not want to distract from the photos. It is not really a scrapbook, simply a way of displaying the photo project attractively.

And finally, I have welcomed a few more followers to my blog just recently and now have reached fifty, so I am offering some blog candy to celebrate, to anyone who has commented on my blog at any time previously to this. You do not have to be a follower, just someone who has visited now and then. See the details in a post at the top of my blog. (above this one), and comment on that post, not this one, if you want to be entered in the draw. You can, of course, comment on this one too if you'd like to. I love to hear from you all.

What a muppet I am! I followed Di's easy instructions for making my candy past stay at the top of my blog, and at the same time she told me how to schedule a post so I thought I'd have a go with this one. Sure enough it posted at the set time, but I have just realised that I still need to come into it here, to link it to Julia's blog at the Stamping ground, so that I can share with all you lovely ladies who enjoy trolling round other folks work rooms to see what every one is getting up to. So pay Julia visit and join in the fun.

29 comments:

Annie said...

I'd love to spend and hour or more rummaging in your crafty space....there looks to be so many fab bits and bobs there :-)
Hugs,
A x #6

Claire said...

indeed! soooo many lovely goodies on your desk! and lovely to see what you can create with them :)
happy WOYWW!!
no. 11

kiwimeskreations said...

You really are on a roll Kate - yes my main work area is reasonably tidy, but to one side in particular it is not as I would like it... which is polite speak for it is rather messy!
Blessings
Maxine

Creative Cardiology said...

I love the multi-coloured background on your desk--might have to give that a go myself. And your daily photo project is lovely.
Hugs,
Michelle #52

May said...

Great desk full of crafty goodness. looking foward to your creations... lovely post.. Have a good week, Hugs May x x x#40

Shoshi said...

Lol Kate - silly me! I was thinking "todo" was "To Do"!! - forgetting you were in Spain! A "To Do" shop sounds good to me!

I love what you do with your alcohol inks and gold pen - like the fabulous background on the stunning ATC you made for me (which I treasure greatly). So vibrant! Must do more with alcohol inks - now I've got my pen, I've started painting with the palette I made, and that's really fun!

Thanks for your lovely comment. I'm not very good at pacing myself once I get the bit between my teeth, and always know when I'm overdoing it but I get fed up with having to rest all the time lol! Mostly I'm quite good, but once I get going on something I really want to do, it's another story! It does make me feel good, though, to know I'm actually doing something constructive and beginning to clear the rubbish out.

When we move, I think it will be the same story - my hubby will probably complain about how much of the stuff is mine, and to do with my ARTHaven lol! It was always the same when we were going away on self-catering holidays - he'd moan about how much stuff I was bringing, and I had to point out that most of it was for both of our benefit!

Happy WOYWW,
Shoshi #50

House of Bears said...

Isn't it funny how we all have our favourite inks and paints that get well used.

The bears #68

Sarn said...

Happy WOYWW Kate xxx Congrats on so many followers.

Hugs
Sarn xxx

Hazel said...

I love playing with alcohol inks (haven't done so for a while so you might just have prompted me to get them out again). Thanks for sharing your workspace. Hope you have a good week. Hazel WOYWW #99 x

Jean said...

Your alcohol inked card looks gorgeous, can't wait to see the card you make with it. Jean x

Minxy said...

Ahhhh the old shove it to the side to sort later pile, mine isn't quite as bad as yours but it's getting that way lol
Your inky background looks cool.
Happy WOYWW
Hugz Minxy #50

Lunch Lady Jan said...

I love the orangey/bronzy/reddish colours you've used in the inky background..that process looks like it should be fun!!
I'm not going to enter your giveaway basically because I'm not a papercrafter so it wouldn't be fair if I won. Someone else can have the chance. Congrats on the followers though!!!
Hugs, LLJ #13 xx

sandysewin said...

Your background is beautiful. I love Cranberry alcohol ink, it just seems to be the perfect deep red.

Happy creating. :-) and Happy Woyww!

Sandy #115

Daniella said...

So many fun things on your desk!! My 3 "go to" adirondak inks are watermelon, pine green and ocean blue. I have more, but I only use those 3!!!LOL!!
Happy WOYWW!
xxDaniella

Di said...

Love what you do with the photos Kate. And, I haven't ever used alcohol inks - maybe it's time to try.

Laughed at the scheduling and then realising you still have to link - that's the bit I often trip up on too, especially for challenges :(

Envelopes all finished now!

Belated Happy WOYWW! Di xx

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm late getting started this week. I blame it on the Linky snafu. First I was early, now I'm number 22. I keep a monthly journal, but I don't have photos or anything like that. Yours is awesome. I also like your AIs and Krylon leaf pen background, too. It's one of my favorites.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I'm late getting started this week. I blame it on the Linky snafu. First I was early, now I'm number 22. I keep a monthly journal, but I don't have photos or anything like that. Yours is awesome. I also like your AIs and Krylon leaf pen background, too. It's one of my favorites.

Glenda Atkins said...

I think your desk (panning to left) bears some resemblance to mine which is NOT a good thing, I am forever losing things only to be found days later when I'm looking for something else:O)
hugs
glenda

BJ said...

Hi Kate, Loving those alcohol ink colours, need to remember those. Thanks for the tip with respect to making a shim for my Cuttlebug. I have been pondering what to use and having saved LOADS of acetate packaging, that will do just nicely. In fact it might replace the card shim I use between to plates for embossing. Have to say your photo project is brilliant, what a great idea and super momento. BJ#19

Tertia said...

Loving that background you are working on! The colours are fabulous, no wonder they are your favourites.
Your desk looks so invitin g, if I lived on the same continent I would be begging to come for a play date!
Happy belated WOYWW
Tertia 86

Sonia said...

Kate is not easy works with a lot of photos... I take with my cellular phone when I walk with my husband early in the morning, may be one day or two don't take nothing, lol!
Thanks for always sharing different themes in your blog..
Greetings from Puerto Rico
-Sony

505whimsygirl said...

Now you have 51 followers! I joined before I read your post -- way to go. I now how milestones get you giddy with excitement - they do me too.

The July page is great. I love how the photos are of different sizes and fill the entire page.

My one year anniversary was yesterday - blog candy will be announced soon (so I'll have to pick Di's brain on how to get the post to stay at the top of my blog). I'm taking a poll on a part of the candy - pop on over and tell me what you think.

Happy WOYWW
Kay #96

mark gould said...

Happy Woyww,congrats on hitting the 50 mark, I am sure the next 50 will rush by.
I love the tiger card from above, very clever.
happy stamping, mark x

VonnyK said...

Congrats on your 50 followers. I love the colours you are using with those alcohol inks, really go nicely. You are better at the computer thingys than me, I have enough trouble just making a post, let alone making one stay up top.
Have a great week.
Von #17

peggy aplSEEDS said...

hi Kate, your daily photo project looks amazing!

Amy E said...

Ooooh...look at all those alcohol inks! What fun you must have. I know what you mean about picking three of your favorite colors and going back to them each time. I'm trying to break away from doing that, but it's hard sometimes!

The todo stores you were talking about sound the the Dollar Stores here...everything in the store costs a dollar. Not high quality, but you can find some fun stuff in there sometimes!

Amy E. #8
scrapthissavethat.blogspot.com

Morti said...

I'm really late getting round to everyone this week! Thanks for stopping by my blog though.

Love the photo project - it's a bit like Project Life!

Anonymous said...

I like the idea of a daily project photo but lack the time to put it all together! Good contrast between you clean and messy sides there too, and I'm here late enough that I saw the beautiful Tiger card finished. Love how the backing piece came out. I was also looking at your other blog, those cicadas are "bug ugly" as they say in the States! We have them in the trees at the end of the garden and I always know summer has truly arrived when they start making their noise!

Hugs
Brenda

Unknown said...

Hi Mamapez Thanks for popping by. I am really late visiting this week. I got round to shrinking my scrap paper collection so I have petty scraps filed neatly away and a big back of scraps to give to my pal who has an art group that loves to create. I love your photo a day page. What a great idea. Belated WOYWW Hugs from Helen 23