Tomorrow is...

...the weekly reveal of "What's on your Workdesk, Wednesday".

The weekly event supervised by Mrs Dunnit where a miriad of crafting folk share pictures of what is on their workdesk with the rest of cyberspace.

I don't participate but I do have a snoop around to see what interesting stuff folk are making at the moment - there really is some wonderful stuff out there.

As I've already said - I don't do WOYWW but I thought I would share a view of what is on my sofa when I'm in 'knitting mode'...LOL
I can assure you that this is reasonably tidy for a 'full on' knitting session......................

If you can...

..."plain" & "pearl" you can knit a hug.

This little book provides 20 knitting patterns for a variety of Mug Hugs.

If you are near a HobbyCraft you should be able to get a copy from their book section (RRP £4.99) but I think you might be able to get it a bit cheaper on-line from WHS or one of the other book websites.

If you can do basic knitting...you know...garter stitch (every row plain) or stocking stitch (one row plain, one row pearl) then you shouldn't have any problem following some of the more simple 'hug' instructions.

I've had a play with some of the designs and come up with a pattern that I like, can knit fairly quickly and can adapt quite easily to make matching coffee pot & tea cosys.

So if you have the basic skills, why not give it a go...or if you are learning to knit these are small, quick & easy - something that you should be able to get to grips with and have a finished item in no time. Go on, give it a try....................................

Do you have one of these...

...it's a Hougie Board (in-case you didn't know).
I have to admit that this was another piece of kit that I've had for some time (probably around 10 months). I saw it demonstrated at Excel last year but thought it was a bit expensive considering I already had a Crafters Companion Ultimate Pro and a Martha Stewart scoreboard (oh, and not forgetting the little scoreboard that I won in a raffle many moons ago). However, temptation raised its head a short while after as Pinnacle Crafts had them in just as they were having a 30% off Members Weekend - well I ask you - what is a girl supposed to do...

Today I had a day off work so that I could chill a bit after a quite busy weekend and also take myself off to a 'Hougie' class. Pauline was doing the class at Pinnacles and I had decided to grab a copy of the Hougie book that I had noticed hanging next to the boards. One of the things I enjoy about the Pinnacle classes is that you often get to play before you embark on making something. We had fun playing at scoring and creating hand embossed designs on CS and Miri card.

Then armed with some measurements and instructions we created the base for a double-sided stepper card. I've made a few 'steppers' before but the "steps" have either been to one side or in the middle - this was going to be a bit different.
Miri card was cut to cover each of the steps and the central panel. Before attaching the pieces to the steps we were allowed to play at creating designs. Pauline had suggested a few patterns on her sample card but we were given free-reign to come up with what ever we wanted.
I decided to do some of the scoring from the miri-side and some from the white-side...thus creating embossed & debossed patterns. Staggered dashes, brick walls, checks (straight & diagonal) and then I thought I'd get flash and try a sunray...not bad for a first attempt LOL
With the patterned panels atteched to the steps we were given some decoupage to decorate the central panel - mine is a twisted pyrimage.

One of the things I like about the Hougie is that you have both metric & imperial on one board so it will cater for most things.

Will it replace my other scoreboards?...I don't think so.

I don't think you can beat the Ultimate Pro for quick and easy box making (I should know - I made all my niece's wedding favours) and it is great not having to worry about measurements for some of the most popular card styles.

The 'Martha' board is in imperial and has smaller increments than the Hougie so that too will have its place in the scheme of things.

All in all, the Hougie is handy because it will take 12x12 sheets and this means I'll be able to use it with my scrapbooking as well as my other paper crafts...........................................

Even Gardeners need...

...hugs.
In addition to the flower buttons that I found in Poundland I also found a pack of novelty buttons at Pinnacle Crafts...Carrots.
The yarn is beautifully soft but is certainly not a true Double Knit - think I found this yarn in Pound Stretcher about a year ago. Not sure that the yarn has enough 'oomph' in it to keep its shape well but the hug looks cute.......................

How do you start your...

...Sunday?
Do you get the chance to 'chill' with a cuppa and the papers or are you up-and-running from the moment you get out of bed?

Is it a day of rest for you or are you tearing around trying to get done everything that hasn't been done during the week, so that you can start the new week with a clean slate...

I would say, mine is rarely the first and most often the second LOL

Just where do the days go?

One minute you are bemoaning the start of another week and the next you are groaning about the size of that pile of washing that needs to be sorted out ready for the start of ANOTHER week...

I shouldn't moan really. Yesterday I got to play all day long...getting mucky, inky, sticky - and enjoying every moment of it (well I did have my pinny & gloves LOL). So today is catch-up.

Luckily there isn't any of that 'boring' shopping to do as I stocked up last weekend and I've been getting bits through the week because I knew I was crafting on Saturday. The washing isn't too horrendous but a chunk of the day will be taken up popping over to Mum's to help sort out any bits & pieces that she can't manage...still, no dinner to cook as she will be treating me **grin**

Doubt I'll get much of a chance to just 'sit' today until I take up residence on the sofa to watch Dancing on Ice this evening.

So what do you do with your Sunday?.........................................

Better late...

...than never.

The lovely Debbie sent me this award back in January. I can't believe how naughty I've been by not responding until now - sorry Debbie **hangs head in shame**
My excuse for being so tardy - if there can be an excuse - is that I have to share with you 8 things about myself before sharing this with 4 other bloggers. Umm, 8 things about me...tough one...

1. Jamie Leigh-Curtis and I were born on the same day (there - that has let the cat out of the bag for those that have just dashed off to google). Can I say, she has worn much better than me but then she can afford to do so...LOL
2. There seems to be something about my birthday - JFK was killed on it, C S Lewis died on it and the Iron Lady Maggie Thatcher resigned on it.
3. I have a bit of an obsession about my cutlery drawer in the kitchen - each type of item MUST be in the right compartment and they MUST be facing the right way...how sad is that!
4. I love to see snow, I love to take photos of snow, I have snow pictures in my home BUT I hate going out in the stuff.
5. I love 'proper' dogs - reasonable size dogs...I am not one for those little handbag size things.
6. I am not a 'cat person' unless of course we are talking - lions, tigers, pumas etc.
7. Growing-up I attended a dance school and I would watch all the old musicals so that I could watch the dancers (I still adore musicals). In one musical the leading lady character would be bought an elephant ornament by her husband as a good luck charm for her opening nights - they called them 'Polliwashes' a name that stuck and I still think of elephants as polliwashes.
8. My ancestry is a European mix of French & German (great grandparents on father's side - German; something like great, great, great grandpartents on mother's side - French) sadly I speak neither language although I can manage a smattering of school-girl French LOL

Well that certainly took some thinking about **snigger**

Now I have to nominate 4 other bloggers to share in this award: -

Annette
Andy
Paula
Kristy

I would willingly nominate more as there are so many fab blogs out there but with my super skill at 'linky things' (NOT) I'd be here forever & a day LOL so can I just say...I may not have nominated you but that doesn't mean that I don't think your blog is fabulous and I will continue to spend faaaaaaaar too much time blopping around cyberspace................................

How was your day...

...mine was fab!!!

I've had a wonderful time - 6 hours of playing in a Tim Holtz style.

This was the result...
A shadow box with a clock image demonstrating a number of different techniques. The box should have been crackled but mine decided it didn't want to crack...except in the middle where the clock face went...typical **rollseyes**. However, PVA glue has formed ridges in the metallic top coat of paint that makes the box look more wooden. I'm really quite pleased with the finished effect.

Would you believe that this started out life as a cardboard box that had been the packaging for craft supplies...a cut out panel to create the frame, a coat of Ranger acrylic paint in Espresso, a layer of PVA glue covered in bronze metallic paint - attacked with a heat gun to speed-up the cracking and that was the shadow box.
The flowers were created from petals cut on the Cricut (can't remember the name of the cart - think it was 'Mother's love' or something similar). They were cut out of glossy paper and then inked with Adirondak alcohol inks in Mushroom & Espresso. The leaves were cut from green bazzill using the Sizzix "Tattered Leaves" and inked with a Distressed Ink pad in Frayed Burlap. All the elements were given dimension by curving them over the edge of the table and then assembled in place using Pinflair glue. The centre of the flowers were finished with some flatbacked gems.
The clock-face was cut from a sheet of 12x12 colour core card from one of the new Core-dinations stacks. These are lovely as they are already embossed (all over or just in specific areas) and can be sanded to give even more interest to the surface. My sheet had family members scattered all over it...Mother, Father, Aunt, Grandmother etc. After sanding I inked the edge of the circle with more of the Frayed Burlap and also brushed the ink over some of the words to make them stand out more. The numbers were wooden shapes that I inked with a Hazelnut Adirondak ink pad - then to give them an aged look Zig glue (the blue stuff that goes clear) was applied randomly and gold leaf flakes applied to this. The numbers were attached to the clock face using Glossy Accents. The clock hands were cut on the Cricut from miri card and then leafed in the same manner but using a tape runner to apply the 'sticky'. The completed face was mounted in the box using Pinflair glue to raise it slightly from the background.

I really enjoyed this project - there were 7 of us in Andy's class and every box came out completely different because of the colours folk chose to work with.

The only problem I have now is where do I put it as it is quite big.................