WOYWW + Black Silver Oriental Card + NSW Fires

{Warning picture heavy post.}
Hullo there everyone, time for WOYWW - DO  hop over to What is On Your Workdesk Wednesday over at Julia's blog HERE....
 I am working on a card. You know when you get an idea in your head, which doesn't quite work, but you don't want to ditch it, so you attack it from another angle? 

 Well, that is what I am doing today. It is the first bit of play for this month actually as I was away then the room was all packed up (and still not totally unpacked. Oh, and the NBN went in eventually and works just wonderfully!). Over at OSA (Oriental Stamp Art) they are having a Black and silver mingle so making a card for that .. with silver, black card and black ink.

 Saw a  video by Jani Lewis of Paper Compulsions a while ago now. I used that method here but the first folder had too much open space to work successfully, so decided to cut around the image outline and glue it onto another folder from the set, also embossed the inked over with Jet Black Staz-on. Embossing folders are from Oriental set of four by Cuttlebug called "Oriental Weave".
The stamp Kanji also did not co-operate and was revamped. It was supposed to be a framed "Tranquility" kanji like this one from Artneko, but on the slippery silver card it smudged a tad on frame and the English word so trimmed these off and re-framed it - waste not, want not - again!! here tis finished..
  
Here is another part of my rearranged craft room ~ the embossing/ cutting station, positioned behind my desk, near the doorway .. with dies, folders, unmounted stamps in large folder, colouring items etc.

Note the three tools next to Cuttlebug, which  are always handy: 1. the candle end to make it easy to remove tricky dies (just give the rub over the die before cutting) 2. the green handled tool to lift dies when cut off plate, and 3. the invisible tape to attach dies while cutting. Have a Big Shot as well as Cuttlebug because I thought the bug was broken! and bought the Shot! then someone on WOYWW (about two years ago) suggested it was probably a loose screw and it was :D so use one for cutting and the other for embossing.

 

Also today my thoughts and prayers are with the "Firies" (our brave firefighters) down south - we have really had bad bushfires this year - and it is not even summer! There are over 60 fires burning across NSW, too many of which are out of control. A dry warm winter -> lots of fuel!

The real area of concern especially today, Wednesday, is the Blue Mountains townships (surrounding Sydney), where they have lost over 200 homes already and about half that damaged badly.

 I took these with my camera from the ABC news - so heartbreaking to watch.

 

Dear LORD, may you watch over them all today - those who are fighting and those who are waiting to see what is going to happen to their homes and livelihoods, may You give wisdom and grace and mercy where needed to all concerned, keep them safe and meet every need, In Jesus name, amen.

Thanks so much if you have read this far down, and if you join in with me in this prayer .. and for popping over for a peek and chat.

May the dear LORD bless your day where ever you may be!

and .. please dont forget to pop over to the blog candy please, thank you!

Shaz in Oz.x

Would like to link over with:

1. Di's Snippets challenges - used snippets on this!

2. Word Art Wednesday - Anything goes.

WOYWW - a W.I.P everyone!

Hullo there everyone and as promised a few weeks back.. I had a craft room to organise - didn't I? You know this is my very first post of my craftroom!

{{ INSERT -a very loud "Woohoo" here!!!!}}

For those of you not in the know - WOYWW is a weekly blog hop - What is On Your Wordesk Wednesday? and here we do a reveal of what we are working on at present - or not! check desks all over the world, (click here) at our brilliant hostess', Julia's blog and see what you may learn and glean. 

Warning picture heavy post..

My room is shown in pictures below and it is still a WIP or Work In Progress.

Distant view of crafty space, the back of **bookcase in foreground to be a display board - has thick card over old spare material form previous curtains. (**Snaffled from lounge room)

This is my crafty desk with a Marianne die and  3D card in process of being made for friend's wedding at weekend. Wallpaper and carpet are from 1974 when house was built and purple was all the rage - another bedroom has burnt orange carpet :D and others have wanted to get rid of it - but I like it! Wait long enough and it is back in fashion...

My WOYWW corner and the supervisors of all crafty activities here. Monkeys being not so naughty at present as there is too much going on!!

Bookcase behind desk, with Cuttlebug etc., the embossing folders, Spellbinders and other dies and black/orange folder has unmounted stamps (see here) which don't come in packs; others are stored below.

Cupboard behind desk and bookcase, and has a cube shelf system.

Inside of cupboard top half, shows my stamp mounted on left (from 1990's when I sorted them this way), unmounted stamps in sets, other items in drawers. Snippets mentioned on previous post are in categories in lower right drawer system, with Ink dusters atop.

This was originally a spice rack my dad made and they no longer wanted it and he asked if would I like it - posted it back here, one of my first WOYWW posts.

Isn't he beautiful? Here is a new little visitor who has just flown in all the way from UK, he s having a rest here before flying off to my sisters just up the road! Jo, she was was over the moon with your stunning creation.

and dear kind Jo sent me two gorgeous poppy dumflings when I only ordered one - isn't she so kind??? One of these was also for my sister Di, who had been very kind for me.

 Please do pop over to the Crafty Sister's blogspot (see my sidebar) and check out these over there. I know Jo had four of these lovely dumflings for sale - and Jo, I will give the other one to my youngest sister....
Thank you Jo, they are VERY stunning. I so adore this felting work you do! It is amazing to think the owl was made out of a piece of Laura Ashley woolen sweater, I think Jo said, and then she felts it and creates!

Oh, I just went to the post - yes it is still morning here (Wed.) and look what the postman brought today.. all the way from South Africa - thank you, Bella! I do so adore TH elephant stamp! It has been on my wish list for a loooong time and I saw it done with shrink plastic like this on Neil's blog some time back and marvelled at it, thanks so much Bella ..
Happy WOYWW everyone and thanks for popping over for a peek and chat and may God bless your day wherever you may be!
Shaz in oz.x
PS any who want a seashore photo fix see post before this - here..

Oh, and you Brits, fab Olympics - am loving them and getting very eye heavy as it is wrong time of day for us - could stay up till 6am each day, that would work - then go to bed!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 87

 

Well another week has flown by! and a whole month to boot, as we enter February gone is January and all the things I was supposed to do in the holidays (we just finished summer hols here)...well, some of craft things were done, reading, a few other minor items but not the sewing, mending etc. etc!

More prayer needed as far north Qld is about to be hit again!... this time a category 5 cyclone Yasi (that is as bad as they get, none higher category than 5!) is due in Cairns and Townsville about 10pm this evening, eastern standard time. I am in northern NSW and so are my family but do have friends in Cairns so I am praying hard..mass evacuations again! (Latest update: On this evening's news on ABC said it is as big as Hurricane Katrina and Qld has never seen one this big in recorded history - sure pray these stat.s are wrong!)

Here is my mess this morning! I am trying out a new project and still not convinced I have mastered it. I was reading up on challenges (which I always end up doing too late) but this one said to use transparencies. Now I was totally oblivious to the method of stamping on acetate and colouring; so master Google and You-tube came to my rescue. I had nothing like the stamps they “demo-ed” the method of course and so thought I would give to go with brayering. But not sure it has worked - you will have to wait and see with this as waiting for it to dry at present that is one thing it does not dry quickly!! You stamp on one side with Staz-on or similar ink pad and then colour on the other side. I think the colours will not be strong enough and may try an underlay with the colours I want.

I am also showing the way I store my unmounted stamps as last week I promised Karen @ Stamprr I would post a pickie as she asked me about it.

Last week Karen was mounting her unmounted stamps and storing them on the back of laminated sheets. I told her of the tabbed Ez mount divider sheets and folder I had mine in. it is actually an ordinary high school type ring binder we use over here. But is it zippered one (i.e. has a zipper all around it to close it up so nothing falls out) and has extra pouches in the front and back where I stick the clear ones on sheets..
If you have laminated sheets so there is nothing to stop you just punching holes through the A4 sheets and then putting them in ring binders too. I have categories (eg Christmas, words, flowers, scrolls etc) and store it that way. This link here has the tabbed storage sheets and these are the ones I have. 

To join in the fun of WOYWW, make sure you drop by Julia's Stamping Ground!   

Happy WOYWW, everyone!

PS re. the acetate and drying times, I will update on next post (God willing!) as it has been a steep learning curve..but looking better than I hoped at one stage there!! I was going to chuck it but I am stubborn as they come and tried another way! in on my hot-water hater drying after gluing now..any tips if you have done this are appreciated!! :) 

PPS Thurs. 3rd Feb.
Oh and to see the card finished look in post above as it is completed and quite happy with it!! 

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 85

WOYWW - here 'tis again!!
The start of another Wednesday, and a topsy-turvy week with computer issues has not been all joy, but hey! I am here and I want to say a really big thank you to everyone who stopped by my place last week for first intro in WOYWW ... what fun it was! have made heaps more friends on blogs and seen (and learnt) so much!!

One new addition in my craft cupboard is a spice rack!


Mm! I know a spice rack, but hey! it was there, all beautifully crafted by my father (originally for his wife in their former residence) and on the scrap heap so to speak (no room in his new abode, nor in any one else's as a spice rack) and there was space in my cupboard saying: "yes, please!" and so here you see it with my embossing powders, glitters, brads and other odds and sods..joy all around! :)


Here also is my table and the fun I have had with my brayer doing some marbled paper for cards (if you want to check these out there is post below on how to do this method), and on this table are:
1. the card I was looking for when I did in my mock marble post on Monday, will show it below in close up.

2. new things for the week -the other Cuttlebug Plus folder (I showed the first one last week) and when I said had two I was asked what the other was? and this is it - the fancy labels and have stamped one of the labels so you can see how it is cut embossed and then I also coloured through the back section. I stamped one of my new Our Daily Bread Stamps on the fancy label -ah!

3. The Brocade Window is also at the back (next to my bug) and it has a small roll of ribbon under the clear acetate film that is on the back of the folder and you lift this film and then use chalk or ink to colour the raised embossed portion. (hope I made this clear? see last weeks post if not sure)

This card is done with the green colours in my post for the marbled background and then stamped with my Lizard stamp (from MY Stamps in Oz in late 1990's) and the Pocket Silhouettes from Stamping up and then mounted rather simply, on a mock lizard paper, black and green card and ribbon.

Oh, and to find out what WOYWW is and to join in the fun, drop by Julia's Stamping Ground!   Happy WOYWW, everyone!