Happy 250 WOYWW

For 250 weeks (oh my goodness!) our friend Julia Dunnit has hosted an every changing and always constant array of desks around the world. The next couple of months have been and will be super busy with two trips, lots of classes, kids moving back to the area, but I did want to say Happy Anniversary this week to WOYWW.

It's surprisingly tidy. On the corner of the desk is my Planner....for the Documented Life Project. Here are my last two weeks. On the left is the week with "add a bird" and the week on the right is "include something from a magazine".

I just finished a class at my local store The Stamp Cache on stencil techniques. A GIANT shout out to Jennie Atkinson for her amazing flower tutorials on her blog...I found her when Tim Holtz called her out as a February tag winner. I love the internet!!

In the US we have something called the Cooperative Extension Service which is program of our University system...they have wonderful information about home and hearth. For three days last week some shop keepers in our town worked with CES to host a lot of classes throughout the town. I was asked to do do something with paper...in an hour...that wasn't messy. Hmmm. 

Yep I went back to the guy who brought me to the party...Tim Holtz. Turned out of the seven people who signed up for my class, six were already friends, and of course I made a new one out of Annie. We made little 3" x 3" books out of a piece of scrap book paper. 

We had a blast!! Hope your finding fun in your days too. 

Uncle Frank Was a Mariner

I had a variety of bits and bobs and time pieces on my desk since January and the pocket watch Tim Holtz used in his January tag. And now with the new Vintage Journey Anything Tim challenge I thought I might see if I could get them to play nicely...the final addition was Uncle Frank...a newly Found Relative. 

It started with a burlap panel, a piece of cardboard and a collage of Industrial papers from Tim Holtz and some white acrylic paint I applied with a brayer. Next I used a foam stamp made from die cut gears applied in grey and desert sand pinks. Then I started playing!!

The lace was cut from a thrift store find, stiffened and colored with paint and matte medium. I imagined it belonged to Uncle Frank's long lost love...a remanent he some how managed to keep through the years. The rusty mesh and a key were found in his rooms. I think Uncle Frank lived at No. 109 and was actually part of a secret society...I imagine the flying heart was their symbol. 

I knew he was a Mariner when I found his watch...encrusted from years under the sea....but brass at it's core. Unfortunately, the case fare as well.  

Uncle Frank, and the few remaining pieces of his life are now hanging in the Fun Room, as a reminder of journeys from all ago. 

WOYWW #248

I love the internet. What did we do before we had it? I now regularly post to Ms. Julia's What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday, as we trip around the world sharing our desks. I found the Art 365 challenge, although I don't think the good folks at Blue Twig Studio call it that - where I make a small one inch by one inch (or 2 x 2) piece of art every day. And I, and about 5,600 other people are seriously into the lovely ladies at Art 5's Documented Life Project, or DLP for short. Not to mention Lifebook 2014, a series of classes every week.

The usual goodies. Underneath the top of the ruler, you can see a piece of Happy Mail I received today. And boy do they make me happy.

This is the start of the Week 10 Lifebook project - should be intersting. Hopefully I'll be able to show you the finished product next week. Ooo. And peaking out from behind this is ANOTHER piece of Happy Mail I got today!

I have developed a serious addiction to washi tape of late...all that COLOR and PATTERN. Be still my heart. I'll knock these back with paint probably and see what develops. Who knows?

Here is this week's set of inches. Happy colors....I often just start with what's on my desk and see where that takes me. Over the weekend I was really into little strips of paper I had colored or covered in yes, washi tape. Did I mention I like color a lot?

And finally here's last DLP prompt - recycle. The background is made of the insides of billing envelopes. The flower and leaves were the left overs from making background paper a couple of weeks ago. I used a stabilio pencil to outline it and then went around with a fine paint brush dipped in water. I like how it grounds the heavy piece.

Well that's it for me this week. Thanks for stopping by! If you feel so inclined let me know which inchie is your favorite this week.