We like to like, don't we - like?

Did you know that Tonic Studios are having a grand giveaway for every 1000 likers on Facebook? When they reach increments of 1000 (up to 5000) they will give away £100 worth of products. THIS IS CRAZY! All you have to do is go to their page, LIKE the page (here) and share the news on your facebook too. It's a great way to keep up to date with all their new products and giveaways plus news on events, blog updates and craft ideas. What's not to like??!!!

So, WOYWDW? That "What's on your work desk Wednesday" to you! I haven't done this before but here is my first entry. As you can see, its a bloody tip. I have to work with daylight lamps as Im in the garage conversion with no windows. But don't feel sorry for me, I love it in my prison/craft room.


I was in the middle of making this for a sweet little girl who I met at the NEC last year. Im hoping she is going to love it




And finally Im ending with a card. I used a strip of fabric and kept it very simple. And I decided not to use a pin on this card, instead I used a length of wire topped with two pearly beads. I think I rather like it.


Take care, see you soon. Ok well, erm, probably see you tomorrow!

Love
Kirsty x
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Weeping buckets

I read the Daily Mail (online) every day, roughly every hour. I don't often agree with the politics, propaganda and often libellous stories but what I do love reading is about the natural world - the real world. I'm talking acts of kindness, wildlife photography and animal magic. Today there was a story headlining about a woman who was out riding her horse and it got stuck in a quagmire. It was sinking, stuck and in danger of being drowned with the incoming tide. The photographs were enough to relay the story to me in full. The pain and love in these photos alone had me in floods of tears; oh how I empathise with that kind of love and pain.

The owner, here, was sinking but offering to stay and calm her beloved pet

You can feel how much pain she was suffering by trying to steady and comfort the horse

And this picture? Oh my, bwah bwah bwah - heart wrenchingThe cruel twist to the story was the absurd amount of people commenting saying how foolish she was to stay with the horse with an incoming tide. To me, that's the hate spewing out of their empty souls. To love and be loved, one has to experience emotion. Those persons with swinging bricks, in place of a heart, shouldn't make such a ridiculous judgement.
**my heart is destroyed by people who have
no compassion and love for animals**

You can read the story and how it all unfolded HERE

On a lighter note, here is a tag I made a while back but forgot to share. Ive had that Tim Holtz die for EVER and its the first time I used it. **shame on me**



See you tomorrow for more crazy shenanigans from the Wiseman household.

Love
Kirsty x
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Chunky Malunky Ribbon

The guys at Fantastic Ribbons, Keith and Ben, were awfully generous sending myself and the DT a bundle of delectable ribbons to work with - including this sheeny, shiny wired number below. The beauty of wired ribbon is that it holds its form to create the most bubbly, full bows. You can be really adventurous with shaping ruffles too.

Here is a simple card where the bow dominates the entire card but is still subtle enough to blend with the papers too.


I used bling from Mei Flowers, My big shot by Sizzix, greetings from Craftwork Cards and paper from Basic Grey. Finally, adhesives from Tonic - yes, TONIC!

I can't believe that I've started using glue from Tonic Studios.
That's cos I am really picky with my PVA. I mean that, it just has to deliver in the right size blobbage and speed. So when I tried this out at the NEC last week, I gave it a massive thumbs up and decided from now that it would be my adhesive of choice. They agreed to let me take some away for my personal use and I reckon this little lot of loveliness will last me a few months.

Finally, here is a picture that I taught Mell to take this weekend. Slow shutter speeds and sparklers equals a lot of fun. I wrote my name (you can make out it says Kirsty.....just!). I did this the right way for me but back-to-front for the camera. All I did was flip the photo in photoshop to read the right way.
Didnt she/I do a fab job? lol xx

Love
Kirsty x
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Im spoiled

I can't end my lovely weekend, that we shared with Mell, without sharing two of the many gifts she brought Ellie and I. Whilst we were opening the handmade part of the pressies, I simply dropped my jaw at this gorgeous piece of "she art". I keep meaning to take this course but I haven't got round to it - so Im happy to have this instead.

She also started a smash-style book for me, too with delicious kraft pages for me to make up as and when I want. With Smash books being a HUGE bone of contention for sale in this country, its a TREAT! Thanks Melly Moo x

Note: Did you know that the reason why Smash books are being held off UK shelves? Try looking towards a dried potato packet company who are challenging the Smash book name. This is what I hear and I am shaking my head in utter disbelief.

Smash books are no potato substitute, ok?

The sum of our day

Sometimes words don't say it as well as pictures. This blog entry is a total kop out.

All I will say is that Mell was our guest and she came, we ate, we had fun, we watched movies, we crafted and we got worn out.

Tomorrow will probably be the same again.

A visual story of today

Beautiful things we did/saw/ate in Bridlington.

Reunited and buttons winner

I went to pick Belles up from my mums tonight. I brought poochy with me. This boy misses his girl and vice versa. And so now the Eddy sammich is complete; with Belles and I being the bread. Or in his case, the buns. Tee hee.

Also, I have a winner for the buttons giveaway. Drum roll please...............
The winner of the candy buttons is:
Fiona from this blog here
http://madeinamuddle.blogspot.com

Ellie used her choosy pointy finger whilst her feet were being washed by poochy's slobbering tongue!

Fiona? Mail me your details hunny bee x

Before midnight

I'm back home from the NEC after three days hard sell on the Letraset stand. Loved working with Nike (pronounced Nicky) and Mike (but not pronounced Micky). I managed to spend a combined total of 25 hours stood up whilst bearing the voices of Brian Blessed and James Earl Jones combined. This is the worst stinking cold ever known in the history of (wo)man.
I was so tired when I got back but had to finish some work before retiring at this unknown hour. Well, in this house at least. Whilst at the NEC I managed to secure prizes for my sponsorship/raffle as part of my upcoming Inca Trail.

Back to blog land tomorrow.

Look what she made

My friend, Janey, made me this for me, for my birthday.

Isn't it a thing of beauty? Thank you, Janey x

Croak

I've been in Birmingham less than 12 hours and I've got a very sore throat. I rang home to speak to Marko and he thought I was a man! And then afterward retracted it and pronounced that it was bordering on Deirdre Barlow.

And now I'm in my room, all alone with no craft supplies. I feel bereft. Instead I jotted this quote on complimentary note paper whilst scoffing the complimentary bickies.

I almost passed out plus lens for sale

Honestly, I nearly did pass out!! I choked a little when I saw this and laughed my head off for hours afterwards.


Queen couldn't have penned such a lyric so poetically!

And another quote......a funny one, why not?

Again, brought to you so colourfully by Rhonna's exquisite graphics and brushes

If you are going to Stitches this week; hope to see you there. I'm demonstrating with Letraset. Coolest markers ever. Going to kiss goodbye to clean fingers for three days, anyway!

PSSSST! Don't forget to leave your name in this, yesterdays or the day before's blog post to win a huge bag of buttons from Fantastic Ribbons

Double PSSSSSST! Im selling my 70-200mm L F4 USM IS lens. It's been used less than 5 times but what I really want is the F2.8 version, now. I have a figure in mind but if you want to make a sensible offer on a boxed quality lens, email me here (Im not using ebay for this transaction).

Love
Kirsty x
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Small substrates

Ive recently joined an ATC swap group on Facebook. There are 24 of us split into two groups. The group I am in sends the next person on the list an ATC. The next month we send the 2nd person on the list a swap and so on - for a whole year. I love ATC's. Small spaces that can command big work. Im waiting to receive my ATC but this is one of the ATC's that I sent to my next girl. I made one extra for myself so that I will end up with 24 little beauties come next January.

and I wrapped it up in string and sent it lovingly on its way like this:


Today I had to go for an eye test. I haven't been since 2008. I am supposed to wear glasses for reading even though my prescription was literally tiny. But since November last year, I have been really struggling to focus plus I have had the most rotten migraines. I knew it was my eyesight and finally I took an appointment today. Needless to say I have to wear glasses all the bloody time now. Not that Im really fussed but its a case of "getting used to it" and admitting that Im getting old! I used to work in an opticians years ago and already knew that from the age of 40, peoples eyesight starts to diminish. So I wasn't really surprised.

I bought these frames for my readers (just waiting on getting my distance an NO! I do not want either bi or varifocals). Don't you just love the sauciness of French Connection UK branding? Its enough to make my Granny swivel in her grave. I am picturing being stood in the queue at our local post office and all the pensioners gawping and gasping. Naughty, really but actually - not so much ;)


Whilst I was at the opticians I had x-ray style photos taken of my eyes. The optician told me that I must go and see my doctor in relation to that. I think I know what it is but its not dangerous. Just a little unsettling. Other than that, the health of my eyes are good. And Im glad, cos I totes rely on these organs so that I can smother my babies with kisses and admire the beauty of them whilst they remain focused!

Taken last night, its a bit dark - sorry. You might be able to make out my two sticky, toffee puds.

And lastly, I'll leave you with a quote. Ive used Rhonna's amazing brushes and fonts to make this truly thought provoking quote. The message I glean from this is that walking away gracefully is key. It's a wonderfully sobering experience....... take it from me.
Its a mantra we should all adhere to - imagine if the world stood by this?
**wow, I want to live in that world so bad!**

Love
Kirsty x
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feeling a bit inventive

First off, Let's start off with a quote.
I'm feeling so quotey right now, I want to write a book about the best ones I have seen so I can keep it with me at all time, read it and smile that I think "not alone".

So, this inventiveness thing - yeah?
It's probably all been done before but what the hell, I think I invented something. I'm going to smother myself in self adulation, clasp my hands and look wistfully at everyone who may applaud me on my apparent ingeniousness or die with fright from the sheer horror that its old hat (pick one). Either way, here is my inventive baby. Using a glue gun; those bloody things that burn your finger ends away, right to the bone and give off whiffy-burny skin aromas **pong**

I was faffing with my hot glue gun tonight, for a project that I made for Fantastic Ribbons. I always use a heat resistant/non-stick mat to rest my glue gun on. So when I came to clear up from the ribbon project, I noticed a lovely mound of silicon looking/feeling melted glue. Oh I do love to play with that. As my glue gun was still hot, I squidged the rest out to "play" with and made this pattern here - next to the tag. As it lifted off the non-stick mat so easily, it was like a piece of art, waiting to be abused by ink!

I thought "Im going to use that as a mask. And so I did. I squirted yellow ink over the top and was left with this lush pattern.

I built upon the tag and obvs got too carried away and hid the masking bit, but I'm chuffed with my sunset coloured tag and how glorious she shines


But the best thing was, I further made more hot gluey magic by framing the picture of the little girls and etched the frame with a daub of silver ink.
**skips happily at such inventiveness that's probably not inventiveness but still.....**

So, the ribbon project?
This week the DT at Fantastic Ribbons have been making accessories using ribbon. Today was my entry. To see how this lush rainbow ribbon bow was put together, come hither

Don't forget to leave your name on either yesterdays or today's post to be in with a chance of winning a huge bag of buttons from Fantastic Ribbons.

Love
Kirsty x
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