WOYWW 145

This is not my usual desk as you can see, but it is where I have spent most of my time since Sunday.Shaz Silverwolf's DH has been good enough to put together a server system for our computers and TV, and he fitted it on Sunday, but, of course, it did not go quite to plan and took longer than it should.  So since then, we have had emails with pretty screen captures flying backwards and forwards.  He gets the pleas for help and send back instruction on how to put it right.  So far, things are starting to make sense, one thing at a time.  On the desk you can see the latest sheaf of pictures and instructions on moving files to the right folders to make things work.

I did manage to do some cards this week, including one for a friend's birthday today, using snippets, and actually less than I had originally intended.  It is another card taken from my store of decoupage sheets.  This one was downloaded free of charge from another very generous crafter.  I cannot remember who it was, but when I get a chance, I will check on that and give her the credit she deserves. (*** See the end of this post for more info)

I don't know about you but when I put decoupage together, I rarely use all the layers on one card, and this one was no exception.  I actually broke it down into two sets for two different cards.  This one was the simplest and I think it worked the best.  I had actually put the topper together a few weeks ago, and then decided the only card that suited it was the Centura Pearl white.  It landed crooked and I was so taken with the position that I put it there to stay.  The sentiment is just a peel off, which I coloured coppery to match the butterfly.  Once it was all together and stuck down, I thought it needed a bit of bling to liven it up a little.  So out came the good old standby of the Quickie glue pen and Martha Stewart glitters, and I just highlighted the veins on the butterfly wings.  My DH looked at the finished article and said "Mmm, that looks good" - always a nice thing to hear.  There was even a specially created insert to finish the card off properly.



His own birthday card was another decoupage, and again divided between two different cards.  The design is a Joanna Sheen / Jayne Netley-Mayhew masterpiece.  He is a bird lover so this was an image that fitted so well, especially as we are heading fast into Spring, especially if the activity of the local birds is anything to go by.  They are so busy pairing up and chasing others off.  The base image already has a blue line round it, so it is just a case of  cutting it carefully to avoid any further need to matt and layer, just building up the decoupage on the top.  I always use Pinflair glue which allows fine adjustment of each piece to match perfectly.  I gave up using sticky pads ages ago when I got fed up of things not quite sitting where they should.  You can also vary the depth of glue to aid giving dimension after curling each layer as you want.  For example, the tail of the baby on the right is curled up as are the wings of both babies.  The body and head of the mother is curled on both sides to give the impression of her rounded outline.

I have managed to fit in some time out in the garden and in particular in the greenhouse over the last week.  I cannot stand for too long at a time, so we dug out a very old kitchen stool that was made by my father in his father's yard.  It was made from well seasoned coffin wood - my grandfather was an undertaker in the days when they made the coffins to fit each customer.  I always remember when I went to Grandad's (he lived behind the business with the workshops in the yard behind that), all up the side alley, there would be stacks of wood, seasoning before being stored in the cellar until needed.  anyway, back to the stool and the greenhouse, the stool is just the right thing to plonk down on when I need a break.  Then I get a chance to watch the bird life, who don't seem to notice me behind the glass.  A pair of magpies spent ages chasing off a crow, making sure he went right away from where they fancied staying.  The goldfinches don't seem to care about us or the dogs and are just fixed on eating as much of our niger seed as possible.  I am planting sunflowers in the garden this year specially for the birds to eat.  So far, in the greenhouse, I have three tiny buddlejas, several echinaceas and the sweet peas, just starting.  I can't wait to see how they develop.

I seem to have rambled on for a long time this week, so now I must let you go  (if you made it this far) and let you visit lots more of the desks on show at Julia's place.  There are so many very talented crafters over there, just waiting for you.  I hope to get to meet as many of you as possible this week - I will do my best.  Have a great week.

PS I have just found the butterfly decoupage sheet original and is was produced  by Audrey at The Lilac Garden.  Since I downloaded my sheets, she has developed her website and now produces CDs as well.  She has some lovely images on her website, some free as well as the CDs.