WOYWW 180

Hello desk-hoppers... it's lovely to be back!  I missed a couple of weeks, and it felt so weird.  But I'm delighted to join in again with the week's best bloghop, hosted as ever by the lovely Julia Dunnit at the Stamping Ground, as we snoop around visit the craft desks of the world to see WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk this Wednesday).  And not only am I back, but I believe my sister-in-law, Laura, is planning to make her debut, with her one-week-old blog Laurart...


Close readers will have clocked in the last couple of posts that I'm not actually at home at the moment.

I'm working away for three weeks, and having packed more craft stash than clothes (so as not to go into withdrawal), I've set myself up a temporary craft desk to play at, and that's what I'm sharing this week.

On the far left is my Paris tag, and then a canvas which was also headed to France, but lost inspiration part way and is waiting for a top up!

It would have been almost impossible to pack to come away, I think, without my early Christmas present from my mother (yes, she of the dollshouse museum blog), a Tim Holtz cargo case.  You can cram so many pads and bottles and bits and pieces in... and if they're TH/Ranger, it's all designed to fit them perfectly which, of course, delights me!

In front of it you can see the gesso and white acrylic paint I went straight out to buy at The Works upon arrival.  I'd run out of gesso, so had been waiting patiently to get here for that, and I'm afraid my white paint simply wouldn't fit in, but given it costs less than £2, and I go through it very fast, I figured it wasn't the end of the world to buy a new bottle.





I've also augmented the stash since arriving here in Stratford upon Avon, as I went to the last day of the Hobbycrafts show at the NEC on Sunday.  I had an absolutely wonderful time - mainly because I'd arranged to meet up with the fantastically talented Buttons... who, it turns out, is just as lovely in real life as she is online.  It was a real delight to make a face-to-face crafty connection with one of my favourite bloggers.


We were fairly restrained in our spending, but one of my main reasons for going was to see some of the PaperArtsy stuff in person, and I knew I wanted to get some Fresco paints (to add to the one I own).

I was so inspired by the demos Leandra was doing, that I also succumbed to some Ferro modelling paste, and some boards to create on.  Buttons also introduced me to the MDF Man, and I'm really looking forward to playing with these hearts, which were only 35p each! And I needed some new clear embossing powder, so was very pleased with this bargain jumbo WOW pot.



Sadly, we're in technical rehearsals and then previews for a new show, which means I'm in the theatre for upwards of 12 hours a day, and don't then have much creative energy leftover... but I'm really looking forward to Sunday!!




Lastly (sorry, Julia, I know you like us to keep it short), I mentioned in a previous post that the view from my living room where I'm staying is pretty special.









From the craft table, I look right out onto the River Avon and the weir, so I just want to leave you with a couple of pictures.








They were taken on Sunday morning - at the start of a glorious day. If you're feeling envious, comfort yourself with the thought that it's been pretty constant grey drizzle or worse ever since!





So, that's me.  As you'll have gleaned, I will have to fit my hopping into lunch and supper breaks over the next few days, but I hope to get round to see as many of you as possible. 

In the meantime, thanks so much for stopping by, and happy WOYWW to you!!

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books.
Walt Whitman

Don't trouble yourself with looking at the view... I've already composed it.
Gustav Mahler (evidently a man with very few self-esteem issues)