Mr Tumble & WOYWW

If you are here looking for my desk only then please scroll down. If you want to see how two lovely bloggers completely made a three year olds birthday... read on.

For those that maybe don't know - Mr Tumble is a character performed by Justin Fletcher. But you cannot - for love nor money find official merchandise of Mr Tumble. Which is really unusual when it comes to kids toys, usually the market is flooded with any old tat - I like to think it's down to the morals of the lovely Justin. I may be wrong but I like to think it.Anyway - my youngest is obsessed with Mr Tumble - she's learning sign language through his TV show and I swear a lot of her good manners come from there too.

A while back I put up a plee for a custom doll that would look like Mr Tumble both on here and as an Alchemy request on Etsy - for Ruby's birthday. Blimey but I got so many responses through Etsy - so many parents have such a lot of love for Mr Tumble.

In the end I worked with Wipso who gave me a very reasonable price and kept me informed at every stage how Mr Tumble was coming along. Boy did she come up trumps!

He even has his spotty bag but Ruby has hidden that away from me at the moment.

Inside Mr Tumble's bag was a surprise little birthday teddy bear and poem from Wipso to Ruby, which was a beautiful touch. She loved it.

Then a few weeks ago a surprise package arrived from the lovely Virginia - I opened it up and had to hide it quickly.What should be inside but...
I'll say it again - I have made the best friends through Blog Land whose kindness and talent constantly amaze and surprise me.

Both Tumbles absolutely were the star attraction yesterday and Ruby is over the moon with them.

Ruby & Tumbles very sleepily watching the real thing on TV.

So if you have found my blog on the desperate search for a Mr Tumble doll yourself I can thoroughly recommend you have a conversation with Wipso and alsoVirginia.  Both dolls are so gorgeous to see in real life and so well made. I can really see these being treasured by Ruby forever :)

Now. Onto What's On My Workdesk? Wednesday...the short answer being... nothing! Ahahahaha! I do feel a fraud making you read all that and then showing this but I am chortling as I type.It took me a week to clear the carnage that was there before. I must admit - much as it goes against my chaotic nature... I prefer it clear - I can actually do stuff! Plus I have to keep a lot of my crafting hidden at the moment as it's all gearing towards Christmas presents and I don't know who out of my family reads the blog.

If you fancy playing along and showing the world what you are working on at the moment - head on over to the Queen of Madness herself and link up so we can all find you.

It's Ruby's first day at nursery today and I have to stay and play... I mean, watch to make sure she settles in.  So I may be a bit later getting round you all. Have those cuppa's ready.

Thank you for stopping by ;)

Cards R Us... not!

There has been a few birthdays this month which means my feeble card making has been cranked up a notch. I don't know why I struggle with them but I do - is it the small scale I wonder?

Bombshell stamp Stampotique stamp & Gauche Alchemy wallpaper swatch

My favourite card to make - ever. So easy but I love the effect. I bought these fairy laser cuts from an Etsy seller - he has sadly stopped selling for a while so am really getting miserly with the couple of cuts I have left. I just colour them black slather some glitter glue over a pretty background, slap on the die cut and Bob's your Uncle.

I now have a spick and span desk and shelf area! Only taken me since Wednesday - should I want to I could now resurrect my fledgling pin-up career. Oh yes I could.

G'night all .

What's Rocking My World Friday :)

Good morning Rockers and Rockettes.

Rocking my world this week is...

My Mum. Today would have been her 72nd birthday. I am so lucky and blessed to have been born with her as my Mother. Everything she did in her life was for us - her six girls (yep, by her own admittance she was trying for a boy!) My Mum - the most self-sacrificing, kind spirited, creative, artistic, green fingered, inspiring, encouraging, loving woman and fabulous cook that I've ever been privileged to know... a true Earth goddess and she didn't even know it... plus she had the filthiest laugh imaginable - her witches cackle.

I know I've posted these before, I'll probably post them again next year - so sue me ;)

Miss you Mum x x x

Also Rocking My World this week and the past couple of weeks. My bloggy friends. This community never fails to surprise me. I count myself so lucky to have made some wonderful friends through the t'internet and it's just such a shame that you all,  inconsiderately I might add, live so far away. I've received some wonderful email messages and cards and a couple of parcels of late. (One of which contained peanut M&M's! Yum!) You know who you are and you will never know what your friendship means to me. I can say it - but I can't convey it.

So thank you, for making me laugh when I needed it, making me cry both happy and sad tears.

I can't wait to finally get to meet my Gaily (check out her not so safe, rude blog here) next week, as chance would have it, on the weekend I would have been sulking about missing Ally Pally. How's that for a fortuitous bit of luck? I didn't even realise till Craig pointed it out. So you may now go to Ally Pally - I know you all cancelled your tickets when I told you to, well now you have my permission to go again. As long as you take note and lots of pictures of all the Halloween goodness and paint deals for me. As for us? We shall be indulging in a True Blood binge. Making the kids fetch us tea and nibbles while we recline and drool over Bill. There may be a bit of crafty, painty fun, there may not. Bill might wear us out - who knows.

And then in October I'm going to be meeting up with the crazy Doone woman. The scarer of Craig, she will come wielding wood burning tools ... the hospital has been put on stand-by.

And of course, finally, FINALLY, True Blood is back on Channel 4. Season 2 kicked off last night. I don't commandeer the telly often (ever!) but for the forseeable future thursday nights are MINE!So what rocked your world this week? Fancy playing along? Why not come join us over at Virginia's gaff and link up?

Thank you as always for stopping by :)

Ducky Duck Duck

I can share my latest non-feathered, paper coated, plastic friend now that I know he has landed safely at his new home.His new owner does the most amazing bright and funky art journals and I was trying to pay homage in duck form.

He's made up of bits 'n bobs from Gauche Alchemy (napkins & embellishments) paint, glitter pen and lashings of Glossy Accents - blimey I wish that stuff came in a bigger bottle... a litre tub would be nice.

If I haven't caught up on your WOYWW desk yet - I'll be by over the next couple of days. Thank you as always for stopping by.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday.

These photos were taken late Tuesday afternoon. And I'll admit it's worse still as I type this Tuesday night. It's gotten so bad that I am typing blind and having to stand up and peek over everything to check my spellings!

Photo from the doorway...
Other way from the window...Actual desk...It's actually pretty representative of my shambles of a mind at the moment. Lots going on but getting nowhere fast.

Enough is enough. Time to stop talking about changing my ways and flipping well actually do something about... well, everything really. Making no sense? No matter - I know what I mean and mean it I do.

So for starters - three guesses what I'll be doing today? I have my helper......I wondered where I put that!

Come join the masses baring souls, drawers and whatever else we blimming well want to bare. Scratch your name in Julia's desk so we can all find you ;)

Thanks for stopping by :)

I've Been Lucky - I'll Be Lucky Again...

Bette's back :)This was an ATC I did using various bits and bobs from the GA colour kits. And paint of course.

"I've been lucky. I'll be lucky again" is credited to Bette Davis via various websites - I like to think she said it, it's a favourite quote of mine.

Thanks for stopping by as always.

See! I can do short posts sometimes. Just not often ;)

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday.

Chaos Mainly! And... more Chaos. Morning WOYWWers and anybody else who has happened by.

I'll try to keep it brief today - I know you've a lot of desks to see. Just going to mention anything I think you might ask about...The hand print paper is actually a mouse mat - a freebie from one of the baby food companies.

The diary looking thing is in fact... a diary! Never thought I would have to keep one but I'm finding I do and it is helping my scatterbrain. I've only forgotten one thing this week. Amazing! Although Craig wasn't to impressed when he asked if I could pick him up from a bird show at the end of this month - so I checked the diary! Ahahaha! He's wondering what else he'll have to schedule! Thinking about it - when I was single, my flat used to be wallpapered with post-it notes. I don't know why I got out of the habit of prompting myself to remember things!

The sketch book is indeed a sketch book - I've been practising facial features for the Suzi Blu class I'm doing. Talking of which - the CD holder is my attempt to back up the class - my PC isn't playing nice and am worried I will lose everything. I'm awaiting a USB stick to arrive so I can back up all my photos and documents too. I fear my dinosaur will soon stutter it's last crash notice.

What else... Chopping boards, for the class again and a top tip from Doone. Cheapy cheap from Ikea so they are in preparation for when my tub of Gesso arrives. The paint brushes were a cheapy cheap bargain buy too. (Can you guess where I went at the weekend??)

You might be able to spot some Quorn packaging - they have an offer for a recipe book when you have two codes, I was ordering one of those last night...

Anything else - please shout.

Some of you have mentioned over past weeks the wire bird on my shelf:It's a custom made present I bought for Craig a couple of Christmases ago. Sparkflight on Etsy can sculpt almost anything out of wire and she did this from a photo of one of Craig's actual pigeons. The ring on its leg is one of his rings. Don't know if you can see in the picture but she's even signed and dated in wire.He loved it as do I and I've told him - if he ever boogers off he can take the dogs... maybe even the kids but pidgie stays!

The project some of you were wondering about last week was a challenge item for Gauche Alchemy/Sketchy Thursdays. "Zombie Mother" The Challenge is still running so if you'd like to win the new Gauche Alchemy kit, take a peep here.

Oh yeah, Hugh? He's just there to make this visit more interesting for Donna and Gail. Enjoy girls!

Thanks for stopping by everyone, if you want to play along then get your bum over to our all seeing, all knowing leader: Julia, link up, stand back and prepare to be bombarded.

Get the kettle on - I'm on my way!

p.s - Apologies, guess I just can't do short posts!

Girl Bracelet

This is a bracelet I made for a special little girl. A very late birthday pressie. Not as late as I have been in the past but still late. So I hope she thinks it was worth the wait :)
I used beads from the GA Mixed Media Colour Kits: Scarlet Fever, Wedding Night, Blue Streak and Pink Parts plus some beads from my stash. They are threaded onto memory wire and the ends of the wire were bent back on themselves to stop the beads coming off - I didn't want to use end stopper beads in case they ended up coming off as the little girl is quite young.

Got to restock my beads now as have two girly girls in the family demanding Father Christmas brings them a bracelet!  Why can't I have just a smidgen of rock grunginess in some of the females in my family? What did I do wrong in a past life? Tell me that. What?

Still, to bring a bit of steampunk joy to your lives - check out this giveaway over at Art From My Heart. Be still my rusty heart! If you'd like to enter you'll have to be quick, the giveaway ends at 6pm PDT on the 8th of September. And if you win, the rules state - all be it in very small print that you almost can't see but I can - that you have to give the pendant to me, the person who told you about it. Seems fair to me. Honestly - it does say that, put your specs on! What? WHAT?

Thanks as always for stopping by :)

Brain Pie Anyone?

Gauche Alchemy is Sponsoring Sketchy Thursdays this month and the prize for one lucky winner will be the newest GA kit; Nature Calls. There be butterflies and bugs galore - I want it! I want it! I want it! I used the Paper Napkin Art Kit, some Ouchless Cardboard and some bits from Banana Hammock, Black Out and Pink Parts Mixed Media Color Kits along with a load of acrylic paint, some loo roll and mud (the mud was accidental but I liked the effect) to create...

Zombie Motherrrrrr

Now, I promise, hand on heart, my intention was to try and do 50's cute kitsch with this. And... well... There was a Glossy Accents incident so I turned the lovely Mum into a zombie to cover it up. As you do. It all kinda spiralled from there.  My theme is: "Feeling down after becoming part of the legion of undead? Cheer yourself up with some brain pie! Everyone loves a bit of pie! Mmmmm. Brains!"

If you want to play along and be in with the chance to win then toddle along to Sketchy Thursdays or Gauche Alchemy - sod it, go see both, I insist - they both have the required sketch and lots of DT inspiration. Remember to link up your creation to the ST blog. If you don't - you will not, never, no how, win the goodies 'k?

Thanks for stopping by as always lovely people :)