WOYWW487

I'm running a little late today on my weekly update to show you my desk, but better late than never.  If you don't know what I am talking about then head over to 'Head desker' Julia's blog for details.

Here is my desk in all its current chaos... I am trying to catch up with my journal hence the stickers, the journal, stamps and general mess everywhere.  Also on my desk are my watercolour crayons - they fell out of the tin and I now don't know what I have done with the tin! - my nearly empty mug and peeping from underneath the mess two new books to read and my prayer ministry team badge from the church weekend away.

Our church weekend away was absolutely fantastic.  116 of us went to Swanick where we had so much food, love, laughter, worship, food, hugs, table-tennis, food, tears, Jesus, healing, food, crafts, kites, joy and food (I won't need to eat for a week!). Adrian and Bridgett Plass were fantastic, both entertaining and deep at the same time and it was wonderful to see everyone from age 2-93 enjoying different aspects of the weekend and all getting on nicely.

The weather was very kind and so the kite making session was very popular, although there wasn't a great deal of wind for flying them!

I wasn't expecting large numbers for the crafting session I ran, but I ended up with 20 people in all ranging in age from 3-93 all decorating rocks and candles.  It was lovely to see the younger ones and the older ones interacting so well together.  That's all from me for now. Have a great week everyone.
Love
Caro
x

WOYWW486

Late to the party tonight, but better late than never... I am here to offer my desk as part of the great crafting desk nosey that Julia hosts at her blog each Wednesday.

Here is my desk in relative chaos having just decorated a candle using some Christmas tissue paper and melting it onto the outside of the candle using my heat gun.  I haven't used this technique in a number of years, but at our church weekend away, this coming weekend, I have been roped into organising and running the crafts, one of which is decorating candles.  People are going to draw their designs on tissue paper and then I will melt them onto the candles so I needed a practice!  On my desk as well as the greaseproof paper, tissues, candle and heat gun, you can see my almost empty mug of tea, a packet of pez (a kind gift from Alex), a ruler and scissors.

Here is a close up of the candle - not bad for the first attempt in ages and I didnt scorch my fingers either!

In addition to decorating candles we are also going to be decorating pebbles so I have spent some time washing sand off pebbles and them priming them in white so that the pens and paint will show up nicely. There should be enough in this box I hope! 

Here is my sample decorated pebble - I've not done this before so it was fun to play.... I can't get the photo to rotate sadly!  I am very much looking forward to this church weekend away - about 100 of us are going, all ages from 12 months old to 93 and Adrian & Bridgett Plass will be speaking which is very exciting.  I will report back how I get on with the crafts next week.  That's all from me for now... keeping it short and sweet this week.  Have a good week everyone.
Love
Caro
x

WOYWW485

Well I'm back again for another Wednesday's nose around the crafting desks of the world courtesy of Julia.

Here is my desk in all its chaos... everything has been shoved to the edge allowing me a small space (about the size of a laptop) in which to craft. To the left is my study Bible, open from service prepping for the Sunday evening service this week, Nearby are my acrylic paints as I was using them on the art journal page that I was working on.  The mug beside them is full of a variety of palette knives, paintbrushes and some pens.  Next you can see my empty mug of tea, drunk while messing in my journal which is in the centre of my desk. You can also see my water pot, a paintbrush, pencil and some word stickers

This is the journal page I was working on... I am trying to stretch myself outside my comfort zone with different colours and being more free in my artwork, brushstrokes etc.  Not entirely sure I like this one, but I am enjoying the process of playing with paint without judgement or meeting a standard.

I am sorry that I haven't yet done the promised 'how I use my journal post' but I have been ill this week with a heavy cold, and very sore throat and cough. This weekend while I was nursing my sore throat and prepping for the evening service Alex sat and painted his first Warhammer figures - he sat concentrating for hours which is unheard of.

I was impressed with the quality of his painting as well... he improved significantly between the first and second figure he painted... this is his second figure - lots of detail and dry brushing. That's all from me for now.  Have a good week everyone.
Love
Caro
x

WOYWW 484

Welcome back to my blog and another nose at my desk.  I am, as usual, joining in with the wonderful Julia's weekly desk hop so check out the other desks here.

This is my desk in the process of Bible Journalling. For those of you not familiar with this, it is taking a passage of the Bible and illustrating it (or writing about it) in the margins of a wider than normal Bible.  I have been doing this on and off for over a year and love it as a way of going deeper into God's word.  On the desk you can see a large mug of tea (still hot), my prisma colouring pencils, some gold peel offs and the pens I have been using.

This is the finished page which is of Daniel in the Lions Den.  I have loved this Bible story ever since I was a little girl - as a child I was fascinated by the fact that God shut the lions mouths so Daniel was not hurt, but as an adult I am admiring of Daniel's courage and perseverance to stick to the truth and doing the right thing in the face of potential death.  He didnt hide away, but just carried on doing what he knew was right, and when he was punished for it, he had faith that God would be with him even though he knew he could die.  I wish I was that courageous!

For those of you who asked hopefully next week I will have a little more time to explain how I use my Leuchterm journal - a mixture of appointments, tasks and journaling, so for now I will leave you with this photo of one page in the diary - a mostly memory style page of photos and words (no tasks this time)... for some reason I can't change the orientation.  Sorry.
That's all from me this week.  I hope you all have a good week.
Love
Caro
x

WOYWW483

Welcome to the weekly desk hop of crafting desks around the world, otherwise known as What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW), hosted by Julia.

Here is my desk - in the process of getting my bullet journal/diary up to date with pens, scissors, washi tape and craft knives all out as I was using them. If anyone is interested in seeing how I use my journal then please let me know and I will show a few photos.  At the back of my desk is another large mug of tea (almost empty and in need of a refill!

Since last week I have had the week off work and we have done a different activity each day to finish off the holidays including visiting Nets Kingdom in Sherwood Forest

Hoverboarding

GoKarting

and eating far too much at 'Gellatos Sundae'

I am now back at work (and back on my diet!) and Alex has started secondary school - Yikes!  Where did that time go.  He had a very happy first day so praying that it continues to go well for him. 
That's all from me for now.  Have a great week everyone.
Love
Caro
x

WOYWW 482

It's Wednesday and time to show my desk again as part of What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday (WOYWW), the brain child of Julia. 

 My desk is looking a little bare today with my Bible to the left, my large mug of tea at the back, a shopping list (for the all important back-to-school stationery shop) and a newly created Hogwarts school ID card for Alex.

Here is a close up of the ID card which used a free template designed by a guy called Muggle Magic DIY.  The folder at the back is a little folder that the ID card fits in.

 I joined into a challenge to create something in 5 minutes!  It was a challenge i can tell you, but for what it's worth, this is one of my 5 minute art journal entries made using the tissue paper I had been using to clean off my water colour brushes and mop up other colourful creative mess!

I haven't done a lot of crafting this week as I have been away again - this time to my parents in Somerset to collect Alex who had been there for a week, and to see my brother and his family.  When the weather was good enough we went for some lovely walks...

...including waving at the trains - the boys were very happy that three trains 'dee-dahed' them and five drivers waived at them.

We also picked loads of blackberries, raspberries, plums, apples, runner beans, french beans, tomatoes, lettuce and courgette fresh from the garden and surrounding area... there is nothing nicer!  Have a great week everyone.

Love

Caro

x

WOYWW481

Well I’m back again after missing last week due to being at the coast.  What am I talking about and why am I showing you a photo of my desk?  Well it is part of a world-wide blog hop of crafting desks where every Wednesday we show you our desks (see Julia’s blog – head desker – for more details).

As you can see my desk is relatively tidy (for me) so there is actually space in the middle to craft. Everything else is piled up around the edges so I can access them relatively easily.

The book in the centre of the desk is my prayer journal which I fill in every evening – I confess, I took this photo last night just before bed (hence the lack of tea which is a common feature of my desk) and it looks identical this morning.

There is a little story behind the parcel on the left hand side of my desk.  As many of you may know, both Alex and I are into Harry Potter and Alex wanted to get a subscription style monthly box of Harry Potter things every month.  We investigated and decided that they were far too much money (and often contained things that wouldn’t interest an 11 year old boy) so I decided to do my own.  We nickname it the Owl Post subscription box and it is delivered by his stuffed owl Hedwig, towards the end of every month.  I fill it with cheap(ish) things that I manage to find that are Harry Potter related and he loves it as a special monthly treat.  Far cheaper and nicer than a real subscription box.

This photo is of Hedwig delivering a previous Owl Post parcel.

So last week we were at Sutton-on-Sea for a gentle week at the coast.  Alex and I both swam in the sea 

and we enjoyed a variety of activities including watching a monster truck crush some cars (I will see if I can get the video to work!).  

Tim sadly was not well (his mobility and health are worse than ever), but we got him out to the trucks and to a couple of nice restaurants over the week so he enjoyed the holiday too.

I am now back at work while Alex has a week down in Somerset with my parents. Have a great week everyone.

Love

Caro

x

WOYWW 479 (I think!)

Wednesday, and time for another round of desk hopping thanks to Julia's inspired 'What's on your workdesk Wednesday' (also known as WOYWW). My desk is looking pretty tidy with only a few stamps to show that I have actually been crafting recently and the card that I made.  This card is for my brother - I always struggle to know what to put on a card but he does wear glasses (and grows a moustache once a year for Movember) so I thought this would do! You can also see my enormous mug of tea (and for those of you who wondered last time - I don't often completely finish it before it goes cold so I don't usually fill it to the brim!)

The observant among you will have spotted that I have some new mugs on my desk that I am using as storage for pens and washi tape and the theme of these mugs may give you a hint as to where I was last week!

There are also some new additions at the back of my desk in the form of Lego Harry Potter figures and a bright pink pygmy puff!

 Yes, I took Alex on a much anticipated trip to the Harry Potter studio Tour - He dressed up in his costume and we both thoroughly enjoyed looking round at all the sets (warning - lots of photos coming up!)

 The sorting hat put him into Gryffindor

 Alex caught Cedric's name from the Goblet of Fire

 Pretending we were in the Gryffindor common room

 Battling against death eaters on broom stick

 In Malfoy manor

 Going onto Platform 9 3/4 ready to catch the train to Hogwarts

 Standing by the train

 On the train having just arrived at Hogsmead station, all excited.

 A refreshing drink of Butterbeer (actually I didnt like it that much, but Alex loved it!)

 In the muggle world where it all started, outside number 4 Privet Drive

On the bridge at Hogwarts

 In Diagon Alley

The scale model of Hogwarts which was stunning - needless to say I took loads more photos, but as you are really here for my desk and crafting adventures I will stop there.

Finally I will leave you with a little bit of crafting - I finished the ICAD (index card a day) challenge having made over 60 index cards in two months.  This is my desk festooned with all the cards... there is such a mixture of styles and techniques represented here. It was a fun challenge and I was impressed that I managed to keep up. Now its time for a change of pace.  Have a great week.
Love
Caro
x