WOYWW #571- The Catching Up Edition.

I am, indeed, playing catch up. I was getting a bit concerned I wouldn't make it for this weeks desk round up over at Julias place, The Stamping Ground. Because last Friday- or it may have been Thursday, who knows anymore- my PC monitor decided it was going to the great Tech graveyard. Poof! just died on me. I've been able to access the Internet on my Chromebook, but that isn't Windows based like my PC, so I can't actually access anything I'd do on my pc, and it doesn't show me any pictures on there either. So, another monitor was duly ordered from Amazon, was showing Tuesday as a delivery date, so kept my fingers crossed. And here it is! On my PC desk which is over in the corner. I didn't get any cards made for the Christmas Card Club- thats something I need to catch up with in the next few days, as this challenge was 'Windows', and I knew I didn't have a die for this, but I did have cutting files on my Silhouette. So, having got a monitor again, I've just cut out the Window shape I want to use.

I also die cut 3 Memory Box candles I want to use with them.. I haven't poked out the waste for the windows yet. I'm currently having a think about the candles- I think I'm going to need to attach the candle bodies, otherwise the window will show through.

Sorted out some acetate sheets/OHP film I've coloured with Alcohol inks, and some using the KLEAR floor polish & tissue, to back the windows with, so they'll look like stained glass.

I've also got these inked card pieces I intend to use, not sure if I'll use them for these cards or not though. Probably not.

 Not really enabling(!) but have you seen there are to be some new Distress Colours? Just sayin.😈
 And that's all my desk related stuff done.
A few of you have asked what I did with my shoulder. It's not a new injury, some of you may recall I once snapped off a corner of my shoulder blade, where the rotator cuff is joined? Believe it or not, that was back in 2012. I had it in a splint for 12 weeks, then had physio, and it did all heal. The trouble is occasionally it will become painful- and the cold & damp really upsets it. We had some cold, damp weather a couple of months ago now, and it started aching. I then spent ages using my Rotary Cutter to give my card inserts a fancy edge, and that requires quite a bit of pressure to get good clean cuts. Anyway, I obviously aggravated it no end, and it's not been happy ever since. Been resting it, occasionally putting in a sling to support it, and it's gradually returning to normal. At it's worst, it's a bit like a cross between Sciatica but going down your arm- it'll extend as far as my knuckles sometimes, or having really bashed your funny bone! So, it's been getting a lot of rest, painkilling gel & painkillers,and I do think it's a lot better than it has been. Hope you are all still staying nice & safe, and that anyone who's been ill with this blasted virus, is getting better quickly.

WOYWW #370

Don't know about you, but I really can't get my head around how fast this year is zipping by. Into July already, some summer about now would be nice.Big hugs and lots of love to our recovering Head Desker, Julia, and more love & big Hugs, to our Deputy Head Desker for a while,LLJ.

On my desk this week, loads of images stamped onto OHP film. I got a bargain a couple of years ago when we made a trip to Staples, and they had some boxes of OHP film  reduced to clear. I like it for lots of things, one of them being this- I stamp the images so that I can use them as an aid to placement. I've done lots with my Stampscapes stamps, for scene building, and I thought it would be really helpful with all those stencilled backgrounds I've done lately. Doing it by eye always results in something being adrift or skewed, which irritates me.

This sort of thing is what I mean, using Cardio stamps and one of the Clarity Stencil backgrounds.

  I've made a couple of cards with them, and I'll post them over the next few days.
Because they are on film, I had to use Staz-on ink, and from some research on the net, it appears the ink doesn't harm clear stamps, it's the Staz-on cleaner that does.
So, it's fine if you don't mind stained stamps, and I don't.
 Two tips I've come across doing this- first, if you don't want Staz-on staining your stamps, then if you apply Versamark first, then Staz-on, the Staz-on will wipe straight off your stamps afterwards, but as I was doing this on film, I'm guessing that would not have dried, so defeating the object.
Second- what if you get Staz-on onto your acrylic blocks? The cleaner definitely ruins them, I ruined a few before I found out about the cleaner. Turns them cloudy, with loads of fine cracks appearing. Well, apparently, Antibacterial hand sanitiser gel will clean them up. Sounds mad, doesn't it? But, nothing to lose by trying it.
Here was one very mucky acrylic block.
















                                                                                          

 
I squirted a small amount on,spread it over with my fingers, wiped off with a paper towel, and hey Presto! It works! Literally, wiped over with my fingers, and it came straight off. No rubbing or scrubbing.

That was definitely a wow! moment. I really wasn't sure it would work. But it does, perfectly.
So, something useful there.

Finally, I though these may amuse you. It does prove that dying your hair in a variety of colours clearly runs in the family.
Top picture is my eldest son, Ant, with his green beard, and opposite, my youngest son, Mike, with his two tone one. Amazing, that as Mike ages, he looks more & more like his brother.
 As they say, madness does not run in our family, it just wanders around, having a good time in the process.