Well here we are - One World One Heart 2011

Well hello there!!

Whether you have arrived here as a regular reader or via a link from the wonderful One World One Heart Blog you are very very welcome.

My name is Cindy and I regret very much that I was late in coming to the wonder that is OWOH. This is only my second year as a participant although I have been blogging for a while. I don't have any special skills, I just love art and craft, whether that be papercrafting, mixed media, textiles - whatever is catching my imagination this week! I live in London with my lovely family (well they are all behaving today, sometimes I dont talk about them quite as favourably) and I am so grateful for the wonderful internet and all the fantastic artists I have met from around the globe. I am always a little surprised though that I have relatively few contacts in the South of England so make sure you leave me a great big 'hi' if you come from that area - sometimes I think I am crafting in a cultural wilderness!!

The aim of OWOH is to share and make new blogging friends so I for one will be real busy trying to visit as many blogs as possible in the next couple of weeks. I certainly intend to visit anyone who leaves a comment on my blog (although I expect I will struggle to visit everyone who joins OWOH - it defeated me last year!!).

OK now we get to the fun bit! As you know we are required to have a 'door prize' for everyone who comes and visits our blog. I have tried to get a couple of things together so here we go.

First of all I made this little shrine/sundial diptych. I think I must have been thinking about Valentine's day when I started this one! This is made from some altered canvases and measures about 4" x 3". The original idea came from a project in 'Stitch, Cloth, Paper and Paint' by Angie Hughes. The original was textile based but as time was pressing I decided to use a faux foil technique highlighted by my dear friend Jinny.

I was really pleased with the results!!! I did have a utube demo to post but I have lost the link!! Will add if I can find it again. Here it is!!

I know this sounds like I'm lacking in inspiration, but my second door prize was also inspired by a project in a craft book - this time it was 'Handmade Decorative Books' by Sue Roddis. I think I bought the book on the strength of the heart shaped book on the front cover (I'm sensing something of a theme here - but it is OWOHEART) but I am quite pleased with my take on it.

Finally, I have this little box on offer, which I hope you will find quite pretty. I intend to fill it with lots of diecuts etc using my die and punch collection. Hopefully they will be useful to a fellow crafter!!

Oh and in case you're not sure, all you have to do to be entered in the draw for these prizes is leave a comment on this post before 9.00 pm GMT on 17th February 2011 when I will be holding the draw for the door prizes. If you have a blog and want to join in just click on any of the OWOH links where you can find the list of participants and all the rules etc. All that remains (and if you've read to the end of this mega post I will be most surprised!!) is for me to say 'THANK YOU' for popping by, to promise that I will return the favour and to hope that some of you will want to return. THANK YOU, THANK YOU..... HAPPY BLOG HOPPING!!hugs Cindy xx

PS I do apologise that the links have gone all dark in my post, I do hope you can manage to read them. I changed something else the other night and now I can't get the original colour back. Doh!! Will try to fix it when I have a minute.

And the winner for January is..........

Number 9!! Which is Nancy, stateside. Hi there Nancy, yes I have been very remiss at getting back to you - have missed Valentine's now I think but will speak to you soon I promise!! Only a quickie as I have oodles to do tonight before I collapse into bed and it is already late. So 'congratulations' Nancy, and thanks to everyone for joining in. Please remember to return for OWOH, which is primed and ready to go on Sunday!!

WOYWW - art at last

Oh dear back again!! Sooo, what's on my desk this week? Well, thought I would do a side shot this time and it is actually a bit tidier than the last time people came to visit!
I have been busy prepping a piece of altered art for my one world one heart door prize - it's nearly finished so we know there will be at least one (heaves sigh of relief). There has been a lot of red and black paint, glimmer sprays and metallic rub ons used over the last couple of days and my nails look disgusting lol. Aah, just noticed the packet of biccies - diet didn't do very well last night, had a severe attack of the munchies. You can also see my new Ottlite which hubby bought me for Christmas after my constant moaning about grabbing the wrong colour paint - no more excuses!!

Guess what was waiting for me when I came home last night? A lovely packet from Zuzu on Alter It Monthly. My altered slide mailer for December was chosen to win a great prize from Crafty Individuals. There is a lovely book of seaside themed papers, two seaside themed stamp plate set(just love those little girl images) and a further set of Christmas stamps. Really really chuffed with this ('cos you know how much I lurve stamps lol). Will have to write some proper thanks tonight as am dashing off to work now but itching to have a go with these. You never know, there might be a project using them on my desk next week! Thanks for dropping by and if you want to see more wonderful work desks then pop over to Julia's to join in.

GIVEAWAY, GIVEAWAY, GIVEAWAY........

Well thought I'd try and get your attention after yet another long absence. Work, work, work and no art makes Cindy a very bad blogger!! Well here it is at last, the January giveaway.

A few months ago my boss asked me to make her a book to have all the staff birthdays in (actually there are SO FEW staff now it wouldn't take a mensa like mind just to memorise the list) but she does like to give me little projects. It was about the time I had just been to Ally Pally where I saw a really nice birthday calendar made using the clip from the inside of an A4 folder (got plenty of those!). But then I remembered this, which was originally a photo holder which I bought from a 'reject' sale for 50p. It has been languishing in my box of 'things I'll do something with one day' for a couple of years. Anyhow I played around with various ideas and this was what I finally decided to do. But I then realised it was going to be far too elaborate for the office (five names) so it has become my giveaway for January. So in case that long winded explanation hasn't thrown any light on it, it is a sort of birthday book, but on a stand. The base was going to be even fancier but then I realised it would be hard to turn the pages. But don't you just love that fancy leafy swirl? It is my new Marianne die and I think it is just scrumptious!!


Anyhow, let's get to the point. If you have space on your desk for this (slightly) useful piece of altered art then leave a comment on this post before 10.00pm on Wednesday 26th January. Overseas players welcome, please feel free to link from your own blogs. I will have a very short window to post this to you after the closing date as I will not be at home for a few days so it may be delayed if I don't know the winner's address already. Just to say also that the February giveaway will in fact be taken over by ONE WORLD ONE HEART and I hope to have something (or even somethings) nice ready in time for that. Thanks for playing!!!!

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday....

Well, got half an hour to kill while I'm waiting for the dreaded hair dye to take, so I thought I would join in with this just for fun weekly bloghop. Errr...... the desks don't have to be tidy do they?



Blimey, what's all that shiny stuff.... could it be the sun streaming in? Haven't seen that in a while. Sorry about the state of it, and yes this is how I usually work. My current WIP is the January giveaway and yes, once again I am behind schedule but it should be ready for the weekend. This month is an altered item that will be functional . Makes a change eh? I'm not quite sure what the finished thing will look like yet but it is definitely going to be brown and will need a space to stand on!! I have also been playing with my various metallic rub on type stuff - had a big disappointment because some of my rub n buff has dried up in the tube. No new toys on my desk this week although there are a few things waiting to be christened around my craft room (and more to come - sometimes I think internet shopping shouldn't be so easy!)

Anyhow, if you want to join in with WOYWW go to Julia's blog. Off for a wander myself now. Aah, while I've written this post the sun has gone. Nice while it lasted though.

STAMP MAN CHALLENGE - My Favourite Project.......

As part of the current Stamp Man Challenge, I have to select my favourite project of 2010 ..... not as easy as it might sound!!

Would it be a little book?




Or perhaps an art doll?


Possibly an ATC.....


Or some kind of construction...


A card even...,


So so hard to choose,.......... but I have finally decided to go with this stampboard frame.

Right so off to do some bloghopping which is the second part of the challenge. There are PRIZES to be won so get on over to the Stamp man and join in!! And if you like bloghopping and prizes, then this can be just a little training exercise for the biggest organised crafty blog hop you can imagine - yep, I am talking about One World One Heart, which starts on Jan 30th and ends on Feb 17th. This will be the fifth and final year and I think it's going to be a big one!!

Don't forget though that the first of my monthly giveaways on this blog will be along shortly so I expect to see you back here to join in. Bye for now!!