WOYWW #407: Painted mini buckets

This is my first blog post in two weeks! I've been slacking partly due to the fact that I have to keep our house clean and tidy for viewings and partly due to laziness - there, I admit it! We've also had problems with our internet connection - this is something that happens periodically and there's nothing we can do about it. It seems to be back up again and I've tried to visit everyone who left comments two weeks ago. If I had accidentally missed any of you, just give me a holler!

I skipped week #406 for WOYWW, but here I am for #407! No desk shot though, as the dining room table is now empty. I moved to the kitchen to paint these mini buckets I want to show you today. I gessoed them first, followed by a coat of Paper Artsy Fresco paints over a layer of crackle glaze. When that was dry, I added a layer of Prussian Blue acrylics, which I then partially removed to create a distressed look. This is what the process looked like:

These are the paints I used. I only have these three Fresco paints. I chose them carefully to complement each other.

Here are some close-ups of each bucket. I left the insides painted plain with the Fresco colours.  I'm not sure what I will use them for. They're very small, only 1.5" tall. I will probably keep beads or paper clips in them. Or perhaps plant a tiny cactus in each!

I have fallen hopelessly behind with my classes, but not to worry. I can always do them later. I hope to be able to visit lots of desks today - fingers crossed my signal stays strong! Happy WOYWW! :)

Oh, no, I almost forgot! I took this video of Oreo sitting on the window sill, happily swinging his tail!

Cheerio!

WOYWW #405: Faux leather and stamp storage system

I wasn't sure if I was going to take part in this week's WOYWW as there's absolutely nothing on my desk at the moment.  With the house on the market, we have to keep it tidy and clean for viewings so I haven't been able to do much lately. Plus I hid my stuff from view all over the place and I can't remember where I put things!  I fell behind with my classes as well. (sad face)

Then I remembered that I had made a piece of faux leather last week right after visiting Annie Claxton's blog. You know that feeling when you have to try something immediately, just to see how it works? It's almost like a burning desire - I just had to try this! Luckily, I had all the ingredients available: TPR (toilet paper roll), moisturizing cream (in lieu of liquid glycerine) and a range of distress ink pads. See the exact instructions on Annie's post here. This is what mine looks like, front and back without any embossing:

It got torn in the process, but it doesn't bother me, What a great technique and it looks remarkably like real leather! 

Instead of my desk today, I'll show you my state-of-the-art, patented stamp storage system (S.S.S.) -tada!

Yep, it's a plastic box where I dump all my stamps. Some of them are still in their original packaging, others just hang loose. And I never clean them (unless I use them with acrylic paints, of course). Most of them are background/texture stamps so they don't need to be pristine and I usually just grab one at random. So that's my dirty little secret out in the open.

Just to make this ad-hoc post complete, here's a video I shot of Oreo drinking out of the kitchen tap. We left it dripping on purpose, but when it's not dripping, we saw him suck it - seriously! Now I have to disinfect the tap every day. And for the record, he has TWO bowls of fresh drinking water available at all times! 

Thanks for visiting today. 

Happy #405!

WOYWW 404: Ecoline and Pancake Day!

Hello deskers all over the world! Another Wednesday has come around, so it's time to show you what's on my work desk, a.k.a. WOYWW. I snapped this photo yesterday afternoon while playing with my new Ecoline watercolours. I made a random grid with some masking tape and used those four colours shown on my desk to make all these other colours. It didn't take long for Oreo to come and sit right on it LOL! You can also see that I gessoed those three mini buckets, but that's as far as I got, I'm afraid.

Colour play with Ecoline

Oreo arrived on the scene

Colour swatches

It was Pancake Day yesterday! Did you make any? I made three batches, one for each of us made to order. I put oats, apples and cinnamon in mine, drenched it with golden syrup and lemon juice. They were lovely! Here's a pic and yes, I ate them all and didn't even worry about the calories.

Pancake Day!

Well, this must be my shortest WOYWW post ever! Now, I'll have to spend most of the day tidying as an agent's coming tomorrow to value our house, but I promise to visit everyone who leaves a message, if not today than later this week. Au Revoir!