Tuesday 7 June 2011

Blog Candy & WOYWW 105

Despite all the problems life throws at us there is always something to feel good about, and a reason to smile, so I hope I can bring a smile to many of you this week by offering some Blog Candy. I haven't done this for a while and with last week's WOYWW 2nd Birthday to celebrate and another EEEK! birthday coming up next week for me, it has spurred me on to have a bit of fun. 
I have had over 50,000 hits on my blog from so many countries, I'm heading for 200 posts, and I have nearly that many followers, so it is a good way to say a HUGE THANK YOU to you all. Above is a selection of what might be in your parcel. There will be 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes and the first prize will also include a hand made gift from me. (I made an extra PiF gift but as the original is on it's way to Australia I cannot yet show it.)
..........................
Here's what to do for a chance or two or more... to win.....
1) Leave a comment on my blog and (if possible) tell me something funny or unusual that has happened to you. I'm nosey! Keep it brief but there could be an extra prize for the best story but you can still enter without a tale!
2) Optional...If you want to, and only if you really, really, want to...then become a follower and you will get an extra chance.
3) If you are already a follower then please mention it in your comment for your extra chance.
4) Give it a mention on your blog for an extra chance.
5) Post the picture on your sidebar for yet another chance.
The closing date is 20th June and, as always, Arthur my next door neighbour, who is in his eighties, will pick the winners. He loves doing it! 
.................................
Also, please do pop in to see yesterday's post as I want you to share how brave my little grandee is. I'm so proud of her.
 WOYWW
Today I have been to Paddy's Place in Prestwich to visit her shop for one last time. Paddy is retiring from running the shop but still plans to do Elements III weekend in the Autumn. All her stock is 50% off at present so if you are close enough to visit please do and she will also be having a used stamp sale soon and I think the proceeds will go to a charity. 
 We will still see Paddy exhibiting at the shows but good luck to her for the future and in all she does.
I always feel bad about taking advantage of such offers when shops close down but someone will buy them so why not me? You can see my bargain treats on my desk this week.
I enjoyed painting my T shirt so much last Saturday that I have treated myself to a range of Stuart Gill Paints. There's a lovely selection of new UMs there including some Tim Holz and Paper Artsy one but I'm not allowed to peep at them again until my birthday as some are a gift from DD2.
Below is a close up of the quicky cards we made from painted fabric whilst we waited for our T shirts to dry. It was a good way to practise the stamping on fabric before we took the plunge with the T shirts.
Just in time for me to post this today, I received my lovely WOYWW 2nd Birthday celebration PiF from Joanne of mytobyjug blog and I am really thrilled at the fab hanging she made. It is a beautifully made piece of art and I especially love the background and the acetate leaves coloured with Alcohol Inks. The beads hanging along the bottom are exquisite too. Oh! I love all of it! Thanks so much Joanne for treating me and thanks again to our boss Julia for making it all happen. It was a great idea to share our friendship this way and everyone who participated will receive a piece of hand made art which includes a link to WOYWW to mark this special occasion.
MY PiF was posted out to Shaz in Oz last week but it might take a while before it reaches Australia when you can then see it but, meanwhile, here's my amazing gift from Joanne............
If you'd like to peruse a plethora of crafty desks, in all states of tidiness or disarray, then be sure to visit our lovely leader's blog and you'll swiftly discover what WOYWW is all about.... Julia dwells at stamping ground...so don't miss the mayhem! You may even decide to join us and share your's!

60 comments:

donnalouiserodgers said...

tis wednesday - I'm a follower, i want that stash

it you want funny - visit my desk - look at the effing huge thing I made (that I now carry around with me) and tell me your are not laughing your little butt cheeks off...

just give me half an hour or so to post - I haven't yet finished waffling about journalling...

but I have stopped sobbing now (ah I think I shall be forevermore emotionally labile...)
Dxxxxxx

Spyder said...

yes, I'm here too, Doone moaned at me for not posting...so now I'm here at ten past two in the morning!
Lovely wall hanging! some lovely TM and paper artsy stamps, I must get more of those. Have a great WOYW...if I get up (In four hours) I'll be at work so catch you then!!
(Lyn)

Larisa said...

Very nice candy!! I am a follower, and I want to take part in this candy. Thanks for the chance!
I llove your cards from painted fabric! They are fantastic!
Hugs. Larisa. xx

Helen said...

What a great gift you received! I can't think of anything funny that's happened to me for a while but I may be back if I remember something, lol. have a good day.

Annie said...

What a lovely lot of creative goodies on your desk today. I could write you a book of funny tales Jo but please let the goodies go to a paper crafter as they would be wasted on me :-)
Hugs,
A x

Sarpreet said...

Gorgeous PIF, beautiful candy, will pop back to enter, Thank you for sharing your workspace, Happy WOYWW 105, #22 (do check out my blog candy)

Von said...

Morning Jo yes I'm a follower :) and some fab candy you have up for some lucky person.
Now was I eating crunchy toast or or chewing on a toffee nope I was eating sugar puffs this morning when I got that oww whats that my crown has come out so there goes my spending money :(
Have a great day
Von x

okienurse said...

I thought I was a follower for a long time but I guess I am a subscriber so I now follow! Congrats on all the posts and visits it is awesome. I will put it on my blog too! Funny story is...Once upon a time I went to a scrapbook retreat down in Texas, Bowie Texas, those folks down there can be a little wierd especially to Okies...folks from Oklahoma...Well there were 12 of us that decided to make a trip to the local WalMart at 2 am in our pajamas (flannel bottoms, t-shirts with jackets over them...very respectable) to get more soda pop and glue runner refills. We got to laughing and carrying on and I think we freaked out the locals cause security was called to make sure we weren't shop lifting or high on drugs. They walked us back out to our cars and told us to 'get on back north of the river and stay there! we don't need the likes of you down here spoiling Texas!" I thought he was joking but a bunch of the others said he was serious. Thanks for sharing. Vickie #50

Sarah said...

Can your desk get any better today - just overflowing with fantastic things...enjoy the stash and that fab PIF!!!
Have a good WOYWW,
Sarah at 7

Šolanje na domu-Waldorf said...

Happy early birthday! :) I love those painted fabric cards. And thanks for the chance to win your fab giveaway. Happy WOYWW!

Oh, you wanna hear something really funny?! :) Does it still count if it didn't happen to me? :) My Mom really had to pee really bad and she ran to the bathroom but forgot to put the lid up. She sat down and peed on a closed toilet. :) I'm dying laughing everytime I think of this. :))

Tuire Flemming said...

Hi Jo! I´m here again :) and I´m a follower and will put all the stuff on my blog - I will win again!
Last time I won wonderful stuff, but also a wonderful friend :D

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Love your pIf sent to you Jo! and have not read to closely on the blog our beloved Julia when I saw your name + gift - so not sure what it is anyway so will be a surprise..
Now, funny.. me.. mm I have catastrophes like spilling black calligraphy ink for the piece I was doing for Morti last night or the porridge all over the bench the day before.. clumsy second name.
Now my Yorkshire grandma.. she told me one when I was a kid.. her brother had scared her sister and her to bits the night before by dressing up as ghost at the top of the stairs when they came home, so she the next night, after he had his bath (washing his hair!) had smeared flour on his pillow.. Is that funny or mean! ( I think funny but maybe I am mean!) love Shaz in oz.x PS will become a follower too! love the candy!

MaggieC (Silvercrafter) said...

What a lot of lovely things you are showing us on your desk this week. Thank you so much for sharing with the rest of us. Enjoy playing with it all, and looking at that lovely pif.

April said...

Thanks for the chance to win the Candy, very kind offer. Oooh those bargain bits look great, we all love a bargain! enjoy playing with those. your PiF gift is lovely I bet you will display that somewhere special!

Sue said...

Hi hun
lovely candy, looks like you got some fab bargains there, gorgeous pif, nice to see what peeps made & sent,thanks for the mooch, happy WOYWW, sue,x

Anonymous said...

Well, I'm gonna tell you something which is not funny but its something that makes me think ive got the worst luck in the world or i live in the most stupid village in the world. I won a coke(Coca-Cola) contest on facebook, my boyfriend and other people I know on FB won too, they all received a days ago the package in their own house, but my postman didnt arrive till today and when with all my ilusion I opened the door he told me that the car was broken so if i could go myself to the post office for the package, he also asked me at 14:15 if i was going to pick it up today when the post office closes at 14:30 ¬¬ so that's my story not funny but i had to tell it.Let's keep on what i was doing...I became a follower!My follower nick is HaDa, nice to meet you!I dont have a blog but I love..how do you say it in english?crafts?I hope I did everything right. Big greetings from Spain.
hadadreams@hotmail.com

Psdt: You do such beautiful things!

famfa said...

Lovely pif. Those beads for your grandee are just lovely. What a beautiful idea.

Jingle said...

Congratulations on your milestone! I am a follower! Beautiful work, too! As for my story...well, you see The Hubbums wanted to catch the couple of bugs that were flying around our house so he set up a bowl lined with foil filled with water and placed it beneath the microwave light for the night. Well, apparently our bugs are slightly smarter than we expected...you see, we didn't catch a SINGLE one in that bowl the first night...but I HAD to laugh as I saw a moth fluttering to it's death on the counter about six inches away. Yup! He was MUCH smarter! He wasn't going to fall for our trap...he would die elsewhere! HA!!!! (It did work the next night, fortunately! LOL!)

Sunshine Girl said...

Oooh lovely pile of new stash you have there - I know what you mean about flocking in to get cheap stuff but you are right someone else would have it so why not you - hope your friend enjoys her retirement. Love the cards you have made and that pif is great isnt it. Thanks for sharing. Have a great woyww. Sunshine Girl no. 31

Lisa said...

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for the candy chance! I'm a follower too. Not so funny for me, but today I must have been the walking dead before work, I put the coffee in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard......now the milk's off! Yuk. xx

Glennis F said...

Oh yes I need that owl stamp!!
I have been a follower for quite some time. Thanks for the chance to win this Jo

fairyrocks said...

Beautiful PIF!! That was fast,
You make lovely things and your RAK Rocks!!!
Well I have lots of stories, hmmm can't tell the boob ones on prime time LOL.
How about the time I fell into the sales bin and had to be hauled out feet first...I always fight on the way out LOL
have a happy day
Keep smiling and creating

donnalouiserodgers said...

THANK YOU

it was here when I got home from work and is now adorning the effing huge thing, it is stunning, yep stunning,

will post a blog and spout praises tomorrow.

thank you,

also I intend to mail you a bday pressie - but you may find the timing is slightly bizarre, you remind me of me, nothing to do with age,

it's the kindred spirit thing

it is there or it isn't and it's just so nice when it happens.

Gush

Anonymous said...

June is definately the month for birthdays, I think yours is the 3rd blog o have visited with a june birthday and I have one too. Love the PIF you received. Thanks for visiting (39)
x Tricia

Angie said...

So much to comment on ...firstly I have left a comment on your last post ...my heart goes out to you and your family.
Love your bargain buys, and your work with material and that is a great pif gift.
Now your blog candy ..wow .. firstly I thought I was a follower ...sorry ..but I am now lol
I had to rack my brain to think of anything funny ...or unusual ... if I wasn't thinking hard, loads would come to mind.

The only unusual thing about me is that words of a song mean very little...I can blot them out ...I prefer to hear songs sung in another language so they dont get in the way, as the voice to me is just another instrument adding to the rounded sound I hear.

A senior moment ... I love my PJ's which are like a light weight t-shirt with a light weight jog bottom ...I have several pairs and love to have jammy days now and then. The other week I poped out to get something from the local shop and on the way back realised, when I saw I was wearing slippers, that I still had my jammies on too. lol

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful and detailed PIF. How lucky for you!
The saddest part about a half off sale is when it is also a store closing sale. It is nice to know she will continue to be involved, shows she is still passionate about the art.

The best part is all the lovely treats you will get to play with on your birthday!

I am a new follower.

Carola Bartz said...

The post below made me cry. Your little grandee is indeed a brave little girl and she deserves those Mutperlen. I hope that bloomsie pearl comes soon and she can be successfully relieved off the treatment.

This is fantastic blog candy - I am already a follower. Sorry, I don't have a funny story at the moment.

Debs said...

oooh stash to die for!
Love your PIF gift, its gorge xxx

Anonymous said...

Beautiful PIF's, projects and everything else as usual! And you deserve a bargain, others would snap them up too so don't feel bad. I've just posted your candy on my side bar and I'm a follower too.... funny story? Which one to pick that's my problem... I managed to fall out of my car last Saturday and now sport some nice bruises down my arm. My hubby thought that was really funny, me, not so much!

Sending hugs and kisses to your amazing and very brave little Grandee. That's a badge of honour we all wish she didn't have to wear.

Many hugs
Brenda 90

Tertia said...

Lovely PiF gift you got!
When my DH had his heart attack two weeks ago, my DD told her little one (4) that oupa was in hospital. She wanted to know what was wrong with him and not knowing how to explain it DD said that his heart was sore. Little one was quick to as 'Who fighted with my oupa?' Mom assured her that nobody 'fighted' with him and it was only sore from working to hard. Her verdict? 'No mommy, your heart can't hurt from working, somebody must have fighted with oupa!' We are still looking for the guilty party, but the story brought a smile back on my DH's face and I will always be grateful for that.
Happy WOYWW

Morti said...

LOL - you want a funny story, you got it! I was staying at my brother's house several years ago, and had been in the garden sunbathing. That afternoon, I took my niece to a touristy spot - we went into the loo, and I still had my sunglasses on. Came out to wash my hands (still wearing sunglasses) and spoke to my niece who was washing her hands. I said to her, cor, I think I burned my belly a bit this morning, and pulled my t-shirt up to show her. It was only when she said yes, I think you have, that I realise it wasn't my niece but some random stranger..... my face went the same colour as my tum.... LOL

Don't think I'm a follower, so only give me the one chance, eh?!

Sarah Anderson said...

me too, I feel terrible buying things when people are closing down, but as Paddy said to me yesterday, it has to go! So I too came away with lots of goodies lol!! Just become a follower and I see you are so nearly at 200!

J.A. Martin said...

Thank you for offering a giveaway! I wish I could think of a funny story - I know I have plenty, but my brain is blank at the moment. :-)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday Jo! It should be this week if I am correct! I was already a follower and linked you on my side bar.
Mmmm now the difficult part...the funniest thing that ever happened to me....(picking my brains....) maybe that is that my mother in law became my aunt? My (ex) mother in law,me my divorced uncle at my wedding....two years later they wed!

Ohhh Snap said...

Lovely goodies!! (the ones you are sharing and the ones you just acquired). And ohhhhhhh my bug that is a wonderful PiF you received!

The other night I woke up to total darkness and silence (no fan), except for the blue power light of my Gypsy (portable papercutting design device). So I grab that and use it as a flashlight (it's portable lol). I'm tracking my way through the house and it's my room that doesn't have power. At three in the morning, I'm not especially bright. I have a flash of insight it is probably the electrical box and head down two flights of stairs (I'm on the american 2nd floor, european 1st floor) pausing grab a dust pan to wave in front of my face to keep from walking into spider webs. The electric box is at the furthest point from the basement stairs by the way so there is quite a bit of dust pan flapping going on. I get to the electric box and realize I can't see it because I've left my glasses upstairs. Back I go and then down again. Only I can't get the circuit breaker to snap back. So I sleep on the sofa in the breeze of a working fan downstairs working out a plan of electricians who might be able to give me a free idea of what's going on ... but when I wake up in the morning, I was able to snap it like it was supposed to do (whew). Morale, gotta love having crafty things that can double as a flashlight, and why aren't I a lot thinner with all the walking I have to do with all those stairs???? LOL

zuneta said...

hi...i'm new follower here...i linked your candy on my sidebar...

http://zmal-handmadecard.blogspot.com

Nice blog, hope i get more ideas here the way to make handmade card...

Rosalee said...

Hi JoZart. I am already a follower of your great blog and I've also linked your giveaway to my sidebar.
Something funny huh... Well for me its actually rather embarrassing. When I was 17 my older sister and I went to visit some friends and to get some attention I was teasing my sister about her height (she's only 4ft.10in) in front of everyone. Finally she had enough and grabbed my skirt and pulled it down to my ankles. Boy was I embarrassed, trust me...I'll never do that again.
Thanks for the great chance.

Pam said...

Fab PIF and the bag charms you made are beautiful x

Neet said...

Thanks for the linking - great shop at Pads and what a lovely gift you got for your Pif.

Anonymous said...

"Russia, Ireland, New Zealand, USA, Austria, Malaysia, Qatar, Finland, Poland, Canada, Iraq, Philippines and lots of UK visitors."
....and of course here is your follower from germany;) hope to see you at the stempelmekka again. i´m searching for your utensilo, the time is coming i must sew it.

Инна_A said...

Thanks for the chance to win the Candy..http://innaaugsburger.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

what a beautiful hanging
and love your blog candy ummmmm

looks like you got some great bargains to

my funny story well as you know i lost my purse the day we went to aintree well canceled all my cards ect and still did not find it until a couple of days ago when i was doing a tutorial on the hangabout on you tube well my friend asked me what a hangabout was so i picked mine up to show her and there was my purse silly old me oh well at least i found and with a little cash aswel so i bonus and i now got nice new shiny cards lol thanks for the chance to win some awesome goodies happy birthday WOYWW XX

Cy said...

your neighbour... ;)
say hello from Belarus to him
my blog with your information and candy-picture
krasota-krasivaja.blogspot.com

April said...

Have also added your candy to my blog side bar, thanks for the chance to win.

Edel said...

What a lovely candies, dear!! Thank you a LOT for a chance to win!))) I`m your follower!
http://edelmiracle.blogspot.com/

Hildes Scrappeunivers said...

Awesome candy! My funny story is that I've seen a ghost, and then I got so scared, that I probably looked as one myself :)
I'm a new follower, and I hope to get a lot of inspiration from your blog. I've posted your candy in my sidebar!

I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Hugs, Hilde

karen said...

Isn't that funny, when asked about a funny story, I have gone completely blank! I will think on it and come back later.
I hope to enter for your candy! I am a follower and have linked your candy on my blog sidebar too!
I love the fabric cards you made!
xoxo
Karen

Аня said...

Hello!
Want to tell that you have got a fab blog!!
Last week with me happen a very funny story - I've bought some new scrap paper and then gone for a walk with my friend to the fountain square. We stopped near the great fountain and I've put the bag with the paper under my handbag due to the strong wind. And what do you think? I've distracted with the talk and me and my friend haven't noticed how the bag with the paper have flown in the fountain!!! And all the passersby admire how beautiful my bag have swum in the fountain. Then I asked a girl who put her legs into water to fetch the bag and ALL THE PAPER was wet! I dunno how two grown ups couldn't look after the bag!)) At home I dried and ironed the paper. It's almost OK at the moment. So that's my story))
I'm your reader for a long time and now I become your follower too.
I post about the candy on the sidebar of my blog (http://missannchu.blogspot.com/) and mention it in the post (http://missannchu.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_28.html).
Hugs, Ann

Lisandia said...

Wat een grote candy zeg! Ik hoop dat ik hem win. Dat zou ik zo gaaf vinden. Dus ik waag gewoon een kansje.
Groetjes lisandia

Yvonne said...

No funny tales! Wishing you a fantastic birthday! Thank you for the chance for yummy candy :)

Paul B said...

Something funny or unusual? OMG I have plenty of tales to tell but not many suitable for the general public to read lol - I recall once having dressed up in suit and tie to go out with college friends to the Royal Exchange Theatre, in Manchester. I was only in my early twenties, & was very well groomed and youthful looking. It was a late night & I was in the car so I offered to give a lift home to a woman in our party who would have otherwise had to catch a train home. This was before the days of mobile phones too. So later than expected, I dropped her off at her house where hubby, with a face of thunder, came storming out of the house, dragged her out of the car and accused the pair of us of having an affair. It was very surreal. Especially, Jo, as you know what I'm like to meet in real life. Not something I often get mistaken of having with women. In this guy's eyes though, I was dressed as some sort of gigolo (there's an old fashioned word) lol. Again, not something to happen these days. haha. Pxx

Paul B said...

and I've just remembered that this week, on my daily walk down by the river, I found a pink mobile phone just lying on the path. I picked it up & just as I was trying to see if I could phone someone who'd know the owner, it rang. It was from Sexy Bum. And Sexy Bum had obviously been ringing it several times as his name was listred all the way down on the phones missed callls menu. I answered & told him I'd found it. It was his girlfriend's, they were on the same walk and dropped it. We were five minutes from each other and I did have to bite my tongue when we finally met up. I didn't know his name or his girlfriends. All I knew was that she had him in her phone under the name sexybum. I so wanted to tell him I could see what she meant haha. But he looked embarrassed enough, poor boy. But it was nice to meet a stranger five minutes after knowing him only by his intriguing pet name and to judge for myself if it was true or not. If only someone would have me down as sexybum in their phone :( lol. Px

lisa said...

I thought I'd already linked to your lovely candy, Jo but have just realised I haven't, think the old memory is going!!!!
Thanks for the chance to win such lovely goodies and the pif you received is gorgeous.
Can't think of a funny tale at the minute but no doubt one will come to me the minute I log off, that's the story of my life!!
Hugs Lisax

Ann B said...

Have already said 'Happy Birthday' further up the page but I will say it again - Happy Birthday Jo and many happy returns. Thanks for the chance to win some of your stash - such a generous person.
Funny story - couple of years ago picked up my grandson in Bristol on the way to a week in Dorset. His Mum had provided him with a homemade smoothie to drink on the way.
It was a lovely sunny week and a couple of days into the holiday we parked up in the sun and went on the beach. Returned to the car to find the inside covered with some smelly stuff and couldn't understand what - until I spotted the smoothie bottle in bits on the floor. The remains of the drink had fermented in the sun and exploded, showering the whole (and I do mean 'whole') of the car in smelly gunge. It was on the windows, seats, floor, everywhere,
Wasn't funny at the time but we wet our knickers laughing afterwards, especially as I had convinced myself that someone had got into our car for the sole purpose of throwing up in it. We had a Honda Jazz at the time and by coincidence the car parked at the side of us was a same colour Jazz - I even went round trying our car keys on their car to see if we had the same lock. Must have been mad.
Anyway, hope that made you smile on your birthday.
Thought I was already a follower but I am now.

nataly_osa said...

What a sweet candy! I do want it so much! http://natalyosascrapbook.narod2.ru/svadebnii_skrapbuking/konusi_dlya_lepestkov/

Carly said...

I'm a follower .. new to blogging and really would love to devour that candy!
Funny story hey ... hmmmm well today my 2 year old daughter kept pointing at the checkout lady and saying "Mum .. woof woof.... look puppy". I know its not craft related but it was funny and so embarassing at the same time ...

peggy aplSEEDS said...

count me in for this wonderful giveaway! belated birthday wishes to you!

peggy aplSEEDS said...

ooops i forgot to add a funny story. when we were in Brussels this past vacation, my kids were determined to try out Belgian fries so we searched for a shop to buy them. after searching for some time, my hubby asked "what's so different from the McDonalds fries we have at home?. my son, determenied that we wouldn't give up looking, blurted out "that's what we're trying to find out!"
yes, we did get to buy them and they loved it!

peggy aplSEEDS said...

i thought i was a follower since i "know" you from WOYWW but now i really am a follower.

Carmen said...

Do you know what? I was certain that I followed you. Positive in fact., But blogger tells me I don't so have ammended that - I know I definitely added you to my blog roll, so maybe just forgot. Wouldn't surprise me.

Something funny or unusual. Hmmm. How does having a flipping great lorry almost park in your living room this week? Funny if you aren't me I expect - definitely unusual ;) Almost certainly serendipitous but I can't say why yet.

Thank you for the chance to win Jo, I'll add this to my sidebar :)