ArtyFartyAnnie

Hi Everyone, It's another beautiful crisp but sunshiney day here and I find it hard to believe that the "C" word is just around the corner. As usual, I haven't bought a single present or made any cards yet - but I will get most of my shopping done online this week and hopefully the pressure of looming last-posting dates will get me motivated on the card-making front. Or it won't, and I'll admit defeat and do a panic run to the local charity shop to see what they have left like I did last year!! Meanwhile, it's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday again, so it's time to link up over at Julia's Stamping Ground and share our crafty spaces with the world! I have managed to catch up on some long overdue Pocket Letters whenever I've had time to play in my room over the last few weeks. The shambles you see below is the aftermath of a mammoth session, where I had finished two PLs and you can see a third one just emerging from the chaos ... ...

Hi Everyone, I'm still working on my overdue pocket letters, catching up fast and really enjoying trying to create each one to suit the intended recipient. This one is for Allison, who loves black/white/brights and bling ... With this in mind, I had a good old rummage through my drawers to find papers and embellishments which I hope she will like and somehow I seemed to end up channeling the 80s! I started with some patterned papers, including some gorgeous animal prints and acetate overlays, and dug out a stamp set with some fun quotes ...

Hi Everyone, I've doing some serious catching up on my pocket letters over the last couple of weeks and I've really enjoyed making them. Here's the latest one all ready to hit the postbox ... This one was for Tracee. I added her name in glittery alphas before folding the letter up, tying a bow around it and adding some flowers and a homemade embellishment made with a garden label decorated with Tim Holtz Remnant Rubs and Distress Inks. Tracee loves blue and owls, so this gave me a great starting point. First I filled the pockets with scraps of patterned paper cut to size, then I rummaged through my stash and had loads of fun decorating them and filling them with bits and bobs which I hope Tracee will enjoy using ...

Hi everyone, It's been an extremely busy few months and I haven't blogged for AGES - or indeed done very much to blog about - but it's time for a catch-up so brace yourselves for a little flurry! Firstly, I have a couple of pocket letters to share with you. I'm really enjoying making these and it's even more fun recieving one in the post hehehe! This one went to Louise back in June ... Front view

Hi Everyone, Not much creativity going on around here just lately - such a lot of other stuff getting in the way! I did receive two more gorgeous Pocket Letters though which I wanted to share with you. This one was from Allison, with a sweet birds and butterflies theme ... ... so pretty! I love all the beautiful trims and trinkets, thanks so much Allison :o) This one was from Kathy ... ... gorgeous! I love the retro images in the background and all those cute wooden pieces. Trouble is, at the moment I can't bring myself to break into any of the pocket letters I've received, so I've made a folder to store them all in for the time being, so I can take them out, look at them, stroke them lovingly and put them away again hehehehe Here's my upcycled folder - for now, I've just slotted some patterned paper into the front and spine pockets, but maybe I'll tart it up a bit when I have time ... Well, that's it for now - we're off to Linco...

Hi Everyone, Just a quick post to show off the wonderful happy post I received yesterday from the lovely Lesley who I met at the recent Scrapstars retreat. A few of us have decided to send Pocket Letters to each other and we're having so much fun with it - if you don't know what on earth I'm on about, just click on the Pocket Letters tab at the top of the page to find out all about it and if you would like to arrange a swap, please feel free to email me at the address on the left hand side. So here's my fabulous PL from Lesley ... ... how sweet is that?! I couldn't wait to get in there! Here's the front ... Just look at all those cute details - the teeny spools of twine, the pretty trinkets, I love the idea of the fancy tea bag ... and inside each of the pockets is a little hand made booklet or envelope. Here's the back view ...

Hi Everyone, After the recent Scrapstars retreat, a few of us have agreed to swap Pocket Letters. This I sent my very first one off to Kathy and received my very first one from Caroline, so I took some pictures to share with you today. If you have no idea what on earth a Pocket Letter is, just click on the tab at the top of the page to find out all about it :o) The whole concept of Pocket Letters was dreamt up by Janette Lane - check her YouTube channel for lots of ideas and inspiration if you fancy having a go yourself. I was totally bowled over by the PL which Caroline made for me - every single pocket contains a little work of art ... I love the shabby chic style and the gorgeous soft pinks and greens. The pocket at the top contains a letter from Caroline and some pretty trinkets ...