INKY FINGERS

The postmen are on strike again tomorrow and all sorting offices will be closed. Then on Saturday, there won't be any deliveries and only one pick up during the day, so it's definitely going to affect us this time and this is the first of a two week period of planned disruptive action. I feel sorry for posties, though - most of them are on temporary contracts, with no benefits, which is ludicrous in this day and age. I love receiving mail - don't know how anyone else feels - and from my own experience over the last six or seven years of running a Mail order business, I haven't been disappointed very often and very few parcels have actually gone astray. I'll really miss getting mail myself and it will, of course, affect my business, now that it's mainly Mail order based.

My experience of Royal Mail themselves is somewhat different - I've placed postage stamp orders online, received confirmation of the orders, which are supposed to arrive by Special Delivery, then the stamps haven't arrived. After ringing, I was told they had never been ordered as there was a problem with the website, then two days later, half of the order was sent out to me, with a delivery charge due to ordering less than the minimum for free delivery - even though I'd ordered around 6 times the minimum amount! I was, of course, billed twice and had great difficulty getting a refund. That's happened to me twice, not just once, so I've given up on their online shop!! I'd rather support my local Post Office anyway.... so many of them are being closed down and it really does make life difficult for locals, so I'd rather them have my business.

I've been playing with inks for the Inky Backgrounds swap, too, so I'll upload those, later, hopefully with the cards made from the backgrounds. That's if I ever get my Saturday workshop samples done - no, I've still not finished - but what's new?

Just finished one of my swaps - finally!!!! I've just not been in the mood for stamping at all, which is kind of worrying, given what I do for a living! I've got absolutely no excuse cos it's been raining most of the week, apart from a couple of gorgeous days. Just didn't feel like it and am sick of the messy stamping room, which - of course - I still haven't sorted out and it's getting to be one of those things which is just going to get too big to tackle, if you know what I mean?!

I'll scan the swap I've just finished, so I can get it in the mail tomorrow, to my very patient group members. Then, I'm going to do another swap and perhaps try to get some work on next weekend's workshop done - last minute Katy as ever - well, I have to live up to my reputation!

Today I'm going to sort out my stamping room - well, that's the intention........ not sure how far I'll get with it.

Stayed up late last night, watching a film and slept in this morning, so I'm way behind in what I planned to do. It's raining again - seems there's not much chance of a real summer this year, though at least the heavy rain has eased up and the severe flooding is over - for now.

I've added the other CD sleeve book photo today. Sadly, someone tore it just as we were leaving and I haven't got around to repairing or redoing it yet. There's also a file folder book I did on our first workshop back after the break and the move. I'll take photos of the flip flop book I did last time and add those later.

Mum went to an all night Crop last night - I told her she's a braver woman than I am, LOL, but she had a great time! While there, she made this lovely canvas of my niece, Rachel, who now lives in New Zealand. It's four or five years since I last saw her and I really don't know if I'll ever see her again, but who knows? She's thirteen now and looks beautiful, doesn't she? I also have three nephews there - plus both my brothers and their other halves. Mum and Dad hope to join them there soon, so I'll be the only member of my family left in England. Sad, huh?

I finally made it back. I knew I'd never find time for this and life has been somewhat crazy of late, despite no longer having the shop! We had our third annual Stamp Camp in June - a whole weekend of stamping classes, beginning with a class with Leandra Franich, of Paperartsy fame on the Friday evening. This was followed by two days during which I taught three classes each day while three others were going on at the same time. We had over forty people there, so it was busy, as you can imagine. You can see photos of it on my website - I'll add a link.

It absolutely exhausted me this time (definitely getting old), then two weeks later, we did another all day workshop, which was really good fun!!! I will try to start posting pics of our workshops as some of the stuff we make is gorgeous - the girls are really creative! You'll be able to see what we get up to, then and to see some of my friends.

Today I slept in - horror of horrors - first time in months! This afternoon, I actually made time to play for an hour or so (should really have been sorting out my stamping room and doing housework and laundry and stuff, but hey, it's still there and isn't going anywhere!) and here's what I did! This month's challenge on the Katy's Corner UK Yahoo group is Adirondack acrylic dabber artwork. I can't really take part in the actual challenge, since it's mine and I'm giving out prizes, but it did give me an incentive to make samples! I made two tags today and you can also see the cover of the CD sleeve book I made for a workshop a month or so ago. I might even get round to telling you how I did them one day soon!

Would you know it actually didn't rain today? That has to be a first for this month! It was really bright - breezy, but sunny - enough to make anyone feel good. A little bit of real daylight is much better to stamp in, that's for sure.