Dusting off the previous...

I was looking for a self healing cutting mat yesterday. It took an unnecessarily long time and I confess that I looked in the same place more than once, convinced that it was where I last saw it. It wasn't, of course. This small search caused me to think that I ought to blog about that phenomenon. You know, the one where everything has a place until it doesn't. And so, here I am, figuratively dusting the blog off and literally as always, in a state of untidy. 

Not my desk, but the 'swing right' view. That'll do for now!

For three months, my desk has been Miss Dunnit's workspace, all screen and keyboard, even headsets. I think if my desk could talk, it would be welcoming back the old paper, scissors glue and ink! I didn't miss it. A sabbatical has been had, I think. I can't claim to be refreshed and raring to go, full of ideas and intentions, good grief no. I am more than happy that I enjoyed the stamp-colour-cut-stick process though, and as for finding everything where it should be, well....I suspect the more time I spend at my desk, the better my memory for where I last saw things will become, for as proven by the cutting mat, a lot of things aren't where I thought I last put them!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 785

My desk resembles a control centre. Our lovely daughter is at home and working remotely. She has two screens and a keyboard and a mouse and .....drum roll.....a notepad and pen. Although, I suspect it's more a homage to working at a desk than an actual working tool. I can't photograph it because both screens are open and contain information that is not pertinent to WOYWW! 

I want to show you this

It's a Swatch. I bought it with part of the massively generous gift you Deskers gave me when I retired.  I don't know if you know this about me, but I'm a bit of a collector and Swatches are one of my collections. However, I'm not a collector for display and investment purposes. I wear them. And this one I thought, is a perfect arty/ATC type that will remind me of WOYWW every time I look at it. It does and I love it. Thank you so much. The crown on the face is a tad embarrassing but I loved the overall design enough to think I could overlook it, and I'm hugely amused that it's in 'seven shades of wee wee' which I once (and in many cases will continue) to observe about lots of Tim Holtz style work - in fairness though, that was in the early Distress Ink years and he has since 'found' colour! 
The rest of 'that' gift voucher is waiting. I could accuse of it of burning a hole in my pocket, but it's more about me parting with it..so final;  a great deal of the pleasure of such things is in the anticipation and browsing. The idea that 'I can afford that treat' makes me giddy when I look at something I'd like. As it happens, so I shall brag!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 781. Or 1.

WOYWW is not stopping... Sarah is taking up the mantle! The hosting will go on at a different blog, is all! Delighted to point you in the direction of Sarah Brennan's blog. It's www.sarahscraftshed.co.uk just in case that link in that horrible blue link fails for any reason.

I don't know if Sarah intends to change the week numbers or anything else for that matter, but you will find it all going on at her very tidy, very organised and very comfortable place. We talked a lot about all sorts of things but naturally left out the important stuff until it was too late to talk anymore!

Your responses to my decision to step back have been so kind, positive and complimentary that I've been dazed and quite overwhelmed. Classic British speak...I've been in tears and absolutely lost for words at more than one point. Our fifteenth anniversary Crop, hosted by Sarah and Eva was great. We managed, with some pixelating and signal probs to talk to Jan and to Kathy. We had freshly made sandwiches and Oatcakes for lunch, more cake and biscuits than are sensible and a lot of chat. A lot. We exchanged ATCS. 

And then there was a fuss and a presentation of an extraordinary gift to me. I can't express my thanks in a blanket term for that; you will hear from me separately, probably not till my good eye stops leaking whenever I think about it. That beautiful Twiglet, she seems to possess the sort of organising skills that a government needs. 

I can't thank you enough for the enjoyment, knowledge and inspiration from the last 780 weeks of being invited into your space. Im still around, I still intend to blog and I'll participate in WOYWW when life lets me. Why wouldn't I? You amazing people are a huge chunk of my social life. Thanks.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 780

Fifteen years! The community that this desk show has unwittingly created is like an iceberg; lots of the activity goes on beneath the surface of the weekly desk show. At the desk, we have a lot in common. Under the desk, we've connected, chatted, got to know each other and met. Not all of us, not all the time. I know that friendships have been struck and have stuck, and even if the parties aren't joining in with WOYWW any more, the friendships persist. It's delightful.

So gentle Desker, this is a perfect time for me to bow out. Doubtless you will have noticed that I've struggled for the past couple of months to keep up, keep my act together and play a full on part. That isn't going to change in a jiffy, so I'm going to stop. I would be delighted to pass the WOYWW 'home page' to someone else. If you're able, let's talk!

Meanwhile, lots of us are so looking forward to our day in Stoke on Trent with Sarah and Eva as our hosts for this anniversary's Crop. If you can't come, please tune in at some point to see pics and read about it, we'll assemble between 10am and 4pm BST. If you can work that out and would like to, let's use Messenger to visit! 

So here's a hurrah type picture. No changes or surprises about the state of it all!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 779

I’m not home yet. Internet is almost impossible today for some reason, so this will be a link for WOYWW without preamble or photo, sorry! As soon as I can, I’ll drop in with a proper post. 

What's On Your Workdesk? wednesday 778

I'm not actually here, so this is scheduled. Please bear with as I travel and erm, sunbathe...the internet test will not happen before Wednesday evening, Euro time!

This is how I left it. Not too untidy really! The Coven bag contains old fashioned sticks of wax with wicks for making seals. I've caved in and joined the current wave by buying a little crucible to melt the wax. No more the lighting of a wick and letting the suddenly molten wax drip all over the place, no! Now I just have to scrabble about and find a genuine tea light (I seem to only use the false flame battery variety these days) and the seals are as good as done. Huh. I use small stamps instead of expensive seals, just ink them with an embossing ink first, the glycerine protects them and the set wax residue just pulls off. Very satisfying. Knowing how long to leave the wax before stamping into it in the intaglio style is the skill. Obviously, I haven't acquired it fully and so I've been trying. Cliche alert...very trying! I had thought that it might be fun to get the workshoppers to make their own seals for a card that's currently in development, but that's a big fat no at this point....too many variables; real flame, hot burny equipment and someone else's premises. I mean, what could possibly go wrong!

I'm still filling in the makes on the journal pages, although it has only had 2 cards added to it in the last week or so. I won't be creating a page to keep track of the wax seals.....

I would be insanely grateful if you would take the time to read my last post, it's about WOYWW, Crop, ATCS. It's just 

HERE and is untypically short and to the point. Ish.

I hope you find inspiration on the desks this week, I'll be searching for mine at the bottom of a glass of Sangria! See you at your place!

Dropping the ball...

I read Mary Anne's WOYWW 777. She mentioned ATCS and the Crop in the same sentence. I commented that I hadn't suggested a theme for ATCS because the ones we do for Crop are often separate from the ones we make for our WOYWW Anniversary. And then I went about my week. Thoughts bloomed and then I remembered...Sarah planned the date of the Crop to be as close as it could be to the fifteenth anniversary. Which is WOYWW week number 780, May 15th. Makes a lot of sense then, that Sarah and Eva have the Crop planned for Saturday 18th, huh!

I feel like I've really dropped the ball on the timeline of this, but, if you're able and want to, please prepare for an ATC swap to mark the anniversary. We'll do the thing that's become our 'normal' thing - make one ATC, no specific theme, to swap with one person on the WOYWW list on week 780. Make more if you'd like to, and arrange to swap. It's really nice to have a few happy mails that week, so do join in if you possibly can! Likewise, because of Sarah's amazing forethought, you can save postal costs if you're going to plan to give away more than one ATC and bring them to the Crop! Seamless! Well it would be if I weren't so late to tell you about it. Sorry. 

Here's a card I've made, does it it distract from my calendar shortcomings?

If you haven't joined us in an ATC swap before, please don't fret about it, ask any questions. There's even a page about it all - accessible from the home page of this blog. (That's the top of this page then!)