It just came over me......

I was tidying up the horrors of the old workdesk and unpacking from a workshop when I decided that I needed to get a grip and do some sorting as well.  I'm not sure what made me at all; I guess we all have these moments - and this time, I was weak and gave in! I tackled the stuff that was on top really.
I tidied up a large sheet of gems that came to me from Baker Ross...I love it, huge amounts of each colour and now it's tidy, it actually folds and fits into my gem storage.  Which is good, because knocking about on my desk makes it ragged.  And taking off your bra at night to find a lime green gem stuck to your boob - well, it has to stop.

And then gentle reader, I tackled some ribbon.  I had a huge pack of lovely bright satins from Baker Ross and had of course, left them in a heap on top of my ribbon vase.  So, last night, whilst I could have been lolling and gently snoring (not to mention the dribbling), I got all motivated and ironed the ribbons and wound them onto the dolly pegs.  Took the photo this morning when my life partner asked that really, ironing ribbon - wasn't that the limit?

I knew you would understand gentle reader.  Indeed, I know some of you will recommend hair straighteners to whip through 'em.  No need.  The moment has passed and I will be moving on from this.  For quite a while, probably! This 'thing' that came over me - it's gone now.  
Now, if our Annie was on-line after her house move, I'd link this to her Friday Smile feature. Because I'm a bit smug about these little jobs. But, she's still in the void and frankly, it's not as if I deserve a medal, huh.
Have a lovely weekend.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 273

WOYWW? What?  Check out this page and this page and they will, I hope, reveal almost as much as this picture:-

Coo - shaky arm photography, sorry!  I'm not you note, apologetic about the mess, although I do acknowledge that it did get very messy.  This is what happens when I sit down to make Christmas cards without the least idea of what I want to make and what supplies to use.  It's OK, I've cleared it up this morning. So I can start again.  My scissors pot was empty, which means I've buried about 5 pairs.  And I was wearing a pair of glasses when I took this photo and oh look - there's two pairs on the desk already. Wow!
I hope you like my new pen with the bobbles on top...I do.  It wobbles and clicks as I write,  and I feel, rather reflects the way my mind is working! Trusty iPad abandoned on top of notepad because the iPad stand had a card on it - which had wet glitter on it and - you get it...
So, now you've stared in horror, show us yours.  Perleeeeeeeeease.
Put WOYWW in your post title, make the post relevant to the photo of your workdesk/space and let us in to visit.  Marvellous!

Something for the weekend?

It's a Bank Holiday weekend here in Blighty and that usually means rain. Not to automatically fall into a British stereotype and moan about the weather, but oh well, I have. This summer has been fantastic.  And I think that's why we're all noticing the changes now..they seem so sudden. Mornings are distinctly chilly, the sun seems very slow to rise and in the evening, it's dipping faster and has a definite tinge of autumn to it. It's too fast!
So as a last hurrah, yesterday's workshop was 'Summer Grunge' and there we were in the shop, using bright colours and grunging stuff up in a summery way...wearing sweatshirts and long sleeves and surrounded by newly arrived Christmas stock.  Bizarre.

 The flip flops and text from a set by Woodware, the damask style stamp is by Kaiser.

Shopkeeper Gal didn't turn so much as a hair when I handed her the flip flop card as a sample. After all, they're erm, flip flops.  But the next one, with a chair on it...well. See, her logic says that an unpholstery person or furniture maker would want a card with a chair on it, but no-one else. I say she's too literal. And her logic is flawed in my opinion. Does that mean that the flip flop card can only go to a cobbler?  Blimey, my card collection and worse, my stamp collection would suddenly have very limited use!  

Text stamp by Kaiser, emboss folder is a Cuttlebug one and the chair die is Marianne.

She doesn't get it at all, and I almost get her not getting it, in the literal sense of what goes on a card.  Her nearest use of furniture on a card was a chandelier and I think it gave her the wobbles to actually give it away in case the recipient 'didn't get it'. Well I get it. It's a nice card, with a nice image, handmade especially for you.  What's not to like.  And to be honest, if my card to you features furniture or teacups, be happy.  It means I was humming along in my comfort zone and having a great time making your card.  
And so back to the weather..which just may give me an excuse to play....
Whatever your plans, I hope it works out to be a fab weekend for you!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 272

Join us.  Read the how to and the whaaat? at the top of the page.
And then brace yourself. My desk is untidy without any sign of relief.  You may hate it.  I live with it, and so far, it's OK.  By this afternoon, it will be neat and tidy because I have non-craft stuff to do that needs a decent space (just some book-keeping, do not get excited on my behalf!).

See, there's a lot of everything.  Real work intruding under the roll of printed tape - dislodging my Crop Alien, but not for long.  The red and white scallop edge card is a beautiful wedding invitation.  It was in the WOYWW stand - I have no idea why it isn't now.  Amazing that only two pairs of scissors are visible because I'm fairly sure that there are four on the desk somewhere.  The clipboard hold cards to be delivered to Shokeeper Gal as workshop samples, and some bits and pieces of stock, ribbon etc to serve as a shopping list when I'm at the shop. You can see the glasseine peelings off the double sided tape, which means my ATG is still empty.  I'm coping!  I don't know that there is anything else of interest.  I'm one card down on the sample front and so must away to get it done. 
Put WOYWW in your blog title, link your post here and we'll visit for a look at your space. Thanks!

A review. Solicited, but happily offered...

Allow me to give you teeny bit of history. Back last summer, on possibly the only dry day, if not the warmest, me and that Di and that LLJ met Desker Brenda of Butlers Abroad. Brenda lives in America with Andrew, her devoted husband.  No really, stay with me, it's relevant.

L-R me, Jan, Brenda, Di   (Summer 2013)

This picture of us Desker gals was taken by Brenda's husband.  He and I had a long chat about the ribbon holders that he had made for Brenda and then because of demand, had made for general sale.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Giraffe Storage Systems.

Ribbon and Washi tape holders.  Designed with the user and the tidy in mind.  So you drop the spool or roll of tape into the cradle, it will hold the end until you're ready to pull a length of whatever you desire to use and because of the clever 'arm' gizmo (at the left end in my photo), your unwinding action doesn't cause the roll to tip or stall and cause unsteady ribbon carnage.  Genius.

Now despite my enthusiasm for a friend's ideas and products, I also have a sales head (from many years of selling, actually), and I was pretty quick to point out to Andrew that although I buy quite a lot at a time - 3 metres plus, I rarely buy ribbon on spools...it's not a common option in the UK - although the smaller spools are more available.  Well, he answered that, no problem.  The rack shown here was designed for smaller spools like Washi and the 2 or 3 metre spooled lengths you can buy here in dear old Blighty.  And then if you have untamed longer lengths.....he supplies empty spools too.  Smart arm, huh!!

And wait, there's more.  You can have a wall mountable rack, or a desk top rack...indeed a proper system to corral your ribbons and tapes that not only makes them accessible and ultra-useable....they'll look fab too! Win, win, win.

And if you aren't a big ribbon user....you could have the stacker...and then when you've filled it - which you surely will, because suddenly you're using more ribbon and loving the 'display' in your workspace, you can buy another and they'll stack obediently.  Perfect.

And wait - there's more.  It's no coincidence that I've timed this review with a summer SALE at Giraffe Storage Systems, till August 25th, there's a 20% discount if you use the magic code BASSGSS.  (Shh, I lifted it off Brenda's blog!)

And yes - wait, there's still more.  Giraffe Storage Systems sent me a 12" Tape Dispenser rack to give away.  Yep, I'm to share it.  And I will, of course, because if I don't, it's a bit obvious huh.  But you have to admit, it does look pretty good on my workdesk! So here's the difficult bit.  If you'd like to own the 12" tape rack, please leave me a comment and mention Mr Giraffe Storage System's by his given name.  I'll post it to anywhere, so don't hold back.  
You can find Giraffe Storage on Etsy, and you can follow them on Facebook too - a great way to see promotions and competitions and exciting Giraffe things.

Now, go assess your ribbon usage, I feel some organising coming on!

Self promotion dressed as opportunity...

..as only I can do.  Stand by. I'm sorry, I can't help it, I'm a middle child. Or something; insert your own reasons....because I'm not going to be unkind about myself!
Remember this?

I was so utterly in love with some of the calligraphy svg cuts that our Desker Robyn was using in her crafting that I felt the need to investigate.  I found that Oyster Stamps are the UK distributor for Quietfire Designs on rubber, and so I had a teeny spend.  The calligraphy is sublime, non? 
Well I must have gone on for too long - because to shut me up, Robyn and Suzanne of Quietfire have asked me to do a guest DT spot in October on the Quietfire blog. I know!  


The reason I'm telling you this now is:
 - because I'm a whole lotta smug about it
 - because I'm a whole lotta smug about it
 - because I'm scared witless about it
 - but I'm still smug about it.

If you should feel the need, visit the Quietfire blog, by all means. Indeed, I urge you to.  And then I urge you to visit again and again, until your brain is immune to the standard and beauty of the samples you see.  Then you'll be ready for October.  

Meanwhile, y'all have a lovely weekend.  More insufferable behaviour guaranteed next week!

WOYWW ..What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 271

If you're an onlooker, read the two WOYWW related pages shown at the top of this blog and become a participator - go on, it's harmless - and fun!
I took this photo yesterday at about 4pm.  I thought that I had finished my desk-time for the day, see.  Then Mr D rang to say he'd be later home than usual, so I carried on.  Until 6.45pm! Amazing.  Mind you, it meant that we didn't eat 'till almost nine!  

The mug was freshly empty - low cal hot chocolate, despite the sunshine; it was as near to chocolate as I dared get. You can see that the tree card is the second incarnation on the desk...and that's what the buttons I ordered last week are for. 200 of these little hearts take up no room.  But they do take up lots of patience when you want to thread twine through them. Chump of an idea.
Before anyone gets excited, the syringe is full of silicone glue. Not deliberately out of shot but only just visible...brand new wood mounted stamps.  The love of my craft life. I'll show 'em in more detail soon, I don't doubt.
And then, because my little Alien Crop Souvenir from Mary Anne sparked interest, here he is in full glorious sunshine.  It's the sneakers that do it for me! Such great detail.

So now, decide to show off your workspace too...paper, fabric, food, whatever, we like to envisage you at your desk, doing.  Share and tell, please.  And this week, hopefully blogger will co-operate slightly more and more visits can be made!

The best laid plans..

Well, see, it's raining. And there's no better reason to spend a day at my desk.  After all, I have some hideous deadlines to meet and I don't know about you, but 'desk time' is the last thing on the daily list. And it gets pushed back and then suddenly, days have gone by and the only thing achieved is the advancement of the deadline!

So now I can actually get into the blog (anyone else had trouble this week?), I thought I'd show you the path to my sitting down and erm, creating.  
First, trim off the edge and ensure that the LOs made last weekend are really finished. Check. Here's one.

I love that fact that my neice is my friend on Facebook, and I keep quiet about it, lest she remembers!

I've been using existing stash as a matter of course, but in that, I can't count paper.  For this particular crop day, I had LOADs of photos of my party printed and primed.  And apparently from my stash of oh, about a 4" thick pile of papers, I have nothing to use. So I set them aside and did other, stash using stuff.

You've seen these two recently, guess which one is Myrtle!

I haven't quite got the LOs in the albums yet, that will happen this evening.  I know this because I have placed them on my armchair which means I can't sit without moving them, and in theory, it should only be into the album that they are moved...sensible, non? 
And then, gentle reader..we move on to the afternoon activity.  I had to use the stepladder to get these stamps from my top shelf, and after this, I shall pull out the clear stamps too..so that Christmas is at my hand.  It doesn't help really, but it will save me having the excuse of getting up and wandering about 'looking' for stamps! 

For now though, the hordes are talking about bacon sandwiches for lunch and oh goodness, the rain has stopped and the skies are clearing...I may yet be distracted!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 270

Well.......not a lot!
Except there is a lot, it just isn't terribly visible. 

sorry about the glare...it turned into a lovely Tuesday evening....

Desert Island Discs on the iPlayer, and yes, that is a miniature botle of Bombay Sapphire gin.  It's one of my favourites and was a birthday gift. It's so pretty, I can't put it away..or drink it!  The pointy eared alien is from Mary-Anne, it was a WOYWW5Crop gift...and is actually a print of the pattern on this blog..she's so clever.  He keeps me company and never ever complains when I make him move house.  The plastic box contains the LOs I finished at last weekends crop..to be photographed and filed in albums.  Only four this time; I'm slacking.  The envelope...well, believe it or not, it contains 200 red buttons. After last week's picture, can you imagine me not having enough buttons?  These are for the Card Marathon. The envelope also contains some snowflakes, also for the Card Marathon.  I think.  So far, that's just a plan.  

So there, gentle desker..you can almost tell from this morning's desk what the plan for the rest of the day is.  Be so kind as to share similarly, it may take time, but we love to visit!

How to and 'rules' can be found on pages linked at the top of this page. 

My Life is in a Teabag

It was a crop weekend and a very lovely day I had, thank you.  I was so exhausted when I got home that I didn't unload the car. Well, OK, Mr Dunnit had timed the cup of tea making so perfectly that I walked through the door, went straight to my armchair and clean forgot!  

A conversation about how much you get done in a day when you're at home all the time was very interesting. The Enthusiastic Educator is of course, on school holiday.  I work from home *ahem* and was able to enter the discussion.  Of course, my specialist subject is procrastination.  We did talk about how you start the day full of intent to get to a specific chore/thing, and by the end of the day, although tired, one is left wondering why the 'thing' isn't done and where did the day go?  

Well let me use this very morning as a fine example of that which the girls called Tea Bag syndrome...you know, it gets in the water and spreads out until all is tea coloured spreading and touching everything....so it goes with chores, I think.     

L-R Papers and photos, inks, sponges, pens, embellishments boxes, dies, assorted 'mayneeds', and the beverage bag...containing real needs..tea, coffee, salad dressings, oh and collapsible bins..

Today, I have a school friend coming for lunch; second catch up of the year, so quite a big deal.

I got up early because as a priority, I need to do some grocery shopping. The cupboards are bare and if I'm to display any decent hospitality, it would be nice to at least have some milk in our coffee.  So the washing's on, as usual, but other jobs have been re-prioritised as it were, to do in an order that will get 'visitor welcoming' jobs done first.

I figure that food shopping is the priority whilst its cool and others are at home doing their chores.  Saunter to the car, open the boot to check on the number of shopping bags and find the bagged up stash. Obviously, I took photos - which involved going to get the camera, and turning on the PC for its warm up routine.  The car is unloaded..all the bags are now in a heap on the workroom floor...I should prolly put everything away. But the PC is warm and I'm ready to type.  Already much later than I anticipated going out, I'm now typing a post which I had rather relegated to an afternoon position on the old mental list. 

Now I can hear the washing machine doing a last-but-one spin, so I may wait now and hang that washing out before I go.  And while I'm waiting, I may have to throw the hoover around downstairs.  And in just considering this, I have remembered the pile of papers and such that I promised Mr D I'd deal with before my friend arrives.   You're getting the picture. I think, for lunch, I may take my friend out.  Then we can pop into the supermarket on the pretext of needing milk and I'll just carry on and get everything on my other, real list.  I would show you the LOs I did at Crop, but I really need to get on. And that reminds me, I need to add teabags to the shopping list.