Wednesday 16 September 2015

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 328

You can find out a little more about this by clicking HERE. Or you can just jump in and discover that it's absolutely what it looks like and no more, no less!
My desk is a nightmare of indecision. I've got layers. Not painful but definitely needing a good seeing to! The gloomy light of Tuesday evening reveals that my five minutes here and there is working. Although I'm utterly distracted from matching photos to scrapbook papers. Now, I've decided to archive my least used wood mount stamps. This box is but a portion and I'm not getting rid of them. Merely clearing them away in anticipation of having to do this before the building work starts and because they are rarely used, bless them, and I really could use the space. To be untidy in.

You can see from the shelf that my action hasn't made much of a dent. I shall do some more while supper's cooking. It's about the only way to clear my desk off now! So please, after you've recovered from the horror, join us and show what your desk is tolerating! Put WOYWW in your post title and link it here. Thank you!

50 comments:

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

I do love to see a shelf full of wood backed stamps on display.

Judys Lace Creations said...

Your desk isn't that bad ! I would love to sit at your table and peruse your extensive stash! Lovely having goodies to play with isn't it?It is 3pm here.It must be some ungodly hour where you are!! We are having a whacking great thunderstorm!
Judy #4

Helen said...

Hope the building work isn't too soon as you have a way to go yet... good idea though to get started. Can't see a lot of what is under the boxes, you say there are layers - at least they're level layers as the box is nice and steady!!

VonnyK said...

Yep, I have to agree, you do have a few stamps there. I think you're going to need a lot more boxes :) I'm glad you aren't throwing any out cos you know whenever you throw something away you always need it a week or two after. I'll have to check back on some posts to see what the building work is...I'm intrigued.
Have a great week,
Von #8

Sylvia/LittleTreasures said...

I love the wooden stamps, inspiration, a laugh or two, deep thoughts, love, flowers, children....but it is an issue for space here too. I love working with clear stamps but storing and finding them is another thing. So glad to be back, just hope our 35mph winds don't blow me away. Fall is peeping around the corner, some leaves are changing colors and the the Monarch butterflies are heading to south to Mexico. We are heading to the last Fair of the year in our parts. So have a wonderful WOYWW kind of day. And I wish you well for packing up.

peggy aplSEEDS said...

IT is really hard to make me feel horrified about the state of desks, considering that I am always in the process of trying to clean up and put away stuff! Next year, I plan to take over my son's room after he gets married so I'm hoping things will improve! I love drawers and boxes and shelves! All the best in your project!

HeARTworks said...

Love playing with my rubber stamps. Although, I really should get them all organized and put in boxes like you!!! I usually use my alphabets and so they're the ones that are near me. patsy

Create With Joy said...

I have some of those plastic boxes, Julia, and I know that a box filled with wooden stamps weighs a ton! You must have strong arms - I had a shelf one that had those boxes filled with stamps, punches and the like - and the shelf broke!

I WISH my desk looked like yours! Mine is piled so high with books right now the poor cats can barely squeeze on there! Magellan takes great delight in climbing the mounds like a mountain lion - then I get my workout bending over to clean up the mess when it goes crashing to the floor!

Need to find the time and energy to get back to decluttering!

Kyla said...

Ah the dreaded stamp organising. I must admit I removed a lot of the wood from mine and grouped them into similar families such as 'retro' or 'fruit' and placed them in clear VHS boxes (remember them?!). Then suddenly I thought perhaps I should group by 'manufacturer'.....oh the decisions. Good luck!! :-)
Kyla

Lunch Lady Jan said...

All journeys have to start somewhere! Having a good sort out will be beneficial in all sorts of ways :-)
I'm around for next two days if you fancy a coffee!
Hugs, LLJ 13 xx

Annie said...

I found a whole bag full of rubber stamps yesterday whilst moving stuff into my new cupboards....I have no idea what to do with mine cos I never use them so, yes you've guessed it, I moved them into one of my new cupboards to be sorted at another time :-)
Have a great week,
Hugs,
Annie x

Nikki said...

It would be fun to sort through all of your stash and check out all those stamps. I'm sure you'll get it all sorted out soon hugs Nikki 15 I also have some candy to giveaway to pm my blog

Sue Jones said...

I have mine in a big box somewhere- i did sort though and get rid of some but I bought each one for a reason and they hold memories as well as being gorgeous- dont get to use them much now though as they are difficult to reach :( Good luck. Soojay x

Sue said...

What a lot of stamps. Bet you forget what you have:)

Hope you have a lovely WOYWW. Sue

Diana Taylor said...

I do love wood block rubber stamps - there is something very appealing about the look of them and the feel of them when stamping, but for space I've pulled all mine off the blocks and use the foam - the down side of that is it's much harder to find the one you want! Hope your big clear away goes well, have a great week,
Diana #22

misteejay said...

Wooden stamps are something that I don't have that many of - I love seeing your collection.
Toni xx

Twiglet said...

Wooden stamps seem to have an attraction to us don't they - like Annie, I discovered a boxful when I moved. I think they might even have been Maxine's and I doubt either of us used them much but we just had to have them! x Jo

RosA said...

My least used stamps are already in boxes, but, they are still in the way! Good luck with your rearranging :) Hope the renovations won't be too stressful.
RosA # 25

Lisca said...

Hope you had a nice holiday.
I might have to adopt that '5 min here, 5 min there' system. Sounds like in the end you get stuff done.
Gosh, you have got so many stamps you can open a shop! Can you take them off the wooden block and mount them on that sticky back stuff? Disadvantage is that you can't see what they are but you won't have to get rid of them to creat space.
Have agreat week,
Lisca#24

Unknown said...

Love the way you have the wooden stamps displayed. So hard getting rid of things but at some point you have to scream "enough"! If I tried cleaning through while cooking dinner, dinner would be burned so I admire you for being able to snatch that time and use it.

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Julia, I love wooden stamps and still like using them the best but it's storing them that's the problem. One day I will show you my collection but it could take several photographs and days of work as I have been collecting them for about 20+ years and though most of them are organised on shelves in the loft, I know there are others lurking in drawers and boxes. Maybe it's time to let some go!
Have a great woyww and happy crafting, Angela x

Jill said...

OOh I'd love to have a rummage through that box of stamps Julia. I'm looking for some to use with ceramic clay.
Jill #30

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Mm, Julia, first glance I noticed your window is still open so must've been a warmish day.. and also notice your spades must've been in use too as mine was today in front yard that time of year.

Would love rummage in your wooden stamps not sure why but love wooden, probably cos they are older ones . mine are also in drawers but smaller and narrower ones than yours and in categories. Had them for about fifteen years I reckon.

Am late again, Happy WOYWW!
Shaz in Oz.x #33

{Shaz in Oz – Calligraphy Cards}

sandra de said...

Imagine the great discoveries you will make during the packing away.... well that is what I find whenever I have a clean up. Years of stuff that I just pushed to the back of the cupboard and then promptly forgot. Have a lovely week as you sort and pack away.
sandra de @26

Glenda said...

You are doing something many of us need to do. I have drawers filled with stamps and often think I should pack them away but then when I need one, and I usually do, I have a terrible time trying to find the one I want! Such is the life of a hoarder. I've come to realize hoarding is not a bad thing...yes, my name is Glenda and I'm a hoarder!

CraftygasheadZo said...

My goodness, I knew you had stamps but that's a lot! No wonder you are archiving them. I do that with craft CDs I confess. Anyway your desk is always intriguing with lots to see. Hope you are well my lovely. Take care Zo xx

Kristiina said...

I'm so glad I don't have very many wood mounted stamps... mine all fit in a small drawer, and I prefer to buy them unmounted. Though I just ordered some from Stampotique, and they only sell woodmounted, so that little drawer will soon be busted :)
Happy woyww!
Kristiina #21

My name is Cindy said...

Hi Julia, wrote you a very amusing comment and the internet stopped working - happening wit alarming frequency these days! Of course now I can't remember what I was going to say. So Happy WOYWW!! Cindy #34 xx

Anonymous said...

Your desk is taking a lot from you Julia... cherish him/her! I spoiled my desk with an extra protection sheet underneath my painting water glasses last week... he/she smiles at me now! Happy woyww and a hug from wet Holland (hope you have less rain than we have overhere...) Marit #39

Marit said...

(sorry, forgot to type my name with my former comment. I don't want you to think I'm anonymous... Marit #39

Laura said...

Ah, rubber stamps. I swear they multiply overnight.
Happy Wednesday
Laura
36

Unknown said...

You must have an amazing stamp collection--but space is always competing with our stash of things! You are so right though that five or ten minutes here and there makes a huge difference when you can just do it all at once. I think you are right to archive and not just get rid of them, because this is your thing! Maybe you could do a workshop sometime where everyone makes something with all the different stamps. Hugs! Sandy Leigh

Tilly Tea Dance said...

A tidy desk is an idle desk I always say!! Think of it less as layers of mess and more as a filing... sorry 'piling' system! Happy crafting :-)
Max, #44

Elizabeth said...

I discoverd this blog and this idea... nice.
I will join this.
No time to read all of this, but I think that doesn't matter for the moment.
Thank you. I made a button on my blog (www.alles-vanellis.blogspot.com) and will take a picture next wednesday.

Stacy Sheldon said...

I totally love that you can see all your stamps on the shelves that is so cool but, I also get that if you box them you will have more space. ( I have mostly boxed stamps with a few of the backgrounds on a shelf) ~Stacy #48

Princess Judy Palmer said...

I can see that you've made progress on your shelves! I know it doesn't seem like it but all those little tiny bites add up! The desk is kind of shocking but we've all been there and done that! Judy #49

Unknown said...

I hope the building work doesn't take too long. I find it hard to part with stamps too even though I may not ever use them. Have a great week. Linda #51

Sharon Madson said...

Nothing like a building project to get one to organize and tidy up! I have a lot of stamps that I haven't used in a long time. But if I pack them away, then I did them out soon! LOL #53

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

Those "Really Useful" boxes are aptly named! Your stamps will be safe in there - just don't forget to use them, otherwise they're just space hoggers. I ruthlessly got rid of a lot of things this past summer - it felt so liberating!

Anne said...

Hi Julia - been trying to sort out my stamps Julia. This a problem though - want to keep them all. I sold a few SU ones that had retired - then found I needed them ! :-) Good luck with tidying. Anne x #_34

Kim said...

As they say; it has to get worse before it gets better...not sure if it helps, but there you go...
Of course, I'd be just stacking the cases on the floor and move on; LOL

Whimcees said...

Forgot to add my name! Good luck with the sorting! Wishing you a good evening!

Hugs,

Barbara Diane

Unknown said...

I have unmounted so many of my wood mounts but still have quite a few! I did get rid of some as I am so out of room and need to move some stuff out before I can but more! Anyway, have fun sorting!
Carol N #43

Shoshi said...

That's some mean boxes of stash, Julia! Great to have a turn out every now and then. I unmount all my old wood mounted stamps and put them on EZ-Mount Foam, and use the wood blocks for other things (like making blending pads, or sticking bubble wrap on for bubble wrap stamping etc.). Thanks for your lovely comment - my hubby wisely gives me a wide berth when I'm in that sort of a mood, and then tells everyone I'm coping really well lol! I'm much better now, physically and mentally (at least for now). Busy with friends and family calling so not much studio time in the offing for the rest of the week but hopefully next week I'll get plenty in. It's very satisfying using up all the horrible stash you don't like. Amazing what a bit of Dylusions spray ink will do, or a good old coat of gesso.

Happy WOYWW,
Shoshi #30

Ohhh Snap said...

Wooden stamps are my bane. And being gravitationaly challenged, they never stand neatly on the shelf, but topple over like dominoes which incites an abundance of cussing. So I've started unmounting some of them to alleviate the strain on my storage.

Well done on using your time allotments so efficiently! #41

Robyn Oliver said...

Hi Julia, just a late pop in to take in the view of your desk and window. I too have lots of wood mounted stamps and am sure if I archive any they'll be the ones I want next... happened since our move back when I realized the most suitable stamp for my card was one in a storage box...mmm, oh well, have fun deciding which to pack and enjoy your weekend RobynO

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I think I'll come organize with you. 5 minutes at a time is a whole lot better than spending an entire day helping a friend who drags her feet and refuses to get rid of something for fear she may need it in about 10 years. At least you have a plan. And that is more than Sally can say. You also use your desk as a staging area, where Sally has not a single flat space we can use to stage anything. Keep up the great work, use those five minutes, and you will be ready for that ultimate remodel before you know it.

Bernice said...

It doesn't look too bad to me Julia! I hope you'll be able to continue crafting during the building work or you'll get withdrawal symptoms! (Sorry for the late visit - internet's been playing up - I blame the nice weather - it's just not used to it!)
Bernice #25

Unknown said...

Hi Julia!
No, my corner doesn't stay that neat when I am flinging paint and glitter and it takes a very conscious effort to keep it cleaned or else it piles up with everything in the house and i can't use it anymore!

You have a lovely view out that window there, and so very many stamps!

Lovely!

Suzanne Alexis said...

This is so much fun! I enjoy reading other people's posts and visiting their sites.