Sunday 5 January 2020

Can we talk? surfaces....

If you visit here on a Wednesday, you can have access to a number of work surfaces. You can even show us yours. We’d like that. But here now today, I’d like to talk specifically about MY work surface. 
Not the desk per se, but what I put on top of it.
I have a square glass cutting mat with a grid printed on it. Love it. Don’t want to talk about that, either.
For messy work, I have an A2 art pad which sits under my desk until required. No need to talk about that.
What comes next? Well, you might recognise this.
The actual project. And that makes it instantly vulnerable! 
I mean it. If you’ve seen my WOYWW posts, you’ll know that I work in a mess. I can reduce my working space to the size of the card or the Layout I’m working on in seconds. Harmless, right? Whatever makes me happy, keeps me crafting? Yeah right.
I’ve got the surfaces...glass mat, block of paper for Messy work. Two moans here...the Cosmic Shimmer Mist will not spray anymore and despite hot water and patience, it STILL WILL NOT SPRAY. Consequently, see, I tap the squirt tube over the card stock that needs to have a sprinkle of cosmic on it. And because it needs to be regularly put back in the bottle to pick up more Cosmicness, I managed to POUR it over the card because I wasn’t concentrating on bottle angles, left hands etc. Cosmic, just pigging cosmic. 
But Julia you say, that was an accident. Mmmmm. It certainly wasn’t deliberate.
Here’s a nice enough Layout completed for a challenge just before Christmas. It was meant to be on a plain piece of card, but guess what. I had decided to try to make the pink of my gorgeous Mother’s outfit stand out. It looks quite white in the picture, but I promise it wasn’t. After all, she would never ever ever have worn a white outfit at her daughter’s wedding, huh. I digress. I wanted a stamped and interesting wordy, curlicue flourished, patterny background so I started with a plan to layer the stamping. Having added the title, I went away to do something domestic and pointless. When I returned, I had to make a card using cosmic Shimmer Mist because I’d had a bit of a bad time with one I’d tried to make earlier. So I plonked the card on top of the Layout and lo and behold, ruined both!  
Doesn't the pink look vile, actually? It wasn’t so pink in real life. Specially after I’d shimmered the Cosmic. Same hateful problem hours apart. You’d think a gal would learn huh. Well I have learned. I’ve learned that I’m not going to  use that Cosmic spray stuff anymore. Paintbrushes for me. Other bad habits? Too late to change, new year or not.


11 comments:

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I could have written this post, Julia. I do exactly the same thing. I get SOME of my misters to spray for one or two times after I clean them, then do the exact same thing you did. I've even dumped my shimmering mists on paper, too. I also have decided the easiest way to add these shimmering mists is with a brush. There is less mess and less worry that I'll tip something over.

You have hit a sore spot of mine, too. Why can't these sprays actually SPRAY? Why can't manufacturers figure out what is wrong and correct the problem?

Christine said...

I was told at a workshop NEVER to shake a spray bottle but to gently ROLL the bottle between my hands to mix the contents. I haven't tried it as .....I no longer buy sprays!!! lol
Beautiful layout BTW.
X

Christine said...

I was told at a workshop NEVER to shake a spray bottle but to gently ROLL the bottle between my hands to mix the contents. I haven't tried it as .....I no longer buy sprays!!! lol
Beautiful layout BTW.
X

Elizabeth said...

Feel for you Julia. Cosmic sprays that don't are the bane of my crafting life. I have given up even trying. I spatter instead - sounds disgusting! Lovely scrap page, shame about the bleed through though. Hugs, Elizabeth xx

Sue said...

Julia, Look on the bright side.

1. You didn't mess up that lovely LO.
2. You realised that pink was vile (your word, not min:)
3. You make my mishaps look so trivial:) LOL

Had a bug over the weekend and still not 100%, so thanks for making me smile. Sue

fairyrocks said...

I appreciated seeing your work surfaces. As for the 'Smurf murder' crime scene, yes I have dumped the spray bottle too. So then I feel the pain of your double frustration. Insult to injury is the expense of the darn things that don't work. Ah well you made it all beautiful in the end. Keep smiling and creating.

Helen said...

Another post I missed...must pay more attention! Well you know me and spray bottles and my rug still bears the scars...... Even some of my distress oxides are reluctant to spray. When will we ever learn!! I love how up to date you are with your layouts!!!

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Commiserations here Julia that’s me all over, storing bottles lying down helps prevent blockages from tiny pigment flakes and also I save spray bottle of suitable size for decanting said items when blocked.
Question I’m thinking looking at praying about getting glass mat, is yours all you hoped.. ? Am still looking thinking for few more weeks but after opinions!
Thanks for being a blessing, and may God bless you too, especially good health in 2020.
Hugs, Shaz in Oz.x

{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

PS dopey forgot to say too both are lovely layouts esp first one! Great image. Realised afterwards had missed saying that...waffling again!
Hugs Sha zxxx

Neet said...

I have spray bottles all over the place but do I use them? No! Well hardly ever - why? Because the stinkers won't spray without blobbing or won't spray at all because they contain mica.
Yes, I roll them, Yes in temper I shake them. So why do I keep them? No idea! I guess one day I will paint with them, but spray - not on your nelly!
Hugs, Neet xx

Helen said...

I left a comment on here but it seems it didn't save.... you know me and sprays - keep buying them, keep getting frustrated.... my spills are on my rug though which still bears the scars...I do like the finished layout though