Thursday 30 April 2020

Anniversary Chat

I’ve been pondering and wondering about the occasion of WOYWW’s eleventh anniversary on Wednesday May 20th, number 572. To be honest, it’s been a sort of frantic pondering too, because despite the slow pace of our current days, Wednesdays have rushed toward May and of course, I hadn’t decided.
There’s a lot of pressure on every service at the moment and several people have pointed out that our usual ATC swap would just add to the burden that the Post Office is experiencing. So we won’t do that. 
Of course, a lot of us make extra ATCs for trading at the crop. and we aren’t doing that.
So I think we should really make something of this locked down Anniversary and take the opportunity to do something lovely for our enjoyment. So how about this: drag out a UFO (any craft, any age) or a kit, or ‘thing’ that you’ve promised to do ‘at some point’ and actually do it. Take the challenge and show us on WOYWW 572. I’m such a skilled procrastinator that I have quite a selection to work from.  
These cards are a case in point. Shopkeeper Gal has been putting together workshop kits and posting them whilst we’re all staying at home. This was the first workshop, I did it yesterday. It’s been in kit form on my desk for a month. Must be maddening for you doing types! Select and commit then, tell us what you’re going to do for yourself for the Anniversary, I’ll be collecting answers!

Wednesday 29 April 2020

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 569

My desk is busy but to be honest, it doesn’t look very different to last week. It’s covered in scrapbooking stuff and apart from the page that I’m working on, I don’t know if you could tell the difference. So I thought you’d like to see another surface that we’re both using for pretty much everything except it’s intended use. This is the island in the new kitchen. You can see, I’m using it to sort and select photos and also as (temporary) home for my Big Shot and die folder. The torch and livid pink string and other bits and pieces are from Mr Dunnit’s tool box and are in constant use between cup of tea time and sitting down to supper. Lockdown means that the final pieces of work that were to completed by electrician and plumber have had to be postponed and it’s starting to frustrate him. So he’s been doing as much as he possibly can to be absolutely ready...for example, the cupboard under the sink has to house the ‘box’ that will heat the water to one of those fancy taps that delivers boiling water as well as hot and cold. Well, he’s cut a hole in the base of the cupboard to drop the box into so that it doesn’t impede the waste pipe plumbing or the fitting of a centre height shelf. Loads of things like that. You know, stuff that might slow the final plumbing down. So hey, we’re sharing a workspace! 
Now, please share your workspace...it’s interesting! And if you can’t/don’t want to, it would be lovely if you would just leave a comment so we know you’re OK. Ta.

Wednesday 22 April 2020

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 568

I hope those of you operating in another time zone or actually having to work to a time frame here can forgive me, it’s currently 8am and I’m only just starting my post! I’ll keep it brief!
The right hand end view. At least it gives you some idea of the situation. LOTS of light and the remainder of the patio that is still a building site but I’m slowly reclaiming it. I’ve got, plenty of light (!) at this desk and because it’s actually in our lounge, we’ve already learned to ignore the mess. So you can see my Options bin, which gives evidence that I’ve been crafting, and the little pot of unused die cuts that I put on cards etc seems to have emptied itself. They are a bit difficult to wrangle into any order...I must store them flat really. Or use them! I tidied after having the plastic boxes open and strewn about yesterday, so any productivity doesn’t show. The red basket contains my Bramble Fox collection of acrylic words, sayings etc, called Perspextives. I was a monthly subscriber but had to stop when they started to get the better of me. Now I enjoy having them at hand but they don’t appear on every LO anymore. At least that part of my formula has changed! 
I hope you’re keeping well and able to observe lockdown without too much difficulty. I know we’re very much at a geographic disadvantage, but if you need company, you can find it here, just say the word and one or all of us will work out how to connect with you, seriously. And comically too - I’ve experienced a lot of ‘can you hear me now’ and ‘can you see me now’ type conversations in the last month!
Join in here as well please....show and tell as usual. Put WOYWW in your post title and link here. 

Wednesday 15 April 2020

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 567

I expect the way the numbers fall for this week is pleasing for Jan. She likes that sort of thing. I spent all of yesterday afternoon with The Coven, via Zoom. I only made one scrapboook page because I wasn’t really ready, so in the end I went back to scraps and card making. What did I make? A mess!
All my scrap stash boxes are open and piled on the left as they were last week. You can see from the working space that I’ve used a Distress Stain to colour one of the snarky comment stickers - trying to use the least offensive! Distress Stain.....I felt like I was doing retro crafting! I really must get back to some proper, ink-on-paper stuff. Let’s face it, there’ll never be a better time! Meanwhile, lemme talk you through a couple of newbies on my desk. Lookit, lookit, I’ve got the most fab little Polaroid type camera. It was a Christmas present from my Sissy and till today I’ve been ridiculously mean about taking pics. Only ten in a cartridge which isn’t cheap, huh! But yesterday I downloaded a cut file from Paige Evans that I thought I could use today, with 2 or 3 of these little photos showing life in quarantine. but I took rubbish photos. Really. So now I’m waiting for Paige to come up with a suitable cut file for them. You can also see my coffee stained drinking vessel, in front of the cylinder bin thing. I like to put my cup there because it lessens the chance of spills in that sort of ‘cage’ arrangement. No spills today, but a lot of little bits of paper and tape peelings ended up in it...should have moved the bin forward! Now I have tidying up agony. Year end and a strange form from the Office of National Statistics that I have to fill in before May means that I’ve got to get into normal work mode. When I eventually go upstairs to shower and dress this morning, I may have to put on a suit!  

Before I ask you to blog, join in, link, please can you join me in sending healing vibes and frankly, whatever it takes to recover, to a couple of deskers who are suffering from COVID19. Christine will tell you how awful it is, she’s recovering. Love and strength in waves to all. 

Now. Please blog, join in, link. See you at your place. Actually, even if you don’t want to join in, perhaps just leave me a comment to say you’re well? Thanks!!

Friday 10 April 2020

Learn from this, I do it for you... !

I’ve been hoarding these ingredients. My friend Kathy (you know her from WOYWW on Instagram) sent me these fantastic embossed panels on various metallic finishes. Aren’t they plump and marvellous. I’ve been hoarding them because well, hoarding means I can enjoy them for longer.
Here’s an interesting fact about Kathy that has just occurred to me. Even though she lives all the way over there in Washington state, she is amongst only a handful of Deskers who have met Mr Dunnit. Clever. 
Aaaaanyway. I am totally doing what hundreds of others are doing and casting about to make nice things now that I have, apparently, more time. And I have some lovely ingredients with which to make nice things, thanks to Kathy.

I very carefully and incredibly patiently (patting myself on the back because you might forget), applied the turquoise Nuvo Drops to each join, I think it really adds to the plumposity. Then I waited for them to dry. More back patting. 
The word stamp is also from Kathy, isn’t it fab, and I think, rather pertinent. I embossed it with gold EP. It stamped beautifully, so no infill or obvious ‘squishing’ of the silicone which spreads the image and makes it look, to me, less clear, often times a bit smudged.I was pleased with it. Then I rummaged and found a crown stamp, from a We Three Kings Christmas set by Woodware. I know! Genius cross pollination of themes and justification indeed for buying a hitherto unused set. I think Darlene would be proud. It’s all coming together, I can smell a batch of satisfactory cards coming on. Fiddled about with a frame for the text, another colour, maybe the crown just stuck straight on the top of the white card...oh you name it, I invested time in it. I was really pleased with the finish. 
And then I dropped the dirty stamp on it. Not once either, as you can probably tell. This is not a tale of woe. It is a horrible warning. About hubris and smugness. And utter, foul language tainted clumsiness! 

Wednesday 8 April 2020

What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday 566

I really hope that you’re all well. To improve your week, here’s my desk from the right hand end.Ya see, I got involved with the idea of using scraps to make up some cards. Then I realised that I should be using some of the scrapbooking stuff that I likely won’t use on pages too. Cue all the boxes and balancing. There’s a die cut flamingo peeking out of the tub at right of the cutter. I’ve done a few cards with multiple layered die cuts on them. Actually it’s all a bit of a lie...I’m making card fronts, there aren’t many that are actually made up onto proper foldy cards yet. I need to stop and do that otherwise they will be UFOs and I can just guess they’ll turn into a chore of a job, like adding inserts! Ages ago I bought a book of snarky comment stickers from the Tim Holtz range and I’ve been able to use one or two. Most of them though, although amusing, are a bit too snarky to send on a card in my opinion; it wasn’t my most cost effective purchase!
Show and tell then gentle desker, we want to see what lockdown is doing for your creativity. If it’s a big fat nothing, don’t worry...we’d like to see your ‘desk of intention’! Please put WOYWW in your post title, it really helps those of us who visit late. (Me!)


Wednesday 1 April 2020

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 565

Sorry it’s late...I can’t imagine how I over slept....It’s a bit of an achievement is this. I’m not sure that I’d be keeping track of the days if it wasn’t for WOYWW! I was chatting to a new online acquaintance last evening who said that she was bored to death and had done enough cleaning to last her a decade. I could only sympathise. Because I’m not....I’ve got loads to keep me occupied and frankly, spring cleaning is pretty low on the list! Am so grateful that I have hobbies.
I’ve done a lot of scrapbooking in the last week, and inevitably in doing so have created scraps. The LO you can just about see on my desk is waiting for some journaling. And then, card making for me. I need to use up some scraps and there’s no better way to make a big dent. Do you like my new trolley? Cart, I believe some will call it. It was a panic purchase because I need to keep things relatively tidy in here and I find myself carting stuff from my workroom and not really putting them back (see dining chair at left!), and...oh I don’t know. Mr Dunnit put it together for me without complaint. I still have that desk top bin (the Options hot chocolate powder drum) and I use it, it’s useful. One day, I might spare some scraps to decorate it. Disguise it a little! Show and tell then won’t you, above all, report in and let us know you’re OK. and if you’re not OK, please say...we may between us, be able to help!