What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 586

There is nothing new on my desk. In fact, there has been no change on my desk since last week - except that the iced bun is missing. Obviously.

So I thought, whilst clearing stuff up yesterday in preparation for more dust and building, you might like to see my proper workroom. It’s a bit gloomy without the glazed stable door.

So my desk was sitting comfortably on the right, where you can now see the back of a stud wall. All the ‘stuff’ that was stored under my desk is piled up, and the blue bag is actually the start of a clear out. Because the stable door is going to be put back. Which means daylight and access from garage to garden without walking through the whole house. This time though, the hole for the door is going to be made in the wall where the cupboards, worktop and cutting station are currently doing a great job, minding their own business and it must be said, in a relatively dust free manner! There was a rumour swirling around this house that we might do it this week, but the weather forecast has caused a stay. Slightly grateful, to be honest. But it has to be done, so I think I need to clear out and just grit my teeth!  I had a lovely cup of tea last week with Desker Sarah when she and her husband put Salisbury on their last minute holiday itinerary. I have a nasty feeling that she’ll post a photo, so I won’t. It’s barely stopped raining since, Sarah - please if you can, come back and stop it!

Join us wont you, show and tell, all as usual. Thank you! 

All things in moderation....

You know I like Gin. The explosion in the popularity of Gin over the last couple of years has been fab for me, I’ve tried hundreds. Including all the ‘Gin and’ flavours. You know, with extract of moon dust, gold flakes, mermaid scales, even rhubarb for goodness’ sake. Well, just like the coffee revolution, I’ve diligently worked my way through them and the result is that I like Gin. Just plain old Gin and Tonic the best. I’m not choosy about the tonic either, but recognise that certain brands do more for certain Gins than others.

This is my favourite, probably of all time. I photographed it this morning for scrapbook purposes, for this bottle was a gift. I then thought you gentle reader, would like to read about more of my hubris.

This bottle is empty, finished last night. It was a Christmas gift (..fab, huh). I want to point out here that Mr Dunnit is the butler and therefore drinks maker. He drinks gin cocktails, but uses an unbranded gin because he rather prefers the vermouth to taste. So we aren’t sharing a bottle, is what I’m saying. There was a point during lockdown that I thought I might well win the prize for rotund alcoholic, so I was verbal in my smugness that this bottle has actually lasted eight months. Yes, said Mr Dunnit, that would be a triumph if you didn’t count the one and half bottles that were used before this was opened. Ah. Have decided to consign this bottle to the erm, ‘up cycling’ section of my garage. It will have a place in the creation of the new patio area. A reminder of my assumed moderation!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 585

Taken yesterday afternoon. About 430 after I’d come back from a supermarket run. See my reward? Diet’s going so well this week!  So there’s the fixings for a Christmas card. The snowman image is one of a dozen that I stamped coloured and cut out early in lockdown, with every intention of making hundreds of cards before we were allowed out to play again. You know that didn’t happen. The heart ramekin holds a spoonful of holographic shredded plastic. (If you aren’t distracted by the iced bun, you can just see the bag full at left.) I bought it a couple of years ago and really love it as a snow effect, but it’s very coarse. So I put it in a handy container in a small amount and snip at it till it’s much less coarse. It sounds stupid but makes all the difference for me. And is a lot easier to glue on. But..it’s plastic so very static. VERY. Enough said. There’s a small handful of photos on the iPad stand, waiting. Then as you can see, new purchase on the right, the new brushes that everyone but me seems to be using with their Oxides. I haven’t even opened them yet, must find a video to educate myself. Wouldn’t hurt to find a video to help me stop needing stuff just because everyone else has it too. Hmm. With that in mind, show me your desk please...Usual rules apply!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 584

It’s not a heatwave apparently, because it isn’t consistently affecting every part of the country. I do love it, and I will miss it, but the humidity is starting to make me think it’s time for a thunderstorm and a 15 degree temperature drop! I hope if you’re in any hot part of the world that you’re comfortable and well. I have done a lot of paperwork this week, but not of the craft variety. Staying in the shade, see.

But I did make time to tidy and take a long shot yesterday afternoon. 

Here’s a marvellous angle, a long shot of clean and tidy! (Well except for the scraps tray, it’s getting away from me again!) I absolutely have to make a start on something, not sure what yet, but I’m leaning towards Christmas stuff. Just because any minute now I’m going to turn around and it will be September and there will be demand for workshop kits and I want to be on top of it. Famous last words. Watch this space. All of those sayings apply. So what are you up to? Show and tell please, usual way......thanks so much.

Do I like a challenge?

I’m not competitive. It’s a thing. It’s in you or it isn’t, I think. I’m married to a very competitive chap who loves nothing more than a challenge. I think this is evident just from the fact that he plays Golf. A game that never fails to frustrate and show your shortcomings, apparently. I haven’t played, not since I had a go at the driving range in an attempt to find something we could enjoy together. Boobs too big to make the sticks work, players walk way too fast for me, they don’t like to chat and....it’s just a game and they take it too seriously. 

This was the result of challenge 2. 

A sketch and a very complicated method involving my full name,

 numbers, techniques and then, oh Lordy, having to keep it all graphic.  

Perversely then, I quite like the odd scrapbook challenge, and during an online Crop, I stumbled upon a self revelation. There was a particularly difficult to understand ‘blind challenge’ which involves written instructions to describe a sketch and included things that I don’t ever do, like take my time and hand stitching and counting. As soon as I saw the stitching requirement, I was prepared to pass. Skip Challenge 4. But the inner voice said to stick with it because it was in a run of numbered challenges and you don’t want to break a run, do you? Well, turns out, no, I don’t. 

It was so complicated I had to get Mr Dunnit to overview my take on the instructions. But, a credible LO came out of it, despite everything.

You can’t see the left hand picture because of my photography skills and the light.

 It’s the same plant, but just buds, no blooms. 

I was rather pleased with this Peony’s blooming efforts this year!

Here’s the thing: if it had been a sketch, I’d have passed it by. Firstly because well, measuring, then stitching, then time. Oh my, it did take me a long time to use up the alphabet stickers that were never otherwise going to be used. I had to add glue to the back of most of them as they are old enough to have lost their stick.  Bit of an all round win for my efforts don't you think? So why do I make such a thing and a fuss? I have no idea, its just in me. Drama llama. Another thing I’ve learned. I like a cluster. The instructions were to put the title somewhere top right of the LO, but I couldnt, I thought it looked silly just floating above the pics. It probably didn’t, I was probably just falling back on my formula. Who knows. But for someone who isn’t competitive, I quite like a challenge. Huh? 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 583

August, we greet thee. With some shock, but hey, you’re here now. There’s nothing actually in progress on my desk because I’m mid way through choosing just one piece from a stack of 12x 12 papers. And I have been midway through choosing since Saturday early evening, and just not able to get back to it. So, when I thought to photograph the desk on Tuesday, I thought I’d pull back and provide a little more perspective.

The thing about temporary is that you still need to be surrounded by everything, and in here, that means using the floor. I think since my desk was moved out to this location most of my crafting has been colouring, cutting ( I need the practice) and die cut work because it travels between rooms more easily than stamps and all the paraphernalia. I think. I also have to be mindful that this sort of constant light and warm exposure is bad for pens, rubber, glue, blah blah, so I do move them back into the gloom of the original work room reasonably promptly after use. Mr Dunnit is threatening to have some time off this month to knock the hole in the other wall of the workroom and put the door back in. Might as well, at least all my untidiness can then go back to being slightly out of sight to lounge room users and guests!  You can see more clearly that the coloured balls are actually a string of lights. They’re really pretty, but with all this opening glass, there’s nowhere to anchor them! They were a gift from my sister and I always said I’d wait to use them in this new room, so I shall find a way!  Meanwhile, please show and tell, bet yours is tidier than mine!