What’s on your Workdesk? Wednesday 617

Sunshine! Oh my word how lovely a day was yesterday. I understand today will be too, before things plummet back to seasonally cold! I photographed my desk yesterday, about 4.30pm. I remembered on Monday that I’d committed to a scrapbook challenge. I remembered because I had for once displayed sense and set a thingy to email me when the Challenge was posted. It was a shock on two counts. One that the thingy setting worked, and two that I needed to clear up a bit. So, well, I moved some pens and made a pile of the ink pads that were strewn about. 

What you can see is the leftovers of the scrapbook page. It’s a Rainbow challenge, and the first colour was Green. Bit of an ‘argh’, but I’ve done it. Will show you when I’m allowed to. Meanwhile, I just sort of carried on without clearing up. No surprise, huh. I’m having a lot of fun stamping Francoise’s and Janet’s lovely houses onto scraps and then paper piecing them. Paper piecing isn’t something I have done a lot of, for reasons of patience, but I can’t resist these. See that large black and white pouch at the far end? That’s my new pencil case. It’s got ‘pages’ in, with elastic hoops for 64 pens. I’ve filled it. I didn't think I would, specially as I’ve squashed two pens into one elastic on many of the pages. It holds my most used brush pens and all of my journaling pens. Already proving useful, but quite large! So that’s me, how about you? Show it, tell it and share it here please! Edit: you aren’t seeing things, the week number is correct. It wasn’t, but it is now. It’s a fat finger problem.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 616

I’ve taken the photograph from a different angle this week, and in bright broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon. It looks just the same this morning, only the desk is pushed against the window out of the way. Hurrah for wheels!
Almost out of shot at the front is a small and uneven pile of cards and ATCS that I’ve made, in the central ‘work zone’ is a card I’d finished colouring and had applied lots of dots of Glossy accents to, so that was drying. The bucket of pens is in the way unless I’m colouring, so that will be the first tidy up today. There’s a lot of stamps and stencils standing upright at this near end, I seem to have really splurged on Francoise’s new designs. The finished card on top of that pile is a paper pieced floral from one set. Marvellous for using scraps and for when you’re in the mood for some fussy cutting. The angles of other stuff really show the amount of push back I’ve had to employ to make some room, but it’s OK, it worked for yesterday. I sold some of Mary’s stamps on eBay last weekend and as I always do, when I packaged them, I included a thank you message in a card. The recipient messaged me through eBay to say how happy she was to get it and we got talking and now we’re swapping ATCs! Karen is at the start of her obsession, she started card making in time for Christmas. You remember those early days don’t you, when you didn’t realise that storage was going to be your next hobby. Happy days.

Look, I read every single blog on the list last week, but I failed to comment on most of them. I’m very sorry. I knew I was going to be late visiting last week and in the event, I wasn’t able to do so until Friday afternoon. Like a lot of Deskers, I’d logged in to attend Shaz’s funeral in the morning, and to be honest, I just wasn’t in the mood to comment.  It was a perfect service; wonderful photos, music and words. Doug’s attention to the details and the bits that would mean something to Shaz was really evident and you could tell there was love swirling around to help with the loss. I’ve had a word with myself, on behalf of Shaz and have got over myself. Link up, expose those desks, enable my pocket money, and in constant memory of Shaz, seize the day!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 615

Yesterday was lovely and sunny and lovely and chatty. I spent the morning walking in the sunshine, about 8 foot from a chum. She had to shout because of the wind and my hearing, so she was probably exhausted! And then I spent most of the afternoon chatting online. Seriously lovely day. 

As you can see, I’ve been colouring. It’s easy to do whilst talking. I also finished a card for BiL’s Thursday birthday which you can see propped in the foam pad drawer. Frankly, there’s no other space that doesn’t carry the risk of it being buried and never found again. All the images are from Francoise at Woodware’s new range. Still enjoying the gnome trend. I have seen a lot of gnome stamps, but some of them look a bit, well, creepy in the facial expression department, so I think these are perfect!  See the Glossy Accents is still lying down. Actually because it’s fallen over. Week before last, I had a tip on how to keep it flowing that works. I’m sharing with you here because Di was generous enough to share it with me and it makes me look good. 

Glossy Accents tip. The routine is, when you've finished using Glossy Accents just follow these steps:

a. Squeeze the bottle until the glues rises right to the top of the nozzle.

b. Wipe the nozzle and top with a baby wipe, at the same time releasing the pressure so the glue sinks back down.

c. Give the bottle a couple of taps on your worksurface to make sure it's properly settled.

d. Replace the cap as usual ready for your next, hopefully trouble free, use. 

Store upright. It's worked for me without fail for years now. (Disclaimer...it’s worked for me for about four days so far!!)

Dear friend Shaz’s funeral service is to be held this Friday. Am perfectly sure that Doug will know, but I’d like to send him all our love and thoughts in this, the most difficult of weeks.

This is a scheduled post;  I’m visiting my Mama again this morning and I can never judge my ‘get up, exercises and shower’ correctly once I start on the desks, so I’m determined not to be running out of time this week! She might not know but it’s so nice to be able to visit in her room, makes such a difference. This week I’m going to remember a desert spoon and tea towel. See, we’re allowed in her room, but can’t wander around the building and help ourselves in the dining room and kitchen as we would normally, of course. Mum loves coffee and chocolate and we figure these are probably two things that she must miss. So whilst we wait for the Covid test results, we whip up to a drive through Costa. Mum can only take thickened liquids, so we melt a chocolate button in a spoonful of coffee and feed her that for as long as she can stand it and as long as the coffee has the heat to melt the chocolate!. The tea towel is because frankly, we make a mess. But, we don’t care. We will never know if Mama is actually enjoying it, but it makes us feel as if we’re spoiling her a little, and it makes us laugh. And that seems to make her smile. And that, at this stage of her life and dementia, is priceless.

Anyway, I’m babbling. This lockdown has gone on to the point where I can’t stop talking! Leave your links here please, and have a lovely day.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 614

I’m not exactly out and about this morning, but I am going to be out. So bear with me, I shall be slower than normal, and it usually takes me three days! 

So my desk is a daytime shot from Tuesday afternoon. It was an afternoon of little things. I had a couple of quotes to type out, some emails to answer. Then I put some washing on. Then I had to look up how to remove a coffee stain from a rug. There’s a story there. It’s title is CLUMSY. Now I need to buy white vinegar, so the stain will have dried before I can start on it. Then I made a tray of brownies for today. While they were in the oven, I realised that I haven’t sat at my desk for three whole days. Argh. And, I haven’t got a Mother’s Day card sorted. So I got my colours out and gave myself 28 minutes at 180 degrees. 

Its not a Mother’s Day card. I found the image in the box of colours, so I coloured it. It is destined for a friend who brings the joys of spring to my screen everyday on Instagram, and I love her for reminding us all to keep looking forward. It’s a Clarity stamp, one of a set of three; outline, solid and reverse. I think it’s the only one I own, I don’t use it often but had to have it! 

Then I didn’t clear up. Surprise! I wonder if you’d all be kind enough to to share your Mother’s Day cards if you have made one or more. It’s not the copying need, it’s the motivation need. The longer I leave it, the more I think I can manage the deadline (and I can’t) and the more I fear I shall end up making it on Sunday morning, which will not be a triumph of a card believe me. 

Meanwhile, share your busy desks, it’s a joy to visit. 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 613

So this is March. Bring on the injections! I hope you’re keeping well and being patient. If you haven’t had yours yet, your name is on a teeny syringe somewhere, give them a chance to rummage in the box and find it - they surely will. Meantime, enjoy some ridiculous routine and normal stuff here. I have photographed my desk at an angle that I hope precludes showing you too much of any other space in this house. It’s a building site again...and I am not going to clean windows or dust properly until HE has finished. It won’t be long. I am already a bit on the over excited side because my part of this mess involves wallpaper choices. Haven’t had to do this for years. Prices per roll have erm, well, moved on. And I haven’t! 

Anyway,  can’t put it off any longer....

Tuesday afternoon:  I’d just finished a LO, and I was doing a bit of journaling on a tag that will slide behind the photo. And this is how my brain works...I suddenly thought that it would be better to photo the desk before I tidied up. Then I thought of a blog post about journaling that I’d quite like to do, so wandered about to find my notebook of things not to forget or indeed, misplace. The notebook was on the bar (told you..) and so was the tray of flapjack that I made in the morning. So I cut that up, and bagged it ready for the gals who take care of the Covid testing at Mama’s care home. They deserve a sweet treat. Suck a mint and blow your nose please -  enough said! Then I remembered that I was journaling on the tag, so I finished that, and thought that I might do a blog post about journaling. I think lockdown is winning, don’t you?

Nothing much new...even the new LO features very old stash - Basic Grey again. A sure sign that I really like the photo! Glue in the ‘ready’ position in the clear drawer. Glossy Accents lying on its side instead of lid down in the ugly holder. Sigh. I had to cut a little bit off the nozzle and now if I put it in the ugly holder it leaks into the lid and sets solid. Argh. Anyway, that’s enough. Show me yours will you, makes me feel a little bit grounded!