What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 656

And *pouf*, we’re in the middle of Christmas week, the day of the five gooooolllld rings. Yep, it’s already the fifth day of Christmas and I am genuinely not keeping up. During this year you, like me have put up with quite a lot of disruption because of moving walls and doorways. Well, part of the project involved hanging new doors in all the appropriate holes. When the adjacent room was the lounge, I insisted on not having a door because I wanted to be within earshot of Miss and Mr Dunnit whilst they watched TV and relaxed their way, whilst I crafted and relaxed my way. Now it has a door on it, at Christmas time, it means that the workroom becomes a depository: for the spare dining chairs, the spare lounge chair, bin bags filled with non recyclables and never mind the last minute wrapping station and frantic scrabble for a Christmas birthday card! 

So I’m not showing you that. I thought you might instead like a decent shot of what has caused all the upheaval. It looks very lived in and disorganised, but that seems to be how we live; you won’t be surprised, you’ve seen my desk once a week for twelve and a half years!

So the square archway, (currently looking untidy with the unlit lights strewn about)used to be the back wall of the house and had a double door into what was a conservatory that we weren’t really using much. That structure was about the same width as this opening, so this new(ish) one story structure is much bigger! It was always goIng to be a kitchen diner, but it soon became evident that we couldn’t resist the amount of daylight it offered, so now it’s our kitchen lounge! The space I stood in to take the photo is the dining room, so the kitchen is still open to the dining room, so it still makes geographic sense. To us, at least!

And there’s a full on kitchen shot. The colour is not what I had in my head when we chose the floor, but Mr Dunnit practically ran to the red samples when we went to the paint shop, and if it makes him happy, I don’t care about the floor appearing blue! There’s still stuff to do, but I promise this will no longer be an excuse under the labels ‘building’, ‘dust’ and ‘what’s the point when everywhere is a shambles’. The next phase, gentle desker, doesn’t really involve the ground floor much. Let’s hope the workroom doesn’t have to become a bedroom. What a thought!

So for the last time this year, please show and tell if you’ve got time, and if you want to be excused showing a craft work area, it will not be a problem! 

And here’s wishing you a very happy, safe and healthy New Year. There’s absolutely masses I could say about lots of subjects, not least the Pandemic. But I’m not going to, it’s enough to know that you’re in touch with each other and that we’re all keeping on. Keep on, with love. 

Waaa waaaa waaa washi!

What is it about Washi Tape?  Or is it actually me? I fell into the trap when it first came out. I can’t remember when that was, obviously. I acquired several rolls before I realised that I didn’t have the faintest idea what I could use it for, and applied it in a vague sort of way to a few scrapbook pages. But this slightly non-commital method uses about a foot in total from about a dozen rolls of probably 20 feet, so I’m not getting through it.

It’s not a massive collection compared to some, or other products that I have multiples of,is it. But it is a massive collection if you don’t use it. I’ve started to employ it in other parts of my life. There’s a roll in the cupboard where I keep spare batteries. I use it to tape the various sizes together, upright. Before they were just in a jumbled pot, but that is a fire hazard apparently. Never gave it any thought till he said so, but sort of makes sense!

There’s also a roll in the ‘office’ drawer of the sideboard. It’s where I keep the hole punch, the tippex, the calculator etc. It is very handy

actually, lets me stick random bits of paper and till receipt type stuff into the diary or onto an invoice to remind me that I’ve paid it or that there’s a guarantee involved in the purchase, you know the sort of thing.

So all is not wasted but at this rate, it is totally fair to say that I’ve got enough Washi to last me till I die. And I’m not convinced that it’ll appear on new scrapbook pages made between now and that tragic day. 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 655

655 is kind of a nice almost round number for Christmas Week isn’t it. Well done everyone, we’ve arrived. Almost at the point of looking around you and thinking, ‘oh well, if it’s not done now, it’s no longer part of my plan’. Seriously, try it tomorrow afternoon; it may well lift a serious amount of unnecessary and frankly, work that no-one will notice from your shoulders. 

The only paper play I’ve had in the last week was a marathon wrapping fest, can’t show you that. Jan and I had a long overdue, long chat on FaceTime on Monday. It was good to see her. If you’d like to do the same, holler, it’s so easy to set up. As is her industry, when we FaceTime, Jan usually knits or crochets and I felt a bit silly with nothing on the go. I grabbed an old, once damp box that has been in Mr Dunnit’s workshop for a long long time and started work.

This is his collection of football cards that came from boxes of tea. Or teabags, he can’t quite remember. No surprise there, given the age of the cards. I’ve experienced some snot laughing at hairstyles and erm, the length of the shorts in some of the pictures! Here’s a bit of a close up….

Ignore the roll of wrapping paper. Sellotape has been returned to this room from its short stay on the dining table, so any last minute wrapping is to be done in here now. Actually the football cards and the wrapping paper sum it up really…a bit of a jumble, but very nearly there chez Dunnit. I hope you are too. Today will be bit of a run around, our baby gal and current squeeze are coming home this evening. (I call him that to keep him on his toes, but it’s been six years so it’s probably a bit old now) I had worked out a sort of menu for all the comings and goings and I’m a bit behind on preparations for that, and I’m booked in to visit Mama this morning. I feel for the care home staff, protocols for visiting are quite complicated and we’re back to full PPE again which is an additional pull on their time, getting kitted up in reception and hearing all of us who visit say the same things again and again is probably not so much fun for the second year!  I haven’t made a single mince pie yet, and that recently referred to ‘current squeeze’ is very partial, so would like to welcome them both home with at least the appearance of near readiness! And I know loads of you don’t, but I do, so there’s a pile of ironing waiting too. I save it to do when I’m cold, saves putting the heating on! 

Now please share your state of readiness and what you’re working on, it will be marvellous to see you. 

If you're unlikely to have time to check in again, please may I wish you a warm and happy Christmas, and remind you that someone from this marvellous community will be thinking about you at some point over the next few days. I know this because I think of you and your different settings more than ever at this time of year, and I’m an average representative, so I know that others do too!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 654

Well Deskers, if there are words to describe the hurtling feeling, I’d like to know them. It’s been a lovely week, but oh boy, don’t we all have to fit in a lot! I have discovered that putting up Christmas trees and decorating my house makes a mess. Moving bits of furniture, putting stuff away to make temporary homes for seasonal stuff. So today and tomorrow, the big clean up starts. It’s all about the floors! Surfaces don’t need attention because…..ta na….

Stamps and supplies cleared cleaned and put away, desk top cleaned. Still a pile of cards waiting to be written, but I’m still in time, I’ve done them in tranches. This angle shows the need for a redecoration in here, but also shows you a small glimpse of my lovely cheery coloured lights. A gift from my sis some years ago that I’m really happy to have warming and colouring my workroom. So how goes it for you on these inky black Christmas days? I hope you’re all fairing well and ticking things off. I am beyond impressed by those of you that have a desk covered in arty crafty stuff that you’re doing for the fun of it, I’m not there yet, but I intend to be, but that’s not a promise for this week!

Share and show please, all as per usual, it all seems to have added sparkle now!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 653

Well gentle desker, here’s a view you don’t often see. I’m writing Christmas cards and I’ve carted them into the lounge because the heater in my workroom has stopped heating. As it is, I feel behind with the cards, so in front of the tv it is!

Ages ago Mr Dunnit rigged up a piece of MDF with some Lino glued to it so that I had a ‘table’ that sits on the arms of my armchair. Brilliant, and used every single day. So that’s my desk. There’s a large glass of lime squash - no ice, no lemon, so definitely not a gin! The scissors on the table indicate that the night before last I was doing armchair working again….weaving in ends and finishing something that will soon be wrapped and off my list, thank goodness. The cards are strewn across the tray thing because of course, I dropped them just as I got to the chair and tried to do too many things with full arms.  You can see the wooden stand that I use for my iPad, and next to that, a tube of gunk that I have to put in my wonky eye every few hours. It replaces the natural gel that prevents horrible painful dryness…it’s a bit like soft Vaseline in consistency and doesn’t make for crystal clear vision I can tell you! This is a scheduled post today, written last night. I’m going to brave the weather, visit my Mama and try to do some focussed shopping. We’ll see! Join me do, show and tell about your workspaces please…as usual! Some sort of routine is very necessary at this time of year!

What’s on your Workdesk? Wednesday 652

Well gentle desker, here is a true return to form!

The plastic bag of sharpies is there because I rummaged through them to find a suitable colour to write on something or other; apparently sticking them back on the shelf that I had to walk past to leave the room was too much! The Tri-colour pens actually in my working space are there because I’ve got about four more cards left to colour before I call my Christmas cards finished. The rubber stamps and ink pads are self explanatory - just not tidied and cleaned yet. I’ll get to it, once the cards are finished. Not least because I need to put the wood mounted ones back in their box and file them in the attic room to get them out of my way! 
Right in the middle of my work space is an ATC with perfect pearls on it, so drying. Hopefully dry and ready to send to my tradee today. But I feel as though I’m getting on, in this room at least! So, happy December to you, hasn’t it come around fantastically quickly!

Show us your work surfaces then, let us not judge but be in awe……