What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 669

And…whoosh. The week went. Today the last of my Americans fly home, the house will return to a quieter, less full home and I will be a bit lost! Mama’s funeral was hard, of course. But also beautiful and filled with the love of a reunited family. The weather was quite beautiful and we gathered in the garden and laughed and cried and ate and drank and reunited and she would have loved it. I can’t tell you what a lift your messages of support and cards have been to all of us, thank you so much.

At some stage this week, my sister had a birthday and we haven’t been together for one of those for over 25 years, so we followed sombre with fun, and I know too that Mama would have loved it. An Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea. Prosecco and tea and sandwiches without crusts and lots of huge scones and cream and cupcakes covered in way too much icing…it was perfect! And that is my desk today gentle Desker; I don’t think I’ve sat anywhere else for long enough to take a photo this week!

Terrible photos even by my standards, but do you know how hard it is to take pictures without people in them when all your people are sitting at a table? And the numbers…oh em gee, it was like herding cats!

Show me yours then, it would be nice to see what I’ve missed! Thank you.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 668

Well gentle Desker, it’s very fair to say that this week, my desk has been largely unused. You know how, when you’ve got people coming round unexpectedly you can do more housework in ten minutes than you’d normally do in a week? Well, when you’ve got over a weeks notice you start doing really crazy stuff like sorting out the airing cupboard and washing duvets. Ask me how I know! 

So, for photo purposes, I thought you’d like to see what I made from the bits of scrap and the stamped images I found on some clear up. I coloured the images to match the colour of the little cards.

I stamped ‘Happy Birthday’ inside each card with ink the same colour as the card. No, I haven’t got too many ink pads. But I have still got lots of scraps and a few small coloured cards to use up; I’m beginning to think they’re multiplying.  It was an enjoyable exercise,I probably made a card a day for a week because I only got to the desk for a few minutes at a time. I might go on with this idea of over doing the stamped images, hiding them a bit *cough* (you call it tidying) and then coming back. This week is filled with the joy of visiting family and the sadness of a funeral service for my Mama tomorrow, so please don’t consider me rude if I don’t visit…so far I’ve only got two extras guests in the house and it already feels as if we’re overrun….by tomorrow we will have swelled to nine and a baby. We’ll be playing sardines! 

Never mind all that though, keep me sane and show me what you’re working on, it really does help!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 667

I bet this week has felt like an eternity in the Ukraine. I know that we are all affected by these events and that we all feel completely helpless in the face of the suffering and displacement. There are plenty of channels of news, plenty of OpEd and commentary to read. This blog is not that place. Greater and more eloquent minds can inform, educate and comment. If you want political commentary, please click away and search appropriately. Don’t email and complain that I have nothing to offer you. That’s just absurd. 

The Wednesday spot on this blog has become a place to lift and support fellow readers. We may and can disagree fundamentally with each other over all sorts of things, but please, not about what WOYWW is. 

So, to the root…..

You find me being a grown up! I’m working on the service for my Mum’s funeral and as you can see from all the scribbling and crossing out, I’m being a good editor and a cr@ppy writer!  I’ve been walking around this for a while and felt the urge to get it done this afternoon, so put it off by tidying, then I rang my sister and we chit chatted about stories to include and then, and then, and then…I started writing. It’s ok, as you can see, it pours out of me, the trick is definitely in the editing. I read it out loud and when it starts to go on, gets repetitive, over explaining or plain drivel..I cross it out. Simple. Messy but effective! The orange tub at right is a container for microwaving popcorn in. It’s not fab, to be honest, but I persist because it’s such a useful snack. And, for the sheer pleasure of bragging for two weeks in a row, here are the blending brushes that on some screens, didn’t make it into the picture. (That’s bizarre isn’t it, probably a photographer or uploading error. Who knows, I certainly don’t!)

Aren’t they delicious. And AND they came with an ingenious cleaner thing. I’ll show you that at some point…first, I’ve got to get over the beauty of these beauties and make them need a clean! 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 666

I’m not superstitious, but the week number did make me do a double take! Not as much as my desk will make you start though…..

Will you look at that! Tidied! Whilst clearing the surface, I found several images that I’d stamped as test runs and decided to employ them. I’ve managed to acquire a handful of 4” square cards and envelopes of different colours. There’s one of each of about 10 colours, so I’m colouring the images to match the card and then using random scraps and stuff to embellish. As I have about 12 March birthdays and some of them involve men, these will work nicely. New to the view at far right is my set of blending brushes and their clever holder. These were part of a Christmas gift from Kathy and I’ve only just been brave enough to use them…game changing, I can’t show you of course, because my make was so lovely that I got smug and sent it without photographing it! There will be more though, without doubt!

Thank you for your kind words about the loss of my Mama, what a lift you are. Please forgive my appalling lack of comments last week, I visited, but somehow just didn’t have the oomph to talk.

So, give it another go this week, show and tell on the Workdesk and life front, let’s see what you’re doing, please! 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 665

Welcome Spring!  Well, that’s what the calendar tells me. Wet windy and grey as anything, but spring it is! It is noticeably light for longer every day, so there is a positive. 

What a week. Europe in a situation of war that I never imagined was possible anymore, I’m sure that you’re all as moved as I am by the pictures and news coming from Ukraine. It’s frightening and disturbing; whatever your worries or connections, believe me, I’m holding you tight in my thoughts.

Meanwhile, I took a photo yesterday in daylight. The daughter of a friend is to be married at the weekend and I’m doing the last minute thing because I’m seeing her this afternoon and really want the Bride and Groom to know that we’re celebrating their joy. Seems only days ago that the Bride was one of the little bodies in the back of my car on the school run!

Of course I haven’t actually cleared the desk off to make a nice white card, but it’s getting to the point of topple on the left, so that’s the next ambition. The top of the pile shows a box of acrylic goodies from Bramble Fox, stuff for use in my scrapbooking, so I hope you’ll see them soon-ish. The beautifully decorated box on the right of my little guillotine is filled with ATC blanks -  a gift from our Debbie which I use regularly. The little guillotine is new, a great little cutter which saves quite a lot of room on the actual desk, very easy to sling about! 

A lot of you will know from my slightly ranting post on Facebook that my dear Mama died last Thursday, completely overcome by almost eleven years of Alzheimer’s. So Wednesday takes a different shape yet again as I won’t need to rush out this morning! Please share and tell, you are always a welcome distraction!