What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 695

Here we are gentle Desker, a return to form.

I’ve been doing the five minutes here and there thing which is frustrating but also ultimately, more productive than not bothering at all! I’ve just declared this layout finished. I don’t know why but I had ordered 2 copies of the print and so layered them as you can see. It’s not the most significant photograph without the story, so I’ve taken some time to wander around it before writing the bones of it. The rubber stamps you can see scattered vaguely are leftover from an ATC I’ve made for a swap, now in an envelope and ready to fly to Lincolnshire. That LO uses some of my precious lovely Basic Grey papers and alphas. I’m happy to use them because I keep my scrapbooks, but my Basic Grey stash is dwindling now and I shall miss having it within my choice! 

We are just days away from the WOYWW Crop which is very exciting. I have totally dropped the ball on the challenge…I should posted about it a while back of course. No idea why I didn’t and by the time I received some gentle reminders, it was too late. But, maybe it’s not too late to ask you to make a name badge, please? It would be jolly helpful…although a lot of us know each other, new to Crop people will appreciate not having to try to remember! 

So while I’m rummaging to find a clear alphabet with which to stamp my name, please show us your spaces, what are you up to?

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 694

Here in the UK, there was a Bank Holiday on Monday so that we could observe mourning and watch or take part in the State funeral for Her Majesty the late Queen, Elizabeth II. It was an extraordinary day. Despite the pageantry, it was subdued, respectful and oh, so sad. Beautiful. Millions of column inches and hours of tv have been produced, so you don’t need to read more here, especially as I’m a bit intolerant about WOYWW posts being used as OpEd opportunities, as you know.

Now, brace yourselves. In between holiday washing, tearful moments on my sofa and some work in the garden this week, I’ve cleared my desk. I just got a need to do some scrapbooking, which I haven’t done for months. 

Would you look at that. This was about 11am yesterday. Chores done. Mr Dunnit had just rung to say he’d be delayed for lunch, so I just went for it, knowing I could have at least a couple of hours. Well, gentle reader, here’s this morning:

Floor and second stool employed for balancing boxes. The set of drawers that are usually at left have been wheeled out of reach to prevent me piling stuff on it to the point of collapse. It all looks rather tame doesn’t it! It is. It won’t last, I’ll soon get in the swing and carried away and lazy again, be assured!

Im at home and surrounded by broadband this week, missing the heat of Mallorca but looking forward to catching up with your desks, so please do me the favour…show and tell!

The triangle foldy card….

I’m sure it has a proper name, but I can’t remember it. Anyway, some of you wanted to know how I did it. I thought pictures were more helpful than words, but of course I’ve had to write on the pictures because I couldn’t miss a chance to do some bossing about. If I don’t make any sense, please ask! 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 693

We are fast approaching the WOYWW crop, details on a separate page, click the link under this blog’s header. Join us if you can, it’s going to be fun. Meanwhile, my desk has been on tour!

Me and Mr Dunnit are in Mallorca. Actually, unless you’re one of the early bird readers, technically we are making our way back today.  I did actually get the embriodery out of that bag, and added a few stitches. It’s got to be the slowest growing of any of my intended or actual projects. If nothing else, it proves I have a bit of tenacity about me!

As for so many, the sudden deterioration and subsequent death of our beloved Queen has been deeply affecting. I understand the wheels of State and the historic reasons for such quick declarations concerning our new King, I get it all. But I feel deeply for the Royal family; to dress up and be public at just a time when a duvet day involving tears and snot would be such a good thing…it’s all a continuation of Elizabeth II’s utter commitment and example.

Please join the constant exposure of Workdesk, it’s easy and it’s just a breather in your week.

Puffin Breakout

I’m not very good at cute cards. I love ‘em, don’t get me wrong, but I think I’m a bit heavy handed when it comes to light touches and cute stuff. Anyway, in this fleeting self examination, I have determined that I am attracted to a nice strong keyline and they usually appear around images that are more fun in terms of description. Once stamped, I like to colour in. I guess that’s me not straying far from the first card making experience I ever had! 

I’m not great at light colours either, definitely drawn to brights and strongs. No harm with that, but sometimes I do frustrate myself. I recently invested in a set of pastel felt tips (by Zebra) to help me with this plight.

If you read WOYWW posts you’ll remember that I brought a pyramid card home from a workshop, to be finished. Well, I did! Not quite a first, but certainly the most timely finish I’ve ever got around to! These lovely puffins (SU) are about as cute as I get - and actually probably fill the fun description rather than cute - and you can see the nice, easy to colour outlines - just the job for me.

I used the new pastel felt tips for the first time. Some of them are more like highlighters to be honest, but that’s ok, particularly on cards like this where you’re trying to project a bit of fun. What I did immediately notice though, was that between pen and eye and brain, I wasn’t enjoying the light application…I went over everything twice just to increase saturation/depth, I dunno, call it what you will, to make it less, well, pastel! 

The ribbon tie makes the card easy to send because it lies flat, and hopefully, at the receiver’s end, the ribbon makes it obvious that it needs some assembly. By which I mean following the fold and tying the bow, I don’t think it needs instructions for the recipient. Wait till I send it to someone and I’ll report back! Making this card was much much easier than we all thought it was going to be…I won’t do the details here, but if you do want to know, I’ll happily do a post showing the pieces and etc, because I want to make a couple more with the upcoming season in mind.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 692

Well, you see a shambles. I see creativity. No seriously, it IS a shambles but it’s a genuinely-in-the-middle-of-making-something shambles. I’m a bit hooked on this set of penguin stamps at the mo, and am having a bit of a retrospective in that I’m doing stacks of lovely bright shiny heat embossing and I’m loving it! The big magnifying glass thing clipped to my desk was in use yesterday for the removal of a big old splinter. Honestly, there’s so much in this craft room that can cross into real life, I mean a couple of weeks ago I had to rescue my scissor sharpener from his workshop and how often do my scissors cross the border into real life? Admittedly, less now that Miss Dunnit lives elsewhere, but really, this household would be lost without this workroom stuffed full of stuff. I consider this logic and justification for my crafty space a non copyrighted piece of writing…if you need to use it, please repeat as loud and often as you like! See the state of the darker pink ink pad wedge? The foaminess has disappeared. It’s the second wedge in the erm, cheese that this has happened to. I think it must be just bad luck, I’ve got much much older pigment ink pads that have stamped kerjillions of images and they’re fine. Strange though. See I’ve got two pairs of scissors in use again…despite having had a sharpening session, I’m finding the orange handled ones a bit fuzzy edged…probably need to be a little more patient in the sharpening! 

Show and tell then please, it won’t be as messy as on this page, so you’re safe to do a desk expose!

Copying the Master(board)

I needed a card and decided to use a NBUS Penny Black solid floral stamp. And then I was stumped. This often happens to me when I can’t find a card that is suitable from my already made drawer FULL. I think making a card with a particular person in mind is really quite hard and made worse of course, by my magnetic attraction to deadlines.

I fiddled about with this stamp for a long time, colouring it with felt tips to get colour splits on the image. Then I gave up for a little while, but of course didn’t tidy up. I was browsing my wood mounts for a phrase stamp to use on the inside of a card I’d already made. I give up easily don’t I? Anyway, the browsing made me pick up a text stamp and a pattern image that I thought I could use lightly behind the text. And I set to. 

Then I realised that with some additions and decent colours, I could copy ANGELA, who is a fine example of productivity, and I made a masterboard. 

The original card that I wanted looked nothing like these, but it escaped photography by being made way too close to the postal deadline! I added the ‘just a note’ text so that I can stick the cards in my stash if card to give away……if I’ve discovered nothing else over the years I’ve been stamping, it’s that people who buy cards like them to announce themselves on the outside. Can’t count the number of wedding invitations I’ve made that have to have ‘wedding invitation’ appear on the front, even though in my eyes, the design is obvious enough and hey, just open the card to see what the inside says! Anyway, you’ve gotta do what people like so it’s not really a biggie. (Although sometimes it is - I’m just trying to be expansive, understanding and generous!)

I did a second set in pinks and purples….they have cut up well and use some slightly odd sized pre folded cards that I inherited from somewhere at some point. Better to have them used than just sitting about being oddly sized.

Huge selection of stamps used, and deep joy - they were all wood mounts. The floral one is Penny Black, the background swirly text is A Stamp in The Hand, there’s a diamondy shape on some parts by Hero Arts and the little sentiments are by SU. Idea by Angela. I think that’s all the acknowledging I need to do! Definitely not the last copying though!