Of course, Happy New Year

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and wish you to have wonderful 

warm, love filled, healthy and fulfilling new year. All year long. 

I very much hope that of all the places you visit in your leisure time, 

this blog will furnish you with a little laughter, teeny bits of 

inspiration and above all kindness when you need it.

Come on 2023, let’s see the shape of you!

Probably more, but certainly two years ago, I sold some wood mounted stamps on eBay. They were part of a late friend’s collection and the money was destined for the Stars Appeal, a fund raising arm of Salisbury Hospital where she had worked for many many years. I can’t remember how many stamps there were, but they sold in batches and each batch I sent off with a card, just and literally saying ‘thank you’. 

One of the buyers got in touch to ask about the card and we struck up quite a conversation. We quickly stopped using eBay’s mail system and Karen soon suggested that we swap ATCs. 

Easter

We quickly developed it into a monthly swap, alternately choosing the month’s theme. It became clear, as quickly, that Karen is a multi talented all rounder of a crafter, her computer skills are amazing and since we became Facebook friends, I’ve discovered that she also does the knitting, crochet, sewing…..you name it, all the ‘off paper’ crafts! It’s been great and these few ATCs that I’m showing you are just a random sample from this year’s collection.

Butterflies

It makes me quake a bit when it’s Karen’s turn to pick the theme, you can see she has imagination in spades, and I always end up hovering outside my comfort zone in a panic! When it’s my turn to choose, I tend to scan my stamp shelves and decide when I see something I haven’t used for a while. Unless of course it’s an obvious month, then I will be reliable and pick ‘love’ for February, etc. 

Feathers

We’re going to carry on through 2023 with this, and the thought makes me happy. The happy mail makes me happy! I know it’s not a huge commitment, but it’s brought me huge pleasure. I love that Karen and I would never have met but for a couple of rubber stamps and we’ve struck up a friendship based entirely on the images and stash that can be fitted on an ATC. We haven’t met, and just like with WOYWW if we can meet in person it would be a great pleasure, but if we never do, it doesn’t change the friendship. Seriously, of all the things that have to offer thanks for, crafting continues to really enhance my life.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 708

Sorry to publish this so late today…I scheduled it and clearly have forgotten how to schedule!

Greetings of the Season Deskers! Hope your Christmas was good and warm and that this week before the New Year pops up is filled with the less frantic everyday stuff. We had a full house of eleven on Christmas Day and spent Boxing Day away, so yesterday was a recovery day at home!  I tidied downstairs, reduced the table and re-set. 

We’ve got friends and fam coming, so we’ve dressed the table to distract from the fact that largely, they’ll be eating leftovers! There isn’t any Turkey left, so I’ve at least done one correct calculation this year. I haven’t been near my real desk since last Friday when I mistakenly started a bit of a tidy up. It led to an idea. The tidying didn’t happen and showing you another wreck of a desk is boring, the best gift is to show you that I can be in control in other parts of my life! 

Show and tell then - did you get crafty pressies? Have you found time and motivation to make anything? Or are you revelling in a short break before facing the needs of next year?

My family is safely gathered in and so I pushed them out into the cold for a walk around the light trail at Stourhead in Wiltshire. It was magical and has saved me from having to post a badly taken picture of our Christmas tree! 

We wish you a very happy Christmas, restful and swirling with the love of friends and family whether near or far.

What’s on Your Workdesk? Wednesday 707

Well, here we are, the Wednesday before Christmas and everything looks familiar in my workroom.

I’m short of time this week, as we all are, I’ve no doubt. But I’m full of the desire to make a stash of cards, so am flitting in and out, using basic stamped images and then using scrapbook paper scraps for backgrounds. I have it lurking somewhere in the back of my mind that I need to use and not store scraps. Funny, huh, but not intentionally so! Can you see there are two pairs of glasses at the right…it seems that one room in my house is missing a pair of readers. I’ll find out which room very soon, because I shall look for them and realise they were magically transported to the workroom. I am in the habit of wearing them like a hairband and only remembering when I put another pair on! 

There is also a concession to Christmas on my desk. See back right on top of the baby wipe box…a candle! It’s pomegranate scented and in a pomegranate shaped dish. I bought it on Monday, I like the shape of the little dish and was intrigued about the scent. Having a lit candle on a desk where you’re moving paper and card around is about as daft as you can get; and I couldn’t actually fathom any scent at all, so it didn’t stay alight for long. That’s what you get for a random £2 impulse when you should be food shopping! 

Now if you’ve got time, we’d love to see what you’re up to, even if it’s not your usual crafty space. And if you don’t have time, that’s fine. Know that you’re wished a happy, peaceful, restful, fun and wonderful Christmas, however you spend it. 

Out of the box, cupboard, ordinary….

In October, I went away for a long weekend of scrapbooking. This year, I’ve bought very little in the way of scrapbook papers. Compared to previous years, that is! It’s important that I tell you that bit so that you don’t collapse under the imagined weight of my next sentence. I took every sheet of 12x12 that I own with me to the ‘retreat’. It’s quite a pile, about 10cm deep in plain colours and about a 20cm deep pile of patterned. I haven’t done nearly as much scrapping this year as I have in previous years, and the October getaway was more lovely for that, because it was really concentrated scrapping. 

Basic Grey..I love it, but oh boy, you can see why I was scared of it. For about ten years.

I set myself a promise to move slightly outside of my box. I noticed, going through the piles, that some of the papers waiting patiently for me were terrifying.I bought them because I really liked them, but boy, they were busy and intimidating. So…I pulled them out into yet another pile, and decided that by using them, I was working out of the box. 

It wasn’t difficult, I mean, it’s just cutting and sticking isn’t it, but  it helped that I didn’t stray far from my usual one photo and cluster formula, just had very loud backgrounds to try to cope with. I also used a few old photos…but not many, I’m still very much into scrapping the more current stuff. Although by current, I increasingly seem to mean within my memory span, and that’s not necessarily even my lifetime! 

So did I learn anything useful? I did actually. I learned that actually, I don’t have to stray far from the box to challenge myself, I’m not sure if that proves how set in my ways I am or not! It also shows me that actually, just adjusting one thing really changes the way you do things. This might be a life lesson that you have experience of and I’ve been slow to catch on. Or, and I think this is more like it….I’m overthinking this scrapbooking lark. Cutting and sticking is fun, full stop!

Under the influence

I realised this year that my sweet late Mama is present in almost all of my Christmas preparations, and despite those preparations and the rush and bustle, that gentle, background grief has smacked me into full on missing her again. Talk about not realising the obvious, and that other cliche…you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

We don’t do the same thing every year, expect that we do really. By which I mean, we put up a tree, but not always in the same place. In fact, for the last three years, we’ve put up two trees, just like Penny did. We don’t always have loads of fairy lights strung about the place, but some years we do. Penny used to have them all around the little village on the mantelpiece, entwined amongst greenery on the lounge window sill and wherever she could find a socket. I don’t do it as tastefully, but I’m pretty fond of little lights, and use them wherever I can. Spare socket allowing of course! I have a lot of nick-knack type Christmas ornaments which I dot about the place, creating small clusters that always involve a tea light. There are tree ornaments that absolutely have to appear, and there are foods that I cook or buy that I wouldn’t dream of not having on the table at Christmas.

And directly under Penny’s influence, there are a couple of things that won’t be on my Christmas lunch menu. Turns out it’s controversial, but I never do Yorkshire Puddings with any roast other than Beef, so they won’t be there. I don’t know why, it’s entirely a matter of choice isn’t it, but I can’t break the habit/tradition/Mum rule. Can’t say that the people around my table don’t comment on it, because they do, but it hasn’t stopped them coming for Christmas, so it’s obviously not too important! And here’s where Penny's influence is merely a memory: Bread Sauce. I don’t get it, never liked it and do not make it. And when I don't do it, Mama is front and centre of my mind, because to this day I’m not convinced that she liked it! So this Christmas I will be safely gathered in and surrounded by people I love, I’m a very lucky woman. And anyone that wants to can stop by and visit; sample the hospitality that I now realise is a part of my legacy.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 706

I think I must have jumped the gun at some point. I can’t claim to be Christmas ready, but I’m not in a panic at this moment. Just as well, I’ve got some tidying to do.

It’s all a bit of a shambles. I took these pictures yesterday. Because things are relatively calm on the Christmas front, I felt I might sit at my desk and do something fun. I’ve got a couple of big birthdays in the early part of January, so I thought about getting a march on those. But of course, absolutely nothing is possible in this chaos. So, I turned the heater on, shut the door and walked away. Until the room was a bit warmer that is!  And so, ta na, this morning, I have a room I can actually face!

My Scan n Cut is not in its usual place because I’ve broken it. I know. I picked it off the shelf over the dies where it lives and turned around too quickly…lost my balance, dropped it as I fell over. Ages ago, actually. But it’s now back from the dining room where Mr Dunnit and a computer friend have tried to fix it. Still doesn’t work. Brother want to charge as much as I paid for it, so am just at the stage of getting over it before having to let it go! 
So now the space is useable and I intend to do just that. After a few chores and usual stuff. So please make the chores bearable my showing and telling..what are you up to in terms of desk and preparations and making stuff. Even if it’s not Christmas related, we wanna see it!

Winter. We know you.

The last few days have been very wintery, cold and overcast. We all seem to respond much better to cold and bright days, but the low cloud that has made short days shorter and well, grey, are helping in a way. Yep. Really.

I was bundled up…puffa coat, gloves, scarf and walking at what I consider a reasonably brisk pace towards the post office. My husband would tell you that I was strolling. I always, always end up doing a double step to keep up with him…even if we hold hands I can tell that he’s deliberately slowed his pace. It’s maddening for both of us, I mean, sometimes I end up out of breath and can’t talk! Gosh, revelation….perhaps that’s why he walks fast! 

Anyway, walking at my pace, I get a chance to look about me a bit, and these cyclamen are sheltered under some overgrowth and seem to me to be surviving frost. How cheering they are. 

I did the post office thing, photographed these lovelies and because I had gloves on, I cleared the obvious litter. I think a lot of garden refuse has been dumped along this stretch of footpath over the years, but the cyclamen were such a lovely surprise. I gather they multiply a bit like primroses, and I love that they’re benefiting from overgrowth and cloud. Makes you happy while you’re walking around cursing the lack of bright skies. 

Have a lovely day!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 705

I took this photo yesterday morning in a fit of doing loads of things. I had three things to run out and do, one at an appointed time, and I had to be home for 11, which was the beginning of the time window in which the oven engineer would show up. Again. So I was going to do you a before and after - as I had to be at home, I might as well finish these, huh.

Well I didn’t get the chance. The engineer rang to say the part he needed hadn’t arrived and so he’d make me wait in on Thursday instead. Cue my bottom lip sticking out because I’d arranged a nice morning out for myself. But I need the oven to work, particularly this month! Anyway, as you can see, I’m making a few tags, squirting and spraying. Squirting because the sprays block up so easily don’t they? Still, it was never an exact art. In all the mess you can barely tell that the blob of yellow at the front of my desk is an edit to hide a Christmas gift that I can’t yet reveal! It just looks like more messy paper! The paper cup at the back holds the cut up foam tape and very useful it is too, although the next pot will have some more weight to it, I can’t see that one staying upright when the pushback really starts, it’s not heavy enough! You can just see the green cards in front of the pen holder, they are the Rudolph cards I had started last week. Close up? Here:

A bit fuzzy, but hey, that at least fulfils my two photo intention for this post!  Whatever you’re doing, I know time at your desk and to read blogs is at a premium this month, but join in if you can, we do want to see your desks. Ironing, cooking, catching up, relaxing…whatever you’re doing, tell us about it please!

A walking weekend…by accident!

Traditionally, me and Mr Dunnit are by now looking forward to a winter weekend away with two, sometimes three other couples. I should probably clarify that the other couples are friends: of ours and to each other. We all know each other. Good grief, you know what I mean. And actually, while I’m clarifying and therefore digressing, I should clear up the use of the word ‘traditionally’. I think we’ve been away five times for a Christmas prelude, so it’s probably not, strictly speaking, a tradition. I’m not entirely sure how long a thing has to run before it’s an official tradition. I wonder if it’s worth a discussion, or more likely, it’s probably just me that doesn’t know or has this sort of nonsense on her mind. 

Anyway, for reasons of logistics and diaries, we found ourselves planning a weekend on our own. Not a problem of course, we’re pretty good at being together! Taking advantage of not having to force friends to drive a ridiculous distance for 3 nights, we over extended. Four nights and we went to York. Because let’s face it, if you’re going to hack five hours up the road in the pouring rain, it’s got to be a place that’ll look nice in all weathers. And it did. My what a handsome and elegant city. Yorkshire has generally held onto a lot of its ‘we must build impressively big’ Victorian architecture and the houses on the roads into York prove that very nicely. It was the week that the Christmas Market opened and so there were festive lights and outdoor treats as well as shopping and history. Oh the history! We were actually planning to explore the Viking past - York was the most important Port in the Viking world and there’s a lot to be discovered. We didn’t though. York has a fantastic medieval history too, and a railway history, and we were planning to learn more about these, too. We didn’t though.

We walked, and gawped. It was difficult not to. Starting by going round the city walls, up and down staircases at the gates, getting some unexpected and marvellous views. Even those hundreds of years ago, it was a big city and a lot of buildings were squashed in within the safety of those walls. It puts Victorian cheek by jowl with Medieval and older, and newer. Every now and then there were modern extensions on buildings that made me question the sanity of planning officers. But, things have to evolve and buildings particularly have always been adapted to accommodate needs and lifestyles. Some of the gardens, especially behind the Minster, seen from the height of the walls were just wonderful in their autumn glory. 

You can see the Minster from almost everywhere within the city and on any approach to it, just with other cathedrals in Britain, it’s beautiful and huge, and deeply impressive. The life, faith and religious leadership of our late Queen has been immortalised in stone on the front of the cathedral. Whatever you think of the art of the statue, it’s marvellous to think that it will be there for hundreds and hundreds of years to come, and is not only a great tribute to Queen Elizabeth II but also a spine tingling continuation of the way our forbears have paid tribute to our Queens Kings and Statesmen.

We weren’t able to go inside York Minster, it was graduation week and there were ceremonies and services every day; no matter, we’ll be going again! It was lovely to walk around the town watching graduates and graduands in their billowing gowns with their families. 

There’s a famous shopping area called The Shambles and some of the streets are no more than alleys and there are lots of what I always knew as ‘snickets’, ‘gunnels’ and even ‘opes’, but here they were referred to as ‘snickles’. Cute!

This 14th century house over three floors is a tea shop. The ground floor is a kitchen, narrow stairs lead to space for four tables, and another set of very narrow stairs leads to another space with four tables. It originally housed three families!

There was so much to look at, so much to take in and enjoy. We browsed the Christmas market too, on the day it opened, and late that day walked back into town to enjoy the lighting. A great start to our festive month and my word, we look forward to our next visit. 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 704

hey and welcome. Join in with this desk viewing stuff, it’s great to see you!
Well will you look at that, a daylight photo! Yep, taken on Tuesday afternoon whilst I was applying gentle colour to a sheet of reindeer. The green strips are actually unfolded cards that I stamped with a swirly pattern in white and decided it would be prudent to let the ink dry thoroughly before folding them again. Love the SU! White ink pad but oh boy, it needs drying time and I invariably forget. That lovely orange glow n my room is caused by the orange light on a plug in heater, I don’t think the light contributes anything to the actual heat being produced, but it gives a good impression! After I’d coloured and cut out these 8mages, I stuck them on the stamped cards and they  are now drying because I added a big blob of red perfect pearls and then holographic glitter to a certain reindeer nose. Then, because I didn’t have time to start anything else, and clearing up was out of the question, I spent a few minutes cutting up foam pads. Huh?

I bought a huge roll of them and turns out that even though the backing paper is cut, the actual foam isn’t. So now and then, I take five minutes to cut a few up…much more convenient than cutting to order, that roll really gets in the way!

And then 4pm rolled around and I had to down scissors and move onto something else. This morning, I’m out and about a bit too, so please bear with, I’ll be noseying as soon as I can!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 703

It’s not quite a ‘back to normal’ for me. You can see a tidy-ish desk, pulled forward. Yep. Later this morning, a ‘team’ are coming to fit a new patio style door.

So I’ve had to decant lots of stuff to allow the desk to be freely moved. This is the start of the end of work in this room. Proper architrave, skirting and a bit of decorating will soon be all that’s needed and I’ll be like a pig in poo! There’s also a front door going on today too, so I’m going to squirrel myself away upstairs with ironing and chores that involve checking the Christmas pressie box and bringing the list up to date and generally anything that involves staying as far from cold open doorways as possible! 

The desk shows a few more cards and a couple of packs of blanks that I was going to work with next. And a pack of gel pens that I bought whilst in York…a great souvenir! On the right on the cutter is a pot of hologram embossing powder. It’s there to remind me to order some more. It’s from Hobby Art and I just love the holographic-ness of it, so am hoping that they still do it, I think I’ve had this pot a good five years!  No other action just yet, it all depends how quickly the door is done…I’m going to ask them to do this one first, but they may have their own plan! 

Encourage me do, I’ve been away from the desk for what seems like an age. No doubt yours is in a far better state of use!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 702

Don’t tell anyone, but Me and Mr Dunnit have run away for a few days, so I don’t have my usual Workdesk to show you. Instead, at the weekend, I kept himself company at the Joinery by making myself useful. We bought some teak patio furniture at the end of the summer (of course in an end of season sale, that’s how we roll!) and I said that before we christen it and put it on our newly completed patio, we ought to brush it with teak oil. So we had it delivered to the paint shop and I pretty much forgot about it! Colour me surprised when I suggested that I’d come and help and he mentioned the teak oil job!

Just made a start, traditional brush painting in the spray section of the shed. Another couple of years of spraying every window he makes  white and we could open a winter wonderland! This is what calendar photos for Joiners should really look like! I’m dressed carefully too, very old gear, that oil is sticky. It’s not difficult, you can tell that, but boy it got boring. I did three chairs in just over two hours. Didn’t occur to me it would take that long and was sort of wishing that I’d suggested we spray it with a shiny lacquer! Only five more chairs and a table to do. As it was cooler inside the shed than the fabulous autumn day going on outside, I think I’ll save the next session for bad weather. I know we’ll reap the benefit next spring and I’m really happy to have a table to work, eat, craft at in the outdoors, and I’m not complaining. I think what I’m really saying is that when I suggested that we coat it all in oil, I really meant ‘he’. Epic backfire!

Come on then, inspire me to tidy up and get back to my favourite desk, it’s not as if I haven’t things to be done in the Christmas department!

Show and tell please!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 701

Well, here we go Gentle Deskers, into the seven hundreds! 

I’m doing the five minutes here and there thing, the use up odd card sizes thing, the use up odd numbers of card thing, and the use stamps you really like thing. It’s not hard but oh boy, it makes a mess! 

I stamped the folksy Christmas tree on to the last 6 of the skinny pearly cream cards whilst I was waiting for my very s l o w PC to gather itself this morning. I did PC work, a couple of chores and went out for some exercise. Coloured the trees whilst munching my lunch and stamped the images on the purple card. I’ve had to think hard about these images, I stamped some in black on white card at the weekend and spent quite some time colouring a few of them. They didn’t work for me, ended up looking like 3 Kings dressed in patchwork quilts, so am keeping it relatively simple at the mo. Whilst waiting for our supper to cook last night, I coloured them despite thinking initially that I wouldn’t. I hope all of this gives you a slight understanding of how my desk gets so untidy and how my mind is erm, working! The coffee is going down nicely this morning, but it’s still too cold and dark to sit about colouring, so I’ll just look forward to seeing your desks for now!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 700

700! I mean really, seven hundred! Congratulations to you dear Desker friends, you are amazing.I know that there are times when you have to come and go, that Wednesdays aren’t always convenient, that sometimes you (think) you’ve nothing to talk about (you always have, by the way) or that you’re simply sick of this blog. No blame, no fault, this is an entirely flexible place. It has always been and remains a meeting of minds, a safe place for connection and I’m delighted to say, somewhere where friendships are forged. I’ll carry on if you will.

I mean, look at the desk, there’s always something silly to say….

Taken yesterday after a couple of hours of colouring in. I found some unfinished Christmas cards whilst clearing up a bit at the weekend and so set to. I had also finished a bunch of inserts for some other Christmas cards I made last week. Finished off the tape in the ATG gun whilst doing so, so I switched immediately to the roll of double sided tape. Not because I don’t have another ATG roll, but because I know that the battle of re-loading would cause me to waste time and I wanted creative production, not using my time for maintenance. It has a logic, however skewed! See my faded desk bin has become a notice board  - LLJ will laugh but it holds the first of many lists that are likely to be needed as ‘the season’ intensifies on my desk! These dark afternoons are already getting on my nerves, I shall switch my day about a bit and may not comment till afternoons now…because I can’t work at the desk in false light, my eyesight just isn’t up to it! I don’t blame 13.46 years of WOYWW particularly, but am pretty sure my Mama would blame reading under the covers by torchlight and crafting into the small hours when my eyes were up to it. Don’t we take youth for granted! 

Set me a fine example then, share your desk on this 700th week please!

Back to the storage thing…

While I was away with Coven, conversation inevitably turned toward storage. I think we all have it sussed for some stash and not for others. I store my photos in these acrylic packets that each hold about 100 6x4s. 

It’s great, I can just pick up one of the pockets and pack it for crop, confident that I won’t use the whole lot up in one session! It’s also a great archive for the photos that I won’t scrap and the old stuff that would otherwise be in several different drawers through the house. Still in their paper pockets with film negatives. I’ve streamline, my shoebox is now this acrylic suitcase!

I’m mulling over the acquisition of another acrylic suitcase. See, scrapbooking is in the era of ephemera. Every collection has at least one matching or contrasting ephemera pack and journaling labels. Of course, you don’t have to buy the ephemera, but it’s pretty irresistible if you fall for a paper line. But storing loose, printed die cuts isn’t always easy. All of mine are in A4 and A5 acrylic boxes and I rifle through it every time I make a LO to see if there’s something I can use to enhance my pictures. Here’s a birds eye view of how I store and carry the non 12 x 12 stuff….not the only bag full, I should add.

I actually think that storing the ephemera in these smaller boxes and transferring other stuff like labels, brads, stickers, gems etc may well be my way forward.  It means I can pick up and go in terms of packing for crop certainly. I recognise that size will be an issue for some things, but am not particularly against taking one bigger box anywhere. And it would be nice to get rid of the rubber bands! I’m not totally convinced, but it’s always good to have something to mull over isn’t it. And it’s not a bad time of the year to be thinking about making a list entitled ‘I would like’ is it! Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome, storage is such an issue!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 699

I put all of my scrapbook supplies, a tiny suitcase with a few clothes in it, a Chilli and a Sticky Toffee Pudding in the car, and left home for a few days. The weather was perfect - it was rainy and blustery. No moral imperative for going out for bracing walks! A nice big kitchen and an additional fold up table made the set up ideal for five gals, a LOT of stash, even more food and a conversation that didn’t have to finish because of the time. We scrapped and chatted and stayed up very late! It was marvellous and I actually made quite a few LOs. I shall use pictures of them as diversionary pictures in other blog posts! 

The larger picture shows the end of the wooden table where I sat all weekend. Apart from my trusty paper cutter, I actually tidied up between LOs. I know that I don’t do this at home, but when you’re sharing a space with four others and we’ve all got a lifetime’s amount of stash to rifle through, it’s only polite to keep the clutter at a minimum. Interesting isn’t it. Not my manners…(well, maybe!) no, the fact that I made a surprising number of LOs and stayed tidy. Does one affect the other I wonder? Probably! Am I a spot changing Leopard? At this age, I seriously doubt it! Can you spot the little black cauldrons on the desks? Each one has different coloured handles and feet so that we can tell them apart and we have our sweeties in them. Cute aren’t they; perfect actually, as the husbands refer to us as The Coven!

So, while I unpack and catch up on Monday and Tuesday chores, please sign in and tell and show….

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 698

Today’s post is scheduled…I’ll be around later today; please don’t let the kettle get too cool! 

Well would you look at that. It’s so clear that you could be forgiven that I’m moving out! Well, I almost am. Look…

Empty shelves! I’m going away for a weekend of scrapbooking and chat and that means packing all my supplies. In the past, I’ve laboriously matched photos to papers and taken those and all the accessory type stash. It works reasonably well, but occasionally I get to a photo and wish I’d chosen different papers, so this year, as an experiment, I’ve packed every sheet of paper I own. And a little over one hundred photos. This doesn’t mean I have ambitions for a huge stack of LOs, oh no. I’m really just trying to save choosing time at the preparation end because I’m a bit over committed this week. The left hand edge of the desk was the push back area for the various components I’ve been working on for a few Christmas cards. Now I’ve ‘packed’, I was going to glue them down and call the cards finished - but in the warm light of yesterday’s sunshine, I don’t like the red cards for the base. Argh. Next week, I’ll correct that! Now that really does sound like procrastination doesn’t it.

Don’t be like me, please post a link to your desk without putting it off, and we’ll visit. 

This is no eulogy

In various ‘long’ shots of my workroom over the years, you may have noticed that the walls are well decorated with crafted pieces…pictures, texts, canvases. All sorts. Most of them were gifts and each of them is special in some way. This week, since we learned about the untimely death of our friend Debbie Rock, I am grateful for two or three things that she made for me, but this canvas in particular.

I had checked on her and sent her a couple of cards of encouragement during lockdown - something and nothing, lots of us were doing this for each other, weren’t we. She wrote some words on the back that are as lovely as the Maya Angelou quote on the front, and I have happily looked on these words every time I use my workroom since, slightly awed and a bit smug that she should apply such words to me. She had so many gifts: we knew her artistic flair, her unending love for her family as it grew and flourished, her devotion to Phil. She didn’t believe in her artistic skill, however much we tried to convince her. Her great friend Maggie Craner  has written a beautiful tribute to Debbie and talks about this in more detail. Everything about Debbie though, is now for me, summed up in this Maya Angelou quote. Not only will I always remember her talent, her love, her giggle;  I will never ever forget the way she made me feel. 

What’s on your Workdesk? Wednesday 697

My desk this week is photographed in the gloom of sundown on Tuesday. It’s untidy, messy and in a state that is generally a reflection of a normal week of to-ing and fro-ing that as you well know, I don’t tidy until it drives me mad. It doesn’t matter - it never matters really, but this morning it feels like a weight. A silly, foolish thing that makes me feel lazy. Funny how mood affects you, gives you an overview. I will be tidying up and setting things straight, it’s overdue.

I found out yesterday that our WOYWW community has lost another great friend, a great artist of a crafter. Debbie Rock died recently and suddenly. My heart goes out to Phil, her literal and absolute Rock, and her extended family. There is more to be written.

Meantime though, and in the best tradition of WOYWW, please show and tell your desk story this week..Debbie always enjoyed looking in, and I can’t think of a better reason to rally to the call this week!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 696

Not my Workdesk this week friends, lots of yours. Huge, silly enormous thanks to Jo and Annie for the organisation, the venue and the work involved in hosting us for the Crop. It was lovely. Truly lovely.  Lockdown may have got in our way for two years, but once we were gathered, it felt like five minutes. 

Chris was working in a very mini journal, with her travel case. impressive, huh, both the fab little journal and the amount of stuff that lives in the zip case!

Helen had travelled light too, but was still pulling out her fab style to make a journal page to record the Crop. Note the words on her stamps…so apt. 

Caro sat down, unpacked and launched…immediately. No humming and hawing or procrastination at this desk! Note the cup of tea…this girl is fuelled by it, believe me.

Eva was putting the finishing touches to an amazing selection of her cards. Honestly, she is a master of so many styles, and the Parchment styles were, well, sublime. 

Neet was putting together a journal that she’d die cut, and planned to fill and decorate. Typical of her, it was an odd set of page shapes that ‘lock’ together at the spine with a key. Don’t hold your breath, but Neet gave me one to work on. Gulp.

Sarah was using her envy-inducing coloured pencil collection to watercolour on a page from a colouring book. Intensity of colour or what!

With huge thanks to Bestest Friend Dee, Christine made it!  And she had made up the parts of ATCs to swap, so was happily assembling amidst chatter and dreadful colour drinks.

I took other photos gentle reader, but I’m not a good photographer and I don’t want to post the ‘candid’ pics of people who may think they’re unflattering. Let me just say that everyone looked well and as lovely as ever. Here’s a group shot without me…

you will see others - big thanks to Chris’s Tony who took a proper group shot that included all of us, so we do have one for the record! 

This card was made out of leftovers from my Crop ATCs. Sums it up really. At the Crop or not, you lot are great friends. Meeting and gathering is a wonderful treat, but here on the strange internet thingy, we can meet anytime. Perfect for a community like this, huh. Thanks.