Predictably rash…

Months ago when Shopkeeper Gal announced that she was having to close my nearest bricks and mortar craft shop, I sort of went into stocking up mode. It wasn’t a panic per se, but I do like to see and touch before I buy, so I was buying small wedges of 12x12 papers, especially the plain colours, at every visit. I also bought some quite grungy paper designs too. A whole pad of brick backgrounds, 2 each of 12 designs..who know there were so many brick types/colours! And a whole pad of weathered wooden board backgrounds.  These pads were probably a rash purchase. OK, they were a rash purchase. I have pulled both out to hold a photo against one or other design about a kerjillion times whilst prepping for crops, and each time have frightened myself with its -  well, ‘there-ness’. It’s very in your face isn’t it, a brick wall or a sanded floor!

I really had to force myself to start using them, after all, I’ve got enough paper to last until my untimely death at about 110 years old, and despite the fear of them, I must have brought them with the intention of using them, huh! So I started easy, with these chibi pictures rather than real life. Helped a bit, I must say. I grunged them a little bit with black ink and stamps and put scruffy embellishments on. One page down. And so, now to the floors…

Scary again if you ask me. Thank goodness for that part of my brain that, as I’ve mounted the photo and rearranged it a thousand times makes me get sick of myself and the dithering, so then I can reach for a few scraps and make it happen. I can’t say make it work, because many will think it doesn’t, but it’s all a bit subjective isn’t it, this cutting and sticking game.

So now each pad only has 23 sheets in, and I’ve broken the spell of being scared. Except that I made these layouts last October and if they didn’t have a lid on the box, the pads would be dusty……I may resort to taking photos of strange things that might deliberately go on such backgrounds. Yeah right, just as I managed to get Mr Dunnit and Miss Dunnit to co-ordinate their clothes colours when we were on holidays and looking particularly photogenic! 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 721

The clocks went forward, we’re into what our cousins call daylight saving. So it’s Spring. Won’t it be fantastic when the weather gets the memo too! The rest of the week went by in such a blur, and chez Dunnit, there was pushback rather than clear up. This is Tuesday evening.

There’s pushed back stamps and ink pads from last weeks floral card making, and as you can see, some paint applied to wooden eggs. See the post before this if you want to read of my painting experience. All of this pushed back into ignore mode because my photos have turned up. I ordered 101 of them 2 weeks ago, one arrived, all on its own in a big old envelope. Customer services were marvellous and here are the other 100. Now all I need to do is scrapbook them! Won’t it be marvellous when I stop talking and start doing. The plastic file sleeve under the lid for the paints is another project to be done…we have a Coronation coming up and I have a need to paint some more plates!  

Talking of things coming up….the anniversary of WOYWW is approaching, Week 728. The ATC swap is a goer, make one or a few, up to you. There’s no specific challenge, I don’t want to make it harder than it is to come up with an idea. Last year we celebrated connection, so this year…go for what this whole blog link up thing means to you. But have fun!

Meanwhile though, and more pressing than any ATC…show us your working space please!

She’s getting eggy….

I made a special trip to town to find the tiny hook things so that I could screw them into the wooden eggs. They would be easier to paint with a little something to hold, and of course, they are destined to hang on a lovely twiggy cutting or, more likely after this week’s weather, a windfall branch! So then I was ready and had no reason not to set to and paint the eggs. Ten eggs, two shades of five colours. Add contrasting detail in the form of dots and stripes and what-not. 

It quickly became obvious that this was going to be a more than one coat job, I don’t know if the acrylic paints (which are new) are just lacking opacity or if they were too cheap to be any good. I thought they were reasonably priced rather than cheap, but neither are they Windsor & Newton! While I was coming to terms with the need to sand and re-coat, I pressed on, and by the eighth egg, had decided that these damn things aren’t actually egg shaped. They’re just ovals. And they’re much bigger than I thought, too. 

See what I mean? I wasn’t quite sure quite how big they are in terms of display and well, taste. I know, that sounds daft, but who wants to have to use an actual bough to give a handful of wooden eggs the right perspective for an Easter table display? Yeah, now you get it. I did some very technical research. A real egg for control and a creme egg for back-up:

I was right. The wooden eggs are just ovals. And they’ll be definitively too big for a sweet twig of catkins in a jar that was to form part of my *cough* Easter display. The real egg is a large, free range, so there’s a little more perspective on the size of the wooden ovaloid. Both make the creme egg look positively sad though don’t they? Creme eggs are, I have discovered, a bit like marmite. You love ‘em, or hate ‘em. Don’t worry, there are takers for both types of egg in this house, this technical comparison was created from erm, goods in stock. 

Now, to finish the painting. Unscrew the hangy bits and just toss the lot into a glass bowl, that’ll do till I can find some daintier, less clumpy actual egg shaped eggs to decorate! Easter 2024 at this rate.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 720

Whatever else I may or may not be good at, I am still exceptional at making a mess.

See the Hero Arts floral stamp set at left?  I inherited it from Mary. It was unused, and by my estimation, it’s probably 18 years old. Those wood mounts and real rubber, ah…they stamp crisply and they don’t squash if you press too hard and I just love them. Digression, sorry. I used them to make a Mothers Day card and then went off on a stamping frenzy and coloured a bunch of them and used that age old ‘technique’ of stamping the background with the same stamp as the main image. I mean, very simple, relatively quick and I really enjoyed. 

The slightly cleared working pad (waste copier paper - purchase ledger print outs from 2012!)  is because I had a lot of phone calls yesterday and had pushed back a bit to do cutting out whilst I talked. Cutting out more body parts, although I’m not sure you can tell, the plastic tray is just above the heat gun. 

A grand clear up is yet again scheduled for today, I’ve got eggs to paint and time is starting to press a little isn’t it! 

Please show and tell; your desk, your project, your space, your day….it’s important! Put WOYWW in your post title and link away! Thanks in advance, I already know I’m going to enjoy my visit.

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 719

Thank goodness that the week has gone so fast. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself, miserable with cold and full of snot. I spent two whole days doing nothing but lie around shivering and believe me, that’s not only a waste of time, it makes me cross because despite being a lazy type, I don’t like to be forced into it! Argh. So anyway, the desk has seen some action, and probably more impressively, sunshine!!

This was Tuesday afternoon, and it has changed since, but it involves a Mother’s Day thing, so I can’t show you. My sweet Ma-in-Law doesn’t read my blog, but it doesn’t seem like a surprise if she’s not the first to see it, huh. Technically she’ll be the third though, because after I’ve made it, Mr Dunnit has to at least write his name in it…! So you can see paper piecing going on…the plastic tray is holding some body parts stamped and cut out of the clothing brochure which I’m now cutting up and sticking onto the original image. Very fiddly, but a nice effect, and a good way to soak up some sunshine! I made a card with it too, very basic after the scissoring exertion, can’t show you that yet either! 

So please, do what I’m not really, and show and tell! Put WOYWW in your post title and link here as always, thank you good Deskers!

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 718

Daylight means you get a great view of the water butt from this angle! But please, be distracted by a nearly tidy desk, it’s been a long time! In fact, it’s only this tidy because I took the alphabet file to Crop and have very wisely left it in the bag…I can’t face it for now! The paper cup is still filled with sticky foam pieces cut from the huge reel. I vaguely remember saying they need a better container, but as usual, I haven’t addressed it because it hasn’t yet become a matter of peril. Apparently I want to play ‘million foam piece pick up’ before I heed my own advice! The patterned magazine at the end is a clothing brochure with beautiful colours and patterned clothing. I shall be cutting it up for piecing my Janet Klein images, I think they’re a perfect match! Don’t hold your breath though, I’ve got a bajillion other things to do. Well, three birthday cards…and some Easter eggs to paint. It’s rolling around really fast!

Join in will you, make me want to get to my desk with all your inspiration! 

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 717

My desk looks unchanged, I swear it’s not the same photo!

I spent Saturday afternoon at my desk. Not because I was feeling the need to, or because Mr Dunnit was watching the Rugby, or because I had a head full of ideas after being deprived of access to it whilst we were away. No. In honesty, I was driven to it by the presence of the electric heater. No better excuse; we were freezing all weekend. Serves us right for having a week in warm sunny Tenerife, huh! I didn’t sit and do nothing though, I started on the alphabet thing. My word, it’s going to take a lot longer than I anticipated, and I’m definitely going to have to come up with a few proper ideas!

I’ve done a few random sheets as you can see, and this is just from the black alphabet file! I’m surprised frankly, by the amount of letters that become unusable and will definitely be going back to dies and smart cutting. I’m going to a crop with The Coven this weekend, so it will be a good test of whether I can make up a LO and leave the title until I get home rather than have the shot of satisfaction from finishing it there and then! So, that’s me. What about you? Please show and tell, as usual. I’ll be late to visit because of another early start that involves logistical tactics with one vehicle where two would be the ideal! See you later!