Saturday, 25 March 2023

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.

Wednesday, 22 March 2023

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.





Wednesday, 15 March 2023

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!

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

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! 

Wednesday, 1 March 2023

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!

Wednesday, 22 February 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 716

My desk is untouched, unchanged, nothing to see, move along please. So that’s not the photograph du jour. Mind you, if my desk has been used, changed or better yet, the alphabet file and it’s contents sorted, refreshed and properly used, I will have to assume that my house-sitting family member has had a turn! We’re away, on our winter breaking sun seeker of a trip. 
Accompanied as always by my two faithful past times, the stitching and the reading. Of course Mr Dunnit is here too, my easily bored let’s-do-something all the time life companion. It’s nearly 38 years so we’re well used to each others holiday requirements; indeed as I type this he’s settled with a cup of tea and some frightful sudoku. I’ve got about forty minutes, I reckon, before we have to go for a walk!
So my real desk is this towel covered sun bed. The fancy spa slippers are to stop my feet being cold on the marble (?) floors of the apartment. I really appreciate this because I hate cold feet and barefoot on these floors causes just that. Cold feet. In just 2 short hours though, I’ve discovered that these little slippers are absolutely lethal on the inside floors. So, for a while, I shuffled. But still came close to breaking myself with some impressive slip-and-recover moves, so am now silently gritting my teeth and wearing sandals all the time. So ya see, it’s not all sun and Sangria! OK it is, but the story of the slippers may save you a similar problem where your next trip involves marble or tile floors! No need to thank me, just show what you’ve been up to whilst I’ve been slumming it in the sun!!





Wednesday, 15 February 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 715

I’ve had a weekend away, doing nothing but scrapbooking and trying out hilarious dance moves. Well, they were actually brilliant dance moves made hilarious by five over tired women who aren’t capable, frankly. It was fun and I’ll bore you with pictures of my LOs as and when I feel you can face them!
I unpacked all the stash, put away everything except the file full of alphabet stickers. When I bought my Scan N Cut I stopped buying alphabet stickers. I cart this huge file to every crop and for at least a year, it’s been very difficult to make up whole words from matching alphabets because of course, the vowels are always used up first. This will come as a surprise to some I’m sure, but despite my slapdash and haphazard approach to almost everything, I really don’t like mismatched fonts. I find them difficult to read and they make my teeth itch. So, the next job is to go through this ridiculous pile of alphabets that aren’t whole and come up with a plan. And the end result will be, I hope, a satisfactory and manageable pile of useable, and a marvellous idea for the unusable….I feel a masterboard coming on. 

Anyway gentle Desker, fancy a little challenge? There’s another anniversary looming (WOYWW728) and in the grand tradition of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, I feel an ATC swap is in order. And, if I can align things…fancy a link up on screen? There’s time to work out the wrinkly bits, you don’t need to commit to doing either or both, but let me have your (gentle) opinions! 

Meanwhile, show us your desk will ya? Gimme a break from the crisis of consonants. (Sorry, had to.)

Wednesday, 8 February 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 714

This is intended to be scheduled, if I mess it up, please forgive. Believe it or not, this time it’s the car that needs an MOT and I have to take it to Salisbury first thing. Which means joining the actual commute, something I work hard to avoid, adding to the clogged up roads is pointless if you don’t have to, huh! Ah, tales of domesticity…!
What about this then?
I’m getting ready to leave! A weekend of scrapbooking with The Coven is in store. Really looking forward to it. AsI haven’t had time to sit at my desk for any creative purposes, I’ve rushed in and out and put things on the desk each time I’ve thought about something specific I want to take. So that involved hauling out the boxes and files that whatever I was thinking about are kept in, and so the pile has become quite serious! Mind you, it’s nowhere near complete…last year I managed to take my trolley too, and I’m considering doing the same again…depends how much room is taken up in the car by non essentials like clothes and food! Hey, apology again for last week…I said you could see lovely LLJ on my phone in the picture. You can’t. Turns out that the picture I see in the blog post is bigger than the one that is actually posted by the App! Strange. It was such a pleasure to roam around your desks last week, please post again!

Saturday, 4 February 2023

Don’t challenge me…

If you were to go through this blog to find the challenges I’ve taken part in, you would not need more than one hand to add them up! I don’t really know why, except that I do. I end up doing them to the exclusion of anything else because of the need to get the commitment out of the way. Believe me, that sort of takes the pleasure away!
Likewise, because of the commitment thing, I haven’t ever taken part in anything that consistently requires something of me. I know I do WOYWW each week, but that’s a bit different. I think.
You are probably as familiar with this as I am!
 Nearly seven years of adding stitches in waiting rooms and on holiday.
 I’m in no hurry with it, but I am committed to finishing it some time. 

Aaanyway. At last year’s February scrapbook retreat with my girlfriends, Lolly was infectiously enthusiastic about thread journaling. Getting a piece of fabric, sticking it in an embroidery hoop and stitching a small picture on it daily, to sum up the day, every day for a year. A YEAR! Literally, thread journaling. We all looked it up, Pinterest scared us because of the skill level; we talked about it, and then largely forgot all about it. Except it didn’t go away. Later that year I found myself buying a thread journaling kit to stash away for Christmas to give to Miss Dunnit. She likes embroidering patches and etc, so it seemed a really good gift. At our October retreat, Lolly was talking about it again and somehow made it sound eminently achievable, so I set myself up. Including Miss Dunnit, four of us are having a bash, and we’re all doing it differently. The first thing that frightened me to death was that a lot of people have 8 or 10 inch embroidery hoops and have divided the circle into 12 equal portions so that they have a clear portion to sew in each month. I can’t do the maths and really didn’t want to have to draw on the fabric. I also didn’t want to have to stitch that many straight lines. I’m not good at straight. So in the end, after humming and hawing and sketching out some alternatives, I decided for heavens’ sake, just do it.

Interestingly, having decided against sections per month, I seem to be keeping them all clumped. They are not dimensional images, I need practice and more experience. They are totally freehand though, which is why the scale varies wildly. And, I’m happy to accept that some of these little images are in need of description. So I bought a cheap diary, and each time I embroider an image, I enter it on the day’s date in the diary with a really brief description.
I’m enjoying it! It takes longer to decide what there is about any given day that needs recording in a single image than it does to actually embroider it. And of course there are days that are so ordinary that it’s a bit of a stretch. But as I can’t imagine 365 images actually fitting on this erm, canvas, it won’t matter I think, if I leave off the days where all I manage is more domestic stuff. Having said that, I have only recorded WOYWW once so far and you can see an iron…I did actually spend a long day doing nothing else in the early new year, catching up after a houseful at a Christmas! 



Close up you can see that despite washing my hands, the fabric is already grubby at the edge where I hold the hoop. Now I use that little piece of felt to protect the fabric from my grubby left thumb. You live and learn. And as for freehand…I have help. Lolly found this fab site called the Noun Project which has probably millions of icons of well, almost every noun you can think of. Very very helpful. Doesn’t mean I can stitch them to look familiar, but it helps. Ask me again in a couple of months, see if I’m keeping up! At least with a diary, I can enter the intended idea and do a catch up session if necessary- although that starts to be work rather than ten minutes with a cuppa I think. Are you doing a year long ‘thing’? I’d love to hear about it. 

Wednesday, 1 February 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 713

Skidding into February with a late one, so sorry. I scheduled it and it says it’s published, but clearly it hasn’t, so I must have done something wrong….thanks to LLJ for fielding messages whilst I was out delivering the van for MOT! Chilly first thing I can tell you. Anyway….
You can see Jan on my phone, we had a lovely video chat whilst I tidied up after the little album caused me to make an incredible mess. That’s done and will be posted today, so whilst chatting, I staged and snapped this pic because I thought I might start on something else and make another mess and then I wouldn’t have evidence of a clear up in between! You can see some new stamps that Neet caused me to buy out of sheer FOMO. So the stash diet lasted 27 days. Hmmm. Although, as stamps, these weren’t necessarily on the diet list, that was and remains about scrapbooking stuff.  That black thing on the floor at left is my scissor sharpener, and like so many things, I’ve only noticed it because I took a photo! As I won’t get to my desk again this week because of month end and loads of diary stuff, please let me be vicariously crafting by showing me what you’re up to. Grand!

Wednesday, 25 January 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 712

Whoosh. I know it, we say it a lot, but time’s not exactly standing still for me this month! There’s fun stuff intermingled with some real adulting, though, so don’t be worrying about me, just let me whine a bit, I’ll be over it soon! Today is an out and about day, managing to combine a work trip with a much overdue meet up with a friend, don’t you just love a silver lining.  Step back though, the desk:
I’m making up a small album for my sainted Aunt, filled with pics from her birthday party last summer. It was such a lovely day and it’s been lovely to look at pictures that remind me about the possibility of really good weather! It’s not a huge album and the inserts are split, and I have a finite number of pictures, so I thought I’d steam through it and have it in the post by now. I started it at crop on Saturday, spent a couple of hours on Monday evening and a few minutes while supper was cooking on Tuesday and reckon it’ll need two or three more before it’s ready to send. Colour me surprised. So what can you see? Well, there’s me reflected in the door (gosh, I may consider a blind…). There’s the orange glow from the electric heater. There’s evidence, if you like, that I haven’t been at the desk for very long - only two pairs of scissors in view. I can’t actually say that the others aren’t buried under the stuff, but a quick glance in the holder at left makes me think I’ve been quite erm, disciplined! You can see my box filled with stickers, very useful for  embellishing and decorating these small pages. They date back years, some I’ve had to add glue to because they’ve lost their sticky. Can’t chuck ‘em though, they are still vibrant and fresh on the picture sides! 
So what’s new with you this Wednesday then? As always, would love to see and hear from you. 

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 711

Well, that was a rapid week wasn’t it! I have quite a lot of unfinished things because I’ve dared to think I would get back to stuff. Currently am taking a breath and finishing off. In line with current intentions, I need one card, so I made a handful. 
This pic taken on Tuesday afternoon.

I’m very confident that the recipient doesn’t read this, so am not worried about showing. And telling…I wanted a winter based card because the birthday boy will be on a skiing holiday. Lying in bed on Tuesday morning I decided on penguins, I’ve got penguin stamps, it’ll be no problem. Yeah. Turns out the penguins stamps are PUFFIN stamps. Ah well, it’s the thought! 
Distinctly and quite definitely Puffins, huh.
My Brussels sprouts glasses case is on my desk. After Christmas I wash the set (folding shopping bag, glasses case and purse, made by LLJ) and put them in the cupboard ready for use on the next December 1st. It’s landed on my desk because it was with a small pile of tea towels that needed to come downstairs. Mr D was the first downstairs and recognises a pile in the ‘to go downstairs’ position. He distributed the pile as makes sense to him, and completely foxed by where to put the non-domestic stuff, my desk seems a safe answer! And I’ve only got three pairs of scissors and a scalpel in current use, how restrained. 
Share and tell, please. taking Ma In Law shopping this morning, but then, I’m home. Put the kettle on, I’m on my way!




Tuesday, 10 January 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 710

Largely tidy desk, not too much of an eyesore, for a change! Actually, there is an eyesore. I’m still playing with cups and other images. You can see some small cups stamped in a very limey green. I thought I’d fill them with violet and yellow pansies. Had to use the magnifying lens to be able to colour them. As if that’s not ridiculous enough, the flowers now need fussy cutting out. And me, my eyes and my podgy fingers are just not up to it. I shall seek inspiration from my folder full of dies. Pretty sure my change of erm, artistic direction won’t hurt anyone! Very much in evidence is a new project that I’m undertaking. The family cookbook. It’s not a ‘get it done’ job, I shall work in it as and when; it’s definitely a journal of sorts, and this way, I can do handwriting, stamping, colouring, whatever…all without wondering why, or getting tied in knots about everything being contrived. After all, it is totally contrived! I’ll prolly show you some more about it at some stage, it’ll certainly be on or next to my desk for a long time to come!
Please show and tell, I’m slow to comment, gotta lot of behind the scenes stuff at the moment, so expect me when you see me! 

Wednesday, 4 January 2023

What’s On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 709

Hail and well met, fellow Desker! Welcome to more of the same for 2023, fervently hoping it’s a happy and fulfilling Year for you. 
I’ve been busy making the most of an empty nest; sorted out a cupboard or two, returned the Christmas crockery and cushions and other non-tree stuff to their hibernation boxes, caught up on a lot of ironing. And, I’ve made it to my desk….I figure it’s OK after 4 o,clock to stop doing ‘real’ stuff and have an hour or so to do cutting and sticking!
You can see that I’m erm, playing with some Gentlemen. Primarily to repair a package that I posted about six weeks ago that came back to me yesterday. With all the disruption to our postal system, I’m rather surprised and grateful that it found it’s way back. I’ve also had a some fun with teacups.
I haven’t finished yet, turns out I have a few teacup/coffee stamps and dies that I feel the need to binge use all of a sudden. Strange how that happens. I’m grateful though that I feel the need to use what I’ve already collected rather than having to sit on my hands and wish I hadn’t imposed a ‘buying new stamps’ ban! 
There are two trees to dismantle and a month end to do too. Although December ended at the weekend, it’s always wise to wait till everyone gets back to work so that they can send their statements etc, lessens the chances that I may trip myself up! So now you know how my day will go, but I do intend to be at my desk from about 4pm, let’s see if it works out! Show and tell if you will, we’d like to see your new year beginnings. Any surface, any space, any creativity, we just want to see!