So my Workdesk is a little under utilised, I've cut up some papers into pennant type strips and foiled a border around some plain Kraft tags..I'll tell you why when that plan comes to fruition, it's part of a small collaboration that may or may not come to something!
Yesterday was meant to be a slightly slow day on our itinerary because we decided to stay local and not rush about too much. So we did stay local, and we didn't rush about, but we did wear ourselves out!
It wasn't cold, but was very windy, which is probably what kept the rain away, we felt very lucky. We have plans for another day of reasonably local exploration today. It's fun, and because both of these wonderful Kathys are crafters, we have plans that involve beads, patience, magnifiers and patience. Oh, I said that. Well, probably if it gets hard, I'll distract them into stamping and colouring in, which as you understand, is easy and therefore what I do best!
Please show and tell as usual, and I'll get the Kathys to chime in as I work my way round to your desk!
I don't know how much tape she used. But it took the better part of two days to put the patterns together. I'm definitely put off the PDF method for acquiring a pattern. Mind you, how often do I make any clothes nowadays! The real bonus of her work has been that she had to tidy my desk before use..and now it's empty tidy and waiting for me to make a mess! Please share and tell..this week I'm at home and have real internet. And it's raining, so actually, some things are normal! 
The basket is full of cards to be delivered to my friend's new shop. It's been fifteen years at least since I made cards to sell and I have no idea if they even will sell. There's a mix of styles and occasions. I'm more than happy to have them back if they don't sell, I figure that I'll know within a couple of weeks. I plan to change them quite frequently. There's four of each style, in two colours, so if any do sell, then I might be able to get a feel for popular styles. Who knows. Next to my glasses are two of the small brushes from an invaluable set 
This taken at about six yesterday, isn't the sunshine lovely. I had decided to start tidying up but got totally distracted. Made an ATC that I've been mulling over for a long time. Frankenstein theme. In the end, I just sat down and did it, but it's amazing how many times I thought about how hard it would be! And...I didn't think to photograph it before I put it in the envelope and trotted it to the postbox. Doh! Ah well. Then, instead of tidying up, I got stamping again...and now it's all waiting for my return for a lot of fussy cutting! The only thing that isn't in the photo that was on the desk is the empty glass that I used to hold the brushes I was using to apply Distress Oxides to the ATC. I have actually taken them to the kitchen and washed them properly already. I know, I'm untidy but not neglectful. Here's a close up of my I inability to be tidy..
Don't fret, the brush you can see was unused. Good shot of the layers though, huh. So now gentle desker, it's up to you. I will take on board your tidy and organised spaces, but I cannot make any promises...
This is the 'centre' shot, the actual desk, although it's getting hard to tell apart from any other piled up space. There's a few cards waiting to go into cellophane bags and the mustaches and glasses are a NBUS set that I fancied trying whilst putting off something or other. Oh I remember, I was having a face-time with my Sissy because she felt the need to show off her high temperature, blue sky, swimming pool type holiday location, so I felt the need to treat myself to doing something for fun. Ha. Joke's on her, don't you agree?!
A basket of card blanks in various sizes and a new scrapbook album, some empty 12x12 acrylic boxes and GKW else sit on top of a RUB set of drawers. The drawers hold all my clear and unmounted stamps with the exception of the top right one which is where I keep cards that I've made. Stock. Not for selling, for me to use or give away. I used to think that I could whip up a card that was personal to a recipient the day before their birthday/anniversary/cheer up need, but that was just naive. If I don't have a stock I can't cope. Actually, I can't cope anyway, but the chances are much improved by having a stash of made cards!
Apart from being the owner of all this lovely, gloriously disorganised stash, the really best thing about this little room is tan at one of its 3 doors leas into the rest of the house, so I can close it and no one can see what lies beyond. And out of sight means I don't have to tidy up if I don't want to! And I never do want to. Even when I tidy up.
The Versafine Clair ink pad is positively perfect for the sketchy detailed Art Impressions stamp of the teapot, they cards are spread out because it's a pigment ink and so, however fast, it needs drying time. The pink of the background stamping is a Distress Oxide called Spun Sugar which is very pale and I really wondered how anyone would use it. That is until Sally Patterson did something gorgeous and then I had to rush out and buy it! Still don't use it a lot, but love it against the white with the blue. I finished these cards after I'd taken the photo yesterday...they are not as I planned. But things morph and change when you don't actually take size and shape into account. a bit gung-ho, but it was ever thus! There's no sign of it today, but lots of you asked what the egg cup was for....well, I water colour using a water brush and a distress inks or felt tips scribbled on glass as the paint. The egg cup holds the water in which I wash the brush, so as not to run out of water in the barrel. Bit crackers, but works for me. Also scattered on the working part of the desk is a new black pigment ink pad and four new stamps, freshly tipped from their envelope. Including the Kate Crane balloon dog. It's really quite small, but will appear relatively soon, I hope! Brilliant service from Stampers Grove, a company I would not know about if it weren't for several of you WOYWW enablers!
At left, where it looks as if it could be tidy, there's a basket of pens, so not so much of a miss if you don't see them. Of course, balanced on the basket is a bunch of cards made and finished yesterday. I used a Brayer to make a casual inky background. I almost couldn't believe it myself, even as I was actually doing it! You can just see the edges of the inking on my scrap paper, under the crabs. The crabs are waiting to be finished...slightly boy/male variety birthday cards I hope! Some of the stamps I've used in the last couple of days qualify as NBUS; I do hope Darlene will be proud! No doubt that I'm incapable of working in any way other than a mess, but I am actually clearing up between card sets. Yesterday I had the french doors open and a gust of wind just as I was shaking embossing powder onto an image caused me to have to clear up and actually sweep the desk off with a dustpan and brush - working on a gritty surface would make my teeth itch! Made me a bit sweary for a minute too, lost quite a lot of embossing power! Please show and tell then, weather 💨 stories and all! 
This much mess and I've only made five cards! I did stick to the rule of scrap which is something. But I need to be more productive, this sort of mess should really not happen for a measly five cards! I shall tidy up a bit and start again later, I want to make a selection pack of maybe three each of five designs, so need to exert some discipline! On the far right you can see my medium guillotine. Seriously, medium. It's smaller than the 12" one that I use for scrapbooking, and bigger than the A5 one that I use for little cutting. I know, I can't explain it, but little cutting is a thing. When it's a scrap but use-able enough not to be thrown out, or a mount that just needs trimming. Little cutting. You can't see it, but little cutter is on the desk, under the medium cutter. Both of which are balanced badly on top the the erm, big cutter. Bet you're admiring my imagination for naming equipment, huh! There's a new pair of glasses too, readers in a stronger number. Lordy. I bought them thinking that they would just send me a random colour choice. Turned out that I didn't have to choose, the price was for five pairs in five colours. I didn't see that in 
Rather a mess, but that's not news is it; I've actually made three cards (on the right near the pink tray) and spent a happy hour yesterday doing some classic stamping and colouring in. I'm trying to always work in multiples, and also to only use scraps. It isn't laborious, but sometimes challenging to make patterns and colours work. But when I can make it work, I'm disproportionately delighted. That is entirely because if I stopped producing scraps today, I reckon I could could continue to make cards from them for at least another year. It's not a challenge I'm about to take on to be honest...every time I make a scrapbook page it produces some amount of scrap, so it's a bit of a cyclical problem. As I'm typing, I wonder if I ought to make a LLJ strip quilt style mega masterboard. I may actually have to walk around that idea, it's not a bad one for a change! The lovely African gal and her pots are waiting to be cut out and stuck onto as yet undetermined backgrounds. I love her and her colourfulness, she cheers me. You can't quite see my felt tips in two baskets balanced on top of one another at left, but you can I think quite clearly see the layers at right, the cards and powder tray are on top of the stamps I used, and so it goes. Probably by the time I get to the desk this afternoon, I'll be fed up and horrified by the mess and will be forced to tidy. Another cycle. Ah well, it's not hurting anyone. Although that now very flat coke might cause you to grimace. Sorry!
Admittedly, this scene is a few days old, but the photo is fresh! I haven't got back to my desk since making a start on a couple of ATCS to swap. (And one to replace- Helen, I've assembled the parts...) I was having a chat with LLJ which is a great way to force me to sit still and do a bit of multi tasking. Obviously Jan was doing something with yarn, she never misses an opportunity to have busy hands. We touched briefly on the fact that I have cut up a Union Jack postcard to make the ATC background for my British bulldog. Is it treason? I hope not. I shall claim it's all in the name of art. And hope theres WiFi in the Tower! I'm not being a craft slacker, I'm working away from my desk, largely in the evenings, doing the thread journal and another time waster - the NYTimes mini and full size daily crosswords. My sister and her husband do the mini everyday and we now compete over the time it takes. On days where none of the answers rely on real American knowledge, I'm pretty reasonable, but where brands, politicians and different spellings are needed...epic fails! Nice bit of brain training though. To be honest, if you wanted to help me get back to my desk, you could consider a face time conversation!
I cleared it of rubbish and GKW whilst cooking some supper yesterday, which revealed theses anniversary ATCs that arrived from all corners, Kelly, Neet, Susan and Elizabeth. Despite my tardiness at acknowledging, I am truly grateful that you took the time and effort...honestly June has just been such a flurry of a month that I'm still revelling in it rather than catching up. I still blame my Sissy; coming over here and requiring a stringent re-Anglicising - it was a punishing schedule! Very far left is the Order of Service from the family wedding which was one of the reasons my sister was here. Of course it's on the desk now waiting to be cut up to accompany the bazillion photos that we have amassed. So now there's cards and lovely current up-to-date scrapbooking to do....all I need is time! 
Some' old' looking ephemera (freshly printed, for sure,) and facsimiles of account books printed on A5, I have no idea where they fit within my craft needs or style, but I had to have them because they were extraordinarily cheap. Likewise the roll of handmade stickers; the other roll is Washi tape postage stamps. Really nice. I got them with a very slow delivery off a website called Temu that kept bugging me on Facebook! One of those where they offer you stuff for a penny for your first purchase. It seems to sell everything, put me in mind of a dollar store or something like it. Happy with these bits and pieces....and at least while I'm too busy to be at the desk, I can be thinking about what on earth I can use them for! If you can force yourself into the house to blog, we'd love to see what you're doing and what shape your Workdesk takes in theses summer months!
My not-much-younger sister is my judge on this one…every now and then she goes through it and if she can ‘see’ what the icon is meant to be, I tell her the story attached to it (by looking in the little diary I keep for this purpose.) At the beginning, I was putting the little pictures very close together for fear of not having enough room, but now they are reasonably spaced. Perspective is a huge issue, but I’m not going to consider it. My attempt at Salisbury Cathedral is almost the same size as the pair of little chicks above it. Thirty years ago when I had 20-20 vision this might have vexed me. Now, not at all!
Now don’t faint, but this is a three-fer! I actually remembered, so am quickly going to tell you about the acrylic words that I had on my desk last week. Still there, but I have a pic of some of them by way of explanation. They’re about 4mm thick and laser cut. I buy them principally from two sources, Bramble Fox and Peartree Cutfiles. I use them for titles or additions to my scrapbook pages. Largely because I can’t bring myself to give them away on a card, but also because they aren’t always the right size for my kind of card making. In the picture, the ‘30’ set are actually mirror silver but have a protective film over them. They need a wet glue or silicone to attach, I find the silicone is better because it grabs the smooth backs better. The complicated cuts or thin, serif fonts are quite snappy, so they need reasonable storage if you end up hoarding them. Ask me how I know. I am however, over the innovation, and can use them with ease now, so you will see them on pages that I post here if you haven’t already. 
I could prolly ramble on some more, but I believe it was actually me that asked for a modicum of brevity for WOYWW posts, so that’ll be it for now. This is scheduled for reasons of ridiculously early appointments again, but it’s OK, I’m just the driver for this one, so I’ll try to log on whilst I’m waiting. Meanwhile, post and inspire please!
This week has been a mixed bag for me..I haven’t been well, and it’s taking ages to shake off, this is the third week and I’m very bored and not a little behind with my grand plans. Grand plans! They’re always plans until you do ‘em aren’t they, even normal daily jobs! 
Blue light because of cruddy photographing, sorry. There’s a little splurge on laser cut acrylic words and a crown stencil quietly awaiting some action. There’s quite a few coronation related bits and pieces for the scrapbook pages that will eventually be made up. There’s a sheet of the new logo that was a trial run for cutting positions to make the badges. It’s the layout that worked, so I shall make some more badges when I need some mindless activity. Any time soon, to be honest! And the plate has reappeared. I really want this off my desk and in the kiln, so have promised myself that I’ll start the tracing of the pattern onto it before the week is out. Again, not to complain too loudly for fear of being treasonous, but it’s a mighty complicated design if you’re not using a computer programme! 
I didn’t notice the glare on Lyn’s when I took this, sorry. I cleared and tidied so that I could lay them out and wallow in them, as you can see, there’s a lot to examine and in the case of Mary Anne’s, to work out! You are all so clever, and I see joy in our differences as much as in our likenesses. Thank you. I say that a lot on this blog, but I do always mean it!.png)
The china plate is still waiting to be traced onto. At least I move it to the top of each pile for fear of breakage. I’m actually at the point of doing it; honestly, I need to get it out of the way! There’s a bunch of coronation memorabilia and GB/Union Jack stuff for scrapbooking purposes. Our little town had a great street party and I collected some fab bits to help tell the story in my scrapbook.
It was an entirely selfish gesture, an afternoon off to do some crafting, with lovely company and a lovely kit. It worked too. We ate biscuits, drank coffee and coloured in, cut out, made cards and chatted. Perfect. I have no idea why, but I am a sucker for bird images, so this was the obvious and perfect workshop for me, and I’m also now the proud owner of three new stamps sets. Oh, somebody stop me! No, really, don’t.
I’ve missed it. I crop with my Coven and so the recesses of my mind equate scrapbooking with company; but largely, card making I’ve been doing on my own. I don’t need the company, I’m perfectly happy at my desk, listening to an audiobook or birdsong or heaven help me, the voices in my head. But I had forgotten how nice is to work on something together, and the Shopkeeper Gal went to the trouble of bringing supplies so that we could copy her samples faithfully. Which I did. Except for the fourth card which I didn’t get round to, and when I did, I went off track with the colouring and totally ruined it! 
All of this activity is secret though. Last Wednesday you lot set of the panic train in my brain, so I just had to start on my ATCs, especially as I had a vague idea! What you can see on my desk is the arc of pushback, it’s amazing how I can make it look tidy but the back and edges are a bit precarious! Great ATC backs made by Mary Anne are printed and ready to be cut up. My lovely blank ATC storage box back on centre stage - made for me by the beautiful and missed Debbie Rock, such a pleasure to own. You can just see two rulers in the foreground - funny, I used one, pushed it to the side, and then when I needed to use it again, I reached up to where I should have put it back, and used the spare. And then pushed that to the side as well. And that black and grey thing right in the front of the pic is a Fiskars scissor sharpener. Useful bit of plastic and metal, actually. 
The lettering was stamped just as a size gauge, so when it came to painting, I kept it simple and used it as a guide for spacing etc. thank goodness, the stamped ink burned off in the kiln! I was left with a gap at the foot of the plate which I really didn’t like, so asked for a delay in glazing to gimme a chance to think of something to add. Naturally, I was about a mile from the studio when it occurred to me that EIIR would be the most appropriate addition. I didn’t quite do a handbrake turn and go back to save the day. Instead I did the grown up thing and waited till I next had some time booked. I know, surprised me too.
The detail! I’m a heavy handed painter as ably illustrated on the Jubilee plates. And, I don’t think I have the patience to trace, let alone paint this image, twice. Because Miss Dunnit must have her souvenir too, whether she wants it or not. I may have been whining to the ceramic studio lady about the labour involved. I was whining, you have no trouble believing that. Ceramic Gal clapped her hands, rushed into her office and came back with a sheet of special carbon paper for using on unglazed bisque. I had to hug her. So, because today is the deadline, yesterday, I traced onto the first plate. Now, this is where I have to be very humble. I mean, you never know who’s reading, huh. I’ve erm, adapted the pattern slightly your Majesty. I’m using the Crown centre piece and will attempt the font for my lettering…but forgive me sir, the symbols in red that repeat the representations of England Scotland Ireland and Wales are beyond my finesse in painting on a side plate. 
I haven’t spent more than about an hour at my desk since last Wednesday and I don’t like it. But, yesterday I did something to quell my rising panic about a couple of deadlines that are approaching. I finished a very tricky theme of an ATC for a swap. It’s a steampunk theme. I had to literally rake through all of my stash. I‘ll try to remember to photograph it once it’s dry…I had to use silicone and real old fashioned wet glue to stick some bits of metal on it. That’s why there’s a small herd of alcohol inks on the desk. My word, they haven’t been used for years. They coloured the bits of metal a bit though, so they still do their job which is impressive. Also, of course, and slightly unmissable is the lumpy badge maker. I had a couple of cards that needed rude badges, and of course, I haven’t put it away yet…I will later today though, I will be needing the space. I’ve actually had an idea for my anniversary ATCs which I think may work! 
I 
I finished the LOs that were erm, laying about last week. Filed ‘em. There’s a story to it, I’ll tell you about it at some point…flicking through my current album to file newly completed LOs isn’t always a joy of memories preserved! Anyway, I’ve moved on to starting an ATC challenge with a theme that frankly, scares me. Which is why you can see my ephemera boxes making an appearance, namely the ‘metals’ and ‘wooden’s’ at this point. There’s an air pump mica spray at right (above the pink highlighter). The Ida is that it doesn’t block up with mica and sprays a fine mist to the last drop. It does, but not until it’s dribbled and squirted all over everything to start with. Sheesh, I need to remember that - and to remember that the trajectory of the ‘mist’ is really unfathomably, disproportionately enormous. Also at last, I’ve found a pot to put the cut up foam tape in. It has a lid, a wide base and is heavier than the paper cup; it’s centre of gravity significantly reduces the chances of having to pick up a kerjillion foam pads. Result! 
They are a mess and I don’t like them. They are slightly saved by the beautiful crystal bowl which is on a semi-permanent loan from my Lunch Lady Jan. I would show you how the sun bounces off the faceted sides and makes the ‘eggs’ look much better. But I can’t because the sun just won’t shine, and it’s all made me petulant and childish. You could hold a party on my bottom lip it sticks out so far when I look at these eggs.
Ah well, I’ll be ahead of the curve for next year, and using decent acrylics, and repainting the big ‘uns and doing a proper job, I might actually have learned from my comeuppance. Hmm, do ya think?
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.
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! 
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. 
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 
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