What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 765n

I printed the new address onto post card sized pieces of card, stamped a few dozen wonky houses onto patterned paper and cut them out. Stuck them in a row across the bottom of the postcard and slowly realised that my Ma In Law (hereafter called Grandma) won't like them. They're wonky, not in number order, different sizes and stamped on floral papers. She won't get it, it's not real enough. So I've set to, and am mid making another set.

I think these will do the trick. The house purchase completes on Friday so I need to just get on with them really. Not a scary deadline because Grandma isn't actually moving in on Friday, but nevertheless, they'll make a good start!  I'm using a Stampin' Up! Set and keeping it relatively simple. I've plonked my coffee mug on the desk and from this angle it looks empty, ( the mug, not the desk,) but fear not, I'll recharge it and settle in to visit your desk. Please forgive me for tardiness and not getting to you last week...it went a bit pear shaped for a couple of days!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 764

Gosh, we've nearly done January! Well done everyone! A month closer to the Crop on 18th May. Sarah was right, having something like this to look forward to is a right old tonic! We're going to be in Penkhull Village Hall, Stoke On Trent. I will repeat this and other info, just don't want any of you to forget!

Meanwhile, I'm making some postcard type change of address cards. My tremendous and lovely Mother In Law is downsizing very soon and can you believe it, we couldn't find a pad or box of such things in town last week, so I thought I'd make a couple dozen before we start getting frantic with de-cluttering and packing! 

You can see a row of houses stamped on about 6 different papers. I shall cut these out and stick 'em on in an incredible creative way to draw attention to the new address that I've printed onto the coloured card. Just poking out from under the papers there's a wood mounted stamp. It's an ornate key image and I think it'll appear on the cards too. We'll see; I might not have done a dummy run and the style of the houses and the style of the key are not exactly matching. This is what happens when you just pull stamps that fit a theme...silver lining though..it's not exactly an untidy desk yet is it!

Join me do then please, show us how real life is affecting your work desk. Except Neet...don't even think about trying to stagger to your desk...rest that bad leg and keep us informed!

One Scrapper's treasure

As usual, next month, I{m going away for a long weekend of scrapbooking and girly company. I know it's mostly referred to as a 'retreat', but I hesitate to use that word-  I live a life from which I don't actually need to retreat, these weekends away in the company of friends is more of an 'indulgence'!  Anyway, in getting ready for a weekend of scrapbooking - and I am, in a slow, back of my mind way, - I think it's inevitable that a little bit of a sort out takes place. Instead of scratching the surface and throwing supplies in a bag and winging it for a few hours, this is packing for a sustained effort! 

We've fallen into the habit of sharing the unwanted stash before it's donated. That way, we get to cherry pick each other's cast offs. And there's nothing like a bit of something 'new' to play with if you're inspiration needs a kick start. And little pieces that you don't own and didn't know you wanted are doubly so, it's nice when you can use them straight away, if for no other reason that they don't become part of your own stash for an unspecified time!

This might be just me, but there's also a small element of challenge involved in all this cherry picking. After all, being able to effectively include a piece of ephemera or paper that someone else has passed over is satisfying; even more so when its admired as though you planned it! One of the things I really like about it though, is that your old stuff, in other peoples hands most always turned back into a really effective treasure. I look at pages made with some of my of cast off pieces and wonder how on earth I didn't think to use them in such a way. I think it may actually be because we all have so much that we overlook and stop really seeing what we've got. But that's a deep and scary theory that touches on the hoarder element of this hobby, and I don't want to discuss that!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 763

Well, gentle desker, there's no door lining but the cavity work is done. And I must say, it's a lot warmer in here than I'm used to. I always thought that it was sitting still that made me feel a chill...not so - missing insulation! So a few days without the desk has really paid off, and I return in excellent form...

So...new to me Stampin' Up set at far right...wood mounted...bliss! Above that, my file full of black alphabets. I don't buy any stick on alphas anymore, so it takes a lot of going through each file to make up a word, vowels are very thin on the ground. I'll use them all up in one way or another. The pizza box contains my Coven Secret Santa gift, some scrapbook paper and ephemera that I am thrilled to have. I haven't treated myself to anything new for ages, so this is a lovely treat. I've transferred my most used colour pens into a pot to sit on the desk...I have a collection of coloured rollerballs and chisel tips that I like to journal with and they are so much easier to access in a pot than rummage through them lying flat in a basket. Little wins! At left you can see the word 'masks', which is a set of alphabet sticky masks, most excellent but not often used. They are sitting on the file they came out of...stencils. I don't have many. They were out because I was making this month's lone ATC for my swap with Karen after finishing off some LOs that needed this and that after last weeks crop. This week is a bit quiet on the desk front so far, but never say never!

The puzzle was finished and there's a piece missing...have looked all over and all under, but no luck! If anyone would like to try it, let me know, happy to post it to you. I should point out that usually, doing a puzzle with the image upside down isn't a great idea, but in this case it made no difference at all! 98% credit to Mr Dunnit too. Way too taxing for me.

This week I have to differentiate between being shocked that it's been a week already, and being shocked that it's Wednesday already, honestly, the first is bad enough, but I'm really worried about Monday and Tuesday, where did they go?

So that's me, show and tell about your good self please!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 762

By virtue of the time of year and the current stinging cold weather, Mr Dunnit is home by about 2pm. He is easily bored...have I ever mentioned that? He keeps finding jobs to do. I'm very grateful and some of them have been on the list for a cotton-picking age, but there's one that has kept me from my desk this week. Something to do with the cavity and door lining in my workroom.  So rather than fighting for space, I've done some more clearing out and, well, not crafted....exactly...

This is vey possibly the hardest puzzle I've ever attempted, and I don't mind telling you, I'm not enjoying it! It was a Christmas gift from my sissy who takes a mean photo....and then turns them into mean puzzles. I expect she thinks it's hilarious! Here's the beautiful pic that inspired her to create this monster...

It's no help, to be honest, and I'm sort of gently achieving a couple of pieces a day. Mr Dunnit has done the majority, his patience for colour matching is incredible! It's harDDD! So, I'm being very enthusiastic and encouraging of the door liner work in my workroom, I very badly need some desk time. And I won't be using purples and lilacs on anything very soon! 

How's your desk then?

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 761

Well I very much hope that 2024 will be kind to you all. Things will go on much the same as before for me. And that makes me happy!

Two of several work surfaces to show you today, I've been multitasking!

I'm de-decorating and at the same time, doing a bit of de-cluttering. In a bid to avoid 8 kerjillion unnecessary steps, I corral everything onto the dining table. This really helps avoid that moment in a March when I notice notice a stray decoration hanging from a door handle or on a window cill!  We have two Christmas trees up and there is a plastic toy box standing next to each one, waiting to receive the baubles and doodads. It's not a brilliant system, but it gets everything back into storage as quickly as I like. The decluttering at back right of the table is cupboard emptying of stuff we haven't used in the last two years, so it's not staying. Man I'm tough. And then, there's the desk....

I have had desk time over the holiday which has been lovely, I made some thank you cards and did some scrapbooking. No longer evident now because regretfully, I'm now in the process of making sympathy cards. There's evidence of a Christmas gift from my gal and the current squeeze..a little tower of Washi tape. And you may just be able to see my bargains from Hobbycraft at far right - two pads of card inserts for a pound each and a packet of gobbly eyes because you never know when the need will arise! 

So that's me, gentle desker. How about you? 

A slight retrospective..

Apart from the WOYWW Anniversary ATCS, I make one a month to swap with a friend I've made through selling on eBay, of all places. Not a huge annual number, but I'm a bit frightened to commit to a regular swap in case I let a group down. So, Karen and I take it in turns to choose a monthly theme. Karen is adventurous and frankly, fearless with her choice. She is secure about her skills.Computer imagery, manipulation of images, drawing, stamping, you name it.

And as is my luck in meeting people, Karen has a fab sense of humour which often finds its way onto her ATCs. And we don't stick to obvious monthly themes either. These are in month order from top left...yes, Frankenstein was drawn for August! Huge thanks to Karen. There have been a couple of occasions in 2023 when an ATC is all that my desk has produced in a week. It's lovely to have the concentration of mind, theme and desk time. Try it.....it's a little gift every month!