What's On Your Workdesk. Wednesday 757

Ha, and I thought the week before went quickly, I don't think I'm keeping up. Ably illustrated by my untouched desk....
In the pursuit of using things up, I found a handful of charity christmas cards from waaaaay back. I think I always intended to add to them, so at the weekend, I had a go. You can just about make out the ingredients, blue ink, silver leaf flakes, glue pen and stencil brush. Oh...you can't see the ton of patience I had to use.......

Here's the progression...

I think I should have used gold leaf, and I had definitely forgotten about stamping on coated board - it's like a pigging ice rink! The only plus is that if you do skid or slide the stamp, with a fast swish of a wet wipe, the ink will come off. Then you have to dry it. Ask me how I know. The other thing I learned is that if you want to stamp on these highly coated boards, you have to emboss the Versafine. It will dry without being embossed, but not without heat and not without the amount of heat that warps and browns. You're welcome. 

Anyway, today's a day for clearing this lot and actually writing in some of these cards, a job that, given the time to do it, I really enjoy! 

Tomorrow we're away up to Yorkshire, sadly for a funeral....that old cliche about family reunions occurring at weddings and funerals has really rung true this year for me. Anyway, all that to say that my visits may be even more sporadic than usual! 

We want to see what's going on in your world though, please!  

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 756

Gee whizzzzzzzz. And that's all I can say about it, last week of November already!

I made a huge mess over the weekend making up some mini scrapbook pages for adding to the album I made for my Aunt last year; we'll be going up to Yorkshire again at the end of next week and I suddenly realised I could deliver in person if I got my act together!  The greater shock for you though, gentle Desker, is that I tidied up. Properly.

And yesterday I got back at about 330 and went straight to my desk. Started stamping and embossing and putting parts together to make a few more cards, so the pic shows the colour ways and I fully intend to finish these and get my long distance greetings in the post this week. Because to be honest, next week is so busy that I won't be able to, and then it's pretty much too late isn't it.

It doesn't take much to make a mess, but it's a vaguely ordered mess. I'm using buttons! Surprising myself, but trying hard to use stuff I've got and like, and buttons are certainly in that category. The gems are exploding from their box so they're getting some use too, gotta keep them properly corralled or they end up stuck to very random things. Like sleeves, soles, the floor....you know. 

So, if you're of a mind, please join us do, the show and tell moments are cathartic. And...you can have a cuppa to help you round. I'll let you have the favourite mug too, if you like.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 755

Well I've definitely forced more desk time out of this week, and to a greater extent, it's been productive! 

I bought this kit in September and to be honest, had almost become so used to it sitting on the worktop in my space that I could easily have stopped seeing it...it was a bit of a tidy up that made me realise that now would be a good time to make it up. It actually contained loads of ribbon lengths that I couldn't make work, the instructions weren't very clear to me. So, out came the glue gun and I made it up from the picture on the box (at left on my desk) and by missing out the ribbons that I didn't like. Was a nice couple of hours and only two sweary moments when the glue was too hot for fat fingers! She doesn't know it yet, but this wreath is for Miss Dunnit and I shall deliver it today. Which means I'm out again, so please bear with me on the visiting front!

I'm not sure why the mouse looks drunk.. he looks more upright than that to me...wonky eyesight! He might have to be a manipulated mouse! 

So whilst I'm out by the grey blue waters of the south coast, please show and tell, you obviously are an inspiration. And not just to me.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 754

The Kathys went through my Christmas stamps and in doing so reminded me that I have some beauties. And even better for me, most of the real beauties are wood mounts. I've spent a few hours making and enjoying. The spread out pieces had glitter glue drying. It's been a couple of days now so am guessing it will all be dry.....

Before I garnered the strength to cut out more houses, I made a batch of other cards - the stack with green envelopes you can see...very simple, but I hope, effective. If I remember, I'll show a proper view of one at some point. The paper piecing was a bit tedious, but the cutting was done whilst on the phone to the many people I've been in touch with in the last ten days or so, so that part was more productive than just sitting about cutting! I shan't repeat this idea though, incredibly time consuming and as I've mentioned before, really rather heavy on the embossing powder. A lovely image though, happy to have it in my collection. Not to be doom and gloom about it all, because I love making cards, but I also realised that if I post them, they will qualify as 'large letter' which is another consideration these days, huh.

So now, please expect me when you see me; going to Portsmouth today to see my sissy. If it miraculously stays dry, it might be quite nice!  

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 753

Home again, jiggety jig! I've had time to tidy my desk, take stock of what I was doing and decide to carry on, which is why you see it looking a bit similar to a previous WOYWW!

Those two little packets at the top left of the glass mat are tags, kraft and white. I ordered them in a hurry and inevitably, they are smaller than I thought they'd be, but nonetheless, are going to be used! Behind them at left are two card bookmarks from English Heritage, the text says 'step into England's story' and I snaffled them from my lovely Aunt for scrapbooking purposes - when the Kathys were here we went to a few 'old' places, so I can make them work! Also while they were here, we went to the Crafters Companion shop in Evesham. They had a bargain area where returned goods are sold cheaply. I bought two stamps from that section, the first of which is at the left of my desk...some smart text about coffee. I was going to make a bunch of cards with it but I think given my tortoise like pace, I need to stay with Christmas for a while! There's a folder and a plastic box of photos next to my cutter. Freshly unpacked from my crop bag, to remind me that I need to keep up the momentum! Blimey, making myself laugh now!

Please share and show, we like it. I made a fresh batch of biscuits, so get ready for a coffee break!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 752

Consider this a decoy. I'm currently in beautiful Yorkshire, on fairly short notice visit, and didn't even think about needing a desk shot when I left home! This pic isn't too old - taken when I was actually working on a LO at our crop just a fortnight ago

I've no idea how old this paper is; the gold embossed leaf pattern is actually a pumpkin shape - but if there's a photo of our daughter describing one of her many childhood Halowe'ens that isn't on a LO, I'll be very surprised. And it's probably fifteen years since any of those Hallowe'en party shenanigans took place, so I think it's safe to hide the pumpkin shape a bit and get the paper used up! So you see here the stage where I rummage through my embellishments and ephemera to see what I can use up and yet make it look like a deliberate and arty choice. *cough*.

It doesn't look very different now it's all stuck down and called finished, but I quite like it. The two beauties pictured are my neice and great neice. *cough* *again*. They are not mother and daughter. Work that out! 

So Deskers, as we turn to face November and the seasonal crafting and it's inevitable deadline, please feel free to inspire and motivate at will! I am already thinking that I'll have so much to catch up on when I get home that I'll either go into overdrive, or procrastinate even more than usual as a reaction to self implied pressure. We'll see. Meanwhile, see you at yours, I'll bring Pudding and Parkin.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 751

Well gentle desker, I've decided to share the desk I've been working at since last Friday, came home Tuesday evening. I know it's called a 'retreat', but really, it's inaccurately named. I live a charmed life and have no need to retreat from it in order to make scrapbook pages. It is however, fab to get away with girlfriends. Previous years have been no different of course: we eat, sleep late, stay up late, eat, chat, and scrapbook. But each year it's just fab. American Kathy joined us via FaceTime for an hour of chat...she got up at 5am to see our mess, imagine! 

Now, here's another version of that picture, with some notation....it's important that you see that when I'm away, I don't take up all the space!

The red area is mine. The green area is Lolly's and it was much reduced within about an hour of this photo. She has been watching organisation videos on You Tube and spent a good couple of hours sorting through her large collection of ephemera. She wasn't brutal, but my word, the logic she applied was fab. She had pre-sorted her scraps (bear in mind they are from 12 x 12 papers, largely). Anything bigger than a quarter page was sorted into colour matched bundles. Enough pieces to make a page; patterns and plains that could be used together to make a LO. Not to think too hard about it, just gather some pieces that look good together. Separate them with a sheet of copier paper or some such and then do something similar with the embellies and ephemera. So you can take 3 boxes to crop and hey presto, your scraps and older stuff are being used. Genius to me, and I shall be attempting it before I put my weekend stuff away. 
I made up a good lump of LOs and really had a great time, polishing my mojo...here's one straightforward page

Hope the mojo hangs around to help during the upcoming silly season! Show and tell yourselves please, it may be a great help to me if you want to write some motivational words about getting on with the upcoming seasonal stuff. Elizabeth, hope you're benefitting from some down time.