Aw look. The Crafthouse Press have sent me a bunch of die cut sets to play with. Two sheets of two images per sheet and two different sheets of backing papers in each set. Bargain. And of course, bang on trend, huh!
*Edited at 5pmish...this link contains a video of John - of the Crafthouse Press, and some Gorjuss - do have a look!http://www.crafthousepress.co.uk/gorjuss ; worth the visit for the fantastic latin trumpet!

The Gorjuss girls have spots of embossed glitter accents on them but you ain't going to see that in my photographs of course. But trust me, I'm a erm, blogger. Apart from the *Kis*Kiss* text, everything I've used on this came out of the kit and I haven't added other stuff. It could so easily be done, but I thought you may be interested in quite what you can do with what you get. Or you may not. Bit late really!

These 'Dandelion' sets featuring the lovley garden rabbit are by artist Emma Thomson - how sweet they are too - I really love the water-colour finish and gingham, my inner Suzy Homemaker cannot resist gingham in any form!

Well, I was up anyway

Rather than a list of uninteresting trivia about me, let me thank Vicki and fulfill other obligations for awards by telling you about another of my erm, unusual characteristics.

Since Mr Dunnit built an extension on our house and we moved into our lovely new bedroom, I have made it a mission to make it light proof. I really, really like to sleep in the dark. He laughs because I find the glow from the clock-radio an irritation - honestly it gives a green tinge to anything within about 8 feet of it and that is not what I call a calming light! We have blinds, and when the clocks change, each night I put something on the window sill against the bottom of the blind to prevent any chance of it bowing and letting in a chink or indeed a great swathe of daylight (anything, t shirt, book - something random so he doesn't cotton on and laugh at me - so far so good!). Since I became a mother (and we're talking 16 years here interweb), I can hear my child's regular, sleep breathing from approximately two countries away. So if that changes, I'm up and administering before my eyes are properly open. I like to sleep and I like to sleep undisturbed and deeply. I think you get the picture. So how come every time the clocks go forward into Spring, I forget about the dawn chorus? Man, I spend 50 weeks of the year protecting a large hedge full of birds from neighbourhood cats so that all they can do is sing and practice at the top of their lungs - on my window sill. How very offensive. Especially the one that makes the sound of a dripping tap. By the time my subconscious has registered it, I need to erm, visit the bathroom. And then I'm properly up because the floor is cold and there is light leaking around the blinds and making its way into my eyes from every direction. Gah. So on morning number seven of this torture, I thought I'd get up, knock out a couple of cards that have been on my mind and tidy up a little. I poured a coffee, logged on and realised I could whinge in type. Aren't you glad that it's not you that we're scheduled to visit for the day!

The photo is another page from the '12 of 16' album, and oh do visit Vicki if you have a chance, she is amazing with a piece of 12 x 12 and a photo, why she passes awards to me is a mystery.

This card makes me appear to be totally together; but I'm not, really. It came to me last night whilst I was supposed to be asleep, so this morning it hasn't taken long to put together and is actually to enter Susie & Vikki's Christmas Club challenge; and I will be using it as one of four very unseasonal cards for a workshop at the end of the month!

Something that struck me yesterday whilst I toured the world looking at WOYWW posts was the number of us that post a picture of our desks and comment that it may well be an aide to some sort of tidying up discipline. I thought so too, and in 44 weeks of WOYWW, it hasn't turned out like that for me. There are moments when it just drives me nuts and I have to clear up. Indeed, I think that's why I'm here writing about it, the desk, the stamps, the bin - everything needs to be re-ordered and I'm working my way up to it - envisioning if you like! But of course, having tidied up, I usually then start again immediately, inspired by the space and 'clean sheet' appearance of my work surface. I don't photograph it, I probably should, just for a WOYWW comparison. Isn't that generally the great thing about a hobby of nearly any sort. It's terribly forgiving. You can tidy up and start again. You can get it wrong and it'll turn into something else and give you a renewed start. You can burn it knot it tangle it bin it and start again. It won't shout and scream and demand attention when you haven't got time for it - indeed very often it will inspire you to return as soon as you can - and it always always feels good when you get back to start again. Therapy, friendship and any number of second chances. Ah, how many of us get those 'clean sheet' opportunities outside the space of our hobby?

Housekeeping: In other news, two fellow bloggers have had a visit from my family and been convinced of the need to share awards with me; thank you to Chrissie at Simply One of A Kind for the sunshine award - do visit her blog. This gal makes classy quality cards and creates wedding stationery that takes your breath away - and shares them online daily. Inspiration in a pot.
And Paula at her Paper Playground took very little roughing up on account of her fragile state. She shared the exotic 'Encanto' award with me. If ever you wanted proof that to become part of a community all you have to do is immerse yourself in it and enjoy the company, Paula is the gal. Full of chat and thrilled about her stash, she's a tonic - read her.
Thanks to both. Am totally unsure where Blog Awards originate and indeed why, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't thrilled and flattered. After all, aren't we all blogging for some small show-offy reason? And frankly, flattery is the key with me; it's got me into things I didn't wanna do, for sure!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday

So we're starting with Stephanie Dunnit's today because there's so much more to say about a nice tidy screen shot of her design work! She and Dori are working on a scrapbook kit design (I know, how cool already!). The theme is retro Las Vegas and will include embellishments, papers and all the real blah. The basis of the criteria is that the kit includes a pack of cards. So this is Steph's Queen of Clubs. I know she's my sister an' all, but golly gee isn't it bang on retro Las Vegas style? Doesn't Liberty look gorgeous in pinks! Can you imagine making a mini album with these cards as the pages? If you had to re-design a pack of cards, would you just worry about a new pattern for the obverse and kinda reproduce the familiar characters, maybe in different colours? Amazing the ability that these designers have to see the end products before they put a pen on paper. Hopefully Dori will share one of hers too, so you can see how in sync these gals are. Wow.

And so the the SNAP! of a reality check. You can see that I've a problem with decent light this morning. And apparently, a problem with throwing anything away; having a bin at my feet and a nicely sized one on the desk doesn't always help! The white clippings, strips, pieces, snips on the right are all rubbish. Mostly offcuts from my decoupage triumph(!) over the weekend. You can see that I'm making slow progress with the red and white Clockhouse. There's a neat stack of ink pads being protected by a Fimo dragon. Made by Miss Dunnit and suffering a broken wing, he appeared on my desk with a note asking to be mended. Good old Diamond Glaze, huh! There's a small handful of cards at back left; of course they aren't standing in the 'finished' card holder - there isn't enough room! It's not 'push back' so much as 'have everything you want to work with on the desk so that you don't forget'.....and it's not a huge success!

So why don't you show us your work surface. You don't have to have a dedicated desk, you don't have to be a paper crafter; we'd like to see what you're doing this Wednesday, and what you do it with. I think! Post a picture on your blog, come back here, leave a link and we'll pop around. No rules for joining - just join in. There's a button in the left bar of this blog if you want to join in publicly, but you don't have to. Here's the thing though - lots of us are doing WOYWW now, so it may take a while for the whole coven/circle/cult to visit. Be patient!

Co-ordination? I think not!

Nine of us sat down to eat at the same time on Easter Sunday, thanks to the skills of my dear Mama.

And that was the only part of Easter Sunday that co-ordinated. Outfits were not considered for their photo suitability when selected and certainly my wishes for a colour theme weren't taken in to account at all. Sigh. I think it may need slightly more controlling than a simple request. I may well turn up at the next family gathering with a bag full of the same t shirts in a variety of sizes. That would work. And after this weekend, the youngsters think I can't become any more deranged, so it wouldn't matter, huh!

Hey ho. Part of the pleasure is in the planning. Apparently.

Co-ordination may well be a running theme at my desk this week. Trying to co-ordinate available craft time with bouts of inspiration to produce worthwhile stuff would be nice. The onset of spring has gone to my head and I've agreed to 'do' a couple of craft fair type things with Lunch Lady Jan. She's gone all sewy and clever and wants me to add some cards to her gingham and folksy table top. I said I would because June seemed a long way away. You guessed it. On top of other stuff, and given the appalling lack of anything having been done at my workdesk in the last week, June seems terribly near somehow. I know, as priorities go, it's not life changing - after all, by then we'll have had a General Election and we could all be facing very big changes. But a deadline is a deadline, and although they inspire panic in me, they are also well, inspiring. So am off to mark up the to-do list, my diary and my phone calendar. With that sort of co-ordination, what could possibly go wrong?

Got Chocolate?

Actually, yes I have. And this morning at least, a bit of sunshine going on - which makes my lovely gauche and garish Easter decorations look bright and well, gauche and garish. Which makes me very happy!

We have a rash of birthdays over this weekend and I thought you might like to see what I did for my father in law. Let me shock you out of roast lunch and chocolate overload....I did a decoupage card for him! I know! I'm so impressed with myself; patience, glasses, scissors, daylight - it all came together and before I knew it, Mr Dunnit was saying not to add anything to it as it was completely 'of its time'. Grandpa Dunnit was a real sportsman in his youth and this 1950s comic cover is perfect. I printed it off the Men's Travel and Sport DVD from the Crafthouse Press. It's a bit frightfully Enid Blyton, but I know he'll like it.

Scrap Lady Ally has been busy making me feel guilty too - do pop over to 2 Scrap Ladies and see her second Clockhouse project. Mine is er, coming along. At least with her help, I've got photos sorted.

Today is the day that I was hoping to make my family dress in a toning manner for a photo shoot so that my next mini album would match a particular paper collection. It's not going too well, friends. And we haven't left home to go to my parents to meet siblings and cousins yet. Hmmm. If I wish you a happy and Holy day, will you please wish me a co-ordinated one?

8 months till Christmas.

I thought it a better title than 'It's April!' because I'm pretty sure you already know that. And probably like me, you're pretty shocked at how quickly the weeks are turning into months. Here we are, fairly entrenched in 2010 and I'm not used to it yet. Gah! Getting old. The calendar LO isn't an April Fool, so much as an April Foolish. I thought I'd do myself and a few others a favour and use a few flowers. That'll be about a month's worth, surely!

As we're gearing up for a lovely long weekend (at least), I thought we could collectively do a recommendation blog post - if we're all out and about getting fresh air, being outdoorsy, investing time enjoying our families, it's only fair that we reward ourselves. So if you know of a lovely craft shop that will be open at any stage of the holidays, tell us about it. Then we can plan our days out and erm, act surprised when the DH or the children say 'look Mummy, there's a craft shop!' as they are so well trained to do.
So I'll start with a couple, please add yours in the comments.

Kraft Crazy, Station Road, Tidworth, Hants 01980 844010:Open on Saturday, closed Bank Hols and open normal hours during week. Ring ahead to double check. Definitely worth a visit - stocked and up to date. Tell Shopkeeper Gal you know me. She'll probably laugh.
Abercardabra, Baker Street, Aberystwyth 01970 626119: Open Good Friday and Saturday as normal, closed on BHol Monday, check other hours with Welsh Shopkeeper Gal. Of course a well stocked and charming shop, and about 200 yards from the seaside. How damn perfect is that. You can tell her you know me, she'll probably laugh.

Have a beautiful restful colourful cheerful and spring like weekend, won't you?