I win then!

Yesterday I asked WOYWWers to let me know if they visit this blog in between WOYWW, and if they do, do they tend to comment? Thanks for your feedback. It means I win. The bet you see, was with techie guy at work. Last week he saw me browsing the comments on WOYWW and I was obliged to tell him about my real life as a crafter. I think he might have visited the blog a couple times since, because he started a discussion on Monday that seemed relatively well informed. Well, more informed about my hobby than I am about his nerdy tech obsession - I cannot call it a hobby, after all, he makes money from it! Anyway, he suggested that I ought to 'move up' to a website and have it 'fully interactive'. He said I could get proper sponsorship and my readership would increase 'exponentially'.

Well you know by now, I'm easily led, and easily flattered into anything, he bet me that I'd be asking him to build me a site within the week. So for a day, it played around in my mind. And on Tuesday night while I was typing up the WOYWW post it occurred to me that 'my readership' was big enough - one or one million. Because I like it. I like that anyone takes the time to comment - you don't have to - I'm a blog reader too remember, I know how much effort and clicking it involves. I like to leave a comment, but often I don't and sometimes, I can't.

I don't know how many visitors per comment. I don't mind that (this drove him nuts) and hey -if you can leave a comment and once a week you can link to your place from here - isn't that interactive? As for sponsorship - well - if you wanna send me free stuff and have me talk about it - ask me. I like a mutual benefit. And what do I have to do for all of this? Type the words that otherwise crash around in my head and as often as possible, visit loads of blogs. So why change....I think this blog is classically just that - a blog.

Techie boy didn't get this particularly, he feels a blog is parochial and even a bit luddite. Well, maybe it is. But it's mine. And I like it.

The comment thing is a biggy huh - we all love 'em, but sometimes you can't. On this blog, that's not a biggie - please don't be apologetic..I'm just really grateful when I realise I'm not typing this to myself. Although I realise that it's all very much for my own good. I suit a big head, really I do.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 75

As I write, it's Tuesday evening. The written part of this post will be scheduled and I'll add the photos when I actually 'post' this - that way if I forget, at least there'll be something! I came home from work early enough to take a photo that would at least feature some daylight. But I got sidetracked by the need to lie on my bed giggling with Miss Dunnit. She thinks that my carefully made bed is an invitation for throwing herself on it and causing me to be lazy. For those of you that may not know, Miss Dunnit is not a cat. She's my daughter.

Ah, well, turns out to be just as dark in here at 5.40am! Oh. My desk is as I left it last night. So as you may or may not be able to tell, I pushed back and played. Basket of unwashed Marathon and assorted other stamps on the right, some polka dot material that I bribed out of elelJan to use in a swap. Her secrets are safe with me. This time. Large, indeed, glaring ATG gun and a lot of stuff. Hmm, I felt quite in control when I left it actually..how come this week even from the top it doesn't look tidy? Poor light I suppose! *cough*

So you might have a more interesting and well lit desk top for us all to see. Visiting all is difficult - but I promise you'll get some visits and believe me, this is an enriching experience! Photo your desk, whatever you're doing, upload it to your blog and then leave a link here. Easy peasy. Join us do.

Also, if you read this blog in between WOYWW posts, could you make an indication of some sort in your comment - especially if you're a non-commenting visitor on other days (and why shouldn't you be). Not important, just a non scientific survey for a man who thinks this should be less blog and more website. Trying to prove a point on lack of evidence, see!! Thanks.

Tales from behind the till - yes really!

OK, last one for a while, but I had to share this. It's Friday. My last day of looking after the shop, Cappuccino Gal had arrived with cookies and erm, cappuccino and we were doing the job - chatting, selling, oohing and ahhing over people's ideas and purchases and erm, drinking cappuccinos. A tall and rather untidy bloke came in...dressed in filthy jeans, muddy steel toe capped boots and a high-vis jacket that was so grubby it wasn't. Hig- vis that is - it was still a jacket! He threw himself into one of the chairs and chatted to us as if we'd known him all of our lives. Turned out he owned a recovery vehicle - picks up and tows damaged and broken cars - you know. He has the orange flashing light on top of his van thing - again, you know - it's the one that blinds you from the other side of the carriageway when all you wanna do is pass safely without appearing to gawp. Anyway - the orange lens had been broken and he needed to replace it. Different colour lights mean different things and different people on scene and of course, you aren't allowed to flash the wrong colour lights. After all, you don't want to be mistaken for a doctor if you're the tow guy - I'm guessing the two sets of skills aren't overly inter-change-able. First, he wanted orange acetate to glue inside his new, but clear lens. Julia and Cappuccino gal hunt around. Sorry, can't do that. He isn't going. Indeed, he isn't leaving the chair. He tells us of the vendetta that has resulted in this broken light problem, and how he's going to sort it out and save the police the trouble. Ohhhh Emmm Geee! Me and Cappuccino Gal have our fingers in our ears and are singing 'tra la la' so as not to hear. He suggest orange acrylic paint. Now we do have that, but surely, it's opaque? Cappuccino Gal suggests a visit to the garage (lovely, old fashioned place up the road, - with an attendant that wears a brown overall type place). He doesn't seem to hear. Instead he goes on impressing us with his plans to 'even the score'. Eventually, I cave in and tell him that there's nothing in the shop we can suggest will help - we wvewn considered three bottles of orange Alcohol Ink! Cappuccino gal sagely advises the garage again, indeed, suggests a coloured bulb inside the clear lens. Genius huh! Hmm. Totally ignores it. I think when he finally realises that we've lost the will to live and he isn't going to get a coffee, he leaves. He wasn't scarey or offensive, just out of the ordinary for the environment. The scarey bit came twenty minues later when he popped back in and waved an orange indicator bulb at us. Should've thought of that, he advised us. Thanks Cappucino Gal, for being there!

Here I am..

Yeah. Here I am, blogging. I have a million ideas floating around in my head, some of them are good ones too! I have ideas for cards, workshops, swaps, projects, cooking, and present buying for Christmas. I have a raft of ideas for some things at work and having booked the work Christmas party, I have a few ideas for that too. It would seem that blogging about all these ideas is easier than getting them out of my head and doing something about them. I've been talking to Mr Dunnit about my home time-management skills. I don't think there's a problem at work - you just tackle the work and that's it. And I have learned that I need adequate down time, and I very often don't allow the crafty moments to be down time. Because I have to have a deadline to motivate me. I have lists. I have dates and I have allocated things appropriately. I think.

I think one of the things that makes me procrastinate so is that I'm sort of putting off the pleasure of doing it - whatever the 'it' is. Perhaps because it will take two or three goes at it and in 40 odd years, I know myself well enough to know that if it doesn't work first time, I'll be......miffed, let's say! So Mr Dunnit simplifies it in his massive-understatement-type-summing-up-way, a way that makes me realise that I'm never going to be a big girl crafter really - he says - 'why don't you enjoy the process instead of just the accomplishment?'

I can't explain: I do enjoy the process AS LONG as it has a finished, accomplished, thing, item, piece. Now is that petulant or impatient? You decide, I have a problem with choice too!

Part of the tidy up has yielded these three items that don't belong to me - if you were at the Card Marathon last weekend and have missed them - let me know........they were in seperate baskets, so they are unlikely to belong to one person!

A day off in the life....

Watch out, photo heavy and not entirely fascinating, but the strap line of this blog does mention tales of domesticity....
For reasons numerous, I didn't have a workshop to prepare for this week, so I commuted my Thursday off to Wednesday. I did, as promised, have a long chat with myself about the motivation required to get a grip of the putting away part of the card marathon. It's like the post-retreat ennui, you know; unpacking is a terrible bore dahling. But look at the state of it, so I took this photo at 9.52 yesterday. And I got stuck in. I cleared the baskets and put away systematically, and then started the cards....the unused card kits had to be broken down and put away in parts for future use. The cupboard was a mess from being practically emptied in the preparation stages! But by 11.20 I'd finished the breakdown and the putting away and my card cupboard looks better for it, huh! Things were looking up, the floor cleared, baskets emptied and card stock sorted. At twenty past eleven I abandoned the work desk and went upstairs to change. That turned into a quick round of domestic chores before leaving the house. I hung out washing. A day off can't be all glamour, after all. It improved.

By one o,clock I was firmly seated opposite chums for lunch at a pub. Fifi Trixiebelle Le Beau on the left is a friend made through workshops and the Incredible Prepared Woman on the right used to manage the Post Office shop in Salisbury, where I did a few workshops too.

We had a lovely lunch, although Fifi and I were a bit astonished at Incredible Prepared Woman's incredible preparedness - she knew what was for supper and had all the ingredients ready for when she got home.She makes her own pasta. She has mostly got Christmas under control. She had remembered photos to show us her gorgeous and neat as a pin new garden. Me and Fifi..well, what can you do - we ordered pudding.

My afternoon was rounded off with a grand prix around Tesco. I'm not going to show you the photo of my car boot full of shopping - it's the sort of repetitive horror that none of us need but we all go through. So instead, as I have to admit to not quite getting round to the stamp cleaning (sorry Ally!), I'll show you the progress made in the workroom...am loving the floor space again! But I accept - it's only progress!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday

Well, mine isn't strewn with post-Marathon wreckage (yet), nor the new stamps (yet). rather it looks fairly sedate as if I haven't done much since Saturday. True. It's been nice, but I am definitely feeling the need now, so will have a little chat with myself in the morning and set about starting something. Like Elizabeth I will punctuate my starting with coffee. And like Elizabeth, I will be tidying up and putting away and washing stamps off before I set to starting anything new. Oh my word what a fine example she has set. With the coffee, anyway! The full horror of the work to be done is on the floor in two large boxes and a wheelie tote. But I didn't think to photo that and now the light's all horrid and erm, dark, actually!

See I've changed my stripey tape for clear tape - was wrapping something up that clearly needed to reflect a more serious person than the impression given by the stripey stuff. Other than that, I'm pretty sure this desk is uninteresting.

So here's a gratuitous shot of my stamp shelves....looking

very naked without the crowd of Christmas stamps that I

took down to place in my direct line of vision for card making

inspiration. It sort of worked, but tomorrow they are to be restored to their rightful place.

So then - show off or confess, whatever your desk style; we'd love you to join us.. not many rules, no membership necessary, dip in and out as and when you can, but know that you'll make some friends; Wednesdays are a very inclusive day in this portion of the ether! Add your pics to your blog, link it here and we'll swing by to rummage and comment over what you've got and what you're doing. Doesn't have to be paper crafting....we're very interested in you, whatever you're doing. Umm..is that asking for trouble?!!

Well, you asked..

Well probably not you - but some people! Here's a couple of the cards that featured at saturday's Marathon. I have to confess to not having unpacked properly yet...and certainly I haven't washed or cleaned any of the stamps involved. Yet. Maybe. I'm sorry if it makes you go wobbly and grind your teeth, but it's OK really - they're my stamps and I'm still living and breathing! So why's it taken so long to post even a paltry couple of cards? Because my camera SD card was missing. Totally OK, clearly I've found it now. I had lent it to Miss Dunnit for use at the convention over the weekend. Apparently it was my idea; aren't you happy your memory is as good as mine? I took a couple of pics on the day with my phone, but they aren't up to much, and like so many pics of workshops and things, they simply show a bunch of gals sitting at tables!
Although I haven't fully unpacked I can tell from spplies left over which of my cards were more popular (or which people did first before becoming selective in the time remaining!). This foiled tree went down reasonably well - I know you can't see it well but the pink foil on the Kraft paper is lovely. Miss Dunnit still thinks it deserves the name we used to identify it at the Marathon - Pink & Gaudy. Still, makes a nice non-traditional change, huh!I'll show you a few more cards as the unpacking progresses. To be honest, I need to get the unpacking done so I can hae my supplies back in their rightful places (yes, they DO have rightful places). because I have new stamps to play with and I'm a bit excited about that. Specially as they aren't Christmas stamps!