What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 97

97!! Week 97 people! We're nearing the second anniversary on week 104 - if you wanna know how we're celebrating, please visit this post. Gosh even I think this Wednesday has come around a bit too fast. What is it about school holidays that takes up MY time? Believe me, I'm not the one lying in bed till lunchtime! Oh, the sitting outside in the sun counts against me? Ah. That'll be it then! So today's desk is a symphony of work in progress. No really, more a work just finished. Shopkeeper Gal gave me an impossible number of really difficult themes for workshops, so I'm trying to take a laid back approach and make a sample when the idea strikes. Not fast. I have no answer as to why I'm working on top of my K & Co pad....perhaps as I'm down to the last handful of sheets I'm getting the hoarder mentality and can't let it out of my sight. You see that the blue sheet of paper lies atop a full desk tidy; stamps a plenty in there, and of course the ATG monster now conveniently lies on top. Everything else is I think, self explanatory. As in, it's such a mess you can hardly distinguish anything else!

Join the madness then, expose your desk and show us what you're working on. Doesn't have to be a craft, doesn't have to be paper. We're interested - put a photo on your blog and link it here; then we can visit. Please, no advertising - a well written, spell checked blog post and great samples will do way more for you than blatantly joining a large linky list for erm, exposure.

On Sunday, Kath said that she'd found the need and therefore found some 'me' time and was turning towards the altered artist within her. She was gonna play with canvasses. Now I have to tell you that of course the sneak peek of a photo that she allowed us was really a teaser. And it reminded me that I too made some time (snigger...it's always all about me, so I'm not sure what to call it, really) at the end of last month to make a canvas. Unlike Kath, I had another motivation - despite having a year's notice, I was late getting to making my lovely sister a birthday gift and card. Well not late exactly, but let's just say I was running out of time. I posted it the day before her birthday - but she lives in California, so the timing was screwed really, huh. Anyway...I know she's now safely in receipt and so I thought I could show it here.......bear in mind it's a canvas panel rather than a box or blahdy blah (easier to post!) and please also remember that by the time I finished with it, it was still a canvas panel. I had added and coloured, but am not smart enough to have altered it into anything else. Like a large tent. No sir. Bear in mind my sissy is a designer of fabric and paper and so I felt the need to go all sewing and retro on her (and by the way - if you're coming to the 'Vintage' workshop at Kraft Crazy, there's to be a card using this dressmaker pattern stamp.......not much of a 'come hither' I know, but I can't show you. Because I haven't made it yet.) And all the little photos showing the carefully applied if not actually carefully thought about prior to careful application are for the benefit of my friend Laura. I know how she loves a detail. So now you see it, my canvas what is still a canvas only decorated. Sissy said she liked it, but really, what choice did she have! Note the gorgeous beaded pins that Helene made for me and that clear dangly thing and the flowers - they came from Kath......seam binding from The Ribbon Girl, printed tape from Tiger and the stamp is of course Stampers Anonymous. Pencilled outline around the stamped image - all my own work. Genius.

And check out my uber talented and now much older sister: www.lusciouslifestudios.com

Er, something for the weekend?

Remember this? Remember I strolled casually into Hobbycraft with my daughter who suggested we learn to crochet and I was all 'how hard can it be?' and then this emerged from the pattern for a tiny elephant and I was rather disconcerted and a little put out by all the non-believers who said it wasn't an elephant at all........and they offered alternatives (and every last one had the same idea...). Well stand back, because despite using the wrong size hook and mixing tensions and generally not really understanding the complicated bits, and being horribly bored by it because it wasn't going as I thought it would, and of course, not wanting to 'learn' properly, just dive in and be good at it. You know. It's one of the reasons I don't play golf too.
So here he is. Well, possibly not he, I dunno, but I haven't read instructions for anatomical precision, so am not making any real promises. Miss Dunnit is now prepared to touch it (!) and thinks it's relatively cute. It doesn't look so good from the side, but hey, at least I didn't bin it. After all, if I'd given up, I wouldn't have the pleasure of forcing Amy to take it as a gift!! So now I'm learning the tension, stitch variety and hooks sizes by starting again, on safe squares and small flowers. Phew.

Have a lovely weekend!

Today I helped

Mr Dunnit rang and flattered me into helping him - by saying how much he'd like my company. And let's face it, I was actually doing nothing that was productive...admiring another line full of washing in full sunshine, tidying up a bit around my desk, musing about some ideas for cards...you know, procrastinating.


So instead, I spent the afternoon in the sunshine, painting a weather defence oil onto pieces of oak. Lovely, beautiful oak. Tomorrow these pieces will be assembled into a very large window and delivered to a company who are doing a beautiful job of a barn conversion; of course I can't show you that, not least because it would be a digression from talking about my marvellous work! Actually, it felt like the first day at work, Mr Dunnit set me up, showed me what to do, then demonstrated in case I didn't understand. Brush it on thinly, make it consistent cover and be sure to get into the angles. I've whacked paint on canvas, card and fabric, how hard can it be? Well, it wasn't hard, but discovering that he was hovering to check my finish on the first piece was a bit of a shock! Anyway, he soon busied up and left me to it. So I worked outside in the sunshine and it wasn't gardening. Score! And I'm blogging from my phone in the bathroom... I have to have a hot bath. Hoping to disguise the
fact that a handful of hours standing on uneven ground brushing oil onto timber seems to have wrecked my unfit muscles! Like I said to the customer who rang and was happy to hear about tomorrow's delivery; happy to help!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 96

I got me some Paper Artsy going on ...and some scissors (of course more than one pair) and a pair of glasses retrieved from my handbag because the theory of having a cheap pair wherever I tend to sit in the house has gone to pot and I can't find my workdesk pair. Strange huh. And no honestly, they aren't on top of my head!

It's not deliberately hidden, but my lovely wipe clean desk tidy basket is still full of stamps waiting to be put away and my scraps box is still overflowing. But you knew that. Out of shot by sheer chance rather than skill is the WOYWW Anniversary PiF project. Phew. I suspect that because I probably only need a couple of hours to finish it, it'll be the night before.....ain't that the way.

This photo taken on Tuesday evening. Post scheduled. Because I've' booked' to have the car tomorrow which means running Mr D to work - at the crack of normal posting time! But it's worth it - Laura is having an SU! coffee morning and I HAVE to go. Friendship rules, you understand.
Details for the Anniversary PiF idea can be found HERE - it's not obligatory, but if you fancy it, there'll be a few of us joining in on week 104!

So bare all and be with us - link a picture of your desk here and we'll whizz round and visit. Please don't be offended if not everyone visits, and if the visits take all week; do not stress about it - this is for fun.

Touting the Tote

Back in another era, I was a rep for Bramwell Crafts. Part of my equipment was the tote. To tote around all the samples, catalogues and stuff that a girly rep could need. (Packed lunches, umbrella, spare tights..you know..).

When I stopped being a rep, in her normal generous way, my boss and friend Alison suggested that I keep it. And I did, and my gratitude is long lived I can tell you. This is not a comparative, reasoned sort of review, for I've never had any other tote. It's one and a half times as big as the DO Crafts tote (I compared it to another at the crop). This is not a brag, so much as a fact. And would explain why it has more pockets than a snooker table. There's one large one at outside front which contains pockets and elastic straps for pens and tools. There's a pocket outside on either side. One of these has a thick plastic back so that you can see into it from inside the bag. There's a pocket on top that has an address thingy and a couple of smaller pockets - for business cards and stuff like that? For me it's a phone, camera, car keys and purse. And then of course, there's the inside. It holds more than I can lift. When not in use, it sits quietly under the computer desk where whoever is at the computer uses it as a foot rest. I use it half full, at least fortnightly for taking all the workshop gear to the shop, and over fill it once a month to go to the crop. Honestly, right now, waiting to be unpacked are 2 12 x 12, 6 A5 and 2 A5 acrylic boxes, the guillotine and all the mess you see strewn on top when packing up properly got boring.

In it's five year life, it has been pushed and or pulled miles, up and down paths, escalators, and wheeled violently into people (sorry) and inanimate street furniture, door frames et al when I've been in a hurry and forgotten quite how wide it is! It's a bit grubby now, but nothing that a damp cloth doesn't fix.

It's had one service - Mr Dunnit had to add a new sprocket to the handle because it wouldn't go down as easily as I wanted it to. It's amazing. I hadn't really thought about how good it was until today, when Miss Dunnit fell over it as she backed away from my desk clutching her beloved sellotape. No harm done. She's OK too.

It's made by MIMI - Memories in Motion, Inc. And to be honest, I think they probably asked a lorra crafters before they committed to the design. The colour is of it's time though if you ask me - Lilac. But hey, it's not pink. I think, if I had to buy another, the colour would be secondary...but I'd quite like a houndstooth or a fancy schmancy tartan. Whatever, it's one of my great unsung hero type tools. Name one of yours then.

So how was your day?

With the aid of flash photography, you can see the view from the stool and the computer. It's 8.20 pm and the use of natural light and daytime free time to get ready for the crop is no longer an option. Ask me what I've been doing all day that was so important. Thanks for asking - honestly? Nothing really. I did paperwork while the gammon cooked - so I have a contribution to the Pot Luck. I flitted about the house a bit, put a couple of loads of laundry on, made a bed...you know. Collected Mr Dunnit from work, made a sandwich for lunch, took him back to work, scored some green points for recycling at Tesco - jammed the machine up in the process. Honestly, they're so sensitive. Visited The Range to buy a box frame - £7.50. Bill came to £32......no other crafty stuff, so just don't ask, huh - be like Mr Dunnit - totally impervious to it - worn down over the years. Went to see LLJan for a cuppa and a chat, came back, did a smidge of food shopping, collected Mr Dunnit from work, came home, had a cuppa and a chat about weekend logistics between the three of us, cooked tea. Mr Dunnit has gone off for a well deserved game of darts. And I'm here. And the little piles of paper are still there, mocking me. I dunno. It's probably better that I do it now at this time of day when I'm starting to feel cross with myself and generally tired. I mean, imagine how long it would take if I looked forward to it and actually had time to care about selections! However, after I've made all my selections...I have to pack. And to do that, I have to unpack. Yep, yesterday's workshop stuff is still in the tote. Apparently I've been too busy. Good job I'm having tomorrow to myself.

Have a lovely weekend.