What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 116

OK, the work desk looks pretty calm, I think.  The ever present and now it's on the narrow tape - totally indispensible- ATG tape gun, a couple of samples for the Paper Engineering workshop on Thursday, new glasses - I'm loving their colour,  and a couple of ink pads I've been trying out.  I'm going to review them, actually.  Don't hold your breath though, you know what I'm like.  Well, I guess calm is probably not what you'd describe it as, I suppose it is a bit of a mess. Ah well, you never expected different, huh?


Can I say to the many of you who were sweet and fretful about the mass of computer wires in the photo a couple of posts ago - I found the pic on one of those copyright free photo websites.  My cable area doesn't look like that.  My cables are all different colours.


I also want to use my own blog to publicise and promote without shame.  I know this is contrary to the rule of WOYWW, but well.....you know....if I didn't exercise a double standard now and then, you'd think it was someone else writing these posts.
Over at 2 Scrap Ladies, we've announced another Magnetic Year in a Day event. That's it, plug over!


So now.  Please share your work desk/surface/lap tray/ironing board/piano lid with us.  Whatever you're doing, upload a photo to your blog, link here and let us enjoy it too.  And expect us to be looking to see what you've got...we do, so hide it if it's a secret!!

Yeah, but how long is TOO long?

See this lovely card what was made by Shopkeeper Gal?  I was there when it was started, fiddled about with and finally finished.  See, The Gal takes a lot of commissions, especially from the other business people up and down the strip. (OK, that was a novelist type way of describing Station Road, Tidworth.) And why wouldn't you commission a card, Shopkeeper Gal makes gorgeous stuff I can tell you.  Anyway, she was delivered a rather difficult brief for this card and after we'd all laughed and come up with some incredibly stupid ideas, she set about this colour combo, based on some quick Google type research.  She picked the background paper first. For the record, I got to the shop, to conduct a workshop, at ten.  At about second coffee time, say 11.30,  the Gal had got as far as deciding that she would go with a 'clump' of elements - which is something I do a lot on scrapbook pages and vintage style stuff because it often works.  She did actually say it was in my style, and for about half an hour, I was quite flattered!  The cluster was hearts, paper flowers, the little card of text, the ribbon, and the die cut trail of brown frond at the top, behind the other elements.  It looked lovely we thought.  I did suggest edging the hearts with some brown ink just to pull 'em off the background a bit more...and voila.  It was gorgeous, dimensional and very chic on the 'less Is more' scale.  And Shopkeeper Gal didn't like it.  No - too much white space, and for her, an unusual mild panic about lack of words.  Ah.  Well.  I suggested another die cut frond.  And by half past twelve it had the frond, the skeleton leaves, the die cut labels and the text.  So there we are.  It's still lovely, although not my design (!), and I don't doubt for a minute that the person who commissioned it will be really pleased.  But really.  Two and a half hours.  Now when I'm fiddling about at home, even in 'play' mode, I want more to show for my time than one card - however lovely.  But I don't often achieve that.  It doesn't make me angry, it's just a bit bewildering.    Admittedly, if I can't get it from idea-in-head to card easily, I tend to re-do and re-do which is time wasting/consuming.  I should learn to step away.  But I enjoy the time I spend at my work desk, so I guess it doesn't matter.  Shopkeeper Gal on the other hand, probably only charged about £3 for that lovely card.  Now we all know that isn't enough, so sweep that aside and tell me - how long is long enough for a card or a layout?  Is there such a measure? Do you have to leave your desk with at least something finished to show for your time..or is that me and a deeply embedded need to kinda justify the time spent?  And while you're at it - when did one of your friends last describe your attempt at even having a style as a 'clump'?

What I did to the Geek.....

Y'all know I've been offline for a handful of days because I was experiencing computer problems that required proper repair.  Lots of you know too that I've had/got shingles, and it puts you out, I can tell you.  And for me, it makes a lot of everyday things an effort, which has made me a bit short tempered.  I know it's hard to get your head around that failing in me, but I admit it, I'm sure eventually, I'll grow out of it. Now you may also know that I dread a computer failure because as good as he is, the Geek is not user friendly.  I took the PC tower in, he unscrewed the large panel and suggested that the fan was probably clogged with dust because I don't have the tower somewhere well ventilated and dust free.  He's right.  It's on a tower stand in my house.  Not a nuclear laboratory.  I don't empty the hoover bag into it every week, mostly because it would mean visiting him more often.   He noted too that one of the USB ports is mangled..and said he recognised  a common accident  - a memory stick was in the port and I must have hoovered up to it at an oblique angle and broken it off, goodbye memory stick, hello mangled port.  It didn't happen that way...mostly on account of the fact that the USB port is about 2 feet off the floor, but hey, he didn't hear me the first time after all - too busy talking over me.
I left the PC with him for diagnosis, mending and a RAM upgrade.  It's ready and perfect when I collect and I'm a happy bunny.  Until he starts about the grime that he cleaned out and the implication that I don't keep house in the computer department too well.  I was obliged to point out that a lot of his customers would be very upset about his inference and may not come back - and added, for the sake of friendly banter that luckily, I was less sensitive than that.  Ha Ha.  He was offended, actually, which I do give him credit for!  And then he lifted the keyboard from under the counter to tap in some details for an invoice.  And I damn nearly fainted.  It was so, so filthy that I couldn't keep quiet.  Some of the keys - the shift in particular, had a ridge - A RIDGE of gunk around the swiped area that the thumb continually hits. It may be that I went over the top when I said I dread to think what their staff loo was like.  But I was in mild shock.  Honest, I ain't house proud, but I know clean from dirty!  So he gets the hump and says if he spent all his time cleaning up, he wouldn't be able to mend computers so quickly.  I pointed out that if he cleaned once, it would take all of 10 minutes a day to keep his shabby premises clean.  It was all banter, but we both meant it.  I paid, remarked that he'd probably put a curse on me now, and left.
This is getting rather long..but I need you to have a feel for it.  Really I do.
At home, Mr D sets it all back up because I'm off for a nap and he has an urgent need to access dome business stuff.  When I surface and try to use it, the keyboard won't work.  And nor does the sound.  Argh.  Pull tower out, get glasses, get phone, sit on floor and stare hard at the back of the tower.  It's all colour coded these days - did you know?  The purple end of the keyboard wire plugs into the purple port, the blue end of the mouse into the blue port -----and so on.  So I'm completely baffled because it's all plugged and ported correctly.  I note that the purple (keyboard) plug isn't as far in as it should be.  Ease it out, compare pins in plug to holes in port.  (OK, I had to use my glasses and a magnifying glass).  Ring the Geek - to ask about the sound problem and check it's ok to erm..'ease' a couple of pins apart - they've been pushed together and don't now match the socket. 
Naturally, I get a lecture about closing everything down first..fine.  He gets really cross when I accidentally out of habit close down but allow it to install updates.  He was incredulous; you know - when someone's being really stupid and you say something like 'you mean to tell me...' , so I talked him around -  while we're waiting for that, talk to me about the lack of sound.  He explained at great l e n g t h and in words of simple syllable construction about the 3 pastel coloured plugs...mauve light blue and pink.  And that to achieve sound, the speaker wire needs to be plugged into its corresponding colour. OK light blue to light blue.   Re-start computer.  Still not working.  Close down again.  I did the same thing again with the update button -just to annoy him.  Use lovely fine perfect craft tweezers to ease the pins apart so that the keyboard plug re-fits perfectly.  Score, Julia.  Start computer...keyboard works fine.  Spend half an hour going through instructions - click this, click that..blah blah..to discover sound isn't that easy to achieve.  He suggests with a sigh,  bring the tower back tomorrow, I really can't do any more by phone because you don't know enough to follow my further instructions properly. Oh really.  Well, I'll have to see. I'm busy.  Being cross.
Anyway....long story huh.  Want a punchline?  I was so utterly peeved this morning that I can't catch up with iPlayer that I decided to just try another colour of plug for my light blue speaker cable. So then I had to ring again.  He answered 'Hello Julia, love'  and explained we were on speaker phone because he and a couple of customers were 'busy' - with their hands, presumably.  So I told them and him that I'd sussed the sound problem out on my own.  I'd plugged the light blue cable into the pink port and it works a treat.  Thanks for all your help. Perhaps it's better not to call me 'love' when we've been arguing!

Tap tap tapping on your screen...hello..?

Ah there you are.  It's only me.  The geek has fixed my PC and I only had to take the blame for about half an hour when I collected it.  And I got my own back.  But let me not be petty, it's not in my nature. *cough*.  Fact is, it's an all whirring all working PC again.  

Enjoy these pics will ya, if they load properly, you will be seeing the lovely PiF from Susan and the bags that Sarah sent me. This is a bit of a test post in terms of the photos, and I must say, in terms of what Blogger will allow...it's really jiggering me about a bit this morning. Bearing in mind I started this at 10.45 and it's now 12.17!
So if it's all worked, do tap the screen to let me know.  Meanwhile, I think I'll go and do the composition part of the next post on paper.  It's got to be easier.  And the paper never ever blames the user.  Have a nice weekend!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 116

Well, there's nothing to brag about, and no picture to show. Depsite having 2 laptops and a PC, I can't find a way to upload from my camera card and email from my phone...none of us are configured properly...dysfunctional or what!  
I am in the middle of folding and creasing various cards and papers as preparation for a Paper Engineering workshop, so far, so many folds, not so many finished samples!  Ah, but when the PC is fixed I will show and tell of my creaseless pain.

So go on, even from a room that you can't see,imagine my mess and put me to shame - show  your desk by uploading a pic to your blog and link here - it's fun, free and surprisingly interesting.  Now you can't say that about eveything you have to do on a Wednesday, huh!

Maybe a cupcake will help?

This beauty donated to me by Jan.  Because she saw it and thought of me.  I'm saying nothing .

I am struggling this morning, with a computer that won't let me do much...it's very scarey and extremely,incredibly frustrating.  Scarey because I'm clearly going to be without it for a handful of days.  Frustrating because I'm clearly going to be without it for a handful of days. And because as respectful as I am of the geek to whom I shall turn for repair, I'm frustrated by him to the point of stamping my feet .  He runs a perfectly good, reliable PC supply and fixing business.  But he has to spend at least 30 minutes gently berating you for daring to buy a product that he doesn't like (a laptop for example - any make.. and he makes a point of gently correcting you EVERY TIME you say it - 'it's a notebook',) and worse,  for actually using it.  If ever a chap unknowingly puts off his customers...argh.  Well, today I have the upper hand.  Because he built and supplied this PC.  So I'm hoping for a quicker exit than usual, and the chance to leave without grinding my teeth.  Mr Dunnit supports me by suggesting that the best thing I can do is to go in there unarmed. He may have a point!
Anyway, I have received gifts and cannot show you the photos just now because uploading them makes the PC crash. But I wanted to acknowledge the unnecessary generosity of Susan and Sarah.  Susan sent me a bookmark from waaay down under, a PiF gift.  I didn't realise she'd take the trouble to make it from scratch so as to add my name to it.  Thanks gal, it's already in use..marking the page in the diary.  So much more successful than that bit of ribbony stuff they bind into the spine....that was unravelled and grim by March!  The second of this weekend's surprise postal receipts were fab holdall type bags from Sarah.  Woven Polypropylene (I know more about this material than you think...another weird fact about me) - when you see the pics, you'll know instantly what it is.  Bright bold colours and so useful Sarah, as you said.  One has already been pressed into service for the drinks and bottles and blah that need to go to Crop every month..perfect.  Thanks to both of you, a slightly more organised woman is leaving the house to face the PC foe today.  I may be some time.

Re-acquainting myself

Ages ago, before I made space in this lovely little room of mine for business files etc,  my Cricut sat on the worktop behind me, thus:

You can just see it.  Buried under stuff - this photo is from the June 2010 file, so I've no memory as to the excuse for the clutter, but you can see, it's pretty well buried and ignored.  And so it has been; until today.  I wanted bunting for a LO and oh boy if you think you're bad at cutting straight lined squares - try a decent triangle...eventually you'll swear, throw your scissors on the table, and decide on a proper course of action.  The space above is now given over to business stuff, so the un-used Cricut went onto a bottom shelf, behind cartridges and other less used stuff.  This of course, has rendered it unattractive in ease of use terms.  Ah well.  It's now set up and running like a dream, on the dining table.  I'd forgotten what a good tool it is.  How useful it is.  How easy it is to use.  So why did I fall out of love with it?  Wellllllllll, it's a bit of a story I think, but ultimately has to do with keeping up with the latest trends again.  I got bogged down in the array of cartridges that were being released...several were exclusive to new model machines only and that really bothered me.  Still does.  As in all product lines, cartridges started to hold less images and indeed, 'spread' the better images across more than one...which made the cost of them an even bigger issue. I was a bit tired of the few cartridges I'd got too. And then there was the whole get-of-your-butt-plug-it-in-and-make-magic-with-it thing.  I got lazy I guess.   So, me and the machine have had an 18 month hiatus.  And today I cut a whole Alpha, some numbers, some triangles and some sign posts.  Nothing major.  But very useful, which is all a good tool should be, huh.  Techniques I've discovered in the last 18 months mean that the stock I used to cut the shapes has since been embossed, inked and added to in other ways, so now truly the Cricut is a good foundation tool.  Rather than say 2 years ago when the cut out images would have been the first thing you'd have noticed on my LO.  So the moral of this story - if you're tired with it..put it away a while, just like Dr Spock recommends about children's toys.  Re-acquaint yourself after a decent period of time and re-assess.  It might be worthwhile.  I wonder if this theory can be applied to housework?
Can't show you a pic of the LO...computer has crashed every time I tried to introduce new files...guess where it's going on Monday!  
Meanwhile, have a great weekend.  If you're looking for a crop - we're meeting at Ludgershall tomorrow.