What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 143

Oh la ladder has claimed a victim!

 That's probably the last view of the ladder folks.  It was waiting for the van to be purchased and empty, and it was removed this weekend.  I know, a lot of you will be really relieved by that bit of tidying...me..not bothered either way!  Meanwhile...

Oh la la!  Mess mess and more mess!  Over lit and then over exposed by flash, so all you can see really is that I am actually working.  And achieving too; if you're going to Japonica's Craft day Extravaganza in Exmouth next month, you will find yourself getting quite familiar with one or another of these cards. I've enjoyed them too, just a few notes to type up and it's a ready workshop.  Then I need to tidy up and quickly.  A workshop on Thursday morning needs preparation (like unpacking from the last one - it will help), and there's the crop on saturday.  And you know what sort of prep that takes.  I don't know whether to shout 'clear the decks' or just move to the floor...ask me again on Friday!

Oh and to get a WOYWW badge - all you have to do is be a regular WOYWWer and ask me for one - as in, email me your address.  And then be a bit patient please!  

See, here there's no shame, share your desk..no doubt the fascination for me is seeing what everyone's making, and where you do the making. Join us do - photo your desk, upload to your blog and link here. We'll visit. Slowly probably, but hey, it's what the days between Wednesdays are for!

Told you, I'm a follower...

I mentioned the Make It! Show last week.  I mentioned that I was going with Laura and Kelly and that we'd probably not be shopping together. Just so. Just as well.  When we met for lunch, they'd already bought more than I could take in.  Made me feel a bit obliged to buy something.   You know, in case I went home empty handed.  

So I found five sheets of scrummy 12 x 12, a couple of  6 x 6 pads of paper, that stamp (as close to a wood mount as I could find, sob) and a cute die.  I had already told myself I wouldn't be needing any more paper for oh, the next millenium. But I am weak and easily led and they made me.  Kelly was pleased with me - she wants to borrow the new die at the Crop on Saturday, which makes it all worth while, huh! I was pleased with me too, actually..I feel that I bought enough to be very satisfied and little enough to get anxious and worry about how long it'll be before I can use it.  Except possibly the Mr & Mrs thingy...it's just the sort of thing that I never get around to.  Perhaps someone else who brought one could show me theirs, once done.  Then I can live up to my reputation, and follow your example.

Meet me by the wood mounted stamps...

OK, I know this is a bit geographist of me, but anyone going to the MAKE IT show in Farnborough tomorrow?  It's on all weekend, but I'm going tomorrow with Laura and Kelly and my sainted Mama.  We will probably split up.  Because as you know, I am a very considered and careful stash purchaser.  It's Laura and Kelly that inhale it.  Really. 

Anyway, if you are going tomorrow, and you see me, please say hello.  I know, you don't know what I look like, but you'll be able to tell it's me.  I'll be wearing one of these:

and you could be too.  It's only a badge, but it makes me smile.  It'll be like a real 'thing' by the time all the WOYWWers get one!  

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 142

What ho, fellow WOYWWers.  How goes it - any less messily than this:

Taken on Tuesday afternoon.  About half an hour after I'd cleared the desk to work on something.  Really.  I know it looks really flash to have the iPad in full frontal, but I've made some notes on it for a workshop and was making another master board, following my own notes..to see if they make any sense at all.  But as anything I write makes sense to me, I probably should try a real guinea pig!  You can see my delicious collection of brown and neutral ribbons.  Well...the lengths that aren't stored elsewhere.  I may have a whinge about this in another post....might as well carry on talking about ribbons...they never sort themselves out!  The yellow basket at left holds inks and stamps and blahdy blah pertinent to the workshop I ma working on.  The basket at right has acrylic blocks and other stuff that should be properly put away buy now.  But in the basket = out of my way, so, well, there they stay for now.
The ladder and the fork continue to make their presence felt for those of you who like a routine...I think Mr D has realised that not putting them away keeps him front and centre of my mind when I'm at my desk.......For once, I've only got one pair of scissors to hand too.  I think I stopped to take the photo at just the right time! So, share your space..desk, floor, tray, arm of chair, kitchen worktop..wherever and whatever you are creating, we like to see.  Use WOYWW in your post title so we can find it easily, and link your post here....we'll visit if we can. 
I doubt many if any can get around all the desks, every week.. I can't.  Don't beat yourself up about it....but visit some...this community is about reciprocity...sharing, blah. And talking of that..there's another anniversary coming up...I have an idea.  Will hone and refine and report back. (!)

Statistically speaking...a photo less post.

I'm not hugely into numbers. I think numbers are too logical for me.  They always have an answer that is either right, or wrong.  And let's face it, if it's wrong, you have to do it all again and I hate that! See, too emotional...not using the correct side of my brain...I can't even remember which side is the emotional and which the logical!  However, the people at Blogger are all about statistics aren't they? You can just tell how much they love it...you can almost imagine the glee on their lovely nerdy faces when they decided to include a stats page on each blog (yeah, I'm down with the short speak..). A stats page that shows the numbers in numerical and graph form...oh my.  I bet it's like new stash for them.   So, while Mr D crunches some numbers involving our domestic bliss, I  thought to browse this rarely visited page. It's full of surprises actually. Not least that this will be the 661st post. Gracious, I knew I had a lot to say, but that was a surprise...because I've stuck with my original promise which was not to blog if I couldn't think of anything to say.  You may have noticed that the 660 previous posts weren't regularly placed...apart of course from Wednesdays. So I thought, to celebrate the first post here on January 6th 2009, I'd offer some blog candy. But of course, it's unqualified, there are no photos of it and no particular following criteria or such. And you have to work for it. Please answer the following question in the comments:  Which part of my domestic bliss will be restored if Mr D makes the numbers work?  Here's a weak clue...I have whined about it previously! And....this offer has two conditions: you must leave your answer as a comment in this post and, you've only got till Wednesday 22nd. That's something to do with the side of my brain that doesn't like waiting.

Just doing' some 'boarding, dude

So remember as you read this, that I'm a follower when it comes to crafts... I like the techniques to have been invented by someone else so that I can just make stuff.  I'm all about the result, that's why it's stamping for me..instant gratification.  So when several people commented on the papers on my WOYWW desk this week, I though I could elaborate..I actually made them!..they're 'masterboards'.  Take a bunch of inks, cut n dry foam, 3 or 4 stamps and one colour of embossing powder, and a scary blank sheet of smooth card.   Emboss one stamp image randomly and repeatedly all over, then add light or dark swirls of ink, other images, stamped in the same ink family.  Obviously the embossing acts as resist, so you need to choose the image carefully because it will be dominant! Then you have a fab sheet of paper to use for backgrounds and the like for your cards etc.  

These photos are hideous - I took them whilst

making the sheets up and was actually just going to take photos of the finished cards, but haven't quite got there yet...wanna do a couple more sheets with different stamp emphasis before I stop/get bored!  All the stamps are by Magenta, all the inks are Versafine, (the same four colours of ink, unbelievably, just applied in different weight/mix - clearer photos will show that better!)  and you may just be able to see blobs of splattered Pearl-Ex paint across the top sheet..I can, but I know what I'm looking for!

I sincerely hope to carve out some time at the weekend to finish this project, my boredom threshold might let me down if I don't!  

Have a lovely weekend.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 141

WOYWW Housekeeping: If you read nothing else, please read the first paragraph!

Really, now the numbers are as fabulously high as they are, I have to insist that your blog post includes WOYWW in the title and is in some way relevant to your working area; this is particularly important if you link late...paging through loads of posts without knowing where to stop is enough to cause the reader to click away.

Likewise, when I get to links that are totally irrelevant (such as another Wednesday Meme courting for exposure), I'll remove it.  I don't want to do too much policing and have stacks of rules, but its not unfair to expect a workdesk related post if it's linked here is it!

Mary Anne has found this:

http://xxxtglxxx.blogspot.com/2012/01/blogger-issues-white-screen-no- comments.html

This will take you to a blog called The Great Leveller and talks about how to make a fix that allows people that currently can't, to comment on your blog.  A lot of us find if the comment box is at the foot of your post, that 'embed' prevents commenting...but where the blog provides a new page with comments and comment box, all is possible!  So if you wanna get a few more comments, this may well be worth the two minutes and two tabs it takes.  It is a temporary fix....Blogger itself has to come up with a permanent one...so no growling at The Great Leveller, huh!! 

And here's one I've resisted, because I don't think it's actually any of my business: 

I've had several requests to ask for word verification to be turned off.  Its a personal thing; in 4 years I think I've had two spam comments and never an 'attack', but you must be the judge. It's not difficult to turn off...if you want to do it but need help, please ask..there are a lot of closet geeks on WOYWW!

Oh my desk is a mess. In fact from this, it doesn't look too bad, but the left side is piled and 'push back' is in serious overtime.  But it has to be, I'm working on something that I'm finding a bit taxing.  See the old Pearl-Ex palette?  Had it about 8 years...still love it.  See the rainbow of a mug? Of course, a present from LLJ who knew I can't be uncheered in the presence of such things.  See the master board I made that's in the process of being cut up and turned into cards? Sheez...anyone would think I was busy!
Show us yours then, we wanna see what you're making this week.  And we're not scared by mess.  OK, I'M NOT.  Read the 'rules', abide by 'em, and we'll see you at your place for a jolly good look around.  Abyssinia, as my dear Papa shouted at me as I left his house this morning! Oh and PS..I've scheduled this...had a long day and can't stay up till the small hours....no really.  I have.  It may have involved that white van again!