What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 343

Anybody there? Any desks changed since this time last week? Yes? Mine too! Another Christmas miracle. Actually, pure sloth in the domestic department really. I was just sitting down to make a card for a January birthday and Mr Dunnit came home nice and early. 

So my desk still looks just as it did on Tuesday afternoon, because I abandoned it in favour of some Dunnit!  There's a couple of unused stamps at right; nothing to do with the card I am planning, just not put away. I've separated my unmounted and clear stamp collection into drawers for stuff that's current and that I can use in workshops, and into poly boxes for those that I want to keep for my 'stamping for pleasure' times. That's what you can see at top right - three of the poly boxes waiting for me to select from.  The chartreuse green (gopping green to some) is to be used on the card I intended to make. Lordy - are you sensing a pracraftination thing again? Yeah, me too.
Inspire me then, show us your 'limbo' week desks or surface that you're currently working on - you may be cooking up a storm of leftovers - we need to see! Put WOYWW in your title and link here please. And thank you.

Extras

So sometime in November, my sweet Mother In Law admitted that buying all the presents was beginning to be a strain and that we needed to be very specific about what we'd like so that she didn't experience stress over it. I suggested that actually, at my age, there is very little that I need, so hey, give us a miss...we see them regularly, enjoy their hospitality frequently, we don't need presents. But that idea went down like a lead balloon. So I suggested that there were a couple of craft pieces I'd like, I could buy them on-line and Mr Dunnit could 'sell' them to her to wrap up as a gift for me. This was a good idea. Ooh err, it set me loose at Hey Little Magpie and I ordered the Heidi Swapp 'Memorydex' and a couple of dies necessary to its use. Either would  make a great present from Grandma and another member of my family could give me the other. I get something I really want and control the budget at the same time. Great plan. 

Except that by the time I'd ordered and they'd been delivered, (and if you know the shop at all, you'll know it wasn't long at all) the plan had clearly been forgotten and no one in the family was interested in giving them to me. I was a bit surprised but fully understanding...when you're out shopping, you sort of get that panic that makes you want to tick the list...so you buy the first thing. And that's what happened. I'm very pleased with what was first thing, by the way. Also delighted that Mr Dunnit said to just have 'em. I couldn't possibly allow myself that sort of treat so close to Christmas. So I wrapped them up and put them under the tree, to me from Mr Dunnit. Next year I might try it with a car......

Happy Christmas!

I'm pretty sure that if it were possible, we would give each other gift of Peace.
Desker, occasional visitor or stumbled upon this by accident - I wish you a lovely and harmonious Christmas. Now, get off my blog and go hug the next person you see!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 342

Well Deskers, time is marching on and you know how hard it is to find desk time in the Holiday Season. Not so Chez Dunnit!

I must have forgotten or neglected something, but until I remember what, I'm OK about being at my desk. And I'm working on next year's workshops already. To say I'm a bit smug would be to really understate it. Sorry! It is a bit of a mess, but I'm happy with it! Not all evidence of Christmas has gone  - there's the red ribbon and bakers twine that I used to tart up a candle/jar thing yesterday....and the solitary card on the iPad stand. No evidence of music or spoken word accompanying me. No. Miss Dunnit and her Musician are home and they're watching naff movies on tv, and I love to listen to them groaning and laughing over them!  So if you can steal five minutes from your preparations, please share your desk with us. If you can't, we more than understand! If you don't visit this blog on any day other than a Wednesday, I wish you a happy Christmas. Whatever you're doing, do it with love!

Trimmings

Because she has so little else to do, Neet sent a couple of church kits for Jan and I. I should point out that by kit, I mean that all the cutting and scoring were done, even the stained glass windows were inserted. All we had to do was fold and glue. So....we did. Don't tell Jan, but she's done more paper crafting this year than she ever expected to do. Slowly, slowly catchee reluctants! 
Doesn't it look fab.

I couldn't leave it sitting on the bookcase...every passing body put in immediate danger of falling off - it's not hugely heavy, after all. So I did the logical thing and put it over one of the lights on the Christmas tree. I know it's not an original idea, but I am really chuffed with it. And on that basis, it shall remain. Safer there too...some of our tree decs may be corny and some are naff, but they all have a story attached to them, and I cherish them. It occurs to me that I should make up a couple of scrapbook pages about them.....for posterity. Hmmm.

Thank you Neet - it's just lovely. And not to have to do the fiddly bits in order to own one is just well, lovely of you! Helen has been reminding me that I haven't yet posted pictures of the tree. It's not because I'm saving it for a specific post, or because every time I photograph it at different times of the day it proves my rubbish photography. It's because I keep forgetting! So here it is Helen, same tree in different lights. It's utterly imperfect, and I think that's what I love most about real trees and having more than two people decorating them!

I seem to have mastered bokeh. Nah - I think it's more likely to be a trembling hand and bad light working in my favour! The uneven distribution of lights is extraordinary, we worked very hard on those. Ah well, classic imperfection. That's this house all over! Maybe you could share your trees sometime this week, if you haven't already? I might set off on a series of posts featuring various ornaments and what the story is.....there's a threat!

here's the exception...

Yesterday I had half an hour at my desk. I needed the therapy; no craft deadlines per se and time to be productive without too much thinking.  Does that say a lot about my card making? Yessss, I think it does! It really was only half an hour because there's so much else to do at this time of year. But look at the desk. Chaos.

I am a firm believer in the 'it gets worse before it gets better' scenario. To de-clutter a room, you have to make a mess of boxes - bin, charity, storage etc. To decorate your Christmas tree involves boxes and bags all over the relocated furniture. Relocation of furniture involves some hoovering *cough*. Baking or cooking makes a hash of a beautifully clean and tidy kitchen, changing bed linen, digging a new flower bed..you get it. And if I'm alone in all this, then hey, more confirmation of my slovenliness, which you probably don't even need. My point (and there is one in here somewhere) is that all these things are the rule, aren't they? To make it all fab, you first have to make it all a bit grim. Not so at my desk. It looks grim when tidy. Unused and unloved, giving me no therapy. So its the exception. And I'm sticking to that.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 341

I'm away today, so this has to be scheduled. That means that you're looking at Tuesday's desk, taken just as the afternoon required electricity to light it. I've spent about ten minutes at my desk since last week, and that was just to tidy it.

The mirror card on the ipad stand is one last Christmas card, waiting to be mounted. I doubt if it'll be used now, so I shall just let it rest and decorate my desk! On the other side is a couple of cards that are waiting to be delivered by hand. They need to be moved to the hall stand so as not to be forgotten!  I was invited to Shopkeeper Gal's last workshop of the year. I really enjoyed myself, partly because I didn't disgrace myself by not understanding the directions! The results are on the desk, close up below; you can see how different our styles are. 

I rather suspect that your desk is more interesting than mine; please show and tell, it will make for a lovely visit! Put WOYWW in your post title so that those of us who visit late (me), can easily find you. Link here. Done. Brill.