My Workdesk Today

Ok, so here is what is on my desk today. I am still in the doing cards zone, so that is one thing that is there, and yes Mrs Dunnit, I did leave the leftover bits of peel off paper there for you to see :)

The card that you can see is hoping to be a masculine card when it grows up! Looking like it might work too!

This week the messy drawers are actually closed (for a change!) The pile of what looks like papers at the top is actually my working notes! It does mean something to me, honest lol.

Other than that, not a lot different to other pictures really.

Messy ..... is Desk as promised!

Well after the fiasco that has been the last few days crafty speaking of course, all of a sudden, inspiration, albeit in the form of some magazines and a HUGE kick up the jacks from Mrs Dunnit, in the form of an idea for paper piecing, all of a sudden last night I was up and running!

Firstly came the daffodil cards, the first one paper pieced and the second, the "easy" one.

I always try to do one that takes a bit of thought and effort on the part of the maker, well they are there to learn something! And a second that when theyhave got over having a good whinge about the first one, is easy on the mind and fingers to do. In this one, the image is stamped, mounted and some pretty flower edged organza ribbon is wrapped round the card.

Then came the Damask one. This paper is just gorgeous, it does not take a lot of "doing" to make a classy card with it, and the Inkadinkado stamp set is divine, it is a Christmas set, but I have used it all year round as I love it :)

The "easy" one is a vellum butterfly tea bag fold. This one , with larger 3" squares for the butterfly. Most of them have done before, but it does no harm to remind them does it!? And to my way of thinking, the more often that a technique is practiced, the easier it becomes to do it, not only that, but it is a pretty card to do :)

Next, and yes, there is a next! Came the purple beauties, and if you don't mind if I blow my own trumpet here, I am rather taken with them :)

These bees are about as cute as I get, aaaaaaaand it uses offcuts! Coloured with my Promarkers ...........of course!

But the one I am most pleased with, even if I did pinch the idea from a magazine, is the flowers one. Embossed with gold and coloured with Promarkers. I like the effect of stamping outside the box, it is a technique I use a lot. There are some in the class that I know will just not be able to do this, they will HAVE to have the image centred, but is OK too. I like the effect, but I know that there are some who just cannot "get" off centre stamping, and I do want them to go away happy, that way, they will come back!

WOYWW

Nothing to show today at all :( Mojo has left home. This is not a usual photo at all, nothing on the desk at all, zilch, zip nada.

The stamps for the class I am supposed to be doing are still sitting there, the cards would just not come together, but I have turned the "signature" stamp over so Mrs Dunnit can see it :)

If inspiration should arrive anytime soon, I will repost todays failure.

Spare Time

Why is it that when I have an unexpected few hours to myself, I never know how to use them!

Take this morning for example, M, Son and two of his friends had been on a bit of a beano last night, so were all sleeping in this morning, YIPPEE! thinks me, time to myself with nothing that HAS to be done until they all fall out of bed with sore heads.

I say myself down at my desk and ................ NOTHING! Not a dicky bird. So I wandered off out to my in progress workroom, and nothing there either, well I did look at the paintbrush, and I did move a few things round on shelves, but nothing creative at all. So back into the house I wandered, sorting I thought, that always pleases me, but when I had a look, besides making something to do, as I have not really been doing anything, nothing to sort.

One cup of coffee, a magazine and a sit outside became the next thing I tried to get me motivated and do you know what? An hour sitting outside as far away from the house as I could with nothing around me but the birds was fantastic. I actually read the magazine, not just flicked through marking pages that interest me for future reading that never really gets done.

I could have sat longer, but the moaning bodies schlepped outside to see where I was, so it was time to go and start crashing a few pots and pans around, well a good fry up the morning after the night before is supposed to be the best thing for you ........... my excuse and I am sticking to it!

WOYWW

Here we go again :) I just love this!

There is definitely a bit of the voyeur about me, I just love looking into other peoples lives, even if it is just a peek at their work desks!

I also love Christmas time, when the tree is up, you get peeking into folks front rooms. Dark evenings and lights on inside the house, the tree lit and the curtains open ......... perfect! Funny really, as when I am visiting, unless an improvement or decorating is pointed out to me, I am unlikely to notice! Seems to me that being given permission to be nosey isn't good enough, I need the thrill of doing something that is just a little bit naughty :)

So, what have we got today?

Hmmmmmmm well the usual pile of inks, what would a craft table be without inks?

I am working on a journal of my holiday to Southern Ireland, I was going to make a mini book, but what should I find in a stationers in Birr but a K&Co Travel Journal! Right there in the window, just sitting there! I HAD to go in! Now don't get excited, there was not lot there, and the journal was the only one they had, The nice lady in the shop didn't want to sell it to me as it had been in the window for a few weeks and she thought it would be sun damaged, but I WANTED it! So I got it very reduced :) When I got it outside and ripped it open, no fading at all!

Two new Cuttlebug folders, no Lyn, they have not been put away yet, I need to look at them for a while longer :)

Ahhh yes, two sets of Prima stamps, just happened to jump into my hands and stick when I was getting the folders lol.

Stamps for class preparation, some done, some still to be worked on :)

If you look very carefully, you will also see a little Esso flame man keyring. I am still gradually sorting through M's Aunt's effects, one suitcase/box at a time, this little fella has old suitcase keys attached and has been appropriated for use at a later date :) If anyone remembers what he was called, if anything, please let me know!

As usual, if there is anything you spot that you would like to know about, please ask. What else are we doing this for if not to have a good old gawp at others messy habits!

Been too Long..........

Since my last post! No crafty pictures to show you, but I thought a couple from my holiday would be nice :)

The drive for the first day was a long one, 320 miles, but I enjoyed it, singing along to hits of the 60's, Tom Jones and Meat Loaf! Don't worry, I didn't sing in built up areas! I stopped a couple of times, once was in the lovely town pictured above, Adare, lots of cute thatched cottages and a great coffee shop!

All the way to Dingle, the town was a lot smaller than I expected it to be for some reason, but the harbour was lovely at 5.30 in the morning when this picture was taken. Dingle is the hone of Fungie the Dingle Dolphin, he has lived in the waters around the town for many years now and is very human friendly, swimming with whoever braves the waters to meet him.

And the West Coast of Ireland would not be the same without a picture of a donkey!

Next are the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, thankfully barriers have been erected since the last time I was there to stop people getting too close to the edge. There are even wardens with walkie talkies to try ans stop those who do try and jump! It gave me the collie wobbles to see youngsters sitting with their legs dangling over the edge of the cliff!

Next is the Burren, an amazing landscape. Barren rocks, or so it seems to start with, but the flora is all hidden in the cracks in the rock formations, called grikes, orchids by the dozen, miniature hazel bushes, wild strawberries and honeysuckle to name but a few, then it was on the see Father Ted's house :)

Enough for now, just a selection of a few of the places I went to and saw, and if you are not good, I will post more sometime, as I am only about halfway through my journey. So many fantastic places to see and people to meet, if you can understand them!

Now I am back I am finding it hard to get back into the swing of things again, butterfly mind syndrome. I have done the Circle Journals that I am in, and I am gradually getting some classes ready for Autumn, I have even started printing out pictures for a journal of my week away, but actually doing anything constructive is proving beyond me. Upside of all this procrastination is that I have a clean house, washing is all up together and even the ironing is done!

Anyone for a guided tour round Ireland?

WOYWW

I missed last weeks WOYWW because I went on a very last minute few days holiday to the West of Ireland, so I am hoping that this weeks makes up for it!

So, what do we see this week? Drawers lying open, I have started to use up some of the mountain of scraps that I seem to generate to make cards with, and about time I hear you say!

Stamps left out, naughty girl that I am, no I do NOT always put them back as soon as I have used them.

Pro Markers at the ready, I was actually using them, evidence is under the album :)

Guillotine not put back, as usual!

Then comes the album, boy! What an album! An auction find that Mr M bought for the postcards that were in it, and trained as I have him, he knew not to even consider throwing it out till he had asked if I would like it. LIKE IT? I nearly broke the poor man's arm to get it off him! It is a beautiful velvet covered photograph album with metal cut and scroll work on it .....fabulous! I know it will not be acid and lignin free, but I WILL find a use for it :)

The "pages" inside are thick card with arches cut out to put those lovely Victorian posed photos in. There were a few loose pictures in it, of whom I have no idea, but they will not go to waste either.

Now I must get back to sorting and titling some of the 761 photos I took while I was away!