What's on your workdesk Wednesday

Another messy desk this week, as you can see I've been assembling a few toppers - not all Christmas ones this time though.

I've been trying to be good and use up scraps of card instead of putting them in a scraps box (never to see the light of day again - I'm sure you know how that works!), so I've been cutting out small mats with nesties / Nellie Snellen dies, ideal to fit the Craftwork Cards button greetings. It also means that I've at last found a use for the tiniest boxes that came with a big set of clear storage boxes.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

I missed WOYWW last week, but I'm fighting fit again and back in the fold today! As you can see, I'm still in Christmas card mood / mode at the moment. I do have some other cards to make, so will have to force myself to change theme soon.

Like many of my fellow crafters, I have enough paper to wallpaper the house (several times over) here's a peek at my 12 x 12 paper collection - just the odd pad or two...
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

It's July, so it must be time to get stuck into making Christmas cards - right?

I'm not the most organised crafter (as you can tell from the usual state of my work table!), but I do prefer to make a few Christmas cards now and then when the mood strikes, rather than end up with lots of pressure in December - although I have been there too! I've been playing with embossing folders and toppers and for once I have actually produced a few cards at the end of it - I'll blog them in more detail over the next week or so.

If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

Better late than never, here's my WOYWW entry for this week! As you can see, I've had my Sizzix machine out. I use my Big Shot a lot, but for the original small & medium dies, I find it quicker and easier to use the Sizzix. I also prefer using the Sidekick for the Sizzlits type dies. You can see my box of embossing folders towards the rear of the table - so much stash and so little time to play with it!
It was my birthday this week, and I thought I'd include a couple of group shots of the gorgeous cards that I received from friends on the Craft Telly forum. They are all beautiful, and really made my day. If you'd like a closer look at the individual cards, you can see them here.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

Well here we are at Wednesday again and, oh what a surprise, another untidy workdesk! Main activity that has been going on here is bagging up glitter. I haven't done much with my die cuts from last week, apart from some iris folding type filling in of the negative swirly bird die cut. For those interested, the swirl bird die is Bigz Die - Bird, Lovebird by Debi Adams, 655361. I got it in the Ellison sale last Christmas.

Here's a close up of my latest embossing folders - I thought I'd try some of the new larger cuttlebug folders and also couldn't resist some of the Tim Holtz Texture Fades.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

It's Wednesday again, so it must be time for a glimpse of my messy desk!

I've been playing with foils, glitter and gilding flakes. I started out covering chipboard die cuts, but although the (Crafty Notions) adhesive that I was using is great for use with gilding flakes, it wasn't producing such a good result with foil. Trying to cover the chipboard with self adhesive film instead proved a bit of a faff. So, I decided to make my own self adhesive die cuts by covering a thick sheet of A4 card (like the card at the back of a writing pad) with a sheet of self adhesive film, then die cutting it (results below). This was a lot easier and provided a much better adhesive surface for foiling.

I have some new stash (Cuttlebug embossing folders) at the top right of the picture - they only arrived yesterday, so I haven't actually embossed anything with them yet. My WOYWW easel is also proudly displayed - thank you Julia and Mr Dunnit :-)
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog. It basically involves snooping on other crafters' stash, and seeing what they are up to - great fun!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

Well here we are at Wednesday again, doesn't it come around quickly! Various rather unco-ordinated things going on on my desk at the moment - I've been playing with some more of of the Kanban Christmas Quilts toppers and doing some embossing with Cuttlebug folders to go with them. I've also coated some chipboard flowers with Crafty Notions glue - I've gilded one and planning to try them with rub on foil & glitter too.

I'll finish off with a peek into my 'bling' box:
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

First picture this morning is of the opposite side of my craft room, to reassure Bleubeard and Elizabeth that my WOYWWAC does have a home there! I put it back to where it was living previously, I still haven't got around to rehoming the contents and putting new ones in, when I do, it may move :-)

I put completed cards on the sideboard until I've taken photos of them - partly for inspiration (hopefully) it's also handy of course to stand them up for a couple of days just to make sure that everything stays firmly attached as intended!

No major changes to the work desk this week, although I do have a new petals template to play with from Craftwork Cards. I'm still playing with the Kanban Couture Ladies toppers, one last card to make from the sheet now. I made my first Christmas card of the year at the weekend, which you can see on the sideboard, a stepper card with foiled edges. I should put the magnetic sheets away - I did use a couple of them, not a whole load of new nesties Julia (alas!), but I did get a new labels set and also put my Nellie Snellen dies on the sheets too.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

My work desk is looking a bit cluttered as usual this week, surprise, surprise. At the weekend I was playing with a new Martha Stewart punch and some of the Kanban Couture Ladies toppers. I did actually produce one card and am on the way to another - what progress!

The main item on the table this week is the June sample pack of new Kanban designs, which I've only had time for a quick look through so far, but plenty to get stuck into there.

Thank you for all the kind comments on my chest last week! I really enjoyed looking at everyone else's WOYWWACs too and look forward to having a good old snoop around desks later today :-)

If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday and WOYWWAC

So here is my entry for the WOYWWAC, also pictured below on my work desk, which as you can see is starting to get untidy again this week! Weekend crafting was mostly the challenge entry and a birthday card which I will blog once the birthday girl has received it.
My WOYWWAC entry is a very simple project, I decorated a little wooden chest that was a kit from QVC a few years back. You can just about see how it was originally in the picture below, in front of the purple file folders. I painted it gold with some spray paint that I had knocking around, then added mats cut with Go Kreate dies. For the acronym, I used Doodlebugs double sided stickers foiled with gold rub on foil.
I'll finish up with a picture of the contents of the chest (I did take them out while I was decorating it!). Mostly the original kit contents, some die cuts and spirelli templates & cord. Also some confetti for shaker cards. I ought to have a mini sort out really, as I think these particular die cuts may have passed their sell by date!
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

I scheduled this post as Wednesday is shaping up to be pretty busy - I will look forward to checking out the other WOYWWAC entries later in the day after work :-)

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

This week I've finally had a bit of a tidy up and cleared away all the scraps etc, so I can actually see some table surface. I also got round to making a few cards over the weekend. I was starting to play around with a moving home card last night, which needs to be completed within the next couple of days.

Below is a close of a peel off sized box with greetings banners in it. I put them together in this box at the weekend as I realised I had a growing collection in various places with no proper home - as you do. I tend to keep the banners with matching toppers where applicable, but this box will be ideal to keep all the left overs together and easy to rummage through quickly.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

Thank you very much for all the kind comments about Mickey the cat last week - a week on he is feeling very much better. He still has to have one tiny pill a day and we've got into a little routine each morning where I wrap him in a towel, give him the pill, he spits it out - just for the principle of it - and I give it to him again!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

My apologies for the lack of work desk in this week's post, it really hasn't changed since last week, so another photo would have been a little pointless.

The reasons are that I've been really busy (never a bad thing when self employed) and also have been occupied with Mickey, pictured above, who had to have some teeth out on Friday, poor boy. He is getting on a bit now (about 13 -14), so I was quite worried about him having anaesthetic. Fortunately all went well and he is recovering fine - we are just having a daily tussle or two over his medication - I'm sure other cat owners will know just what I mean!

The picture above was taken on a fine evening recently - Mick looking less than impressed that I was taking a few snaps of the blackbirds hopping around the garden.

If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

This set of draws from three DCWV kits seems to crop up regularly in craft stash pictures! I always liked the look of mine, but never knew quite what to actually put in them - I prefer to store the papers from the kits elsewhere as the draws are a very tight fit, making it hard to browse through / stroke the papers.
When my stash was infiltrated by Promarkers, I realised that the draw set is the perfect home for them. The draws are just the right height, and can be pulled out & placed on the workdesk (assuming I can find the space to set them down of course) for easy selection of colours.
Now to my actual work desk, which is looking a little, ahem, messy this week. I'm in the middle of bagging up some glitter as I needed to do some for an order on Monday but haven't got round to finishing off a few more bags. It's just as well that my craft room isn't overlooked, as neighbours could easily get the wrong impression when I'm bagging up the white and crystal glitters...

I had a surge of creativity over the weekend and managed to complete all of one card. A couple more are still in the planning stage as you can see on my cutting mat. I was looking for papers that would go with the Kanban Robot Friends toppers, the discarded ones are in the pile to the left of the mat, as I haven't got around to refiling them yet. I was also playing around with foiling strips of card, by putting them through a Xyron which provides a good even covering of adhesive. As well as the small red one on the table, I have a larger Xyron, which is out of the picture on the floor.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

Thank you so much for all the kind comments last week - I will visit as many workdesks as I can when I've finished work today!

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

A slight deviation from my workdesk this Wednesday - this is another craft project that I'm working on. It's a William Morris style needlepoint (actually cross stitch) acanthus rug, designed by Beth Russell. I've included a rear view as well, as it's easier to see from this how much of it I've done (or not as the case may be...). I got this as a complete kit, I also have a book of Beth Russell's gorgeous needlepoint designs, which includes the acanthus rug.

I figured this would be a ten year project when I started out. That was eight years ago, so as you can see I need to get a bit of a move on! I hadn't done anything on it for at least a couple of years, but I got the rug out again a few weeks ago and have got back into the habit of working on it at one or two evenings a week, whilst watching TV.
If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

So here we are at Wednesday again! I thought I'd start off this week with a picture of my nesties storage. I have each set on a strip of magnetic sheet, all of which fit into a plastic peel off storage box. Not very elegant, but very functional - the box doesn't take up much space so can be kept close at hand and it's quick and easy to flip through to find the dies I need.

My desk is a work desk as well as a craft desk - this week there is work going on as I'm putting together some rub on foil kits - cutting strips of foil to size, then assembling them into selection packs.
Thank you for all the kind comments last week! I do indeed have a wheeled chair - partly because I broke one of the dining room chairs by standing on it and haven't got round to fixing it yet - ahem! Oh and I've never been to Ikea either... I cottoned on to the Expedit after seeing other crafters talk about theirs and ordered it online. Delivery was quite dear (around £30), but overall cost was still reasonable, I thought it was a small price to pay to avoid driving to my nearest Ikea and faffing about with huge boxes. Putting it together was very straightforward too, you just need enough floor space to take the unit lying down. I did most of it on my own - just needed help with the final corner and lifting it upright.

If you're curious about WOYWW, more details of what it is about and how to join in are on Julia's Stamping Ground blog.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

Well here I am for my second WOYWW! Work desk is a little tidier this week. I've included in the picture the chair at the side which holds lots of essentials, many of them stored in a very Really Useful Box plastic holder, intended as an insert for a 9L box. It may not be pretty, but it was very reasonable and holds a lot of stuff. At the back of the table is a test template for a stepper card that I made last week. The brown parcel tape is there for clearing up paper dust from the cutting mat and from my Bigshot cutting plates.

When having a sort out at the weekend, I found some card page sketches that I'd printed out last year, I'm hoping to find time to have a browse through those for inspiration in the next few days.
Here's a picture of my main craft storage - I got the Ikea Expedit last year and it really did help to tidy up my stash! It is behind where I sit, so really easy to access what I need. The scrappy shelves at the left are normally hidden by the door. They hold work in progress and tools when the table is cleared, as well as foils for kits.

What's on your workdesk Wednesday

I thought I would be brave and join in with WOYWW for the first time - more details of what it is about are on the Stamping Ground blog. Thanks to Suzyq from the Craft Telly forum and Hazel (Didos) for pointing me in the direction of this - fascinating to have a nosey at other people's stash :-D

My dining room table is also my craft workdesk. It was actually clear at the weekend, but I'm afraid this is a very messy picture to start off my contribution to WOYWW!

I've just had a new sample pack of Kanban goodies and spent some time last night popping out die cuts, using my craft knife to make sure they come out cleanly. Scattered on the table are quite a few more samples that I'm hoping to gain inspiration from. I'm getting there, albeit gradually - I did get a few cards made on Sunday evening which will appear on the blog in due course.