Just in time ....

.... only one hour until Wednesday is over - so I'm slipping in the back door of this week's WOYWW.  Here's what my desk looked like this morning:

It's quite a tease of a pic really, 'cos the cards I was making are for tomorrow's PaperPlay - can't show them until the morning.  So they're peeping in at the top left of the photo - and various stamps and things that I used are skulking around whistling and looking innocent (well, maybe not!).  As usual, I've ended up with a working space of about 6" x 6"!

Thanks for looking!

Proof that ....

.... the months are racing by - I just looked back over my blog and I haven't had a chance to join in WOYWW since March!  Can't believe it's been that long.

Anyway, I had a bit of a desk-tidy yesterday, and then laid out stuff for the start of the next card.  Here's what the work-surface looks like this morning:

Now that I look at it, I didn't do that good of a tidy - what is that bird's nest of purple thread doing there?And the random clothes label?  And the inky acrylic block?  Must clean more!!

Thanks for looking!

I made a ....

.... big auld mess of my desk!

It's Wednesday, and I haven't participated in WOYWW for ages, but I got up a little bit early today and took some pics, it's now daylight when I'm getting up which certainly helps!!

I had to make a card in a hurry for a funeral, so I cheated and made a copy of one I had done before.  The ensuing rush made a right state of the desk:

Edited to add: I got that new "pokey tool" - the Sew Easy. You can see it on my desk here.  But alas, it's not for me.  It does work well, and is a good product as such, but it's not OCD enough for me - the holes aren't close enough together for my obsessive stitching!!  So I've already sold it to a crafty friend who is not a bit fussy about how far apart the holes are!!!

Don't you hate when you end up working in a teeny little area - that bit of white paper with the orange splodge is where I ended up in - like microsurgery!!

And the windowsill didn't escape.  I have loads of these boxes - my colleagues in school save them for me every time they buy boxes of "handmade" cards!!!  They take the cards and give me the boxes - I keep ribbons and suchlike in them.

Thanks for looking!!  Off now to tidy up and maybe I'll make something tomorrow or Friday - we have TWO days off for St. Patrick's weekend - Yippee!!

Oh yeah, oh yeah ....

.... we've got a snow day tomorrow, oh yeah, oh yeah!! 

Can you tell I'm happy?  Must take some more photos tomorrow (uploaded some on my last post), but we had even more tons of snow last night and today.  It's beautiful snow too, all crunchy and fluffy.  The roads are hell, but we walked to school today so we were fine.  Kids were being collected early from school all day and by finishing time, there were hardly any left, so hurray, we get to stay home tomorrow!!

It's WOYWW again, and my desk is a riot of pink - I think the card I'm working on is the pinkest I've ever made.  Here's all the bits (excuse terrible lighting and shaky hand too!) :

And up at the corner of my desk are the piles of finished Christmas cards (cough, cough) still waiting to be written!!

Thanks for looking!

The production line ....

.... is in full swing here, 20 Christmas cards done, 30 to go!!

It's WOYWW again, I hadn't joined in for a few months during my timeout, but ta-daaaaaaah - on my desk today are the pieces of Christmas card numbers 21 - 30.:

I really admire people who get started on their Christmas cards in January, and make shed-loads, every one different. I would not be able to do it. I have 50 to make, so I start thinking about the design in August, order the stuff in October, and then have a big making session in November. Every one is identical and I put them together in batches of 10, to save my sanity for as long as possible.  Here's the next batch laid out ready to go: Stamped pieces need to be cut down with a smaller Nestie and inked, round seals to cut out and ink, red patterned paper ready for inking.  And the only thing I forgot to photograph is the big ball of hairy string!!

By this time tomorrow, I'll be more than half way through, thank goodness.  The worst bit is writing the bloomin' things once they're made!!!

Thanks for looking!

P.S. Just marking today as the day my daughter finally got her braces off, after nearly 4 years.  What a difference it makes. We can't stop gazing at her teeth and are freaking her out!!!

A big orange ....

.... mess!!!  It's Wednesday, so it's WOYWW again!!  I've missed the past three weeks or so, and I'm definitely not on top of things yet after going back to school, but I was in the midst of my PaperPlay DT stuff for tomorrow and got my desk in a very messy state - here it is:

I've been making another series of little cards, quite addictive these!!  The old Tim Holtz inks are getting a good using, and nestabilities labels 1 too.  I tried several orange papers and just wasn't finding the right shade before I looked out some old reliable BG Ambrosia.  The little blue book is one I've just finished pasting in all my sketches to keep them tidy and accessible.  I have intentions of altering the book covers, hmmmm, another day maybe!!

I'm not mad keen on bright orange, but I love burnt orange, it's such a lovely Autumny colour.  And Autumn and Winter are my favourite seasons.  Yayyy, open fires, woolly jumpers and hibernation!!

Thanks for looking!

Wednesday again ....

.... Happy WOYWW, WOYWWers!!!  The picture of my desk is a bit contrived today, 'cos I had more or less finished my experimenting, so I just put the elements I had been working with on the mat and photographed that!

I had been wanting to make some flowers with booktext for ages, but I didn't have any flower punches, then I had a flash of inspiration and used my scalloped circle nestabilities.  Worked a treat.  I made a series of cards but I can't show yet as one is going to a friend who reads this blog!!

And here's another pic, just because!!  We went to the beach on Monday - wasn't a sunny day but it was mild, so we packed up a picnic (including flask of boiling water - Irish picnics on the beach include HOT beverages!!), buckets and spades and met up with my stepmother and her nephews.  Here are the lads hard at work on what became an engineering masterpiece (they said!):

I have to go out now so I can't comment on all your lovely workspaces right now, but I'll be back later.

Thanks for looking!

Not confused at all ....

.... I am on the ball this week, I know it's Wednesday today!!  So time for another WOYWW:

It's a beautiful sunny morning here in Dublin, and the sun is shining straight in through the window onto my desk.  So although I have a card to do, I can't make a start 'till the sun moves around a bit, it would be too hot sitting there.  Here's the stuff laid out ready to go:

See the big splodge of sunshine on the bottom left - here's more:

And I thought you'd like to see the view out the window.  See that palm tree, it's in the neighbour's garden - I hate it, it drops at least 58 dead leaves over the wall into our garden every day.  Grrrr!!

Now I'm off to wake the kids, the lazy lollops are still in bed. Then I'm going to meet a pal for coffee at 11o'c, daughter to orthodontist at 2pm and somehow have to make that card in between times!!  Happy Wednesday, all!!

WOYWW ....

.... I remembered!!!  Here's my desk this morning for all you WOYWWers out there.  I was working on a card for my daughter, which I'll post in a separate post, things will get way too long otherwise!!!

I was using lovely Cosmo Cricket Material Girl papers, some new Distress Inks - and I took out my Promarkers for the first time in ages.  I'd had storage problems with them, and any time I used them, couldn't see the wood for the trees sort of thing, it was very hard to work out what colours I had.  So I spent several happy obsessive hours last weekend doing this:

I'm sorry I can't credit the creator of the idea, I've seen it on several blogs over the past months and have also met several people in real life who have done it too.  So all I can say is "thanks" to whoever first thought of it - brilliant storage solution.

Thanks for looking!!

Oh yes ....

.... it's Wednesday, I remembered!!  Time for another WOYWW.

Here's my desk earlier this evening:

I was working on a DT card for tomorrow - you can see a little Tilda all coloured up and cut out ready for the card.  The jar beside the paintbrush is Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy - first time I've used it, but I layered it over stickles and I don't think they liked each other!!

Here's the other side of the desk - the lovely new BG Olivia 6" x 6" paper pad and a few older BG lines and some ribbons I didn't use on the card in the end:

Thanks for looking!

It's Wednesday ....

.... so that means it's WOYWW again.  There is such chaos in my room today that by right it should be "What's On Your Workdesk, Windowsill and Floor Wednesday? WOYWWFW?  Catchy!!

Was making a card for our School Principal's retirement last night and it took off in a very different direction to what I'd originally intended, hence the mad scatterings on the aforementioned desk, sill and floor:

Lovely Cosmo Cricket "Earth Love" papers.

Boxes of ribbons and embellishments (and some Sugar Nellie stamps I haven't put away yet)

I think the bin needs emptying!!

Thanks for looking!

Oooh, me aching back ....

.... my daughter's tri-annual (does that mean once every three years?  That's what it is!) ballet show is on this week, so we've been at dress rehearsals, practices etc. and the house is full of hairpins and bun nets.  I'm watching the show tonight and on Saturday night, but am helping backstage for the rest of the performaces.  Last night was the first show, and I was a "backstage runner" - meaning I had to get groups of performers in the wings and back to dressing rooms at the right time, find things, fix things, shush over-excited children and generally stand for hours and hours.  So my back is sore!!!  I wish I could show you the tiny 4 year olds who were dressed as fairies, and the slightly older ones who were mice - grey velvet knickers on their tutus - I would happily run away with them!!!

Anyway, I was up late last night and early this morning finishing a DT project, so decided to photograph my desk for WOYWW for the first time.  Here's what it looked like:
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I had to turn the finished card upsidedown, 'cos it's not due until tomorrow, I'll be posting it then.

Here's a bit to the left of my desk with some new ribbons I bought strewn about:
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Thanks for looking!