WOYWW - #613

Good morning deskers, sorry I've been AWOL, the excitement of finally going to get my vaccine last Wednesday and then returning home to the great washing machine debacle meant I got a little distracted .... all sorted now, and I have a lovely new hi-tech washing machine though goodness only knows why it needs to be able to connect to wifi.....

I digress. Here is my desk. After Boris' reveal of the stages out of lockdown hard decisions were made about my son's delayed and re-scheduled wedding. We are going ahead whatever, life can't be put on hold forever (their decision, not mine but it's their day). People who were saving the date needed to be de-invited. Suddenly the actual invites were required (though significantly less than originally needed) and I set about getting them done. Let's hope everything goes as planned. Apropos of that, discussing my dress with the bride to be and admiring her wedding shoes which had arrived,  the three ladies of the house asked the men if they had sorted their outfits - I bet you can guess the reply. 

Amazing how a little bit of blue sky can lift your heart. Have been outside as much as possible lately enjoying the fine weather and cracking on with the garden tidy up. (Shame no one is ever as enthusiastic about doing anything in the house). There are smiles on hubby's face now he can get outside though we may have seen the best of the weather for a few days. Highlight has been the Red Kite who circles just a few feet above the trees in our garden - a neighbour is feeding him I think. Add to that the hordes of parakeets and the garden is an exciting place to be with everything bursting into life. 

I have still been making commissions, these are my favourites right now. 

Why am I showing you this? Well it's our weekly Wednesday Blog Hop - WOYWW. Here's the link to the one responsible, the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground - pop on over and join in, see what it's all about and have a go yourself.

That's all for now, am going to try really hard to get round everyone this week. Stay well, stay safe, love n hugs Cindy.

WOYWW # 611

My post this week, like that of many other WOYWWERS, is tinged with sadness. The wonderful Shaz Silverwolf lost her fight with cancer last week - and she's been fighting a long time. Closer friends and better writers than I have paid tribute to her generous nature, creativity and originality - you will see as you go round. My contact with Shaz was at best oblique, confined as it was to WOYWW, a few crops, and the odd craft show meet, but it strikes me that over the years we've had more regular contact through WOYWW than I manage with some of my oldest friends IRL. She certainly felt like a friend, along with hublet Doug, and there will be a Shaz sized hole in my week from now on. Farewell dear girl.

Not a lot of crafting done with one thing and another, but here's my desk. A friend of mine has been de-cluttering and offered out a sewing machine to the group. Now, I am not really that interested in sewing but on occasion it is useful to have a machine. My current one is 30+ years old and the bobbin winder doesn't work. So I said I would take it off her hands.

It's vintage and it's a beast of a machine considering it only does straight and zigzag. Looks in pristine condition but haven't had the guts to try and see if it works yet. It may well turn out to be an onerous benefaction but I have to admire the engineering of it. For now it's under the table and will probably stay there until I develop enough upper body strength to lift it onto the work surface again, it's so heavy. 

Well that's it for this week.

Stay well, stay safe,

Love n Hugs Cindy xx

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday - WOYWW #610

Good morning Deskers, another Wednesday arrives, cold and sunny here in London. Business not quite as usual as we have heard from Doug that the lovely Shaz is really very poorly. Our hearts, prayers and best wishes go out to them both today.

Well here's my desk, late Tuesday - and still light at  5.00 pm despite the grey, snow laden skies.  

I finally finished my never ending cards from last week. They aren't masterpieces but I was playing with how to use the spaces.  

And here's a commission for a personalised 80th. A bit of a rush job this one but I still like it. Look at the depth of that embossing folder. This is a newish one from Lisa Horton (which I bought in January - I'm still on track for no February craft purchases). 

Why am I showing you this? Well it's our weekly Wednesday Blog Hop - WOYWW. Here's the link to the one responsible, the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground - pop on over and join in, see what it's all about and have a go yourself.

Stay well, stay safe, Cindy xx

What's On your workdesk Wednesday? WOYWW#609

Morning deskers! Let's get straight on to the desk, here's my photo taken around 4.45 pm Tuesday afternoon - and it is still light outside!!  Longer days are on their way. It is however actually Groundhog Day as I write -  take from that you will.

Why am I showing you my desk?

Because it's WOYW Wednesday, the day when we go for a wander around the desks of the great and the good courtesy of the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground. Pop on over and join in why don't ya?

I am still getting on with those WIPS, although I have got down to the ones that require a little more thought. At the moment I am concentrating on making up some never ending cards that I cut out for courses in 2019 (had to stop myself from writing  'last year').  I really love them but get put off because I can't decide what to put on them!! I've also been doing some mass stamping and die cutting with a NBU set - and because the images are quite small I've been tearing through my white card  scrap so a win on several levels. It's a little depressing to think that after nearly a year I am still finishing off projects.  Although actually it's more depressing to think that this time last year I was in sunny Spain. 

I have been seeing lots of posts about a 100 day challenge - well, I might not post on insta every day but I reckon I've been going approximately 300 days already ......... 

You can also see a pile of magazine stamp sets on the desk. I have quite a few it has to be said!! I like them because they are relatively cheap and cover topics I probably wouldn't buy a stamp set for - and they have lots of sentiments!! However although I have kept them together up to now I am thinking of taking off all the sentiments and grouping them in my sentiment stamp folder as hopefully it would be quicker to find them. But it's a bit of a task even though ultimately a time saver. 

I've also challenged myself this month not to buy anything new, as I have indulged a little bit since Christmas - lots of vouchers and birthday money to spend - but this pile of NBUS will never get smaller if I keep adding to it. Two days in, so far so good........  I'll let you know how I get on.

Hubby had his 65th birthday yesterday so we had a weekend of fun with a virtual escape room, a 'pub meal' on Saturday, special sunday roast and a 'pizza express' night on Monday (complete with soft jazz background music). 

There may have been some alcohol involved - let's just say the recycling bin is full again.

Things don't really seem to be getting any better here coronawise, numbers are still pretty high and now one of the 'African variant' hotspots is just down the road from us, which is worrying, but we carry on. So I hope everyone is staying well. Happy WOYWW, stay home if you can, stay safe. 

Love n hugs - Cheers!! Cindyxx

What's on your workdesk? Wednesday #608

Good Morning Deskers! Hope everyone is well. First order of business must be to apologise for my absence last week.  But I do have a good excuse, I had no sooner linked with a comment for Julia and popped on to Lilian's blog than the internet went down. Seriously went down. No house wi-fi for 4 days. FOUR DAYS. We did have our phones - but for me and my eyesight and fat fingers that way madness lies. I could, it transpires, have hotspotted my mobile data on to my new ipad (Note: I have no idea what that means). However as my daughter was attempting to work from home it seemed only sporting to let her use it rather than watch her struggle with her phone. (For some reason she couldn't do that hotspot thing with her laptop). Bearing in mind of course I wouldn't have had a clue. By the time it was resolved, around mid-morning Saturday, the atmosphere was a little tense and, frankly,  I had other things to do. 

So thank you everyone who commented, apologies for not reciprocating but hey ho, another week, another WOYWW.......

I would like to be able to report that four days without the internet sparked a flurry of creativity and accomplishment. But nah, I just dossed around as always. I think I am becoming conditioned to this low achievement lifestyle.. 

I have however made a start on converting all those mandala's I made back before Christmas into actual cards. Here's my desk late Tuesday afternoon. As you can see I am trying really hard to keep it tidy. 

You can see a pile of the completed mandala cards at the back, the next 'row' are three layout ideas (well they are an idea to me, just a random selection of bits to you I expect). At the front is a completed blue 'circular' card and another one I am just about to do in a similar fashion. 

When I was making the blue one I needed a big circle die for a mat. My pre-cut circle cards are quite large. (I have them, so why not use them) I couldn't find a die big enough. I have a scan n cut so in theory I can cut any size up to 12", but there was something piled in front of the machine and I simply couldn't be bothered to move it. Yes I am that lazy.

Then I found this big die of lots of concentric circles that I bought intending to do some rainbow thing. (must stop binge watching Jennifer McGuire). Haven't done it yet of course. Ran it through my bug and it didn't cut through properly - my elderly bug is a little challenged, pressure wise - but it did make a rather interesting embossed background so I used it anyway. Waste not, want not... 

A couple more of my favourites - there are still loads to go, that must have been some session. 
And, just for my adviser Jan, here is the card with the cornet. Not my favourite make, but it followed the brief (6x 12, tulips, a cornet and those exact words). No idea why she wouldn't let me put the name on, I was just filling up space in the end. 

 Of course before I go I  must link up, as WOYWW is is our weekly bloghop courtesy of the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground - pop on over and join in, we don't bite. 

It's good to hear that so many are getting their first jabs. Some days I can't really believe this is where we are at, and we have been here for nearly a year.  Happy WOYWW, stay home if you can, stay well, stay safe, love n hugs, Cindy xx

 

 

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #607

Morning Deskers, here we are again - Wednesday once more. They don't 'alf come around quick don't they? Pleased to report all germ free and well chez Ashplant. We are being very careful as numbers are still high but starting to level out here in NW London. 

The days seem full, though I would be hard pressed to tell you what with. I have decided that from now on my daily to-do list will contain just 1 item. I might be able to achieve that. 

Still doing commissions so not much inroad being made into the tidying this week - unfortunately I can't seem to stop ordering craft stuff so it's not actually getting any better!!!  This is one I made this week, casing a card I had seen in one of my groups (dunno where now). Similar idea to something Sam Calcott was doing the other week and one I will revisit for sure.

Here's my desk all ready to start on a project today. I had a little spend up of Christmas vouchers at Lavinia last week and the goodies have arrived (along with some other silhouette stamps from ebay - just can't help myself) so am going to be playing with fairies today in between desking. A bit of proper playtime whilst actually doing a commission - Yay!! I have helpfully positioned the new stash at the front.  In addition to fairy stamps I have also snagged 2 distress oxide sprays, frayed burlap and old paper as I have heard they make interesting effects and who doesn't need an interesting effect?  I've made myself a little book to keep track of the cards that have been ordered as I am notoriously disorganised - I say yes then forget. The 'cornet' one I mentioned last  week will be ready to show next Weds, but I am still waiting on one last piece to complete it. 

Why am I showing you this? Well it's our weekly Wednesday Blog Hop - WOYWW. Here's the link to the one responsible, the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground - pop on over and join in, see what it's all about and have a go yourself.

So  that's me for another week, I'm sorry I missed some of the later desks last week,  I intended to get round but well, life, and then, as I said, here we are again!! 

Hope you are all well, I'm here if you need a chat. 

Stay home if you can, stay well, stay safe, love n hugs, Cindy x

What's On Your Workdeskk? Wednesday #606

Hello deskers. Well, what a pickle we are all in. Been guilty of  checking out a bit the last week, worries about friends and families having Covid in various degrees plus having to isolate ourselves because my daughter Chelsey tested positive after a contact notification have all meant I've felt a bit in limbo for the last 10 days or so. That said, on day 9 of this isolation period we are all well, the other 4 of us have all had asymptomatic tests now (negative) and Chelsey has only felt 'like she might be getting a cold' and frankly, that could be more to do with being stuck in a small room on her own for over a week than anything else. But once my two essential workers are back out in the field next week probably won't be long before we go round again, such is the reality of life today. 

I seem to have perfected the art of being busy all day but achieving absolutely nothing. It is becoming scary how easily one can lose a whole day!! 

I made one card at New Year for my 'honorary' second daughter who is now 30 and who lived with us for about 3 years in her late teens. Where did those years go? Another set of planned celebrations deferred. 

I love box cards, and am so pleased to have found a new template which gives this slightly different shape. Plus a different method for putting them together which seemed to work very well. I've cut a few blanks out ready while I remember the instructions but haven't made any others yet.

Commissions still coming in - well, people can't get to the shops I guess. Here's a first birthday. 

I have still not gone through the Christmas cards - perhaps I shouldn't say this, but although I keep a few cards each year I do try and upcycle handmade cards if I can for next year - what do people think about that? Is it a no no? Personally, I'd prefer people did that with my cards than they go in the bin. Shop cards get sent for recycling (after any cute bits and bobs removed!!) or cut into mats or cut down for ATC blanks. 

We have managed to take down the decorations - I know some people have elected to keep them up but after 'going early' I had definitely had enough by twelfth night!! The house seems bigger, which is a blessing as we are stuck in it. I will however post this pic of two of my Christmas pressies. The one on the left is the 'handmade' present from my sister (too talented by half). Plus a felted miniature from my daughter. Recognise that work?

My tidying of the craft room has continued in a desultory fashion. I bought some new storage for all my cards which made me happy as it was overflowing and the new boxes can be stacked neatly with labels on. (I am a closet neat freak). I also realised that I couldn't tell my BIGZ dies apart from one another - so I have re-labelled them in BIG letters so I can see at a glance. I've been quite successful at reducing the number of random boxes floating around the craft room - it is nowhere near finished however.

Oh and at last you may be saying, here's my main work table/desk. I have opened it 3/4 out and put it in the centre of the room. It doesn't leave a lot of space around it but it does seem to be working at the mo and it is easier to get to some things. I have still not decided about replacing my rolling chair - don't worry Julia, I do still have a chair, and I have bought a nice memory foam cushion for it so I am not risking my back by doing all my crafting standing up!! Again this arrangement seems to be working but then I'm not doing anything much at the mo. 

As you can see I have a nifty new stand, and a new ipad, which means zooming and videos are now  much easier and indeed possible (couldn't get zoom on the old ipad). I'm all set, if only I could find some gumption. So that's me, managed a good night's sleep last night and up early so this might actually be a productive day. But for now I'm planning a leisurely virtual cruise around visiting my fellow deskers. Here's the link to the one responsible for this weekly event, the lovely Julia at Stamping Ground - pop on over and join in, see what it's all about.

Finally I hope you are all well, I'm here if you need to offload. It's scary out there folks, stay home if you can, stay safe, stay well, Love n hugs Cindy xx

EXTRA:: Can anyone help with a link for an embellishment or image of a 'Cornet'. I am not even actually sure what I am looking for, but have a commission for a 'cornet player' and they want one on the card. I can't tell the difference between them tbh. (This may be one for LLJ!!)