WOYWW 265

When I take  my weekly photo for WOYWW I realise how much or how little I've been in my studio.  A few days on a bit of a scrapping frenzy last week and my room is a tip - I blame Shimelle and her weekend of inspiration.  In the end I started rolling over stuff that I had piled on the floor (lots more out of shot on the floor too) and I needed some space to start some fresh thinking.

Its a bit of a shocker even for me but I make no apologies.  I traveled around a few desks last week and so many people were sorry for their mess.  Don't be sorry people!  We are creative and busy and happy in our art and of course we make a mess and things get moved around but it is OUR space and OUR art!

Now it looks more like this.  The pile on the floor is "to be sorted", the pile at the back is scraps that need filing and the pile of cardstock on the left is erm... a pile of cardstock that needs putting away.  When I have a lot of stuff to put away (again there is more out of shot) I tend to make piles like this so I only have to go to the place where I keep the cardstock once and the scraps pile once, etc.  I end up with a big tray of embellishments to sort out too and I am dreading this.  I seriously need to pare back my stash and that is going to be on the list once I have tidied up a great deal.

This week I have also been sorting Lego into colours ready for some drawers to be labelled.  Sounds very OCD doesn't it?  I'm a big Lego fan and we have lots of different sets and these days they have lots of very unusual shaped pieces and so finding them is easier if things are in colours.  And I like doing mindless tasks like breaking apart and sorting small bricks :-)

So that's me for the week, how about you?  Sharing is caring so don't forget to link your creative space to this wonderful blog hop at Julia's Stamping Ground.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 249

What have we here then?  Not much in the way of crafting I can tell you.  We are considering putting our house on the market and the potential move may involve me losing my precious studio.  What will I do?!  I want to scratch myself at the mere thought of not having my own place to craft.  I guess I need to start getting rid of stuff...

Here is this week's offering if you've come for a browse around the desks with WOYWW courtesy of Julia at the Stamping Ground.  

Evidence of some sorting out is pretty much all that's available this week.  We got rid of a load of videos but I had an inkling in the back of my addled mind that someone somewhere had a brilliant use for the empty cases.  I think it might have been something to do with cling stamps.  A brief peruse of Pinterest and Youtube yielded nothing so maybe I imagined it.

In the middle there is very very old evidence of a former crafting life.  I used to like drawing as a teen.  Nothing out of my own head, all copied and all cartoon style, but I obviously liked them enough to cut them out and keep them.  I also found some early poetry that I had penned - phew lots of teen angst there!

I almost didn't join in this week as I didn't manage to get around anyone last week and I sincerely apologise for that.  My littlest great nephew was a poorly boy and in hospital for a few days and it threw things out a bit and then my puter decided to have a funny five minutes which seemed to effect it from then on.  It is mostly sorted now apart from the screen looks a bit different in Chrome but I can live with that... *twitch*

So, regular WOYWW-ers - any idea who or where I might have seen someone doing something clever with storage using video cases?  Do let me know if you can think of anyone!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 247

Despite the mess here today there is actually a system in place and much upheaval has been gone through.  The drawers to the left are now tidy and the top drawer has all my photos IN ORDER!  Well until my next order of 288 come in the next couple of days... 

The papers etc spread out out at the front are what I'm working on for my current DT projects which I will be squirreling away on this weekend as we are off to a scrapbooking retreat in a barn with the Artful Angels! We had a lovely time last year at the same place and I think it is just what I need to get myself sorted and recharge my batteries.

I've shuffled the shelves a little and put my bots and bobs back on my desk after a mammoth bout of filing.  I now have 2 cake stands on my desk - the pink glass one was from my very good friend for my 40th last month (is it really only last month?!)  The wire one holds all my JYC bits so that I can just pick the whole thing up and move it away while I work on something else.

Last week I had some happy mail from the lovely Lunch Lady Jan in the form of a quilt and pillow for Miss Bella's babies.  She was over the moon with it and went all dreamy and quiet but not to worry, it was a temporary thing and she is back to her chatty self again and enjoys reading to her babies in their new bedding.  Thanks Jan!

So what have you got to show us this week?  Link up with Julia at Stamping Ground because sharing is caring ;-)

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 245

Its Wednesday, so its WOYWW, so let's get straight down to business - no time to shilly shally.  I have officially finished all of the layouts I can possibly get from the collection I've been working on through Shimelle's class.  The one you can see on the desk is the penultimate layout.  I just about have enough scraps left to eek out a Valentine card for Management - ssshh don't tell him, just between us 'kay?

I was enjoying a little play (hence the full cuppa) Tuesday afternoon when I took this during a brief moment of sunshine - hurrah!  I really feel for anyone experiencing floods etc right now - it is truly awful.  There can't be much more water left in the sky to fall can there?!

Last week I mentioned that I was heroically trying to log all my layouts / blogged projects / photos etc and part of that is filing this pile of layouts!  You can see the spotty tablecloth that I used to have on my desk which some of you might remember.  You can also see why I choose to use Taffy pink albums by American Crafts :-)

Its been a creative hive of activity here at Crazy Towers.  Miss Bella wanted a friend to come over to make a Facebook page!  Kinda cute that she got it mixed up but she did actually mean a scrapbook page obviously. I knew I would have to tackle the children's art room in order for this to take place - gulp!

Being by the back door means all manner of outside items get left here.  It leads through to the utility so it bugs me that it is so messy.

There was nothing else for it.  It had to be done.  I put some funky music on, grabbed another cuppa and set to it.  I'm pretty pleased with the results but I just need to keep on top of it!

The insect home you can see on the windowsill there is patiently awaiting our baby stick insects to be big enough not to be able to squeeze through the holes!  We have 6 so far of just under an inch long.

The trolley on the left is what I sort the washing into, nothing to do with crafts at all.  The basket on top is full of Slimming World magazines that I need to sort through and pull out the recipes.  The shelves there are also the place where I keep my vases etc.

Our little guest took to scrapbooking like a duck to water and was overheard to say "I love your house.. I really love doing this!"  Also Louis finished a lovely page which I promised I would show on the blog very soon and said he had forgotten how much he enjoyed scrapbooking!  This all made my heart literally sing!  I find it hard to have little friends to tea but it is part of my One Little Word progress and I have to say that it was lovely to see the three of them sat there singing along to the radio and cutting and sticking while I pottered about at the stove.

Anyway, enough about the crafting going on here, what's going on where you are?  Pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to link up with other desks around the world.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 244

I know it looks a mess but I promise you that I know exactly where everything is and there is actually an order to proceedings... sort of...

No seriously, its a hive of creativity at the moment, so much so that I am in danger of utilising every room in the house for something.  Lets begin with the desk seeing as that is what What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is all about. Feel free to share your desk too over at Julia's Stamping Ground.

I was encouraged to get a bit painty with this layout (from Shimelle's new class) using white acrylic paint and Glimmer Mist on an acrylic block.  The idea is that the gap and the beginnings of the paint are covered with another piece of paper and you just see the edges of the paint as an extra layer.  However, it went a bit wrong after this.  I had pencilled in where the lines of the paper were going to go but still managed to stamp in the wrong place.  This meant I had to move the paper and so one of the pencil lines was visible.  Why did I not just rub it out I hear you cry?!  Well that will be because the painty / misty layer was protecting it... Ahem...

Its almost finished now so I'll be back in a couple of days to share that.  I'm still using Echo Park's For The Record 2 for some Greek photos and still loving it.

I've also been really OCD this week and I've been sorting out all the photos and putting them all in order. This means I can go through my albums on the computer and work out which ones I haven't printed.  I seem to have very few photos from 2007-8 so there are plenty more to come I'm sure!

I don't think I'm going to run out of photos to scrap any time soon!

As part of this big sort out I've had to work out which layouts / stories are in my albums and which ones have been blogged.  You might be seeing some very old layouts here as a result!  This particular layout started life as an 8x8 but I couldn't make it work so I added a few layers and put it onto a 12x12 instead.

 I think I made this in about 2011 not long after I had started scrapping (2010) and it remains one of my favourites, especially from my early years.

It was the first time I had tried doing my own thing with layering and clustering embellishments so I was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

Obviously there are things I would do differently now but isn't there always?

Time for a cuppa and a scoot around the desks.  I have a LOT of blog reading to catch up on!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 241

Oh dear... this is the state of my desk after a rather eventful weekend.  I managed a few hours at the crop before I gave up with this stupid virus and came home.  I didn't even unpack the car, Management did that.  Other than the fabulous surprise party that I got dragged out to (and thoroughly enjoyed!) I've pretty much been laying flat because my sinuses are so painful that my head feels too heavy to lift for long.  I can't use a screen for long either - dagnamit!

So we have boxes of punches from the car, my Selphy printer (that Management is very cross with because they have no intentions of being compatible with Windows 8 and you can't buy a computer without that these days...), a gift bag from the lovely Paula from Artful Angels and my new aluminium case (see below) and then my Jo Malone box.  A wonderful friend bought me a Jo Malone candle and perfume for my birthday and the box smells fabulous.  It's very sturdy too so ideal for transporting embellishments to crops.

Please excuse the following photo - new lap top means new software and getting used to things again.  Its a bit different for me because I've never done decoupage before but it was an emergency.  I was so wrapped up in my own birthday that I forgot to get a card for the little girl that Louis was going to a party with!  I had fifteen minutes to find something so I grabbed a pile of stuff that was free with a magazine.

Ta da!  My new aluminium box for my Promarkers!  Management is on the case with a remedy for the floppy insides but I love it anyway!  I can carry them about too which is what I wanted.

Have you got transportable pen storage?  What do you use?  What else is on your desk this week?  Link up with WOYWW and see other creative spaces.  Hope to see you around!

Bye for now
xx

Its not too late!

We may be well into December but its not too late to get organised for recording your festive season.  I'm loosely following Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas with a bit of a daily diary aspect too.  This is my desk at the start of the month (temporarily cleared off to accommodate wrapping...)

I keep everything to hand when I'm doing an ongoing project like this because it helps to narrow down the decision making and gives continuity by only using the supplies on the table.  I'm using divided page protectors this year so that I can do a lot or a little, depending on time, inclination and story.  Its also easier to think in smaller chunks and it is a lot less overwhelming than filling a full 12x12 page everyday.

This year I'm going with the gorgeous Bundled Up by Crate Paper because it matches the Winter Project Life kit that I had.  Its not a usual Christmas colourway for me because I'm usually quite traditional but I just fell in love with it.  Also I like that it is wintery and not just Christmassy so will be useful for any snow pictures too.

I also picked out a few of the papers from the new Crate Paper Maggie Holmes collection called Flea Market because the colours matched so well.  It pads out the variety nicely and is perfect for those days that are not full on festive.

My punches are all here at the ready too.  Aside from continuity and limiting my options, I find that they inspire me when they are out like this so I get a good start for deciding on the design of each pocket.

A cake stand is a perfect organisational station for projects like this.  I have adhesives in the top, trims and ribbons and enamel dots in the middle and cut to size cards and Project Life cards etc in the bottom.  Then I have various bowls of washi tapes, buttons and twines, stickers and the Bundled Up ephemera.  My little heart shaped bowl has my very small embellishments like the Studio Calico veneer stars and snowflake brads.

 I keep a flower pot of my most used tools out and some off cuts of coordinating plain card and then in theory I don't have to move from my desk for anything other than another cup of tea.

I also grabbed some older supplies including some music paper, stickers and vellums etc.  In theory it should all fit into a smallish tote when I want to scrap elsewhere although I might have to leave the album behind.  Its the American Crafts D Ring Modern album on the left there but I have yet to design the front.

My JYC time each day helps me to rekindle the magic and make sure that what's important stays important.  Its a breather and a time to reflect and remember what its all about.  That is different things to different people but the sentiment is the same.  Take time this year to have a moment to embrace the magic of this special time.  Its not too late to jot down some thoughts, take a picture or two, or make something pretty.

I'm going to be posting regular updates and some of my journalling so I hope you'll come back and share your thoughts with me too.

Merry Christmas!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 229

This might well be my last WOYWW appearance for a while as we are in Wales next week (sans internet / mobile reception / TV etc - huzzah) and then we are into November.  For me this means NaNoWriMo which some of you asked about last week when I mentioned it.  It means National Novel Writing Month and the idea is that you write a 50,000 word novel (or the start of a novel if you want to write a long one) in a month.  Crazy huh?!  The basic premise is that we can procrastinate over the first sentence or a chapter or whatever for years and years and never get that novel finished.  This way you bash out that first draft using the word count / forums / collective cheer squad of other Nano writers etc to actually get it done.  Once that first draft is out of the way you can start tweaking it but knowing that it is finished, or a long way towards it, keeps you motivated.  Its going to be tough but I think it will really help to drive me forward and not keep knocking my writing down the "To Do" list.  But that is November...

This week in Crazy Towers we have been making um... crazy towers.  I was lucky enough to be told of someone getting rid of a load of 12x12 paper trays from an old scrapbooking shop so I bought some.  I've spent a happy few hours since then having a sort out and rearranging my papers and then shuffling them some more and moving them again.  This is the start of proceedings...

About halfway through when I was beginning to lose the will to live...

And then this is how it looks now.  Still a work in progress with a few piles of things to sort and put elsewhere but I am loving my crazy tower of paper trays.  The black box on the top is a box of scraps that I have to sort but my accordion file where I used to keep them (that black case to the right) exploded so I needed to find an alternative.  I've decided to file them upright in poly bags on one of the bottom shelves that is now empty, or will be after another little shuffle.

The A4 paper lid and the flowery briefcase are both Christmas stash that needs sorting more appropriately and the pile of plastic bags in the corner there are Christmas presents waiting to be wrapped.  I would have done them already but there is not much paper about yet because the shops are still full of Halloween stuff.  Don't they know time is cracking on?!

And my desk, seeing as that is the theme of the day.

Still haven't cut my denim letters but I have experimented this week with using normal PVA instead of Mod Podge to stiffen the fabric.  I shall let you know how it goes.  Stiffening it makes it a lot easier to stick the cut letters on to cut around and gives it a better finish.  The page I am doing this for will go opposite this one in my album so you can see how the denim ties in
.

Time to have a look around some other crafty spaces with Mistress Julia for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

WOYWW 214

I know us Brits like to talk about the weather but boy oh boy what glorious sunshine we are having right now!  I've barely been in my craft room this week due to the sun and other general franticness but I did manage another card (which I forgot to photograph) and to begin another page in my Devon album.  I tend to leave the opposite page in sight (the one that you can see on the desk there) so that I can choose coordinating colours even though its not a double page spread, if that makes sense.

I realise this looks fairly tidy to some people and a total mess to others so I thought I would share some other images of the mess in my craft room.

Spot the difference?

There is a new cup of tea in the second shot!  Management made it for me in between shots but then I promptly forgot about it and it went cold :-(

A close up of the mess on the desk.  You can see the scrap of paper that I put in each completed page after I have blogged it.

Various piles to my left and in the floor.  The bright pink file under the wonderful Amy Tangerine album is actually for Parent Governor business which I was supposed to be doing this week.... ooops...

Things that desperately need putting away on the surfaces near the printer and die-cutting area.

The basket that is normally on my desk that needs a good sort out.

The side view of my desk that gives you a sense of scale and mess building up on the sides.

More piles on the floor.  The yellow box is full of stuff that needs sorting and putting in its rightful place.  I shall get around to it one day.  I could do with a week of finishing things off and putting things away really!

But alas the house does not clean itself nor does the food cook itself or the clothes wash themselves or stories write themselves whatever whatever.  But no doubt I will find time to be creative at some point this week, even if its just with excuses of what I haven't hoovered ;-)

This post is brought to you in conjunction with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.  Clear here for more details.

Bye for now

xx

WOYWW198

Good morning Wednesday!  Well who can tell what the weather will do today?  Yesterday we had 4 seasons in one day with tremendous rain and hail and then snow and then sunshine!  I hope its a bit warmer anyway as I really need to get to my desk.  I managed to tidy up after the VERY last minute birthday album which was handed over less embellished that I would like but now its time for the next batch of projects.  I've almost finished a layout from my pile of 19-to-be-completed - you can see that on the left there, its one of Shimelle's 4x6 photo love layouts.  The pile of fabric in the middle is the beginnings of some girly bits for my utility room, (no, not THAT sort of girly bits, you know curtains that don't actually pull and a cushion for a chair we haven't bought yet...  )

The red book is my Creative Writing coursebook and I do really need to get cracking with that because the next assignment is due soon.  The green leaflet on top is for our local leisure centre as I've been trying to fit in some more classes seeing as I love the Body Combat one so much - go me!

I've been meaning to share some new additions to my craft space for a while, so here they are.  This pretty heart shaped bowl from Ikea is perfect for paperclips on my desk.  (Don't panic that there is no tea here as I just went in to take the picture).

This stunning bowl was recently given to me by my Dad.  Apparently it is real gold around the top and it used to belong to my Grandmother and possibly be older than that.  I have no idea why it has been held onto when anything else has long gone but its perfect for my washi tapes and it goes perfectly in my pink and aqua room.

It lives on what looks like a dresser but is actually an old nappy changing station and a door-less bathroom cabinet - both from Ikea, as are the pots underneath the bump cast.  I'm still undecided about what to do with the cast but as I've said before it is safer up on the wall while I think about it and I kinda like it just as it is.  I certainly won't be embellishing it too much I don't think.

So what have you got on the go this week?  Why not share your projects or your space at WOYWW with crafters worldwide - its fun!

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 172

For those of you who remember the spillage from last week, yes I have picked it all up!  Some people said it might seem like I had more than I had to begin with, you know how these things spread, but no, I kept trying to increase my stash by spilling more but it didn't work.  Neither did I find anything too exciting, so I'm afraid it was a lose lose situation, especially when you consider the pure filth that spilled from my normally chaste lips when I stood on an upturned eyelet.

So this is today.

There are pink letters and an orange and pink layout to be finished off and then on top of that is a poly bag of  "bits" which I'm getting ready to take to my niece's tomorrow.  I'm going to do some stamping and colouring and some fussing cutting of flowers ready for another layout and hopefully let her get some much needed rest.

Just for fun I thought I would give you another view of my desk so that you can see the couple of things that I added a little while ago now - my bunting and my belly cast.  I haven't decorated my cast at all yet and I may not.  I'm just happy for now that it is up on the wall and out of the way and it still makes me smile thinking of my crazy girl being tiny and all tucked up inside it 3 years ago.

Don't forget to share your workspace.  We all love a good snoop.  Show us what you are working on this week and then link up with Julia to see other desks from all over the world.  It will be good to see you.

Bye for now
xx

WOYWW 171

Best laid plans an' all that...  I rushed into my craft room to take a picture in daylight (those precious hours are dwindling fast aren't they?!) and managed to do this instead.  Obviously many round pieces and a hard floor mean't that things were scattered far and wide.  It was a dumping ground for embellishments after being at crops so that will teach me to put things away when I get back.

Its been one of those days so I took a deep breath, walked away and closed the door.  I do need to clear it up though as I am having a play date tomorrow - huzzah!  Lots of tea, chat and scrapping and I can't wait.

I've been finishing off a few things week and working on the little something for a friend but I did also manage to squeeze in this easel card for my niece.

I've never made an easel card of any sort before so this diagonal one was quite a logistical challenge for my small brain!

That fabby large button and the printed twill ribbon were part of my haul from Handmade Treasures at the weekend.  I love these feature buttons which do come in a size bigger too for a real statement.

This cot stamp was another thing rescued from my "give it away" box which I never got around to "giving away" - oops!  I love the subtle embossed effect on the printed background.

You'll be pleased to hear that Mum and baby came home on Saturday and are doing really well.  We are dog-sitting at the moment for my other niece who visiting with her new baby (5 weeks) so I have had lots of lovely newborn snuggles this week and I will miss them all when they go home today.  I will get a lot more done at my desk though!

Talking of desks, what's on yours?  Go on share if you dare.  Its what we do on a Wednesday around here. This post is brought to you by Julia's What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Bye for now
xx