**Tidy Desk Alert**

Oh yes people ... lookie here ... a tidy desk ... well for me anyway :0)

As part of my new regime ... one has organised oneself and the stuff on one's desk that has not been neatly encouraged to the edges ... is ... in fact ... wait for it ... in use!

C'mon you guys ... on a scale of 1 to 100 just how impressed are you???? Bet there is no one out there that would rate me less than a 99.999999 ... even me glasses is where I can see 'em! Smugger than smug ... that is me ... that is!!!

For those of you who have no clue what I am going on about ... well ... it is Wednesday and gazillions of peeps pop by to look at what's on your desk! If you want to join in the fun ... pop over and see Miss I have a tidy scrap box Dunnit and she will sort you out :0)

The tag on my desk is nearly finished ... it is for a CJ that I am running a bit late with ... not entirely my fault and it will be posted today ... along with all other outstanding CJ's ... then that is me sorted.

Finally ... Thank you so much for all the emails and PM's regarding my classes ... they started selling on Saturday ... which was a huge relief for a very worried me and there are still a few places available for my first class here.

Back to WOYWW ... I may be coming to a desk near you ... so pop the kettle on :0) Oh yeah and don't forget ... marks out of a hundred for ones organisation of one's desk :0)

I Did it!!!

I did you know! Christmas shopping got put off longer and longer yesterday ... then I realised my local department store was open until 10pm. So at precisely 6.30pm I dragged John into the one shop and ... wait for it ... drum roll please ... I bought almost all of my Christmas presents ... 28 of them ... all in 2 hours ... it was like the shop was open just for us ... no queuing ... nuffink! Cool huh? Yes I am feeling very smug ... apart from the difficulty I am having sitting down ... but to know more about that you have to read this post by Mrs D.

Now you think I am smugger than smug ... I will admit that the 15 carrier bags we attained are still just inside the dining room with all of their contents where I dumped them last night when we got in :0) I say I dumped them ... it was in fact John the pack horse that did all the carrying while I did the choosing part ... he came in very handy I must say! And I bought Christmas cards **Shock ... Horror**

Hopefully those of you that don't like clowns will be suitably distracted by now and won't have noticed that this post is indeed surrounded by them! This is the latest circle journal I have joined ... tis a stamping one so you send your journal and a stamp and hopefully it will be returned in 11 months time with lots of gorgeousness added to the pages.

I used the Zutter canvas covers which were a real joy to work on ... and one of the Zutter closure thingy wotsits and I have bound my journal with my trusty Bind-it-all. The stamps are Artistic Outpost and the harlequin background is indeed one of Tim's ... the man that can rescue ickle fluffy kittens from 100 feet pine trees with just a christmas tag and an Idea-ology key chain.

I am rather chuffed with the ticket office sign in at the back.

Blimey it's late ... night all!

More Sneaky Peeks!

You will be forgiven for thinking this is an ATC!

That is because it is!

The Circle journal I am part of on UKScrappers involved making an ATC as a signing off card ... which I think is a fab idea ... the theme is strictly vintage

I used the papers and lace etc., that I used on my lay out to make it and just added a doo dad and a Paper Bag Studio stamp to finish it!

I don't like to show the whole CJ entry on my blog as I feel this may spoil the surprise for the recipient ... but I do like to blog my progress so here are a few sneaky peeks.

I used grunge board to make the initials and painted and embossed then in gold. The frames were made with stamps from Paper Bag Studios.

As with all my entries I have added some Stitchels flowers. I make them using metal foil and Claudine Hellmuth's sticky backed canvas coloured with Vintage photo distress inks from Ranger.

I have had lots of emails asking about these flowers so I will try and make a tutorial ... I say try because I have never actually done one before :0))

This entry was only posted today ... a little bit late due to the Bank Holiday weekend .... I am looking forward to receiving next month's project any day now!

The First of the Month!

Blimey - that came around quickly!

The first of the month means I get to post March's Circle Journal on and then sit on the doormat waiting for April's to arrive.

This particular journal is all about quotes and although I did n't use a vintage quote I think the results fit with the strictly vintage theme.

I love this quote:-

You don't choose your family. They are god's gift to you, as you are to them.

                                    -Desmond Tutu

I just hope the final recipient likes it.

I am really enjoying working on each journal and I like the fact that the journal has a deadline, otherwise I would probably be sitting on three books by now :0))... actually, probably only two ... I would n't have even started mine :0))

No Crafting for an Eternity ...

... Apart from this! My very first dip into the life of a circle journaller. Yes I know that is n't a real word!

Real life has taken over here and I have misplaced my MOJO. I am sooooo glad I signed up for the circle journal before stuff started happening though! Otherwise I doubt I would have even done this!

It is not all bad stuff  ... my baby is getting married ... to the nicest guy ever and I am chuffed to bits. The wedding fairs and shopping have already started ... the venue is booked ... a castle ... all very exciting!

On the downside I have been made redundant after 25 years with the same company ... not the end of the world I know ... but a bit of a shock to the system all the same! What to do now?

Back to the CJ ... I was delighted with my Claudine Hellmuth and Stitchel's flowers vintage cover ... the picture does n't really do it justice ... but I love it and that is the main thing!

That got posted off on the 1st of February 2009 and should be back home before the end of the year.

The other sneaky peaks are part of the book that I posted off yesterday ... the theme of this one was vintage Christmas and I loved working on it.

Hopefully I won't be so long in between posts next time ... Thank you for sticking with me through my dry spell guys.