what's on my workdesk....

.... 'stuff'... mess?... creative bits and pieces.... but more importantly actual working space!!!!!!!!!!!  The desk was cleared yesterday so take a look while its still visible!  Actual working space - yes - its a rarely seen thing - like the yeti or unicorns (or Spring here in the UK) - so I thought I'd show you it while its here because it'll get covered over quite soon with more stuff!

Its been a while since I WOYWW'd, I hope you desk snoopers are keeping well - I'll be round to snoop later.... put the kettle on  :o)

WOY(new!)WW

Hello!  Welcome to my new workroom!

This month I have a couple of articles in Craft Stamper firstly this:

...and secondly I'm the subject of the 'meet n greet' article - I really enjoyed answering the questions - was fun.. and it included pictures of my workspace.. I'll show updated shots of my workroom another time (its an ongoing project!).

I'm feeling v spoiled to have a new room - its lovely & airy.... but I'm not going to show you my desk - there's not much on it (just things waiting to be put away!)

I'm going to show you my floor! lol
Yes, the floor...

Could we all please take a moment to look at my lovely floor! rofl FOUR COATS OF FLOOR STAIN that had to be rollered on while kneeling!!!!!! sore knees (until my lovely dh bought me a pair of knee pads - fab!!).. sore everything actually - but it was worth it - I love the colour!... and now I'm going to cover quite a lot of it up with a rug! lol  It has such a lovely sheen to it - thank you Dulux for your lovely product! lol - the colour is Ebony in case you're wondering   :o)

So thats my new room - can't wait to get settled in and get crafting...

For more desks and snooping the information is here - sit awhile and snoop around - its fun!

Hope you're all well - have a good day

WOYWW

I've been having a sort out of my workroom, and while the shelves look better & organised the same can't be said for my desk! lol  I took picture from several angles but it didn't look any better from any of them so here's the best (tidiest) angle:

 Two of my sketchbooks are on the desk because I was looking for something to inspire me for M's card and I haven't got around to put them away yet - and thats not because I'm a messy mare but because I've been working elsewhere! ;o)

And so you are not left with the impression that all is messy in Jo-land here's something pretty for you: a simple postcard I made using a new stencil I just bought - LOVE!!!
The postcard itself is one from a whole batch I made a while ago out of dressmaking patterns.. LOVE!!

If you'd like to know what all this WoYWW is all about head HERE to the blog of Julia 'Queen of Desks' where you'll find the details and lots of other desks to snoop around.. Enjoy!

Aaaanyhoo that's all for today - off to teach a class at Imagine That...

Take care

WOYWW...

... not much has changed since last week! So this is my messy painty desk - the one I usually post photos of:

Sketchbook on my still-very-clean craft sheet, ink pads, the glass balls on the right of the photo are a lamp I've brought in from the lounge to use with a daylight bulb (the light in my workroom is an old round(!!) flourescent) but this week no Lola on the desk...
and thats because she's here at the other desk! lol

This desk faces the other one (I stand/sit inbetween), and its quite tidy!

Festive accident update - the eye is not 95% back to normal, cheekbone swelling gone done but still painful and bruise on leg still going through some interesting colour changes... so its all good! lol   Not to be repeated I can assure you - I've had my share of accidents and incidents this year! Here's to an uneventful 2012! lol

Thats all folks - go and snoop elsewhere - :o)  go to Julia's (queen of WOYWW) blog to see what this is all about.

Just in case I don't see you again before 2012: thanks for stopping by in 2011 - it wouldn't be the same without you and I wish you all a

MERRY CHRISTMAS &
A HAPPY HEALTHY CRAFTY
NEW YEAR!!

WOYWW & Christmas(ish) part 3...

Here's my desk this week with general stuff on it including a new, nice, clean, & uncut craft sheet... & the address book because I've written all my christmas cards - and before you're impressed that on 7th December I've finished my cards - don't be because I bought them!  And it was very liberating - I'll make family & hubby's but all other are shop bought.

What I'm seeing in the photo is no difference to the state of my desk even though I spent a good couple of hours the other day re-organising it... how depressing.

Earlier in the year I helped clear and organise the White Shed at PaperArtsy HQ... anyone else think Leandra should/could come over and help clear my work room?

Lets vote - raise hands please...
Right, I'll call her..
ooh, hold on... what's that you're saying at the back?
You'd rather she spent her time bottling paints and pressing rubber than clearing up someone elses mess?
oh, OK fair point..
I'll tidy up on my own - seems right - it is my mess afterall... lol

I'll be round for a snoop later on...  and if you have no idea what this WOYWW is all about go HERE and all will become clear..

And now for something much prettier than my desk:

Here's a decoration I made using a whole lot of Tim H's stuff (not something I normally do).  A vintage cabinet card turned upside down makes a great penant and the circular part cries out to have a rosette mounted onto it.  Then there' a Hero Art stamp, distress inks, Adage tickets, ball chain, and memo pins (they're trickly little beggars aren't they! lol)

I have something else christmassy to show you tomorrow...

Please 'follow' the blog (over on the left-hand-side - I'll be a happy little blogger if I can get up to (or over!) 100 followers by 2012... in fact I'll be so happy I'll have a little blog-give-away in celebration!

WOYWW....

Good morning all you lovely snoopers! lol

What's on my worktop this week - well not much really so you can actually see the worktop (fanfare please!):

BUT, the only reason the desk looks this clear is because I put all the cr*p, ahem, sorry the box of lovely bits of paper I'm saving for later(!) on the table in front over here:

see, now I'm just spoiling you - thats two desks you can snoop around if you feel so inclined!
& check out that box of lovely PaperArtsy Fresco Finish paints! and there's new colours bottled and waiting - how excited am I?!?!  I've seen them- and I want them.. no I neeeeed them....

OK, that's quite enough - off you go to snoop elsewhere... I'll be around for a snoop tour later

(ps.. I'm quite very embarrassed at how unorganised and messy my room looks - I'll be around for a snoop once I've cleared up (cleared out) my stuff (hhm so that could be next tuesday)... now where did I put the rubbish sacks...)

WOYWW

Morning!
Welcome to my creative bombsite... whats on my desk this week?? - 'stuff' and lots of 'this n that':

When I took this picture (came into room, took picture - no moving things about, no prettying it up) I thought it looked a bit messy but now I look again it seems quite tidy (comparing it to previous pics! lol). I can actually see the worktop!!!!!!

New stacking baskets - storing upwards - cunning use of space I thinks! (works on the walls of the workroom so why not the desk.. 'if in doubt get shelves')

Latest copy of ClothPaperScissors - lovely issue - very interesting (as usual).

Tags on top of magazine are for my journal/scrapbook for Shimelle's 'Learn Something New Every Day' (LSNED) class. (yesterday's bit of learning was why 'Teddy Boys' of the 1950s were so called. OMG - was all I could say - brilliant - Oh? You want to know why they were called that?... Well the 'Teddy Boys' were so called because their jackets and trousers were based on the clothes worn by men in the Edwardian Period, and what is the name 'Edward' often shorted to...Yep - you win a pize if you said 'Teddy' (actually, no prizes today, sorry) I laughed out loud when I heard it - soo simple and quirky - I seriously had no idea why/how they got the name! (and I'm a mine of useless information! lol) Best thing I've learnt so far this month during the LSNED project.
(btw I'm still chuckling when I think about it - so obvious when you know why!!)

Anyhooo, be gone with you - go snoop around the other desks :o)  Thanks for visiting.

Please feel free to follow my blog - I can't guarantee I'll supply you with useless bits of information (like the above) on each of your visits but there's always other stuff to see...

;o)

Long time no WOYWW!!.... but I'm here now!

Shocking how long its been since I posted pics of my desk... so here it is in its usual messy glory:

To the untrained eye its looks like there was a direct hit from the creative bomb (& to a certain extent that is the case), but under those rosettes-in-the-making it is newly cleared and organised!! Honest.

I hope you are all well - I'll be around for a cuppa and a snoop later.
Take care - thanks for stopping by!

WOYWW...

.... hello! its been a while since I WOYWW'd - my desk isn't any tidier - at the moment it seems covered in ink & paint bottles - and there's nothing wrong with that is there! lol

To understand what WOYWW is all about go to http://www.stamping-ground.blogspot.com/  where all will be explained,

and if you like my blog/ramblings please click the follow button down on the left hand side, thanks!  :o)

Have a great day!

HoHoHo - Banana Frog Day! (and WOYWW)

24 ATCs later.....

go HERE to take a look

PS: 38 days 'til Christmas.....

PPS
I almost forgot today was Wednesday (don't ask)!

Here's my desk - possibly an even less interesting picture than last week (ie very tidy, no half made items,no fiddly twiddly bits & pieces and shockingly no cups of coffee!!) - its my computer desk with this month's dt pieces for Banana Frog... multi-tasking! 
Sorry - craft desk pic's will return next week (or during the week - so please pop back!)

WOYWW - its been a while!

Here it is - my desk - do you notice anything about it? go on, look carefully.... yep thats right - its clearer! I was going to say tidier but then that might be pushing the believability a bit too far - but it is clearer - less 'stuff' around the edges... oh come on course there is look at the white bits- that desk top!  So other things on there are my little sketchbook (in centre with pink spots on page), essential cup of coffee, coloured rubons (recently dug those out of the stash (buried deep!) I'd forgotton how nice they are!), PaperArtsy stamps, Hero Arts stamps and samples for a class, oh and not forgetting the very important general 'stuff'

Right you lovely snoopers - I need your help please (no not another plant identification - got my sambucus!) - I'm planning a trip to New York (oh yeah! New York baby - so good they named it twice!) and I'd like your recommendations for what I should do while I'm there - not the obvious stuff - I've already got a list as long as my arm of that (Statue of Liberty etc) but unusual stuff.... answers on a postcard, sorry, in the comments section please!

Thanks muchly in advance for any info!

And if you want to know what all this desk snooping is about head on over to Julia's blog and she'll explain everything, and you'll find a list of all the other desks that are open for viewing...

Right, other peeps' worktops here I come!

Busy day here at JoFY.co.uk!!

OK, its a wednesday and so that means WOYWW, but also its the 30th of the month which means its..

Banana Frog Blog Hop

Welcome!.. if you've arrived here as part of June's Banana Frog Blog Hop (starts at 9.00am). This month's theme is  SUMMER which is appropriate as Summer has arrived in the past few days with a bit of a fizz, bang, sizzle and bringing some great temperatures (HOT HOT HOT!) but I for one would really like a bit of a breeze to go with them! lol

I created a card this month using the 'Hiya Chick' and 'Kawai Kokeshi' stamp sets (available here). A concertina card peeking through branches of trees to see birdhouses and buds on branches....

Its a concertina card made up of 3 panels, with apertures cut in the first 2 pages to reveal the layers behind. Here's a better shot to show detail:

Thanks for visiting as part of the blog hop - your next stop is Julie who can be found here.  Enjoy the rest of the blog hop!

Welcome! to those of you here for a snoop at my desk - here it is:

Quite tidy don't you think?  But don't go thinking I haven't been busy - I have but its 'secret' stuff!
Lets take a little clockwise tour around the 'tidyness' starting bottom centre... black 25x25cm sketchbook - all my ideas and drafts get put in here as a sort of thinking process; lovely background stamps by Imagine That (more from them later!); great numbers/dates stamps by Papermania - more about those tomorrow when I come clean about something; yummy inks that are being played with at the moment inside the sketchbook; my (I made this) very sophisticated pointy tool holder ie 3 bits of polystyrene stuck to a bit of greyboard - its very chic! lol every desk should have one!; and last but not least my Tim Holtz scissors and a bone folder - both essentials on my desk... I wouldn't normally draw attention to my scissors but I will today because I FOUND THE SCISSORS' CAP!!!!!!! this made me very happy because I lost the cap and the cap on TH scissors is v important because they're very sharp and when I'm working I keep them in my trouser pocket (at the back) and I really didn't want to stab myself in the butt with them or tear my trousers/jeans.. so thats why. HAPPY!

Thanks for visiting, now off you go to snoop round other peoples spaces (that's what i'm going to do! lol) or to find out more about WOYWW go here

BUT, before you all go - can I have your help please?  What is this plant?

UPDATE!! The plant is a shrub called Sambucus Black Lace - Thanks to Tracy for settling that - I'm going to get one or two of those for the garden - v pretty!  oh the power of the web - or the WOYWWers - who needs Google to answer questions!! lol  Thanks again!

(It was in the garden of a local dentist and I love it - its leaves look almost black and the flowers are various shades of dusty pink - really unusual... It stands about 3-4 feet high.. I asked my gardening guru aka my Mum! but she couldn't identify it and suggested I look in the gardening book under 'small shrubs' if thats any help for anyone to narrow it down - it looks kind of oriental don't you think?  So if anyone has any ideas what it might be please leave a comment - THANKS!)

Banana Frog day & WOYWW

The past week has been a lot of this'n'that and today was no exception...

* finishing my Project of the Day for Banana Frog which you can see here - the card on the left is a taster.

* jumping up and down for five minutes with excitement (mixed with slight terror) because I was accepted to have a stall at Village Green 2010

* Opening the post to find nice, v nice, things inside! (I love when its not bills! lol)

* another stint at the studio for Art Trail

* time spent in garden, part of which was trying to teach Bertie cat that chasing butterflies (while v entertaining) is NOT acceptable.

* weighing up what is more interesting/better use of time this evening: going to a private view or more getting-ready-to-move tasks... mmm thats a toughie.... Not!

*fighting with the PC and new printer .. why are these things never as simple as they seem - or should be! lol

*and finally photographing my desk to show to the WOYWWers out there.. I'm waving at you - yes YOU   :o)

So, its quite tidy today - please note the essential cup of coffee, my favourite ink pad - large archival and general..erm..stuff...  and check out that big piece of white - thats the worksurface!! tadaaa!!

.. and not a cat in sight!

WOYWW

Hi to all you visiting WOYWWers.  My desk today is my computer desk which is where I'll be sitting for most of the morning until I head over to PaperArtsy HQ this afternoon where it'll be a much more creative desk! lol

If Leandra (PA head honcho, creative guru and all round fab chick) joins in today I'm sure she'll show you something more creative....

Anyway - here's mine:

and yep, the desk top piccy: thats me and DH on our wedding day... aw too cute! and the 'I-don't-know-what-I-did-before-I-had-one' Iphone. No picture of Bertie this week - all the fame and nice comments are going to his head!  Our other cat is Lola - very pretty but quite grumpy and when I'm down in the workroom she 'keeps me company' and sits/sleeps in a section of the bookcase in the workroom - pretty much with the sole purpose of hiding from Bertie!

Thanks for visiting - I'm off to work and then tonight I'll sit and go here, there and everywhere visiting all the other nice desks and creative lovinesses....
go here to see what the WOYWW is all about...

WOYWW

phew - just about scraping in... not much to show this week (can't show actually 'cos what I'm working on is going for publication) but Bertie has made more than 1 appearance on the desk today so here his is in all his desk snooping glory - hunting for cotton buds (he loves a cotton bud does our Bertie! wierd)

Sorry about the picture quality - taken by the phone camera...  and also don't be too concerned about his lack of tail - he does  have a perfectly normal one but was swooshing it side to side so fast (!?) the camera could catch it lol

And yes, for the eagle eyed among you, that is a scalpel and a pair of scissors he's almost sitting on but please be assured that no animals were harmed as part of this WOYWW.   lol

WOYWW has been going for a year! YAY for everyone who has been brave enough to show us their creative mess sorry desks.  Head on over to here to see the list of everyone who joined in this week and/or to see what this WOYWW is all about.

WOYWW + a whole lot of other stuff....

its been a week since I last posted anything - that's neglectful of me isn't it!?  But its not as if I've been sat on my tush watching Jeremy Kyle and Loose Women - I've been busy behind the scenes....

This past weekend was spent helping out at the second Flights of Fancy ArtsyCrafts weekend - it was such a good weekend spent with 50+ painting, metalling, inking ladies creating some great projects... I went indoors at 7.00 friday night and didn't come back out into fresh air until 9.00 on sunday evening and i don't think I even noticed!  I was having too much fun (ahem.. working hard).  I love working at these events. There was lots (and lots) of paint, and just as much metal to be worked, sweets, prizes, lots and lots of die cutting and embossing - oh we worked those die cut machines- the Big Shots (mine is affectionately known as Bertha) and the Cuttlebugs... and Linda and I counted 50 kits out and back in, ....oh and I had a lift journey with a whole load of lively 70's-costume-clad party goers.. don't ask

Here are the uber talented Lin Brown and Leandra Franich:

How could you not be inspired when you look at these colours: 

Tables at work (or is it play?):

A couple of sneakypeeks of one of the projects:

And it was all going swimmingly until we got back to PaperArtsy HQ and I discovered I'd forgotten to pack my weekend bag in the car to come home! (in fairness there was a lot of stuff to pack in the cars, and I'd at least remembered to pack all my craft equipment (all the important stuff!)) Doh! How could I have forgotten the bag with my clothes etc in! When I hear of people doing the same thing I can never understand how they can forget something so fundamental!  Well quite easily apparently - I had to laugh really... 

I've since been reunited with said bag, thanks to Lin at LBCrafts (big thanks to her!) for organising TNT who brought it home on Tuesday:

I laughed a lot when I saw the size of the lorry it turned up in! The bag and contents are all safe and sound - even the banana and 4 apples that I had packed inside for snacks! roflol

Right, enough of this waffle - WOYWW:  here is my desk: ok, small confession - this is my desk on Tuesday but believe me it's not going to change much (at all) today! lol
I bought some new distress colours while I was at ArtsyCrafts, and so I'm in the process of making myself some colour charts inspired by the ones I made for the tables at AC(2nd photo).

I'm testing out the format in my sketchbook (I do that with most projects etc), and that cute little castle on the bottom left of the page is one of the new images by Banana Frog (called fairytale princess) .. and please note all that nice white space - thats the worktop! TaDaaaa!  yes we can actually see the worktop!

That's all folks - I'm determined to visit everyone this week.. so I'd better get to it! I have a feeling it could take a while! lol

Oh, one last thing - if you fancy coming to one of the ArtsyCrafts weekends (and why wouldn't you?!) details are on LBCrafts website and PaperArtsy's.

EDIT / ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS IN COMMENTS:
1: My overnight bag is actually not too big - shown here
2: The picture of cushions was a colour inspiration for the Banana Frog design team - you can see how they interpreted it here and here
3: The BigShot:  well, I'm a Cuttlebug fan really - I have been known to stroke my Bug while saying 'i love my cuttlebug'! lol Its a great little machine - portable, it suckers to the table so it doesn't wander off when you're turning the handle, and its very versatile...... BUT then I tried the BigShot!! its as good as the Bug but feels sturdier and smoother and because of the depth of the dies will go through a bigger variety of materials.. but the dies are expensive and gererally only come one to a die plate whereas the Cuttlebug dies often come in a pack that has a die and coordinating embossing folders.... no definitive answer I'm afraid - its all swings and roundabouts... it'll all come down to personal choice in the end..

been 'busy'....

.. I was having a quick look back through my recent blog posts and its been a while since I posted pictures of my actual work - it all seems to have been pictures of my desk (which is fine), or things I've found inspiring or just generally pretty pictures ... but none of my work.  Sometimes this is because I can't show it for one reason or another ie magazine work, dt pieces, samples for teaching or I'm working on pieces that will go for sale ... etc etc etc

aaaanyhoo enough is enough - lets put this right:  here are some pic's of a couple of things I made earlier today:

playing with my new favourite punch - the bird/branch from Stampin up.. they've got a great new stye of punch- nice and flat and stackable and much kinder on the hands.

and another card made using quite a few of my favourite things - sewing, punchouts, sewing, and the gorgeous 'brook' paper from Crate Paper.

Thanks to the everyone who left a comment about Bertie and his debut on WOYWW but before you all get too taken in by those 'butter wouldn't melt' cute looks of his check this out.. this is what I have to contend with - the little furball has no manners! lol I spend a lot of time picking him up off the desk and putting him back down on the floor... he's like a jack-in -the-box... gotta love him though- its all part of his charm... apparently!

WOYWW

Today I've been doing a bit of this'n'that - finishing up some projects that I've been asked to do which means that... wait for it.... yes I actually tidy up!!!!!!!!  Sometimes the desk get a bit too cluttered and I can't think straight/ clearly and so I have to tidy up before I can carry on.. and the project/ work I have lined up for tomorrow takes quite a bit of desk space so another reason for a bit of a tidy up - I'd also hate to have you thinking I'm a complete slob in the studio! lol 'cos I'm not - untidy yes but also quite organised...

So here's the pictures - before the clean up with work in progress still in situ

so all is pretty much as untidy creative as last week, the mug on the desk actually holds coffee! no tools, and in the top right is an addition to the desk: a small portable dvd player that I sometimes have playing instead of the radio - nothing like a good mgm musical to occupy part of the brain while working! Today it was Calamity Jane and 7brides for & brothers... love them!

and this is how it looks now after the clean up- ready for tomorrow..

and one final photo showing the other desk - not so much for the desk but to show the little terror sitting on it looking like butter wouldn't melt, but who generally arrives on the desks all of a rush and univited, walks around hunting for cotton buds and/ or blue tac! (or cut'n'dry) I have no idea what the appeal of blue tac is but he loves it! His name's Bertie - as in Bertie Bassett, cos he's black like licorice. 

Hope you've enjoyed another poke around my space, and meeting one of my cats... I'm off to to peek at what your spaces are looking like today.. take care.

1st time for everything...

.. and for me this 1st time is showing my desk(s) on WOYWW (whats on your workdesk? wednesday)..

Neither of my home work desks is particularly tidy today (laugh, are they ever?...oh yes there was the day they were set up - they were clear then!) but here they are today in their creative mess glory....

This is the main desk, facing the window...
Things I like about the desk are the undershelf wire rack (on right) - its great for stashing colouring equipment - pencils, felt pens, promarkers etc.. it has adjustable height options (got to love Ikea), the tressle legs have shelves and there's still enough space underneath for my legs and a wire trolley for some of my punches.

On the desk:

My trusty Cuttlebug (shush! don't tell the Bug but I'm going over the dark side and buying a BigShot! I'll keep the Bug (LOVE my bug) but I'm having a Big Shot too - all in the name of research and business etc.. ahem.

Massive plastic pink spotted teacup bought recently in Matalan - it made me laugh - its meant for plants  but its a perfect size for keeping bits of Cut&Dry

PaperArtsy HotPick stamps (of course - always seem to have PA stamps on the desk somewhere)

Drawer of Stickles waiting to be put away - there's a lot of stuff on the desk waiting to be put away lol

Jar of buttons - love buttons!

Nestabilities dies

Old linen top being cut up to make suffolk puffs (or yoyo's - whatever name you prefer)

Equipment wrap - A wrap I made to keep all my tools in - a couple of people have commented on how much they liked it and so I'm going to start making and selling them.

rotating tool caddy in the top right hand corner (by Pampered Chef) ...rofl ... cooking is not high on my list of things to do but I went along to a party to support a friend who is a PC consultant and I couldn't resist the rotating tool storage thingymajig. Perfect for storing rulers, scissors, crop-a-diles, paint brushes etc etc etc.

Here's the other desk.. this is the 'clean' desk that I use more for sewing. I've got a mini table top ironing board (thank you again Ikea) and the buttons storage (some of) is on here too.  Another linen top being cut up, cottons, paints (unopened - waiting to be put away) and a rack at the back with loads of recently made cards...

Organised chaos! but in a good way  :o)   Hopefully next wednesday the desks will have changed - and I won't give you such a full tour next time! lol  I don't think the desks will be any clearer though - I'm a bit of a hoarder - I like to save things 'just in case'!  lol

See you next Wednesday - I'm off to look at other peoples creative spaces.