What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 591

 Hello Everyone, 

Wednesday again and another chance to take a snoopy look at all your crafty desks/tables/floors with the help of Julia, Head Desker, over at the Stamping Ground. 

And this is what's on my desk today. I had reason ... okay, it's for a scrappy challenge ... to search through my entire stash of 12x12 cardstock and patterned papers yesterday. A mammoth task. I was looking for anything Kraft. There was a time when Kraft was the favoured alternative to black and white scrappy backgrounds but not, it seems, so much today if what I found is anything to go by - just one sheet of cardstock! When it comes to scrapping looks like we're a fickle lot - or is it simply that there's far too much choice available. I know I can't keep up with all the new scrapbooking collections/supplies launched several times a year - not that I'd even try. I digress, back to what's on the desk. During the search I discovered this box of cut-aparts. The victim of one of my many sorting sessions.  Most go back to 2014/2015 but a few are from 2012. So now it's my job to sort through the box and, hopefully, find a use for them on future layouts. A difficult task but someone has to do it. 

I thought you might be interested to know what happened to the home made kit and the Heidi Swapp Color Magic Note that was on my desk last week. 

This great photo of the EM was taken on holiday in Jersey in 1998 ... a lovely memory of one of the many happy days we had on the island. 

And finally, Facebook has been very kindly reminding me daily of the fun times we've had in previous years ... reminding us too of the fun we're missing this year ... and this is today's memory.

I love this photo from the 2017 WOYWW crop of Annie, Jan and Julia concentrating on learning to dumf. Hopefully, we'll all be able to get together again ... some day ... sigh.

That's all for now. 

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 590

 Afternoon Everyone

It was too much to hope that, after last week's unexpectedly early post, I'd make an equally early appearance this week. No excuses beyond the usual one of life getting in the way. And that life has not been made any better by the latest pandemic restrictions here in the UK. Sigh. I can't help thinking that we WOYWWers are luckier than many, we have our workdesks, and we have the weekly opportunity to keep in touch through Julia's weekly get together on the Stamping Ground. Our long distance camaraderie will help us through, I'm sure.

Spot the difference! I've had a major clean up and so much tidiness is good for this old soul. I'd say that I will keep my desk this clear but I think that would be too optimistic. Much too optimistic. Papercrafting tends to be a messy business, don't you think? That's another of my homemade scrap kits in the poly bag. This one is predominately blue in content with a little bit of black and white for contrast - much of it made up of scraps. Using up paper scraps could be said to be my current raison d'etre!

Warning: this is the enabling me now. On the left of the desk, just above the handy wee pack of heart shaped puffy stickers, is this pack of Heidi Swapp Color Magic Notes 18. The notes are white with an embossed design which is, when spritzed with a coloured ink like the Ocean blue Color Shine I used here, revealed. I wasn't sure how useful I'd find the notes but they've won me over ... I like that I can spray them any colour I need for a layout. . 

That's all from me this week except a for a few images that I thought you might appreciate this week.

First up, one for the sewers among us. 

Next, some naughty humour:

And finally ... 

Isn't that the truth!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 589

 Morning Everyone,

Yes, good morning! How can it be? I'm here and it's not just Wednesday, but it's still morning. In plenty of time for What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - over on Stamping Ground. Truth is, this will be brief. It's the EM's birthday today and we have visitors on the way, so here's my desk today.

Another scrap page in the making and a stamp set used for the greeting when I made this birthday card.

Not a good shot but it wasn't until I'd given it to my husband that I thought about it. By the way, he's a magnificent 82 today. 

The butterfly suddenly made an appearance in the garden yesterday. They've been scarce this year.

And that's it from me today. No book bit - I'm still enjoying those I mentioned last week. As ever, I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone over at The Stamping Ground.

Have a great week wherever you are.

In A Vase On Monday - Roses, Asters & Herbs

 Hello Everyone

The weather here has been wet, very wet, for weeks. I exaggerate, of course, but it has certainly been more than a little damp here on the west coast of Scotland. And it's kept me out of the garden. My overgrown, weedy and messy garden. But it's not so bad today so I had a wee ramble round taking in just how much needs to be done, and to pick from the few flowers left of the summer blooms for Cathy's In A Vase On Monday. That's mainly the roses, herbs and a little clump of purple asters - the pink ones are yet to flower.

I chose these creamy yellow hybrid teas, Elina, because they are the perfect cut flowers

I've checked and double-checked my records but cannot find the name for the purple asters.  

All I can say is that it's a dwarf form of aster novae-angliae which performs well every year with not much help from me.

The herbs included are rosemary, chocolate mint and fennel. It wasn't until I cropped this shot that I spotted that there was a wee family of greenfly on the fennel. Where are the ladybirds when you need them! 

So that's what's in my vase today. Beautiful, apart from the greenfly, of course. Thanks for looking in and do pop over to Cathy's blog, Rambling In The Garden, to see the many lovely arrangements submitted for her meme, In A Vase On Monday

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 588 - on Thursday

 Hello Everyone,

Well, I missed yesterday altogether so I've now really excelled in how late I can be to WOYWW. I'm sure it's a world record. I so intended to be there this week too but Wednesday was over before I knew it. However, never let it be said I'm not determined and here's my desk as of yesterday morning.

Just another scrap page part done. Shades of mint. It's a monochrome layout - one of the requirements for the last week of the MTS summer challenge. I've been enjoying searching through stash looking for anything and everything that is in whatever colour I've chosen for each page. Very therapeutic. I'd quite forgotten all the sheets of lovely patterned paper I've been squirreling away forever! 

The finished page. The photo was taken on a trip to the Lake District, to Lake Windermere. It reminds me of romantic adventures in Arthur Ransome's 'Swallows and Amazons'. It also reminds me of the time when, on a whim, we decided to set off very early one Saturday morning and drive down to Windermere just for a day out. To quote from Miranda, 'such fun'. 

And that's it from me today. No book bit - I'm still enjoying those I mentioned last week. As ever, I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone over at The Stamping Ground. 

Have a great week wherever you are.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 587

 Hello Everyone,

Late again! No good excuse except that my workload has either increased due to Mr W's Covid induced incapacity, my preferred excuse, or I'm just slowing down - hard to admit, but true nonetheless. Whichever, I'm still late to Julia's weekly WOYWW party over at the Stamping Ground. 

And before I reveal what's on my desk, I need to apologise to everyone I didn't manage to visit and leave a comment with last week. I did try, honestly, but I just ran out of time. I'm trying. When he's being flippant Mr W would say I can be very trying indeed :)  Enough of my grovelling! Here's what's on my desk today. 

Still scrapbooking - it's what's keeping me sane at the moment. (I won't go on, but there's an increased incidence of the dreaded virus in our area which means we could be back in lockdown imminently.) And just for my own entertainment, I'm working my way through a pile of mini kits I put together a while ago - last year, I think. The papers in this one look perfect for the wedding photo of my lovely cousin, Rachel, and her hero, Chris. 

And many thanks to Jan, aka LLJ, who sent the lovely notecard you can see lying on the keyboard. She, like many of you, has been so kind while we've been poorly, regularly getting in touch and asking how we're doing and sending best wishes. Needless to say, it all helped immensely and I am so grateful for all the concern shown. It's the friendships made through this blog, and especially through Julia and her What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, that have meant, and continue to mean, so much to both of us. Our thanks go to you all. 

And now a sort of return to the book bit.

Note: not the usual audiobooks but real, have to pick them up and read, printed on paper books. When I was able to do not much more than just keep breathing these books kept my interest from day to day, and they continue to do so. It all started with the audiobook of 'Wonderland - A year of Britain's Wildlife Day by Day' by Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the authors taking me through the year on audio. But it didn't take long for me to realise that really what I needed was the printed version so that I'd be able to check out each daily entry on the date itself. And the search for the book online led me to 'Every Day Nature' by Andy Beer, which is subtitled 'How noticing nature can quietly change your life'. For me, that has proved to be so true. This book has beautiful illustrations throughout. I now know so much more than I ever thought I would about our native wildlife - from the Emperor Dragonfly to Woody Nightshade, Montagu's Harrier to Wart-Biter Cricket!  And the two bird books? They're old faithfuls that have been around for years!

That's it from me this week. As ever, I'm looking forward to catching up with you all, over at The Stamping Ground, 

Take care and stay safe.