What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - The 13th Anniversary Week 676

 

On a never-to-be-forgotten Wednesday, 13 October 2010, I plucked up my courage and decided to join in with WOYWW for the first time. I'd been lurking for a few weeks, as you do, and thought it would be fun to 'meet' the many crafters already contributing to this weekly reveal of crafty desks. From that first week I was warmly welcomed by Julia on The Stamping Ground and many other Deskers too. It was such a vicarious treat. Over the years I really have made some wonderful friends through WOYWW, and it's been my pleasure to meet many for real too, for that I am eternally grateful for Julia's continuing to host WOYWW . Happy 13th Anniversary, Julia! 

Having said all that, there's not much going on my desk today. Just these albums. One of the scrappers on a Facebook group I'm involved with has asked us to show some of our earliest layouts, hence the albums. It's quite an eye-opener looking back at pages made 25+ years ago. So much has changed in that time. I will share a few photos in a post once I've got some photos to share. 

I can't not show Jan's fabulous ATC received yesterday morning. She sent it even though I doubted I'd be able to join in with the exchange. I was wise to doubt it too. I'm just beginning to feel almost human again after a week or so in bed, poorly with a bad chest and throat infection. 

And now, here's Silver. Of course. It wouldn't be a WOYWW post without her making an appearance and she's not one to miss a celebration!

Thank you for your support each week, your visits to this blog and for all the lovely comments you leave. They are very much appreciated, especially through the difficult times Alan and I have been experiencing since April 2020. Your kind thoughts have helped enormously, Long may WOYWW continue and many thanks again to our lovely host, Julia. 

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 675

Hello Everyone, 

I've only just realised that this is my 2000 post! I think it's quite fitting that it's a WOYWW post. I know I've not been able to participate in quite a few Wednesdays recently but I so appreciate the WOYWW community and thank our Head Desker, Julia, for hosting this weekly chance to see all the desks, messy or otherwise, of so many talented crafty ladies. 

There's not really much to see on my desk this week. Just the start of another scrapbook page. Homework for Shimelle's Scrap a Rainbow class. The colour wheel is proving very helpful. I'm thinking I might use the alphabet stamp set - it's new from Hobbycraft. That or the oversized word, 'adventure'. Decisions, decisions.

I thought I'd share these 12"x13" folders found on Craftelier. 

I'm always trying to find better ways of organising stash. Mainly because I get uncomfortable when stuff becomes unmanageable and it's the nature of scrapbooking that there's a lot of stuff to manage. 

I now have somewhere to store my cardstock and scrapbook kits and they are easily accessible.

One corner looking so much tidier. Not that it's helped me find several items that seem to have gone walkabout recently! 

Our Silver is growing up so quickly. Sadly, they aren't kittens for long. 

I was reminded just how small she was when I came across this shot of her siblings. Adorable! 

Still no book bit. It's not that I've not been reading books but not only am I The World's Slowest Scrapper but I'm now The World's Slowest Reader. All down to a combination of dyslexia and double vision caused by developing cataracts although I'm told my new glasses should help. Fingers crossed. 

And finally,

Take care everyone and have a wonderful WOYWW. 

Scrapbook Layouts 2022 - Nos. 7-9

Hello Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and having a good day. 

I'm still trying to share all the pages made this year but I'm way behind so with no further preamble here's the next three.

No. 7 - Just Lovely 

These photos of Silver snoozing in her 'cat tree' show her cute little paws. Well, they are cute until she gets her claws out! When she was tiny she had little control of her claws but I'm happy to say she does much better now that she's a lot older. 

No.8 - Woof

This is Frida, my youngest granddaughter Shari's puppy.  Shari is an artist so, of course, the puppy is named after an artist she admires, Frida Kahlo. She's a lovely dog but I'm told she is very stubborn. 

No. 9 - Love Meow

Dated 2014, this is one of the last photos taken of our beloved Bonnie. She was getting old and not too well at the time but still able to get out and enjoy sitting in the sun. You might recognise this pic - it was displayed on the sidebar for a couple of years until I could bear to delete it. 

The papers for all three layouts, including photo mats and stickers, are from two themed collections - DCWV's 'Playful Pets' and Echo Park's 'Meow'; cameras, Bramble Fox; flairs, Dotty About Flair. The dies used were from Docrafts X-Cut Spiro Circles & Homespun Hearts sets.

To date, I've made 44 pages so I've a way to go before I've caught up sharing them here. We are in May already so I need to get a move on and record more before I run out of year! 

Take care everyone and, I'm still saying this because the virus hasn't gone away, stay safe.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 674

Hello WOYWWers, Fellow Crafter's and All,

It's been a long while. I've missed participating in Julia's WOYWW over on The Stamping Ground while I've been taking a bit of a break from blogging . I hope this finds you all well and that you enjoyed all the recent holidays. 

And here's what's on my desk today. 

Not a scrapbook project as you might expect from me but a stamping one instead. I spotted this stamp on Instagram a few weeks ago and just had to have it. It's from The English Stamp Company - not one I'd heard of before. 

I have made seed packets before, years ago, using a Microsoft programme I no longer have since I changed computer. So stamping onto blanks seemed a good alternative. The seed packet template was found online - there's a lot to choose from, some with the design already done for you. Who knew! Not me. There's a lot of very helpful gardeners blogging just this sort of thing. 

It's springtime here in Scotland. Time to be sewing seeds so you might be thinking I'm a tad early with plans to harvest them. Well, not so. Our many aquilegia plants are just about to flower and in a few short weeks will be setting seed. It's never too early to get cutting out and making up more of these wee packets ready for the harvest. I'm thinking they will make lovely gifts. 

And talking of the garden, here's Silver enjoying playing among the weeds. 

And smelling the new leaves of a clematis.

She is enjoying the better weather, as am I. It's so good to get out in the sunshine and Silver likes the company. Saying that, today it's drizzling.

No book this week. It's not that I've not been reading/listening, it's just that I haven't prepared. I'm out of practice. For the same reason, there's no funnies. Note to self: must do better. 

An update on our health issues here. Alan is still struggling. He is in constant pain, source being investigated, and he has a really troublesome cough at night which interrupts his sleep (mine too). As for me, apart from being sleep deprived, I'm doing okay. 

I hope you are all well and enjoying the better weather - I'm so glad winter is finally over. Apologies to those of you down under where winter is on its way. 

Take care and stay safe. 

Scrapbook Layouts 2022 - Nos.1&2

Hello Everyone

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the weekend. I was thinking of going for a short walk this afternoon - I want to build up my fitness again - but the rain stopped play. Maybe tomorrow will be better. 

On to the subject of scrapbooking, although I'm not quite done with December 2021, I thought I should start to share 2022 layouts now before I fall too far behind. 

1/2022 - Silver

2/2022 - And Relax

As you can probably see, the photo in the first page is of Silver and the one in the second is of Bonnie who is no longer with us. 

Both layouts were made in January from the kit I put together for Scrap Backwards (a challenge group on Facebook) that was made entirely of what was left from two old kits, one all cat themed, the other a mix of cat & dog themes. They are Echo Park's Meow and DCWV's Playful Pets. These layouts are based on two of Lisa Sikorski's sketches (Scrap a Sketch on Facebook). 

Of course, because I chose to make my kit from a combination of papers, etc., with a very obvious pet theme most, but not all, pages made in January feature photos of animals, but not all are of cats! 

That's it from me tonight. 

Take care and stay safe.

Friday Smiles

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are having a good day wherever you are. Here, weatherwise, we've had a very mixed bag so far. It rained this morning, it's very breezy, and now the sun is streaming through the window, much to Silver's delight. Nothing pleases her more than a snooze in the warmth of the sun.

And any bed will do as long as there's a stream of sunlight to bask in. 

I've taken very few photos this week. Most have been scrapbook related but I though you'd like to see two notebooks that I'm enjoying using at the moment.  

The 'One Line A Day' book is intended to encourage me to keep a journal longer than just a few days ... up to now I've been a bad diary keeper! So far so good with this little book. Writing just one line is not so difficult.

The grey covered one on the left is my most recent book of recipes - there's two others on a handy shelf  in the kitchen. I've been experimenting with new soup recipes and reviving some long forgotten, but favourite, dishes.  I haven't made this cheese and onion pie for more than twenty years!

The recipe is one I got from my old friend, Jean, who was a very good professional cook. She was a school cook when I met her but she trained as a baker and specialised in the confectionary side of baking. Her cake decorating was a work of art.. 

It's a brief smiley post today but that's because I've taken very few photos this week, and those I have are mainly of the kitten. Proof, if proof were needed, that I don't get out much. I could bore for Scotland on the subject of the kitten but I'll spare you that - I can almost hear your combined sighs of relief!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone - full of lots to smile about.

Take care too.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 657

Hello Everyone

Oh dear, I've only just realised it's Wednesday. The holidays have knocked me out of kilter and I'm feeling quite discombobulated! Hopefully, joining in with WOYWW over on Julia's blog, the Stamping Ground, will bring me up-to-date.

The desk bit:

On my desk today it my Cats, Dogs & Other Animals album, a partially done page featuring Silver, of course, scraps of paper, enamel dots, flairs and a pack of pet related ephemeral. There's also my tiny Sapphire die-cutting machine ready and waiting to be used. I might cut a paw or two for this page - and then again, I might not. Up on the back left is a bowl of essential tools - the sort of tools I could not live without. The bowl has also been known to serve as a large circle template when needed. 

The kitten bit:

Silver's napping. She's had a busy day up to now. She's either been out checking that all is well in the grounds of Casa Worthington or getting under my feet ... not for nothing do I call her my little silver shadow. 

The book bit:

I've decided to bring back this entry on Wednesdays. I know some of you are interested in what books I'm listening to/or even reading. It's also a way of me keeping a book tally over the year. 

James Rebanks's 'English Pastoral: An Inheritance'. I'm really pleased that this is the first one of 2022. You may have noticed from topics I have photographed/scrapped/written about on this blog that I have a particular interest in nature and the countryside. This may be because, for a few short years, I spent an idyllic childhood growing up in the country with nothing but the woods and fields surrounding where we lived. There's something special about having the country as a playground but for James Rebanks it's a way of making a living, and not at all an easy one, especially today. He mixes memories from his childhood of his grandfather’s old farming methods, growing up on his father’s farm in a time of change and finally his experiences when he runs the farm himself. The men and women who had lived and worked on the land had vanished from the fields; the old stone barns had crumbled through neglect; the skies had emptied of the birds he/we remember from our childhood. His intense passion for his land is beautifully expressed and he is an eloquent and persuasive advocate of a more sustainable way of farming. Also by the author is 'The Shepherds Life: A Tale of the Lake District,.

And now the funnies:

That last one pretty well sums up life with Silver the kitten. 

That's me done for today and so late too. Next week I should be more day aware. 

I hope you've had a wonderful WOYWW and that you will have a fabulous week ahead. 

Take care and stay safe. 

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 656

Hello Everyone, 

Hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas, with family if that was possible or if, like for us, that was not to be then lots of long newsy phone calls with loved ones instead. And here we are halfway through the holiday and it's time for another WOYWW get together over at Julia's Stamping Ground. Here's what's on mine today.

Not a lot though I've spared you the mess of stuff on the far left of the desk. You really don't want to see that. According to the old Scottish custom, known as redding the hoose, I should be up to my eyes in cleaning equipment. 

'Redding the house – rather than a Spring clean, the Scots have a New Year’s clean to welcome in the New Year. Starting the New Year with a dirty house is bad luck. When open fires were common, people would clear the ashes and lay a new fire for the New Year. Cleaning one’s house also extends to clearing one’s debts. And that’s all we’re going to say about overspending at Christmas!' (8 Amazing Scottish New Year's Traditions, Edinburgh's Hogmanay 21)

I well remember my mother spending much of the week between Christmas and New Year doing just that - even the curtains were brought down and washed. But then there was a lot of coal fires in Edinburgh back in the day - not for nothing was it called 'Auld Reekie'. 

Anyway, back to the desk. Just some packs of photos and a pile of stamp sets. I'll be looking through the photos to choose the next one(s) for scrapping. The stamp sets just need put away for now. 

If I had any doubts that having a kitten was akin to having a toddler spotting Silver totally absorbed in the film of Julia Donaldson's The Highway Rat has convinced me! Sadly, like any 'terrible two' her attention didn't last for very long. Once she spotted a bird through the window.she was off out on the chase. 

Now, this week's funnies. 

 

And just before I go:

Alan & I would like to wish you all 

Health, Wealth and Happiness in 2022

And let's hope its a much better year than 2021. Surely we are due a break!

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 655

Happy Christmas Everyone

From Alan, myself and, of course, Silver. We're all joining in with WOYWW over on Julia's Stamping Ground, the last before Christmas. 

Silver is very taken with the decorations and like any typical kitten couldn't resist the tree. So much so, that we've been forced to take it down. We worried that she would do herself an injury, or worse make herself ill eating the fake snow. She's of the age, rather like human babies, when everything has to be tested with her mouth. Hopefully, next year she'll be old enough to resist. 

There's not a lot on my desk today. Just the page finished yesterday with the scraps of leftover paper, pens, ink pads and my tiny, but oh so handy, die-cutting machine that were used and now need to be cleared away. 

There's also the only magazine I have delivered monthly. With the ever increasing prices of magazines, I've cut back to just this one. Every issue has a word that is the theme of the month. January's word is 'rest'. Well, I'm happy to go along with that. Christmas and New Year is such a hectic time that it's not a bad idea to take some time to rest afterwards. 

Many thanks for all the lovely cards we've received. They are just about the only decorations that are kitten-proof! And they look fabulous strung up around the fireplace. 

And now, the funnies. I was spoiled for choice this week so I've limited it to four of my favourites.

And finally, 

Facebook threw this photo from 2017, in better times when Christmas was a whole lot more freer than it's going to be, given the restrictions, this year. Despite all that, I hope that whatever you're doing this weekend you will enjoy yourself and have lots of tun. 

Take care, stay safe and have a very Merry Christmas.