WOYWW #197 with mostly unfinished cards.

Hello lovely people! It's Wednesday again and time for What's on your workdesk! Find out all about it from the fabulous Julia at Stamping Ground. Here is my desk shot:

Do you spy new toys? :) Got the Clocks and Homespun dies on Ebay, I believe, for great prices and some others, not shown. I love Ebay! At the right times, of course. ;) I finally got the hexagon dies, that I have wanted for like forever, and a stamp set, but I got them at Artfire(great supplies/prices). I've already made several card bases with them! And I was going to show them to you, but finished cards are prettier so I'll wait. Here is one finished(I think?) card, though:

It will probably just be a hello or cheer up kind of card. Made it with Spellbinders dies and Paper Studio punches...speaking of Paper Studio, if you are near a Hobby Lobby they are getting in the new Spring/Summer stuff and WOW! Some super cute stuff in the embellishment line for sure and, over in the jewelry/bead department, they have a gorgeous new line already out, called Poetic something. Pretty! Next is a picture of the baggies I used in dying the flowers and ribbon last week. I saved the bags as they still had dye in them and just labeled them with a sharpie. They are sitting in my Sculpey baking pan, which I put inside a baking bag, when baking Sculpey, so I don't have to dedicate an oven to baking Sculpey. ;)

And that's all for now! Hopefully I'll get some cards finished and posted later this week, but I wouldn't bet on it since I have a big exam this week. And lots of housecleaning to do! :)

WOYWW #178 (a.k.a. #177...again!)

I'm thinking our dear Julia was up at 1:30 a.m. writing *her* WOYWW post! If you've not a clue what I'm rambling on about go check it out at Stamping Ground. :) You'll be so glad you did! Anyways, I'm totally exhausted so, before I get to bed with me, here are my pictures for the lovelies who like to come see:

What's this? A clean desk? How could I? Well, it's because I re-organized! I had commented on someone else's WOYWW post, last week, that maybe her organization wasn't working for her, since she seemed to have plenty of containers but more than enough mess, too. Which made me wonder if I wasn't in a boat of the same color myself. Or hoeing the same row? Well, insert a colloquial saying of your choice here. :) At any rate, it made me re-examine my sitch because it had deteriorated to this:

I had all sorts of new supplies and things I like to use more than the stuff I used most when I set this set-up up awhile back, so it was time to re-do it. I *almost* took a picture for y'all during the transition, when it was really hairy, but I was too excited to get it finished...sorry. :) Anyways, isn't it much tidier? Yes, most of the darling pails are gone, but I don't use the sharpies much(which filled 3 of the pails before) so they got relocated to the cabinet above my desk so if I *need* them they are still handy(though a few are still on the desktop). The scissors are all in one pail now because I don't use them often and I needed their holders for the MS punches that I do use quite a bit, but there they are, see? Right above the upside down stamp pads? Those are my pigment inks from Hobby Lobby. And I love them. They are affordable($1.50 each) and rich in color and well, they stack nicely and seem to last forever! Also, they have a really decent sized raised pad so I can use them for big stamps and edge inking.

And all my new toys and things it seems I've been reaching for most frequently are now at my fingertips! Instead of in my way. :) Wanna know how I got my TH inks off my desk without spending a dime???

I repurposed an old, and I mean ooooold, C.D. rack! Two inks fit in each slot, horizontally, then I skipped one vertically and so on until I just filled it in all the way to the top (or bottom). Granted I ran short for those last 9 or so pads you see on the right but they are mostly neutrals so I figured they could hang out, stacked on the new "shelf" until I either found another old C.D. rack in a thrift shop or decided I liked them there, whichever comes first! Anyways, it had slots along the back for screws so I just screwed it onto my pegboard, through a hole I mean. Cheap and it works great!!! Plus, I turned all my papers, like the 8x8's that were stacked on my desk, on their sides to make them easier to access...I'm hoping I use what I have more!

And, since it would appear the Doctor's instruments are trayed up, all sterilized and ready(I really did have to use my goo gone stuff to wipe down all my scissors from foam tape gunk) to be used, I guess I'll have to have a completed card ready to show off next week, huh? Along with a new mess, of course! :)
Thanks for stopping by and sorry if this post turned out to be rather a long one for someone who is not just supposedly but truly exhausted...where was I going with that? Oh yah, goodnight! And enjoy your snoops, whilst I enjoy my Zzzzzz's. ;)

WOYWW # 148

It's that time again y'all! I have uploaded lots more pictures with a little commentary so on with the fun we go. The gracious Julia Dunnit over at Stamping Ground hosts this linky party...if you want to join or see lots more crafty spaces check it out here. Without further ado, here is what is on my desks this Wednesday evening:

 My paper crafting side first. I went ahead and took a wide angle shot so you could see whats on my right side as I craft from there in the center of my desk. Its just paper. Lots of paper!

 This is what I'm actually working on...18 handmade place cards for a big to-do this Friday! ;-) I'm giving away my theme a little early by posting this but I trust y'all not to spoil the surprise...

 Now on to my jewelry/bow side where I haven't done much but make a mess this last week or so...

 Actually I think since I last participated in WOYWW a few weeks ago that pink basket in the far upper right corner is one of my newest organization tools...the ribbon just fits better in it than it did in the other basket, which was oval shaped and this one is squared off. Next is a bit more of a wide angle shot of this side of my craft cave...so you can see my shelves of jewelry making stuff and ribbons and do-dads.

 These are my new buttons that I found on my short trip last week. Got them for a super deal and they came already organized for me! Can't beat that combo, right? I stuck them on the jewelry/bow desk even though I suspect I'll use them more on the paper desk.

 Here is one of the bows I finished sometime in the last week or so, I can't remember when.

 That one is going to one little girl and the next one is going to her sister, in the little basket it's in. And honestly its cuter than the picture shows...the colors are brighter, cheerier, and so cute altogether.

 Next are my other new little bits of organization...I think I got the idea from a magazine, probably the last special edition from Cardmaker magazine makers.

 I put A spare bar 4 room to grow, but I should have said 2 spare bars for doubly more room to grow! This worked really well for this size of ribbon. I just threaded the spools onto rods I removed from skirt/pant hangers. I also had to take the clothespin part(the part that would hold the skirt of pants) apart to get to the metal rods and so I used half of the pin on each end of the rod to make the rod hang down low enough for the ribbon to have room, so it didn't stick out. Next organizer is a 4 pair of pants hanger, where the rods swing out and then sit in those little  metal holders you see in the right side of the picture. It fit my littlest spools of ribbon just perfectly. I had a few duplicates left over and put them back in the glass jar they all had been overflowing from so I still have a decorative container sitting around with colorful ribbon in.

Back to the paper side these are the apothecary jars I like to create and I have filled them with cotton balls, ribbon, prima flowers, and ribbon bows/flowers.

Functional and beautiful!
Hopefully just like all of us. ;-)
Thanks for stopping by!

Coolest sweet sewing site!

If you love fancy dresses and wish you could make your own but don't know where to find the pattern here is a site for you! Or you can just look around and dream about how awesome it would be if we all still got to wear gorgeous dresses and pantaloons everyday! I'm going to try to make some pantaloon styled shorty pants for my niece to model this summer. I mean, as long as it has plenty of ruffles you can't mess it up, right? lol

Sunday Brunch

Had a lovely brunch this past Sunday! I was a little curious to see exactly how it would turn out, mostly because I am not known to be a morning person...but I did so much of the prep the night before that I felt like a Proverbs 31 woman the next morning when my guests arrived a scant hour and a half after my alarm went off! But this woman isn't so good with the camera so I didn't get as many pictures as I had planned to share with ya'll...in fact the food pictures got taken afterwords so ya'll don't even get to see all the yummy food and drinks we had, but I know you'll forgive me...ya'll are just great like that! ; )
So, without further ado, here are the pictures I got:

 My living room turned dining room so there was room for the extra long table...I don't have a formal dining room, which I don't miss since we are two for dinner most of the time, and thankfully the furniture moves! So we still can have room for a crowd for dinner or other get-togethers.

 Horrible picture! Sorry its so blurry but it was sooooo early in the day! The wonderful lady in the kitchen is the mother of my sis's beau and since she came before everyone else she got to cut up the fresh fruit for the fruit pizza! I'll give you the recipe later, but I'll mention here this is a yummy dish and really great for potlucks and whatnot, just don't add the fruit until the day of serving, though the "crust" can be made a few days in advance.

 Ahh! This one is in focus a little better but now you can see what a disaster parts of my kitchen were! Oh, well. Now ya'll know...I'm not perfect. I guess you had to find out sooner or later. : )

Here is a little picture of some of the leftovers...before they got finished too! I made individual fritatta's, turkey sausage and bacon, the fruit pizza at the top of the picture. We also had a tiered display of fresh fruits, a mini bagel bar featuring Philly cheesecake and cream cheese spreads, rolls for mini sandwiches of fresh deli shaved oven roasted turkey breast and cracked pepper with swiss, colby or cheddar cheeses. We had 3 iced buckets of drinks...this was a fun easy way for me to make all the drink options available to my guests so they could help themselves to a new drink whenever they wanted...which added to the casual feel and kept me from having to be too awake so early! And let me tell you, if you have never had a mimosa, especially a twisted up one like I made, then you have been missing out! I offered regular orange juice and champagne for the original mimosa and strawberry or peach champagne plus a mixed juice cocktail for the more modern mimosa...and allllllll versions were yummy! Hey, you should have a brunch next weekend...it's a great way to spend time with family and friends before they, and you, have to get all your other Sunday stuff done before the work week starts. If you do please take more pictures than I did! And share them with us...  ; )

Housecleaning Tip #173

Fall Fun?

Fall is one of my favorite seasons because of the cooler nights and leaves all over the ground. After a few weeks the leaves get real old, though, and I like to rake them for about 30 minutes and then I am done. My enthusiasm wanes quickly when serious labor is involved and margarita's are not...so I had a flash of genius this morning that mostly involved me not doing all the raking but the yard still getting raked. Want to know? I watch a young cousin and she was over today, so I suggested she and my son might have a lot of fun jumping in a pile of leaves...which they thought would be a blast! A few hours later, one giant pile of leaves and one nicely raked yard yielded these pictures...

They unknowingly scored some serious brownie points with the neighbors, too. I told them the neighbors probably wouldn't mind if they took some of their leaves, laying in their yards, for our pile and sure enough, the neighbors said take all the leaves you want! So at least four of our neighbors got rid of some of their leaves...30,000 down, 150,000 left!

Kids Can Clean Up Too!

If you have wood or linoleum floors your children can help you keep them dust-free. Want to know how? Well, this isn't a new tip and I guess it isn't really just for kids, either, but put on some clean socks and spritz the bottom of them lightly with whatever you use to clean your floor and then cut loose, you know play some loud music and scoot your booty over every square inch of your dusty floor and before you know it, no more dust! You won't get a good glide on if you spray too much cleaner on your socks, so go easy. You may find it works better to spritz the floor and then slide through it on your way to drier spots. It may go without saying, but I will assume you aren't using something toxic that will eat away your flesh if it soaks through your socks before you finish having fun! There are safe effective cleaners out there, so use them to make sure this stays fun and doesn't earn you a quick trip to the E.R. The point is, it can be fun and something children can help you do. It helps them become more responsible and contribute to taking care of their home, which are both skills they will need for life! Also, you probably want to use some really old socks or gray ones or ones that can be bleached or ones you were about to pitch in the garbage anyways, but you probably already thought of that, now didn't you? :)

Creative Organizing Alert!

Just found this super fabulous idea and wanted to give it a plug...and a special place so I will know where to find it! I think it could easily be used with any sort of craft supplies that you have...check it out. People who make mega-fun stuff, like the stuff you can find at fluttering flowers, could probably use this idea to keep track of their supplies in a creative and beautiful way, if they need such a tool...I personally can't wait to get started on this project. I will try to take some pictures if anything turns out photo worthy. ;)

Activity Cue?

Ever sat at your computer for hours without even realizing it, until you tried to move and couldn't? I have tried to find some sort of alarm system or thingy I could put on my computer to chime on the hour to keep me aware of the time and that I needed to move something other than my hands and fingers every once in awhile. I could never find anything until last night! I found a site with links to free software. Software that you can download and install and it does magical things. Not really, but it will chime an alarm when you have been typing or browsing for a consecutive 40 minutes. Then it will count down a 5 minute break for you. I have been wanting to get more active, so when the 5 minute timer starts I work out like crazy. And since it is only for 5 minutes I am encouraged, as I watch the timer, that the insanity is almost over, almost over, almost over...yeah! It's over. And I can go back to playing games on Big Fish Games. It's hard work but someone has to do it! :) I will post a link here, right here, when I find it again. Okay, it's there now. These programs are called RSI Prevention Software so you can google it yourself if none of the links on the link I provided look good to you. I downloaded the Break Reminder one myself. It said something about it being a trial version but I think that is only talking about if you are a commercial user, which I am not. But I am really loving it and highly recommending it! Update: it really was only a trial! Here is another link to a program called Workrave and it is not a trial version. If you want to adjust the timers right click on the window once it has downloaded and is running. Then you will get a menu and can make the adjustments you need to. I think Workrave may also be on the first link I provided but anyways I just wanted to let you all know programs like this are out there and they can help you get more active, which really is a good thing...really.

Forgetful Readers Tip!

Ever start reading a really great, super helpful, book and come across a line or tip that you wish you could remember? Next time be ready by using a blank or ruled 3x5 index card as your bookmark, so when you come across that little thing you love jot it down. When you have finished the book you will have the most important things from it on a handy and organizable index card!