What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #323

Good morning, Friends! Actually for me it's already afternoon, because I am now coming to you from South Korea!!! Yes, we have successfully moved and I am crafting in a new country AND continent!!! Ah, the joys of a military lifestyle, lol! While we do have the things we brought with us, and our small(er) shipment of unaccompanied baggage has arrived, we are still awaiting our household goods shipment. Which means that 98% of my crafting things (including my desk!) are still in transit...literally on a slow boat to China!! *wink* But between what I brought with me, what has already arrived and what I have ordered in the (almost) month of living here, I have a fairly nice collection of goodies. I've learned a thing or two about what's "necessary" to make me happy in crafting terms, so this move was the most successful as far as that goes. Of course, that won't keep me from complaining about wishing I had everything else too!!!

For those wondering what this is all about, please check out Ms. Julia's blog, Stamping Ground, and get all the info on the world-wide looky-lu on other crafter's desks!!

 My "desk" this week:

First clue....it isn't a desk, but my loaner dining room table!!! I have new respect and empathy for those crafters who must make do with a non-desk, that must be cleared away for every meal!!! I've had my Stamping Studio pretty much as long as I've been a stamper and never before had to go through this phase!!! It's a royal pain in the rear!!! Although, my husband has just left today for a field exercise, so I can keep my mess out for about two weeks without any complaints.

I have jumped on-board the Pocket Letter train, and you can see four in-progress letters. I seem to be better at starting them than finishing them!!! I'm hoping that having more alone time in the next couple of weeks will enable my mojo to kick into gear.

To the left, you will see the tray of stamps (many with dies also in the plastic envelope) I have to work with. Anyone who has been here before and has seen my room, knows this is a small collection!!! However, it has many of my favorites and things I chose knowing the projects I would be working on while I waited.

This brown drawer is one of six from my previous room, but holds about two drawer's worth of dies. Most of the dies I now use are the wafer thin type, and put on magnetic sheets. This is something I mailed to myself in advance because it was really heavy! Then when we got here I ordered a new Big Shot to use them.

Most essential tools! I had the white box with me (stamp blocks, ink pads, etc), as well as my paper trimmer. The drawer set arrived in our first shipment, so I got lucky having everything on hand fairly quickly.

Box of various crafting orders!!! Yes, I went a little nutz, lol! I got caught up on my monthly Distress Ink colors, as well has some paper packs, washi tapes, flowers and other "pretties". All in the name of Pocket Letters!!!!

So that's my "desk"! I hope you will leave an encouraging comment before you hop off to the next desk!!! Are you also a Pocket Letter fan? Let me know if you would like to swap with me!! Until next time....Stamp Happy!!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #300

Welcome to WOYWW!!!! It's number 300!!! I can't believe it - Wow!!! I wasn't going to participate this week, as I have been in a really deep funk because of my lack of sleep and the nerve pain in my feet and legs. Each makes the other worse - ugh. But I couldn't miss this great milestone of Julia's and everyone who comes to visit at The Stamping Ground! So I hope you will join along in the weekly world-wide snoop of amazing crafter's desks!!

My desk this week:

Rather a mess, with far too much stuff on it, LOL!!! Ah, but such delightful stuff though! My long-awaited order from Lawn Fawn (or Lawn FUN, as we call it over here!) arrived yesterday!!!!! And my dear husband brought it home for me in the middle of the day, rather than make me wait til he came home in the evening. He gave up his lunch for ME!!! I did make him a thank you card yesterday, using some of the new dies and stamps I got in, which I will post later today. You'll see I've completely covered two sheets of white card stock (from Paper Temptress!), with images from three of the new sets. I think my Copics will be getting quite a workout very soon!!!

And because I know you are all just as nosy as I am, I've shared a photograph showing ALL the delightful goodies that came in the order!!! I haven't spent this much money at one time in a long while, and it will be a much longer while before I do so again. So I will just thoroughly enjoy it!

(Click to enlarge photo!)

Thank you so much for popping by! I will be posting later today (*fingers crossed*) showing all the crafting that has been going on, here and there, over the past month or so. I'm afraid I've been a bad blogger the past month, so lots to catch up on. Take good care, have fun, and feel free to leave some comment love before you head off to the next desk!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday # 296

It's that time again to blog stalk some of the coolest crafters around! Confused? Be sure to visit Ms. Julia on Stamping Ground to get all the particulars and join in on the fun!!!

My desk this week:

Sadly, it doesn't look much different than it did last week!! Apparently I "set the stage" a bit more optimistically than was possible to keep up with. I haven't been feeling (or sleeping) very well (still!), and I haven't had the energy to craft very much. I did make a few cards though, just not as many as I had planned. I still need to color up my snowmen & accessories, and all my lovely "bugs". I dug out my Spellbinder Valentine set (left hand side of desk), and I got in a couple of new dies from MFT. And if you look closely, you can see some colored "crayons" which will be made into a fun shaker card for my youngest daughter. I still have my lovely embossed background papers to use on....something, after all these are completed. So many projects, never enough time!!!

Some of the cards I did manage to complete!:

 My first attempts at the "bokeh" technique!

So that's all I have for you this week. Fingers crossed I can get my groove back soon, because I'm missing my stamping therapy!!!! A few minutes every couple of days isn't cutting it!!! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you all have a lovely week!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #295

It's time yet again to partake in the world-wide Looky-Loo into the crafting desks of some of the most amazing crafters you're ever likely to meet! Confused? Be sure to start with our Hostess, Ms. Julia on Stamping Ground for all the particulars! :D

My desk this week:

I had a very lovely afternoon in my Stamping Studio on Sunday! Unfortunately, I haven't been back up there since!! *sad face* Between home school, housework, and finally, finally taking down our Christmas tree and decorations (please, don't judge!!!), I just haven't had the time or energy to be creative. I wish I could afford a maid, lol!!! Anyway, while playing on Sunday, I water colored two background pieces with Distress Inks (right hand side of desk) to try out the "bokeh" look. It needed to dry before doing anything else, and I'd say after three days it's surely dry by now! I also tried out a new damask background stamp that recently came in with several new embossing powders and even some gilding flakes. All turned out gorgeous, but sadly aren't shown here. Definitely squeal worthy though...well, at least I did! Then I stamped out several sheets of card stock with my newest stamp sets for cards I wanted to make (Lawn Fawn on the left, and Stampin Up in the center). I will be coloring those with pencils and Copics soon, I hope! Lately I've found that I'm more productive in my card making if I "set the stage" so to speak beforehand. I really wanted to make more cards this year and keep in better touch with my friends. I also want to do more challenges, but haven't made it that far that. Baby steps, right?? I'm still in my coloring mode, and quite in love with all of Lawn Fawn's stamp and matching die sets! So, so cute!

On Saturday, I did manage to finish the last of my colored flower and butterfly cards and made up four super cute "face" cards. You can check those out HERE, if you'd like to see them!

A friend of mine posted this photo on Facebook and it gave me a huge laugh! I hope it made you at least smile!!! Thanks so much for popping by and I hope you'll leave a comment before you head on to the next desk! Have a fabulous, crafty week, everyone!!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #294

Good morning, Crafters! It's still fully dark over here in Germany (not that it gets much lighter during the "day", lol!), and I'm on my first cup of tea. I just got my order in from England yesterday, so I'm happier than a pig in mud!!!! Turkish Apple.....soooo yummy!! If you are confused by "WOYWW", do check out Ms. Julia's blog at Stamping Ground and get up to speed. For the rest of you, welcome and I hope you have a good look around!

My desk this morning:

I didn't "cheat" or arrange anything....this is truly the mess I left my desk in when I had to stop for the day yesterday. I was in the middle of a card that wasn't coming together easily for me, so I was still putzing around with it, trying a little of this and a little of that, and generally not liking any of it! When my husband came home with pizza for dinner, I threw my hands up and called it a day! You will notice different stamp sets and dies on my desk, and a lovely stack of Magnolia papers on the left hand corner. A mish-mash of tools and adhesives, some ink pads, and two blocks with stamps on them that I may, or may not, use. A mess, but a card-in-progress kind of mess!!!

However, it was a banner week of crafting!!! I haven't done this much in a week in a long time - thanks very much to the awful insomnia I deal with. I got all three of my winter cards you saw me working on last week finished!! If you would like to see them, I blogged about it on Sunday HERE. Then I saw THIS VIDEO on Facebook and was inspired to make these:

A garden on my desk!!!

Most are colored with Spectrum Noir pencils and Gamsol, and the ones on the right were water colored with Distress Ink and a paint brush as shown in the video above. It was SOOOO EASY to paint them! Just have a quick look at the video and know you can have great results too!

The cards I've made with my flowers so far:

I have enough flowers and butterflies left to make 2-3 more cards and then it will be on to something else. I'm not sure what, but it WILL involve more coloring because I most certainly have not had my fill yet!!!! Perhaps more pencils? Perhaps some Perfect Pearls? We shall see.......Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is the bestest ever!!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #293

Hello, Crafters!! :D Welcome to another bare it all Wednesday! Julia from The Stamping Ground is hosting yet another Looky-Loo into the lives and desks of crafters around the world. So.Much.Fun!!! Lots to see and tons of inspiration to be had!!!

My desk this week:

I got in some new goodies!! Because, yeah...I didn't have enough before, right?? But, is there ever enough??? NO! Some of the newest Lawn Fawn stamps (and yes, I got the dies too!) and some dies from My Favorite Things. I really, really am trying to be "good", but these were just irresistible!! You'll see some older stamps on the left side of my desk, still waiting to be used, and some dies I found when I was looking for something else, lol! I cleaned up some paper and scraps off my desk, so it's a bit neater this week. I also got in some new glue, and a new glue dispenser. It's AWESOME!!! So great for very fine lines and intricate die cuts. I got it from My Favorite Things HERE. As soon as I'm finished with the cards I started last week, I plan to continue my coloring theme, but with my Prismacolor pencils instead of Copics.

These are the dies I "found" when I was looking for others. Definitely perfect for spring cards!

And last week's images became these cards:

I just have to finish coloring these, and whip them into the last of my "winter" cards. I wasn't able to get as many Christmas cards out as I wanted to, so I'm making up these instead. That way they aren't late! ;)

And since this is already too long, I'll just brag a bit about last night's dinner! It was DELISH!

Rosemary Balsamic Pork Loin

Recipe can be found HERE.

I'm so glad you were able to pop in for a visit! I hope you'll leave a comment before you head off to the next desk. Happy Crafting!!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #292

Hello, Crafters!! :D Welcome to another bare it all Wednesday! Julia from The Stamping Ground is hosting yet another Looky-Loo into the lives and desks of crafters around the world. Love it!! I am bound and determined to make 2015 COUNT, with organization, crafting and keeping up with my blog!!!! And if I can get some consistent sleep, it might just actually happen! *wink*

My desk this week:

I just finished 12, yes TWELVE!, cards using some Lawn Fawn stamps and dies and thought I'd have some fun with my yet-to-be-used Magnolia stamps. I believe these were purchased last year!!! I have many friends still battling very cold winters, so I can make use of them even though yet another Christmas has come and gone. I need to get back into crafting....not craft supply collecting!!! If you'd like to see the cards I made, you can scroll down and see them HERE.

Some of these will be fussy cut out, and some I'll use dies. I have a fun background die to use for a couple of them (shown here). So many toys, so little time, no???? I am in the mood for a bit of coloring, so I thought I'd stamp out several and enjoy the coloring part of my card making. I have the hardest time with layouts some days, so this is the fun, no-stress part for me!

Thank you so much for popping in! I hope you will leave a comment before hopping off to the next desk! If you'd like to join in the fun, simply click on the button on the top of this post. Stamp Happy!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #282

Welcome!! So glad you decided to drop in for a visit! I wasn't able to participate in last week's WOYWW, can't remember why but it probably had something to do with sleep or the lack thereof. Luckily, I had the very, very rare occurrence of a wonderful, full night's sleep last night!!!! That happens about once in three months or so, SO I'm going to make the most of the added energy today!

If you aren't acquainted with WOYWW, do be sure to check out Julia's blog, Stamping Ground and see what all the fuss is about! :D Nothing like having a peek into other crafter's rooms and getting inspiration from their crafty desks!

My desk this morning:

As you can see, the pile of stamps on the left has grown as the last of my orders has arrived. I'm in a mad dash to make my Christmas cards for the year! I refuse to "mass produce" my cards because it truly bores me to tears. If it gets down to the wire and I'm truly rushed, I'll make two of each, but I really don't like doing that. I've been making 2-3 a day most days so I think I'll just make it this year. Currently I'm set to make some gingerbread house cards, using my new-to-me set from Lawn Fawn, Sweet Christmas and their new matching dies. I've had the brilliant idea to stamp the house and gingerbread people on this SU Baked Brown Sugar card stock with white embossing powder to make it more realistic! Plus it's that much less coloring! The "candy" will be done on white card stock, and colored with Copics. (My Copics are in two trunk cases just to the left of my desk, out of view.) You will see some dies on the left in front of my most recent stamp purchases - I keep them on magnetic sheets that are backed with thin chipboard. I get so much more use out of my dies now that they are organized! Although I have all the Wink of Stella glitter pens, I use the clear one the most, so it's been staying on my desk to add bits of "glow" to my images. A really cool glitter pen!!! So that's about all that's happening so far on my desk. If you are interested, do check back later today and see my cards! I'm SO EXCITED to be making these!!!

Before you go, you have to see these stamps from Simon Says Stamp!

Two stamp sets (and matching dies!) for making "ugly" sweaters and vests!! LOVE IT!! I just couldn't resist these and these are on my list to use very, very soon!

Also, these arrived yesterday and are the last of my crafty orders for the year. We are moving next summer, so the push to save money needs to start ASAP. (I got these just before my self-imposed deadline!!!)

Critters in the Arctic and Critters in the Snow from Lawn Fawn! I have most of their "critter" collection and they are so much fun to color!!! Either with Copics or my Prismacolor pencils, they make the cutest cards. My oldest daughter just moved to Alaska, so I couldn't resist these!

Cards I made yesterday, using the Lawn Fawn set Trim The Tree.

This tree I stamped on DSP, but the other one I colored with Copics. I colored all the decorations and then used the matching dies to cut them out. I DO NOT fussy cut!!! This is an older stamp set, but they just started offering dies for some of their favorite, older sets. I used the Wink of Stella glitter pens here and there for a bit of shine, without overwhelming the image.

So there you have it - my desk for the week!! I hope you will leave a comment before moving to the next desk!! See you next week!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #280

Well, hello! :D So nice of you to drop in on me today!!! I can't say when I last participated in WOYWW, but it was a longggggg time ago! With the past summer being unbearably hot, and then dealing with health issues and insomnia, there hasn't been much crafting going on at the Kupsh Chalet I can tell you! But now that the weather has cooled, health issues have improved, and I'm now getting more than 1-3 hours of sleep at night, I can go upstairs and have some FUN!!! YAY!

For anyone who might remember, I never, ever only post one photo for WOYWW. I just can't seem to help myself. Today? One photo!!! (Julia will be so proud of me!) Although I haven't been crafting, it hasn't stopped me from shopping for crafting goodies. So multiply said shopping by five months and you have one terrific haul! *wink* Now comes the question of what to use first, and that's where it gets sticky! Apparently you can't use all the toys, all at once!!! Well, at least I can't. Although I've tried, LOL! On my desk this morning you will see the beginnings of a new card, using a Lawn Fawn sushi stamp set (so fun!). I have colored the images with Copics and used the coordinating dies to cut them out. I think I've found some DSP to use for it but haven't quite made up my mind. You will also see two Christmas stamps from Clearly Besotted that arrived yesterday. Also a beautiful peacock image that I colored in....May?...that hasn't been put on a project/card yet. In the left hand corner you will see just SOME of the new stamps in that pile that I had to use right away. Including some "love note" stamps I plan to use for my youngest daughter, to motivate her during our home schooling sessions. The rest is bits & pieces that usually are on my desk because I use them often....and I'm too lazy to put them away!

So there you have it! If you, like me, love to have a peek inside other crafter's rooms, be sure to visit Julia and all her followers on The Stamping Ground! Till next week....STAMP HAPPY!

Just for fun! This is TOTALLY my life!!!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday

I'm not linking up this week, because I've done such a rotten job returning bloggy visits the past two weeks, and I'm pretty sure I'd do the same this week! I'm back to my non-sleeping ways + bonus sinus headaches. *sad face* But I'm trying to keep everything juggled as best I can!!!

I have soooo much to do for the craft fair, and not surprisingly, I'm behind. I have 2 full tables to fill up and very little accomplished so far. One thing that was getting in my way, was my room. I simply cannot create in chaos!!! Things were getting a bit sloppy in the Stamping Studio, so it was time to call a "time out" and clean it up a bit.

These shelves probably don't look that bad to you, but I can't stand clutter!! It's just too easy to pop extra things on here, and then the stuff seems to grow overnight. It just irked me, lol! So now that's all straightened out, put away and generally not hanging off the shelf anymore!

This pile on the floor!!! I'm going to be using 95% of the stuff in these bags, but I can't do ALL the projects, ALL at once. So yeah, they got stuffed back into the closet again. I took it all out to see what I had and to get ideas, and then they just sat there. Mocking me.

In the middle of a project, and then add incoming goodies! Love new stuff, hate putting away new stuff.

My desk on Monday, finishing up three more of the brown Easter baskets. Those "simple" projects have so much fiddly bits to them and really aren't all that "simple"!!! You also see the screwdriver left on my desk from building my new organizer unit (coming up).

Again, doesn't look that bad, but it still drove me crazy. All kinds of dies left out because the drawers are full, hot glue gun still out from making the lollipop roses, and general disorganization!

While I was in my room picking up, Bella decided she wanted to stamp too. But I didn't want to be fussing at her for being underfoot, so I set her up in her own bedroom. She happily stamped the whole afternoon away!

She's so careful & precise!

Here's a photo with some of the roses. I'm ordering a florist's block from Amazon to display them at the craft fair. I will most likely make up a bunch more, but I want to have a nice selection of items first, before I go back and make more of things. Not to mention I get bored easily, lol!

I made these a while ago but never photographed them. They sold so well at the Christmas fair, that I decided to make up some more. Everyone needs kleenex, right??

All four of the brown baskets

Close up view

On Tuesday I was happy with my room to begin crafting again. Bella naturally wanted in on the action! So I set her up in my room this time, on a tray and out of my "traffic flow". I love having my little Stamping Buddy with me!!!

Much, much better!!!

I had already purchased 4 of these canvas mini totes at the PX to store my flat dies, and when I went back to buy a third package, I saw that they had the matching organizer!!!! Perfect! So slowly, I will be taking all my SU thinlit dies, Spellbinders, etc and putting them on magnetic sheets (purchased HERE) and storing them in the totes. I put this together on Monday and I love it!!!

Two of Bella's cards!!

I made up four white baskets yesterday too. Same layout, just swapping white bunnies for brown, and brown baskets for white. So that's eight so far and time to more on to something else...like candy wrapper boxes!! Stay tuned for more crafty goodness!!!