What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday 275

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, where we take a peek at crafty desks from around the world.  You can join in by clicking here.

My desk this week -

On the bottom left my my desk are two Christmas greeting cross stitches I am making.  They are on my desk as I featured them in my Creative Blog Hop post this week.  There is jam sugar on nearly every surface and shelf/cupboard of my house.  Well, not quite but it feel like it as there is an awful lot of it about, with it being jamming season.  Two batches bitty blackberry, one batch blueberry, two batches plain plum and one batch plum and port jam down, another batch of plum and port jam (or two), one batch Doverhouse chutney and one/two batches non-bitty blackberry jam to go.  That's if I don't get suckered in by Mr. Marketman beforehand.  Likely.

The purple in the middle is the remnants of a birthday card making session I indulged in at the weekend.  Face wipes are essential at all times.  Surprise, surprise, the yellow stars are still there.  They probably need dusting by now.

Coming up this week - more jamming, looking into starting a fabric advent calendar ad getting on with the Christmas cross stitches.

Hope you all have a great week! x

The Creative Blog Hop Post

I was asked recently by Fairy Thoughts if I would be able to participate in the Creative Blog Hop.

Every Monday, crafters all over the world write a post about themselves and why they do what they do.  It's a great way to find other people who may interested in the same stuff as you are.

So this week, I'm writing my Creative Blog Hop Post.  Traditionally, I am supposed to introduce you to three more talented crafters, and will do so, but in a different way to what is supposed to happen as only one of them has a blog.

Who Am I?
I am Lucy.  I am 33 and live in England.  I am a Haberdashery Specialist at a local department store and this is where a large chunk of my wages go.  I am interested in cross stitching, small sewing projects, card making, jam making and recycling/re-purposing items destined for the bin.

I am lucky to have my own craft room, which is always in a mess, but I think that is the point of  having such  room.

I am part of an online community called WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday).  It is full of crafters from many different countries who upload a picture of their workdesk every Wednesday.  It's great to see how their projects develop every week.

Part of participating in the Creative Blog Hop is to answer fur questions:

1.  What Am I Working On Now?

I am currently cross stitching these Christmas messages on plastic canvas from a pattern in one of my books.  There are five messages in total and I hope to finish them all, back them and hang it before this Christmas.

2.  How Does My Work Differ From Others In My Genre:

The work I am currently involved in isn't my usual type of cross stitching.  I normally prefer making my own charts or using a website called My Photo Stitch, which is great for pictures that don't need wording.  I like to work on geeky/niche projects.  Here are some examples:

 Assassin's Creed video game logo

 Logo from my friend's band, Scarlet Soho

 Classic computer game character, Kirby

 Ermintrude and Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout

 Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch

Logo of my friend Joe's heavy metal band, Talanas

 A play on Magritte's painting for a friend's present

In recent times, alternative cross stitch design books have been published so I know there are people out there doing the same as me, just none of my local group of crafting friends.

3.  Why Do I Create What I Do?

I cross stitch because I like to see a picture forming as I'm completing a project.  I do it because it's theraputic for me to lose a whole day on a tiny piece of work.  I love the excitement of the initial idea, seeing whether it's possible to do or not.  Because no one I know is doing the same.

4.  How Does My Creative Process Work?

I find a picture I like and upload it to My Photo Stitch.  I will spend a good deal of time getting it how I like before I download the image onto my computer.  If it needs font, I will plot it out on graph paper using a book of cross stitch alphabets I own.  My Photo Stitch gives a list of DMC threads needed for the task and I will pool the colours I already have together and/or buy what I don't already have. 

I prefer to stitch my pieces on my days off from work, when I am able to start early in the day.  I rarely bother in the evenings after work anymore as I'm too tired and there isn't enough time to get stuck in.

 I will love the project from the outset right up until I've completed a third of the picture.  The second third is filled with doubt - have I counted one too many stitches?  Is this part going to meet up with that part or am I going to have to unpick it all?  It is about this time that I will have seen my next project.  The last third is filled with utter hatred for the piece.  This is because I wish to start the next project that I will have already stupidly plotted out with great precision.  So I try to go as fast as I can, which leads to mistakes, more unpicking and cursing and then when it is done, I don't want to look at it.  It's torturous at the end.

 Various Scandinavian Christmas designs

 Internet meme, Nyan Cat

Christmas candy cane

As I mentioned earlier, my three nominations for this challenge don't write blogs.  So instead of them posting an entry next Monday, I thought I would post a link for you to look at their lovely stuff. (Matthew came up trumps!)

Matthew Sergison-Main - Illustrator

Matthew is an artist, illustrator and designer living in Hampshire, England. He works in traditional media predominately, using some digital as needed, to produce a highly detailed style of artwork. In 2012 he won a national art competition winning a solo exhibition at the esteemed Pallant House gallery in 2014. He worked on the acclaimed indie computer game 'Amnesia: A machine for pigs', and has produced artwork and illustration for musicians, magazines and festivals

http://artserge.tumblr.com/

Kimvi Nguyen - Artist

http://kimvi.tumblr.com/

Zoe Davies - Keepsake Maker

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Made-With-Love-Keepsakes-by-Zoe/594185547307127

Thank you for staying to the end.  I hope you will take the time to check out my friends pages.  Have a great week! x

woyww 258

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  This is where we take a peek at other people's craft desks around the world and you can join in the fun by clicking here.

My desk this week - 

That little package in the middle of the desk - that is one lone hand warmer I made on my week off last week.  That is all I made because I ended up getting a proper dose of the flu.  I still feel rubbish and am lacking the motivation to get on with more of them, or indeed to make anything.

I'm currently making this for work:

It is proving problematic.  As there was no mention as to whether I needed to strand the floss down on the packaging. I trialed 2, 3, then the full 6 strands to find that it really does need the full six strands in order to completely cover the wooden lattice.  However, this means that most holes are taking on a total of 24 strands each, making it very difficult to push the needle through each time.  So, with a very sore thumb and forefinger, I will now carry on with a brand new needle (the FOURTH needle, to be exact, as the pressure of pushing them through the holes is proving too much and they are actually snapping at the eye.  Never had that before).  Determined, much.

Anyhoo, sorry it's all been a bit of a whinge this week.  I shall endeavour to buck up for the next installment of WOYWW!

xxx

WOYWW 224 (FESTIVAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR ITEMS WARNING!)

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  You can join in the international peekfest of other peoples' craft desks here.

My desk (of sorts) this week...

This is part of the cross stitch commission from another branch of the shop I work in.  It's a table runner and I've been asked to only complete half of it.

This is what the warning is all about.  I spent ALL (6am-10pm) on Sunday making preserves to be given away as Festival at the end of the year presents.  I made 20 pots total of the following:

Blackberry jam

Apple and blackberry jam

Crab apple jelly

Plum jam

Chilli jam

Green tomato chutney.

Last night, I looked at my forlorn garden.  Summer has taken her love with her and now everything look wilty and sad.  I took a carrier bag to collect the last of the tomatoes and was astounded to completely fill it up.  I have a shedload of chutney to make.  I've estimated that I have at least 36 pots worth of tomatoes.  Eep.  Waste not, want not.

The sky from my playroom this morning.  Just had to share it with you.

Have a happy crafting week all! xxx

WOYWW 221

Hello and welcome to another week of WOYWW!  This is where we all have a look at crafty desks/workspaces from all over the world, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in the fun here.

This is my desk this week...

On the left of my desk is Fifi's baby sampler.  Not long to go on that until I just have to wait for her to give birth at the end of next month so i can sew a name to it.

Then there is a book showing pictures that are useful for the Festival At The End Of The Year.  The aida on the frame is me starting some of those pictures.

Last week I promised pictures of the cross stitches I've been asked to do by another store.  Well, they forgot to send them, so I hope they appear on the van this week.  Instead though, I was asked today to knock up a little design to stick in our shop window this Thursday for the Festival At The End Of The Year theme.  They were going to stick the window in at the end of September, but three other stores have had stonking results since putting their windows in early, so we're being made to follow suit.

That's it from me this week.  Now go and have a look at all the other lovely desks that have put in this week.  xxx

WOYWW 220

Hello again folks.  Time for another week of nosing at other peoples desks, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in the fun here.

My desk this week:

The book contains many previously unseen photographs of the members of the rock band Queen.  It was a birthday present from OH.  The pages shown depict the four members of Queen taking part in a Japanese tea ceremony on their first promotional tour of Japan.

The fabric container at the back of the desk is a JoZart desk bin, made my my friend, Fairy Thoughts for my birthday.  It currently contains chocolate.  Of course.  The cross stitch in the middle is Fifi's baby sampler that I've bought back out of the cupboard since finishing the wedding sampler.  I am going to try and finish it in the next three evenings because something exciting is about to happen...

About a month ago, I asked my buyer at work if she could circulate an email offering my cross stitching services.  I hoped to hear back from one of the others stores, but didn't believe I would.  Today at work, I get another store asking me to stitch up two Christmas displays a supplier gave them.  I hope to obtain them this Thursday, so will hopefully show you what's going down next week.

That's enough from me!  have a great week all! x

WOYWW 219 (Sorry I'm late!)

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Each week we peek at crafty people's desks from around the world and you can join in the fun by clicking this.

Apologies for being so late to the party this week.  I'm on a week off work and my time keeping skills have vanished somewhat.  You don't care about that.  Here's what you care about, my desk this week...

Set the party poppers off - the behemoth (biggest one yet) is now finished and framed.  I have mostly solved the issue of the join line by sewing over it.  Yes, a line can be seen but not so much anymore as I've covered up all the white bits.  Now I have to wait for the lovely couple to get back from their honeymoon.

Halfway through the walk to the wedding venue, my beloved left black strappy wedge broke.  We stopped at a nearby shop for superglue but it just seeped into the fabric sole.  I had to take them off and carry them back home over 3/4 mile of broken tarmac in just my tights.  Which was painful.  OH is trying to save said wedge by using decorator's caulk on it.

I got to the wedding eventually though and through the fug of champagne, white wine, black and white rum, I did manage to take a pic of the wedding cake topper...

The groom is into model making and he painted these himself.  An alternative idea.

This week I have already enjoyed a hangover, gone bowling and visited Avon Beach in Dorset.  I hope to prepare some glass jars for the festival at the end of the year.  I also have to pick up where I left off with Fiona's baby sampler and Nathan's (now Christmas present) Diatoms cross stitch.  Oh and it's my birthday on Saturday, so quite a busy week - hurrah!

Have a great week everyone! xxx

WOYWW 218 (AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!)

Welcome to another week of nosing at people's desks, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in here.

Here is my desk this week...

I may be starting to lose my mind!  Pleased send chocolate covered thoughts my way!  I'm trying to stay positive for you guys, but the wedding is this Saturday, and I work full time.  I'm currently working on it for an hour before work everyday and 5 hours after work, I believe I need an extra 20 hours than what I can afford.  Oh well.  On the plus side, I have learnt that this size cross stitch which would ordinarily take 4 months can be done in 2 1/2 to 3.  Hopefully when you pop back next week, you'll see the finished piece.

Have a great week all! x

WOYWW 217

It's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, where we visit the desks of the craftily-minded.  You can take part here.

T minus 11 days (insert comedy gulp here).  Here's my desk this week...

My desk this week, as it has been for about two months, is my lap.  An accord has been struck with Taz (pictured) and I that she may sit next to me if she doesn't attack me everytime I move a bit of thread.  So far, so good.

With eleven days to go until the wedding, things have been somewhat fraught.  I'm really worried about the join line that runs along their necks.

I THINK I HAVE FOUND A FRAME FOR IT!  A chance discovery in Sainsbury's the other night produced the only frame I've found so far that might fit, with some mounting.  Egads.

Still, on the plus point, it's also only 11 days until my birthday week off.  And I won't be cross stitching that week, that's for sure.

Thanks for visiting.  I'll do my best to get to your page.  Have a great week! x

WOYWW 216 (18 DAYS TO GO)

Well this was unexpected.  I popped along to Julia's page to remind myself what number we are up to and see that this week's blog hop has started a day early due to some internet issues down Julia's neck of the woods.  I better get on with it then!

Every week, a lot of people take advantage of participating in an international blog hop around the world, courtesy of our Julia and you can join in here.

My desk this week...

So all hell broke loose at the weekend when I discovered that the top panelling was misaligned from the bottom pannelling by a whole three stitches.  I turned into some kind of banshee until OH gave me an uncomfortable solution:  TO CUT THE TOP HALF FROM THE BOTTOM HALF WITH A PAIR OF SCISSORS.

Understandably, I felt sick about the whole thing, given how long I've been working on it.  Can you see a very faint line running across Tom's neck?  That's the cutline and I'm hoping that when I've done the picture,  I can go back and fill it in a bit.  I'll either frame it to the edges or mount it.  Can't decide on that at the moment.

Yup, that's 18 days to go until the wedding.  In that time, I have 96 hours left on this project.  You're not hiding your laughter very well.

And I still need to find a frame for it.

Start crossing your fingers folks.

Have a great week! 

xxx

WOYWW 215

Hello fellow WOYWWs!

It's another week of nosing at other people's desks to see what crafty projects they have been up to.  You can join in the fun here.

My desk this week...

Hope is slowly fading that I will get this finished in time for the wedding.  I'm not a pessimist, just a realist.  With 25 days left to go, I still haven't finished all of the bottom panels.  I will keep at it though as I would dearly love to see the bride and groom's faces when the see it.  Wouldn't quite be the same to have to take it around at some point afterwards.

Also on my mind this week...I'm thinking of making hard boiled sweets using recipes from a book I bought myself.  I hope to wrap them individually, stick in the jars I've been saving like a nutter (got around 15 of them now), pretty them up and distribute when the big festival at the end of the year comes around.  I DIDN'T SAY THE WORD!

Thanks for looking, see you all next time folks! x

WOYWW 212

Hello again!  It's another week's peek at crafty desks across the globe and you can join in too by clicking  here.

This is my desk this week...

I am currently painstakenly filling in all the washed out areas on my favourite top with a dye pen.  I can't do more than 10 mins at a time due to sheer boredom, but I'm not ready to let it go, so suffer I must.

There is a pile of stitchbows waiting for m to wrap my DMC flosses onto.  That will probably happen on Sunday.

OH is a computer game nut and he has been known to buy limited edition merchandise.  The foldy paper you see with shapes on is a 3D tab Duke Nuken doll.  Oh yes.  I will show him off next week to you all.

The wedding present continues.  Starting to get irked with it now.  Don't worry, this is perfectly normal behaviour for me.  When I start a cross stitch, I am in love with it.  Then comes the obsession in stitching it every waking minute that I am not at work.  Then I get irked, start to dispise the piece and at the point of handing it over to it's new owner, I utterly hate the thing.  Thank goodness I have a deadline!

Thanks for peeking at my desk this week!
x

WOYWW 211

Good morning!  Welcome to another week of creative desk blog hopping.  You can join in by clicking here

My desk this week has been the chair sat next to the one I sit in.  Here is what is on it this week...

This is the wedding present I am making.  It is still not showing any sign of a face.  What looks like a face on the left is not a face.  

I spent most of my Sunday unpicking half of the white work I did down the middle.  I was out by 22 stitches!  Then I filled it back in to find I'd done it wrong again and spent Monday evening sorting that little pickle out.  I've nearly finished with colour number three.  To put it into perspective...

...This is only a quarter of the colours going in.  HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.  I may have just broken.

Have a lovely week everyone, I look forward to seeing your desks! xxx

WOYWW 209

Hello everyone.

This is the 209th What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday and I hope that you will join in with our weekly feast of blog hopping around other like minded and crafty peoples desk by clicking on this.

Firstly, I would like to thank my WOYWW 4 ATC partner, Kyla, for the beautiful butterfly ATC she sent me (at top of first photo) and to Fairy Thoughts, for thinking of me and giving me the lovely lace and button ATC, even though I wasn't able to give her one back.  THANK YOU GUYS!

The lovely ATC's from Kyla and Fairy Thoughts!

 My desk this week.  My mum works for Homebase and every couple of years they throw ou all of the demo display curtains.  They are single curtains and about half the width of a regular one.  The first time they threw them out, I salvaged the lot by ringing up friends to bring their cars to collect it all - all 100 of them!  This time though, I've been given six.  I unpick and keep the linings separate to reuse as lining, for embroidery or as practice fabric for my sewing machine.  I pln to use some of the top fabrics to make lavender bags with, as the fabric looks like real silk I think they'd look lovely with some lace wrapped around them.  The rest of my desk is a mess of cross stitch!

'Cat Pile' is coming along nicely.  The first page is now becoming a little more defined.  The black part is a cat's tail!

I'm sorry!  I've started on my Christmas card designs already!  Tee hee.

This is the Bartlett-Cobb baby sampler.  Can you guess what it is yet?!  Nah, didn't think so!

I've done nothing to Nathan's Diatoms piece this week as I had to reboot my computer which meant losing my place on the chart I had on my screen.  I'm now intending to print the chart out instead.

That's all from me - I hope you all have a lovely and productive week! x

WOYWW 208!!

Finally, the time has arrived - the 4th anniversary of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  I think I've been waiting for this for two months or something.  I'd like to suggest you take the time to check out the other workdesks available for perusal here.  Happy hopping!

So, my desk this week...

 One hot mess of cross stitch preparation.

 I've decided that as I'm not declaring what this is until it is completed (by which time, you'll be able to guess the subject matter for yourselves), it will, until that point, be named the Bartlett-Cobb sampler, after my friends surnames who are having the baby.

 'Cat Pile' is coming on.  The width of the work that you can see is just one of the 15 A4 charts that is part of the design.  Gah?!

Nathan's Diatoms are racing onwards.  Thanks to the bank holiday weekend.  I managed to get a record amount done to all the pieces.

I'll do my best to get round as many desks this week as possible. x

WOYWW 207

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  This is where we all take a curious peak at other peoples work/craft desks.  It is good fun and you can join in here.

Well, this is what I have been up to this past week...

On the left is Nathan's Diatoms cross stitch.  I've done a fair bit to that this week, although I'd be guessing it's difficult to tell that.  I'm starting to doubt whether I'll get it done in time for his birthday in August.  May well end up as a Christmas present then.

The middle one is a birth sampler for my friend Fiona's baby, who is due in September.  I'm not saying what it is - it's a surprise and you'll have to check my desk every week to see how it gets on.

The one on the right is the Cat Pile cross stitch.  It has been started, at least.  If i'd been clever, I'd have stood back a bit so you could get a view as to how big that piece's Aida fabric is.

I was going to start another one for another friend's birthday (Nathan's mother, to be exact) but the design of a cat in amongst  mosaics and flowers comes out of a hardback book she bought me for Christmas and the picture isn't very clear.  It requires me to sit down with some square paper to knock up the pattern properly.  As I also want to turn it into a lavender bag, it's a project for the near future.

I hope you have enjoyed taking a look at my desk this week.  I intend to look at as many desks this week as possible.  Take care all of you!

XxX

WOYWW 206

It's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday again.  For details, please see Ms. Julia's page.

My back appears to be getting better and I have started scaling back the codeine this week, although I took a double dose at lunchtime by accident (should have been a single dose) and spent the subsequent three hours effectively stoned.  I got a lot of work done, administered first aid and dealt with two complaints (not about me), so I don't think anyone notice.  Need to be more careful.

My desk this week:

To the left, don't know if I've mentioned this one before, but it's a cross stitch pattern a dear friend gave me for Christmas just gone.  It's called 'Cat Pile' and is a heavily Photoshopped picture of a number of different kinds of cat.  I don't think my friend read the specs, or more likely didn't know what she should look for as this pattern is 15 x A4 pages and after I converted the colours from Anchor to DMC, discovered it has 107 colours in it.  Yes, that's 107.  I feel it would be rude of me not to give it a go a she is a good friend and she did spend money on it.  Just don't expect it to be done anytime soon.  I envisage it as the background piece I pick up between projects.

Dan bout me two big Caramel bars, half of one has already been snaffled.

I started a felt bird tutorial on Sunday, which explains the green felt clippings and scissors.  The bird is roughly in the centre of the shot, near a small pile of stuffing.  It is terribly small and very fiddly, so I may make up a load for Chrimble prezzies

Nathan's Diatom cross stitch is still going, at the back of the shot.  I mentioned last week I was taking it on holiday with me to Mudeford to fill in some of the blackwork.  That went well for the first two days of the holiday, when I was in control of my embroidery skeins.  At the end of day two, I found my niece posting the black down a gap in the sun patio of the lodge we were staying at.  Thus ensued a quiet search for a Haberdashery to buy another one.  Ha ha ha - Haberdashery?  What's one of those then?  I obviously take the fact that I work in one for granted, because it seems that no one else has one.  We went to the one I'd heard of in Christchurch, but it had closed down.  I spotted a Bradbeers in New Milton as we drove through the town and made a mental note to stop on the way back and investigate it.  Plans were changed and I never got there, so I packed it away and got my book out instead.  Want a new and exciting book to read?  Get 'The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson out of your local library - it's the bomb! (snigger)

Work have just bought in a load of Decopatch stuff in and it's payday tomorrow and I wonder whether I have the will power to resist.  I will buy the tissue box at some point because I like giving useful gifts.

That's enough words.  See you next week:))) xxx

WOYWW 205

Hello everyone!

I have cheated a bit this week (sorry Julia!).  When this week's WOYWW happens, I shall be holidaying sans lappie and desk in (hopefully) sunny Mudeford.  So here's one I prepared a little earlier, and if Fairy Thoughts is able help me, she'll be posting this up for you all to see!

Last Wednesday, I went to a colleague's leaving do at a local eatery.  I was in such a hurry to seat myself in the far corner of our table area that I was practically running along the gap between bench and table before tripping up on the final table leg and in one neat motion, managed to twist myself firmly into my seat.  Unfortunately on the way down, I whacked my spine against the bench back.  Didn't think much of it until Thursday when I couldn't move.  Saw the doc on Friday.  She prescribed codeine and two days off.  In my codeine induced fuzz, I spent those two days doing this:

 It is a drug structure embroidery (of sorts).  You see, when I got home on the day the doc signed me off I went to drugbank dot com to see what pretty picture codeine looked like.  Then it occured to me that I could start embroidering these pictures.  So I decided to start with the A's.  So far in the whole picture, we can see Paracetemol, Acyclovir (in Zovirax for killing herpes virus), Allopurinol (cures gout), Alprazolam (treats anxiety), Amiodarone (heart medicine), Amitriptyline (anti-depressant), Amlodipine (improves blood flow in vessels), Amoxicillin (antibiotic) and Asprin has been marked up to do next but is already fading.

 This beastie is Paracetemol.

and this is the Acyclovir.

Strange project.  I don't know what I'm doing it for.  Maybe I'll make a wall hanging out of it or turn them into patches or something.  WHO KNOWS?!

In other news, Nathan's Diatoms cross stitch is packed up ready to go on holiday with me.  My goal is to fill in as much of the black work as possible while I'm away.  I am intending to do a fair amount of beach combing this week as I never get to do it.  I'm looking for sea glass mainly, as it is a lucrative business on Etsy and Ebay, but we'll have to see abut the state of my back and whether I can get down far enough to see what i'm doing.

If you leave me a comment, I shall endevour to reply to you and peek at your desk when I get back this Friday.

Enjoyed this blog?  There are others in the same vein of crafting here, have a scooch around looking at other fantastic craft desks, all courtesy of Ms.  Julia.

I do believe it's codeine o'clock already:)  Have a great week, everyone! xxx

WOYWW 198

Hello again friends.  Sorry this has been put together a bit late in the day, but at least I got here at all.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday is a weekly look at other crafty minded folk's work desks.  To join in the fun, have a look at Ms. Julia's blog here to take part.

My desk this week:

Here we have  the Diatom cross stitch attatched to a stand lent to me by Fairy Thoughts.  It's brilliant and I want one of my own now.  To the left of that are two Christmas cards with birds that have been painted by kids.  Chck out the robin Cuthulu-style card.  to the right, there is a black bag of ribbon, more of which in a minute.  Below that is a pile of my cherished postcards I got when I was an avid postcrosser. My decimated ribbon box, and a lot of other random rubbish!

There is so much going on here this week.  The dining room table is still unchanged from the previous week's photo.  I'm hoping to get all the items we're not keeping onto Freecycle just as soon as OH gives the signal.  However, I have finally just managed to load all the crappy items from Grannys into the back of OH's car in anticipation of a trip to the tip tomorrow.

****News Flash!****

I am proud to announce that we are getting two new additions to our family this weekend.  My dad is no longer able to carry on looking after the family cats, so on Saturday I will be collecting Guinness and Taz and will hopefully be able to provide a clean, loving home for them to live out their days in.  So excited!

Thank you for popping by to have a look.  If you leave a comment, I will be sure to check out your desk!  xxx

WOYWW 197

Hello all, and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  To have a look at other desks, visit Ms. Julia's blog at Stamping Ground.

This week, I have two desks to show you, the greedy swine that I am!

This is my regular desk:

On the left is a cross stitch I'm doing for my friend Matthew, who turns 40 this weekend.  I ditched the original tree pattern I was going to make as it would have taken too long.  I'l be making that for my friend Naomi's 30th birthday in May, so I've got a bit of time to go on that.  I wanted to spell his birthday out in Roman numerals and chanced upon the Latin for Happy Birthday, so with a bit of luck, it should end up reading:

FELIX NATALIS 

XVI 

III 

MCMLXXIII

XL

Or...

Happy Birthday

16th

March

1973

40

I have started on this year's Christmas cards.  Nathans Diatom cross stitch is coming along nicely at week 3.

This is my dining room table this week:

OH and I are starting the ridiculous process of clearing his Granny's trailer so we can move her closer to us as she is on her own miles from any family, at the age of 88.  This picture shows all the salvaged and cleaned items found in her kitchen.  Our job now is to decide what we're keeping and what's getting divvied up between friends/Ebay/Facebay/Freecycle and charity shops.  Out of shot are boxes of metal, plastic, glass, wood and pottery items that are heading straight to the tip as they have all cooked their last.

Exciting times!  We're going back to Granny's this Thursday for more stuff, so there may well be another table shot next week.  Stay tuned folks.

Thanks for popping by, and sorry for the long post! xxx