WOYWW 217

This is my desk bright and early this Wednesday morning... had to have a good clean up after getting paint everywhere yesterday doing the turntable drawers and I am now going to set to and start making all those chipboard drawers!  When I took this photo a few minutes ago I had to laugh... if anyone out there doesn't believe in sublminal messaging... just take a look at this!

I have spent a good part of the last week looking through all my papers to figure out which ones I wanted to use on the turntable drawers... and then I spotted these and thought (quite smugly) they will be perfect!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm, now I wonder why I thought that???   ;)

This is the long cupboard to the left of my desk... and late last night I had a good sort out of what was going to be there... it's a nice to have bug and bigshot where you can use them... and all my dies and embossing folders were still in their packaging and took up a lot of room in one of my cubby holes... so earlier this week I had a light bulb moment! See the orange stripey book at the end of the shelf?

Yep!  I made a book for all my embossing folders using the Kathy Orta hinge binding system!  I love this way of binding books... 

Would you look at that?  This book has 20... yes, 20 embossing folders in it and it isn't even bulging open!

I put a pocket on each side of the page to hold the folders...

I added tags to the page with an example embossed onto cardstock and a little tag telling me who and what.

Added some ribbons and bling to the tags and voila!! I am so pleased with the end result and now I don't have 20 folders in their packaging slipping and sliding about in a drawer.

Don't forget to go over to the leader of the desks, Julia at the Stamping Ground, and link up for the ride of the week!

T stands for Tuesday!

I am joining Elizabeth and Bluebeard for T on Tuesday.... with hot chocolate! ;)

Oh and I felt like I had procrastinated quite long enough and decided to put together the pack of wood and chipboard I pictured last week!  You know there aren't destructions with that kit????  Nope, not a dicky bird on how to put all that stuff together!  So I did what I always do when faced with these situations... I headed for YouTube!!  Yep, there was a video clip from Kaisercraft on how to put them together... a computer generated 'put together' which lasts 35 seconds!! LOL  Let me tell you, that clever computer put the entire thing together faster than I could do one slot!!  Click the link if you want a laugh.

It's not looking much at the moment is it?  I gave it a coat or two of pale aqua... to pick out the aqua in the papers I have chosen... so I am now holding thumbs/crossing fingers that it turns out something like my brain thinks it should!

Annie's Little Square Book

Now that she has it in her hands, I can show the little book that I made for Annie/Wipso and posted off last weekend.  Jo of Jozart has no idea what she has started... our Annie, creator of all sorts of lovely sewing projects, got a tag book from Jo to put her WOYWW ATC's in... and Annie had a go at making one and has now joined us on the dark side making mini books!

Whilst chatting on facebook I offered to show her how to make a few of my favourite minis and Annie decided that she would like to try this version... so I made this one up and sent her the destructions.

It is an easy mini and opens up as a display book but if anyone had been a fly on the wall the other night when Annie was trying to put hers together... let's say Tenna pads were an additional requirement I hadn't thought about at gone midnight and a continent away for this particular one on one class!  Annie was making frogs and pyramids... I know, I was impressed too, but what she was trying for was the fold that makes the little pocket on each corner page!

Each of the four pages are attached together with the little pocket for tags 

and for a little mini you have quite a lot of real estate for putting photos and journaling.

If you fancy trying one for yourself you can find the instructions here.

WOYWW 216

Here we are again with What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Check out the leader of the desks, Julia, if you wish to join in or find out more.

This is my desk bright and early this Wednesday morning!  A cup of tea, a mini I just finished off for my Granddaughter with the letter that will go in the post with it and that unopened project... yep, still procrastinating on that one!

I have been watching YouTube video by Kathy Orta and just had to try out her hidden hinge binding system!

Brilliant isn't it?  Love the gusset gaps between each page so that you can embellish to hearts content without making the book totally unmanageable. 

 Inside front cover... I am hoping that my Granddaughter will add all the treats and special days she enjoys during her summer vacation.

 The pages are those little coin envelopes... so you can see it is a wee little book but with all the tags and pull-outs and fold outs she should have enough room for some favourite photos and journaling.

 Little booklet slides out on this page...

 A little pocket on the front with a tag, and larger tag inside the envelope page.

 A side pocket with tag on this page and larger tag inside.

 A fold-out page for photos and journaling and larger tag inside.

 A slide out tag plus the larger one inside...

 and this is the spine... it looks so neat and square... I hope she enjoys it and it encourages her to look at the everyday things that make life special.
I am off out for coffee with a couple of ladies this morning but will be back by lunchtime to start on my rounds of desk hopping!!

Oops... got Kathy Orta's name wrong, thanks Caz!!! :(  Have added the link to the hinge binding video.

T stands for Tuesday

and I am not drinking tea.... have had about 4 cups already this morning... so have gone for an expresso instead!  And yes, it is Tuesday here in Brisbane... in fact half the morning has gone already!! LOL

and it is sitting on my desk next this large packet of wooden pieces and chipboard...

Yes... I am trying to work up enough courage to break open the plastic wrap and set to playing with it... but this is as far as it has got at the moment... the vision in my head for how I want it to turn out is a little fuzzy... so I need to go through my patterned papers and hope that a set will jump out at me shouting that they are perfect for the job.

Oh and I have found a new friend!  Meet Lizzie, the blue-tongued lizard, that lives under my front porch.  She likes catfood... and yes... she has a blue tongue!

Here she is eating Pandy's leftover breakfast... I think she is gorgeous... I am hoping that she will get used to me hanging around...

If you are wondering why I am babbling on about tea and coffee and procrastinating about papers and lizards in the garden... then hop over to Elizabeth's and join us for T stands for Tuesday.  No pressure, you can drink what you like... tell us what is happening in your life... 

What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday 215

Sorry about the light... it's a bit overcast today and I need it in the basement.

Looking farely neat and tidy isn't it? LOL  It looked like this a bit earlier this morning!

Yep... I had nearly finished the book box before I went to bed, and as it is a gift for Chris for our 14th Anniversary today.. I wrapped and gave it to him before he went to work and then promptly took it back to finish the spine off this morning! LOL

Can you see the date I punched into the bottom gear? 

There you go... 17th July 1999  A & C

oh and just to prove to the non-believers that there is no brass or metal on this box... this is how it began! 

So when he gets home from work, he will now have the final product... with decorated spine and drawer.

Don't forget to go to Julia's and sign up to the linky list and then lose hours of your day looking at all the fabby desks around the globe!

I'm now off to bake a cake... for our anniversary... we are going out to eat at the weekend... Chris has booked a table at a restaurant in town called Moo Moos.... I know, the mind boggles at why they picked that as a name... but it appears that it is the place to go!!

Tea on Tuesday

OK, I will admit straight out... it is not tea in that mug... it is hot chocolate!  I drink tea from a cup and saucer, which, in my humble opinion, is the only way to drink tea.  But, it is winter here in Brisbane... and its a bit nippy down in the scraproom so a mug of hot chocolate is the way to go. Don't you love that mug?

Chris bought it for me when we were at the scrapbooking and papercrafting expo in Brisbane and I think it is fab.

Now, you are probably asking why I am waffling on about tea and hot chocolate... but I am joining Elizabeth for her Tea on Tuesday this morning.  You don't have to drink tea... any beverage is acceptable!!

Now I have to get back to altering that wooden book box... but I will pop back in a while and visit any other partakers of tea... just need to make a start as is it is our wedding anniversary tomorrow and I need to have it finished for Chris.... the odds are pretty much stacked against me on achieving this goal!!

Envelope Box

Now it has reached it's destination back to the UK, I can show you the other envelope box that I made last week.  I made this smaller version for Toni, who has been a follower of this blog and always finds something nice to say about my projects for many years.  It was to thank you for always being so sweet to find the time to say something nice when ever I have blogged.

Here it is tied up with creamy white ribbon.

Top view with the stamping and photos of the long lost beau...

Without the ribbon so you can see the photos...

and opened up to reveal the secret space for hiding momentos.

WOYWW Week 214

It's that time of that week... the one where we all link up on Julia's blog and then have a darn good nosey at what is going on at all the other desks all over the world!  If you have never joined in before, then now is the time, you can always be assured of loads of interesting bits of information and inspiration.

This is my desk this morning, looking pretty neat and tidy with a range of garish brooches all laid out ofr inspection to find just the right one for the little box I have made... yes, that one, on the desk!  A cup of tea, my ATG and stand, my new glue gun and some paintbrushes I just cleaned.  Now, if you had seen the desk yesterday, it was a mess!  But, I am one of those folk that has to clean up between projects, especially if they involve paint.

This is the box... it all began with that bit of transparency... I saw a box done by a friend, Carole, and had to figure out how to use that idea because I liked it so much.  I ran the tranparency through my bug and embossed it, then added the pearls and backed it with Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante papers.

This is the front of the box, with the folded down transparency piece.

One side, with a pocket watch and Tim Holtz wings.

The opposite side, with chipboard cogs that I have painted to make them appear like brass.

More cogs...

Cogs that I papered with music and printed word.

and with the lid removed... yes, I revisited an old idea... the exploding box.  Only the outside walls and lid are chipboard on this version because I wanted it to have some weight and be sturdy.  The cardstock exploding boxes I made years ago have not travelled well... LOL

The chipboard outer layer is decorated with cogs and wheels and a brass butterfly.  

The inner cardstock layer is decorated with paper images and butterflies.

The outside walls without the lid...

other outside wall

third outside wall

and final outside wall.

The centre of the inside I have decorated with cogs, pearl sticks, flowers, beads, a little light bulb and gems.

some wire springs and a bottle of glitter... think that is enough bling, don't you? LOL

I should mention that this is a birthday gift for my step-daughter-in-law-to-be... and her birthday is day after tomorrow... and she is in the UK.... oops!  Guess it will be a bit late?  Think she will believe that it is 'in the post'? LOL