Wednesday 4 January 2017

What's on Your Workdesk - I - A clean slate... well desk

Back in November I met a lovely circle of Crafters who were linked by two common things... crafting and blogging. I had one thing in common.. I love to craft.  I enjoyed the meet up so much that I thought, why not give it a go and try blogging (again).

I've not had a blog since the days of live journal.. and that has to be about 20 years ago, so please bear with me!

I thought that I would use today's post as an introduction to my Workdesk as it is usually tidy... and is unlikely to look like this again for a long time! Welcome to my space. 

Welcome to my Craft Room
There... see... it is almost completely naked... this makes me feel both proud  (it is a beautiful space after all) and sad (beautiful spaces inspire messy inky playtime which I have not really had mojo for in the last few months).

In this first photo, you can see my love of Iron Maiden, and some random mittens.. the little container with all the lids has seed beads in it.. and the rose on the door handle is one I dried a very long time ago in memory of my Dad who passed away 3rd January 2003. This space is actually used to hold my larger card blanks and envelopes.

Bits & Bobs

In this photo, you can see the shelves which hold my papers and card sheets.. you can also see the start of my work space which has a Hard Rock Café bag.. which is filled with the swag from my recent holiday in San Francisco. Also on the side are paint brushes, my inks, drawers with my stencils and texture pastes..

STUFF!!

This is the other side of my workspace.. smaller card blanks, gel pens, glitter watercolours, a spring wreath I made.. and even a couple of paper craft magazines which I bought for the cute stamps hehe.  If you look real close, all the way at the back, you will see a photo of my best friend and I 'murdering' each other for a photo taken at the London Catacombs lol.. it cracks me up every time I see it :)

STUFF (on the other side)

Lastly.. this is my actual workdesk.. well.. at the moment it is home to an orchid my directors at work gave me for Christmas as thanks for the past year.  I need to have a tidy up to find it a permanent place.. as the windowsill is full of candles which I love burning.. and it's a bit too cold for it to sit on the windowsill at the moment. In the background you can see some things I made at an Inky Workshop.. the first time I learned about making backgrounds.

My actual workdesk
 The last thing I wanted to mention is my Inspiration Wall, well.. it's more like an Inspiration Nook now. It was something I wanted to do for my 40th birthday, and luckily I have some amazing friends who took time out of their busy lives to make things just for me.. If you look at the right on the heart are all of the ATCs and tags and little star that came from the WOYWW Crop.

Inspiration Nook

Hopefully this little blog and overly tidy workspace will help me ease back into inky fingers and creative fun. Here's hoping anyway!

Happy 2017 to you all...  thank you for visiting x

55 comments:

  1. I tracked you down Erika (as your first follower) but your link to WOYWW didn't work. Thanks for sharing your fab workspace.

    Happy WOYWW

    Kathyk
    #14

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  2. Eeep :(
    Will have to fix it at home later.. I guess trying to use my mobile first thing wasn't the best plan lol

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  3. Yay, you're here! It all went pear shaped for me when I tried using my phone- not attempted doing it that way since! Lovely to get a browse around your craft space- be warned, your life will revolve around Wednesdays from now on,lol. Have a great week, Hugs, Shaz xx#3

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    1. I just hope I can remember my Wednesday's from my Tuesdays lol.. thanks for all of the help :)

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  4. What an interesting nook.Such a sweet way to keep treasure.
    have an inspiring 2017 and look after you orchid.
    Monica 34

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    1. Hi Monica..thank you for dropping by.. Happy New Year to you too :)

      I was shocked that I was gifted so many amazing pieces of art for my project.. it took over and is fabulous because when I feel a little down, I look at all the time and effort there.. and realise that I am special too :)

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  5. Happy New Year, Erika. Good to meet you again after our day at the crop! That's some room you have there for your crafting adventures. Enjoy it!
    Take care. God bless.
    Margaret #4

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    1. Hi :)
      I am so lucky with my space.. designed by a friend of mine and Julia's MeBart built it for me.. so it is perfect just for me (and has room for a friend to join me too)

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  6. What a lovely creative space you have! I love the inspiration wall - I too needed inspiration when I turned 40 (a long time ago!) Great place to be surrounded by love! Happy New Year! Lindart #37

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    1. Thank you... I think we all need inspiration and I have loads now... all I need now is to sit down and get messy :D

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  7. Awesome desk and crafting space. Love the nook! Lucky girl being able to go to the WOYWW crop! Some day I am going to save up the money to go too but living in the states right now makes it difficult to know what is coming next. Happy New Year! Vickie #12

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    1. I know what it is like.. saving pennies for things.. I was very lucky to go, especially as I wasn't even a WOYWW person before today... but I have known Julia for almost 17 years now and the crop was so close to home.. I was honoured to be able to go.. what a great day... and so much cake and wonderful food too!

      I hope you can get there.. will keep fingers crossed for you

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  8. You have a wonderful space. My orchid died, so sad but I am the world's worst killer of all things in pots.
    Happy WOYWW!
    Tertia #8

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    1. Thank you.
      All of my plants die.. I think orchid has lived because I was away since the day after I received it... so it didn't have to put up with me touching it :)

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  9. Hello. Lovely to meet you. You have a great space and love the Inspiration Nook! Welcome to WOYWW Anne x # now at 20

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    1. Thank you for the welcome :) everyone has been so lovely.. it's almost like home now hehe.
      Let's see how well the inspiration rubs off on my creativity :)

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  10. Happy New Year Erica!!
    Congratulations on becoming a blogger, this is the place to be.
    Thanks for your visit earlier, have managed to add a few more items to my desk lolo
    Love the view of your crafty place especially the heart, brill idea.
    Have a good week
    Christine #19

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    1. Good to 'see' you again too :)
      The heart was my husband's contribution to my wall.. he bought it from a local garden centre and I loved it so much I asked for another one for my living room.. which is currently full of Christmas cards.

      The hardest part is just deciding what to put on them :)

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  11. Great to see you Erika, last time I saw your craft room it was completely empty! I believe a steamy bathroom or kitchen windowsill is the place for your lovely orchid, but I'm not a keeper of house plants, my knowledge is based on observations in friends houses!! So, hope to see your Eskimo in action soon then..just as I hope to get to mine for some ink time!

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    1. So true!! It was pristine then.. and I love it so much... thank MeBart squillions from me :)

      I am crap with plants so will use your advice and Google to see if I can help it live. I know they like tight roots and not to water it too much... and spritz with water when it is warm. Maybe my bathroom is the best place for it as the windowsill is very wide so it would get light but away from the cold window :)

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  12. It was lovely to meet you in November and great to see you here today. My son and brother are big fans of Iron Maiden too. Thanks for stopping by earlier.

    Fiona #24

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    1. I am seeing them in May at the O2... and am already so excited!! Great to see you again too :)

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  13. You have a lot of desk space! And definitely tidy. I am enjoying my MISTI and have found oodles of YouTube videos on it's use. Good way to see what all one can do before jumping in with the $$. Thanks for the visit!
    Carol N #31

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    1. Thank you for the feedback on the Misti.. I keep looking at it on my want list.. but with tight craft pennies it has yet to make it to the need list.
      YouTube is great for inspiring me.. it helped make up my mind about a Gelli plate last year :)

      I really am so lucky with my space.. I went from a fold down TV tray table in my old house where I worked in the lounge and hubby was unhappy with the mess (as I was) to getting a whole room when we moved so I can craft and then close the door. Saves my poor cats from getting coated in glue too (well most of the time anyway)

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  14. Hi Erika, well I feel like I've actually met you, your room has a lot of personality. I look forward to seeing what you create in there :o) Happy New Year X Annie C #32

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  15. Hi Annie, thank you for visiting.. in a way you are right.. this room is so me :)

    I have a feeling my newest purchase (distress crayons) will be coming out to play soon.. :)

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  16. My DH still wears his vintage Iron Maiden shirt ,god help me if it goes MIA lol Boys they never grow up. You have a wonderful little nook of a space to craft in :)
    Hugs From chilly Canada
    Nikki 7

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    1. Hugs back from a fellow Canadian (who now lives in England).

      I fell in love with Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden when I was 15 years old.. No Prayer for the Dying album.. saw them live 20 years later forster the first time and even after all that anticipation I still buzzed for weeks after. So excited to be seeing them again this May (a 40th birthday gift to myself lol).. so no.. we never grow up.

      Thank you for visiting xx

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  17. I love the tour of your whole room! The Iron Maiden cups jumped out at me right away (today is a Suicidal Tendencies kind of day 'how will I laugh tomorrow...'). Your room looks like a great place to play and hang out.

    Thanks for visiting me and my rolltop desk today. I love my desk! Sometimes I wish I had a bigger workspace (room enough for a paper cutter and/or Big Shot right there instead of over there) but I wouldn't trade my desk!!!

    I pick my room up all the time because I have 4 naughty cats who chew plastic, bite all manner of things, crinkle papers, tangle ribbons, etc. I keep it picked up to keep the vet bills down. I like it tidy too, I confess.

    That's my story and I'm sticking to it! PJ #33

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    1. My 3 kitties are why I am grateful to have a room with a door I can shut for their protection (and for the safety of any works in progress!!)

      Only thing is.. my baby cat (2 now) loves sleeping on the chair in my inspiration nook and gets upset when I keep the door closed... so I do try to keep it tidy between makes so we can share the room.. after all, a house is not a home without cats <3

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  18. Gorgeous cosy workspace, love it to bits. I love your Orchid too, I have grown various types of Orchid for years and still love to see them coming back into flower. If you need any help with it just let me know. Give it plenty of light, only water it before noon but not too often as they don't like to be swimming in water so always drain them. Sorry I'm going on a bit Lol! but I hate it when people let them die. Thanks for the visit to mine, Happy New Year woyww, Angela x 18

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    1. Yay!! I am so very grateful for any help you can give me with my orchid.. you are talking to the only person who has even killed a cactus after all! I do have a small dehydration plant kicking around somewhere that hubby bought me for a joke as you can't kill it... but it's not as pretty as the orchid.

      Ok.. so right now I have the plant on the middle of my desk.. in the light and away from cold window.. but it needs to move soon (so I can play)... so it needs a new home...hmmm

      Also the pot around the roots is clear and it says I should only water when the roots are silvery grey and not when they are green.. and to make sure it drains (the container is like a think mesh) so I hoping it will live :)

      Is it OK with tap water? Does it need any special ummm orchid food?

      So many questions lol.. sorry :)

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  19. What a beautiful creative space - it all looks very organised and lots of space for everything. Like you, I have to shut the door on mine or our 2 kitties come in - one is fine, but the other is so nosey and pulls things out and is a general nuisance so they both have to be banned! Thank you for your visit and I'm glad you like my little album.

    Happy New Year and happy WOYWW,
    Shoshi #23

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    1. It's so hard shutting the kitties out isn't it.. especially when one just wants to sleep on the chair whilst you play..

      I am so grateful and lucky for my space.. and it makes me try really hard to put things back when I am done with them.. doesn't always work though :)

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  20. Happy New Year! Love all the shots of your craft room! You have a great space. And Iron Maiden...nice! My first thought was not our usual blogger group, but seeing your comments, I stand corrected! Have a great week.
    -k #45

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    1. Hahaha.. In time you will find that I never really fit entirely in one "group".. I am much too eclectic for that hehe.. thank you for the welcome and for reading through to the bottom to fit how I fit :)

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  21. You do have a lovely work space. Welcome to blogging. And thank you for sharing your space. I love craft room tours. :-) I hope we see your desk lots. :-)
    April #37

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    1. I love seeing everyone else's spaces and rooms too... it's almost like visiting a friend for a cuppa :)

      I am hoping to keep blogging... maybe next time with an actual project on the go :)

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  22. You definitely have a lovely and very practical craftroom with lots of nice storage space too. Your nook is amazing too. It's been a pleasure meeting you and Happy New Year!

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    1. Pleased to meet you too.. thank you for stopping by :)

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  23. Is your first photo a panorama? I must try that for my craft corner. Love the orchid and the inspiration nook. Thanks for the visit - Happy WOYWW and Happy New Year BJ#12

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    1. Yes!! I figured out how to take a panoramic photo on my phone when I was in San Francisco last week and thought that I would try it out with my room... I did it landscape... because I wasn't sure if I could fit everything in if I did it portrait.. hmm maybe next week!

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    2. Yes!! I figured out how to take a panoramic photo on my phone when I was in San Francisco last week and thought that I would try it out with my room... I did it landscape... because I wasn't sure if I could fit everything in if I did it portrait.. hmm maybe next week!

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  24. Well, first of all welcome to WOYWW, please give us a try and carry on blogging. It is surprising how many friendships you make with people you may never see in the flesh. I now have friends I have not seen who I open up to when I wouldn't to others. You never need to be lonely when you have blogging friends.
    Thanks for the lovely photos of your craft space, looks fabulous and I love that orchid. Mine are in the window sill and doing fine in fact one is on its third flowering and the other on its second so don't throw away when the flowers are gone, keep it going and it will reward you with more flowers.
    Happy New Year - Hugs, Neet 5 xx

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    1. Hi :D
      I've been on the Internet a very very long time and have friends of over 20 years whom I have never physically met and yet who know me better than people I see everyday!!

      Thank you for stopping by and for the advice on my orchid.. I really hope it will live a long long life x

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  25. Hiya Erica!!!! Welcome to blogland and WOYWW!!!! Now got you in my blog list so will be very happy to pop along here and keep up with you. Should be dishing up dinner so better dash but will be back to take a proper nosey very soon. Love to you, Debbie xXx

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    1. Love to you too :) did you see your beautiful artwork on my inspiration nook.. shame the photo doesn't do it justice at all!!

      I have to make dinner now too but thank you for taking the time to visit :) xx

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  26. well hello you!! great craft room! now don't forget to link up next week at WOYWW ...

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    1. Hiii.. I linked in this week and will do my best to be there next week.. I just need to learn how to link back to Julia's page to make life easier for everyone.. although I do have her on my sidebar.. maybe that is enough? lol :)

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  27. I totally *HEART* your inspiration nook, that is very cool :)
    Happy New Years! & thanks for the earlier visit, ~Stacy #41

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  28. awww.. I totally love it too! I took the idea from a friend who tried to make a paper mosaic for her 40th birthday.. and although I sent her a piece of artwork.. only 3 other people did.. but she still loved it. I was shocked to receive as many lovely things as I have..

    thank you for stopping by :)

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  29. What a great craft space you have - I have storage envy!! Lol. And a love for Iron Maiden as well? No wonder you and Shaz are good friends:-D
    Hugs, LLJ 15 xxx

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    1. Lol... yes.. Shaz and I both got our Iron Maiden tickets quickly when they went in sale :D

      I love my space.. and know I am super lucky.. it's the perfect space really x

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    2. Lol... yes.. Shaz and I both got our Iron Maiden tickets quickly when they went in sale :D

      I love my space.. and know I am super lucky.. it's the perfect space really x

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  30. Hi Ericka, w
    Well I'm a bit late in getting around to say hi.. thanks so much for popping over, it was lovely to see around yoru place, and so you're not entirely a stranger having been at WOYWW having actually been to a crop, which I I haven't been able to do, a tad too far. 😊 From Oz.. maybe one day I could coincide it with a very rare visit to U.K. .. or not. Depends on $.
    I've read back on your last two posts too so was nice to glean a little more information on yourself. Look forward to your sharing your bunnies and other things on WOYWW.
    I've joined your blog as an encourager so hope you might pop over my way and reciprocate. I joined WOYWW six years ago this month and it doesn't feel like it!!!
    Thanks for sharing your inspiration, and happy belated WOYWW.😊
    Shaz in Oz.x #9

    {Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

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