What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #443

November is a month with five Wednesdays, which finds me with no class and a little breathing space this week.

Yesterday I completed a few cards for upcoming birthdays. I always get more requests at this time of year. The selection of birthday cards in the shops diminishes as Christmas approaches.

I'll leave you with this matching set we made in class a couple of weeks ago.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers on this frosty morning.

What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday #440

A production line at the kitchen table this morning. Scoring and punching.....

.....ready to assemble closer to the time.

That involves gluing along one side and tying the ends with ribbon to make the basic cracker. Very quick to do.

We fancied them up a little more in class last week. The bear decoration took longer than the cracker!

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers 

Butternut Squash and Chickpea stew

I haven't shared a recipe on the blog in a very long time. A few people asked me for this one, after I posted a picture on social media, and it seemed the easiest way.

one onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
one butternut squash, peeled and chopped
one red pepper, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
one carton of passata
750ml vegetable stock
one tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
150g of lentils

Fry the onion in oil of your choice until softened.
Add garlic, ginger, pepper and squash and fry for a few more minutes.
Stir in the spices.
Add the passata and stock followed by the chickpeas and lentils.
Give it a good stir, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on low until the squash is tender and the lentils have absorbed the liquid. Season to taste.

This makes 6 good portions to serve with couscous or 4 if you're laying off the carbs. Excluding the spices, which I already had, it cost just under £2 for the ingredients.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wedesday #439

Last Wednesday passed me by, but I'm back this week to share the cards that were in the making when I last showed you my kitchen table.

Simple, yet effective. Looks like much more effort went in than actually did. My favourite kind of card. Ideal for mass production at this time of year.

More work in this one, of course, but I need something a bit interesting to break things up. Masking, sponging and stamping. One of my favourites so far this year.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers this afternoon.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #437

Another six weeks have rolled by, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

This was the scene at the kitchen table around 6am, hence the grainy picture. It was still dark when I took my boy to work this morning. All my supplies laid out ready for class. As you can probably tell, from the stamp sets on show, seasonal crafting is now underway. I can't resist any longer.

This afternoon, I've swapped paper for fabric. A Christmas Day dress in the making. Coffee and a stroopwafel to smooth the process.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers,  just as it's getting dark again!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #431

This morning my desk was a table at the local Arts Centre. I taught a class of nine lovely ladies how to make a little box and two birthday cards in shades of pink.

We die cut these little girls from paper.....

.....layered them up and added to a stamped background. They remind me of Mable Lucie Atwell images fro my childhood. Sweet without being too cutesy.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers this afternoon.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #430

August has been a busy month and it's been great to have a complete break from card making. With my first class of the Autumn term only a week away, I need to get my head back in the game.

All the new seasonal goodies are coming in so I need to start planning. Now I love Christmas, but firmly in its place, which is after Halloween. With that in mind I like to come up with a few alternative ideas for the Christmas products.

I'm easing myself in gently with the Quilt Top embossing folder.

Linking up with Julia and the deskers this afternoon.

What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday #426

With only a week to go until we're off to the Netherlands, I'm supposed to be whipping up a quick peasant style maxi dress at the kitchen table today.

I cut it from this fabric a week ago.

The rain lashing against the windows is not providing much motivation.

Hoping it looks more like August somewhere out there in the land of Deskers.

Stampin' on Saturday ~ Bird cages

In a bid to try and get back into a blogging routine, here I am with two of the cards that resulted from the clutter on my kitchen table earlier in the week.

A stamped lacy background, recessed birdcage and some water coloured flowers.

Another stamped background, with a repeating image this time. The bird cage popped up on foam pads and a simple sentiment banner, which I hand cut.

Enjoy your weekend, whatever you're doing.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #424

Hello lovely Deskers and anyone else stopping by today. I taught my last class, before the Summer break, this morning.

This was the state of play just before I packed everything up.....

Third Wednesday in the month is always a four card session, usually focused on one particular stamp set. Today it was the turn of Badges and Banners.

I'll share the cards on Saturday as it's too dark to take pictures here this afternoon. If you want to see the projects from the last time I showed my desk, they are in the previous post. Happy Wednesday. It's good to be back.

Stampin' on Saturday

It's been quite a while since I had the inclination to blog anything. Instagram is so much simpler when you're short on time. I was sorting out photos on the laptop just now and came across the end products from my last desk sharing outing.

A one layer card using a current favourite, Touches of Texture. Simple two step stamping for the flowers. A little water colouring on the leaves and bees with Wink of Stella for the wings. Add a sentiment and you're done. Twenty minutes max.

The matching box took a little longer, but it's not complicated to make. You never know I might even get round to a tutorial once my workshops end for the summer.

Have a lovely weekend.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #418

Good morning lovely Deskers and anyone else who is dropping by. I've done my first taxi run of the day, taking my boy to work for 5.50am. I've got time for a quick blog post before I head out again.

This was my work space on Monday morning.....

.....I'd decided on a stamp set and picked two colours.

Things had moved on a bit by Tuesday morning.....

.....and I was ready to cut the kits for class.

I use the sheet to help me pack the supplies I'll need, while I run through the process for the project in my head. I like a visual reminder.

Linking up with Julia and I'll be round to visit once I get home at lunchtime.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #417

It's Half Term here and I'm enjoying a break from all the usual driving. In fact my car is currently in pieces on the drive. The brake shoe broke on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully as I was backing onto our drive and not out and about with passengers.

This is how the kitchen table looked last time I did anything crafty.

Stamping up a bunch of ink samples, to show off the new colours.....

.....and some brown paper to wrap a gift.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers. Happy Wednesday.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #416

"What's on Your Workdesk? Wednesday" is celebrating eight happy years of crafting, fun and friendship today. Who'd have thought it? I've been joining in since 2011 and met some very lovely people over the course of those six years. Here's to many more. Big thanks to Julia for bringing us all together.

I did have time for a little bit of playing with pretty paper earlier. I'm finally cutting into this lovely stuff, having admired it for several months.

I also stamped a whole bunch of greetings ready to add to some cards.

When I kit for class I can get four card mats from an A4 sheet and I end up with two little pieces, like the one in the picture above, left over. They usually go straight into the recycling because I know, if I keep them, they'll most likely never see the light of day again. This time I had a purpose in mind and I've used them all. Very satisfying.

Happy Anniversary to all you Deskers out there and Happy Wednesday to everyone else. I hope you've enjoyed some glorious sunshine today, like we have.

National Scrapbook Day Blog Hop

This post is part of the National Scrapbook Day Blog Hop, hosted by the Facebook Group For the Love of Pretty Paper.

I am the first stop. Welcome to the hop.

Let's get the rules out of the way first, shall we?

"To be in with a chance of winning the Blog Hop prize, you will need to comment on this post and all the other blogs in the hop. When you have completed the hop return to the Blog Hop thread on FTLOPP and leave a comment to let us know that you have been all the way around.Visitors who leave the same comment on all the blogs will not be eligible for the prize. The closing date for entries is Monday 8th of May at 10pm. Entrants with a UK address only please. Good luck!"

Now, on with the fun. The theme for our hop today is "Favourite Techniques" and this is currently one of mine.....

.....using embossing folders as background stamps.

You will need.....

.....an embossing folder, a brayer, an ink pad and some card stock.

Get your brayer nice and inky.....

.....and apply to the raised part of the pattern you'd like to print.

Lay the card stock on the inked surface.....

.....close the folder.....

.....and apply pressure by firmly rubbing the whole area.

Open the folder.....

.....and remove your card stock.

Cut to size.....

.....and add to your project.

Your next stop is Crafty Little Bling. Head on over to see Sam's favourite technique.

If you get lost along the way, just pop back here and you'll find all the blogs with links in the correct order. Have fun,

Me (Fiona Cullen) ~ Staring at the Sea
Sam Sweetlove ~ Crafty Little Bling
Niki Rowland ~ Being Scrappy
Ruth Sim ~ Chatty Crafty Arty Pig
Susan Roberts ~ Me & Mine
Laura Rumble  ~ UK Scrap Addicts
Amanda King ~ Amanda's Scrapbook Pages
Gemma Steele ~ My (not so) Simple Life
Julia Budd ~ Stamping Ground
Julie Jeavons ~ Letting the Days Roll By....
Maria La Chica ~ Crafts by Marialachica

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #412

Nothing much happening, on the crafty front, at the kitchen table this week. I do have a couple of things to share.

Here's what all those bits and bobs on last week's desk turned into.

A card themed for a wedding, although that versatile sentiment makes it suitable for any number of occasions I think. Minimal stamping, along with a couple of die cut pieces, made this a relatively quick card to put together.

This one has a layer of embossed vellum, which prevented me from getting a decent photo. Underneath is a stamped panel, that the camera refused to pick up when photographing the whole card. I've given you a close up instead so that you can see it. With the added bonus of showing off that pretty die cut band.

Linking up with Julia and Deskers this cold and frosty morning.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #411

Still the Easter holidays here for my girl. Which means I'm still at home at 8am. A novelty for me. Wedding season was in full swing at the kitchen table yesterday.

I've packed some of these lovelies into boxes and I'll be out the door to class in about an hour. Not everyone has a wedding to go to, so I've made the designs adaptable for Anniversaries and even Birthdays. How pretty is that embossing folder? I love the hearts/petals and it's another thing I'll be sad to see retiring.

A couple of people asked what that meant, last week. When a product retires it's no longer available to purchase. I keep my favourites for personal use, but I don't continue to feature them in class projects. There's nothing more annoying than not being able to get hold of something you like.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers on this sunny morning. Happy Wednesday.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #410

It seems that two weeks have sneaked by since I last shared what I was up to. Instead of a desk shot, I've got a shelfie for you today.

Like many of you, I don't have a dedicated craft room. I've got a floor to ceiling bookcase, in the lounge, which houses all my crafting goodies. As you can see it's in a *bit* of a mess at the moment and that's only the part I'm showing you!

My task this week is to sort it out. Stampin' Up released the list of retiring items on Monday, which means I need to order my stamps into current and retired. Makes life easier when I'm planning classes.

Very sad to see Kinda Eclectic go as it's one of my favourites. I think I would have bought it for those leaves alone. Petite Petals with its matching punch will be missed as well. It's one of the sets I recommend to people just starting out as it's great value and very useful.

Next week I might have an organised set of shelves to show you. It's the Easter Holidays here, meaning no school runs, so I'me hopeful. Linking up with Julia and the Deskers on this beautiful sunny afternoon. Happy Wednesday.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #408

Nothing at the moment. It's an Inset day at college and my girl had a late breakfast. No "school runs" though, giving me back three hours in my day and 70 less miles travelled this week. Enough time to get a dress cut out then, but which one?

I bought this lovely soft needlecord, from a friend at my sewing group, with the Lisette Traveler dress in mind. Love that cherry print.

I pulled this fabric from my stash, to make a shirtdress from the Sixties pattern in my previous post. In my head it was a lightweight denim in the perfect shade of blue. I got the colour right but the weight is wrong. Not enough substance for the style. I'm sure I can find something else to suit, but first....coffee.

The pliers are for fixing snaps, if I chicken out of making all those button holes!

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers on this wet Wednesday morning.

Mail on Monday

I couldn't let March completely pass by without giving Sian a wave. Luckily I had a couple of things arrive in the post last week, other than the usual barrage of junk mail and brown envelopes. This reference book was on the shelf when I was growing up, but I had no great interest in it at the time. Isn't that always the way?

Unfortunately it disappeared when Mum moved from my childhood home. The book is highly regarded among the online sewing community and I've been keeping a look out for a secondhand copy. I have seen it go for silly prices on ebay, but my patience was rewarded and I paid just £2.85 from Revival Books. A bargain.

I'm thinking it may come in very handy when I begin to tackle my latest project. A shirtdress using a vintage pattern from 1967. The year before I was born!

In other news, I took my girl to her final uni interview this morning. She thinks it went well and we now wait to hear if they will offer a place. The other three have and she has a top choice from those so it will be between the two. A tough decision for her. Happy Monday to you on this glorious sunny afternoon.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #407

Ah Wednesday, you've become my touchstone again this month. Nothing happening at the table. My boy has a week off work and never stops eating it would seem.

One of those ladies from last week found her way onto a couple of cards for class. Techniques are paper piecing.....

.....and using embossing folders.....

.....as background stamps. There's always something new to try.

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers this morning. Happy Wednesday.

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #406

And just like that it's Wednesday again.

This was my kitchen table on Monday afternoon.....

.....while I tried to decide which images to use from Beautiful You.

Two cards with Hey, Chick.....

.....already made. Gotta love that crazy chicken!

Linking up with Julia and the Deskers, now that I'm home from my class.