on my desk…
Hello, my crafty friends! It’s Wednesday and you know what time it is. Time to snoop. For those of you that aren’t familiar with WOYWW (What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday), head on over to Julia’s Stamping Ground and you will find desks from all around the world where we get to snoop on other crafter’s desks.
I have been really pleased with my motivation to create cards again over the last two weeks. Today I woke up early anxious to play with a new stamp that recently arrived. So I popped around the web for inspiration and I saw people using there Distess oxide inks. I bought a few last year and used them then put them away. So I grabbed some Tim Holtz watercolor paper, water and some acetate (actually I couldn’t find my stash so I cut and used one of my gosseline bags I used for my cards and cut it in half for this smoosh technigue. Lately I have been drawn to water colors and this was really fun. After I did a few I decided to use my new tool to draw bubbles for a card I am working on. Can’t show you until it’s finished. I will probably work on it at my craft session this weekend. You can see the image below.
I made a mask of the new stamp I just got in the mail in preparation for a masked card. That’s as far as I got but I will share finished pieces next week.
What you might not know about me, that in addition to my love of crafting, I am an avid book reader. I wish I had a room (a very large room) I could dedicate to all of my books. I have outgrown my bookshelves so I need to do some Marie Condo action to make room!
Above is a picture of a book I had been patiently waiting to be published in paperback. I finally found it and ordered it, only to find the most irritating branding smack dab at the center of the book. It says Reading with Jenna (Jenna Bush, a former president’s daughter). Well, the big thing is celebrities endorsing books by having “book clubs”. The other problem is that this is not a sticker it is built into the design of the cover. I had the book on my table or several days and really couldn’t keep it.
So I sent it back and ordered the hardcover. Would you believe it had the sticker on it too? This time it was an actual removable sticker so it was better. I took my time and removed it. I am too much of a book snob to keep a brand new book that had that kind of sticker on it. And why do they do that anyway? I mean, Jenna Bush did not spend the years it took the author to write this book. Why not put a sign next to the book in stores or just mention it on a list online but to put your sticker on it is ridiculous. See what’s happening here…a book tangent. 😊
Garden update: I use a square foot gardening technique for my raised beds and this is the first year, I didn’t properly layout my garden so the squash is getting a little squished. I am hopeful that I can at least get a few before a potential fungus sets in.
Yesterday, to my surprise, my first green pepper of the season was ready for he picking.
Lastly, I wanted to share a photo of the yummiest homemade Portuguese Sweet Bread. My husband made two loafs one for us and one for his mum. I pray my boys will do stuff like that for me in the future (ok, I am not holding my breath but a girl can dream!)
Ok, I am off to snoop for a little bit. Stay well friends.
Belinda
So many lovely things to look at on your blog today! I have never heard of Portuguese sweet bread but it looks amazing and I love the way it’s cooked in those tagine pots, well done your hubby! Mine makes bread from scratch too, so we are very lucky girls! Your veg garden is looking amazing, the plants are so healthy – the weather has been so odd this year in the UK that mine isn’t looking as good as it normally does.
But best of all is your new 360 protractor/bubble cutter – I really want one even though I have no idea what I’d use it for, lol!! That is one cool tool.
HUgs LLJ 6 xxx
I have not heard of the bread either but it looks yummy. How clever is hubby. Mine would probably burn the house down. That bubble cutter thingy looks interesting , looking foward to seeing the finished project. Have a lovely week . soojay #19
the bread looks delicious. it’s a new one on me too. I get your frustration with the book cover, lots of books seem to have stickers on these days I always remove them (leave a nasty patch too usually) have a great week Helen #2
For Belinda, that bread looks irresistible – lucky its only a photo, and shame its only a photo! I’m perfectly sure that come the day, your boys will think of you in the same way. I am so at your shoulder about the book club sticker thing. It’s a fiasco and frankly turns me away rather than recommends it to me. I can only assume that the author doesn’t get any say about the appearance of these things smack dab in the middle of their covers. I know nothing about Jenna Bush except I recognise her famous name of course…is she a hard working woman using her celebrity to promote reading and literacy for all, or just running an endorsement campaign I wonder. I shall go look her up in a minute. See, now you’ve set me on a tangent too! That’s a complicated looking circle maker if you ask me, I hope you have fun with it (I know someone who will love to see that on your desk _LLJ – she’s big into figures and working stuff out!). Lovely to see you up to inking and masking..like you I have a few Distress Oxides but I haven’t really explored their potential, I’ve let others do all the research and they have languished in my cupboard! I shall be starting on some Christmas stuff next week, so may have no choice but to follow your excellent lead. Stay well. Xx
Hi Belinda, I’m an avid reader too, and totally get what you say about the sticker, and even worse to have it printed onto the cover! Love the garden shots, your plants look so healthy. Our weather is so mixed, it’s hard for anything to do well, we either have days/weeks of sunshine, or the same of rain, no decent mix of the two. Stay safe, have a lovely week, Hugs, Shaz #5 X
Ah, be careful what you wish for there Belinda! Both of my children love cooking and baking and my son, just turned 14, cooks the most amazing means but it does not do wonders for the waistline! My little pumpkin seedlings are growing so fast that I hope they will make up for the lateness of me sowing them. I do love playing with my Distress Oxides – they are so versatile. Have a wonderful week, Lisa-Jane #16
It’s a wonderful feeling to wake up so motivated, even better when you have a free day to play. The circular tool looks intriguing, i’m looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
Fabulous foods, my hubby is awful at cooking or is he just lazy..??
Happy WoywW Tracey #12 xx
That bread looks yummy Belinda. I can’t wait to get to IKEA and buy some new bookcases. Now that 2/3 of our son’s have left home we have a bedroom that I can turn into a library/TV room and I want to sort all the CDs, DVDs and boxed up books in the garage onto shelves – I can’t bear to throw books away so have been using my kindle and (before lockdown) the library to feed my fix. Look forward to seeing the finished card! Stay safe and happy belated WOYWW. Sarah #1
Popped back to see who I missed and pleased I have. Very interesting post today. The bread looks gorgeous and the book, well I hate it when they have stickers like that on especially when it’s such a gorgeous cover. Wishing you a very happy, belated woyww, Angela x15x
Hi Belinda. I like your smooshed colours at the top there – hope it all comes together as you pictured it. Hubby’s bread looks fantastic – I make all my own bread , too. It’s fun and scrummy! Well done on the green pepper – and the squash plants look great – plenty of flowers.
Take care. Stay safe. God bless.
Margaret #3
That bread looks delicious!
And I am very impressed with the pepper!
I am looking forward to the continuing cardmaking – but that bubble tool looks interesting!
Stay safe and Happy WOYWW!
Susan #8