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Thanks, Shaz XX

Wednesday 26 October 2016

WOYWW #386

WOYWW 386- d'you know that's almost 7 1/2 years worth? Way to go Julia.Our good old Head Desker over at The Stamping Ground  could never have guessed it would be going this long, or how many amazing friendships she'd be the cause of! Or how many Desks Of Shame she'd be responsible for inflicting on the world,for that matter, lol.


No crafting going on right now, I've just cleared away after the Card-io Birthday Cards in the previous post.















The main item on my desk is a set of Inkadinkado stamps. Many of you may have seen this set on Vickie (Okienurse) blog a couple of weeks ago. I commented how awesome they were, but that as Halloween wasn't as big yet over here as it is with them, I doubted they'd be available in the UK. So the lovely lady offered to get me a set and send them to me. See what I mean about all the wonderful friends we've all made? In the envelope with the stamps were a selection of Halloween papers too, a lovely extra surprise.  So a smashing bit of happy mail.
Whats actually happening on my desk right now is a bit of reorganising. I'd started filing my wafer thin dies on magnetic sheets in A5 binders, which worked fine at first, but was now getting a bit unwieldy. I think I'm up to 8 folders, as you can only put so many in each one.

I'd seen on SCS a lot of ladies swore by Avery Elle pouches for storing stamps and dies,and raved about how strong they were, and how easy it was to find stuff. So, I bit the bullet and did a Google search. Found them on Amazon- where else?- and they come in a few different sizes, including one which they call Extra Large, which is in fact just a little smaller than A5 size.
 Which means I can just trim down my existing magnetic sheets and they fit nicely into the pouches. They have a flap at one end, so stop any dies falling out. And they are very strong, made from thick plastic.
Plus they fit into a Really Useful Box nicely, and I can make dividers from cardstock I have , and stick part of a file divider along the top for I.D. I'm only part way through, as I only ordered one pack of pouches to start with to see if I liked them. I have more ordered and will probably arrive today, so I can finish it off.
 Link HERE for the Pouches I've used.

 I've already done something similar with my metal stencils- the Sweet Poppy & Dreamweaver type- using CD sleeves for them. I used to have them in Photo Albums, but they weren't really strong enough, and the pockets were starting to tear.
 Still no news on the appointment front, I've rung at least three times now in recent weeks, and all his secretary can tell me is that he is chasing the appointments via email, and she will phone me as soon as she sees anything on screen. So, at least I will be going to the NEC Hobbycrafts next Sunday now, lol. Have a lovely day folks, I'll see you later.

42 comments:

Helen said...

great re-organising; and a fabulous gift from Vicki. Hope you hear soon about the appointment, nothing worse than just hanging around. Happy WOYWW Helen #?

Neet said...

It is so annoying when you are waiting for appointments. Hope you do get something through soon as Christmas is approaching and at this rate ....
Lovely package from Vickie, you have put it so well what Julia has achieved over the years and this is a prime example of friendships forged.
Well done on the repackaging.
Hugs, Neet 2 xx (fingers crossed for you)

Anonymous said...

Happy WOYWW. What a fab collection of Halloween stash from Vickie. I love reorganising and have my stencils/masks hung up in one of the old wardrobes in my craft room. I saw a tip to buy the hangers with clips attached (cheap via Amazon), and now I can see what I have got without rummaging through a drawer. Lucky you going to the NEC - I used to love going there. I did look at a local coach company that does a trip to it, but I would have to meet the coach at 5 am and not home until later. Just not possible (plus I have no spending money anyway!). Ali x #7

Judys Lace Creations said...

Here's hoping that appointment comes up before the year ends and you can put your mind at rest.
Great storage idea there, and all those dies..sigh! Those stamps from Vickie are great.How kind of her to do that.Gosh America is the place to find all sorts of fab gear isn't it?Still we can go on-line and bring in which is good.
Judy

Nikki said...

Our space are constantly changing to suit our stashes. have fun getting your dies sorted and sweet new stamps to play with hugs Nikki 8

Anne said...

Hi Shaz. How lovely of Vicki - lots of lovely ladies on here. The stamps and papers are great. have fun with those. I need to do same thing as you with the thin dies. Just don't seem to get round to it. Hope the appointment comes soon!! Anne x #17

misteejay said...

What super happy mail - I'm sure you will have lots of fun with that.
Well done with your re-organising (something I really should get stuck into LOL).
Toni xx

Annie said...

Out of every bad comes some good eh? Hope you have fun at the NEC and that you hear of your hospital appointment very soon. Really love your happy post full of goodies.
Have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x #16

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Well, how kind of Vickie to do that! But I'm not surprised, the Deskers are so generous with time, ideas and support. Hope you have fun playing with them! Those plastic covers look the bees knees when it comes to die storage...easy to see what's where and protective to boot, that's worth parting with cash for!
I's so sorry to hear that you still haven't got ap appt...sigh..the only comfort I can think of is that if you were really bad, they'd have had you in by now?
Sending big hugs,
LLJ 4 xxx

Morti said...

Fantastic! Thank you Shaz! I'm just in the throes of my own die organisation, and not being on SCS I didn't see the Avery Elle pouches. I really like the idea of those as I'm not keen on the idea that the dies might get caught and will slip off their magnetic sheets. We've got as far as the RUB and the A5-ish size, so it's just a case now of tracking down those pouches...!

and that stamp set too...... :-/ sometime WOYWW hits your pocket hard....

LOL

See you on the hop

Morti @ 23 (I'm a chart climber! Ha!)

Glenda said...

When I first started posting on Julia's blog, I would do anything other than actually showing what my desk really looked like! Now I just don't care...I'm in good company. Love your new dies! I'm sort of a die hoarder or at least I used to be. Now I just buy selectively!

Kyla said...

Ooh how lovely for Vickie to send happy mail. There is some serious desk and stash sorting going on at yours.....I hope it's not contagious 😉

Zsuzsa Karoly-Smith said...

LOVE those stamps Shaz, especially the little bottles. How super nice of Vickie to send a set to you from the US. They always have the best stuff there, don't they! And usually cheaper too. I also liked your intro to this post - 7.5 years of WOYWW - I think it has earned the rights to be referred to an establishment! Have a lovely week! zsuzsa #24

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Wonderful happy mail there Shaz, isn' tWOYWW wonderful...
..I'm not woywwing this week as it's rather a medical week, plus GDT responsibilities for Rudolph day, and next week maybe much the same but maybe more organised.
I wanted to see if you'd any news so will keep praying that no news is ok.. I'm well just having a whole lot of test and checks that's all.
Hugs dear friend, Shaz in Oz.x

{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}

sandra de said...

Gorgeous cards in your previous post and love the storage idea.Looks like you have organisation smoothly sorted. Have a lovely week.
sandra de @25

RosA said...

I wish I had some clever and creative suggestions re. die storage, or any other sort of storage for that matter! Alas, I don't.
Love those cards on previous post!

Sharon said...

The stamps are really nice! Looks like they arrived just in time for Halloween. It is great how WOYWW is like a great friendship and we all get together once a week for a good old natter.

Happy WoYWW
Sharon K #42

Claudia N. said...

Hahah, the desks of shame! I guess you will find one if you visit my blog...lol.
Lovely Halloween stamps! Have fun and have a lovely workdesk wednesday!
Claudia x

CraftyHope said...

Oh, I ALMOST bought that stamp set yesterday myself. But, as some Tim Holtz ones were on sale, I went for those instead. What a sweet package she sent you.
Your calling the dies "wafer thin" makes me think of Monty Python. I'm not sure if that's a common phrase on your parts, but it isn't in the US. So, when it's said around here, it's usually a MP reference. Anyway. . .good luck with the organizing. It looks like it's coming together for you! :)
Hope #43

Kathyk said...

My, you HAVE been busy - gr8 job. Loving your Halloween stamps too

Happy WOYWW

Kathyk
No. 34

fairyrocks said...

Look at you so lovely and organized. WOW love your header photo. I can only dream of finding the stones and being photographed in their shadow one day..... When you speak about -the desks of shame- I feel like you are talking directly to me LOL. Keep smiling and creating. Thanks for sharing!

Elizabeth said...

Hi Shaz, you are so right about how many friends we have made through Julia's brilliant brainchild ... Vickie is one of many and how super are those papers and stamp set! I'm liking your die organisation. I seriously need to do something with mine. I haven't got a huge collection but they have outgrown the file they are in. Right, back to my last minute sewing job. Hope the much awaited appointment comes through soon. Have a great week. Hugs, Elizabeth x #45

okienurse said...

WooHoo! Glad they made it unscathed. If you see anything else you would like me to get you let me know! I love those page protectors. I have been buying the magnetic sheets and plastic binder boxes from Crafters Companion for stamps and dies for a while. I have been having trouble with the dies letting loose from the magnetic sheet and spilling out when I open the binder...going to shop amazon! Thanks for sharing and stopping by my desk earlier. Have a great week Vickie #11

Lindart said...

I love the stamp set - especially the black cat! I'll have to check and see if Michael's has it! I love the magnetic cards for my dies, but I don't have enough yet to make a lovely file box like yours. Mine are just sitting in a basket! Thanks for sharing! Lindart #49

Sue said...

Hi Shaz, I love your organisation. I use to keep my clear stamps in a photo album, but now have them in CD cases. My dies and embossing folders are in two organising cases which are designed just for them. I have the dies on magnetic sheets, which fit into the pockets in the cases.

Hope you hear about the appointment soon.

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Happy WOYWW
Sue #19

Sarah Brennan said...

Hi, you must be up at the crack of dawn to be the 1st to post. Happy WOYWW. Sarah#31

Unknown said...

Looks like you're getting very well organized! And the Halloween stamps are cute! I guess the doc not calling you had a "good" outcome for being able to attend the Hobbycrafts show. Hopefully he'll get to you soon, though. Thanks for the visit and God bless you!
Carol N #40

Chidkid said...

Love the stamps..how fortunate..great storage solution too.,
Hope the appointment xo,e's through soon for you..enjoy the show!
Happy WOYWW? Elaine no. 18

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh, they are amazing, I really enjoy seeing all the tools and gadgets used for this work I make cards but just watercolor cards, I love the process of the dyes and stamps, it really intrigues me,

Annie Claxton said...

Hi Shaz, that sounds like a brilliant idea about the puches, I did the same as you, got magnetic sheets, put all mystamps and dies in folders but it's not working very well as I have three huge, heavy, overstuffed folders and it means you don't use everything you have of course. I will check out that link thanks. LOVE that spooky stamp set, what lovely happy mail :o) Annie C #15

Sharon Madson said...

Hi Shaz! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. I like how you are organizing your dies. Good luck with the appointment.. #50

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Shaz, well done with the reorganising. I need to get some stuff sorted before Christmas as my mum and dad are coming to stay. It may seem some time before then but as we know it will be here before we know and I still have loads of stuff to do. Thanks for the visit to mine, have a great woyww and happy crafting, Angela x 20

Stacy Sheldon said...

that is exactly how I store my thin dies too. except sometimes I get the clear memorex cd storage pockets for ( smaller sets and small stamp sets too) ooh that is so nice, of her. It will be fun to see what you do with the set. ~Stacy #48

buterfliecrafter said...

I'm thinking of a similar system for my stencils, put it on my b-day wishlist, crafting is also about organizing so you can access your stash easily while creating. Have a nice week, Vicky

baili said...


amazing ,
i liked these and enjoyed my visit here
best wishes

Lynne Mizera said...

Great Storage Tips Shaz... I will have to look at my die storage. I am loving those stamps and cannot wait to see what you create with them... Happy belated WOYWW! from Lynne in Canada #51

Magic Maggie said...

Hello again
Since I retired last year, I've done a fair old bit of re-organising (er....tidying) my craft space. I too was struggling with the thin dies - at one time I had them on the wall in a large pocket style jewellery holder, but they were a bit heavy. The perfect solution or me so far has been to keep the Christmas ones in a tattered Lace magnetic pocket folder (like yours) and the rest are in one of Ali's magnetic shelf MDF units (although I think I may be needing another to sit on top of it soon!). But the units are great for the space they take up and you can put stuff on top of them! win win. (I'm also being rather strict with myself about getting new ones - do I really NEED another die?)
My brass stencils are in a big file intended for embossing folders, (the embossing folders being kept in a deep RUB for easier access)- but it's HEAVY).
I wonder if you saw Hoarder SOS on channel 4 recently, with a lady with a crammed craft room. The main thing she seemed to need was help in shifting stuff to put away - I was that soldier!!
Love
Maggie (Yorkite)

Unknown said...

Hello Shaz. I love the stamp set you received and how fun to get happy mail and not bills always. I love how your new system is turning out for your dies and I am also rethinking how I store mine after making a 6x6 album storage but I don't have many thin ones. I love the flip though idea as I am still doing my stamps or more so put it aside for now as I was using my fuse tool to make pouches and just craft more. Hope you hear from your doctor soon and that the news is good. Thanks for visiting me earlier and have a great week. Hugs Always ~Anne L#9

505whimsygirl said...

Hi Shaz,

Vickie is such a sweet person! That's a nice stamp set and love the Halloween papers!

I saw on a youtube video about putting the dies on metallic sheets and thought how smart is that! You've taken it a step further and put them in the nice, strong sheet protectors. I can't wait to actually get my new craft room set up!

Happy belated WOYWW and thank you for visiting!!

Hugs,
Kay

BJ said...

Love to see how others keep their die collection. I have mine in 3 Quikutz zip around ring binders. One has the original sheets for the 2"x2" Quikutz dies and the other two magnetic sheets. The latter are getting rather heavy now - LOL. Thanks for visiting BJ#39

Christine said...

Sneaking in late.....
Thank you for your visit earlier .... you could always go round Tiger with your hands in your pockets, I've been practising but it doesn't last long!!
I love my Cardio stamps, wooden or plastic pegs.... your cards are absolutely beautiful. Well done.
Take care
Christine #27

Twiglet said...

Hopelessly behind with my WOYWW visits - again! I hope you have a fab time at the NEC - every cloud.... x Jo

An End of an era

An end of an era

I write this with a broken heart, that only time can heal My beautiful, wonderful wifelet Shaz (Silverwolf) passed away peacefully in the ea...