Three Things : On My Table

Threethings

My work table is a total disaster right now (not to mention the floor around my table).

Piles of things I have pulled out from the lockers; pieces of paper with notes jotted on the front and back of concepts and ideas I want to implement (these notes are currently keeping me sane); punches; adhesive; paint. Projects in progress.

Messydesk

Yes, it could be more of a mess. I've seen worse around here. But for someone like me who was really getting the hang of cleaning up everything after completing a project this feels like one big mess that just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

These days those longer chunks of time are harder to come by (hence the very messy table) yet the ideas and the passion is definitely still there. I am relearning how to get things done & how to work in minutes rather than hours. In between feeding and changing and playing with Anna I am scanning and uploading and printing and adhering and painting. Less concerned with the mess than attempting to get some creative work done in the moments I have available.

Luckily, in the midst of all those piles, I have been inspired by a bunch of new-to-me products including the three shown above. All found on my table this week:

1. Martha Stewart Scallop Dot Edge Punch. I noticed last week that Scrapbook.com now carries some of the Martha Stewart craft products. I ordered this one last week and am really excited to put it to good use.

2. Tim Holtz Mini Paper Clips. Looking forward to using these to attach some real life ephemera. The size is just right: not too big + not too small.

3. Jenni Bowlin Pearl Flowers. These little gems have made their way on to a couple of my projects for the magazine recently including the layout featuring the Anna's playlist. It's a great little touch.

What's on your desk or table today? Are you working in the midst of a mess too?

Dottedline

[ Three Things is a weekly product series : check out the archives here. ]

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131 thoughts

  1. kp says…
    04/14/2009

    Some of the felted wool Easter eggs that didn't make it into baskets this year-just didn't get them embellished in time! Luckily, Easter faithfully arrives each year.

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  2. christen says…
    04/14/2009

    my desk is messier than normal, too and it makes me feel better that others live like that also :) i am loving the scalloped punches too (i have the fiskars) and am using it a lot. i've been using a lot of japanese masking tape lately...super fun.

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  3. Laura B. says…
    04/14/2009

    I think I am always working around a mess. Right now I have a huge pile of old magazines that I need to go through and pull pages from.

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  4. Karen Kennedy says…
    04/14/2009

    My area is a mess as well...I try to fit in minutes of creativity between caring for/playing with my 2 year old and 9 month old...a balancing act! I just glanced over at my table and what I am really enjoying lately is the different sized paged protectors. I made a few lay outs last night and I like that they are smaller than a 12 x 12 so easier to complete with such limited time. Not to mention that they make my books so unique and fun. Thanks to you, Ali, for showing me how to use them in my books!

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  5. Caryl Hope says…
    04/14/2009

    Oh, I bought that Martha Stewart punch at Michael's... I love the twist it has on the scallop border! I'm currently working on a layout for our "G" week at Scrap Circle and as usual my table is more "mess" {creative mess :-)} than tidy... good to know a lot of us are getting messy! {lol} Happy working! Can't wait for the next inspiration from you... :-)

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  6. kd says…
    04/14/2009

    Calico Studio scrapbooking paper, I love them all!

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  7. Susan Raihala says…
    04/14/2009

    My desk is completely clean at the moment. I made a huge mess on it yesterday, and before I went to bed, I cleaned it all away like a good girl. That's because today I want to start something totally new, and I gotta have a blank slate or my OCD self will not let me create.
    Ah, Mommy Time. I blogged about Mommy Time...it's hard and precious at the same time. http://questioningmyintelligence.blogspot.com/2008/08/motherhood-teaches-you-stuff.html
    Sounds like you're coping beautifully!

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  8. Theresa says…
    04/14/2009

    A half-finished mini book about my son's trip to Sea World and a quilt top in progress. Messy is OK as long as you're creating.

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  9. Denean says…
    04/14/2009

    Love that punch! Have to look for that one! My desk is empty right now, but my computer is FILLED with pictures I need to edit and scrap!

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  10. Barbara from NC says…
    04/14/2009

    Right now, I have a picture of my grandson with the Easter Bunny and all the papers I'm thinking about using for this layout on my work table. I just need to decide on which set I want to go with. Oh, I also have the file with this year's tax info that hubby put on my table for me to file away. Geesh, no wonder I'm not feeling the creativity!

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  11. Denise Laborde says…
    04/14/2009

    Hi Ali, that punch looks very girly :) I have yet to get my hands on a border punch (although I did use my mom's Fiskar and I loved it!)
    On my table right now is a sewing machine (sewing is a new-to-me technique) and mini-misters filled with Perfect Pearls and Distress Inks.
    It's messy around here too but for a different reason. I recenlty moved the craft room to another room in the house and am still sorting through boxes.
    Bises, D

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  12. Susan Wilson says…
    04/14/2009

    My desk, actually my whole craft/office area, is full of boxes, albums, archival sheets and more than 100 years worth of photos and portraits. What a mess! I'm organizing and storing them for future generations. First they had to be removed from black paper and magnetic albums. The reward of this project will be in its completion because it hasn't been fun now for quite a while. I've started this project and made some progress on about three (maybe four) different occasions. I'm determined to finish it this time before I move on to another project.

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  13. Lourdes says…
    04/14/2009

    When I am working on projects my desk and floor is even more full of stuff. Right now I am working on clearing off things that I don't use, want, need from the top of my desk. This is really simple since I am not working on any projects right now.
    I will admit that I love sitting down in the mist of the mess. It makes me feel like "in motion".
    Can't wait to see what you come up with!!

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  14. Rhonda Hestir says…
    04/14/2009

    I am smack dab in the middle of Stacy Julian's Library of Memories class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.com..may I say "AMAZING"??? Anyway...things in the scraproom have been completely gutted to complete my class assignments, so MESSY, MESSY, MESSY! Now I need to take GOBI (Get Organized, Be Inspired) BPS class by Wendy Smedley. (insert wild crazy laugh.)I really think about your recent simplification of your scrap space. That's it, though. I just think about it. I admire it. But I just think about it.
    Seeing Anna is such a blessing. I am so proud of her big brother, too!

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  15. alexandra says…
    04/14/2009

    We just painted my studio and brought everything back in so right now things are organized... still on that 'fresh paint, new room, keep things tidy' kick - hoping to stay this way but things do have a way of snowballing. On my desk right now are regular things like lists and sketches, a calendar notebook and notes on Erika Martin's Soulology project - got to get going on that!!
    I love it when you do 'three things' - thanks for sharing!

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  16. Diana says…
    04/14/2009

    took a break yesterday from creating and will today...have a field trip but yes there are a few piles including a jury summons, american craft thickers from peacy cheap, night light kit from Scrap stop, my camera and jibbitz of paper!

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  17. Jen says…
    04/14/2009

    I'm always working around a mess. It's a small house and there's not a lot of room to spread out before it starts to look like a disaster, and with two boys and a full time job there's not a lot of time to devote to it either. I'll keep trying, and hopefully one day I'll get the hang of it!

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  18. Nicky from Canada says…
    04/14/2009

    Love the pearl flowers - pretty cool. My desk and table are full of items for a fundraiser - finishing the last of a quilted bag to go with the 4 quilts, 1 baby quilt, 2 quilted bags and some afghans. All the photos are pushed to the side right now - but hope to clean it up by the end of next week and then on to some scrapbooking.
    I hope.

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  19. Sara Donaldson says…
    04/14/2009

    I was working in the midst of a mess a day ago and then all of a sudden I cleaned it up. Now I am sure in the next couple of days I will have another mess. I go from one to the next depending on what is going on in the rest of my life.

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  20. Karen says…
    04/14/2009

    My desk is certainly a mess....not from scrapping (unfortunately). Lots of new stuff on it to be put away including the Scarlet Lime kit I won from you!

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  21. Jingle says…
    04/14/2009

    I am definitely in mess mode at the moment! I have some new fabric that just came in on my table, my ATG, and a brand new Hero Arts birdhouse stamp that I'm dying to use!!!

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  22. Cassi says…
    04/14/2009

    i've got a huge mess. my table is covered in hero arts stamps, new ac zing, and the new glue dots dispensers among many other things. i'm unsure if i can create without a mess.

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  23. Noell Hyman says…
    04/14/2009

    Tried comparing my messy table to yours...I'm not sure who is winning. ;)
    Three things on my table I'm excited about: newer My Mind's Eye rub-on's from the Laundrey Line. They're gorgeous butterflies, foliage, and words. I haven't used as much MME in the past year as I used to, and I also haven't used as many rub-on's lately, but three of their rub-on sets from that line are just so gorgeous and I had fun layering them on a page last night.
    Also--this isn't brand new but I've been really enjoying MM's Paperie spiral journaling books. Those cute pages have been showing up on my layouts a lot lately.
    Lastly--cute tags from Easter stuff I bought! Some of them are going straight on the pages as they are, and some of them I will alter.

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  24. Noell Hyman says…
    04/14/2009

    Ha ha, at first I read your comment as "A half-finished mini book...and a guilt trip in progress."
    ;)

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  25. Olessia from Canada says…
    04/14/2009

    My desk is good now. I was just cleaning in the weekends a bit .Normally it is a BIG mess.My projects and my kids there too.I add two more shelf's(from IKEA,$14.99,love it) and still working on organizing better.I have more space now(my husband and my brother make a nice area for me in the basement ,add some extra lightning and carpet.Basement is not finish yet ,but it's ok.

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