My Desk

This page is a work in progress. The plan is to focus on something on my desk and list why it belongs there.
First, however, we need a shot of my desk:

So does it ever look like this in real life? Those who know me well know the answer to that! 30.12.2013 See today's post!

30.12.2013 Adding a shot of my way to store my Distress Ink collection - trouble is I plan to enlarge my collection next year (2014) to encompass the whole lot - don't think they'll all fit in here ...

I store my Distress Ink pads upside down - not sure if there is a right or wrong way up for these but this works for me. Each container is labelled with a silver Sharpie. Nestled in the base of many of these is a piece of blending foam that attaches to the blending tool.
4.9.2012 - Today I thought I would put the spotlight on cutters:

The grey Fiskars cutter (top right) was my first. I now use it very rarely.
Nearly all my cutting is done with the CARL cutter (left). This is my favourite - it is just so easy to use. All the measurements are there. It makes cutting card bases and other projects a breeze. There is also the option of different blades - my favourite is the Deckle blade. (Remember to use an old running strip, and to change back to the straight blade immediately after using). I also use the CARL cutter when scoring and folding my card bases - ask me to show you next time you're in the shop!
**Hint if you own a Carl cutter - if it is not cutting cleanly, change the running strip by rotating it or flipping it over. You get four placements from each strip. Only if this does not help do you change the blade. I have only replaced my blade once (I do heaps of cutting because of the classes I teach).
The blue cutter from K-Mart is great for small stuff but not if I want total accuracy. The Cutterbee scalpel (middle right) is brilliant - the thicker handle makes it much easier to hold than a regular scalpel and the retractable blade is a great safety feature. I use it with my Tim Holtz ruler (I might do rulers next!).