WOYWW - Top Secret!

Please bear with me if you're popping in from WOYWW, I have a little story to tell, which explains why What's on my Work-desk is TOP SECRET and guarded by my trusty paper dragon.

 If WOYWW are just a collection of meaningless letters to you you need to hotfoot it over to the wonderful Julia's 'Stamping Ground' and click HERE to join in the fun! But back to my story! Why is my Chinese dragon keeping guard over my work desk?  A couple of years ago I wandered into a pretty  little shop near The British Museum called Blade Rubber Stamps. Once over the threshold I was in an Aladdin's Cave crammed full of inks, papers and the most amazing rubber stamps. My favourites were a quirky collection of designs rejoicing in the name 'Paper Artsy'. I couldn't resist buying some and I settled on an 'Ink and the Dog' plate. I noticed Paper Artsy had a blog, so casually I checked it out. I was hooked! I fell in love with Lynne Perrella's designs for Paper Artsy and started buying the stamps online. When a mistake was made at HQ and I was sent the wrong Lynne Perrella plate, I was allowed to keep it and Leandra kindly replaced it with my original choice free of charge! The elves, she told me, did sometimes make mistakes when under pressure! Wow! Such generosity and they employed elves too ! Then last spring I expanded my crafting activities, having a go at making some exploding Victorian boxes from Cafe Retro Art Gallery, which I heard about on Helen Cain's blog! I decorated Kristin's RCAG boxes - she's also a supplier who really takes an interest in customers' work - with PA images. I sent a pic to her and Leandra just to let them know how much I loved using their products. Kris featured my boxes on RCAG Facebook page and Leandra sent back an email saying I really ought to blog! Me blog? How? Magpies and technology = nervous breakdown! But she assured me it was not so very hard and - although I have not always been the most accomplished blogger - Magpie Heaven kind of got off the ground, thanks to advice from lovely people who started to follow me, and since April it's been amazing creative fun and I've learned so much about crafting! Thanks to WOYWW I've made lots of crafting friends and creating has become a huge part of my life and - I have to add - kept me sane through some tough times. Now that is why WOMW is TOP SECRET this week! Still puzzled? Well, towards the end of August all will be revealed! What I can show you on my workdesk/ dining table (!) this week are materials I'm planning to make into a card for my step-sister in Switzerland, it's her birthday in August. It's going to be my first chance to use the Lynne Perrella stamps I won in the Paper Artsy draw a while back.

 I'm off now to take a peek at other desks and a little bird told me there are lots of secret craftings going on out there!!!