IF A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS....
I do believe that we've had every weather under the sun this week - biblical amounts of rain (though we escaped any flooding), gales, snow (but not very much) and a couple of bright, sunny and fiendishly cold days. That's why the weather is an important topic of conversation in the UK! Consequently, I haven't been outdoors a huge amount so we made a list of indoor jobs to do.
G and I painted the kitchen and utility room walls with two coats of emulsion so things are finally finished there but there's nothing interesting to see so no pics of that!
But I have done a fair bit of crafting....
Sewing again! Thought I'd get ahead and make some stocks for the RNLI fundraising, hopefully it won't be too long before the cafe opens again. I love this seaside quilting cotton, it makes me smile!Raiding my store of plastic poppers for the mini purses. I love that fabric you sent me Sarah, it really stands out even in small items like these, thank you!
I just laid out the crochet squares to see how many I'd done and where I was going to carry on and with what colour. That yellow is not going to make the grade, I'm afraid, it sticks out like a sore thumb!
I've also been enjoying some more painting tutorials and am trying to improve with a looser style, it does NOT come easy to me, lol! Still....HAG!! :-D
I think I'm learning not to overwork things too much!
It's almost better not concentrating on what you're doing!
And it was crunch time the other day, when I decided that now was the perfect time to sort out our photo albums, I'm enjoying having a good cull and just keeping the ones that are important be it family, friends or something that just sticks in the memory.
Thank goodness that I wrote on the backs of most of them cos I'd struggle to remember exact dates! Four albums have condensed into two which I'm pleased with - eventually G will digitise them but it made sense to sort them first. I've had a lot of fun sending some images to old friends around the world too, a good reminder of long and happy relationships. It's made lockdown a bit more bearable.
Hope you're all keeping well and happy, keep safe and enjoy the crafting xxxxx
38 comments:
I am glad you haven't been affected by the flooding that preceded the snow. As if people haven't enough to cope with at present without flooding! Love your busy productions - and the sorting of the photos is a job well done too. Take care and happy painting - love the painting! Helen #?
Glad the fabric is coming in so useful Jan. Love the mini purses. We have been staying in where it is warm and dry too. Glad you escaped the floods. Stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah #3
Morning my lovely! Well us soft southerners have had some serious snow so we're all moaning about that. Mind you I think it has all gone now, no excuse to stay in. Wish I could get hubby interested in doing some indoor tasks. I'm certainly not interested so they'll never get done. Never mind sorting physical photos my digital ones are well overdue a tidy up. Mind you we haven't taken many this last year!! You always have such a lovely bright choice of fabrics on your desk, it's so cheerful! Have a good week, stay well, stay safe, love n hugs Cindyxx #8
Good that the weather did not affect you apart from keeping you in in the warmth. At least you got a big job done, painting the kitchen. I could do to get Chas motivated to do our utility, it seems ages since it was done. Poor lamb is too busy looking after me.
That fabric on the machine makes me long for a visit to the seaside. I would love to have a bit of sea breeze blowing on my face. Now the jab is over (and my sulky tantrum at my friend - thanks for listening) I feel it is one step nearer to being able to do just that.
Painting, as for pleasure, you have done a lovely poppy and I should know as I adore poppies and had at least three or four pictures of them up at one time. Don't be too critical of what you produce and develop your own style rather than try to achieve someone else's.
Take care and stay safe and well, Hugs, Neet 9 xx
Thank goodness the flooding bypassed you! Phew. I have those poppers. I bought them to make knitting bags - I might share them, now I have revealed I have ANOTHER craft room for fabric and yarn. Keeps me getting paint on the fabric and yarn, really. Anyway, the watercolour is stunning as ever, the crochet coming along nicely (yeah, NO to the yellow!) and the little purses are sweet. Hope you have a lovely day!
Happy WOYWW - NOT at the hospital today but with a thumping headache yet determined to WOYWW nonetheless! Best day of my week…
Mary Anne (2)
It is fun when you sort out photos, I have found three albums that are go old they are falling to bits, so have three new albums and just need to transfer them over.
love the painting poppies are great,
Take care and stay safe
Lilian B #11
Your fabrics and lovely makes have cheered me up (not that I was down but just made me smile) - you combine them so gorgeously! It's a great idea to send a few spare photos to friends around the globe - reminders of happy times. I love the pics of you with your fab curls - I used to have a long curly perm in the early 90's!! In fact my mother used to perm my hair when I was a little girl - she just didn't know what to do with my dead straight hair. I was a bridesmaid twice and had curly hair in all the photos - lol. Enjoy your artivism (new word I learnt from Breakfast tv Jenny Eclair today). That poppy is stunning BTW. xxx Jo
Hi Lnch Lady Jan,
Well, so much pretty fabric for you to chose through for your makes and that seaside one definitely smiles! Sorry your weather is not good, ours is good swimming weather and had one earlier down at the beach, lovely!
Well done on sorting of items too... not easy!
Thanks for sharing, and God bless, Shaz in Oz.x #5
{Wonderful Words of Life - Shaz in Oz}
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}
I'm sure I was following you from waaaay back, but I am now! Love your top picture, just let's us know...Mother Nature Rules OK!
OMGoodness I just love, or must have that sea side material! I know I don't sew but it's like paper packs..I buy them but they are too nice to cut into. I have quite a few squares I just love too much to ruin! (Because I know I will!)Have a great crafting week! happy WOYWW!? Stay Safe ((Lyn)) #16
Well you’ve had a fabulously varied week Jan. It’s nice to see.
I thing your painting is coming along nicely. I know that feeling of not knowing when to stop though.
I found a watercolour pad in the cupboard this week with some stuff in from 2014. I’ve left out to see if I gravitate towards it.
Have a good week. Stay safe.
Lynn xx 19
Hi Jan,
I do hope we can soon get back to a state why he cafe can re-open and you can continue raising funds for the RNLI.
I love your poppy!
It’s also been great getting surprises of photos of us from the 1980s. Some good memories
Take care, stay safe and happy WOYWW
Love Lynnecrafts 25
You have been busy. Love the sewing projects and your painting is beautiful. Have a lovely day. Anesha x
Ooo the plastic popper boxes, what a feast for the colour eyes. I'd have to sort them rainbow style though LOL. Love the little purses too. Think I agree about the yellow for the blanket combo or not as the case may be. And the poppy is AMAZING. yes looser, that's exactly what I'd find difficult but it sure is effective. You couldn't sent me the link to the tutorial could you, maybe I could have a go. I'm guessing you kept ALL your photos when they were developed (pre-digital) I just picked the best and put them in albums, the sticky back 12x12 type so not a huge jump to my scrapbooking. BJ#11
Lots more fabric smiles on your blog today Jan....great colour combos. I'm enjoying watching the weather changes too from inside of course. I've had a phone consultation with my diabetic Dr this morning and he's increasing my Metformin and starting me on a new tablet [with new side effects!! This time it will make me pee a lot and increase the risk of thrush!!....oh happy days lol]. He was pleased that I have lost a stone and a half since October and my blood sugars are now lower than they were :-)
Hugs,
Annie x #12
Hi hi! LOVE that beachy fabric! It's so perfect for the cafe too. It's the sort of fabric that makes people buy things as a memory of a holiday, even if they don't need the actual product, IYKWIM. It really has been all seasons lately hasn't it?! Glad you escaped the worst of the wet. Have fun with the photos :-) Stay safe and keep smiling, Lisa-Jane #10
HI Jan, blimey I know what you mean about the weather, I've just gon einto hibernation myself. Those RNLI goodies look absolutely delicious, what a lovely mix of colours and patterns. See now with the crochet squares I would have thrown in the odd splash of yellow - but then you have a real flair for combining colours, whereas my sense of colour is a bit lairy I think! :) Your poppy painting is FABulous, I love it. I know what you mean about the difficult with being "loose" - one of my favourite paintings I ever did was painted after several gins and when I got up in the morning there it was, I didn't even remember doing it. Maybe that's not an ideal method though ... Have a lovely week. Annie C #27
Poignant bit of history in your song title today . . . . thanks for the memories . . .
I have been enjoying your sharing of the photos on facebook, I have mine all in a crate now but . . . twas a 'do someday' job.
The RNLI will just love all your stock for their shop, they WILL open again.
Have a good week
Christine #31
Jan, there is a song by the group Bread that has your title line in it and it is one of my all-time favorite songs! We have not seen variations in weather too much this year, although we are having unusually yucky, humid, warm weather right now, so it makes me think something is coming behind it? We shall see. I'm NOT ready for the hot weather yet! Jan, I love all the fabrics you are using for your little mini purses. They are super cute! Not sure which one Sarah sent you, but I'm quite fond of that black patterned one! So pretty! So on to your watercolor! I LOVE what you are doing! I think it looks fabulous! And the loose style is my favorite! It's all a learning process to be sure! I am a beginner, at best, and sometimes I think I will NEVER get it! But I am pressing on! I love to watercolor! You stay safe and healthy Jan and many blessings, Felicia #28
Sorting and mailing the photos is a great idea. Yes, letting your mind wander is a pleasant thing to do in order to not take the project so seriously. Lot's of squares, and your right the yellow is so much brighter, My favorite are the whites with the colors in the middle. Your little pouches are adorable! Do you ever make the portable tea bag holders for your purse? I have one with 6 pockets that I can transport my own tea bags to restaurants in and I love it! I would buy one in that sea side material for sure. Blessings on your week ~ Love, Karen#32
Glad your weather hasn't directly affected you. We had snow yesterday which is rare but it was gone quickly. Now just freezing temperatures. Your sewing is so cool and yes, they will open again. Hopefully the virus will go away soon. Love your watercoloring!
Thanks for popping by and stay healthy!
Carol N #29
oh boy, that would be a job ( for us to sort printed photos) :) But, I love that you have been sharing them out with people too. and I love that flower you painted. ( they do a watercolor wednesday challenge https://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/watercolor-wednesday-f453/
at SCS now, and it is usually has a tutorial to go view at youtube.) not sure if you knew that but, it may give you some more inspiration some time maybe. I love all the things you have been sewing too but, the seaside print is my favorite of this batch the color combo is just happy to me Jan. tfs. ~Stacy #33
Hi Jan pleased to see you keeping busy, sewing and sorting. It's a good time to get your stock of gifts up, I think when places do open people will go mad to buy stuff. The poppy is gorgeous. Thanks for the visit to mine too. Wishing you a very happy and creative woyww, Angela x18x
Hi Jan, so glad to hear you've not had flooding around you - I feel so sorry for those who have. We've had much the same weather here - everything in one day - true Scottish weather! The seaside fabric is lovely and very appropriate for the RNLI shop. I agree, the yellow, is just not right. Best kept for another project. I'm really impressed with your painting - the poppy is gorgeous. I'm impressed with your photo sort out - it can be very time consuming but well worth it for the way it brings back so many happy memories.
Regarding the vaccine, it could be sometime before I get mine. Up here in Scotland we are a wee bit behind England. I'm sure we'll catch up but in the meantime I'm staying home and staying safe.
Have a wonderful crafty week. Hugs, Elizabeth x #30
You underestimate your painting ability. The poppies are fab. I'm wondering if you have peeked too early with jobs. Just heard that BoJo has given a rough date for lifting lockdown as 8 March. We'll all have such tidy craftrooms & well decorated houses won't we🤗 Love & hugs from Sue #22. xx
Good for you! I’ve never managed to get photos in albums and didn’t write anything on the backs! I had been foolishly been relying on my memory or the date on the processing envelope to give me a clue...
Very cold here too, a little snow but it melts soon. Not much sun☹️
Do love your watercolorings. I struggle with “loosing it up “ too.
Stay well and safe!
Happy Wednesday!
Kathryn #35
Hi Jan, you have had a busy week! I agree the seaside fabric is lovely - oh we do want to be beside the seaside, yes we do!!! I used to have loads of those flip photo albums when I was a teenager - sadly I have no idea where they ended up. I left lots of stuff at my mum's house when I got married, and when she passed away 4 years later I was too tied up with a 3 week old baby to bother about photo albums. Great painting of a poppy ... you have many talents I can see - is there anything crafty you haven't turned your hand to? It is good fun being able to dip in and out of different crafts, as the mood takes you. And next, I can add pompom Queen to my talents lol. Have a lovely week, hugs Heather xx #21
Your watercolouring is coming on apace, Jan. Simply gorgeous! It's a very tough medium. I love all your squares, too, and agree that the yellow would probably be a mistake. I have a blitz on old photos every now and then and digitise a whole lot more. I've still got a big box of them under my desk which needs sorting through. It's a mammoth task, isn't it. Mum always used to say how important it was to write on the back of them because one never remembers who, why, where or when!
Thank you for your visit. I have decided to do a few more of that particular cat square despite the extra work - I think it's worth it. The project is taking ages anyway and I might as well go the extra mile since it's already a month late for Christmas! His birthday in May might be nearer the mark, the way things are going! It's a lot of fun to do, though, and I'm hoping the end result will be fun too and that my hubby will enjoy it.
Your tip for doing 2 trebles in the last stitch to keep the edge straight sounds intriguing. I presume you skip one of them on the return row, or you'd be adding stitches at an alarming rate!
Happy WOYWW,
Shoshi x #24
All the fabric you have used this week is gorgeous! Sorting photo albums is fun isn't it. I am enjoying seeing some of them on Facebook. Happy WOYWW. Take care and stay safe, with love & God Bless, Caro xxx (#14)
Happy WOYWW. Lots of lovely and bright crafting. I agree, that seaside fabric is gorgeous. I look forward to being able to go to your local RNLI shop and buy a few gifts. I want to cycle along to Pembrey one day. Ali x. #26
Hi Jan! That watercolour poppy is outstanding! What a lovely card that would make. You are definitely improving each week!
Your sewing projects look very inviting, I hope everything opens up soon. We are still locked down. We were told though, that we all should be vaccinated by September...such a long ways away! I'm a lot worried that I won't be able to see my Grandchild when he/she is born. The numbers in Toronto are still very high, and the new variant virus from he UK has shown up as well. I'm sure Mittsy is very happy that you called her a floozy, just the look she was going for! Thanks for your visit, Lindart #34
Lovely to see you delve into the world of watercolour and I admit to having a love of poppies It may have been one of the first flowers I painted. Learning to not overwork is my nemesis and I feel for you as we always want things to be perfect. Such a lovely rendition and I will pop back to see things go. No posting on WOYWW yet, busy and also super lazy. LOL
Sandra de
Your poppy is beautiful, well done. I love the seaside material. I used to help out in the stables too, but didn’t get offered a ride at all. I am watching a series called Heartland I love seeing the horses in it. Have a great week Angela #15
What a rainbow of fabric and yarn-I agree about the yellow. Your little painting is beautiful-so delicate. Happy crafting!
Hi Jan, Loving the materials.
I actually like the yellow and think if you did it next to the pink one, which has some yellow in it, it would blend in.
I must go through my photos. Had this room decorated recently and want to go through everything before putting it back. hoping to have a good cull of things.
You stay safe.
WOYWW
Sue
Oh Jan, what a wealth of news! You are so talented! Sewing, (hope too, that the cafes open again!!), chrocheting and painting! Your poppy flower is gorgeous! ♥ Don't know what means "crunch time", but I think I can imagine...
Best wishes from Austria.
Eva
ooh you have been busy, fabulous. I am loving the looser painting style too it flows beautifully.
Kyla
I think the weather is a favourite topic of conversation worldwide. Certainly we can always discuss it! Love your seaside fabric and all your RNLI products. I have always supported the RNLI - I have a large collection of their shopping bags. Don't see many of those here!
Looking forward to seeing the crocheted squares come together.
Oh...and your painting is beautiful!!
Happy WOYWW - sorry I am late visiting. Stay safe and keep well.
Susan #6
Putting in a very late appearance this week, but wanted to stop by and say "Hi, thanks for visiting!"
LOVE that poppy painting! Simply gorgeous - please don't sell yourself short. And I get the quivers at the thought of having to go through and condense my photos..... eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkkkkkkk
Morti #20
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