WOYWW 328

WHO PUT THE COLOURS IN THE RAINBOW?

SHAZ UPDATE: Shaz is improving slowly but it is going to take quite a while before she's fully mobile again. For more info, see http://birdshospitalstay.blogspot.co.uk

No crafting to show AGAIN this week, for which apologies. But the last 7 days has included taking Rhys to Uni, visit to Wales, hospital appts with my dad, the arrival of a skip (new bathroom approaches, yippee).

But I did take delivery of some new yarn a couple of weeks ago, which I forgot to show you before!

Doesn't that make you smile?!  The Wool Warehouse were having a sale of Drops yarn and I bought these to make a bed runner or blanket - it was 80p a ball, I just couldn't resist. I love the way the yarns come packed in that pretty muslin bag!

I love these colours so much...it's unusual for me to go for pastels, but hey, a leopard can change her spots, can't she? :-)  I'm crocheting this up on a 5mm hook, so it should grow quite quickly into a beautiful stripy something.

Oh, another thing that happened this past week was our 33rd wedding anniversary...I know, I don't look old enough, do I ;-)  These have made me smile too.....

Gorgeous, aren't they?  There must be a closet pretty pink girlie lurking inside my tomboy exterior, lol!!

Hopefully normal service will be resumed next week, but as we have tiles and an old bathroom to pull out before building work commences, I may see you in a fortnight :-)

Take care and live it large xxxx

WOYWW 327

HARK HOW THE BELLS, SWEET SILVER BELLS,

ALL SEEM TO SAY THROW CARES AWAY

Just to let you know, Shaz Silverwolf's operation was much longer and more extensive than anticipated. She is likely to be in hospital for some time to come, as she's been in a lot of pain and the docs need to sort a few issues out. If you'd like to send a card, then email me for details. Keep those positive vibes heading towards Birmingham :-)

Edit: Doug has written about the events of the past week:
http://birdshospitalstay.blogspot.co.uk
He said it was ok to share it with the WOYWWers.  Jan xxx

It's been a crazy busy week once again (and the forecast for the next fortnight isn't showing much improvement either....) so hardly any crafting has been done - sigh.....

I've been seeing how much fabric I've got for another project for Kim Young...she loved her music stand cover and would like a tote bag for her music folder now. 

There's enough Botanicals fabric for an external pocket and the straps (made by sewing sections together!) with maybe that black spot for the lining....

I rather like the combination...what do you think KIm?  When you get the folder, send me the dimensions and I'll get cracking :-)

This is one of the reasons why my workdesk has been ignored:

The Bass section of Phoenix Brass, blowing hard!  We are good friends and have a bit of a laugh....I once read an interesting article about picking the correct instrument for your child based on personality. There were various sections but my favourite bit was this 'if the child tends to be extrovert, quite loud and a bit of a rebel, then brass is probably most suited to them'  :-) :-)  Quite right too, lol!

The fete was in the grounds of the church and there was a mini carillon of bells...Tug Palmer, one of our cornet players is a Tower Captain of proper bell ringing and was enjoying helping a small campanologist!

Hopefully there'll be a little more to show you next week, but I'm not making promises I can't keep, lol!!

WOYWW 326

YOU GOT TROUBLES, I GOT 'EM TOO,

THERE ISN'T ANYTHING I WOULDN'T DO FOR YOU,

WE STICK TOGETHER, WE CAN SEE IT THROUGH,

COS YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME.

(Copyright Walt Disney Music Co Ltd)

It's been a very full week!  Meeting a desker, attending Janet Fairythoughts' funeral, having the Silverwolfs come visit on their way back home. 

This was my desk at the weekend....Kim Young, a Stateside desker had taken a fancy to the music stand covers I made recently and asked me if I'd make her one.  I squeezed just enough out of the scraps of Botanicals fabric!

All ready to be sent off...I really hope Kim's stand fits in ok. Her dimensions were different to my stand. Fingers crossed :-)

I've taken this pic because of those Clover clips. Janet Fairythoughts made me buy those in her shop a couple of years ago and I never used them until recently. How stupid was I? They're awesome for gripping thick layers of fabric really tightly. And every time I use them, I think of Janet. She'll be looking down on me from heaven and saying 'I told you so....!!'

 Oh, her funeral was sad and happy all mixed up. Julia wrote about it most movingly...but I want to tell you about everyone wearing odd socks or funky shoes, the Minions music played in the service, the reading out of WOYWW messages of sympathy and the fact that Janet's coffin was cardboard, printed all over with photos of buttons, Minions, cups of coffee, cake, Bendicks Mints and gingko leaves. It summed her up perfectly. Goodness I shall miss her......

But it shows how this wonderful blogging community reaches out from the confines of the Interwebs and forms true friendships. Julia and I went to Salisbury to meet Diana Velvetmoth last week, our first time of getting together. Diana looked slightly apprehensive as we approached but before we knew it two hours had flown by.  A mutual bonkers sense of humour and a solid WOYWW backstory meant that we just started talking and kept going!
Diana gave us both a little something......

A perfect little miniature! I've long been a fan of Diana's work, so I was thrilled to receive this. It's about 4 inches high and is exquisitely detailed. Gosh, I love it - thank you Diana!!

Other workdesks in Appleton Towers this week.....

My menfolk trying to fix a laptop cooling system...there were lots of bits spread out over the table...

Soldering was involved......unfortunately, it needed something more like a Harry Potter spell....Circuitous Wirious Reparo.....cos it didn't work. Something had gone phuttt, way beyond the possibility of repair.

More happiness at our dining room table however....

Shaz and Doug Silverwolf dropped in to say hello en route back home after a weekend of gadding! It was so good to see them both and a chance to give Shaz massive squishy hugs - she's undergoing her major surgery today. Please keep them in your thoughts and send positive healing vibes towards Birmingham hospital. Thank you xxxx

WOYWW 325

GOT ME LOOKING SO CRAZY RIGHT NOW...

(channelling my inner Beyonce, lol)

Why this lyric today? You may well ask.....

My brother and sister in law stayed for a few days last week....the spare bed is in the room where my work table is.  Here's a pic while they stayed....

Yep. My brother's camera. Fair enough. But what I'm protecting your eyes from is the corner where, according to my SiL, my brother rested a part of his anatomy and said 'Feature THAT on WOYWW'....!!!!  I may never work on that part of my desk ever again...grin.

Well, it might have been his arm...or chin....but I doubt it very much....

See what I've had to put up with since I was a nipper? Oh, I could tell you some stories.......

But it's not all weird, honest. My SiL Jill brought some of her watercolours to show me. She's been following an online course.

Each painting features a different technique...they were all amazing, but the apple and pear were my favourites.

Aren't they good? The apple looks like a photo, it's so realistic.  Apparently Jill used upwards of 30 very thin washes of watercolour to achieve the effect, which just goes to show how much more patience she has than me!!

I do have a (sullied) desk to share :-)

I found some 28" zips in Fabricland and am going to cut into some more holiday stash material. If time permits...it's a busy old week ahead.

I volunteer in an Oxfam bookshop in Marlborough and this was donated a couple of weeks ago....

I was tempted for a moment but unfortunately the cover was more interesting than the contents and who wants to be only Slightly Sinister? Much better to be completely OTT, in my opinion :-)

Have a great week xxxx

WOYWW 324

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'VE GOT 'TIL IT'S GONE.....

Even though I knew Janet Fairythoughts was very poorly, it was still a shock to get Julia's text today saying that she'd passed away on Sunday.  I still can't believe that someone so vital has left us so early......way too early, in fact.  From the time that we ambushed her from behind the haberdashery stand where she worked, we got on famously. We met up several times, at the Crops, visiting each other's homes, at C&H Fabrics where she worked.
A truly wonderful, generous and loving person...thank you Julia and WOYWW for letting me have the chance to meet her. Blimey, I shall miss her so much. Sending my deepest condolences to her family and friends.  RIP Janet, you lovely lady xxxxxx

 I was asked a couple of weeks ago to make a couple of slip cases for friends to keep their music stands in. A first for me and I debated how best to do it. The easiest would have been a drawstring bag, but then the strings would most likely get tangled with the rest of the musical gear.

First things first, decide on the fabric.....

This heart/elephant fabric was part of my holiday haul from Shrewsbury and meant for Helen's stand; the other at the far end was for Nigel.

A slightly different angle - also showing the tote bag that Helen wanted.

I found a tutorial on Pinterest for an iPhone case with a flap and velcro closure. Aha, I thought, that's just the ticket....so after some serious upsizing of the pattern (more correctly known as guesswork....cough) this is what I ended up making:

I thought they looked a bit too wide but actually they're perfect for getting the music stand in without snagging.

I'm quite pleased with how they turned out :-)

Keeping on the music theme, Rhys and I ran across some unusual visitors when we went for a stomp around Avebury last week....

This is the Devil's Chair stone...you can sit in a natural hollow and if you turn your head and sing or hum, the stone resonates really weirdly.  This large group turned up which included five people who looked as if they came from Peru, complete with beautiful costumes.

They took it in turns to sit in the chair...it was quite bizarre but wonderful to see!  I have no idea why they were there but they sure brightened up a Wiltshire Wednesday :-)

And talking of Rhys...the lad did well and has got a place to study Archaeology/Ancient History at Winchester University. I'm so proud of him but will miss him like crazy when he goes......

Have a great week!

WOYWW 323

SOFT KITTY, WARM KITTY...LITTLE BALL OF FUR,

HAPPY KITTY, SLEEPY KITTY, PURR, PURR, PURR

(thanks for the lyric, Rhys!   Copyright: Chuck Lorre Productions)

It's been another crazy week at LLJ Towers...some crafting has been done. But I can't show you it yet as it's going to be a prezzy!

I was asked to make a tote bag and slip covers for two music stands by Helen, a friend of mine. Red is her favourite colour so I dug out all the fabrics I have with scarlet hues :-)

And Helen chose this for her tote...there was just enough of the fabric....phew!

Topstitching the straps and external/internal pockets. I cut the handles with the bars of colour going horizontally, you get to see more colours that way!
And that's as far as the bag making went yesterday.....

I brought my music stand upstairs to draw around it and make a template for the slip cover, but this is as far as I got.  The weather is forecast to be appalling on Thursday and into Friday so I'll have a good session then instead.  

I'll leave you with a sneaky pic taken by my hubby!

My boys gave me two colouring for adults books for my birthday and I am REALLY enjoying doing them. It's quite Zen. Here I am, enjoying a moment of peace, absorbed in the fine detail of Johanna Basford's beautiful illustrations. Ron is supervising, of course.....

Nothing can relax quite like a cat :-)  Lol

Short(ish) from me today....I hope Brownie points are forthcoming!!

Have a great week xxx

WOYWW 322

                        (You have to provide your own sound effects/actions for today's lyric)

(Whistling wind)     woooooo oooooooooooooooooooo

(Tumbleweed rolling across the shot) tumble tumble tumble tumble

(Creaky door opening in a Horror style)  Creeeeeaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkkk

(Shock, horror)     gasp, screeeam

Because my desk is bare!!  Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrghghghghghgh

Completely bereft of anything crafted this past week, that is..... Oh sure, there's something cut out that uses up the last of the skull fabric, there's a new button tin (part of Julia's birthday prezzy to me...54 last Saturday, groan...) and a new sewing book from my boys, open at a page that took my fancy.

But that's it....

Oh, ok then, I'll force you to read about some other stuff that's been going on, lol! But it's at your own peril......

It was my birthday the day after the Blue Moon made its appearance.....my boys, future DiL and I went to Salisbury for a mooch and spot of lunch.  We window shopped at Franklin's where we spotted this fab display, part of the Magna Carta 800 years celebrations...

It was all so beautifully done!

I loved it and spent ages looking at all the details. There was even a huge pile of the metallic silvery grey yarn needed if ever you fancied making your own chain mail!!

We spotted a couple more Barons that we missed on our visit a couple of weeks ago. This was sponsored by the Trussell Trust (a food bank charity). The detail was quite interesting,

We spent quite a while reading all the words and dedications - I liked this very much.

The following day, Julia and Mr Dunnit came over to ours for a barbeque. She bought me a fab present......

Yep, it's a gallon capacity Kilner jar with a tap, so you can fill it with punch, mulled wine, champagne cocktail or, in this case, strawberry Pimms and have a lot of fun!  Definitely for sharing though!!

I think Julia is topping up her glass here while I'm attempting to fill her glass with extra fruit! This was the first drink of the evening but I do look as if I'm concentrating extremely hard indeed!! It was fun :-)

But I leave you with the 3D card that Julia made me next to the beautiful hare card from Shaz Silverwolf......

My name in Lights.....I'm a star at last!!! Lol. Hollywood beckons. 

Cue last Sound effect:  Cowgirl galloping off into the sunset.......

Have a great week :-) xxxx