WOYWW 164

SHIMMERING SHE MOVES,

SUNLIGHT ALL AROUND HER,

EVEN WHEN SHE'S BLUE

SILVER CLOUDS SURROUND HER

MY BABY SPARKLE AND SHINE,

SPARKLE AND SHINE...

I was on holiday last week so not much sewing was done..but I did buy some beads (see Doone, I can do it!) but not from a bead shop, no sirree. I went to a shop where there were racks of jewellery for £1/£2 each. They had originally been priced at £12.50!

                                   
So, I bought A LOT and spent a very happy few hours deconstructing. I got loads of beads, kept all the chains, thongs and findings. I do love a bargain!!

Julia came round for a bbq and had a good riffle through this little lot afterwards! She's a bit of a magpie as well....*grin*
So I had a little bit of a play while I was away...

 I keep making things that I would like..so have stuck to mostly blues, greens, silvers with the odd bit of red thrown in. Other colours will follow!!


A couple of Zentangle related pics for you. This lovely ATC and tag were sent to me by Shoshi - the ATC is hand drawn and is so clever. Thank you, Shoshi, I love it!

The other is a poster that I saw outside the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge...

Nothing is ever truly new, is it?? The Medieval Cypriots were zentangling six centuries ago!! There was the most amazing Chinese tomb treasures exhibition there as well, all free. Go, if you're in the area, it's fantastic!
There are lots more pics of patterns taken on my jollies in the previous post. We had a wonderful holiday cottage, with the BEST bathroom I've ever abluted in :)

I have never been so clean.......... :D
And this was on the kitchen wall...

Lolol !!!

We're All Going On A Summer Holiday......

Last week, La Famille LLJ went on our jollies -  nothing particularly flash, just a holiday cottage in Suffolk...but what a fab time we had. Even a couple of damp days were fine, it was an excuse to chill and read books...
We went to Suffolk because G3 and I are history buffs and there's a lot to see over there - it's a very old, pretty place full of amazing buildings..and hardly a straight wall!

All these buildings were in Lavenham, a town stuffed full of Grade 1 listed buildings. This place was so rich in the 14/15th centuries, due to the cloth trade, it paid more taxes than York and Lincoln!! It's a slightly sleepy place nowadays, but very charming nevertheless!

We went to Bury St Edmunds as well, where the cathedral was only finished in 2010, although the original church foundation was in the 1500s. As you know, I'm a pattern fiend and there were LOADS in this most beautiful of buildings...

 
 

 

It was a very unexpected pleasure, walking around this amazing building - it's up there as one of my very favourite places, along with Durham and Winchester....

This was the entrance to our holiday cottage...

Up to The Hay Loft, which was a converted building attached to a country house..

Very calm and peaceful, eh? We thought the interior would be quaint and old fashioned....

Oh no, it wasn't!!!!

This is the ensuite bathroom, complete with walk-in shower with a rainfall shower head and a Villeroy & Boch whirlpool spa bath....

And this was it when you switched the lights on!!!

Needless to say, I have NEVER been so clean in all my life!!!!

And I'll leave you with the little picture in the kitchen....

I really liked the owners' style, LOLOL!!

WOYWW 163

Sun is shinin' in the sky, 
There ain't a cloud in sight 
It's stopped rainin' 
Everybody's in a play 
And don't you know 
It's a beautiful new day, hey, hey, hey. 

(I'm ever the optimist.... *grin*)

Another Wednesday, another desk to present for your delectation! I had a rummage in my fabric stash to see if there was anything suitable with which to make a jewellery roll - something that I could work on, that would stop the beads pinging off when I drop them...which, having fat fingers like I do, happens fairly frequently!! I found some tartan and black felt....

Sandwiched together with some quilting batting and finished off with a zig zag stitch...

Voila!! Not my most careful piece of sewing but it'll do. I roughly cut out 3 layers of rectangles using the straight lines of the tartan, didn't pin or baste, just ran the sewing machine around the edges. Shock horror!! Sorry if I've made you faint. I'm the same with cooking recipes, never stick to any of 'em, just lob in the ingredients with abandon. So I end up with glorious successes or fabulous failures!!! This task ended happily however - I can roll up my tools in it and then use it as a work surface...and it cost nowt!!

I had a good rummage around my jewellery and came up with this little lot which I'm going to recycle. See? I AM going to be good and not buy millions of new beads :D 

Julia passed on a couple of things too. I've actually asked friends in band if they can have a search and then whatever they give to me, I'll make stuff to sell for band funds. We're always fund raising for something!!

Having said I wasn't going to buy anymore fabric until I'd used up some of my stash, I couldn't resist this - it was in the sale in Dible and Roy in Marlborough (my fav shop). I love the cool blues and the beach huts. I bought a couple of metres for not very much - PE bags for boys maybe? Or cushion covers?? Maybe both :) The thick piping cord was only 20p a metre, I think that's brilliant! What can you get for 20p these days???

We live fairly near Lacock (where they filmed Pride and Prejudice) - there was a series of sculptures to do with light in the Abbey grounds. This parasol moved around, so the patterns of light/shadow were forever changing - it was very calming and therapeutic...

And this tree of crystal balls is my favourite!

I could happily live with that in my garden....but couldn't fit it in my handbag *grin*  I do love rainbows though...they make me shiny-happy.

Just a quick reminder about the proposed WOYWW crop that Julia and I are trying to organise on 13th October. You might have missed her post so here's the link if you would like to come and meet a whole load of lovely folk!

See y'all next week xxxx

WOYWW 162

Diamonds are forever, 
They are all I need to please me, 
They can stimulate and tease me, 
They won't leave in the night, 
I've no fear that they might desert me. 
(You'll understand the reason for this later in the post.....which is quite long today, sorry Julia!)
Straight on with the desk this week..

A little bit of bunting for a very special WOYWW baby :D  Hope you and your little Ruby like it, Sarah!  It's fun making pink things - I always hated the colour when I was younger. Being a tomboy, I was against all things girly...but do you know what, I've grown into it and possess...shock horror...items of clothing and jewellery in that rosy hue!! Watch this space for more revelations *grin*


Do you remember a couple of weeks back, I made a charm for my mate's iPad cover.  Well.....you can tell what's coming here, can't you???....my other friend Kate kidnapped me and forced to enter Hobbycraft...where she inveigled me into buying some basic tools and beading accoutrements. She's done a lot of beading herself so taught me a few moves.  Oh dearie, dearie me. This could be the beginning of a seriously bad obsession....

Oops, did I really get all that? But I already had the red velvet fabric at home....Here are some of Kate's creations..

She is famed for her dangly earrings!! They always look really good on her.

Some of my new beads and my first attempt at earrings...

By now, the red fabric was hurting my eyes!! So I found some black..oh, that's better! You can see the gorgeous Union Jack tin that Julia bought me in which I'm going to keep my tools etc. The little storage box will fit in as well, so that's handy. I've been experimenting with a handbag charm and a new pair of red danglies to wear out when I'm playing with my brass band (nothing too OTT for that!.) Then I really got the bit between my teeth...

I love the colours in these different beads. Now comes the hard part, I shall have to try to part with some, I can't wear/use them all!! When's the next fair...?!

I had another fabulous ATC arrive this week, it's a 3 in 1 bit of gorgeousness, courtesy of Nerllybird (Helen S).

I love the sewing theme, the heart, the initial and then , inside....

A sentiment with which I entirely agree!! Just look at all the detail... just awesome. Thank you, Helen, I love it!

Finally (!!) after last week's modelling of a very flowery apron, to redress the balance, I thought I'd leave you with G3 on the evening of his Prom. 

That's more like it, he says!!

Have a great week- see you soon......

WOYWW 161

I BEG YOUR PARDON,
I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN...
Except that's what I'm showing you first today! Trust me to be awkward *grin*


I bought this fabric while on holiday last year from The Cotton Angel in Monmouth (as recommended by Sam of Hettiecraft fame.)  It was in the sale section so I bought a couple of metres and then promptly forgot about it when we returned home. I 'discovered' it again last week while searching for something else to make for the craft fair on Saturday.  I thought it would make a great peg bag, trimmed with some red gingham ribbon and daisy braid...

 

Before and after shots! The ribbon looks a bit wonky on the finished article but it's just the way the bag was hanging..honest!! 

I also made an apron as I was enjoying the bright and breezy colours so much....and let me tell you, it takes a REAL man to model this :) Well done G3, the things you do to keep your old Ma happy... you're a star!

And, don't faint, I finished the stamp fabric tote after it's been cut out for bloomin' ages!! I'll be frank, I got a bit ticked off with making this, was hoping it was going to be first class but the delivery was late..that's it, I'll stop with the Mail puns now...or this post will never end!

Some more gorgeous ATCs arrived - wahoo!!  From L-R, Lisa M., Morti and Cardarian - THANK YOU ladies, they're beautiful! But I have to know - did you three get together beforehand and agree to co-ordinate your colour theme??

Okey dokey, the results of my bloggaversary giveaway...

My longstanding friend Kate was visiting LLJ Towers this weekend. She lives in New Zealand now but we've known each other for ever, since our days in Newcastle - 29 years in fact. Anyhoo, I asked Kate to do the drawing of the winning name and she picked.......

Drum Roll please..........

CRAFTY GASHEAD ZO!!!

Woop woop, wild applause, cheers and a fanfare!

Well done, Zoe -  this spotty/daisy/gingham bin with pink bling will be 

winging its way to you shortly! Please can you email me your postal address...

Thanks to everyone for entering - it was fun reading everyone's different colour preferences!! 

Thank you all for the lovely comments and support for my first year's blogging - I suppose I'll have to carry on now.... :D 

xxxx