WOYWW 286

I'M IN LOVE WITH IT ALL,
I HAVE FREEDOM TO LOVE
IN HIDING....
(Genesis)

It's an odd one this week. I want to show you my desk....


But this is about the most you'll see as the things that I'm making at the moment are for Christmas prezzies and so I can't show them in their entirety because the recipients sometimes read this blog!  So I may have to place a few red herrings here and there to put the presentees off the scent!!  Just call me Miss Marple :-)  I'm messing around with an idea at the moment.


Pretty, girly, flowery....all the things I'm not, lol!!  But I'm enjoying playing around with these!


Checking out my frou frous for another prezzy  ;-) .....grin!


Fabric, lace, ribbons and beads....it doesn't take much to make me happy!  Can't show you this either - bet you're really glad you stopped by my blog, aren't you?!


I haven't played with my beads for a while, so really enjoyed this - they'll be more in evidence over the next few weeks as I intend to do some beady prezzies too. I love sparkly stuff.....





I can show you this though!! I'm going to a wedding on Saturday and wanted to make the bride a good luck charm to give her on the day. 

The basic idea was an embellished heart. I don't know if you can make them out but there are tiny seed beads on the lace flower - they just catch the light and twinkle prettily.....
I had a lot of fun making this....more frou frou, you see!  Now all I have to do is remember to take it on Saturday.....

Have a great crafting week :-)

WOYWW 285

BECAUSE I'M HAPPY,
CLAP ALONG IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT'S WHAT YOU WANNA DO.....
(Pharrell Williams - listen here if you want!)

I wasn't very happy last week, if truth be told. You see, whilst driving en route down to my dad's, I looked at my hand and realised that the diamond had dropped out of my engagement ring..... it could have been anywhere: in the car (no), in the house (no) on Marlborough High St after I'd marched in the Remembrance Day parade (sigh). I was very upset, after all, that ring had graced my hand since 1981...but many lovely, unexpected things have happened since. Also the realisation that it's been seven years to the day since my wonderful hubby had a quad heart bypass operation.... people are way more important than things, don't you think?

So I start today not with my desk, but a little surprise that made me very happy indeed :-)
A parcel full of crafty gorgeousness from Kay (505whimsygirl)!  There's one of her famous spa cloths - yay! - some lovely festive bits and pieces but most of all, my very first stamp, tags and ink pads!!

Oh boy, am I going to have fun making my very own crafting tags!

But these stole my heart - two musical fat quarters!!  Thank you so much Kay, I absolutely adore them and will enjoy using them for a project very soon :-)  I really appreciate the kind words in your lovely card too - it made my day.

Ok, the desk....

I was having a sort out of what I've made, what fabrics I've got left etc etc, thinking about.. *whispers*.... 'C' presents.


I still love this birdcage fabric and the check soooooooo much!  Another bag, I think :-)



Here's the stripes bag made up - it's so funky. This made me smile as I was making it!  The other side doesn't have a pocket so you are enveloped in its stripy-osity :-) 
(Don't you think the grass is green for November, it's still growing, for goodness sake!)


I heard from some old friends, hooked up with local pals I haven't seen for a while, my hubster and Rhys bought me some gorgeous flowers and a rockabilly CD....so you see, I ended the week in a much happier state of mind :-)


My brother Steve and his partner Ros came for lunch as well - it was good to see them. 


I showed them my craft room - Steve insisted on trying out a tote for size......



Looking good, mate! LOL. He wouldn't keep still, so the photo's a bit blurry.....don't give up your day job Steve, I think the catwalks of Paris would be safer without you!!  (He reads this blog btw...grin)  Still, it takes a real man to carry off the look so well ;-)



See, I'm a lucky gal, with a wonderful family and friends. I really have counted my blessings.


Have a fab week!


WOYWW 284

YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET...
B-B-B-BABY, YOU JUST AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!

That's because there may be fabric on my desk today, but no signs of actually doing anything with it!

I've been having a play with various ideas, combinations of fabric etc but as I've been to my dad's for a couple of days, there's not been much time to cut out and sew!  

I bought that funky fabric in the foreground from my favourite shop in Marlborough, Dible and Roy. It's full of roll ends of delicious furnishing fabrics - this one caught my eye because I knew I already had the green and brown spots at home.

A friend gave me a bag of felt offcuts and I was playing around making a decorated tree whatsit. Felt doesn't grab me (if ya know what I mean!), I never feel inspired by it whereas others create beautiful things with it.

Pleasing combination of tones, huh?  The selvedge of the fabric shows that the blocks should be vertical but I think I prefer them horizontal. 

Wonder what that would say about me in some deep, meaningful, psychological test?  No....don't answer that!!

Right, I've got to pull my finger out because I've got a couple of presents to make and any spare time seems to be whisked away at the moment.....
Better get my skates on!

This may well be my shortest WOYWW post ever...hope I get lots of brownie points from the Desk Meister. My current standing is about -97 at the moment....grin :-)

Have a great week, y'all !




WOYWW 283

JELLY ON A PLATE, JELLY ON A PLATE,
WIBBLE WOBBLE, WIBBLE WOBBLE, JELLY ON A PLATE!

Well, then, lovely WOYWWers (and other readers...), it's that time again. Show and tell!


I had just over half a metre of the lovely Botanicals fabric (as seen last week) so decided to make another tote as something to have in reserve if anyone needs a bag/prezzy. This time, it got teamed with this beautiful soft green check which I LOVE.








Here, I'm sandwiching together the bag lining, zipped section and a top bit of lining. Hence the pins, because three layers would just go walkies otherwise...and yes, I've learned that the hard way!

But now it needs a blooming good iron to finish it off :-)


Then with some of the offcuts, I made a covered notebook (A5, if you're interested!)  Even though I allowed half an inch to the book's measurements, it was quite a tight fit....


I didn't add any embellishments as I thought it would detract from the gorgeous print. I was really pleased with this and it took about 15 minutes to make.


From the sublime to the ridiculous!  This was the desk last Thursday.... I've been playing bass keyboard for the Kennet Accordion Orchestra recently, standing in for their normal player who's going through breast cancer treatment.  

My previous image of accordions was a French bloke in a stripey t-shirt smoking a Gauloise...how wrong I was!  The sound the orchestra creates is amazing - layered and complex.  Anyhow, we were in a contest on Saturday and were playing Rock around the Clock in one category. So I made scarves for the five girlies - just hemmed triangles but they added to the overall impression. If you're interested, the Orchestra won the three group categories they were in. second in a small group, plus duos and soloists from the group came first in their sections. It was a good day!







The venue was quite large and this sign struck me as I was wandering down one corridor! Well, the mind bloggled, it really did. But, seeing that I'm a sticky beak, off I went to have a nosey, visions of large jellies in my mind.....




Oh, it's wobbling exercise machines. That's what the sign meant!  I dread to think what would have happened if I'd have had a go on these.....underground tectonic plate disturbances in deepest, darkest Dorset!!


Thanks for reading my nonsense, I'm off to make some jelly :-)  

WOYWW 769

 WE'LL MEET AGAIN.... I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while - please don't worry, all is ok! - think I just need a...