WOYWW

 Just a few cheery little faces to greet you today!!
I spent fun day Monday making this little bag ready to pop my next quilt in for Jo's LillyBo Quilt scheme. It really has taken off and Jo has received lots of beautiful quilts, many of which are now being used and loved by the children in hospital in Liverpool.
(Follow this link for more info. . . . LillyBo Quilts)

 

So on my desk today is the quilt - only partly made - I forgot to collect the wadding from Annie on Monday so it will have to wait until I pop down to hers again.

I liked the little dolly collages so I am putting one in each corner, to go with the one on the bag.

Then I found that I had three little dancing dollies left from the ones I made earlier so I will pop those in the pocket. Some poorly little one will have fun with them, I am sure.

 

Well, that's me for today.

I hope you are all well and making the most of the bright Summer days.

Thanks for calling by and if linking up with more crafters sounds like fun then pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground and join in!

 

x Jo

Friday smile from the bird woman of Churchstoke!!

 Look who is gazing out of my kitchen window!

This cheeky little Blue Tit flew in through my open kitchen door, across my kitchen and bumped his head on my window by the sink.
Stunned, he sat gasping for a moment so I quickly opened the window and drew the curtains, expecting him to fly out pretty quickly.
Ten minutes later he was still sitting there gazing at the view!!

In the end I tickled him out through the open window with my long, fluffy duster.
He flew off into the garden happily and seemed perfectly Ok after his adventure.

I love my birds but I think they should stay in the garden really!

For more Friday smiles just pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time" blog and see what the others have found to make them smile this week.
x Jo

WOYWW

 

My work desk today!

It's too warm in my craft room at the front of the house. (How often have I ever said that!!)

So I took my paper crafting tackle into the kitchen - big mistake - far too much room and I seem to spread out everywhere.

However, it is certainly cooler and I really need cool when I am trying to do what you clever paper crafters do.

I am hopeless at the careful measuring and folding so nothing is quite as it would be if you clever folks had tackled it.

BUT...

I am pleased with how it all went.

Here is my finished tag flap book - I just copied the design of the one Jo (Jozart) so kindly made for me. Except of course, I couldn't resist using fabric and embroidery for the front and back.

I even used my Cuttlebug for the tattered fabric flowers too!

What do you think?
Not bad for a first attempt by a real papercrafting amateur.

I don't think I will be making more but I certainly loved making the covers so I might make a few notebook covers that way. Thanks for the inspiration Jo - you certainly helped me get out of my comfort zone!!!

Hope you are all enjoying the sunshine and that the odd thunderstorm hasn't spoilt your fun.

I hope I can get around a few more desks this week - I am not tempted to sit at the computer when the weather is so gorgeous.

Join in the fun over at Julia's Stamping Ground and see what everyone else's crafty workdesk looks like today!
Have fun.
x Jo

Friday smile

Just a few photos from my visit to Powis Castle.....

 

Gorgeous setting, beautiful colours - a lovely place to spend an hour or two.

Blogger is playing up for me today so I hope you can see this OK.

Join in with Annie's Friday smile over on her blog "A stitch in time".
The photos over there will certainly make you smile today.

x Jo

WOYWW

Happy Wednesday everyone - well what's left of it!

I am late posting this week.

I had two lovely crafting days with my daughter Maxine, here at home, on Monday and Tuesday.

Followed by today helping Annie play with the twins.

So, I am sorry to say WOYWW came last in my order of priorities!

BUT here I am ready to show and tell.....

 

Here is Max, already beetling away on my machine on Monday.

We were making our gorgeous little draught excluders using offcut furnishing fabric, leather flowers and vintage buttons, with just a flourish of hand embroidery here and there.

We had such a brilliant couple of days. We always get on really well and make a great team - she is good at the designing/colour combo side of things and I am there with the technical expertise - he he that sounds grand doesn't it!!! (Older + wiser, I think don't you?)

 

And here is my out door work table today!!...

 

 

 

These are just a few of our patchwork draught excluders waiting for their stuffing.

I know it's not likely that anyone will be thinking of buying draught excluders in this sub tropical weather but in a few weeks time I am sure the need might arise for some!

 

 

OK short and sweet and better late than never.

I will be round to check out a few desks later when I have had time to chill with a long cold drink.

Have a great week in this wonderfully sunny weather.

 

x Jo



Friday smile

Things that made me smile this week........

 A photo of the view along my fence.
The stunning white clematis is tumbling over the fence from my neighbours garden.
It has been really lovely this year and I really appreciate them sharing it!!!

Below is a beautiful little ATC - and what a little work of art it is.
It is handmade by Peggy of peggy aplSEEDS blog who lives in the Phillipines.
We swapped ATCs for the WOYWW 4th anniversary - notice her little crown- WOYWW4
Clever!

Have a great weekend - let's hope the good weather lasts.

For more Friday smiles just pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time" blog and see what the others have found to make them smile this week.
x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all!

Today you see my attempt at making a tag flag book like Jo made for me.

I have managed to make the concertina bit and some tags to stick my ATCs onto.

I would have made more progress but the sunshine tempted me out into my garden!

Any excuse - can you tell I am not a natural with papercraft? Give me a needle and thread any day.

Speaking of which......

 

Look at all these lovely threads that I bought for Annie at the car boot sale!

Plus, on the right, is a really pretty vintage lace hankie and a pale blue linen lace edged table runner.

I love finding beautiful, useful bargains like this.

On top of the hankie are two pretty little bracelets made from polymer clay beads - I am thinking scrapbox dollies beady arms and legs!

 

I hope you are all enjoying this fab weather - what a glorious week it's been so far.

I bet it was a bit hot for Andy on Sunday but .. didn't he do well!!

 

Ok folks.

Have a great week - see you around your WOYWW desks later on.

x Jo

Friday smile

(click to enlarge)

Good morning all!

More birds to show you this week.
All the photos are taken through my kitchen window - hence they are a bit fuzzy - yes maybe I could have cleaned the window first!

The young Woodpecker seemed to be admiring his bright red cap as he gazed into the birdbath - he eventually took a sip of water but resisted the urge to bathe.

The young Great Tit in the rest of the photos was grazing for spiders on my patio furniture and spent ages looking up into the nooks and crevices before dashing in and pecking at them.

Our garden is full of youngsters at the moment and this week we have had young Goldfinches and Green finches too.

I chuckled as I saved these photos to a Picasa collage because I named the collage "Tits".
So if anyone googled that subject and came up with my birds, I hope you enjoyed view!

For more Friday smiles just pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time" blog and see what the others have found to make them smile this week.

x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning to all our WOYWW followers.
I hope you are still all with us after the Google Reader panic.
I am still unsure what it was all about but we signed up to Bloglovin as a belt and braces precaution.

Today I have put all my little ATCs into the beautiful little tag flag book that Jo made for me.
The photo shows all my little beauties before I popped them into the book.
It really is a fab way to store them as they are all visible and safely stored so they don't get damaged.
Now Annie and I don't really do much papercrafting - although we do have quite a mountain of stash between us! Jo's booklet was so lovely that Annie decided to make another, following Jo's design, to store last year's ATCs. So I guess she will be blogging hers today AND I know I will have to have a go and see if I can make one- it might have to have some white linen and hand stitching on it though!! lol.

Just to reinforce that thought - below are my latest car boot cale purchases.
A pair of huge pillow cases with a monogram and beautiful satin stitched edge.
They have pretty little mother of pearl buttons and hand stitched buttonholes.
I love them and I know they will be upcycled into something soon.

 And below are the super bits and bobs that I bought for Annie's toy box for her grand children.
They were all in perfect condition and a great bargain.
Needless to say the little twins loved the dog and cat puzzles - new to them on Monday - they had them sussed by Tuesday!! I now need to find something a bit trickier for them.

Well that's it for this week - I hope I can get to visit a few more of you this week but maybe not today as I will be playing with my twinnie friends.
Join in our blog hop over at Julia's Stamping Ground.

Have a great week
x Jo