WOYWW - New Year's Eve

My desk is empty but I thought you might like to see the finished quilty play mat that I made for Ben.
He loves it and so does his Mum!
You may remember seeing all the little red puffs I was making a few weeks ago.
It took a while to get it all together but it was definitely worth the effort.
He now has lots of his baby toys clipped round it through the ribbon loops.

As I have nothing else to show, I thought I would do a quick round up -
Out with the old in with the new....

Things that last year brought...

• A wonderful grandson - such a joy for us all
• Lots of fun and time shared with best buddies and family
• A visit to hospital - thanks to wonderful treatment in hospital, I now feel back on top form after almost a year of not feeling well
• A brilliant week of crafting fun at Montomery at Maxine's exhibition
• Lots of get togethers with fellow crafters for workshops and other crafty activity

Things to look forward to....

• Moving house to be nearer to friends and family
• More crafty activities as above!
• Plenty of baby sitting and playtimes with the youngest family members
• Shopping for a new set of clothes - losing 2 stone makes quite a difference!

So, to all my WOYWW buddies...
All the best for 2015
May it be a great year for you all!

x Jo

WOYWW - Happy Christmas

Just one of my little Christmas cards wishing you all a very merry Christmas!
Thank you for being such caring and thoughtful friends and for all your good wishes and lovely comments over the last year.
WOYWW always brings a smile to my face - there are so many crafty, clever folks out there and I love seeing all the wonderful things that happen on your workdesk. I love the humour that can be found on many of the WOYWW posts too - you know who you are!!!!

Thanks lots - here's to many more!

All the best

Jo

PS - the card was  a copy of an idea I found on Pinterest by www.sharonblackman.co.uk

WOYWW

 At last, I have found time to pop my WOYWW post up for this week.
I have been busy working on my ironing board with all these ribbons and braids.
Of course I managed to get glue and Bondaweb on my ironing board cover so I am hoping Santa will make me a new one! ( Ha!)

Below is the little Christmas tree that I was making with the ribbon.
Now, I don't know about you but I think I might be a bit busy next Wednesday, so I will use my cheery ribbon tree as my WOYWW Christmas card and wish you all a very happy Christmas!

Don't you just love all the cheery red colour and that little row of machine embroidered hearts across the middle.
I have made a few cards using a photo of it but will probably be posting it off soon - or I will miss the Christmas post completely!

Have a fab time everyone.
Love and best wishes
Jo

Friday smile

Happy Friday!

This is what made me smile yesterday.
My daughter was busy making a Santa sack for baby Ben and as busy as a new Mum is, she was picking up her needle and thread inbetween feeds to blanket stitch round his name.

It made me smile as it is proof that all the hours we have spent together crafting have paid off!
AND - she is a left hander so has to work out how to do each new stitch she tackles for herself. I did say there is probably a left handers embroidery book out there but she is happy to muddle through. She certainly did a much neater, more accurate job than I would have done. Well done Max!

I am sure Annie will have lots more Friday Smiles over on her blog "A stitch in time" so pop over and see what is making everyone else smile this week.

x Jo

WOYWW

 A little guessing game for all the lovely folk who pass this way looking for Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday!
I have a special little project on the go for a certain little somebody in my family.
Can you guess what it is?
I know some of you out there have made similar ones so I am sure someone will come up with the right answer - I wonder who will be first!

As you can see, I am right back into sewing mode, thank goodness.
Below are some little net and voile dressing up outfits - fairies? princesses?

 And this is a little Tree Fu Tom tabard.

I have finished all the costumes that I am going to do for now - Christmas will be taking over and I need to make a few cards before it's too late.

Thanks for popping by - hope all your Christmas preparations are going to plan - I am always a bit last minute with mine so the next few weeks will be a bit hectic!

Have a good week.

x Jo

WOYWW

This looks more like a "Twiglet" table doesn't it!!!
At last - and just a bit each day - my energy and enthusiasm have returned.

So, on my WOYWW table today you can see the little dressing up outfits that I have made for play group.

• A little witchy skirt and cloak
• A princess dress
• A pirate waistcoat and trousers
• 2 knights tabards
• A spaceman tabard

I still have lots of fabric left so I am sure I will have more to show and tell next week.
For some reason Blogger has been a real pain this week - sometimes it won't let me load anything and then when I get into a blog, it won't let me comment. Apologies to all who I didn't manage a return visit to.

It's good to be feeling much fitter and stronger - I even drove my car for the first time in over a month yesterday - what a treat!
It's a cold and frosty morning here but the sun is shining and the hills look beautiful.
A quick snap from my kitchen door......

 Have a great week everyone.
x Jo

Friday Smile

Just  my beautiful Alstromeria sent as a "Get well soon" bouquet.
They are certainly making me smile and I know you will love them too.
(Especially Annie - favourite colours!)

 Thanks to everyone for all your lovely cards and kind messages and comments.

I am pleased to say that each day I feel a bit better but find it hard to pace myself and do very little.
So, each morning a do a few little jobs and then have to have an afternoon nap to boost my batteries.
I know I am impatient and I know I am healing nicely so I just have to be sensible don't I!!

Happy Friday everyone!
x Jo

For more smiles pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time" blog

Friday smile

I know this will make a few folks smile - it's me on the road to recovery after my op.
Today I still feel weak and wobbly but much better than this time last week when I was still waiting to go down to theatre!!

I am a shadow of my former self, having lost over 2 stone in the last 12 months or so.
It's amazing what a fat-free, no alcohol diet can do for a girl!
Well, that and a worn out gall bladder anyway.

So smile with me and say a little prayer for the wonders of modern medicine.

Have a great weekend.
The sun is shining and I am listening to Children In Need on Radio 2.
What more can a girl want.

Thanks for all your lovely comments and good wishes. 

x Jo

WOYWW

Just a quick update!

My emergency surgery has been succesful and I came home on Sunday evening.
I am feeling washed out but better each day.

Thanks to all who have left messages and emails etc.
I have really appreciated all the positive vibes.

A big thank you to all the brilliant staff at RSH who did such a great job of taking care of me.
What a shame they can't have more staff to lighten their load and make the wait for operations a bit shorter.
The NHS provides an amazing service but the staff need much more support.

I hope you are all well and being super crafty.
I might even manage to snoop a few desks this week - no excuses!!

Have a good week.

x Jo

WOYWW

Just a quickie today as I need to get my car serviced so it's a day in Shrewsbury for me.
These are my latest makes for my friend's request for play school dressing up outfits.
I have raided my fabric stash and made two little tabards - shop or clinic outfit?
Then I re-vamped a silky top for a princess dress and made a crown and cape to go with it.
Such fun!!

I hope there are lots of crafty WOYWW desks out there for me to snoop later.
Have a great week everyone.
x Jo

Friday smile

I was feeling a bit under the weather until I came to my kitchen sink this morning!!
This really is what greeted me - weird but certainly put a smile on my face.

Happy Friday everyone!
x Jo

For more smiles pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time" blog

WOYWW

 Well folks - I have made a start to my my Christmas cards - it still needs a bit doing to it but at least I have something to show on my desk today.

Annie and I watched the footie on tv last night to see Shrewsbury thrash Chelsea and only lose because our brilliant central defender scored an own goal in the last minutes of the game! ( A bit of creative writing there!)
Whilst watching all the big Chelsea stars like Drogba and Oscar being outwitted by our own stars, I even managed to stitch a few buttons on my little Christmas trees.

My other crafty activity of the week can be seen if you follow this link to my FB page.
https://www.facebook.com/jo.betts.52
It's a photo of Ben in his latest outfit.

Maxine wanted  a spider suit for Ben to wear to a halloween party so I whipped one up out of an old black skirt and kind aunty Annie even crocheted him a cobweb. Mad as hatters aren't we.

Hope you are all well and loving this mild Autumn weather (though not so for our Scottish friends I think).

Join in the WOYWW blog hop over at Julia's Stamping Ground.
Blogger has been playing up this week and I have found it impossible to leave comments on some blogs - so apologies if you are one of them.

Have a great week.

x Jo

WOYWW

 Good morning all - I am a bit late in posting my WOYWW desk today - but better late than never!!
I have some lovely fabric to show - I bought it at the  The Quilters Trading Post and I will probably be making a quilted playmat for Ben with it. Beside it is some chunky wool to knit some little hoodies with.

Now tell me I am not the only one who would have rescued the two little items below.
They were scattered across the floor amongst boxes of house clearance clutter at the car boot sale.
The little blue hand embroidered item is a small cover for maybe a teapot or small kitchen item.
I just had to buy it with a view to using that pretty floral stitchwork for a future project - certainly too nice to get dumped in landfill!!
The little pinny is beautifully made and looks as if it has been made from a recycled pillow case with that lovely white on white embroidery on the front. Again, it was looking unloved and I thought it was worth rescuing. It would make the perfect pinny for a school Victorian day!

OK - tell me I am mad or maybe agree with me!!

I have had a busy week so far - a hospital appointment yesterday - apparently I need my gall bladder removing - yuk! But - better out than in, I think.

Today I am tackling a little Roman blind - I just hope it all goes to plan. I have made quite  a few so it should be fine.

Have a good week.
Thanks for calling by.

x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all.
Firstly - apologies for not managing to visit many WOYWW desks last week - I promise I will do better this week.
I had a couple of days with little Ben and the time just flew by.

Also I had a day crafting with buddies at The Quilters Trading Post near Audlem hence the picture above.
We each made a star block. I am hoping I can put mine on the front of a tote bag as I have just enough matching fabric left over to do it.
I am not a real quilter so I had to concentrate and make a big effort with accurate cutting and sewing (not my strong point). Pam, our tutor was really helpful and we managed to complete the block in about 2 hours.
The rest of our time was spent perusing the gorgeous fabric in the shop.
See Annie's blog A stitch in time for more pics!
We could have spent a fortune as it was all so lovely but I tried to restrain myself to just a few pieces for a little play mat for Ben.
Having just emptied and sorted all the junk craft materials in my sewing room and now trying desperately to get it into some sort of order, I realise that I don't really need MORE fabric!

I am looking forward to getting back into action with some sewing. I think I have roman blinds for a friend and some dressing up clothes to do fairly soon so that will be fun.

I hope you are all well and looking forward to some warmer drier weather over the weekend. It's been flippin cold here today.

Have a great week.
 x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning all.
I hope your WOYWW desk looks a bit more productive than mine!

My hubby decided today would be a good time to paint my window so everytning is stripped ready for action - lol - no!!!! you don't want to see that now do you!

So, here is my window sill with a few of my birthday cards for you to enjoy.
My favourite is the little collage Maxine put together for me from Ben - right there in the centre.
To the right are the two that Maxine and Annie gave me - both needle-felted and stitched in almost identical shapes and colours - a bit of family telepathy going on there I think!

So, go on, show us your WOYWW - I bet there will be lots going on and plenty to snoop as usual.

Have a great week.
x Jo

WOYWW

Good morning everyone!
Firstly, thank you to all you kind folk who left lovely messages of congratulations on the safe arrival of my gorgeous little grandson!
As you can imagine I have had lots of opportunities for cuddles and I know I am biased but he really is a beautiful baby!  (See below if you missed him last week!)

Of course, this week I haven't been crafting but I thought I would just post the little quilt I made for his travel moses basket which I have here ready for any visits.

I hope you are all well and still enjoying this amazing weather.
I hope I get round a few more WOYWW desks this week
Have a great week.
x Jo

WOYWW

Just a little something to show and tell today!!

Ben was born on Monday morning in the early hours.

He is totally gorgeous but then as a new granny I am bound to say that.

Maxine is doing well and so proud of herself of course.

Isn't new life just wonderful.

Nothing on my desk today and I doubt that I will be crafting much this week!

Have a great week everyone - I won't promise that I will visit all your WOYWW desks today but hopefully will get round a few.

x Jo

Saturday smile - nosey neighbours!

I just had to smile at this lot this morning.

I think they wanted to know what I was having for breakfast!!

They lined up and peered over my fence.

There is always something in the field to amuse me - pheasants, magpies - 18 at one time!, rabbits, squirrels, jays and now cows. Country living!

Join in with more smiles over on Annie's blog "A stitch in time"

Have a good weekend

x Jo

WOYWW

Just a quick post today as I am dashing to spend time with my "mother to be" daughter.
Not long to go now, so I am keeping her company on the odd days when she has no other activities planned.
She is really well and all ready for the arrival! Hope it's not too long now.

So my table is a bit bare really.
I have been sorting out and passing on a few craft mags.

I also found a little dolly which I might give a certain little girl for her upcoming 3rd birthday - although that means I will have to make a little boy doll for her brother!

I have been busy knitting with the cream wool but can't show you what I have made just yet!


Have a good week - I hope you are enjoying the lovely sunny Autumn days.

x Jo

Friday smile

Good morning all.

Just something that made me smile and hopefully made my five little great nieces and nephews smile when they received it!

Two lovely jars of homemade blackberry and apple jelly (I know the label says jam but I didn't notice till they were stuck on the jars!)

Enjoy the sunshine if you still have some and pop over to Annie's blog - A stitch in time if you want a few more smiles!

Have a great weekend.

x Jo

WOYWW

 Good morning all!
The sun is pouring through my window and the birds are singing as I type.
I love these bright Autumn days don't you?
My desk is covered with little frames that I have collected for Maxine.
We will use chalk paint and soft wax to "up-cycle" them and then use them to frame our little embroidered dumflings! (See here if you don't know what this means).
I was given two huge boxes of frames to add to my already huge pile so I was forced to have a good sort out and took some to the charity shop. A girl can have too many frames!!!

My latest sewing/crafting activity is below.
I was given a little chair which needed a facelift.
I delved into my fabric stash and found this piece of silky curtaining.
Once I had painted and waxed the legs( - the chair's not mine!) - I recovered the the seat and made a fitted back piece, stapling it all in place.
Not a bad renovation but it did take me all day to plan, cut, sew and staple!

Well that's it for today.
Have a great week and don't forget to show us what you have been up to by revealing all on WOYWW.

x Jo

Friday smile

Click to enlarge 

 

Just a little bit of late Summer colour!

I took my camera for a walk around my garden today to show you the last bit of colour before the frosts come and it all goes.

 

I love the yellow daisies - they flower all summer long.

 

Pop over to Annie's blog if you want to see more Friday smiles!

 

Have a great weekend.

 

Jo

 

WOYWW

Good morning all.
What a lovely start to September we are having.

I had a fun day out with Maxine yesterday visiting the little Shropshire town of Shifnal.
It has some lovely little shops and I found the Flower Fairy book in a charity shop.
I thought I might create some little collages using the book and poems for inspiration.
The green yarns are for our needle felted pictures. They will be useful for the backgrounds to Maxine's little embroidered pictures.
I found the fabrics at our local car boot sale - not sure why I "needed" them but they will come in handy I am sure.
A girl can never have enough fabric!

Annie will be writing her own blog this week, now that she is back online so I will let her tell you how she is settling in to her new "life".

Have a good week and hopefully I will get round to a few more WOYWW desks now that my computer has settled down.
x Jo

WOYWW - dumfling delight!

 My table is covered with dumfling delights this week!
I have done a bit of sewing but nothing I can show just yet.

My friend is coming over tomorrow to choose a picture from Maxine's latest dumflings.
So, I set them all out nicely on my sewing table.
Don't they look pretty?
I am sure she will find something to suit.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

 

 

Now a quick update on that much younger sister of mine - Annie aka Wipso!

She says to thank you all for your lovely messages and that she is settling nicely into her new home. I think she is enjoying sorting and putting things in order but still has a long way to go.

She is so happy just to have moved at long last and is finding life in a bungalow much easier.

As yet, they don't have broadband so she is missing being able to contact friends/family etc but hopefully it won't be too long.

 

Well, that's it for this week.

If the sun shines today, I am going blackberry picking and having friends to lunch.

Have a good week all.

 

love

Jo



Friday smile

"Well!" said George
"They told me I was going to have a little friend to play with soon.
Maxine has left me here with Jo while she gets the nursery ready.
I wonder what sort of little friend will it be.
I have been doing a bit of research in my favourite book here.
And, well - anything cuddly will do!"

"They say I only have another four weeks to wait for my new little friend so I am getting excited now.
I think Jo is too.
She has been busy with all sorts of little sewing jobs and she has bought lots of stuff.

Oh well - back to my book - maybe it's a gerbil or a hamster - time will tell!!"


Happy Friday everyone.
I doubt Annie will be able to post her Friday smile this week so I thought I would make sure to post mine.
She says thanks for all your kind wishes.
She is really happy in her little bungalow and so glad all the waiting is over.

Have a great Bank Holiday weekend.
Love Jo

WOYWW

 Good morning all.
Firstly an apology for not visiting many desks last week. Unusually for me, I have been a poorly girl and been a bit lacking in energy and enthusiasm, plus, our computer was playing up.Thankfully, I am feeling better and my dear hubby has sorted the computer too.

So, this week - not a lot to show.
A few scraps of fabric left over from my latest secret project - the reel of white tape might be a clue!

In the bottom right hand corner is a most beautiful little pin cusshion that Annie made for me. She needed a project to keep her busy whilst she waited for moving day!
I love it and will put it to good use.

BUT....
The best news of all.....

This was the photo that I put on Annie's  "NEW HOME" card!!!!!

Yes folks, Annie has at long last managed to get moved into her new bungalow.
In the end her moving day went like clockwork but was touch and go up till the last minute!

She is now happily settled - albeit surrounded by boxes  - but then she has grown accustomed to that!

I am doing this update for her because, as yet she has no broadband and is told it may take a couple of weeks.
At last she has her sparkle back and is bubbling with the pleasure of being able to make the fresh start they were longing for. So, I know you will be wanting to wish her all the best - you have all given her such a lot of comfort and support through the last twelve months and we are both very grateful and thankful to you all - you really are a lovely bunch!!

Have a great week
x Jo

WOYWW

 Such loveliness to share on my WOYWW post today!....

On the right you can see the most beautiful and clever card and ATCs sent to Annie and me from Fiona -  "Staring at the sea"
The card has a clever, little moving windmill which is weighted and moves along as you open/close the card. The ATCs have little snowstorm fronts that sprinkle sequins in front of a birthday cake with five candles - brilliant!
Thanks Fiona - I wll pass Annie's back to her once she has moved house - fingers still crossed here! See Annie's blog for latest updates.

The other bits on my table are just the tiny poppy dumfling I found after we had cleared all our stuff from the exhibition and also a little crocheted/lacey flower I am mending. It was attached to a little woolly heart but moths ate the wool!

And - especially to brighten everyone's day.......

This was the most glorious rainbow that appeared late yesterday afternoon.
If you click on it, you might see that not only was it a double rainbow but below the bright one is an extra band of ultra violet.
I think it is amazing. The little hill beneath it is called Roundton and used to be a hill fort in the past. I often wonder what folks made of rainbows before they understood the science behind them.
Maybe, like us, they just know that it means "all will be well".

Have a great week everyone and thanks for calling by.

x Jo

Smile

Just a snap of the lovely flowers my nephew and his lovely wife gave me on their wedding day!

Join in with more wedding smiles over on Annie's blog "A stitch in time"

Thanks for calling in.
Have a great weekend.

x Jo

WOYWW

I thought I would share two desks with you today.
Above is the table Maxine and I spent all last week working at whilst lots of folk drifted in and out of our exhibition. We had a totally brilliant week. It was just a most perfect chill out week, spent chatting, chilling and "dumfing".
The little gallery at the Old Bell Museum in Montgomery was just right for us, allowing plenty of room for us to work yet still enable folks to peruse the pictures and other artwork which decorated the walls and tabletops. (See here if you want to see what we had on display!)

The next picture shows my tidy table today with just a few vintage bargains, my bookmarks that I made last week and a "dumfed" oyster catcher which just needs some machine embroidery to finish it off.

Thanks to all who popped into my blog last week and apologies for not visiting your WOYWW blog.
I will manage it this week I am sure. Well, that is unless Annie decides she needs me to help her with her move! Still got fingers crossed here! I am sure she will have news and fab pics on her blog "A stitch in time" so pop over and see what she is up to.

Have a great week.
Thanks for calling.
x Jo

Tina Gilmore exhibition

Click to enlarge

 

Just in case you are in the Montgomery area this week .....

This is Tina Gilmore's exhibition in the Old Bell gallery until 7th August.
Here are lots more pictures if you want a preview..

http://clarityandblur.blogspot.co.uk/

There is an amazing amount of wonderful work, from big mounted pictures to little cards and tiny glass hangings.
Pop along and see what Tina has been busy with!

x Jo

WOYWW

Just a few pics of Maxine's exhibition.
I might add a photo of our workdesk in the gallery later today.
So far we have had a brilliant time.
It's a lovely place to be and we have met so many friendly folk!
We are open until 4pm Thursday 31st if you fancy popping over to see us in the Old Bell Museum gallery Montgomery.

Click to enlarge the pics.

I might not have time to visit many desks until the weekend.
I hope you are enjoying your week as much as me!

Thanks for calling.
x Jo

Katie Morag

Just letting little Katie enjoy the sunshine......

 

Here she is, chilling in the garden.
Beside her is a child size Katie kilt and post bag!

x Jo

Friday smile

 

Look at that blue sky!

Welcome to the Old Bell Museum in Montgomery.

What a brilliant day we have had.

Our little gallery looked so pretty with walls filled with Maxine's needle-felted pictures and other bits and bobs. (I will post more pics next week).

Lots of lovely folk called in to look around including several friends and even folks from New Zealand.

We enjoyed ourselves just chatting and needle-felting a few more items.

I am still smiling just thinking about it!

 

Join in with more Friday smiles over on Annie's "A stitch in time" blog.

 

Thanks for calling by.

 

x Jo

WOYWW

Just a quick post today - from my dumfing desk at Annie's!!
Doesn't she always capture me in a pensive mood! I do smile - honest I do!!!
I am making some bookmarks for our exhibition.
Annie says to note all the boxes and clutter behind me - eagerly awaiting a moving date!

If you fancy popping over to the exhibition - the details are below....

 

Apologies in advance, just in case I don't get round many desks this week.
I am busy getting ready for the above. I will set it up on Thursday evening and then Maxine and I will be there from Friday onwards. I won't have computer access and we will probably spend our days dumfing, demonstrating and chilling out. Bliss!

Have a great week everyone - enjoy the sunshine.

Thanks for calling by.
x Jo

WOYWW -vintage haberdashery

 Just look at all these goodies I found at the car boot sale!

They all pre-date 1967 and most of them are priced at less than a shilling in old pennies.
(One shilling was the same as 5p when we converted to decimal currency)

Annie and I shared them out on Monday as there were fastenings etc that she might use in her sewing business. I am sure the rest will come in handy for something.

Below is the state of my desk today.
There is a little needlefelted collage and a pink canvas that I made down at Annie's this week.
Also you can see a part finished katie Morag. I thought we would have some of our old favourites on a table at Maxine's exhibition
(Old Bell Museum, Montgomery, POWYS. 25th -31st July 10 -4 pm.)

Come along if you are in the area - we would love to see you.

Click to see close-up.

 

Today I am busy finishing my curtains (Argh!!) for my newly decorated bedroom.

So I will leave you to snoop my WOYWW desk.

Have a great week.

Thanks for calling.

x Jo

Finished by Friday with a smile!

Just two of my "dumfed" (needle-felted) creations for this week's smile.

Above is my sunflowers picture which I made using the wet felted backround piece on the earlier post. I added wool rovings, yarns, silk ribbon, and yellow chiffon. Then I free machined a few details.

 

Below is one of my little dumflings which I mounted onto a canvas that I painted with acrylic paint.

 

Just a bit of crafty colour to add to this stunningly beautiful day!

 

To see some really happy pictures pop over to Annie's "A stitch in time " blog.

 

Have a great weekend.

Thanks for calling by!

 

x Jo

WOYWW

Another week has flown by and here we are revealing our crafty WOYWW desks to all who care to look!

I had a lazy, sporty weekend - watching not participating I hasten to add!!

So not a lot of crafty activity to show today.

In the front you can see some pretty vintage collars that I found at the car boot sale. I don't know what I shall do with them but I am sure I will think of something.
Just behind them is a lovely little felt pen picture that Alex made to go with the handmade bracelet.
It was his "Thank you" for making his camouflage gear for his room.
I love it - thank you Alex!

The green woolly piece is a felted background that I am hoping to dumf later today.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the lovely summer weather.
A big hello and Happy 50th to Julia - hope you are enjoying all your celebrations!

Thanks for calling by.
Have a great week.

x Jo