What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 332 - A Day Late

Hello Everyone,

I truly did plan to check in yesterday with my pic of what's on my desk but got caught up in all sorts of other domestic and personal stuff and time just ran away from me ... life get's like that occasionally here at Casa Worthington! Anyway, a day later and I have time so here's the pic I took late on Tuesday evening.

And guess what? Nothing has changed ... those scrapbook layouts are still there waiting to have the finishing touches added. The photos are from our first holiday together ... only twenty years ago and this is me just getting round to scrapbooking them. The little pile on the left includes postcards and leaflets collected on that holiday which I'm planning to add into the divided inserts.

Keeping me company as usual was The Boss - birdwatching, of course :)

And here's where I was yesterday - idyllic, isn't it? We took friends on a little trip down to the sleepy little fishing village of Dunure. One of our favourite places and one that our friends had never been too.

Dunure Beach with the Castle beyond and far away in the distance Ailsa Craig. Wish you could have all been there!

Thanks for popping in. Have a great day, what's left of it.

A Wooly Experience - Selkirk Sheep

Happy Sunday Everyone,

And it's a sunny Sunday here, and there is a clear bright blue sky too! It's going to be a lovely day. I have a very quick share for you today. During our recent trip to Selkirk after the yarn bombing, post here, we spotted this copy of the Yarrow, Ettrick & Selkirk Special.

As well as covering the news of the yarn bombing, with some of the culprits unmasked, there was an item about the loss of sheep by a local farmer with a plea for everyone to help find them. No problem! We were soon on the track. We managed to find twelve hiding in local shop windows ...everything from the bank, butchers and barbers.

I couldn't help noticing that not only were they named but all their names began with the sound 'sh', even Seamus (pronounced Shamus). Shamira was surrounded by the sweetest dogs and Shuffy seemed to have taken a shine to David Beckham ... clearly a sheep with good taste :)

Reason for speed this morning ... we are expecting a visit from one of our grandsons so I have a celebratory lunch to prepare.

Wishing you all a fabulous day.

Trip to Garelochhead

Good Afternoon Everyone

A few weeks ago we took a trip to Garelochhead, a small village on the Gare Loch, one of the sea lochs of  in Argyll and Bute, and I thought it was about time I shared a few photos with you.

Gare Loch extends north from the Clyde Estuary and Garelochhead sits at the head of the Roseneath Peninsula, commonly known as ‘The Green Isle'. Although small, the village is a popular yachting base as well as a resort. Despite this it is a quiet place, this could be because many of the 1300 residents commute to Glasgow on a daily basis leaving the village fairly deserted. 

We stopped at the recently opened Cafe Craft on the village's Main Road. A cafe with a craft shop - what more could a dedicated crafter ask for :) The food was delicious, the staff efficient and welcoming.

The craft shop stocks yarn and a wide variety of other craft supplies. I thoroughly enjoyed browsing through, and admiring, the lovely handmade cushions and bags on offer.

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the craft shop is a bookcase crammed with books on all types of crafts - not for sale but to enjoy while you are there. The book pictured above caught my eye - Yarn Harlot, The Secret Life of a Knitter, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - I took the photo for future reference. It's not a knitting instruction book but the story, told with humour, of an obsessive knitter. It's about being addicted to a hobby and that is something not only knitters but most crafters will recognize. I have now acquired a copy of my own and am quietly chuckling my way through the reading of it. I have discovered too that the author also writes a blog devoted to knitting!

 © George Rankin 

Spotted was a sign pointing to a memorial to Isabella Campbell. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit the memorial ourselves so I've had to borrow the photo above. The memorial is intriguing because although the people of the village erected it in the 19th century no one now seems to know much about it.  All I've discovered is that Isabella Campbell has been described as "an exceptional and holy young woman" The stone is inscribed ''Here Isabella Campbell Was Wont To Pray'' which clearly made an impact on the people of Garelochhead.

The trip took us into Glasgow, by accident, Helensburgh, Geilston Garden, a National Trust Property, and passing the very colourful Faslane Peace Camp. Of course, I took a load of photographs, some of which I will share with you another day. 

The sun is shining, Maria Sharapova is through to the semi-final at Wimbledon, the EM has repainted the Welsh dresser, and the window cleaners have just cleaned the windows - it's been a great day :)

Hope you are having a good day too.

Little White Dress - Amazing Papercrafting

Hello Everyone,

I trust this finds you well and having a good day.

Back in September a stroke of luck took me to the Mill on the Fleet, at Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries & Galloway, just in time to see Isabell Buenz's exhibition, Little White Dress.

Isabell is, like many of us, a papercrafter but with an approach that is certainly very different and possibly quite unique. She manipulates both handmade and industrially produced papers to create the most stunning pieces, including a collection of fairy tale dresses and accessories, such as the amazing shoe below, all made from delicate white tea-bag paper.

Her love of the structures and patterns in the natural environment has, she says, been the inspiration for this collection.

I didn't get the camera out and take any photos at the exhibition ... there was nobody to grant permission ... and, as it just happened to be the last day of the exhibit, there wasn't even a brochure or leaflet left to take away. However, I did speak to a very helpful lady in the gift shop who couldn't help me at the time but promised that she would contact the artist and see what could be done for me. She was true to her word too because just a few days ago I received a package of these images of some of the exhibits, together with a message from Isabell herself, for which I send my thanks.

I don't think my papercrafting will ever reach these heights but it was truly inspiring to see just what can be accomplished with some white paper, the know-how and a lot of imagination.

Thanks for dropping in ... I hope you are as impressed as I am with Isabell's work and maybe you, too, will find it inspirational.

Happy Crafting,

Craft Exhibitions at SECC Glasgow on Thursday

Afternoon Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and having a super Sunday.

The weather here is appalling ... much rain and the wind is revving up more and more as the day progresses. I hope those of you who are down in the south of England have battened down the hatches ... I hear you are in for a big one ... gale, that is ... the forecast is for 80mph! Hope you all get through it without too much damage.

I'm happy to report that the weather was kind to my daughter, Juli, and I when we tootled off to Glasgow, to the craft exhibitions ... there was two going on at the same time, Crafts for Christmas and Hobby Crafts ... at the SECC.

Check out that blue sky :) And what about this building? It's the recently built SSE Hydro which just opened on September 30th this year ... in plenty time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It's a sporting and entertainment facility ... see a photo of it lit up at night here.

Our first port of call was the Crafts for Christmas exhibition which had a display of items from the various stands in the hall. I liked the Christmas tree and Julia loved the 3d picture of The Waverley Steamer - the last seagoing passenger-carrying paddle steamer in the world ... she's been going since 1946 and hopefully will keep on going for many more years.

We were both agreed that this dragon is spectacular ... it's made entirely of recycled metal components ... so we went off to find stand E21 - Roosters Creations - and were totally wowed by what we saw ... here's just a montage of some of the many photos I took.

I think you can click on the photos to enlarge them ... the hand in the second montage is amazing. And if you want a much better look at Scott's (that's Rooster) creations made from discarded cutlery, teapots, spark plugs, tools, scrap metal, etc., check out this YouTube video

We spent a very enjoyable hour or so checking out the various stands and loved everything we saw ... we could have spent a fortune but we exercised great self-control, saving ourselves for the Hobby Craft hall :)

Almost our first port of call was the ClarityStamp stand where Barbara Gray, seen here chatting to a couple of fans, very kindly showed Juli just what can be done on a Gelli plate. And I learned a new trick or two too :)

This chap is the Decopatch Penguin ... he looks very smart in his floral waistcoat. Juli was fascinated to discover some of the crafty things her mother gets up to in her craft room. Some, like this form of decoupage, she had never seen before. I think we may have a crafting convert now after watching demos on everything from air brushing to Zentangle!

Here she is, almost at the end of the day, having a rest and a cuppa ... it seemed that we had walked miles around all the stands. And what did we buy? Juli found some fat quarters of fabric for the patchwork she is working on and, though she didn't buy it there and then, she also found the sewing machine of her dreams ... one specifically designed for quilting and patchwork. And here's a pic of my haul.

As you can see I was remarkable restrained - a Clarity stamp I'd had my eye on since watching Barbara demonstrate it, two pots Pinflair Buff-it, gorgeous stuff, and the sponges for applying it, an Imagination Crafts stencil with thistles I couldn't resist, some fat quarters - love the red one with the wee Westies on it - a patchwork strip, a quilters quarter inch measure, a reel of very nice Christmas ribbon from Designs on Pine and a Pigma Micron pen ... to try my hand at Zentangle some time.

So that's it. I hope you enjoyed our trip to the SECC. We chatted to a lot of lovely folk, watched some brilliant demonstrations and all-in-all had a lovely day. We came away tired but happy and planning return in March for the next Hobby Craft exhibition.

Take care and happy crafting,

Saturday Outing - Model Trains, Lyle Kirk and Autumn Trees

Hello Everyone,

I hope this finds you well and enjoying Sunday.

In my last post I mentioned that the family was going to a Model Train Exhibition and hinted that there would be pics to follow ... well, as good as my word, here they are :)

These are two layouts that are Scottish based - Hunterston is a power station on the Firth of Clyde and the other has Glasgow tenements as its backdrop. 

This was a very long display showing the railway line meandering through beautiful countryside. There's even a river running by. Varnish was used to give the appearance of water. 

This layout has the Odeon cinema - a Roger Moore film was showing -  looking down on the rail track, and if you looked closely you could even see the sweet (candy) stall in the foyer.

It's a miniature world and absolutely delightful. I loved the attention to detail, tiny folk, animals, buses, cars, even Del Boy's little yellow Reliant Robin (Only Fools and Horses) advertising Trotter's Independent Trading was parked up in one display :) Men were at work on the lines, railway police were keeping an eye out for ne'er-do-wells and there was even ruined buildings, castles, churches, etc. to be seen in some of the layouts. One layout had a town centre featuring a floral bed surrounding a statue of the mayor, a parrot!

The EM was in his element ... chatting to the exhibitors and picking their brains for ideas for the display he plans to build once we've moved house. He has his eye on the spare bedroom!!!

My daughter and her two youngest thoroughly enjoyed the show too ... no sign of my SIL though, he was away with the EM, exploring, when these shots were taken.

The venue for the exhibition was Lyle Kirk, Greenock - one of three kirks called Lyle in the area and needless to say we got lost and went to the wrong kirk! However, a postman came to the rescue ... who better to ask for directions :) The inside of the kirk is beautiful - loved the stained glass window,  the organ pipes were massively impressive, and fabulous arches.  As for the ornate metal work that ran the length of the aisles, the central heating pipes run underneath ... both functional and good to look at.

Finally, I just had to show you these shots taken from the car on our way out of Greenock and on our way home. The colours of the trees that line the road are simply stunning ... at last! Autumn seems to have been a long time in coming this year but here it is now in all it's splendour.

So that was my day off yesterday ... great fun and we all had a super time together. We even had our photo taken by a newspaper (The Telegraph) photographer. The EM still has a long way to go before he converts me into a model railway enthusiast but I have to admit I was impressed with it all and would not be averse to going to the bigger exhibition at the SECC in Glasgow early next year :))

I hope you enjoyed these photos as much as we enjoyed our day out. A big thank you to all the exhibitors and the church volunteers who worked so hard to make it a super experience for everyone.

The worst of the packing is done so I think I can play hookey again this evening and see what I can do in the way of crafting using the somewhat limited resources I am now left with.

Take care and happy crafting,

A Trip to the Sewing Shop

Evening Everyone,

No project to share with you today ... been too busy and just don't know where the time went but I did have to pop into town to buy some fabric for another cushion cover I'm planning to make ... I think I'm becoming the cushion cover queen :) The shop always has something eye-catching in the window.

This time it was those two huge pink moustaches shaped cushions. The starfish shaped one is fab too. I just love this shop and always end up buying more than I intended ... today was no exception :)

Here's a selection of the photos I took on my way back to the car from the shop.

On the New Bridge that crosses the River Ayr, looking down the estuary and over the Firth of Clyde to the mountains on the Isle of Arran beyond.

The old church that stands on the corner where the bridge ends. When I moved to the town around eight years ago I think this was in use as a theatre but now it is abandoned and left to crumble with plants growing out of the recesses ... so sad.

Looking up river this time, towards the old fifteenth century bridge, still in use for pedestrian traffic today. You can tell, can't you, from the autumnal colours in the shrubbery that summer is coming to an end.

Facing this way, the bridge leads out of Ayr towards Prestwick. The imposing red sandstone building you can see is the Carnegie Library, our public lending library. So named because in 1890 Mr Carnegie offered the then library committee £10,000 to build a new library with the proviso that the town adopt the Public Libraries Act. Lucky for me they agreed because it's one of my favourite haunts.

And here's a close up of the nearby flower bed - giant French marigolds and wine coloured coleus dominate ... very eye-catching.

I better get a wriggle on ... Saturday night is movie night at Casa Worthington. Showing tonight is a real oldie, Mrs Miniver, made in 1942 and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon. It's years since I last watched this film ... I remember it as idealized and sentimental, and perhaps somewhat contrived but with the great propaganda value which Winston Churchill was moved to comment 'was worth a dozen battleships'. I think it's going to be a hoot :)

I hope that whatever you are doing you are all having a great weekend too.

Weekend Trip to the Craft Fair and Craft Centre

Afternoon All

Hope the day goes well for you. It's turning out to be not a bad day here, the sun has has got it's hat on again and I've been doing a bit of tidying up in the craft room too ... well, I've cleared my desk ... baby steps, peeps :)  Especially when I've been MIA over the weekend and hardly stepped into the craft room at all.

And why was this so? Saturday we took off up the coast to my favourite craft centre where a craft fair and demonstrations were going on. Here's a few of the pics I remembered to take.

Starting with the car park ... not many craft centres can boast a stunning view over the Firth of Clyde to the Argyll peninsula.

The craft stalls selling a multitude of handmade goods - candles, soaps, knitted dolls, jewellery, etc., - oh, and cards, of course.

This deer was there to be decopatched for a small donation to charity ... and I had a go! Decopatch is easier than I expected so it's now on my got to try (GTT) list.

The door to ultimate crafting temptation. That's the Stix demo table you can see centre stage. And such a shame that I forgot to ask the demonstrator her name because she was brilliant, showing new ways to use double-sided sticky sheets and the hot glue gun ... plenty more to go on the GTT list. Out of shot was the Crafters Companion and Spellbinders demo areas where, I'm sure you've already guessed it, I spotted a few more great ideas for the GTT list.

And, I confess, I didn't come away empty handed ... a large cutting board, for cutting fabric, a couple of pieces of felt, white and green I have plans for, Glossy Accents, printable lightweight card, a new blade for the trimmer and a pack of pretty buttons I couldn't resist. I thought I was quite restrained :))

My feet were killing me after a all that standing so I found a handy seat to rest awhile and this blingy little fellow was sitting just beside me.

And spotted on our way out of the garden centre, thought they would be just be perfect for the pet's corner in Pixie's playground?

Hours of fun and sore feet to prove it :))

On the way home we popped in to see my daughter ... it was her birthday, 21 again!!!

Sunday afternoon was spent in the garden. A tidy up, tying up of straggling climbers, potting up of plants that have outgrown their current pots, deadheading and weeding was called for. Quite a to-do list and only got half of what I intended done because, by then, I'd seriously overdone things and needed to get my very swollen feet up. The mind is willing, such a shame my pins are weak :))

So that was my weekend, and the reason I didn't post anything, or, for that matter, do any crafting - apart, that is, from that little bit of decopatching on the deer. And I won't be doing any this coming weekend either. I'm off to see my son up in Aberdeenshire. It's his birthday too. I only had two children and yet somehow they both came to be born, not quite 2 years apart, in the first week of August!

Now, I'm off to do a bit of blog hopping before settling down to watch a bit of TV later ... the second part of Southcliffe is on this evening. It's a grim drama but Sean Harris is so good at playing dysfunctional he has made it compulsive viewing.

Hope you all have a great evening, whatever you are doing.