What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 837

Hello Everyone,

Good Afternoon! So late. No excuses beyond the fact that life has been busy and this morning it all seemed to catch up with me. Sometimes, I forget how old I am and do more than is good for me then pay for it and need to rest for a day or two to recover. So what have I been up to that's taken so much out of me, you might ask? Well, gardening yesterday, after days of seemingly endless rain, sorting through and reorganising of my entire wardrobe all Friday and the weekend too. and the all day conference on the Wednesday. 

The conference was held in an interesting venue, the cinema in Saltcoats. I attended as someone who has been one of the many unpaid carers this organisation tries to support and also as someone who is, as a volunteer, about to undergo training as a carer mentor. I found the speakers informative and interesting and I met a lot of lovely people too.

No scrapbooking has been done at all. No time. Instead, my sewing machine is making a rare appearance on my workdesk today. I don't think I've used it for about three years! Not that I'm planning to make anything pretty, like a quilt. No. It's just that, after the wardrobe sort out, I have a little pile of alterations now waiting to be done. Mainly waists to be taken in and trouser legs to be shortened. The instruction book is at the ready just in case I've forgotten how to use the machine, and I've found the box that's full of sewing accessories and the one that has the dressmaking scissors in it. I think it's nothing short of a miracle that I was able to put my hands on everything that will be needed after all this time. 

All this reorganising has meant that I've finally had to decide, what to do with Alan's treasured collection of coats and jackets, some never worn. Soon they will be on their way to a charity shop where I hope they will help raise funds and where they will be bought, used and loved by shoppers there. 

Out in the garden the rain has worked it's magic and the rose bought in memory of my husband, Alan's Rose, is in bloom for the first time. 

Simply beautiful. It's a floribunda rose named by the breeder after his son, Alan. Unfortunately, I've not been able to find out more than that so the breeder remains unknown for now. 

Another rose that has just started to flower is The Douglas Rose, gifted to me by our Jan and Julia in memory of my late brother, Douglas. 

He's blossoming among the ox-eye daisies that have gone a little mad and are looking fantastic. That heatwave earlier in the year followed by all the rainy days we've had has just spurred them on. 

The garden was looking a bit wild and out of control until yesterday when I took advantage of a few hours of sunshine to get out and do some tidying up with the secateurs. 

There's more screaming out to be done but this recent injury is slowing me down. I don't know what I did, but it still hurts! 

Silver is doing her best to console me.

And finally, a couple of funnies I saved thinking you might enjoy them.

This one rings so true! 

To see more creative workdesks pop over to Sarah's blog, Sarah's Craft Shed. If you don't already do so, feel free to join in the fun and show us what's on your workdesk this Wednesday. You'll be made most welcome.

Have a great WOYWW day and a fabulous week everyone,

Take care everyone,

Elizabeth

Friday Smiles - It's the Little Things

 I've been intending to join in with Annie's meme, This Week's Smiles, on her blog, A Stitch in Time, for weeks now but somehow never quite got there until today. 

I'll try to keep it as brief as possible because it's been a week of appreciating the little things.

I'm finally, after two years of living without, able to set up my sewing machine. After the move I couldn't find the power lead so I finally phoned a sewing machine repair service based in Glasgow for help. Help they did! Even though they don't usually post spare parts out. So thanks to Sewing Machines Direct for service above and beyond expectation. 

To celebrate, I took a trip up to the black hole, aka the shed, where the packing boxes have lain unopened for just as long as the sewing machine has been untouched and found these. Fat quarters. Just the thing for rusty old me to practice on. 

More little things. The October issues of my two favourite magazines - The Simple Things & Happiful - have been delivered. They go so nicely with a cuppa! Happiful has a recipe for Blackberry Banana Bread which, as I have blackberries growing at the top of the garden, I had to try.

Not quite as illustrated but baking is another thing I'm out of practice in. I haven't mastered the new fan oven too. It's all trial and error.

My 'staff of tasters' reported it was delicious and I enjoyed this slice smothered in butter. It will look better next time.

Finally, it's my lovely son-in-law's 60th birthday today. Graeme's had a tough year having lost both his father-in-law and, just a few weeks ago, his own much loved father. Here's wishing him a a less traumatic and happier year to come. 

Hope you've had a lovely week, with much to smile about, and that next week is good too.

Take care Everyone
Elizabeth 

What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 616

 Hello Everyone,

It's WOYWW time again and, as usual, I'm late. There always seems to be so much in the way of domestic duties keeping me from my workdesk that I have very little to report. Except that is, for the EM's latest escapade - more of that later - and my fall from grace, evidence of which was on my desk this morning - I've cleared it now to make way for the keyboard.

Not a great photo because the sun is streaming through the window but I'm not complaining - we need the sun, even if it does show all the dusty corners. You may recall I stated, more than once recently, that I was on a craft spending freeze. Well ... this week I well and truly fell out of that particular wagon! 

Here's a better shot of this little beauty. I can justify buying this, not because it is pink ... I'm not even a pink kinda girl ... but because it is intended solely for sewing on cardstock and/or paper, thereby saving the life of my super dooper, all-singing-all-dancing, computerised machine which cost a mint and should not, definitely should not, be used to sew on to scrapbook pages. It is also extremely lightweight so perfect for taking on holiday and on crops ... whenever that bright day comes again. 

I've put it through it's paces and it performs very well. For a machine that's at the bottom end of the price range it's not bad at all with 10 stitch settings plus two for buttonhole making. It's set it up on the side counter ready to be used whenever needed - perfect!

These trolley accessories just happened to jump into my basket too! As they say around here, 'it wisnae me' ... I had absolutely nothing to do with how my fingers kept slipping while that basket was open. 

And now, I hinted that I'd expand on what has been going on this week here at Casa Worthington so here's the gossip. The EM took a tumble on Friday morning, wrenched his right shoulder and suffered cuts and abrasions ... get me with the medical terminology! The ambulance took him to A&E where he was x-rayed and had the cut on his right hand stitched up. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed to be with him so he was brought home by the loveliest team of Red Cross ladies you'd ever meet.

Not the best pic ever, it was early evening by the time he got home. He's been the worst patient ever ... very intent on carrying on as if all is normal so, consequently, the wound is still bleeding. It doesn't help that because of his heart condition he is on blood thinning medication, but he does need to take things easy and guard that hand. Happily, he has an appointment with our practice nurse this afternoon and I'm hoping she will read him the riot act. There's never a dull moment with the EM!!!

And finally:

Very apt.

And have a great week too. 

Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday - WOYWW Wk 398

Morning  Everyone ...

... and a happy Wednesday to you all too. I didn't make it last week and suffered withdrawal symptoms as a result, so there's going to be no missing What's On Your Desk Wednesday - all courtesy of our fabulous Head Desker Julia, at the Stamping Ground of course!

I've been messing, not altogether successfully, with paint. Some time ago, could be a year, could be longer, I spotted this technique online ... source forgotten so many apologies to whoever you are ... showing that it was possible to transfer magazine pictures on to a card base using emulsion paint. I finally got around to trying it out yesterday. With not much success as you can see. I'm now wondering whether to persevere or give it up as a bad job and get back to something I know I can do.

Oh dear, that old adage is ringing in my ears as I type.

Back to the desk and what you can see are all the materials, paint tester pots, brush pot with brushes, an old shower cleaning spritz now filled with water. Out of sight is a folder containing pictures torn from magazines and saved for this purpose. That's about it. Stuff at the back of the desk has had a bit of a switch around - some stuff moved, some stuff removed altogether - to make room for the Really Useful Scrapbooking box you can see top left. I've also made room for my trusty sewing machine No. 1 on the far end of my desk. It's there so I can, if I so wish, sew on paper. No. 2 sewing machine is on the sewing table. My intentions craftwise are, as always, good!

That's it. I've waffled on enough today. I began this post intending to keep it short but ...

I'm off now to get a brew and then I'll be ready to do a bit of desk hopping. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who drops in to see what's on my desk today. If you leave a comment, that's a bonus and much appreciated.

Happy WOYWW,

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 283

Good Morning WOYWWers!

I hope you are well this fine sunny morning ... well, it is here in Ayrshire today. For now! Who knows what tomorrow will bring. And it's Wednesday, so time to show to the world what's on our desks too, courtesy of our head WOYWWer, Julia, over at her Stamping Ground. So here goes:

The making of Christmas stuff has begun! And that is what I'll be doing for the next few weeks - all of November in fact ... don't try to stop me, I'm a woman on a mission :) This photo was taken late yesterday just after I finished making this festive cushion/pillow cover. I had to have a major clearing up session to make room on the desk for all the sewing equipment needed. Needless to say, the job grew exponentially as space had to be found for all the clutter that had accumulated on my desk ... sigh! Now I have a space measuring 30" x 22" , large enough to have the cutting mat out and to spread fabric, not to mention all the other bits of equipment required for cutting out. The actual sewing happens in the sewing corner.

Here's the desk this morning. You can see what the cover looks like with a cushion pad inside. Also in view is a box of fat quarters that have appeared from which the fabric for the next cover has been chosen. Always a time-wasting exercise ... I dither, can't make up my mind which pattern will look best with what ... it's a wonder anything is ever made at all :)

Finally, just in case you were curious, here's the back of the cover ... an army of snowmen. I've had this piece of fabric in my stash for a few years. I stroked it every now and again then put it away still uncut and unused, but now that's it all used up - there's only the teeniest weensiest scrap left which I'll keep for sentimental reasons :)

Right, time to link up over at the Stamping Ground and check out what on our head desker's desk ... that's Julia, and last time I looked what was on her desk was full of holes :)

Many thanks to everyone who popped in last week - your comments were much appreciated. As I'm here a bit earlier this week I'm hoping to get around to see more desks than usual.

Take care and Happy WOYWW,

Friday's Smiles

Evening Everyone,

I'm late joining in Annie's Friday Smiles this week ... I don't know where the day has gone! Well, I do but more of that later. However, I do have plenty to smile about so here I go.

Reason to Smile No. 1
Annie has selected my Friday Smile from last week with the cute little kitty pic for a special mention. Thank you Annie, that's so nice of you. Despite the trauma, I really am doing fine - the bruises are disappearing and things are being put to rights in the garden.

Reason to Smile No. 2
And the explanation of where some of the day has gone!

This is not an old dressing table, with mirror removed. No, no, not at all! This is my new sewing table. Or it will be once it's been rubbed down and got a couple of coats of cream paint and it's going to look something like this.

At a fraction of the price. This new table is going for a penny short of £300 (US$464) pounds over on Sewing Online, my old table was a charity shop find costing £20 (US$31)! Big difference!!! Even when the cost of the paint is factored in it will still be a bargain :)

For many years I had a sewing cabinet just like this one. Bought in the 1970s, it was made of teak. When my first husband and I split up 24 years ago it was one of the items left behind. I missed it for a while but then I stopped sewing so in time it didn't matter. Anyway, I never liked the shelf on the bottom ... it stopped me from pulling my chair close to the desk. In contrast, my new find is going to be absolutely perfect once it's been spruced up :))

And finally, reason to Smile No. 3

Two late bloomers in the garden ... a purple clematis and pink perennial sweetpeas. Survivors of the fire :)

So what have you had to smile about this week. If you haven't already joined in with Annie's smile, it's not too late, so do join if if you have a mind to.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with lots to smile about.

Friday's Smiles on Saturday

Morning Everyone,

I know, I'm a day late, but yesterday was super busy for me and in the end I simply ran out of time. Oh, and today is going to be equally busy as I'm off to Dunelm Mill - Elizabeth is desperately seeking fabric ... more of later :)

First, I've been well entertained this week with these little fellows.

Baby starlings lining up by the feeder waiting for mum to spoon beak feed them.

It's been fascinating watching them start to learn to fly and now search out food for themselves - albeit at the best stocked open air cafe in the neighbourhood.

Next, the EM's latest baked masterpiece.

A chocolate cake ...the man is turning into a domestic god! The multi-coloured embellishments were his own individual touch and not in the recipe. Oh, and it is made with half-spoon sugar, so half the calories in each slice, what more could a woman want :))

And finally, this vision of beauty.

My new sewing machine :)) I got so fed up with the machine from hell - mentioned with loathing elsewhere on this blog and now consigned to a dark cupboard never to be seen again! I so missed my old, and much lamented, Jones machine that I went looking for one that had all the same functions and features with a few more up-to-date ones thrown in for good measure and this Husqvarna Viking E20 fitted the remit perfectly. Now, I can't wait to test it, but it will be baby steps at first.  After trying out all the stitches, learning how to use the automatic threader - a function that is totally new to me but hopefully will save my poor eyes - and all the interesting feet that are tucked away in it's tool box - methinks a pretty cushion cover might be a good place to start. And that's the reason I'm off to Dunelm Mill. I am reliably informed by Lunch Lady Jan that they have fabric at a good price.

So there you are, the things that made me smile in a week that you might think there wasn't much to smile about.

I hope you have all had something that made you smile too and that the weekend will be a happy one for you too.

Take care and happy crafting,

WOYWW 166 - Sewing Machine and Waxed Paper

Good Morning WOYWWers, Followers, and All,

It's Wednesday again time to hop around other folks desks, oohing and gasping at the revelations thereon, and all because the Queen of Desks, Julia over at the Stamping Ground, has made it all possible. Not taken the plunge yet, not dared to bear all, so to speak, then now's the time to join in. Simply click on the WOYWW logo on the sidebar and prepare to be transported to a ton of crafty workdesks around the world.

And after all that, here's mine this morning.

The most noteworthy item on my main crafty desk today is the ray of sun ... it's going to be another lovely day :)

This week there has been a lot of chat with crafty friends about sewing and the various pros and cons of sewing machines and this has prompted me to dust mine off with the intention of practising on some card and paper - so far all attempts have been pathetic and fit only for the bin but I'm not going to give up without a fight this time.

Just behind the basket of punches, temporarily relocated to make room for the sewing machine, is a green tote bag I've resurrected from the garden shed. After a spin in the washing machine, it's come out almost as good as new and is now holding lots of crafty tools.

On the other worktop is my craft iron, Cuttlebug, and a pile of embossed sheets of waxed paper. I'm trying out the technique as demoed by Ali Reeves on TV. So far it's not gone too well. Ali uses her masks for this technique but my attempt with one was less than successful. So late last night the embossing folders came out and I had a great time passing them through the Bug, got quite carried away and probably did too many, all with the intention of doing a bit of ironing today ... probably the only time I will ever willingly plug in an iron :)

Before I go, just a quick update on how my sister, Margaret, is. She's is off oxygen and all the various drips and over the worst. Apparently, full recovery will take some time so she has been transferred to another hospital, one that, as she has MS, Margaret is very familiar and comfortable with, to begin her recuperation. For a while there it was touch and go, we all had a huge scare, but, thankfully, Margaret has won through and we can all breathe a great big sigh of relief :) Many thanks to everyone who sent her their good wishes - all those kind vibes obviously had the desired affect :))

The Boss woke me just after 5 this morning, being sick on the hall rug ... her sense of time and place is impeccable! So now it's 8am and I need another cuppa, and my muesli and yoghurt, before I can settle down to visit as many of you as is possible.

Happy WOYWW to you all,