What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 839

Hello Everyone,

Happy WOYWW to you all.

Not much has changed on my workdesk since I last posted two weeks ago. I'm still working on alterations - a pair of pyjama bottoms this time. I missed posting last week and for good reason. I woke in the early hours of last Wednesday to find a flood in the bathroom, The water was coming from the flat above. The next few days were spent mopping up and trying to get the leak stopped. Not easy when your neighbour is out and his flat can't be accessed. It was Saturday before the plumbers were able to get in and stop the leak.

Usually I show my workdesk, first photo, because it's where I make scrap pages but today I thought I'd also show you this lovely desk. The one where I store the laptop. And where I now plan to type up these blogposts. This was Alan's writing desk and until last week was just tucked away in a corner of the main bedroom. Recently, though, I decided that I wasn't making enough use of the living room. In fact, except when I had visitors, I rarely spent time in there. The cat spent more time snoozing on the sofa than I did sitting on it! 

This room is front facing and looks out on to a very small garden area, much neglected until recently. There's a privet hedge screening it from the road which, because it's a well-known shortcut to the beach, can often be very busy. It's also on the shady side of the building. Nice when it's been as hot as it has been this week, but not when the weather is, as it so often is here, not so fair. Indeed, today the temperature has dropped by 10 degrees, it's grey and overcast above and rain is forecast shortly. 

It's been a few years since I could do this, but at last I'm able to pick flowers from the garden and fill a vase. Just nasturtiums and cornflowers for now but I'm delighted!

I'm also delighted to see that Annie's Rose is in bloom, joining Alan's Rose and the Douglas Rose. Lovely!

Silver is never far from me, Here she is on the sofa hoping for some fall-out from my lunchtime snack. 

And finally, a few funnies.

Obviously AI generated but this 'Blowin 737' cracked me up.

Phone box of the day: Outer Hebrides. Pic by Joan Irvin

Silver has obviously attended the Kitten School!

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

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 641

 Hello Everyone,

Goodness, here I am actually in my craftroom for Julia's WOYWW and mid-project too. It's a miracle! 

But before I show my desk here's an update on Alan and how he's been doing since his fall last week. You might have heard that the ambulance service is under pressure here in the UK so it will be no surprise to hear that the paramedics didn't arrive until 9pm, full of apologies for the delay. They quickly examined Alan, dressed his wounds, and decided that there was nothing to be gained from taking him to A&E. (That, it turns out, was the right decision as there was a total of nine ambulances queuing up outside the A&E waiting to have their patients admitted.) Today, Alan is very much on the mend. He's been seen by the district nurse, had his dressings changed and she will be back to check on him regularly until the wounds have healed. I've left him making up a station for his model railway. It's his 83rd birthday tomorrow. 

And now the desk. No papercrafting but sewing going on this week. I've decided it's time for a change of cushion (pillow) covers now that it's feeling distinctly autumnal. I've had those tweed/wool scraps in my fabric stash for several years with no real idea of what I'd make with them ... maybe a bag or something similar. There's a very nice remnant of tweed, price £4.50, that will make a lovely border and backing for the cover. I should have it finished to show next week. 

The little box top left of the photo contains a wee sewing accoutrement I treated myself too. It's an origami triangle needle case made by Rachael of SewRayMe. Rachael's YouTube videos helped me through the dark days of Covid and it's aftermath when I didn't have the energy to do much of anything at all. And when she showed this little needlecase last week it intrigued me enough to want to add it to my sewing box. 

Here's what it looks like when opened out.

It's also the perfect size to pop into a handbag. Must find some pins and needles to put inside.

I also treated myself ... it's been that kind of week ... to this book.

Another from Debbie Shore - Sew Eco-Friendly. I'm thinking of Christmas ... that dreaded word already ... presents for the girls in the family, and what better than to make items that are not only pretty but useful and help the planet too. This book is full of lovely projects that are easy and quick to make from toweling and old t-shirts, not to mention some of the pretty fabric I've been hoarding forever.

And now it's the kitten bit.  I recently bought her a cat tree but as you can see she has grown and now has to curl herself into a ball to fit on the top platform. 

Not that she seems to mind. She sleeps there quite soundly for hours on end.

Which leads quite nicely to the funny for the week.

Yes, Silver never misses an opportunity to climb into a box. 

Before I go, an update on how young Alun is doing in the new job. It's early days but he seems to be enjoying the work, and getting to know his new workmates just fine. They sound like a good bunch that enjoy a bit of a joke and chat with him and he's coming home full of stories from the workplace. 

Have a good week everyone and stay safe. 

Bye for now,

Elizabeth

WOYWW - Week 562

Hello and Good Morning to you all,

It's Wednesday and that makes it What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday so without the usual preamble here's what's on mine today.

It may look like it but it's not really a mess. I know everything that's there and why. The print-outs are there to be cut out, the papers are there because I was working with them last night to make the layout that's lying underneath everything, and the ink/paint bottles/daubers are there for the same reason. The scissors, glue tape, piercing tool, and the tray and dish of embellishments are, I hope, self - explanatory.

Here's the layout. The background was created with the help of the dauber bottles, by Jane Davenport, and Mister Huey's Color Mist, Plumb Thumb, and Heidi Swapp's Color Shine, Ocean. It's messy but effective, and fun too. The photos are reminders of a long ago holiday in Malta, July 1987!

I managed a little bit of sewing.

The EM requested a zipper bag to store the miscellaneous bits and bobs he keeps in the car boot - don't ask, I've no idea! It's made from some left over furnishing fabric and the lining was cut from an old curtain.

Finally:

That's it from me this week. I'm off now to see what Julia and our fellow deskers have been showing us today.

Take care everyone and have a great week ahead.

WOYWW - Week 556

Morning Everyone,

And happy What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday to you all. Not that there's anything on my desk today, as can be clearly seen in today's snap.

I've been poorly, with one of those pesky bugs so prevalent in winter, so there's been no crafting done here - nothing, naught, nada, nowt, zero, zilch, zip! The layout I was working on last Wednesday - still not finished.

There is, however, a new addition to my sewing accessories though.

A pretty box of snaps. As delicious to look at as a box of Smarties - but with the bonus of zero calories! Another case of WOYWW enabling - this time it was a photo on LLK's blog that is to blame.

That's it from me this week. I'm off now to see what Julia and our fellow deskers have been showing us today.

Take care everyone and have a great week ahead.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 528

Hello Everyone,

Wednesday again - amazing how it turns up earlier every week! - so, of course, I'm joining in with WOYWW over at Julia's Stamping Ground again. It's a weekly treat I really don't like to miss.

And, as usual, it's a bit of a mess. I joined Tilly Rose for her 'Secret Stitch-a-Long yesterday evening and everything is still where I left it at nine o'clock when I went of to watch the drama on television. That pile of fabric scraps, laces and ribbons are all vintage - all strokably pretty stuff. The sewing interrupted another project and that explains the stuff shoved to the back - stamps, embossing powder, etc. It's just as well I have a lovely big desk - it's probably the EM's best bargain find ever!

The lavender bag not quite finished. It's all sewn by hand, including the embroidered lavender flowers. The fabric is vintage Laura Ashley - from 1988. I'm thinking I'll add a few tiny pearls and maybe a bit of lace before I call it done.

Some new goodies that I need to find time to play with. It's a glue stamp pad, a star shaped stamp and some extra fine pink glitter. Seems the glue pad can be used with the stamp to add glitter, chalk, foil or embossing powder to a project - very versatile. I'll share the results when I get around to trying it out.

I did finally finish the layout that I was working on last Wednesday. The photo is of me and my late brother, Douglas, in full highland dress which he wore to every important occasion. With his unruly mop of curly hair and equally shaggy beard he was guaranteed to be a talking point and I got used to being asked who's the amazing highlander. I always enjoyed telling them that he was my brother. Can't think why that surprised so many - we were so alike!

And now the book bit. This week it's the complete Cormoran Strike crime series - you can tell I've been spending a lot of time in the garden.

All published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith but written by J K Rowling, she of Harry Potter fame, the series is about Cormoran Strike, private detective, and his able assistant, Robin. I have to admit to enjoying binging on the series - I love a good whodunnit with plenty of clues to work on. Strike, though gruff and a bit tetchy, is a likable character, as is his very competent assistant, Robin, and the two together make an effective crime solving team. The scrapes they get  into, both in their personal life and whilst sleuthing, kept me entertained right to the end of the fourth book. Only four novels in the series have so far been published but the author plans at least another ten. Three have been adapted as a television series for BBC One. I can't wait to read the fifth as soon as it's made available as an audiobook.


It's just started to rain here - that's nature having a laugh of me for spending two hours watering the whole garden yesterday - so looks like I'll have to stay in and check out what's on your workdesks. Isn't it kind of the the weather to be so obliging! :)

Have a great day and a fabulous week ahead.

Sewing - My First Quilt Completed

Hello Everyone

I hope you are enjoying this Saturday. We've had rain over night - nice for the garden but not so good for us - and it's been overcast all day so what better excuse to catch up with housework. Only kidding!

I'm so pleased to be able to share this with you all. It's been an unfinished project for a very long time. I bought the kit, My First Quilt, a few years ago because I thought I'd try quilt-making again but it was three decades since my last quilting project and I got the collywobbles. The kit got stashed away, not entirely forgotten but definitely neglected. Then the opportunity to attend quilting classes came up and I didn't hesitate. Two quilts, and various smaller projects, later and I felt able to finally finish this quilt. It's not perfect but I love the colours and the patterns, especially the border, and I'm pretty pleased with it.

Pleased enough to label it with my name and date. Not the date it was finished but almost. The label had to be attached with the binding and that then required a lot of hand-stitching to the back  of the quilt - that took me several more days!

I should say that the label was made on my sewing machine which has built-in alphabet stitches.

Now, I should get back to the current project. On a day like today stamping and colouring is the only thing to do.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 496

Hello Everyone,

Another Wednesday, another WOYWW.  I hope you are all well and enjoying yourself whatever you're doing. It's back to normal for me this week ... late! And sorry Julia, it's another long and photo-heavy post.

Here's my desk. Still, as last week, tidy - the new trolley is still working its magic - but it's looking a lot like Christmas. Yep! I've finally pulled out everything Christmas related. Not that I intend to document the festivities daily, I just know I couldn't keep it up every day, but I am hoping to make a few 12x12 layouts throughout December.

This tray is full of bits and bobs left over from Christmases past. I hope, probably a vain hope, to use up as many as possible ... still aiming for thriftiness. Under the tray is another full of patterned paper from previous years too.

Then there's this container, also full of supplies, some old and some, I have to admit, new. With the best will in the world, even I can't resist all the new goodies on sale! Together these containers are what I'll be working with for the rest of the month, and probably well into the new year too ... all those winter photos to scrap.

As I've mentioned before I've been working through my pile of UFOs and making progress too.

This is the most recent - a cushion made from a patchwork square, one of three made originally for the craft group quilt. This one was not needed after all so lay in my UFO box waiting for inspiration. With the addition of strips of the same fabric as used for the butterflies for edging, quilting and backing I now have a very pretty little cushion cover.

The book bit and this week I thought I'd show you something different from the audio books I've been listening too - I'm still bingeing on crime thrillers which are not to everyone's taste. (I'm saving the Christmas themed reads mentioned last week for nearer the big day.) Instead, I thought, as Christmas is approaching and you may want to treat someone - yourself perhaps - you might like to see a few of my favourite crafty books. Not only do these books have instructions for beautiful projects but they are also great reads.

Kelly McCants' 'At Home with Modern June' is a joy. It's full of fun projects, great retro ideas and inspirational illustrations. And, as is explained in the foreword, it was inspired by the necessary makeover the author's home needed after Hurricane Irene felled a great oak onto the back of her home! 

'Sewing Happiness' by Sanae Ishida. When the author was 'diagnosed with a chronic illness and lost her corporate job, she thought her life was over. But these challenges ended up being the best thing that ever happened to her because they forced her to take stock of her life and focus on the important things, and enabled her to rediscover sewing - her true passion'. So, another inspiring read and for anyone interested in sashiko this would be a good one to start with.

Tiff Fussell & Rachelle Blondel's Granny Chic is perfect for those of us who, like me, enjoy a little trip down memory lane. This book contains instructions for 20 projects, from handmade notebooks, lace lampshades to aprons made from tea towels, all intended to bring some granny chic to your life. Some of the projects are crocheted or knitted, so it's not all sewing.

As usual, if you haven't participated in What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday before but fancy joining in the fun do pop over to the Stamping Ground where you can find all the information you need here. It's really too easy, post a photo of your desk, tidy or messy it doesn't matter, and add your link to all the others. It's fun, you'll see.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 493

Hello Everyone,

Well, it's a perfect day for WOYWW here - wet and miserable! I don't know about where you are but here in South Ayrshire the weather pattern seems to one of alternating between the perfect sunny but nippy autumnal days and the equally perfect crafting days - that's the ones where you dare not step outdoors without donning wellies and waterproofs! Much better then to spend those days creating a mess on the workdesk.

Although it's not so messy this week. Oh there's still the usual pile on the right. This one is all Christmas related - a box of scraps and a stack of paper pads. The pack of sticky-backed gems is still there after the latest card making session. Top left is my 'bullet journal'. It's coming on with an index, the month, to-dos and a of list of UFOs (unfinished projects) I'm working through. What it isn't is decorated and it's not overly ambitious either - I know myself too well for that. At the front is the Creative Palette I found tucked away out of sight, sad and forgotten - why? I recall enjoying playing creating with it once or twice. However, I've forgotten how to use is so I think a trip over to YouTube is called for. Not now. Not today. But soon.

Talking of UFOs. I'm on a mission to finish as many as I can before 2019. This is the Attic Windows  quilted cushion begun at the start of this year - before the EM became ill. There wasn't much to do to finish it so I got stuck in yesterday and got it done. The first item ticked of on that list.

And now for something a bit different in the book bit. Not an audio-book - though I'm still bingeing on thrillers - but a real book, a hardback in fact.

I spotted 'The Art of Coorie: How to Live Happy the Scottish Way', by Gabriella Bennett, during a visit to the garden centre at the weekend. The word 'coorie' took me back to my early childhood in a instant ... it's a word that conjures up feelings of warmth and comfort ... so for that reason alone, I had to have this book.

If you are, like me, a devotee of hygge - the Danish way of cosy living - you'll love this book. Forget the tartan and twee that is usually associated with Scotland, this is a beautiful written and illustrated book giving a fresh perspective on Scottish culture.





If you haven't participated in What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday before but fancy joining in the fun do pop over to the Stamping Ground where you can find all the information you need here. It's really too easy, post a photo of your desk, tidy or messy it doesn't matter, and add your link to all the others. It's fun, you'll see.

In the meantime, have a very happy WOYWW and a great week ahead.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 478

Hello Everyone,

I almost missed that it's the first of a new month this morning. Almost! But then I was reminded that it's LLJ's birthday - Happy Birthday lovely lady!!! - and that brought WOYWW to mind too. Altogether a great day!

Here's what my desk looked like this morning.

It's changed a bit but only because, in order to get to the keyboard,  I've shifted the folder of stencils on the left - it's now on top of the RUB on the right. There's more plastic stencils in that brightly coloured pile - a real blast from the past. One of the requirement's of this week's MTS scrapbook challenge is that we use mixed media on our layouts so I'm thinking I might use one or other of them - after so many neglected years. The box I found the stencils in also contained several sets of decorative scissors -  bought in the days before there was any of the fabulous border punches I have today. I might give them a last hurrah before passing them on to my great-niece, Arihanna, who has decided that she wants to make cards just like Auntie - that's me, of course. :)

This challenge is working wonders for my scrapbook albums. Normally I struggle to complete a page in three days but this last week I hit my personal best with eight layouts. Clearly, all I need is a deadline to end my procraftinating. And it's making quite a dent on the pile of photos, both old and new.  There's four in this previous post and here's the last four of the week.

Wintertime

Here on the southwest coast of Scotland we get the most amazing skies, even in winter. These photos of our cherry trees show just how blue the sky can be.

Loved

These photos are from 1969 and that's me, the proud mother, showing off my firstborn - truly he was gorgeous! He will be fifty next year - really, I can hardly believe it myself!

Awesome

Unlike my scientist husband, I don't yearn to travel in space ... it's good old terra firma for me ... but I do think these photos of Scotland from space are fantastic and worth noting.

Daisyduck

My boy again. Here he is 9 months old and that is his much loved baby walker - a duck with a daisy in her hat - hence the name Daisyduck. He was so attached to her that I brought it all the way from Germany to Scotland on the plane, good old British Airways, for a visit of a couple of months at my mother's.

It's not been all scrapping though. I did manage to make this at the craft group on Thursday.

A handy zipped bag. We had a lovely time making these bags - it made a change from what we usually do at the group. For anyone who would like to have a go the instructions can be found on the Noodlehead blog - here's the link.

Finally, this week's books. I gave up on the Isla Dewar book at last and listened instead to these very much more enjoyable ones.

I was drawn to The Book Shop by Penelope Fitgerald after reading Hermione Lee's biography. And I'm so glad I was. It's set in the 1950s in a small Suffolk town where not much ever changes. The main character, Florence, opens a book shop against local, and powerful, opposition. The writing is full of humour and had me laughing out loud even when I was totally exasperated with the 'small town' attitudes portrayed.

I read Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L Sayers many decades ago and enjoyed it then but I didn't remember it as a funny book. This audio book had me chuckling away, sometimes for reasons not intended. It's a full cast dramatisation and, as it's set in the southwest corner of Scotland, many of the characters are Scots. It never fails to amuse me just how bad a job some actors make of the Scottish accent. Aside from that, I really enjoyed following along with Lord Peter Wimsey, as he gathered clues to identify the murderer of a local artist.

Another lengthy post today - it's a rare thing when it's not - I hope Julia will forgive me yet again.

Have a lovely day, what's left of it, and a wonderful week.