WOYWW 288

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  You can join the fun here.

My desk this week -

 Rarrr!  I hate my desk like this.  It inspires laziness and saps motivation.  There are piles under piles under piles, etc.  Half drunk tea, half finished presents, half finished decorations, things from projects long gone that I couldn't be arsed to tidy up, fabric bought on a whim, ribbon waiting for a Christmas project that won't be started, let alone finished in time for this year.

 It's hasn't all been negative though.  On 30th November, It occurred to me that the fabric advent panel I bought needed to be turned into an advent panel in time for the following day.  I didn't read the instructions, cut the wrong bits and threw the tabs away,  but this is what it looks like.  I made it for O/H, who doesn't particularly like sweet things, so I filled all the pockets with a Pepperami (individually wrapped flaming hot mini-sausages) substitute from the local Aldi.  He was most amused.

More than Taz was when trying to take her picture for you.  The first attempt resulted in a bitten thumb.  Loves my feisty Mackerel Tabby.

Good luck with your weeks, and hopefully see you next week! x

WOYWW 285

Hey, hey, hey!  After a difficult month moving Granny and trying to get her some occupational therapy, we are now there and for the first time in months, I find myself with a complete day off!  What better to do than take part in this week's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?!  You can join in here.

My desk (and other spaces) this week -

 Christmas prep has begun in earnest.  On my desk today, is the second half of finished presents for my colleagues.  The first half is already sitting in my locker at work.

 All of these bags have presents in various states of wrapped-ness.  I ran out of commercial wrapping paper and just have brown paper left that needs to be printed, so I've stopped for now.  Plus, I'm a little bored of wrapping anyway.

Dining room table - Family hampers are go, go, GO!  All jars are done, now just for homemade chocolates and peppermint creams, which I'll do the Sunday before the main event.

While wrapping the presents, my monthly shop arrived and I had to quickly sneak away all the tasty treats I've got in for Chrimble before O/H spotted me.  Looking forward to the three bird roast.  Oh, and the sprouts.

Still to do:work out when to decorate and what to use, figure out the impossible task of how to split myself three ways on Christmas day for different parts of family and more importantly, when to get my roast in the oven.  I have two weeks to get the fabric advent calendar made, hung and filled, To make a batch of relish or not (?), Will I find decent priced maple syrup for the bacon jam in time (?),snowmen earrings to make, Christmas CDs to burn, blah, blah, blah.  Ultimately, there is still lots left to do.

With a bit of luck, I should be back next week.  Tatty-bye all! xxx

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday 275

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, where we take a peek at crafty desks from around the world.  You can join in by clicking here.

My desk this week -

On the bottom left my my desk are two Christmas greeting cross stitches I am making.  They are on my desk as I featured them in my Creative Blog Hop post this week.  There is jam sugar on nearly every surface and shelf/cupboard of my house.  Well, not quite but it feel like it as there is an awful lot of it about, with it being jamming season.  Two batches bitty blackberry, one batch blueberry, two batches plain plum and one batch plum and port jam down, another batch of plum and port jam (or two), one batch Doverhouse chutney and one/two batches non-bitty blackberry jam to go.  That's if I don't get suckered in by Mr. Marketman beforehand.  Likely.

The purple in the middle is the remnants of a birthday card making session I indulged in at the weekend.  Face wipes are essential at all times.  Surprise, surprise, the yellow stars are still there.  They probably need dusting by now.

Coming up this week - more jamming, looking into starting a fabric advent calendar ad getting on with the Christmas cross stitches.

Hope you all have a great week! x

The Creative Blog Hop Post

I was asked recently by Fairy Thoughts if I would be able to participate in the Creative Blog Hop.

Every Monday, crafters all over the world write a post about themselves and why they do what they do.  It's a great way to find other people who may interested in the same stuff as you are.

So this week, I'm writing my Creative Blog Hop Post.  Traditionally, I am supposed to introduce you to three more talented crafters, and will do so, but in a different way to what is supposed to happen as only one of them has a blog.

Who Am I?
I am Lucy.  I am 33 and live in England.  I am a Haberdashery Specialist at a local department store and this is where a large chunk of my wages go.  I am interested in cross stitching, small sewing projects, card making, jam making and recycling/re-purposing items destined for the bin.

I am lucky to have my own craft room, which is always in a mess, but I think that is the point of  having such  room.

I am part of an online community called WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday).  It is full of crafters from many different countries who upload a picture of their workdesk every Wednesday.  It's great to see how their projects develop every week.

Part of participating in the Creative Blog Hop is to answer fur questions:

1.  What Am I Working On Now?

I am currently cross stitching these Christmas messages on plastic canvas from a pattern in one of my books.  There are five messages in total and I hope to finish them all, back them and hang it before this Christmas.

2.  How Does My Work Differ From Others In My Genre:

The work I am currently involved in isn't my usual type of cross stitching.  I normally prefer making my own charts or using a website called My Photo Stitch, which is great for pictures that don't need wording.  I like to work on geeky/niche projects.  Here are some examples:

 Assassin's Creed video game logo

 Logo from my friend's band, Scarlet Soho

 Classic computer game character, Kirby

 Ermintrude and Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout

 Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch

Logo of my friend Joe's heavy metal band, Talanas

 A play on Magritte's painting for a friend's present

In recent times, alternative cross stitch design books have been published so I know there are people out there doing the same as me, just none of my local group of crafting friends.

3.  Why Do I Create What I Do?

I cross stitch because I like to see a picture forming as I'm completing a project.  I do it because it's theraputic for me to lose a whole day on a tiny piece of work.  I love the excitement of the initial idea, seeing whether it's possible to do or not.  Because no one I know is doing the same.

4.  How Does My Creative Process Work?

I find a picture I like and upload it to My Photo Stitch.  I will spend a good deal of time getting it how I like before I download the image onto my computer.  If it needs font, I will plot it out on graph paper using a book of cross stitch alphabets I own.  My Photo Stitch gives a list of DMC threads needed for the task and I will pool the colours I already have together and/or buy what I don't already have. 

I prefer to stitch my pieces on my days off from work, when I am able to start early in the day.  I rarely bother in the evenings after work anymore as I'm too tired and there isn't enough time to get stuck in.

 I will love the project from the outset right up until I've completed a third of the picture.  The second third is filled with doubt - have I counted one too many stitches?  Is this part going to meet up with that part or am I going to have to unpick it all?  It is about this time that I will have seen my next project.  The last third is filled with utter hatred for the piece.  This is because I wish to start the next project that I will have already stupidly plotted out with great precision.  So I try to go as fast as I can, which leads to mistakes, more unpicking and cursing and then when it is done, I don't want to look at it.  It's torturous at the end.

 Various Scandinavian Christmas designs

 Internet meme, Nyan Cat

Christmas candy cane

As I mentioned earlier, my three nominations for this challenge don't write blogs.  So instead of them posting an entry next Monday, I thought I would post a link for you to look at their lovely stuff. (Matthew came up trumps!)

Matthew Sergison-Main - Illustrator

Matthew is an artist, illustrator and designer living in Hampshire, England. He works in traditional media predominately, using some digital as needed, to produce a highly detailed style of artwork. In 2012 he won a national art competition winning a solo exhibition at the esteemed Pallant House gallery in 2014. He worked on the acclaimed indie computer game 'Amnesia: A machine for pigs', and has produced artwork and illustration for musicians, magazines and festivals

http://artserge.tumblr.com/

Kimvi Nguyen - Artist

http://kimvi.tumblr.com/

Zoe Davies - Keepsake Maker

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Made-With-Love-Keepsakes-by-Zoe/594185547307127

Thank you for staying to the end.  I hope you will take the time to check out my friends pages.  Have a great week! x

WOYWW 271

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, where we take a peek at other craft desks from around the world for inspiration.  You can join in here.

This week...

 I'm on annual leave this week and thank goodness, Mr. Mojo is staying with me!  It's been a while since I last saw him.  On my desk (In a fairly hushed tone) are 6 laser cut wooden stars being decorated for C*******s.  Sorry about that.  The spice rack at the back doesn't actually hold standard sized spice jars (how rubbish is that?!) and OH forgot to A.  Keep the receipt and B.  Remember to take it back within the allotted time, so now we're (I'm) stuck with it.  So I thought I'd turn it in a better jewellery stand that the one I've currently got.  There is also cider and chocolate.  Yum.

 I've made three toilet roll holders for each bathroom out of this fantastic nautical themed fabric.  I used interfacing but struggled with it in the sewing machine, so each one is slightly different from the last:  the first was too big, the second was slightly shorter than it should have been and the third has two rounded corners instead of right angles, but is just right in size.  How Goldilocks of me..

I'm about to start this longstitch I bought in a sale.  I'll make it for my wall.  I finished the robin longstitch we bought back from Grannies and I would show you, only I left it in the front room, which is currently being used as a den for four men playing an all nighter Risk board game and I just don't want to go in there.  You understand.

I hope you have all had a great week and look forward to getting around as many desks  I can while I have a chance to.  X

WOYWW 266

Hello and welcome again to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  You can join in snooping around other people's desks, by going here.

My desk this week -

On the left is an old demo curtain from Homebase that's getting turned into bags for life.  Big reel of white poly cotton bottom left, which is being used to sew up little dotty pouches full of rice.  These are becoming hand warmers.  Three pairs of scissors, bog roll, bag of rice and a wedding invite.  As you do.

The CD is a Ramones anthology which I've started listening to again since I heard the drummer from the original line up, Tommy Ramone, passed away on Friday.  I love their music.

Out of shot is a cork board that I've started putting to do lists on and this week, I'll be carrying on with the vintage longstitch I started.  I've been sewing that while watching episodes of Dexter on Netflix.  I have become addicted to the series.  I also have a sensory board to make for my nephew, and have to come up with gift ideas for two babies that are still in baking mode.  See you all soon! x

WOYWW 265

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  This is where we all take a peek at crafty desks from around the world.  You can join in the fun here.

I've been absent for a while, but I hope I make up for it this week.

When I hear customers complain in my shop about how they've become lumbered with some elderly relative's button collection, I always felt a twinge of sadness because I feel the grandma who may have passed her collection on to me died before I was born, and the other grandma didn't act in a grandmotherly manner toward me, let alone be known for her sewing.  

I took on my other half's granny as my own.  We are currently in the process of getting ready to move her into warden assisted accommodation from her county to ours.  This means having to go through her worldly possessions with her.  The picture above shows just a selection of what she said she no longer required.

This was another item she said she no longer needed.  OMG.  It works! It's an electric Singer machine from the 70's.  Because I need another one.

Jobs to sort out from this desk:  Complete a vintage longstitch of a robin, fix up some broken jewellery, find a battery for the portable clock, get the postcard collects sold to raise money for the granny fund, wash the fabric and repurpose it all, put the huge amound of Sylko threads away and wonder what I will be doing with 612 buttons...

Have a great week everyone! x