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

WOYWW 260! What A Week To Get The Title Wrong!

Hello all and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday?  This is where you can snoop around crafty desks from all over the world.  You can do so here.

My desk this week -

I had bank holiday Monday off work and wasted most of it in bed nursing a hang over and peeing about on Swapbot.  However, in the evening, I got my act together and tidied my desk, so now you can only see a bunch of projects for me to get on with.

Fabric top left is the pile of handwarmers I'm making for Etsy/Christmas presents.  Pile of black in the middle are two pairs of work trousers I'm fixing the zip/2 buttons/thinking about lining the waistband of the pair that is made exclusively from sandpaper.  A bought of flu and 2 weeks of comfort eating mean that I am almost too big for the damned things again.  Must try harder.

Bottom right - jewellery set I bought from work on the cheap to get it off the shop floor.  My speciality is buying up all the 'tat' that has been through umpteen sales with disintergrated packaging and ended up being put down to mere pennies.  I then bring them home and wonder what to do with them.

Bottom right also, is three balls of yarn and a whole heap of cardboard rings I plan to make decorations with.

That's it for this week - see you all next week! x

woyww 258

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  This is where we take a peek at other people's craft desks around the world and you can join in the fun by clicking here.

My desk this week - 

That little package in the middle of the desk - that is one lone hand warmer I made on my week off last week.  That is all I made because I ended up getting a proper dose of the flu.  I still feel rubbish and am lacking the motivation to get on with more of them, or indeed to make anything.

I'm currently making this for work:

It is proving problematic.  As there was no mention as to whether I needed to strand the floss down on the packaging. I trialed 2, 3, then the full 6 strands to find that it really does need the full six strands in order to completely cover the wooden lattice.  However, this means that most holes are taking on a total of 24 strands each, making it very difficult to push the needle through each time.  So, with a very sore thumb and forefinger, I will now carry on with a brand new needle (the FOURTH needle, to be exact, as the pressure of pushing them through the holes is proving too much and they are actually snapping at the eye.  Never had that before).  Determined, much.

Anyhoo, sorry it's all been a bit of a whinge this week.  I shall endeavour to buck up for the next installment of WOYWW!

xxx

WOYWW 256

Hello and welcome to another round of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Each week, we take a peek at the crafting spaces of the creative and the crafty.  You can join in the fun too, by clicking here.

My desk this week,

The more observant of you will notice that this isn't my usual crafting space.  This is the dining table, and I am working with a pattern  to make a pyjama top for myself.  I'm using the busy purple floral fabric that I made part of the shirt I abandoned.  I have cut out the neck band and am now starting half of the front of the top.

The pattern weights mentioned in last week's WOYWW have not progressed past one piece of fabric cut from a template.  What with work, swimming and housework, I am finding time for making a little squeezed.  However, I have this Thursday and the whole of next week off, so I intend to steam ahead then.

Thank you for taking a look at my space! x

WOYWW 255

Hello and welcome to another What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  You can snoop around craft desks here.

My desk this week:

There are four fat quarters I was given for Christmas, a bag of rice and tracing paper.  I plan to make pattern weights with them.

This is a shot of my finished felt tissue dispensers.

The shirt has hit the skids.  I'd already gone over my allowance when I had to redo part of the yoke that I'd mis-measured.  The final straw came this weekend when I realised the collar is also the wrong size and I'e run out of plain purple fabric.  It was a relief, I'd put off looking at it for two weeks.

At the end of this week, my shop is having a 20% off everything promotion and I'm going to get some patterns to make summer tops and a skirt, plus all the bits to make them.  It hasn't put me off wanting to make clothing, I just want to make something I'll want to wear!  Maybe I'll be more careful if I'm making something for me.

Have a good week all! xxx

WOYWW 253

Hello and welcome to another week of WOYWW.  This is where we take a peak at other crafty people's desks and show our support.  You can join in the fun here.

My desk this week:

I'e been making little felt tissue dispensers with the thinking of putting them in my Etsy shop.

 This is the shirt I've made so far for the Sewing Bee competition at work.  Hard work when you've never made any clothing before.

You may have noticed the cat face on my desk.  As I write this on Tuesday night, it is the first anniversary of my little Guinness having to be put down.

Taz and I were glum for a bit.  But then we started to remember all the funny things Guinny would do to make us laugh.

We have now bucked up.

Before I go, I would like to share the following link with those who wish to help out with this.  Be quick though, it finishes this Saturday.  If you can't help, please pass the link on.  They are so close to the finish line! 

 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/byhandlondon/by-hand-london-design-and-print-your-own-fabric.

See you all next week! xxx

WOYWW 235

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday 235, courtesy of our Julia.  You need to join in the fun by going here.

This week, my desk is on the floor.  I'm mostly wrapping presents.  The bottom right of the picture is the sack of presents already wrapped.  There are various gifts lying around, ribbons for tying, handmade gift tags recycled from last year's Christmas cards.  The cardboard box in the middle back of the shot is full of jars of chutney and jams waiting to be doled out.

There will be more of the same for the next two weeks, probably.

Have a great week, everyone! xxx

WOYWW 234

Hello and welcome again to another fun week of international snooping of crafty desks, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in the fun here.

This is my desk this week:

I'm still stamping the Christmas paper.  There are various presents on the table in varying degrees of wrappage.  The blue and white box at the back is a sewing kit I bought from work that was partially filled and I am adding a few more important bits.  It's a Christmas present for my sister who has never shown any aptitude for sewing and calls me to sew on a button for her.  I think this sets a bad example for my niece, so I have bought them both a sewing kit in the hope it might ignite some inspiration.  I will be on standby for the constant advice I envisage will be asked of me.  IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN HOW TO SEW.

There are newspapers on there for no reason.  Oh, and a tin of Plop Trumps (Yeah, really) that I bought because I felt I should, however I have no one as yet to give it to.  Plop Trumps, to the uneducated, is a version of Top Trumps that features pictures of animal excrement that each player uses to outdo their opponent to win the game.  Yeah.  Oh, and it is highly educational;  marketed toward men and boys of all ages.  You'd understand why.

This week, I carry on with stamping my wrapping paper to wrap more presents, make 3D Christmas decorations and Stormtrooper snowflakes.  Mmm hmm.

Yep, so that just about wraps up this week's edition of Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  Please take part and add your own desk! x

Woyww 232

Hello and welome to another week of WOYWW, where you can join in with the international desk snoop by clicking here.

My desk this week features an inverted TV cosy I am making for OH.  Probably best you don't ask.  I think it's fair to say I'm not enjoying this project, yet I still have three more to make him. Mmm.

In other news, I've heard that fellow WOYWWers Patsy and Peggy Aplseeds from the Philippines are OK following the horrific storm that has affected 2/3 of their country.  What a relief, but they are faced with very hard times.  If you like to pray, maybe you could pray for them today and if you have some spare money, perhaps you would like to donate to:

World Food Programme USA

Unicef

Philippine Red Cross

World Vision

Oxfam

who are all running emergency appeals.

Folks in the UK can donate by simply walking into their nearest high street bank or post office where you should see signs up for DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee).

xxx

WOYWW 230

Hello again peoples!  I haven't been about for a month or something due to my crappy computer, but it seems to want to keep it together for the time being so here I go...

Most weeks I join in with an online snoop of crafty desks around the world.  Please join in here.  You'll thank me for it.

Anywhoo...

I think it's finally safe to be mentioning the Christmas word now.  Here is my desk:

You can see my painstaking work of hand stamping a roll of brown paper for presents.  IT WILL BE WORTH IT.  Trying not to think about the fact that it's all going to get ripped up and thrown away at the end of it all.

You can also see paint, felt, some wooden decorations that I am decorating and a lot of bits of paper left over from making Christmas cards.  I made 60 in one sitting from the results of last year's Christmas card amnesty I held at work.  While the majority were shop bought and of little inspiration, the handmade ones were invaluable and went a long way.  I am looking forward to expanding my amnesty this year by asking my mum to involve her work colleagues in it at a big local DIY store.  So excited to see what I get - It's like poring through looted treasure!

I was going to show you the box of jams and chutneys I made but my camera's not playing ball today and frankly, I should be lucky it took a picture at all.

Next week, I'll probably be showing off pictures of a TV cosy in progress.  Yes, a TV COSY.  Once upon a time, we had a customer at work ask if we had fabric to make a TV cosy as her TV was too big for her room.  We all had a good chortle. OH asked me to make four (!) cosies for the small flat-screens he has to take to work every week.  I chortle no more.

Have a great week everyone - I hope you make all the things you have/want to get done: xxx

WOYWW 224 (FESTIVAL AT THE END OF THE YEAR ITEMS WARNING!)

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  You can join in the international peekfest of other peoples' craft desks here.

My desk (of sorts) this week...

This is part of the cross stitch commission from another branch of the shop I work in.  It's a table runner and I've been asked to only complete half of it.

This is what the warning is all about.  I spent ALL (6am-10pm) on Sunday making preserves to be given away as Festival at the end of the year presents.  I made 20 pots total of the following:

Blackberry jam

Apple and blackberry jam

Crab apple jelly

Plum jam

Chilli jam

Green tomato chutney.

Last night, I looked at my forlorn garden.  Summer has taken her love with her and now everything look wilty and sad.  I took a carrier bag to collect the last of the tomatoes and was astounded to completely fill it up.  I have a shedload of chutney to make.  I've estimated that I have at least 36 pots worth of tomatoes.  Eep.  Waste not, want not.

The sky from my playroom this morning.  Just had to share it with you.

Have a happy crafting week all! xxx

WOYWW 221

Hello and welcome to another week of WOYWW!  This is where we all have a look at crafty desks/workspaces from all over the world, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in the fun here.

This is my desk this week...

On the left of my desk is Fifi's baby sampler.  Not long to go on that until I just have to wait for her to give birth at the end of next month so i can sew a name to it.

Then there is a book showing pictures that are useful for the Festival At The End Of The Year.  The aida on the frame is me starting some of those pictures.

Last week I promised pictures of the cross stitches I've been asked to do by another store.  Well, they forgot to send them, so I hope they appear on the van this week.  Instead though, I was asked today to knock up a little design to stick in our shop window this Thursday for the Festival At The End Of The Year theme.  They were going to stick the window in at the end of September, but three other stores have had stonking results since putting their windows in early, so we're being made to follow suit.

That's it from me this week.  Now go and have a look at all the other lovely desks that have put in this week.  xxx

WOYWW 220

Hello again folks.  Time for another week of nosing at other peoples desks, courtesy of our Julia.  You can join in the fun here.

My desk this week:

The book contains many previously unseen photographs of the members of the rock band Queen.  It was a birthday present from OH.  The pages shown depict the four members of Queen taking part in a Japanese tea ceremony on their first promotional tour of Japan.

The fabric container at the back of the desk is a JoZart desk bin, made my my friend, Fairy Thoughts for my birthday.  It currently contains chocolate.  Of course.  The cross stitch in the middle is Fifi's baby sampler that I've bought back out of the cupboard since finishing the wedding sampler.  I am going to try and finish it in the next three evenings because something exciting is about to happen...

About a month ago, I asked my buyer at work if she could circulate an email offering my cross stitching services.  I hoped to hear back from one of the others stores, but didn't believe I would.  Today at work, I get another store asking me to stitch up two Christmas displays a supplier gave them.  I hope to obtain them this Thursday, so will hopefully show you what's going down next week.

That's enough from me!  have a great week all! x

WOYWW 219 (Sorry I'm late!)

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday!  Each week we peek at crafty people's desks from around the world and you can join in the fun by clicking this.

Apologies for being so late to the party this week.  I'm on a week off work and my time keeping skills have vanished somewhat.  You don't care about that.  Here's what you care about, my desk this week...

Set the party poppers off - the behemoth (biggest one yet) is now finished and framed.  I have mostly solved the issue of the join line by sewing over it.  Yes, a line can be seen but not so much anymore as I've covered up all the white bits.  Now I have to wait for the lovely couple to get back from their honeymoon.

Halfway through the walk to the wedding venue, my beloved left black strappy wedge broke.  We stopped at a nearby shop for superglue but it just seeped into the fabric sole.  I had to take them off and carry them back home over 3/4 mile of broken tarmac in just my tights.  Which was painful.  OH is trying to save said wedge by using decorator's caulk on it.

I got to the wedding eventually though and through the fug of champagne, white wine, black and white rum, I did manage to take a pic of the wedding cake topper...

The groom is into model making and he painted these himself.  An alternative idea.

This week I have already enjoyed a hangover, gone bowling and visited Avon Beach in Dorset.  I hope to prepare some glass jars for the festival at the end of the year.  I also have to pick up where I left off with Fiona's baby sampler and Nathan's (now Christmas present) Diatoms cross stitch.  Oh and it's my birthday on Saturday, so quite a busy week - hurrah!

Have a great week everyone! xxx