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 203

My first time back in weeks, it's time for another What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.  You can join in by clicking this link.

Here is my desk this week -

Two weeks ago, we had to have our cat Guinness put down.  She was diabetic and we'd rescued her and her sister, Taz, from my Dad who wasn't looking after them properly.  I gave Guinness a happy and loving last two weeks and miss her character enormously.  The vet and I decided to start her on insulin on Sunday morning two weeks ago as it was my day off and I'd be able to watch her like a hawk.  She was good as gold, no problems.  I went to work on Monday and got a panicked call from OH at lunchtime saying Guinny was limp and flailing around on the bathroom floor - she was having a diabetic seizure.  He rushed her to the vet, where I met him and I had to make the terrible decision to put her down as she had fully slipped into a diabetic coma by that point and the vet agreed it was fair as she was 14 an showing signs of liver damage, possibly bought on by years of untreated diabetes.

I am at peace with my decision now but as you can see from my desk, have completely thrown myself into my crafts.  I got out of my maudlin mood by making a felt brooch of Guinness's face taken from a photo, complete with whiskers! There is a very old tshirt belonging to OH that I have to sew the neck line back together, fix a hole in the armpit and patch a number of moth holes.  He refuses to believe it's had it.

Since I sold a batch of fused plastic bags to a lady in New Zealand last week, I've been experimenting fusing together different kinds of plastic and cutting discs and squares out of it.  There was a lot of interest in the bags so am thinking of opening yet another Etsy shop to cater for it.

There are cotton spools, scissors, repair tape and glue, a photo album my sister gave me for my 30th a couple of years ago made in the style of This Is Your Life and opened to a picture of Guinny and Taz when they were much younger.  Guinness has her arm around Taz, I love it!

I'm waiting for a friend to give birth this week so I can finish baby's nursery sampler.  Another friend has just announced she's expecting so am plotting the next one.  I've also got a leaving present and birthday present to magic out of thin air too:)

So sorry for the long post.  I hope life is treating you all well and see you next week:) x

WOYWW 193

It What's O Your Work-desk Week again and it's week 193.  It's your opportunity to have a look at the work desks of the crafty minded, and you can do so by going here.

Here is my desk this week:

The white expanse at the back is half a metre of 6 count Aida, waiting for the Minecraft pictures i'll be stitching on it.  Was going to start today but turns out my cross stitch pattern software has left my pooter and I'll have to download it again.

I got two books out of the library.  Techno Textiles is astonishing and is jam packed full of technological fabrics like Kevlar, Neoprene, astronaut suit fabrics, etc and is also full of pictures of brightly coloured and highly textured textiles.  I like to get inspiration from it.  The other book is Fleece Dolls and inspired me to get two dolls I made years ago out again.  When I can get some fleece, I'm trying out some of the designs.

The Diatom cross stitch for Nathan's birthday is carrying on apace.  I am currently working the perimeter of the piece and have had to baste the edges to try and halt the disintegration of the fabric.

My colleague Fairy Thoughts and I have decided to pack in the chocolate for Lent, which starts today.  I have also decided to pack in the fizzy pop, crisps, biscuits, cake and sweets and intend to throw myself into my crafting for that time, so hope to get more work done than I have done lately.  Hopefully the increase in crafting with replace the lack of sugar and results should be seen.  We'll see!

Go and be a nosey peep and take a look at the other desks! x