WOYWW...

I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and Santa brought you all you deserved.  We have really enjoyed many family together times over Christmas and for me that has made it all simply perfect. 

I am still focusing on plans for next year with what I'm sharing today.  Our family does a Secret Santa for the eight adults.  We are limited to just a £20 limit on what we spend and as you can imagine much hilarity is enjoyed when we open our gifts.  There is always a good mixture of joke and sensible gifts but my Secret Santa really knew what I wanted this year.

A gorgeous storage box filled with glass storage jars, 2 packs of pretty fabric fat quarters, ribbons and much more :-)

It was just what I wanted for my new sewing room and this is what I have planned for it....

In one of my temporary cupboards in my make do sewing room are my 7 old plastic sweet jars filled to the brim with ribbons and trims but the jars have now gone brittle and have seen better days so I will be sorting the contents and filling my fab new jars at some point in the New Year.

The dolls clothes you've been seeing made leading up to the big day really put smiles on my little grandees faces as you can imagine and I've now been given an order for proper dolls sized blankets as the baby blankets that have been used are "just too big Nanny" :-)  Of course I'm more than happy to please and have needed something to do with my hands.  I've now finished 3 and the 4th will be finished soon.  :-)

So that's what I've been doing.  How about you?  If you'd like to leave me a little hello message to let me know you've been then I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can to see what you've been up to.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year and here's to many more fun times together in 2015.

Hugs,

Annie x

My Christmas smiles.....week 99

I know, I know!  I said I wouldn't be posting on my blog today but I just couldn't do it.  I am totally overloaded with smiles and have just got to share just one pic as to why?

This pic is one we took over this festive time on one of the occasions when all our family have got together....

You can see our two daughters and son, 2 son-in-laws and daughter-in-law, 5 grandees and of course my wonderful hubby and I [ I'm the one hiding under the tinsel :-) ].  Sooooooo many reasons to smile........and there will be more together times to come yet  :-)   It's what Christmas is all about.

So if you feel the need to share your smiles today too please link them below.  

Love and hugs to you all,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to you all.  I have had another busy week crafting and creating but alas I can't share any of it with you as it's all finished and wrapped now ready for the big day....I didn't take pics of it all as those they were made for read my blog.  What I will say is that I haven't washed a minute and now my desk is cleared and empty.

So? What am I going to share with you this week?  I have spending some time looking for ideas on Pinterest as to how I will setting up my new sewing room in the new year and thought you might like to share my plans....

My sewing room will be the size of most garages with a south facing window and only one door so there should be plenty of room for my 5 work stations [yes I really do have 5 machines I use regularly] and plenty of storage [I have bin bags full of fabric I need to find homes for].  I love the clean white, turquoise and pink used in these pics and am planning a large cutting surface in the middle of the room that will also double up as an area that can be used as a social crafting area for when my friends come to play.

Can you tell I'm excited at all the plans?  I plan to share the developments with you as it changes so hope you will come along for the ride.

For now I would just like to say thank you to each and every one of you for visiting me each week during the last year and for your wonderful comments.  I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and that 2015 brings you all you wish for yourselves.

Love and hugs to you all.

Annie x

This week's smiles.....week 98

At such a busy time of year I really do appreciate those that took the time out to join in the fun last week.  Thanks you to each and every one of you. For those that didn't look last week I'd like to to feature two blogs this week....

• Sam's fab snowy pics really made me chuckle and
• Robyn's fab quilt that she's just finished....she's only been making it for 25 years!....well done Robyn for persevering I love it.

Thanks girls....your smiles really do make the world a better place to live.

I'm sharing just one pic for this week.....

These three Christmas tree decorations were made for us by our youngest daughter Amy's three children. Phoebe [age 6] made the fairy, Steve [age 3] [with the help of his daddy] made the snowman and Lulu [age 4 1/2] [with her mummy's help] made the gingerbread man.  I just love them and they make me smile every time I look at our Christmas tree.......happy memories that will come out for years to come.

That just leaves me to say a very Happy Christmas to each and every one of you.  I won't be posting next Friday as I'm certain you will all be too busy to be checking out blogs.  I hope to see you all joining again in with your smiles after Christmas.

Love to all. Hugs,

Annie xxxx

WOYWW....

Hello all.  We are getting closer to the big day and I'm still busy busy busy making for the special little people in my life in what spare time I've got.  I spent my two sewing days this week making dolls clothes to go with the knitted cardigans and hats you've already seen in previous posts so that's what I'm sharing with you today.....

I've made 2 pair of trousers, 2 pair of shorts and 4 shirts.

Here are two little dresses with puffed sleeves and pants to go with them.

Here are 5 little strappy sun dresses.

And here's 2 little cheery red dresses with matching pants.

I plan to share the clothes out between the little ones and am certain they will have lots of fun dressing their dollies with them....almost as much fun as I had making them all. :-)

So folks that's it from me.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've been up to this week.  Please leave me a quick message and I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can [that is if blogger is playing nicely this week....it seems to want to stop me leaving some of you a message for some reason but it's not for the want of trying].

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 97

It was another fab week of sharing smiles again last week.  It's so lovely to see what's making you all smile each week and I thank you so much for taking the time out to join in.  This week I'm featuring Sam's pic of 5 birds.  I love watching my birds so this really touched a spot with me and really made me chuckle.  Thanks Sam.

My smiles this week just keep on coming.  As always they have been focused on my gorgeous grandees.  I'm so very blessed.

Little Steve is being a cowboy as you can see....he just loves Woody out of Toy Story.  I don't think I've ever known a little boy to smile as much as he does and it's just contagious.  :-)

Steve's big sisters just melted our hearts last night when we went to their school to see their performance of 'Whoops a daisy angel'.  Phoebe was one of the little angels and she led the singing with her beautiful voice.  Little Lulu was one of the snowflakes....she's one of the smallest in the school but more than makes up for it with her confidence.  The whole performance was just magical and there was more than one moment when the tissues were needed. :-)  ....it's what Christmas is all about.

Little Lexi was busy amusing herself drawing and presented her mummy with her drawing of Santa so I just had to share it with you.

Sam has hand, foot and mouth virus so is feeling a little under the weather.....Get better soon my little munchkin.  The twins share everything so I'm guessing he will be sharing this with Lexi soon.

That's my smiles for this week.  Hope you've enjoyed them and will share yours by linking them below.  I promise I will pop over to enjoy yours too :-)

WOYWW....

Hello fellow WOYWWers.  Thanks for dropping by to see what I've been up to this week...it's been another busy one for me.  I've been...

• Having fun with the twinnie munchkins...and doing lots of crafty activities
• Sewing for customers....yes another few have found our new abode :-)
• Sewing for the love of it
• Knitting
• Making Christmas stockings to order.

So without rambling on too much here's a few snaps to share with you...

The knitting pile has grown....there is now 5 cardigans and 4 matching hats completed and the last matching hat is already on the needles :-)

4 completed personalised stockings hanging up and ready for collection. :-)

If you've read the children's story the elves and the shoemaker I'm sure this photo will remind you of it.....5 little pairs of trousers and 5 little shirts to be worn by......

....... the 5 little puppets I've been making.  The chop stick handles have been bound with wadding and covered with fabric and there is just a little hand sewing left to do and the faces and hair to complete them.

And just to make you smile....here is the next generation enjoying some crafty fun.....got to start them young I say :-)

Thanks for popping by.  Hope you enjoyed your visit.  If you leave me a little hello comment to let me know you've called I will do my best to pay you a visit.  Google+ doesn't always allow me to leave a comment and there were a few blogs last week that blogger refused to let me get on....I think it has a mind of it's own at times.  So if I missed to leave you a comment then I'm sorry.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 96

Happy Friday to all you wonderful callers that pop by each week.  A big thank you to all of you who also took the time out to share your happy moments.  I am featuring Kay's post from last week that explained a lot to me....I just knew there was someone causing the scales to read such big numbers when I stand on them. ;-)  Thanks for the giggle Kay.

My week has, as always, been filled with smiles.  I am so lucky to have such a lot in my life that gives me reasons to be happy.  I'm sharing a few festive photos that made me smile....

Not quite sure what Sam's face says.....I think it's a boy thing but Lexi certainly looks rather happier about having the picture taken.

See what I mean about it being a boy thing?  Steve needed his daddy there too to make him feel safe :-)

Phoebe and Louise were more than happy to have their photo taken with the big man in red and had also enjoyed the fun of having their faces painted....aren't they just gorgeous. :-)

So there you are folks...just a few of my smiles from this week and if none of those make you smile then I'm adding a link to a video Shell put on Facebook.  

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10154914966425037&set=vb.530505036&type=2&theater

I really hope  you can click on the link and enjoy a giggle.

Please share your smiles by linking them below and let's all do our best at making the world a happier place.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW......

Happy Wednesday to one and all.  It's that day of the week again when we all link up with our friends all round the world to enjoy a good snoop at each other's creative spaces.  If you don't know what I'm talking about [then where have you been for the last few years?] please pop over to our Queen of snoop Julia's blog at the Stamping Ground to check out the details and join in the fun [if you dare :-)].  It's a really lovely group and you will be made very welcome.

So what's on my desk this week?

 

Yes, it looks a little different today.  That's cos I'm showing you where I 'craft' in the evenings and because there is nothing different to show you in my sewing room.  As you can see I've got some knitting on the go.  I'm knitting dolly cardigans to be packed up with other sewn dolly clothes [that have still to be made yet] for some special little people in my life.  It's a simple pattern that I found on Ravelry....because as yet I've not found the box that my dolly knitting patterns were put in for the move!!......Oh how I long to have my new sewing room where I can empty all the rest of my craft boxes and sort all the contents in their new homes.

So that's it from me for today....short and sweet.  If you leave me a little hello comment to let me know you've called then I will do my best to pop over to yours to see what you've been up to this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 95

Happy Friday folk. It's been another busy week here at Sewing by Annie's and as always I have enjoyed lots of smiles.  Lots of you joined in last weeks smiles and I would like to thank you all for making the effort....it really does make the world a happier place.

I am featuring a blog this week that hit the spot with me.  You can imagine how many threads I have here to run my business but it never fails to make me smile when I see the gorgeous rainbow colours of a drawer of threads.  I'm sure if you pop over to Elizabeth's blog her neatly organised drawer will make you smile too.....thanks for sharing it Elizabeth.

My smiles include this pair this week...

Our two little cairn terriers Wispa and Rocky are sat keeping us company while my hubby fits boarding on our new shed floor...they are sitting close together on the first fitted board and I think they know where it's safest while the hammer and other tools are being swung around.  :-)

As you know these two always feature in my smiles because they give me so many reasons to be happy.

They are playing for the first time with our lego.  It's the big box of lego my children had when they were little so it gave me so much to smile about watching the twins learn what they could make with it.

This photo needs a little explanation....

The twins were watching a Father Christmas dvd where he goes away on his holidays before the big day.  He goes to France first but eats the French food and ends up with tummy ache so his next stop was Scotland.

Lexi was watching this very carefully and straight away said.." Scotland?  Oh Nanny that's where Meredith lives".

I asked who Meredith was and she searched her toy box and showed me this dolly....it's one of her Disney dolls but not one I knew so I googled it.  Meredith features in the film called Brave but she has never seen this film and it is set in the Scottish Highlands!!!  It's very easy to forget Lexi is only 3 and I have a feeling she has been here before.  :-)

My last smile I am sharing with you for this week is something Sam said at pre-school this week.  When I collected them the teacher called me in with a smile on her face.  She said she had been chatting to Sam while he was eating his lunch and mentioned that I would be along later to pick him up.  His reply was...."I love my Nanny,  she's a bit crazy you know!!!".....out of the mouths of babes as they say.  :-)

That's my smiles for this week.....I'm sure something here will have made you smile too so please share your smiles by linking them up below and I will pop over to yours when I get a minute.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.......

Happy Wednesday to you all.  I've been a busy bee since we had our last snooping day.  We spent the weekend finishing off the new front garden by planting lots of plants I took from cuttings from our old house.  They are fairly small plants as yet but they will grow, cost us nothing and how lovely to have brought some of our family home to our new little bungalow.  

This didn't leave a lot of time for crafting/sewing over the weekend and as Mondays I take and fetch the twinnie munchkins from pre-school and then have them all day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays it will be Thursday before I get much done but I do have a progression to show you on what I'm busy with on my work desk.  

Do you remember the cord, wooden beads and chop sticks from last week?.....

Well, some of the beads have been paired up and strung together on some of the cord.

Some more of the beads have been linked using more cord and attached to crosses made from the chop sticks.

Do you know what it is going to be yet?

One set has progressed rather further and looking  more like I'm getting there....I bet these will give you a better idea what I'm making.....if you haven't guessed already then by next week things will hopefully be more recognisable but I will keep you waiting til then.

The other good news I'm sharing today is that another of my customers from our old house has now found me with sewing and I have yet another coming tomorrow too.....it's coming slowly but business will pick up in the New Year when I hope to get an advert in a local church magazine that reaches 3500 houses!! :-)

So that's it from me for this week.  Please leave me a comment with your Linky number and I will pop over to pay you a return visit as soon as I'm able.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles...week 94

Hi folks.  Here we are at another Friday catch up of the week's smiles.  I really loved all the smiles you shared with us this last week so I must say a huge thank you to all that take the time out to join in the fun.  I would like to feature the funny word definitions that Sam shared with us last week....they really got me chuckling so are worth popping over to check them out if you haven't already.  Thanks Sam.

My smiles more than often focus on my wonderful family.  I treasure each and every family member and can guarantee that they will give me something to smile about every day.  Most of you will know that my, much older, sister Jo has given us a few anxious times lately with her gall bladder problems and as you can imagine our quality together time has been limited while she has been recovering from her surgery but Tuesday night she felt able to join me for the evening while our men went to watch Shrewsbury Town win at footy.  We had a wonderful chill out evening catching up and it really made me realise what a very special relationship we have....we are blessed.

Here she is thankfully looking much better than she did when I'd seen her the time before [a few hours after her surgery!].

I'm married to a man who can turn his hand to anything and everything from cooking, cleaning, ironing and normal day to day chores to just about anything in the way of DIY.  He has mastered building work, electrics, painting and decorating and plumbing to name but a few.....I'm blessed having such a wonderful man in my life.

Our son got married last year and, with his wife, is setting up their first home.  It's wonderful watching them making it theirs plus I am really enjoying watching his Dad passing on his skills.  Mark really does follow in his Dad's footsteps in that he is very able to turn his hand to anything.  In this pic he is fitting a new bathroom in their home with a little bit of help and guidance.....always makes me smile. :-)

This week's developments with the K'nex has seen Lexi building a boat with a wind turbine! to power it.  :-)

And Sam has built his own ladder.....he's obviously aiming to reach the top isn't he?  :-)

The last pic I'm sharing today is this one of my little munchkins having bubbly bath time fun with their Nanny Annie.....I'm so very blessed to have such a lot of very special family together time. :-)

So there you go.  I've had so much to make me smile this week.  Please snap away and share your happy moments with us by linking them below and I will be over to check them out as soon as I can.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Hi friends. Here we are at another of our fun days of the week when we all link up for snooping fun and games.  Please pop over to Julia's to check out the details and to link up to join in the fun.

So here's my desk today...

So there you go....feel free to click on the picture to have a closer look or just have a glance at the snaps below for a bit closer detail.

I've played with the dolly pegs you saw on my desk last week.  Put them together with some paint, a bit of felt, a length of shiny ribbon and rather a lot of....

......glue.....yes some of it did go where it was meant to!!

 And I've managed to make 5 little Christmas tree hangers for 5 special little people in my life.....hope they like them. I always make each of them a little something to go on their trees every year...memories in the making for them.

My next project is to use these gorgeous wooden beads.......

....plus some of this bag of cord scraps [I knew there was a reason I saved this].......

5 sets of wooden chop sticks and........

Well ?!!, I'm still playing so watch this space to see what develops.

Thanks for dropping by again this week.  Hope you will leave me a comment to say you've called by so I can pay you a return visit and do call back next week if you want to see what develops from my fun and games here at Sewing by Annie's.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 93

Hi folks.  Thanks so much to each and every one of you who joined in last week.  I'm featuring two little ones snapped on Elizabeth's blog from last week. What a cute Minnie Mouse and Little Mermaid they made.  Thanks for sharing your smiles Elizabeth

It's been another eventful week for me and another one full of things to smile about.

• Big sister Jo's [Twiglet] surgery eventually went well last week and she was allowed home at the weekend.  She would really like rather more 'get up and go' than she's got but she is making a good recovery and she has to be patient, listen to her body and allow it to heal.
• We [my darling hubby and I] had a wonderful couple of wonderful days away in London at the weekend.  We went to see the poppies at the Tower of London [pics below] and while down there we also went to see Matilda at the theatre [an amazing show with some really talented children performing].
• Our eldest daughter has now recovered from her surgery and managed to go back to work on Wednesday so I managed some fun time with the twinnie munchkins.....that is until Sam decided to be very sick all over the floor!.....he's bounced back since thankfully.

So here's a few snaps of what's made me smile this week...

Sam and Lexi really love building with the K'nex and are learning their shapes this week.

Sam made this and said..."Look Nanny it's a rectangle just like the telly"

Here's Lexi with her circle, square and triangle. :-)

We then had a fun art session :-)

This is Lexi's butterfly and

...her duck.....obviously a rare long legged breed :-)

And this is Sam's drawing of his sister, Lexi.

I just love watching how they are developing and seeing their enjoyment with their drawings.

So there you are.  That's just a few of the things that have been making me smile this week.  Please snap and share yours with us by linking them below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Hello folks.  Here we are on another Wednesday when a load of us link up over at Julia's at the Stamping Ground to expose and share our creative spaces....whether they be tables, desks, floor spaces or kitchen spaces.  We are a really friendly bunch, joining in is free and there are very few rules so why not pop over to Julia's to check out the details.

I hope you will check out my previous post if you'd like to see my poppy pics taken while my dearest darling hubby and I were on a 'have it away' weekend in London.  The poppies really were mind blowing and it was a weekend that will stay in my memory for ever.

Of course what you're really here to see today is my desk so I've stood back a little to snap you a quick pic of what's going on here.....

• As you can see I've mounted my machine embroidered Christmas card designs and been playing with the designs.  I've scanned each one and printed a page of each of them off to work out what I'm going to do with them.....as they say....watch this space :-)
• I've just had a packet of 1" wooden beads arrive with my postman.....I've got a few ideas in the pipeline as to what I'm going to go with these so keep your eyes open for results.
• In the bottom left of the pic you can see some of my many boxes/bags of fabric and wools....trust me when I say this really is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fabric stash
• Middle top of the pic you can see my little temporary rail where you can see some of my customers sewing waiting to be collected....yes I'm getting a few callers each week now thankfully.
• at the back of the table, under the cupboard you can see a couple of boxes of overlocking threads and my button box....I can't wait to set up my new sewing room when it's built....the plans have now been sent to the planning office and, all being well, we should be able to start building etc in the new year :-)

I hope you've enjoyed your visit this week.  Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called by and I will pop over to yours as soon as I can.

Hugs,
Annie x

A need to share...T stands for Tower

We had such a wonderful time in London over the weekend and were both totally blown away by the amazing poppies at the Tower of London that I felt the need to share.  I know many of you have already been to see them but I also know many who are unable to go so here's my pics specially for you.

Please feel free to click on the pics to enlarge them....they are well worth a closer look.

We had tickets to the Tower too and here's a few pics of inside for you.

This was my favourite photo that I took....the sky was blue, the numbers of poppies are mind blowing and these ones seem to be reaching out to us.

We will remember them.