This week's smiles....week 112

Well, where does the time go?  It only seems like a day or so ago that I was posting my smiles for last week.  Many thanks to all who joined in yet again last week.  It's so good to see so many of you with such lovely smiles to share.  I know it does me good to spend a little time each week focusing on the happy moments in my life and I'm really hoping you all feel the same.

I would like to feature my 'much older' sister's blog this week.  We enjoy many smiles together as I'm sure many of you can imagine.  We both have fairly wicked senses of humour and her smile for last week certainly is one occasion when she made me chuckle.....of course I did suggest she should have ironed the creases out before snapping her pic but I'm sure none of you will have gone in for a closer look to have noticed them!  :-)  Thanks for making me chuckle Jo....love you lots and really can't wait til you get settled into your new home just 5 mins away :-)

My smiles for this week have been many....I am so blessed.  I'm sharing just a couple of them with you that I managed to get snaps of...

There was a visit by a Minion at the playschool Easter fair that my youngest daughter helped organise last Saturday.  As you can see he was a big hit with our two little granddaughters and their Grandad.  :-)  I was so very proud of all the efforts our daughter, Amy put in to organise the event and was thrilled with the huge amount of funds raised for their playschool.

Here are a few more little treasures we've found in our new back garden....a few little cowslip plants have been making me smile.

I have also snapped a few pics of some mystery plants that have popped up in the garden too.....come on all you expert gardeners out there can you help with the names of these so I can read up on what I need to do with them? [you should be able to click on the pics to get a closer look if you need to].  Are they some sort of lily maybe?  

That's all from me for today.  Please snap a few of your smiles for this week and link them below so we can all share yours too.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Here we are at yet another Wednesday catching up with all our creative friends all round the world by linking up over at Julia's....please pop over there for details if you'd like to join in the fun.

This week we have benefited from some gorgeous Spring weather and have been enjoying making a start in our new garden to change what needs to be changed in readiness for the building work we have planned.  One of the gardens has to be moved to make a patio in front of our new kitchen doors so we have been making a raised bed to take at least some of the surplus soil...

The area to the right of the steps will become the patio....well, that's the plan :-)

This little bed has really filled with the bulbs in bloom now but as you can see the weeds have taken over too so yesterday morning while the sun was shining [it really is a sun trap in our new back garden] I made this my work desk and .......

.....pulled this lot out so it now looks like this.....

....and doesn't it look better now? :-)

I can't have hyacinths in the house because the heady perfume gives me a sort of asthma attack but I love the smell and am really enjoying all the gorgeous blooms in the garden.

My indoor desk this week had another challenge for me.  Some of you might recognise this waistcoat as I've shown it on here before.  It belongs to a special gent that I sew for and this was a real favourite of his.  I have repaired many areas several times over the years.  It has special pockets in it that he could keep his mobile phone easily accessible to his good hand....he's had a stroke and relies heavily on his good side.  The waistcoat has become very worn now and beyond repair so I've been asked to use the area unworn on the back to make a special cushion cover for his fav chair.

 

Ta da!!  Here is the finished cushion cover.....It's for a surprise birthday present and I'm sure he will really love it. :-)

Don't you just love it when you know what you've done will put a huge smile on the face of someone special? :-)

That's all from me for this week.  I hope you've enjoyed your visit and will leave me a little hello comment so I know you've called by.  I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I am able.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week111

Hello folks.  Here we are at another of my weekly catch up of smiles.  I would like to thank all of you who took time out of your busy lives to link up your happy times and share your smiles with us all.

This week I'm featuring Laura's gorgeous orchid flower that she shared with us last week.  Laura suffers from ME so I really appreciate all the effort she makes to find something to share with us each week.  Her gorgeous red orchid made me feel a little better [I'm suffering a nasty chesty cough/cold this week :-( ] so I really hope it did the same to her.  Thanks Laura.

My smiles this week have included another parcel full of fun fabrics from a Facebook friend.

It's not all cotton fabrics so I can't use it all for quilt making but I'm sure my little 5 grandchildren will find something for me to use it on. :-) ....and getting a parcel full of fabric always makes me smile :-)

Some of my other smiles came from my family on Mother's day....gorgeous flowers, very special sunflowers in their pots and a card chosen by my son that I'm sure will make you all smile [do click on the pic for a closer look].  I feel so very blessed to have such a wonderful family.

I hope you have enjoyed my smiles this week and will now link up your happy moments below so we can share yours too.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to all my wonderful bloggy friends that call by every week to check out what I've been up to.....not an awful lot this week to be honest is the easy answer because I'm a little off colour.  My gorgeous little twinnie munchkins share everything with me......including their bugs :-(

What I have got to show you is...

My darling hubby had to lift our table into the middle of the room this week so I could tackle metres and metres of heavy cotton drill type fabric for a job I've been asked to do this week.

Where is that big sister of mine when she's needed?....answer is she's a little too far away at the mo to be able to call her for help.....but, all being well, she will be a lot closer very very soon        :-) :-) :-) :-)

This what I had to make.....a zipped and shaped chair pad cushion cover.  But of course it wasn't just one I had to make......

I had to make 6 cushion covers all with matching striped pattern....ta da.  Here they are all done and phew it took every little bit of my energy to make them.

The other thing I'm sharing with you this week is a mystery.  As you know we have garden treasures popping up in every corner of our new garden.  Most I can identify even if we have to wait to see what colour the blooms will be but these are really a mystery.  The leaves are too wide for daffodils and the wrong shape for tulips etc.  They are already about 8" plus in height and still growing and so far there are no signs of blooms coming.

Do any of you have any ideas as to what they can be?  We will be watching their growth with interest and if blooms emerge I promise to share their developments with you.

Thanks for dropping by this week. Please leave me a little message and I will pop over to yours to say hello.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 110

Hello happy bloggers.  Here we are at another Friday when I post my week's smiles [well, at least some of them] and I reload my Mr Linky so you can link up your happy posts too.  There was such a lovely lot of you joining in last week and I'd like to thank each and every one of you.....it really is appreciated.

I am featuring someone who titled their post from last week...109 simple pleasures :-)

I must admit I was expecting a rather longer post than the one she shared but what she did share was a photo of her washing blowing outside in the sunshine....something I've always loved seeing esp when it was a line of my baby's white terry nappies.  Yes when I had my first baby it was terry nappies all the way :-)  Thanks for sharing that Janet....it took me back to lots of very happy memories even if you didn't have 109 simple pleasures to share ;-)

My week, as always has been full of smiles and today I'm sharing one that arrived through my door yesterday and more of my garden treasures.

I have joined a group of like minded sewing ladies on Facebook and one of the girls put a shout out for something I had that was surplus to my needs.  She wanted to pay for it but I suggested we did a swap and that I would be happy with a little fabric to go towards my next LillyBo quilt.  I haven't made one for a while as they had a good stock of quilts available but alas there will always be new children diagnosed with leukaemia and there will always be a need for their little comfort quilts so I plan to make a few more to send to Jo.  They are also always in need of the little bags for their bravery beads to go in and as my Facebook friend was so very generous with the fabric she sent me I plan to make a few of those too.  I really would like to say a huge thank you for all this gorgeous fabric [and the hand made bath bomb too of course] ....it sure did put a huge smile on my face.

As promised here is another collage of the beautiful treasures coming into bloom in our new garden......we have lots of miniature daffodils, hyacinth flowers and some stunning huge crocus flowers in bloom this week.......and there really is something to smile about appearing in every corner of our new garden.

I hope you have enjoyed my shares this week and link yours up below so we can share your smiles too.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Yes it's THAT time of the week again.  :-)  It's that day when very many folk link up over at Julia's and then make several cuppas while they visit their blogging friends who live all around the world to see what they have been up to creatively during the week.  It's a snoopers paradise :-) I love my Wednesdays.  My name is Annie and I'm a desk snooper.  :-)

Do you remember that gorgeous fabric I bought last week?  Well,...... prepare yourselves for a shock.....I've been and gone and cut it up!!!

I saw a fab idea for a desk storage for all my tools while I was doing a search in Pinterest.  I liked the idea but decided to adapt it to suit my needs so redesigned it a little......as you do :-)

Here's the proof.....all my pieces have been carefully pressed, measured and cut to size :-)

See I do brave it now and then and actually cut into some of my gorgeous fat quarters.  :-)

The main pockets and body of the tool holder has been sewn and turned right sides out and I've just pinned the pin cushion, that hold it together when standing, into place.

Note the poppy fabric had to be reversed so that the poppies are the right way up when standing. :-)

I've then slid the cardboard pieces inside and top stitched them in place and hey presto!

Here's a side view so you can see the finished tool holder standing.

And here's a front view so you can see the pockets where my tools will sit.

I'm rather chuffed with the finished results....what do you think?

Thanks for popping by again this week.  Please leave me a little hello message so I know you've called and I will pop over to yours as soon as my little twinnie playmates will allow.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 109

What a happy week we've had this week.  There were many more of you sharing your smiles and I thank you all for joining in the fun.....please keep it up girls.

This week I'm featuring someone who had a visit from the fairies while washing in the bathroom :-)  That's what happened and I'm sticking to it Julia!  Just look at that perfect little footprint....what else could it have been I ask you?  Thanks for making me smile Julia.

I have had a week full of smiles this week as my darling hubby has had the week off work on holidays.  We have shared caring for the twinnie munchkins on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we celebrated hubby's birthday on Tuesday, had a full day of adventures on Wednesday and I'm even including a couple more snaps of garden treasures to make you smile.....

Can't you just see why this one makes me smile?  The twinnies really love their special time with their grandad.  There was sooooo much laughter filling the room.

Wednesday adventures at Attingham Park.....1000s of snowdrops to look at, lots of puddles to jump in, long walks through the woods and a fabulous play area to enjoy too....what more could we ask for?

I've grovelled down on the ground for you for this pic to show you that all that all the snowdrops in our new garden are double blooms....aren't they simply gorgeous?

We brought a few bulbs from our old house and these are only single blooms so it will be lovely to mix these with the double ones in the new garden.

This is the last pic I'm sharing with you today.  It's the first tiny daffodil that has opened up this week.  It really is so tiny and so perfect.

I hope you have enjoyed sharing my smiles this week.  Please snap one or two of yours and link them below so we can all share yours too.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....300!!!!!

Wow where has that time gone?  Here we are celebrating the 300th week of Wednesday madness.  Huge thanks to our wonderful organiser, Julia, for keeping us going so long and here's to many more happy weeks of linking up with friends all around the world.

You saw my desk at it's worse last week with mess, stash, dust and clutter everywhere.  I will say that I not only found the beads, trims and sequins that I was looking for but I managed to finish the Wedding dress and the little bride wore it with pride on Saturday and looked simply amazing.  :-)  Job well done!

This week I am sharing this....

My desk in all it's glory :-)

I gave it all a good sort out, clean and tidy up on Monday and, as it was Hubby's birthday yesterday and we will be looking after the twins all day today, my desk will be looking like this until tomorrow at least :-)

The other quick pic I'm sharing this week is my guilty pleasure.....Saturday, that much older sister of mine [Jo] and, I had a rare treat of some quality time together and went to our local fabric shop.....who wouldn't given the chance?

This was my 'I saw it and just had to have it' purchase while we were there. Did I need it?...nope.  Do I know what I'm going to do with it?...nope.  As they say watch this space......but of course it may well have to be stroked for a while first.  :-)

That's it from me for this week folks.  Sorry I haven't got more to share with you but I will try to get messy again by next week.  Leave me a little message to let me know you've called by and I will do my best to return the visit asap.

Hugs,

Annie x