WOYWW....

Hi all.....here we are at another middle of the week fun day when we all link up with our creative buddies from all round the world....please check out here if you'd like to know more.

It's not been easy to do my blog today because yesterday I had my right hand chopped off!!!  No don't panic girls I didn't really have my hand chopped off but it really did feel like I had.....I LOST MY MOBILE PHONE!!!!  Oh how we rely on these techy things.  I usually take my blog photos on my phone ...and this week was no different cos I had already snapped my pics before I lost my b***** phone.  Can you tell I'm a little annoyed?  So, this week I have snapped my pics on the ipad and emailed them to myself so I could open them up on the lap top....I know I know there is probably a way of doing it all on the ipad but this was the easiest way for me to do it cos then I could do what I normally do with my photos on Picasa......I'm a bear of little brain you know :-)

So on my desk today is...

Several of you showed interest in the books made to put my annual ATC collections in so here are the three that I've filled over the last three years.

Here they are open showing you some of the amazing ATCs....I really love looking through them and treasure each and every little work of art.....thanks to all.

And here girls to show you just how much I'm looking forward to this years swap is the book I've made this week to put them all in.....I used to be a brownie so my motto is still...be prepared :-)

I've already made my ATCs for the swap this year and would really love to swap with any of you that would like to.  My plan is to get the names of all of you that are going to the crop and send yours in a parcel to Julia to put out on a table with my stamped addressed envelope for any return ATCs to go in [I hope this makes it easy and doesn't make extra work for anyone...and save postage too :-) ].  I'm happy to post to anyone else that isn't going to the crop that would like to swap too so please send me your details in an email to wipso@toucansurf.com

I hope that makes sense....please shout if it's not clear.

That's all I have to share with you this week.  My new phone should be arriving today so hopefully by next week life will have returned to nearer normal [It's never really normal for me is it? :-) ].

Leave me a little message and I will do my best to pay you a return visit asap and don't forget to email me your details if you would like to swap ATCs but not going to the crop.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 116

Hello all.  I'm really hoping you've all had a fab week with lots of smiles [some of which you will link up below and share with the rest of us......please].

Thanks to those of you who linked up last week.  I'm featuring Sylvia's post from last week.  Her pic of the two little ducks really had me chuckling and made me think we should have a little challenge from time to time here on a Friday......a think of a slogan to go with a pic sort of challenge :-)

If you'd like to have a bit of fun here's my pic that I'd like you to write a slogan for today...

My slogan is....'You can get two for one at Specsavers and they said pink is the new black but I'm not so sure'

My smiles this week have been many as always and today I'm sharing a couple, both of which were taken outside enjoying the lovely weather we have been having...

My son in law has been refashioning their back garden [they also only moved last year so he's been making it theirs and more child friendly].  The twins have a new area that they can play in now and their mummy helped them into one of the trees to pose for a pic....they now have a new button swing hanging in this tree......and if only Lexi could have kept the camera running long enough we could have seen their mummy showing them how to use the swing.....needless to say the tree is now minus one of it's branches cos it just wasn't up to the strain :-) [No daughter was hurt in the accident but a lot of giggles was had by all :-) ].

The other pics I'm sharing are the gorgeous flowers in our garden at the mo....some are being moved to make room for our new extension so I have been snapping pics while they are at their best.

Feel free to click on the collage if you'd like a closer look....they are sure to make you smile :-)

That's all from me for today.  Our youngest daughter Amy is 30 this weekend so we will be enjoying a party with all the family and friends so I know we will have lots to smile about....hope you will too and will link them up below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Hello folks.  Happy Wednesday to you all. I'm guessing you're here to check out my desk cos that's what we do on a Wednesday isn't it? If you don't know what I'm talking about then please pop over to Julia's blog to check out the details.

So, here's what you've come to see.....

I've had my thoughts focused on ATCs with this years swap coming up and, as last years ATCs were still bagged up and stored because of our house move, I thought I should mount them up in the book I'd made for them to go in before this year's arrived :-)

So this is what I've been doing [can you spot the one you gave me last year amongst the ones on show?]

.....I should say that this is what I've been doing when I haven't been making huge settee cushion covers, large lined curtains or shortening trousers.

I'm sorry to say I didn't manage to take photos of any of my other jobs because they have all been collected now but I will say I have had some very happy customers this week at the jobs I've done......and I was rather chuffed with the results too :-)

Whilst not sewing this is what we have been doing...

Before ....well, during actually  :-)

We have to remove this raised flower bed behind our bungalow to make room for our new extension so this is my other 'work desk'.

Even Rocky thought he should get in on the picture as you can see.  :-)

Concrete blogs removed now, as you can see, so we now have rather a lot of soil and plants to move before we are finished.  As each plant has flowered I have been moving them to where we want them to go....hyacinths, daffodils and fritillary have already got their new homes and as you can see the tulips are really gorgeous at the moment so it will be their turn next.  :-)

That's it from me for this week.  Please leave me a comment to say you've been and I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I'm able.  Little Sam had tonsillitis last week and because he shares everything with his twinnie it won't surprise you to know Lexi has also had it and is still not 100% so I really hope they are both much better really soon......Looking after them is where I will be if you need me today.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 115

Happy Friday to you all.  It's been another fab week full of smiles.  It's so lovely to see so many of you joining in each week.....thanks for all your efforts to make the world a happier place to be.

This week I'm featuring someone that I asked to link up and share with us because her post really got me chuckling.  Di shared her tale of a pop up tent and my only complaint was that she hadn't taken a pic of it all......she linked up a little late and some of you might not have popped over to see it so if you missed it do pop over to read what had me chuckling.....thanks for sharing your tale Di  :-)

I have a few smiles of my own to share with you this week.....

Here's little Sam smiling and giving us the thumbs up even though he has tonsillitis......get well soon little man.

Here's Lexi posing for the camera and looking really cute.

Here's Phoebe, Lulu and Steve peeping round trees while we were enjoying a walk looking for pea sticks for the peas we had just planted......happy happy times.

I make no excuses for the blurred photo....they were coming down at great speed  :-)

It was Lulu's 5th birthday at the weekend and she had a party with all her friends and family at Jungle land.  Here you can see Phoebe looking after her cousins.  She took Lexi and Sam on the big slide and held their hands to come down.....she's such a good girl and really loves her cousins [and they love her too :-) ].

My other smile this week is one I'm sure many of you wouldn't share but trust me when I say this mess is something I've really been looking forward to.  :-)  My darling other half has been preparing my sewing room in readiness for the builders.  The building regs are being drawn up and we are hoping progress will be made asap.

Talking of my darling other half.....33 years today he made an honest woman of me. :-) Happy anniversary darling.....here's to many many more.

Hope you have enjoyed sharing my smiles this week and will link yours up below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Happy Wednesday folks.  Here we are at yet another middle of the week sort of day when we all expose our creative spaces to the world and share our mess, muddle, clutter, work desk with our blogging friends.

Firstly I thought you might like to see what I did with the toilet foam seat pads I had on my desk last week....

I was given a new curtain by one of my customers a couple of years ago and it has been sitting in my fabric stash since then waiting for the right job for it.  As it was a lined curtain I used the lining to make a simple pad cover for each of the foam pads first....if anyone has ever tried to get a foam pad in a cushion cover you will know just how hard it is so I thought it was a good idea to make a basic pad cover so the pad would slip in easier......they work a treat too  :-)

 The curtain was made of a striped canvasy sort of material with a yellow stripe on the one side and blue and rusty red on the other side so I've managed to make the cushion covers reversable....depending on what colour mood I'm in on the day  :-)

There was just exactly the right amout of fabric to make the cushion covers.....It sort of said they were meant for the job :-)

This is just a quick snap of the mess I made while making the cushion pads....especially for those of you who think I never get messy :-)

I've had a really busy week with sewing so far.....thrilled to say business is really picking up at the mo.  I've shortened several pairs of trousers, altered two window blinds and on my desk today is this.......

[of course it will stay like this til tomorrow because today I will be playing with the twins :-) ]

I have been asked to make two huge boxed cushion covers and 5 large square cushion covers for a settee out of the gorgeous fabric on the roll at the back......Isn't it gorgeous?  It's a strong furnishing fabric and she wants all the cushion covers with zips so they will take me a while to make [and I will probably have to wait til that big sister of mine can spare me an hour to help me cut the fabric first....two pairs of hands makes the job so much easier :-) ].

So there you go....that's what I will be up to this week.  How about you?  Please leave me a little message so I know you've called by and I will pop over to yours as soon as I'm able to see what mess clutter crafty creations you're sharing this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 114

Hello one and all.....I hope you've had lots to smile about this week.  The sun has been shining here in Shrewsbury most afternoons so that has lifted the mood and given us lots to smile about....oh and we had great news on Wednesday.....the plans have been passed on our little bungalow.  :-) :-) :-)

We need to get the building regs done now and then we can get going with our changes to our new home.  :-)........it's so exciting.

We had lots of shared smiles this last week everything from gorgeous fabrics on Tilly's blog and perfectly named duck tape on Fiona's blog to a wrongly rehomed cat on Elizabeth's blog.  I couldn't chose between you so have added links to all three.  Thanks girls for sharing your smiles....in fact Elizabeth's really made me chuckle :-)

I'm sharing a few of my smiles next...

Shell had to take the twins to have their eyes checked this week.  Lexi may need glasses like her mummy in another twelve months time but for now she was happy to use the time while Sam had his eyes checked to try on a few pairs of frames....she is such a clown and loves to make us giggle.

We think Steve has the wrong idea about the dog run  :-)  It's not a dog run that gets used by the dog as you can see but the children like to play house in there  :-)

The other pic I'm sharing today is one of the special relationship between the twins....they are enjoying some sunshine together during their Easter holidays.  They really do love each other lots and share a very special friendship.  :-)

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

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Happy Wednesday to one and all.  What a gorgeous Easter weekend we had here.  We spent most of the weekend in our new back garden laying a new path and lawn and making a start on reshaping it all in readiness for our building work.....still no plans to work to but really hoping it won't be too much longer now.

So without more a do I will get on to what you've come to see today....

On my desk today is a job in waiting.  This is a job that won't bring in funds though as it's for the seats in our own back garden :-)  I will be making covers for these possibly today :-)

The other thing you can see on my desk today is my little pile of goodies put out in readiness to make a start on ATCs for the up and coming swap.....like the colours I'm using this year?

If you fancy swapping with me again this year I will be taking names soon.  :-)

Thanks for popping by to see what I've been up to this week.  If you leave me a little comment to let me know you've been I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I'm able.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 113

Thanks to those who shared their smiles last week.  Such a lovely lot of happiness shared and several of them caused giggles.  My featured post from last week just had to be Elizabeth's.  The joke at the end really made me chuckle because as you can imagine this Nanny Annie, like the one in the joke, doesn't always get things right.  Thanks for sharing that Elizabeth.....I must remember to think twice before I answer the grandees questions ;-)

This week has been one full of smiles for me so I'm sharing several pics today...

My first pic is of Phoebe who's just had her first swimming certificate...well done Phoebe.  We are so very proud of you.

:-) :-) :-) :-)

I promised pics from our Easter Family fun day on Wednesday this week but alas I had such a fun time that I came home having not even taken one pic so Amy sent me this pic of Phoebe and Lulu holding some of the fab things they made on the day....didn't we have a lovely time girls?

:-) :-) :-) :-)

Then I have made a few collages to share with you that have made me smile this week [feel free to click on them for a closer look if you'd like to] ...

 ......I keep checking these for developments but apart from growing and growing so far no hint as to what they are. :-)

Thanks for all your help in deciding what some of our new garden treasures are...as you can see there is so much colour coming out there now.  :-)

I took these pics especially for Kate who has happy memories of the daffodils that line many roads around Shrewsbury.  Aren't they stunning?

:-) :-) :-) :-)

I really hope you've all enjoyed the smiles I've shared this week and will link yours up below.  Hoping you all have a wonderful Easter weekend filled with many moments to make you happy.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

Happy Wednesday to you all and thanks for dropping by to see what I've been up to this week.  It's been a good week for sewing for me...

Business is thankfully picking up a little for me now and for the first time since we moved I can show you a full rail.  During the last week I have....

• Shortened 3 lined skirts
• Taken a lined dress up on the shoulders
• Shortened a lined Winter's coat
• Shortened 2 pair of trousers and
• Shortened 2 summer tops

I really buzz when I get busy and have really missed it so I've loved the challenge it's given me this week.  Let's hope work starts to trickle in again for me now.

My desk today is just full of my machines enjoying the sunshine and they are having a morning off today.  I am joining my 2 gorgeous daughters and daughter in law and 5 much loved grandees for Easter fun and games this morning.  I love family times, as you know, and I'm sure I just might have a pic or two to share with you for my weekly smiles post on Friday so feel free to call back then if you'd like to see what we get up to...... and why not link up and share your smiles for the week?  The more the merrier.  We can never have too many smiles....can we?

Thanks for dropping in.  If you leave me a comment to let me know you've called by I will do my best to pay you a return visit as soon as I can.

Hugs,

Annie x