Today I will be baking and preparing nibbles ready for Crop10 tomorrow in between any sewing that I have to do so I have set up this collage from the latest blooms in our garden to make you all smile this week.....everwhere I look there's more gems bursting into flower and every one makes me smile. Nature is so wonderful isn't it?
When the sun comes out there's a constant buzz from all the bees and insects enjoying the flowers too so that really makes me smile....I'm doing my bit to keep our bees alive and hope you are too cos we need them.
Hoping you will all share your smiles with us too by linking them up below.....I may have more smiles to share with you by next week.
Here we are at the last Wednesday catch up before our Crop10 celebrations. I have lots going on here but sadly not a lot I can share with you as its in preparation for Saturday and I like to keep surprises.
We were away on another little Motor home adventure last weekend so there was a lot of....
...rest and relaxation in the day time in between enjoying lovely dog walks and enjoying amazing sun sets each evening before pulling the blinds down and snuggling up each evening.
I'm sure in a former life Milly was a traveller because she loves the life in the Motor home and really enjoys watching everything going on around her.
There's nothing on my desk I can share so I will just let you know that replacing 39 white buttons with black ones so he can wear them while playing in the band was quite a challenge.....its not all exciting sewing here :-)
The last thing I'm sharing this week is the two lovely ATCs that have arrived with me this week from friends who wanted to share but can't come to the crop on Saturday. The left one is from Zsuzsa and the one on the right is from Angela....thanks so much both. I love them both.
That's all from me for this week....I will try to post a smiley post on Friday but I may be a little busy sewing and baking so we will see. To those coming to the Crop10....see you there.....wahooooooo.
Here I am at my usual weekly round up of my happy moments from my week....and there's been many thankfully.
Last Thursday morning the sun shone and our son, Mark his wife, Gina and little Theo's day started with the removal van on their drive. The move went very well and by Saturday a lot of the boxes were already empty, the living room wall had been painted and....
.....the downstairs cloakroom's old carpet had been ripped up and Mark had already tiled the floor [when you have a little boy the floor is better wipe able]. Mark is just like his dad and really can turn his hand to anything...and does a lovely job of it too.....Proud mummy here.
Friday morning saw the same firm of removals at Shell and Brent's house and here they are with the ramp down to their new house.
Theirs is a new build so.....
....here are the twins outside their new front door with a big bow on it and.....
....each of the toilets had a bow on it too. Apparently it's something the cleaners do after they have given everywhere a final clean.
Neither Mark or Shell has moved far from us. Mark is about 15 mins away and Shell is just 5 mins away so we will still be able to see them all often thankfully.
Another smile was this one of Phoebe, Lulu and Steve posing for a photo whilst on their latest adventure in their campervan....I think they like to get me guessing where they are and I was able to confirm they were in Colwyn Bay....which always pleases them.
I love seeing them making the best of their new campervan and hearing all about their adventures.
Of course I can't leave my little Tuesday visitor out. He has learnt to stick his thumb up and doesn't he look a cool dude with his sunglasses on?
Whilst playing with me this week we played shop and then I got out the quiet book pages that I made several years ago for the twins and he really enjoyed exploring the pages and doing each of the activities on them....I love how each of them benefits with the things I make in turn.
I hope you have enjoyed my shares this week and will leave me a little comment before sharing your own smiles below....I may struggle to leave you comments this week as we are off on an adventure so will say sorry now ;-)
Wahoo wahoo wahoo. Today we are celebrating 10 years of fun and friendship with thanks to a wonderful idea our group leader Julia had all those years ago. I'm sure when she first uploaded pics of her desk all those years ago she never imagined it would still be going strong all this time later. So many of us have now met up in person and so many wonderful friendships have been formed because of our Wednesday fun.....So a huge thank you to Julia for linking us up every week [and thank you to Jan for holding the fort when Julia needed a few weeks off to recover from her surgery].
I have made some ATCs if anyone, who isn't coming to the crop on 1st June, would like one but so far only Angela has asked to swap. It's not too late though so just email me at wipso2310@gmail.com and I will pop one in the post for you....of course I will be sending one to my pass it forward friend as well.
Ive a quick couple of pics to share with you today....
My week started off by making another School Memory bear for yet another local school that I'd not made one for before....so possibly there will be friends who will order one now too :-)
Then this little lot arrived on my desk. It was all the washed pet blankets brought to me by one of my customers who had very suddenly, without warning lost her dog. She'd was a good age but hadn't been poorly so it was quite a shock to them that they found her dead when they gpt up one morning so they asked me if I could make a Memory dog out of her blankets....oh and a little key ring using one of them too.
Some of the furry blankets were quite thick so not the easiest to use but, you know me, I love a challenge and my customer was thrilled to bits with the finished result. Cute isn't it?
The blanket my customer wanted using for the little keyring was one of the thicker fleeces so to make it so tiny was a real challenge....but even that worked out well and my customer commented on just how thoughtful I was to use tiny heart buttons for the eyes....I guess you have to be a dog lover to understand the loss of a much loved fur baby.
Well folks that all from me for today. That just leave me to say a big thank you to you all for calling in each week and for your love and friendship over the last 10 years.....hope to see a lot of you at the crop very soon.
My week's really seem to be flying by at the mo. Our son, Mark and his wife, Gina and little Theo moved houses yesterday and our eldest daughter and her family are moving houses today so it's all change for some of the family this week. We wish them many happy years in their new homes.
My smiles this week have been many......
I've had a really busy week with my sewing and that always makes me smile.
Hubby is now only working 3 days each week winding down to his retirement and we are enjoying our extra days together.
Our garden is simply full of gorgeous colour....
Our little fur baby Milly has been for a hair cut and here she is soaking up some of the gorgeous sunshine we've had this week....
She's so pretty when she's been clipped because it exposes her pretty stripes and she seems so know too....she does make me smile.
I've made a school Memory Bear for a lady in Sutton Coldfield this week so that's another area of the country I've reached....and that makes me smile. Plus there is another parcel of clothing heading my way today so that will be another area I will be spreading too soon. :-)
I hope you have enjoyed my smiles for this week and will leave me a little comment, so I know you've called by, and will then link up to your own smiles below.
Hugs,
Annie x
Here we are at another Wednesday sharing day when we expose or desks and share a little of our creative spaces with the world....it's my favourite day of the week.
I've been at it again but this time I thought I'd show you the challenges I get in my day...
To make my memory bears and other characters I am often given a real challenge to find sufficient fabric to make them out of and the two I made Monday pushed me to the limit. The two front panels had to be cut out of this blue gingham and this was the only piece big enough to fit one pattern piece on, let alone two!...every other piece was either too short or too narrow and, as you can see, this was the only layout I could get the two on.
The back and logo was to use a school jumper but even that was too short to fit the pattern pieces on all except the sleeves and those were only just long enough. I take the logos off the front of the jumpers and make a badge out of them to then be sewn on the fronts of the bears in the right place.
This little bear is heading up to Barrow Hall Primary school up in Warrington....that's another location I've not made for before :-)
My rather bigger challenge I was given by the same customer was to make a Memory rabbit from a really tiny dress and top. As you can see the front is far too small to fit the pattern piece on, which ever way it's turned, and the back was even smaller....so with a lot of dismantling, turning, piecing, joining and patience.......
....One completed little rabbit. I love a challenge but this one really did push me to my limits....but I do have one very happy customer so it was all worth the effort.
The last share is a bit of a tease really. I've been making a dozen ATCs for the up and coming swap. I plan to swap with anyone who would like to swap but that isn't coming to the crop...because I've made something a little different to swap with them.
So, if you'd like to swap ATCs with me please email me at wipso2310@gmail.com and send me your address.
That's all from me for today....I've a rail of sewing to tackle today so will aim to pop round as many blogs as I can in between sewing jobs.
Firstly I must apologise to those I missed to visit and leave comments on last week.....anyone who posted later in the day couldn't be reached because we were out of Internet reach on a campsite on the Welsh coast.
We were on a farm campsite with a horse, 2 donkeys, 3 goats, several alpacas, sheep, ducks, guinea fowl, chickens [and a cockerel!!!] several dogs and a flock of doves. As you can imagine this caused a lot of 'interest' for our little Milly especially when many of them walked right up to the side of our motor home! It was a fairly basic campsite but all the facilities were spotless and it was really quiet....apart from the 5.30 wake up call from the cockerel!!
Amy, Dave and children were out and about in their campervan too and they sent me this photo of the children sitting by the said of Lake Vrynwy.....bliss.
Phoebe looks so grown up in this photo and will be moving on to secondary school in September....where has that time gone?
On Tuesday I had my little visitor as I usually do but this time we had Grandad to play with too....it's his first 3 day week winding down to his retirement at the end of July and that's giving me lots to smile about.
Here they were sat at the table drawing together and in the bottom photo Theo was 'helping' Grandad clean out the motor home and they were 'trying out the bed for a nap' and were in deep conversation.
This is my latest page of Memory bears I've printed off for my file. This brings the number up to 229 .....actually 230 as the latest bear I made Wednesday isn't in the photo....and there's still more to arrive soon.
That's my lot for this week. I hope to be able to post next week but as we hopefully have our son, Mark moving house on the Thursday and Daughter, Michelle moving house on Friday life may get a little busy.
"Here we are again happy as can be....." I'm sure there's a song there somewhere :-)
I'm back working again today after a long weekend off so apart from being rather tired from a night on a campsite on a farm in Wales over the weekend and being woke by the cockerel at 5.30 in the morning....yes he didn't know how near he was to being Coq au vin....or dog food!
I had a really busy week last week with work for customers and here is the last two school memory bears I made...
This one is made from the same school uniform our three wore at secondary school so it brought back some happy memories for me and......
....this one was made for the same customer using her son's final year uniform.
On my desk today is another Oxon School uniform [that's the school the twins go to] and I am to make this little bear for a little one in the reception class there.
I still have several bears expected this week to arrive, a couple of which are being posted to me so it's really lovely to be spreading my wings with orders from around the country.
The other job I have to do today is to shorten the sleeves on this lady's coat....It's such a cuddly fleecy fabric that I'd really love to be making a bear out of it hehehe.
That's all from me for today folks. I'm keeping busy with a few surprises for the up and coming crop but wont be sharing those yet of course.
I'm here for my usual weekly catch up of the happy moments of my week and to share them with my friends hoping that they make you smile too and your share yours with me. Having had a couple of very quiet weeks with my sewing business it's really made me smile that this week I've been REALLY busy.
Since doing the Bridesmaid's dress and posh frock of last week I've had a steady flow of item's of clothing to make memory characters with. I'd already made the stripey bear you saw on Wednesday and yesterday I made.....
A School Memory bear for a little girl and School Memory rabbit for her big brother plus for their mummy I made....
...a special Memory cat out of her Nan's favourite cardigan. When I sent her the photos of her finished characters this was her response..
Annie I’m in happy tears!! My Nan’s Bear is fantastic!!! And the
kids!!! Love them all thanks so much xx can’t believe you have done them
already x talented lady x
......this is why I feel so blessed to be doing the job I do.
On Sunday while hubby was at footy I went to an Escape Room session with my Son, Mark, his wife Gina and a group of friends. As you can see from the photos the younger generation won the challenge and managed to break into the bank to get the money before us oldies but as only 57% of those that go in actually escape in the time allowed the fact that us oldies got out with over 4 minutes to spare really made us smile.
This is my garden catch up for this week. We bought two new Lilac bushes at the end of last year and they are now bursting into bloom....I can nearly smell them already....can't wait.
I think I will leave it there for this week. Please leave me a little message if you've called in and it you can then link up to your smiles below.
I'm counting down the days now til Crop 10 [just 31 days!!!!] and getting rather excited. Jo and I have been plotting and planning and I have a box or two of goodies ready for the big day. We intend baking some cakes but if anyone wants to bring one with them they will be very welcome....can never have too much cake can we?
We will be setting out tables for..
Eating cake on
Crafting on [who am I joking?]
Bring and take....it anyone would like to bring any crafty item they no longer use to pass on to others then they are welcome but if by the time they leave it hasn't been taken by anyone then we ask you to take them home with you.
Draw prizes....most people usually bring a little something to go in a draw [doesn't need to be anything crafty]
Did I mention eating cake on?
Food....there will be a cold finger food buffet [PARTY food....cos we have a lot to celebrate!]
Tea / Coffee and cold drinks will be available throughout the day
Oh and yes to eat cake on or have I said that before?
As you can see it's going to be a fun filled, cake eating, day.
Now to what you've come here to see....my desk.
I've sorted out some of my fat quarters and am working on a piece of crazy patchwork to make a book cover with. I rather like how it's going together and plan to keep this as my go to project when I'm not so busy with customers.
This week business has really picked up since the Easter break and I've already
Shortened 2 hems on a bridesmaids dress and taken in the bodice to make it fit.
Altered the bodice on a very posh frock.
Shortened the sleeves on a suit jacket and shortened the trousers too for a gent to wear to his daughter's wedding.
Made this little stripey Memory bear in memory of a much loved mum. It's had to be made before the funeral so I'm not sure if he wont be featuring there.
I already have orders for 9 more bears so I'm hoping they don't all arrive on the same day :-)
That's all from me for today. Don't forget to add you name and numbers over at Julia's if you're coming to Crop 10....and if not then why not? It's going to be a day not to miss.
Hugs,
Annie x
