This week's smiles....week 348

Oh what a lovely week it's been here at Sewing by Annie's.  I'm being kept busy with festive makes for my customers and for me and the family...and you know just how much I love being kept busy.

We have managed 2 weeks of twice weekly gym visits and next week we will be increasing it to 3x weekly....it's still more like torture to me but I'm managing a pretty good workout each time I go now so hopefully it will be doing me good.

I have a few photos to share with you of my family...and you know how much they make me smile...

Tuesday morning saw our usual visit from little Theo....he's such a creative little man and loves building with Lego or his K'nex [even though both are for age 5 and over!] and is enjoying Christmas crafts now too.....it's such a lovely age.

Tuesday early evening Steve had his football club [hence the football kit] and the girls came to spend an hour or more with us because it was such a wet evening and their daddy was busy this week.

As you can see, we set up our Christmas tree and the girls really enjoyed decking it for us [Steve insisted on putting a few bits on before he left for football].

It's so lovely to see the girls working together and checking out each little Christmas tree decoration as they put them on the tree....so many of our decorations hold very special memories for me.

Last Saturday Phoebe, Lulu and Steve joined many of their friends to a crafting day that the mum's organise each year.....It's so lovely to see them all crafting and creating together.

Finally I'm giving you a sneaky peep at the little Christmas bear I've made for my Sewing by Annie Facebook Page Gift draw this year......don't forget to keep an eye out and to get your name down to be in with a chance to win him.

Thanks for dropping by.  I hope you've found something to make you smile and will leave me a little comment before linking up to your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

As Christmas creeps crawls rushes at us at high speed I'm being kept very busy with all I like to do for the big day so without wasting any of our precious time I will speedily post a few pics of what I've been up to since you called here last week...

I've mounted these card toppers onto their cards and.....

....I've done these ones too so I think that's 40 now finished.

I've cut out all these little stockings and each one is backed with bond-a-web so they are ready to be ironed onto the next batch of cards.

I've been making fabric covered notice boards as a special order...a real labour of love so wont be advertising these to sell in a hurry.

Along side all the other alterations and repairs I've had to do this week I had to also open up the Teddy Hospital as this very special little bear required urgent day surgery so he could go home to his little owner for bedtime later that day.....I will add she was a very good patient and went home with her 'brave bear' sticker......Yes I know I'm nuts but it makes my customers smile :-)

That's all from me for today.  I will do my best to pop over to yours as some point but life here is rather hectic, as you can see.  :-)

This week's smiles....week 347

Christmas is fast approaching and my Sewing room is being kept very busy and that always keeps me smiling.

Wanting to get fitter and loose weight we have both started going to the gym this week and have found muscles we haven't used for a while....fingers crossed we will find the exercises easier soon and start to notice the benefits....I'm on a 14 week course advised by my Dr but my darling hubby is coming with me so that has to be worth smiling about eh?

My shared photos this week are Grandchildren based...and they never fail to keep us smiling...

Last Friday was Children in Need day and all the Grandchildren had to go to their schools dressed with spots in mind...and then each of give money towards the charity for the pleasure of going in dressed up.

We had a long day with little Theo on Tuesday.  We were up at silly o'clock to be ready for him and he didn't go home til after tea so we had lots of fun all day as you can see....he really loves building with the K'nex and has made a 'tree' out of the 'stars' he's made...such an imagination for a 3 year old.

He then got the pushchair and dolly out...he is so much like his daddy who had his own dolly at this age...I think it means they will make good daddies [I know Mark has].

Amy sent me photos of the girls cooking a lasagna for their tea....they make a good team cooking together and it really makes me smile that they are able to cook meals like this.

Michelle had bought a new fun cook book of how to make cakes in a tea cup using the microwave oven and Sam is showing the chocolate chip cookie he'd made.  The hardest part was waiting until it had cooled enough to eat it. :-)

That's all my snaps for this week.  Please leave me a little hello comment and then link up to your own smiles if you can so I can see what's been making you smile this week.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW...

It's been another busy week here at Sewing by Annie's [but what's new I hear you say].  My desk has seen lots of activity so here's a few snaps of what's been going on here in between my alterations/repairs.

My orders for Memory bears have been coming in fast and furious [I still have a further 11 pending if they all turn up].  Here's the latest three I've made.  I really love the colour combo of these three.  They are wanted for three Granddaughters to remember their much loved Grandmother by.

I made named hangers for the Christmas stockings and used my poppers to attach them.....so they just need filling with goodies before handing them over.

I then made a start at the toppers to go on my Christmas cards....I've wadded them all and sewn round each one with machine embroidery.

I then made a few more in a different colour way.....I think that's about 32 in total so far so still got lots more to make yet but at least it's a start.

That's all from me for today.  If you leave me a comment I will do my best to pay you a return visit in between my sewing jobs.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 346

Another week has flown by because I've been kept busy with sewing here at Sewing by Annie's but I'm never too busy to appreciate all the smiles in my life so here's a few snaps to share with you....

We celebrated Phoebe's 11th birthday this week...she's a beautiful girl inside and out.  Here she is on the morning of her birthday all ready to go to school. 

Amy put a collage together of Phoebe over the 11 years and this really made me smile....oh where did those years go?

On Sunday Sam carried the flag for his Beavers group at the Remembrance parade in Shrewsbury.  He's the oldest Beaver in his group and this will be his last year in the group before he moves up to Cubs so it was really lovely that he was chosen to carry the flag....proud Nanny moments.

Both Lexi and Sam were awarded their next swimming badge and certificate this week....I think Sam's face says it all don't you?

The ceramics we painted for my birthday treat with the girls have now been fired....don't they look gorgeous?

Those are my smiles for this week.  I hope you have found something to make you smile too and you will leave me a comment before linking up your smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW....

Oh what a busy week it's been since I saw you last so I will post the pics and do my best to keep it brief....

I've managed to make all the little lined Christmas stockings and now they are lined up waiting for their name labels :-)

I made these three bears from a much loved Husband, Father and Grandfather's shirts.

This little bear was made from tiny babygros to remember happy early days with a new baby.

These two bears were another first for me.  They were made from the fleecy horse blanket that belonged to a much loved horse and my customer share the photos with me of the horse wearing his blanket.....it's so very special when I get to hear who the bears are being made to remember.  wasn't he a beautiful horse?

These two are now heading to their new home down in Essex...another new area of the country I've spread my love to. :-)

On top of all that I have a rail full of sewing I have to do today.  There's...

• 3 pair of trousers to shorten
• a Jacket to put a new 26" zip into and
• a lined dress I have to shorten

...So if you leave me a little message I will do my best to pop over to yours to see what you've been up to this week.  Hope it's been a good one for you too.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles...week 345

These weeks sure are flying by and I'm doing my best to fill mine with smiles....life is far too short for anything else don't you agree?

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

My darling hubby, our little dog Milly and I headed off for another adventure last weekend in our motor home.  We found a lovely campsite in Cirencester and on Sunday we enjoyed a day at the Arboretum at Westonbirt nearby.  The Autumn colours of the trees were stunning.

The walkway/bridge you can see in some of the photos was a tree top walk and for someone who really isn't good at heights I can proudly say I managed it and it was really wonderful to see the trees at a whole new level.

The top right photo is one of three dogs carved out of wood...very special too.

I really love mushrooms, toadstools and fungus of any kind and, with there being so much rain this Autumn, many of these have done really well this year so I've just had to snap a few photos of some of the ones I've seen.

For Halloween our grandchildren have all been round a few of their local houses trick or treating and they really loved dressing up to go....

...here's Phoebe, Lulu and Steve and.....

....little Theo joined Lexi and Sam before they went out.  Doesn't he make a cute little pumpkin ?

I hope my pics have made you smile today and you will now leave me a little comment before linking up your own smiles below.

Hugs,

Annie x

WOYWW.....

Another week has whizzed by and after a weekend of adventures in the Motor home and not getting back to Monday afternoon [ pics will follow on Friday as we made memories and had lots to smile about while we were away] I had customers leaving me messages everywhere and now probably have a very busy end of the week with sewing to come through my door.

On my desk today is....

...yes it's in full on Christmas mode today while I'm waiting for my customers to arrive.  As most of you will know each year I make our Grandchildren [plus a few extras] a little something to hang on their Christmas trees so I have got out all my Christmas fabrics and made a start..

...this year I've decided to make each one of them a little lined Christmas stocking with their names on to put a little treat inside so I've cut out lots in different fabrics so that the outsides are different to the linings.....watch this space as they say :-)

That's all from me for today....I'm expecting lots of Memory bears, cushions to make cushion covers for and other sewing jobs through my door soon so, if you leave me a little comment so I know you've called by then I will do my best to pop over to yours to see what you've been up to between customers.  Hope you all have a great week.

Hugs,

Annie x

This week's smiles....week 344

Another lovely week and I've more smiles to share with you all.  

I was treated to lunch out on Saturday as part of my birthday treat from Amy, Dave and family then Amy had booked for me, her and the two girls to enjoy a couple of hours of crafty fun at Splat and Splodge in Shrewsbury...

What a lovely afternoon we had painting our chosen ceramics.  I painted a little Father Christmas to hang on our Christmas tree....can't wait for it to be fired so we can collect them....the girls are growing up so quickly now and are really lovely company to spend time with.

The schools around here have been on half term holidays this week so they have been having Halloween fun....

The twins have been decorating the house, carving their pumpkins and enjoying time with their friends.

Amy's three have been to choose their pumpkin and have been making scary face masks.

On Wednesday Steve went with his Mum and Grandad to Walsall to play in a football tournament with Shrewsbury Football Academy.  There were 13 teams taking part and Steve's team came fourth.  He plays in goals and they said he had made some really good saves.....so proud of him.

Of course rather than standing on the side of the football pitches in the cold the two girls asked if they could come and spend the day with me.

I know I was working but they are now so independent and love playing with Nanny's crafty stash so of course I said yes.

I did have customers and had sewing to do but it was really lovely to have their company here and we had a lovely time crafting and creating together....they managed to finish knitting their squares and then made their little bunnies with them.  They then moved onto making pom poms and creating different characters out of them.....it's so lovely watching them dipping into my craft supplies.

Little Milly often makes us smile and here she is sitting on one of the plants in the garden....I have a feeling she thinks I am growing cushions for her to sit on!!!

Those are my smiles for this week.  Please leave me a little comment so I know you've called by and if you can please link up below and share your smiles with us too.

Hugs,

Annie x