Thank you for my blog award Keryn....

 

I was very kindly given this lovely award by Keryn from Poppy Dog blog.  Keryn has become a really good friend through our blogs and last weekend we even managed a 'chat' via MSN so to receive this award from Keryn has of course made it all the more special.  Thank you so very much.

I think I am supposed to pass this on to 3 other bloggers but of course Keryn would be one that I would put in my top three so I'm only choosing another two  :-)  Top of my list of course for the one who is more than often top of the list of comments just has to be that much older sister of mine, Twiglet.  She is not only an appreciated follower on the blogs but also in real life  :-)  The other blogger I would like to pass this award on to is Di from Pixie's Crafty Workshop.  She is another blogger who follows my blog closely and who I greatly appreciate the friendship of.  She is always there for me with lovely supportive and encouraging comments.  Thank you to you all.  Please pick up this award from me and pass it on to others who you, in turn, appreciate.

Wahoo a new award for me.....

Sam or Hettie from Hettiecraft has awarded me the versatile blogger award.  Thanks Sam.

Well, I have been called all sorts but rarely versatile.  Apparently it means...

"...capable of or adapted to many different uses, skills etc, liable to change..".

I have a coaster in front of me that Twiglet gave me many years ago with the meaning of my name on it.  Apparently Ann means

From the Hebrew meaning 'graceful'. [I'm certainly not that!!]

She is industrious and practical and can turn her hand to anything. [guess that means versatile.]

A lady of many talents. [I have to say I do wear many hats in a day.]

Now the Rules of accepting this award.

• In accepting my award I must place a link back to the person who awarded it - done
• Share 7 random things about myself (OMG!) - next job
• Award 7 recently discovered bloggers and contact them to let them know - might just wimp out of that one.

It is becoming difficult to tell you more random things about me that you don't already know but I will have a go.

Here goes. 

1. I have met Prince Charles...he was a lot shorter than I imagined.
2. I was once commissioned to design and make sets of 6 puppets to be used in puppet theatres for a company in London. [You can buy my puppets here over in our blog shop]
3. I used to be able to touch the back of my head with both feet at the same time and even when 8 1/2 months pregnant with my youngest daughter I could still bite my toes nails! [not any more, alas].
4. I used to be trusting enough to stand spread eagle against a wooden shed and let my brother throw darts in the spaces around me!! [yes mad I know!!]
5. I have used the same single felt pattern to make the heads of literally 1000s [2500 at least!] of tiny felt bears.  I have made 800 of them into Shrewsbury bears and sold them to the tourist info office so I know these ones are all over the world.  I love the though of the smiles I have spread all over the world.
6. I taught all my 3 children to cross stitch [and even went into their school and taught the children there] and we were featured, as a family, in a magazine when our eldest daughter was commissioned to do two cross stitch pictures to commemorate a church bell ringing link up between a local church and a church in Sarasota, America.  We even went over to Sarasota and were hosted as a family by the church people as a thank you.
7. I now live in the same house that my family have lived in for over 60 years although it has changed much in that time and when I was born there was 8 of us living in a third of the house that the two of us now live in.  Back then we had no bathroom and no running water and my cot sat at the foot of Twiglet's bed in the same room as Mum and Dad's double bed!!  Happy memories.

Thanks again Sam for making me use the old grey matter this time on a Monday morning.  I would like to pass this award on the the very many versatile bloggers that read my blog [you know who you are].....all the clever people that juggle busy lives, their families and all the challenges life throws them and still find time to craft and create wonderful things.

7 things about the me of today...

As you will have seen on Wednesday I have been awarded the stylish blog award by several of my blogging friends and promised to have a go at the 7 facts about me so I'm going to write mine about me as of now this minute of my life 
[it changes from day to day in this house :-) ].......

1. I am designing and making lots of new crafty ideas for the shop [with Twiglet's help of course] so keep a look out for the weekly gift at the mo prior to them being sold in the shop.
2. I now have over 1050 customers so am kept very busy with sewing jobs....everything from Gruffalo's outfits to posh frocks  :-)
3. I'm trying to fit some dumfing [see side link to know more] into my week and would like to be able to make some more pictures.
4. At the moment I'm baking granary bread rolls with my new bread maker....can't you smell them?  Update.....Here they are all baked now....Can you smell them now?
5. Every day I do at least 20 minutes of one or other crafts....at the moment I'm knitting baby clothes....hehehe and no I haven't stopped grinning yet.
6. I have a wonderful lot of, what I would call, blogging friends.  They come here on a regular basis and leave me such lovely comments.  They share all my crafty days and excitements in life.  Thank you to you all ..... you know who you are  :-)
7. I'm hoping to have 5 Grandchildren by Christmas [just look at the wonderful scan picture below].......Just in case you are the one person I haven't told yet  :-)   I'm soooooooooo excited......just in case you hadn't noticed.  :-)

Stylish? Me?......

Bernie from One of a Kind has passed this fab blog award on to me.  Not sure there is anything about me that could be called stylish but thank you Bernie.  What I now have to do is to think of 8 things about me that you don't know already [hard one this] and to pass it on to 4 other blogger[even harder cos there are so many] so I will do my best...

1. I have a small scar on my right cheek where I fell on a hook as a toddler...the hook was one a safety gate fitted on to keep me out of the kitchen [no health and safety around then obviously  :-) ]
2. I have been a bridesmaid 3 times [for my brother, my sister and my cousin ] and still managed to be a bride. [3 times a bridesmaid never a bride!! ....another rule I've broken  :-)  ]
3. When I got married I kept the same initials...different surname but same initial .....I was told "change of name and not of letter is a change for the worse and not for the better"!  [guess that's another saying I have broken cos my OH is the best thing that has ever happened to me]
4. I am not superstitious....I walk under ladders ....maybe you can see why from above
5. I went to a grammar school and have nine O levels and one A level....educated idiot me  :-)
6. I met my OH on a blind date on Sunday 2 August 1981.  By 4th August we had decided to get married, we got engaged after 8 weeks and married after 8 1/2 months [and not a maternity dress in sight!] and here we are nearly 29 years later still happily married and as they say the rest is history.
7. I was only 4 foot 4" when I started secondary school and was the smallest pupil in the school at the time....only ever reached the giddy height of 5 foot and am on the downhill road now  :-) ...they say 'small things come in little parcels' but so does poison....I will let you decide which I am.
8. My Grandmother was 47 when she had my Dad and yet she lived to see him celebrate the birth of his first Grandson.  She was nearly 101 when she died and a day doesn't pass without us sharing her wealth of knowledge with others.  She was an amazing woman.

Now I have to pass this on to 4 others...I have looked through all the very many blogs I follow and I am really finding it impossible to choose so am going to have to pass on this one.  Please, if I follow your blog it is because you are stylish [yes, Twiglet that means you....can't get much more stylish than you!] so please pick up this award and let me know when you have written the 8 things I don't know about you [I have a feeling you might find it hard to write 8 things I don't know about you though Twiglet! ]  :-)

One lovely blog award....

I would like to say thank you to Michelle from Thistles happy place for this lovely blog award.  It's always lovely when another blogger passes on a blogging award.  I follow lots of lovely blogs and have passed this one on before so if you are one of my followers and haven't received this award before please pick it up and consider it yours.  I really only write my blog as a personal record of what is going on in my life [well,the bits I can share  :-) ] and it means a lot to me to think others are interested enough to read it and leave such lovely comments......so would like to say a big 

Thank you to you all.

Cherry on the top award....

This lovely award was given to me by the lovely Keryn. Keryn makes some really lovely cards and her other half paints the most gorgeous paintings so please pop over for a browse through her blog. Thanks Keryn for thinking of me and sending me this award.
There are 5 rules for accepting this award :

1. Thank the person who forwarded the award to you. [done]
   
2. Display the award on your blog [done]
   
3. List 3 things about yourself
4. Post a picture you love
5. Tag 5 people who you'd like to forward this onto

So 3 things about me...

1. I met my other half on a blind date and married him 8 1/2 months later
   
2. I have made well over 2000 little bears and they can now be found all over the world
3. I can say the alphabet backwards

One of my favourite photos...


This is the first photo of my first little Granddaughter P. She looks so laid back in this scan photo with her knees bent and it looks like she has her hands behind her head too. She is still a happy, laid back little girl but is full of fun and is as bright as a button :-)




Now I'm supposed to tag 5 other bloggers...

1. Has to be Twiglet...she certainly is my cherry on the top.
2. Julia...without her encouragement the blog shop wouldn't exist.
3. MarmaladeRose...she started a group of crafters doing 20 minutes of crafting every day.
4. Michelle Palmer....her fabulous designs are so very inspiring
5. Needlewings...I've just found her blog but I will be going back :-)
   

A New blog award....

Thanks to Chrissie I have just received a new blog award. Chrissie has a really lovely blog and makes the most amazing cards. What ever her challenge is, she designs the perfect card using the perfect colour combination so I feel very honoured that she likes my blog sufficiently to pass the award on to me. Thanks Chrissie.
In turn I need to name three things that I like about myself and then pass this award on to 7 other bloggers. The choice of recipients is megga as there I have so many wonderful blogging friends to choose from.




Firstly the 3 things I like about myself...

1. I care ...but because of this I can easily become frustrated when others don't care as much about the important things in life as I do....like the elderly!
   
2. I can sew...and because of this I now have 1014 customers and have made sooooo many friends because if it.
3. I love to make people smile....and when you smile others smile back so the world is a happier place.

Do you know it is really hard to think of 3 things you like about yourself :-)
Next the 7 bloggers to pass the award on to....

1. Twiglet [of course]....a lovely blog written by my best friend and sister.
2. Suz
3. McKinkle
   
4. Gez
5. Karen
6. Cardarian
7. Julia

Wow! that was really hard. I read so many lovely blogs and my list could go on and on.

My latest blog award and Ernest's latest news...

Twiglet has given me this award - she knows how much I struggle to tell lies ;-)

Thanks for the award sis.

So having included the link to her blog, I must either tell 6 lies and 1 truth about myself or 6 truths and 1 lie ?...

1. At 8 1/2 months pregnant I could still bite my toe nails.
2. I can say the alphabet backwards
3. I have a pet tarantula called Fred
4. I've delivered 150 babies one of which being my hubby's Managing Director's daughter
5. I used to work with a magician
6. I've been to the top of Mont Blanc
7. I used to do bobbin lace making

I have checked out many blogs to pass this one on to but most have already had it so if you feel like telling a few truths/lies please accept this from me and have a go.

Now for those of you following Ernest's adventures here is the latest update.


Our day started off well. He was very patient while we designed and made his fancy dress outfit ready for the party tonight. He insisted on the headband to keep the feathers out of his eyes.


I told him we then needed to do a bit of shopping and he was keen on coming with us. He fancied having a go at driving but his feet wouldn't reach the pedals.


So he decided he would sit up front to take in the scenery.









He really enjoyed sitting in the seat in the trolley but was annoyed when I refused to let him fill the trolley from the drinks aisle alone.


He asked for a coffee in Starbucks but even though we ordered him a small one he wasn't sure whether to drink it or bathe in it.

He is now out on his deckchair in the garden taking in the rays and resting ready for the party later.

Blog award from Paula.....

I have received this blog award from my blogging friend Paula. We met via WOYWW so it's very much thanks to the wonderful Julia for starting up the now worldwide group of crafters who link up every Wednesday to show and tell what they are up to each week. So many friendships have started because of her and I know Twiglet and I owe her a lot.
Thanks Paula for thinking that I'm going places....not sure where yet but I promise I will let you know when I find out :-)

What I have to do is say where I will be in 10 years....If I think back to what I was doing 10 years ago it makes me realise I have absolutely no idea what I will doing in 10 years time :-) I guess just to be still alive, happy and still crafting would be quite an achievement :-)

I am now supposed to pass this on to 10 more folk but as most of the bloggers I know have already got it this will be very difficult. Saying that I do know one I would like to pass it on to...

I would like to pass is on to Suz for passing the crocheting bug on to me. It has given me something to do while my eye has been healing. She is a very clever designer with her crochet and is defiantly going places.

WOYWW

It never fails to amaze me just how quickly Wednesdays come around. Our 'Queen of snoop' Julia really has started something hasn't she? The group is ever growing and I think it is taking over the world slowly. Desks are being exposed with all their crafting chaos and the guilt caused by the exposure is even being the cause for a weekly tidy up in places :-) Please pop over and join in the madness.

My 'to do' rail has just 5 pair of trousers on today so fairly boring as a show and tell. I just have to shorten 3 of them, taper the legs on one of them and the last pair just needs elastic adding to the back waistband. They wont take me long to do so have plans for later [hopefully!].






This is a snap of another job I have lined up for some time very soon. This is a shelf above my hanging rails that my hubby made for me to use as storage. The boxes are where I keep a lot of material pieces and I keep them sealed up with tape to keep the dust out. As you can imagine, every time I need to delve into the stash the tape has to be undone and the boxes soon become torn. It also doesn't help not being able to see what is inside them all even though I do aim to keep it sorted and label the boxes. So.......yesterday I ordered a set of 5 huge 'Really useful boxes'. [Yes, they are on the way Twiglet :-) ] These are see through and have clips at each end of the lids to keep the fabrics in their place. I'm really excited [yes, I'm easily pleased :-) ]. Twiglet has offered to help me sort them so that fabrics I rarely use will be stored up on the shelf and the storage boxes I have at ground level [and I have lots of those too :-) ] will then hold all the fabrics we can use for dumfing :-) :-)

This is my, now sorted, stash that I intend to use for my next dumfed pic. I'm inspired by a picture I've found of hydrangeas so I have dyed a background fabric with pale purple/blue and sorted out all the right shades of yummy fabrics to make the flowers with...watch this space. I dare not say I will be doing this later cos in my case the best made plans.........ding dong that's the door bell again!


Twiglet and I are the grateful recipients of two lovely blog awards. Fellow WOYWWer Anne [Liverpool Lou] said she gave them to both of us so we wouldn't fall out....[well, that would be a first if we did :-) ].... I really love butterflies and blue is my fav colour so I have to say I think the sweet blogger award is the prettiest I've been given :-) Thanks you Anne for thinking of us. They don't come with rules but I will be finding the right time to pass them on.

This is the last week for the Wedding/Bridal challenge over in the shop. Please put your thinking caps on and come up with some really good ideas as to what Twiglet and I can make in fabrics with a Wedding /Bridal theme. We are giving a gift to the best 3 so don't miss out on a chance to win. We will be announcing the winners next Monday.

A very special blog award....

I feel very honoured to have received this award today....Not because it's another award but because of who it came from. Paula is a very special lady who has been going through a very rough time [and still is!]. She has had major surgery and is slowly beginning to make a gradual, if but slow, steady progress. She has had a tumour removed from her lung so has a large wound site right around her chest wall making breathing alone very uncomfortable let alone when she has to cough or sneeze. These are little things we all take for granted but I am sure you will all be aware chest muscles move to be used to breathe whether you like it or not and this causes pain. I wish I had a magic wand because she really doesn't deserve all the pain she has had. She drops into very many blogs normally and always leaves a little sunshine everywhere she goes and has become a very well loved friend to us all. Here's hoping she picks up very very soon.

Now the blog award translates roughly as "this blog is charming" and I have to pass this onto 12 other bloggers. My problem is that Paula has already named 12 of the ones I would have named so I would like to pass this onto all who is reading this blog if Paula didn't mention you first :-)
Yep, I'm copping out :-) You know who you are if you read my blogs regularly. I drop into and leave messages on some really charming blogs so please accept this blog award and pass a little happiness on to 12 more.

Thank you thank you thank you.....

I would like to say a huge thank you to two lovely ladies who have passed on this award to me. this week. Kerry from Creations by Kerry and Tracey from Hand made with love who both write lovely blogs and we have all met thanks to the lovely Julia of the WOYWW fame.

To receive this blog I have to write the 10 things which make me happy. I have had to do this before on a couple of occasions but as my list changes from day to day never mind week to week I will list the things that have made me happy this week...

1. Hubby is a birthday boy this week and today we have been shopping together. We laugh and enjoy doing anything together always so he has to come top of my list.

2. I had a really lovely evening Thursday with all my family here. Our youngest daughter came for the evening with our beautiful little Granddaughter P so, as she works like a magnet, our eldest daughter and her partner and our son were also here to be entertained by little P. Think we have all learnt some new dance moves now :-)

3. I have had some really special times here 'playing' with Twiglet this week so she must come close to the top of the list. Our times together are always special.

4. My blogging friends are very special to me and several of them have made me happy this week for all sorts of reasons.

5. Spring is just round the corner now and this week I have really enjoyed watching my Daffodils open up on my sewing room windowsill.

6. I am still managing my 20 minutes of creativity each day and my dumfing [embellishing] always makes me happy. My embellisher was one of my best purchases ever.

7. I am blessed to have very many really good friends. One comes on a Monday to join in our fun day Monday, another calls for coffee every Tuesday, another calls in with her little girl ....my list goes on and they all make me happy. I'm blessed.

8. Our blog shop is the cause for a lot of happiness in my life at the mo. We have had some really lovely comments from all that have bought goodies from us. It's very special to me to have people say how lovely our items are. I think we tend to take our skills all for granted and it makes you grow a little when your told how clever you are so special thanks go to all that have left comments.

9. My job has to be one of my 10. I never have 2 days the same and I love the fact that I spend my days doing something I enjoy doing and meet such lovely people while doing it. I now have 932 customers!!

10. I have so many things in my life that make me happy I always struggle to decide what should be number 10 so here I will just say...my dogs, my home, my life and everything in it :-)

I am not going to choose anyone special to hand this blog award on to because if you are taking time to read my blog you all deserve it. Feel free to accept this blog award and let me know what has made you happy this week....it's a really good exercise to spend a little time every week thinking about the good things in life. :-)

Another Blog award to be thankful for...

I have just received this award from Paige at http://ladybird-ladybird-paige.blogspot.com/. I'd really like to thank her so much for thinking of me.

To accept it you need to take part in a little information sharing
Instructions:
1. Give a top 10 list of the things that makes you happy.
2. Give a top 5 list of trivia about yourself.
3. Share the award with only 5 persons and ask them to do the same thing. :)
4. Link the blogs you choose and link the blog of the person awarded you.

so here goes with that Info.

top 10 list of the things that makes you happy. [This week :-) ]

• My hubby...for whom my world wouldn't be the same.
  
• My family..2 daughter and a son and the partners they have chosen to share their lives with...I'm one very proud Mum.
• My gorgeous little Granddaughter and the exciting time waiting for her little sister to arrive in April.
• My big sister Twiglet and all we do together
  
• Dumfing [embellishing for those who don't know :-) ]
  
• My blogging friends
  
• Buttons, beads and ribbons
  
• Sari silk waste and the gorgeous rainbow of colours it comes in
  
• Robins...other birds too but robins are my fav
  
• A warm bath and then into a freshly made bed.
  

top 5 list of trivia about yourself.

• My fav colours are blue, pink & purple
  
• I have a replacement left knee so I guess I'm partly bionic :-)
  
• My middle name is Elizabeth
• I passed my 11+ at 10yrs [Oct birthday]
  
• I dislike doing the ironing so am happy when other do it for me :-)

the Five friends and their blogs I would like to share this with are

1. Twiglet of course
2.Paula who has become a good friend
3.Fi as a thank you for all the encouragement
4. Julia also someone who I have a lot to thank her for.
5. Chrissie for all the beautiful cards she makes.

WOYWW and dare I say it? another award :-)

My desks are really now very interesting to look at today. There are no exciting crafty bits going on and it will be a head down get on with my sewing sort of day for me. I thought you might like to see the gorgeous blue evening dress I have to shorten the hems on by this Friday [it only arrived late yesterday afternoon and I normally allow 2 weeks for wedding/evening dresses so hence the head down sewing day :-) ].

On my other rail is 2 gents tailored jackets I need to shorten the sleeves on [ also by Friday!], a dress to shorten and a coat to shorten the sleeves on....hmm yes also all to be done by Friday!....you get the gist?
Now pop over to Julia's to see many more exciting workspaces.

The other half of my blog today is to say a big thank you to Sam of Yet another card blog for giving me an award. This gives me all sorts of challenges after comments I got from the last award I was given :-) Oh well here goes.... I accept this gratefully and as long as I can stop giggling long enough I will accept the challenge to list 10 things that make me happy.

1. My hubby and family have to come top of the list. I am one very proud Mum and never a day goes by when they don't make me happy.

2. Twiglet....Yes I know she's family but I also choose to have her as my best friend in life and she always makes me happy....we have never [and I mean NEVER] argued.
3. My dogs...yes I know there are times when they bark too much but they have helped me through some difficult times and I wouldn't be without them.
4. My birds....no I don't have them caged. They choose to come and feed on my window just feet from me when I sew and I get lots of pleasure out of watching them.
5. My garden....I struggle to do the work in it now but I love the quiet space it provides.
6. My job....I am one of the very few that really loves her job. I love every challenge it brings and buzz from just how successful my business now is.
7. My friends....far too many to mention. I'm blessed.
8. My crafting hobbies....these sort of blurr into my job at times but there are few crafts I haven't had a go at and some I feel I have actually mastered :-)
9. Sudoku...not many days go by without at least one being done.
10. This one is hard cos there are lots more I could choose. Chocolate, a good film, a cup of coffee, a glass of something stronger, a log fire, a warm bath, a newly changed bed.......my list could go on for ever. You see... my cup is always half full. I aim to make someone smile every day....and I never fail. I would never aim to hurt anyone by negative comments and enjoy making other feel good about themselves. If me receiving this award upsets anyone then I'm sorry but please don't leave negative comments. Life should be fun and isn't that what blogging is all about? Well, it is for me :-)

Now I have to pass this on to 5 other bloggers. Oh decisions decisions [can you tell I am an indecisive Libran?]
1. Twiglet... of course.
2. Paula always has happy positive attitude.
3. Julia never fails to make me smile.
4. Kaz another who looks for positive in life.
5. Helen also has happy outlook on life.

I hope you will all enjoy spending time just thinking about the wonderful things in life that make you happy and, like me, have far too many to just write a list of 10. :-)