What a week it's been here at Sewing by Annie's. I've had a lot of sewing and there has been so much to smile about so here goes...
The twins have had a professional photo shoot to go in their profiles and what gorgeous photos they are too...here's just a few to share.
Our little fur baby has been meeting lots of the younger members of the family and, as you can see, they all love her to bits. She has settled in so well.
This her best friend by far. We have Maisie, our son's dog staying with us at the moment and they have become really good friends [although taking a photo of them sitting together sure was a challenge :-)
They love playing together and often do zoomies around the garden.
I've managed to snap a few autumn colours from our garden for you this week...there is lots of colour at the moment but the leaves/flowers are dropping fast so it wont last.
I seem to have found many funnies to share with you today so please enjoy a giggle on me. I hope you will all leave me a comment and then link up to your own smiles below.
Here we are at another Friday when we look for the things in the previous week that have made us smile and, as always, I've managed to find some to share with you.
Shell, Brent and the twins are on holiday out in Cyprus and are having a wonderful time....just look how grown up Sam and Lexi look now. It only seems 5 minutes since they were tiny babies.
They have a house sitter while they are away to look after their dogs but we had to settle them down on Saturday night and while I was there I put the new Merlin app I have on my phone to listen out for the birds in their garden.
As you can see it said there was a Tawny Owl around.....what it didn't say was it was actually the squeak of the dogs ball. I couldn't stop giggling.
I love my birds and now want to introduce you to Hoppy the Robin. As you can see it looks like he's been in the wars and can only use his one leg. He's so friendly and every morning he comes and asks for his breakfast. He will nearly feed from my hand....he really makes me smile.
Of course I also have to share a few funnies with you [I hope none offend].
I hope you have all had a good week and you will leave me a little message before linking to your smiles below.
It's been another bear filled week for me this week and they have given me lots to smile about....each one is different and I love learning a little about why each one is being made.....I love my job.
Shell has been fitting out the twins with their new school uniform for their secondary school. They look so grown up....can you believe it was 11 years since that 4lb little girl and 6lb little boy came into this world?
Theo and little Louie enjoy playing together now that Louie is older and it makes me smile to see them.
Louie normally likes to nap on his Grandad as you know but I was spoilt yesterday....we had been looking at some books and he snuggled down for his afternoon nap on my lap.....I love to watch a sleeping baby.
Our flowers continue to make us smile....there are soooooo many buds yet to open on the clematis in the top right....it's only going to get better.
Of course, I have to share a few funnies to make you smile too before I go. I hope you will leave me a little message before you then share your own smiles by linking up at the bottom.
So many weeks filled with smiles :-) It's really good therapy to search out the smiles from the previous week and we can never have too many smiles can we? Please feel free to join in by linking up to your happy posts....the more the merrier and everyone is welcome.
At the end of last week Phoebe and Lulu took part in the colour run at their school...they get covered in powder paints while they run around their school field and raise a lot of money for their school....the girls had a lot of fun doing it and there were lots of smiley, colourful faces.
At the weekend we went to Theatre Severn to watch the twins in My Son Pinocchio....it was a brilliant show with so many talented youngsters in it and it's so lovely to see their confidence growing with each show they are in....they played the parts of puppets and had to dance and mime etc. Such proud Grandparents, Parents and other family members went to watch them.
The garden is continuing to make us smile each week...as one plant finishes blooming another takes over...I love it.
I will do my best to leave comments but may struggle as it's another weekend of adventure for us....this time near Buxton.
Of course it wouldn't be a Friday without a few funnies....I hope you've found something to make you smile.
I'm here today to wish you all a very happy Christmas and here's hoping 2023 is a good one for us all.
I'm sure many of you will remember the photo Shell takes every year of the twins in the stockings I made them. She has made a collage of every one and it hangs up their stairs.
This is the latest photo....from their very first photo when they fitted inside almost completly to now when their feet barely fit in....they sure have grown :-)
Amy, Dave and family enjoyed their anual visit to see Father Christmas and, as you can see, Amy loves to take her chance to sit on his knee [embarass the kids]....I wonder who she takes after? ;-)
I do love how they maintain the magic of Christmas.
Here's just a few funnies to keep you smiling over the festive weekend.
I hope you all enjoy the celebrations and stay well and happy. See you on the other side.
To those that haven't recieved Christmas cards from me that normally do I'd like to say Happy Christmas to you all....the post seems to have lost a few....annoying but there's little I can do about it.
I have a few things to share with you...
I've made another School Memory bear...and the best bit is this was the secondary school I went to....the uniform was bottle green back then [including bottle green fleecy knickers!!]. 7 years in those gives you a clue why I dont like green :-)
I've also made two Memory Dogs in memory of a much loved 8 year old black labrador [hence the black ribbons around their necks]. The ears and tails are made out of parts of the dog's favourite toys....quite unique but just how my customer wanted them and we are hoping they bring comfort to the lady's autistic son.
My best friend who I have known for over 60 years [we started school together], has just had her first tiny Grandson....tiny because he was born at 32 weeks weighing just 2lb 4 ozs. I rooted out the prem baby knitting patterns I used when the twins were born and knitted a tiny cardigan.
I then made him a patchwork quilt....I love how it turned out and hope they will too....the little man is doing well so far and hopefully he will continue to do so.
I had a very special crafty time with the twins on Saturday. We made these lovely Christmas trees....they were very proud of their finished results.
I have more cut out ready for Phoebe, Lulu and Stephen to make later in the week...I love having creative time with my grandchildren....and it pays off because Phoebe and Lulu made their Christmas cards this year.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit this week and you all have a wonderful Christmas. I will do my best to visit all who call in here when I get a minute.
The weeks are flying by and we are already in September....what happened to August?
I've had another busy week here at Sewing by Annie's and I've had lots to smile about....
A fun time was had by the twins and Theo with their parents this last week as they finished off their school holidays at The Wave near Bristol.
It was just a couple of nights away but they all seemed to enjoy their surfing.
I think Milly has decided Christmas is getting closer because she has dug her Christmas reindeer out of the bottom of her toy box....she does make us laugh.
The twins started back to school yesterday. They are now in year 5 and look so grown up...it doesn't seem 5 mins since they were born!!
Stephen started back to school yesterday. He is also starting year 5 and is now the only one of Amy's three at the junior school as today Lulu joins her big sister Phoebe at the secondary school.
It was a big day for 'little' Theo yesterday as it was his first day at school....doesn't he look so cute in his uniform? I'm sure he will settle in well because he is more than ready for school.
Finally, for those that enjoy an update of the colour in our garden, here's the latest collage. As you can see there is still lots of beautiful flowers making us smile.
Please leave me a little message to let me know you've called in and then, if you can, please link up to your own smiles below.
Hello all. I was MIA again last week and if you check out my Friday post you will see why. I was determined to not miss a moment so make no apologies that I didn't have time for blogging....I just know you will all understand.....Theo starts school tomorrow so time was simply running out.
Since coming back from Wales I have been run off my feet catching up with work.....
I've a rail still heaving and some of it has already been collected. In two days I...
Did fittings and all the sewing needed on two bridesmaids dresses including 5 hems, taking in a bodice and taking one up on the shoulders.
Shortened a lined dress
Shortened a holiday dress and took it up on the shoulders
Shortened another holiday dress and reduced the length of the straps
Shortened the straps on a jumpsuit and
Shortened a pair of gents suit trousers.
Quite an achievement in 2 days eh?
I've even managed a little time for playing with my paints :-)
I would like to share these paintings with you that our 11year old granddaughter Lulu has been doing. She is a rather talented young artist and I love to encourage youth with their crafts. She has a set of painting pens like mine but her mummy has just set her up with some acrylic paints and she has been painting these pics on canvasses...I think they are rather gorgeous too.
Sam and Lexi have been in isolation whilst Sam got over his Covid. He had signs of a cold and was rather washed out with it but he has now recovered and it was really lovely to see them both enjoying fun in their garden pool.
Whilst at home they both did a bit of wood carving and painted them all up too...Rather good too I think.
I'm sorry my desk was rather boring this week so I hope you have enjoyed seeing a little of the talented grandchildren's crafting too....it's such a lovely way of them choosing to spent their time.
I have another busy week planned...I had a customer contact me asking me if I can make her 14 Memory bears in memory of a much loved Grandmother who has just died and all being well the clothing should arrive tomorrow....oh happy days.
What a gorgeous sunny week we have had and the Bank Holiday weekend was filled with smiles [there's lots of hem this week so be warned].
As promised, on Wednesday, here is the collage of some of the many snaps I took during our trip to Dorothy Clive Gardens on Tuesday. The Rhododendrons and Azealia were stunning as was the Laburnum arch .....there seemed like miles of stunning blooms everywhere we walked and the very best bit is that now I have lost 2 1/2 stone I am finding it easier to walk further and enjoy more.
Theo enjoyed a weekend at the coast with his mummy, daddy and Maisie dog and I really love this photo [I will give a little secret away and say Maisie's lead has been cropped out of the photo]. Happy memories were made.
After a night over and a day at Legoland the twins enjoyed the sun in their back garden when they got home.
Lulu has been trying on her new school uniform and they redid the pose they did for her first day at infant school....she's still a girl with attitude :-) She's really looking forward to starting her new school.
Our own back garden is full of blooms now....but on a slightly smaller scale to Dorothy Clive gardens :-)
I must say we really have enjoyed sitting out in it in the sunshine this week.....and watching our new visitors.......
We had a good tidy up in our garden and pulled up all the old tulips but in doing this we disturbed some very special little visitors....if you zoom in right in the middle of this photo you will see a busy little bee. We have a nest in the ground beside one of our fuchsias....sadly one of the little darlings stung my hubby on his hand as they were defending their nest.
I found this on the internet...
These large, hairy bees are generally black with varying degrees of yellow banding. Look closely at flowering plants and you’ll probably spot several species. Common bumblebees include garden, buff-tailed, red-tailed, white-tailed and field bumblebees.
They are social insects, living in colonies of up to 200 workers. Queens hibernate underground during the winter, emerging in spring to find suitable nest sites – for example, abandoned mouse holes. Each queen builds a nest of dried grasses and then lays about a dozen eggs that hatch into workers – sterile females.
The workers gather pollen and nectar to feed later batches of grubs. New queens and males hatch at the end of the season and mate. The males, workers and old queens die; new queens hibernate. Bumblebees are not aggressive and will only sting if they feel threatened. They are important pollinators of many plants and fruiting trees.
Apparently the male bees don't have stings so it was a female bee that stung and as we plant our garden with bees, insects and butterflies in mind I feel very honoured that some have set up home with us. They usually only nest for 4-6 weeks. We have now put a metal cage over their nest to keep Milly away so she doesn't get stung. I am really enjoying watching the bees flying out and coming back with their little legs covered in pollen to take to their queen.
I hope you have enjoyed my smiles this week and will now link up to your below.
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