WOYWW.....from rainy Devon!

Well, I'm still on dog sitting duties down in Devon, a rainy dull Devon I might add! I've made the most of the rainy days by visiting a few crafts shops along the way! On my desk you can see a lovely new purchase....... a set of Mini Flip Flops Clear stamps. They are great you get them in a little flip book and you have accents, phrases, frames and borders. Will have a proper play with them soon but I was able to use one of the frames on this page. I have cut out my own flower embellishments for this LO, and I then used silicone glue to make them slightly raised!

 

Last week I had a go at Shimelle's Try Something Different Challenge on UK scrapper. I enjoy it that much that I thought I would have another go. I just love working with the large photograph. Ive just rotated the design to fit on the landscape photo.

If you are wondering why all the dogs? I volunteer for a dog rescue charity called Bullie SOS we re-home unwanted English Bull Terriers. I organise a monthly walk, which raises funds to cover our vets bills.

Two from one jelly roll quilt.....

 

Early this week this was a pile of fabric on my work desk, you can read about it here. I've now finished the patchwork pattern which is from a great book called Two From One Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.  For the non sewing people that read my blog a Jelly Roll is a set of fabric strips normally 2 1/2" wide, rolled and tied into a bundle! My quilting friend, Sarah from Edward and the White Bear blog completed the same pattern last month, look how different it looks, her colours are great. I love how the pattern mingles together with her fabric choice.

I will be off fabric shopping next week to search for the right fabric for the border...any excuse to buy new fabric, hey! Hope you are all having a good bank holiday weekend despite the weather!

WOYWW...on tour again!

This week I am blogging from Torquay! I'm dog sitting for a friend whilst she enjoys the sunnier climates of Florida! But come to think of it, anywhere is sunnier than here at the moment! On my work desk this week is the same photos that have been around for a while (my last visit to see my Brother in London!) I am determined to get them on a layout this week so will be looking at ya for inspiration WOYWWer's!

Also on the work desk is a few post cards. What, with stamps they cost me one pound each! I feel old right now, it used to be so cheap to send a post card! Does anyone still send postcards? One of the cards is going home to the dear OH and will end up in a scrapbook but the other is to my Grandma as she loves Torquay too....it must be the hills. Reminds us of home!

My last shot is a close up of the lovely fabric I am working with at the the moment. Don't you just love polka dots! If you glance back at the first photo you can see the pattern I'm using. Well, enough from me.......

Thanks for popping in to say "Hello" today. Go take a tour of the world's crafty desks over at Julia's

Try Something Different - April

 

Here is April's Try Something Different! The challenge this month was to use a large photo, mine was 12" x 10". I loved the challenge, I will definitely do it again. The step my step instructions for this challenge can be found here

I wanted to use the other photos that show the story of getting my Niece Isabel to pose so I now have a double page layout.

Work in Progress

My regular sewing class has had some great tutors over the last few months. On Saturday Jane Rollason came to demonstrate a lovely paper piecing technique to make a curved  Log Cabin design.

 I love it when a plan comes together. I have been working on a fabric scrapbook layout to record my fond memories of my old dog George and his love for the beach so I've use the same fabric to complete a few curved log cabins which I will include in my fabric layout. I have audition one of the blocks below.......

You can see more of my fabric layout here. I also thought I would share some of my friend's blocks which are much bolder, they really show of the curved design.

Overall we had a great day, Jane was really helpful and talked us through the endless design possibilities with this block. I think I may have a go at some larger blocks when time permits!

WOYWW....what no paper!

My desk this morning......what no paper! I attended a great workshop at the weekend with Jane Rollason to make a curved log cabin design. It uses a paper foundation pieced method. I decided to expand on a fabric scrapbook layout that I was working on last month. I've used my lovely sea and sand fabric to make the small curved log cabins. If you like a have a peek at other's creative places, please share you work desk over on Julie's blog.

WOYWW....rainy days

 I'm at home today, which is unusual for a Wednesday. The weather is dreadful so I'm having a play. Whilst on holiday last week I might have visited a few craft shops on the East coast! I purchased a Tim Holtz alphabet die called Chip Block. My plan is to have a jar full of letters to make many titles on future layouts......

In the background is my finished appliquéd cushion. I completed this a few weeks ago and planned to give it to the dog charity I work for. Unfortunately my friend has to put her dog to sleep later today as Florence's heart condition as taken a turn for the worse and she is suffering now. I am going to give this cushion to her in memory of Florence who she rescued a few years ago. It is so sad to lose your dog at any age but Flo is just 2 years old, she was born with a serious heart murmor....

 Run free Flo at the Rainbow Bridge....Big G is waiting for you x

I'm on a roll...

I'm thoroughly enjoying my Easter break. I've completed another LO! A big thanks to this month's Scrapbook Magazine, and the free Fancy Pants paper. I copied the design on the front cover to show off a lovely picture of my niece. I loved the papers that much that I couldn't stop! The next LO is my family and I last year enjoying the Royal Wedding  street party in Skegness. Can't believe its nearly a year ago now!

WOYWW.....working away!

I couldn't resist showing you my workdesk today. I am having a lovely Easter break at my in laws caravan on the East coast.

I've love magazines so I treated myself to 4, most of them have free stamps or papers with so well worth it! I'm having a play this morning with some lovely Debbie Moore travel stamps, (I'm still in my jammies!)

How nice was the UK weather on Bank Holiday Monday.....perfect for crafting! I bought quite a stash of crafting stuff with me as you can see! My OH is a fishermen, so I feel better knowing he brought more gear than me! I posted twice yesterday, by accident I found I could email by posts to Blogger....modern technology hey!

The sun is shining today so I think we will venture to the beach with the dogs. I will check back later to see all you workdesks x

Relaxing times.....

Here's another finished layout from Shimelle's monthly class on UK Scrappers.  This one tells the story of one of our fosters dogs who stayed over Christmas last year. I really enjoyed making this page as I love to use my stamps on a layout!

I am really impressed, I have learnt how to blog using my mobile phone! Will share tomorrow what is on my caravan work desk!

Happy Easter.....

Don't you just love rainy bank holidays. I'm off work for a week. We are at the caravan so it's a great chance to catch up on all the LO's I have started. This was is from Shimelle's monthly project on UK Scrappers. It is a great LO if you have lots of photographs. It is another page to add to my Sister's wedding album. The shots were taken after the ceremony so very informal as taken by family! Hope you are all having a good Easter break.

Scrapbooking with fabric

 Last weekend I attended Jennie Dobson's Wonderful Waves workshop. It was great we got to experiment with simple wavy seam constructions to re-interpret traditional patchwork designs.

We began with an easy method for cutting wavy seams. The wavy patchwork added a subtle new quality to  the background of an idea I was working on some time ago. Next  we applied this method to traditional pieced block designs, lending them a windswept look, which worked well with this beach themed project.

 

My focus is to remember the good times we had with Big G (George), he loved the beach. We rescued him at the age of 7, we had 4 years with him. I still think about him a lot, he was a real character! I also have some words and titles printed on fabric which I have pieced in using the wavy seams. I think I will frame the pictures with wavy borders too!

It is still work in progress, Jennie showed me how to piece my curved flying geese into the background, this had stopped me working on this project for a while. I am now one step nearer to finishing it!

WOYWW.....

Here is my workdesk this week, I've started to decorate my background paper . I've used some Glimmer Mists and stencils. I am following a sketch out of the latest Scrap365 magazine. I am using the photographs below of my Mum and Brother. He lives in London and we visited last weekend. It was also St Patrick's day!  

 It was a very rainy day in London, but we had a great weekend. London is so exciting! It was difficult at times as I had left my oldest dog at the vets as she was very poorly. Here she is recovering in the sunshine at home!

I thoroughly enjoy looking at everyone's work place, if you would like to join in click here

WOWW....slow progress!

 Well, just like Julie's WOWW post this week nothing much as happened. Last week's LO is still unfinished, I've misplaced the lovely new background stamp I bought recently and I wanted to decorated the back ground of last week's LO! I know it will turn up. I have moved on to another LO using Shimelle's February prompt from & Now For Something Different. My Sister got married in Cyprus 2 years ago nearly and I am slowly working through an album for her. I love the picture of me and my sister above, chatting after the wedding. It was a very emotional day!

 I will post the finished LO soon, it is great for a wedding album. It has a mini book on it so you can layer a few  photos on one LO, which is perfect for the wedding photos as I have loads! I've decided to add some old fashioned buttons I have in my collection too and perhaps a bit of lace!

 A few people commented on my workspace last week. I am under the stairs! Here is where I keep my stash! I wish it was all of it but I have to keep all the paper up stairs as my dogs love the taste of paper....lol!

Fabric Fun...

Every year I go away with some crafting friends for a weeks holiday. We had a very relaxing week in Tockwith, North Yorkshire. A while ago I bought this lovely Cath Kidson fabric whilst visiting my brother in London. I have sat and stroked it for too long so decided to take it away on my crafting holiday. Here is what I made..... apologises for the picture I have already given the bag as a present to my Sister and she took the photo for me!

WOWW creative times are back....

 My first LO in months! I thoroughly enjoyed getting my paints and brushes out for this one. I had a lot of help from Shimelle on UK Scrappers. She takes you step by step through how to make this layout, starting with splatting paint on the background. I nearly stopped at that point....I cant do that! I would recommend it to everyone it was great fun!!

Here is my new workplace, I've started a new LO from my sister's wedding 2 years ago. Just love the photo of my niece twirling in her bridesmaid dress, she loves the feel of the netting swishing on her legs!

 It is so nice to be back, I'd lost my creativity for a while! I haven't scrapped a LO for nearly 3 months! It had being playing on my mind since February, what would get me back to regular creative times now I have lost my early mornings due to starting a new job? I normal take up the dining table and shuffle it all when we ate but that's not ideal. So I'm now under the stairs! There is not as much room but that might make me a bit more tidy! I can but hope!

I'm off out today to buy a daylight bulb to give me more light under the stairs. On the positive side I can leave my scrap booking out so I can grab 5 minutes creative time when I want. The things we do to get creative, hey!

In preparation for next week's patchwork class

 I've had a fun day sewing. Next week at Craft Den we are starting our Star patchwork blocks.

  I have made lots of different sizes so they can be made into various projects, maybe a bag, a sewing machine cover or cushions. I think I may make a few more for a small lap quilt.

If you fancy a go the class starts at 10, contact Lynne at the Craft Den