And the Winner is (Thrifty Chic)...

Lunch Lady Jan!

Congratulations - I'll be in touch for your address.

Thanks to everyone who entered, I'll be having some more book giveaways so come back soon.

xXx

WOYWW - What's On Your Desk Wednesday 151

Blogger won't let me upload the picture of my (very, very) tidy desk!

Not much on my desk today anyway, I've not been in a crafting mood the last few days. I tidied my desk at the weekend to put off doing a dressmaking task I knew was going to be fiddly (and I was right - I had to unpick three times before I was satisfied!!)

These are the only two photos Blogger will let me upload today!

The thing I get the most comments about are these tiny shelves, they are thimble display units that I've painted, and are just the right size for my vintage cotton reels. I have several more (unpainted) storing more vintage cotton reels in my Craft Cupboard(!).
Sorry it's not a very picture friendly post, I'd love to have shown you my tidied desk (it won't be like that next week!!).

I'm having a giveaway this week, the book Thrifty Chic.
If you'd like to enter see the previous post.
I'll post outside the UK, so don't let living outside of the UK put you off!

Thanks for visiting and to everyone who visited and left a comment last week.

I love WOYWW, it's such great fun snooping around everyone's work spaces. If you'd like to join in the snoop visit here, you won't be disappointed!

xXx

Book Giveaway - Thrifty Chic (Now ended)

This weeks giveaway is one of my favourite interiors books - Thrifty Chic. If you like Selina Lake's Homespun Style (and I know many of you do, rightly so) you'll like this!

As before, if you leave a comment, already are or become a follower you get two entries. It is fine to join in if you don't want to become a follower, you will just get one entry instead of two.

This week I'd like you to let me know what you describe your interiors style as.

Good Luck!

This giveaway closes on Saturday 28th April 2012 at midday.

Thanks for visiting

xXx

And the winner is....

I didn't think I'd get the random thingy to work but it seems I did (amazed!)

The winner is......

Garden, Tea, Cakes and Me

I'll be in touch to find out your address.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Thanks to everyone who entered.
Come back on Monday to enter the next giveaway.

As always, thanks for visiting

xXx

Thrifty Thursday

I had to pop to the local shops this morning and thought I'd have a quick snoop in the Charity Shops. Managed to find a few nice bits, and left some for other people (only slightly regretting that!)

Found this dinky tray, only about 5" x 3", it is really sweet.

On the advice of Helen, some jewellery to use as embellishments for Altered Art/Stamping.

Some vintage bag handles, let's see how long it takes me to use them shall we?!

I have rather an ugly breeze block wall next to one of my seating areas in the garden, it's the side of next door's garage. Over the years I've tried to disguise it as much as possible.

It does look better in the summer with all the flowering plants, but it's still not the most attractive space. I was rather taken with this idea, seen in this months Making magazine so I've been collecting plates, this morning I found the birdy one.

I also found this engraving of a woodpecker on slate that I thought would look good in the garden.

I'm really excited about the summer and decorating the garden. We eat out there a fair bit in the nice weather.

Do you see your garden as another room to decorate, or is your garden more practical?

If my garden was bigger I'd love a veggie patch!

I'd like to end this post by welcoming all my followers, thanks so much and thank you to everyone else who takes the time to read my blog and comment.

Thanks for visiting me

(come back Monday for next weeks giveaway!)

xXx

What's on your Workdesk Wednesday 150 - WOYWW

It's that time of week! Click here to see some more workdesks.

I have been mulling over a few ideas recently and here I'm trying out a few designs.
 Also on the desk is my patchwork picture still waiting to be hung, a pile of freebies from magazines, some D-I-Y bunting,
my new Emma Bridgewater tin and a desk planner given to me by my son on Mother's Day.

Thankyou to everyone who visited my blog last week, and to those who gave me advice on my patchwork throw. I am going to go with the increasing the backing fabric option...eventually!

I loved visiting all the desks but sadly didn't have enough time to comment on them all - must try harder!

Thanks for visiting.

 If you like sewing I'm having a giveaway of a Tilda book, see the previous post.

xXx

Giveaway (NOW ENDED)

I have several books to give away over the next few weeks. All are favourites and are duplicates of books in my own collection.

To have a chance of winning, leave a comment telling me your favourite interiors or crafts book. You don't need to be a follower to enter, but if you already are or like what you see and decide to become a follower, then you will get an extra entry (Just let me know when you make your comment).

Make sure there is some way I can contact you if you win.

I'm starting with this great book.

This was given to me as a gift. I already had a copy of it

(which shows what a well chosen gift it was!)

The giveaway ends on Saturday 21st April and I'll start the next one on Monday 23rd April.

Other books I'll be giving away are Thrifty Chic, Cheap Chic, Junk Style, Easy Country and Liberty Cross Stitch.

Good Luck!

Thanks for visiting

xXx

Bookish...

Yesterday I was given this super giftwrap

(Thank you Jane xx)

It reminded me of a print that I bought a little while ago and still haven't got around to framing. After an awful lot of searching, and finding many things I'd forgotten about, I finally located it!

I also found these waiting to be framed...

Somewhere I have this print that I bought last June and cannot find

 (Frustratingly, I actually have the correct size frame and mount for this!)

(Cassia Beck)

 I must show you a picture of a giant vintage cotton reel, found for me by my non-crafty, doesn't really 'get' vintage friend!

Thank you!

(You know I love it by how excited I was when you gave it to me!)

I've shown it with a standard sized reel to show how big it is!

Oh, and just so you know, I will not be using my wrapping paper to wrap a gift and give away! I'll be having some book giveaways soon (mainly interiors and crafting) and will be using the paper as a background. Well, it is a present TO me, right?!

Has anything nice happened to you today?

I really hope so

Thanks for visiting

xXx

WOYWW 149 - What's on your Workdesk Wednesday

Pondering....

Sadly, the EE isn't mine, although if it stays there much longer....

I started the patchwork throw back in February, sewed the squares together and then lost interest. On Sunday I decided to finish it. All was going well until I got to the the backing stage and found my fabric was slightly too small!

Since then I've been thinking about whether to make the border smaller (but it is the fabric I like most in the design!), or whether to add some blocks to the backing fabric to extend it. What do you think? Much as I'm tempted to go with the first option I think I'll probably extend the back as I think it will niggle me forever knowing that I didn't do it properly, and I want it to last a looong time. The previous one I did, not that long ago, is falling apart already!

And finally, this is what happens in our house if you try to work on the floor!

Thanks to all the WOYWWers who visited last week, I loved having a nosey around all the desks.

Pop over to Julia's to see what this is all about if you fancy a look yourself!

Thanks for visiting

xXx

Finished!

Mini Patchwork

This is a quick post about a quick project!

A little while ago I bought a square frame in a Charity Shop, as soon as I saw it I knew what I wanted to do with it.

And here it is

Mini Log Cabin.

Of course, I was too impatient to paint the frame before putting the patchwork in! It will be painted my favourite neutral colour, Farrow and Ball's Old White (eventually).

Look, I even planned the design on paper first!

Above is my first attempt, as well as it being a bit wonky, the randomness of the colours just didn't do it for me.

Have you managed to get any crafting done this BH weekend?

Thanks for visiting.

Time for Summer.

I've been working on my entry for the CI Challenge for 3 days now (not all the time, of course...if only!). That is a long time for me, I usually start and finish my stamping projects within a day. I felt really inspired by this challenge and it was great to have the time to devote to it as I have a week off work.

The theme is Time for Summer, I chose to do a trio of blocks as I wanted it to be 3D and to be able to use a technique I learnt from Helen - fake washi tape.

The first block was Time for Summer in the Garden. I began by colouring a piece of card blue to make it look like the hazy blue skies of summer (I used the same technique for all three blocks). We eat outside as much as we can in the summer so I stamped a cakestand and teacup and used green crochet lace to give the idea of grass, then I stamped a

 butterfly from the CI 333 set as well as some flowers from the same set, I punched a mini doily and coloured it yellow to symbolise the sun and used a ribbon with strawberries on and a vintage button that has a clock face on. It's great to relax in the garden but you still have to clock watch to some extent as there are still things to be done, meals, collecting the children from school - such a bore!

Because I wasn't sure how I am going to display these blocks, I wanted the backs to be as decorative as the front. To achieve this I used paper from the CI book of backgrounds number 7, summer, I then stamped the title of the block using a vintage typewriter font stamp.

The next block is Time for Summer in the City. The clock charm is there because the people in their offices will more than likely be watching the clock wishing for the working day to end, and the flowers in a frame (CI 262) could be the only flowers they see throughout the working day!

(I always make up little stories for my pictures, I can't help it!)

Again, this was backed with a CI background paper and the text stamped by me.

The third block is Time for Summer in the Meadow.

I used crochet lace again and the butterflies from CI 333, the birds are from my all time favourite set, CI 329. I use this set a lot.

Can you see the clock in the meadow? The only clocks you will find there are the dandelion clocks, of course!

The back of the meadow block, CI backing paper and vintage font stamp again.

On the sides and top I used the fake washi tape method. I love this technique although it is very messy (or is that just me?!) So clever.

A couple of pictures of the blocks together.

The stamped images were coloured in with Derwent Coloursoft pencils on all three blocks.

I loved this theme and I'm off to enter my blocks into the CI Challenge now, and find somewhere to display them. Not easy!

This is also my week 14 project

Thanks for visiting.

xXx

WOYWW 148

Today I am working on my entry to the Crafty Individuals Challenge. The theme is Time for Summer and I'm really enjoying this one.

Here is a closer look at the desk

Thanks for visiting!

And thanks to everyone who visited last week. I did visit EVERY desk eventually, but didn't manage to comment on them all. Visit here if you're wondering what this is all about...

xXx