WOYWW - Birthday preparations

So we're back from our week away in Cornwall and my mind is now firmly fixed on the little man's first birthday,  looming large in just four weeks time. Before the big day however there are more first birthdays among his little friends so I've been busy making birthday presents for them too.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week in Perranporth, but as there wasn't time to get up to any stitchery, I've enjoyed getting on with some sewing projects on my return.

So here's my workdesk. . .

Currently in progress on my workdesk is the birthday collage I have made for him. I have used the collage for the invitations to his birthday tea party and I'm pleased enough with the finished product to mount it up for Ben's bedroom wall. I thought it would make a nice annual tradition to produce a collage for him.

Here's how I used the collage to print pictures for the invitations we have sent to Ben's twelve little friends...

Also on my workdesk is another couple of treasure hunt toys I am making as birthday gifts. Ben seems to enjoy shaking his and looking at the different charms. He is already able to recognise and point to a number of the charms so it must have some developmental value!

I've raided mum's stash of beads, buttons and card toppers and I'm now running low on charms to put in the toys. If you have any suggestions of very cheap sources of 3D shapes (animals etc) about 1-2cm / half an inch, please share them. The pound shops of Shrewsbury have so far proven fruitless!

My final workdesk feature is a handful of needle-felting backgrounds ready to work on. I found them as I was clearing some space in my sewing cupboard for all my busy book materials and thought it's high time I got my head round some needle-felting again.

I'll round off with a collage from my little man's first holiday...

Thanks for stopping by. If you've landed here by happy accident and are wondering what WOYWW (what's on your workdesk Wednesday) is all about, drop by Julia's Stamping Ground to meet a fab gang of crafters from across the globe.

Have a lovely week, happy crafting x

WOYWW - treasure hunt

It's just a quick post this Wednesday as I'm up to my ears in packing for our Cornwall holiday. I've not been very busy with my sewing this week so here's a whistle-stop tour of my workdesk...

The little man's first birthday is looming large just a few weeks away so I'm working on a birthday picture. His birthday teaparty will be hungry caterpillar themed and I plan to use photographs of the finished picture for the invitations he'll send to his twelve little friends. If it's any good when I've finished it I might frame the picture for his wall.

Also on my workdesk is the finished 'treasure hunt' toy I've made to occupy Ben on the ride down to Cornwall.

I've used some clear plastic (like table cloth) to make a little pouch which I filled with plastic pellets and ten little charms including a ladybird, butterfly and duck. Ben is getting good at recognising and pointing to 'red spotty ladybird' in his favourite books so hopefully he'll enjoy hunting for it in this toy too.

So it's been a frenzy of last minute packing for me, but we've not all been so busy. I think someone has already got into the holiday spirit with a bit of 'mañana' time...

That's all for now folks...I must get on with scaling the Mont Blanc of ironing! I'll try to drop by some desks at nap time and catch up with some of the lovely crafters via Julia's Stamping Ground :-)

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - busy book grand finale!

Morning all, and welcome to my What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday post!

The last week has involved much grumbling (and some swearing tut, tut) in pursuit of a finished busy book. The primary cause...bias binding. I decided it would give a professional finish to edge each busy book page with bias binding but soon discovered that my enthusiasm exceeded my skill! Undeterred I battled on and, after burning the midnight oil last night, I have finally finished my busy book project.

The busy book, entitled 'Ben's Jungle' is the star of the show on my workdesk this week...

I'm really pleased with how it has turned out. Each page will offer Ben something different to fiddle with and every one incorporates an activity which will grow with him too. Hopefully hours of fun will be had.

I couldn't leave the book anonymous so I stitched a little maker's mark on the back! The last innovation to be added to the book was a bookmark. We happened to notice that Ben was very interested in the ribbon bookmark on my Husband's A4 work diary so I thought it would be nice to incorporate one in Ben's busy book so he could be like Daddy.

A massive thanks goes to mum (a.k.a. Twiglet) for keeping Ben occupied while I've whirred away on the sewing machine, not to mention her technical advice!

Also on my workdesk this week is my ideas book with... yes you guessed it, my plans for the next busy book. Glutton for punishment perhaps!

I've collected together all my nautical bits and bobs and have found a cute little bear that my Aunty Annie (a.k.a. Wipso) made for me some years ago. The busy book will be called 'Bear at the Beach' (not to be confused with 'Bare at the Beach', a naturist's guide to the coast tehehe...) and will see the little bear doing lots of seaside activities. Watch this space!

On the subject of the seaside, I'm taking Ben to the Welsh coast today with my best friend so will stop by a few workdesks later on this evening. Thanks for stopping by!

Happy crafting x x x

WOYWW - birthday girls!

It's another What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday and this week...not a busy book in sight! I've still been busy with the project this week but just the boring bits like ironing huge lengths of bias binding.

This week has been all about birthdays. Ben's besties are all nearly one so I've been busy making very special first birthday cards. But that's not the only birthday activity this week and Ben has got in on the act helping me to make a birthday card for his Daddy.

So here's my workdesk...

The cards in the foreground are my hand embroidered cards for Gracie and Ligeia, two of Ben's favourite girls. I wanted to make something that their mums will like to keep as a memento of their first babies' first birthdays.

Having been a life-long loather of hand-embroidery, I've only recently found the love. I've used a variety of stitches in this design.

Those of you who are familiar with my previous WOYWW posts might recognise the butterfly as the twin of one I have embroidered in Ben's busy book. I loved it so much and it was the thing that inspired these cards in the first place.

Also on my workdesk is the birthday card we made for my husband. We love daddy very much. He's a hard worker and our super hero. It's just a bit of fun and I thought that any papercrafters reading this might have a giggle at its juvenile charm!! ;-)

If you've landed on this page wondering what in the world WOYWW is all about, hop on over to Julia's Stamping Ground to find out and catch up with a whole gang of fab crafters!

I'll drop in to as many desks as I can, thanks for stopping by!

Happy crafting :-)

WOYWW - Busy book...the final furlong

Morning all!

Although my busy book has begun to feel a little like The NeverEnding Story, this week the project has entered the final furlong and I can, at last, see the finishing line.

Metaphors aside, here's my workdesk right now...

All my pages are virtually complete. Just a few final tweeks (and the all important quality control) to do then the pages will be ready to be finished with some lovely orange stripy bias binding I'm making.

The last page to be completed this week has been Giraffe and friends...

I'm pleased with Giraffe and his sunset page. Giraffe's neck is stiffened and fastened with a button which enables him to reach up to the high branches near Owl and reach down to the water and bushes where a pair of mice are hiding.

As the project reaches completion I'm torn over what to sew next. My head is buzzing with ideas for more busy books but I really should crack on with some needle-felting. It's been a while since I did any needle-felting and, as I promised myself I'd make a serious go of selling my work and running courses when my maternity leave ends in August, I really should drag out the wools and make an effort! But then I've just bought some really lovely robot fabric that I'm sure Ben would love....

Hope you've enjoyed catching up with my sewing activities this week. I'll swing by a few desks later.

Happy crafting x

WOYWW - busy books encore!

Well I can't quite believe a week has passed since I blogged to share all the little creatures sat on my work desk waiting to get together in Ben's busy book. Thanks so much to everyone who dropped by to look at my work and leave lovely comments.

I've been spurred on to keep the project going at a pace and this week my desk has once again been invaded by jungle animals as the busy book pages near completion.

With the main creatures complete, this week I've been focussing on all the tiny creatures which are hiding behind flaps for Ben to discover. Here is a sneaky peak at some of them (just don't tell Ben what you've seen!)

Hiding in the bushes on Zebra's page are a pair of toucans and a snake...

Behind Monkey's ear hides a little ladybird...

Pottering through the long grass away from Lion's view is a little snail...

This little unsuspecting fly will sit on the water lily, where hungry Froggy is waiting for his lunch...

Hope you've enjoyed seeing my latest busy book characters. Stop by soon to see more! I'll try and visit some of your desks today too!

Happy crafting x x x 

WOYWW - busy busy busy

It's been a busy few weeks at Tilly Tea Dance Towers. Now my little man is nine months old I have been planning lots of sewing projects that will help to keep him occupied.

In September we've got our annual holiday and Ben's first trip on an aeroplane.  So I'm busy making a busy book to keep him... well... busy!

Among Ben's favourite toys are a set of jungle animals at his Nanny Twiglet's house. This gave me my inspiration for a busy book (sometimes called 'quiet' books, but I'd rather think of my boy being busy rather than being quiet).

I swiped a lovely piece of jungle fabric from my mum for the bag I'll make to contain the busy book. This gave me lots of ideas for colour scheme and creatures...

So I thought up lots of ways to use fabric animals to keep Ben busy including textures to stroke, buttons and beads, ribbons to pull, zipped pockets to open and puzzles using velcro.

These parrots have velcro bottoms to stick them to their nests!

  

 

These ribbon snakes can be pulled through the button holes... 



  

 

Here is my zebra finger puppet in the making...



 

 

While playing with another busy book made by Nanny Twiglet, we discovered Ben loves looking under flaps. I've incorporated this idea in the book and each page has a little creature hiding under a flap.

 

Behind Elephant's ear hides a little bird...

 

 

Behind the bushes on Froggy's page hide some of his little friends...

  

 

Up in the tree high above the parrots' nests is a hungry caterpillar...

 

 

Lots of happy faces to play with in the busy book...





 

 

Ben has been very good sitting in his high chair and watching me sew. It looks like Lion and Zebra are already a hit with my No. 1 customer! (and those of you keen-eyed followers of Nanny Twiglet's blog will see that Ben is playing with the completed Hungry Caterpillar high chair tray cover that appeared on Twiglet's WOYWW post back in June)

  



 

It's quite an ambitious project which has grown in complexity as I've been working on it. I've been juggling the job with other demands...baby yoga, baby singing classes, play dates, ironing (urgh) so I'm anticipating this is a long haul project but I'll hope to have completed it by our holiday!

Hope you've enjoyed my preview of the busy book! Come back soon to see the finished one.

I'll try and visit a few desks this week on WOYWW :-)

Happy crafting x x x

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