Escaping Christmas for a day - WOYWW

I escaped the silly season at the weekend when I ventured over the border into Brighouse, Yorkshire and the fabulous company and studio of Anne Brookes.

Anne Brooke Textile Artist Link

The workshop was print, collage, stitch.

After settling on a colour scheme we painted and printed on papers like wallpaper, book pages, maps etc.  Next up we tore up pieces and layered them up and once happy glued them down onto a paper strip.


After lunch the sewing machines came out and the fun began of stitching the strips down and finally handstitching and adding embellishments.  I’ve still got some bits to do on mine but as Anne told us there’s no right or wrong to this practice and it’s finished when you want it to be finished.

Here’s what the other Christmas escapees created.

It’s fabulous how they are all so different.

The top is either attached to a wire hanger or a wooden bobbin.

Linking up with 

What’s On Your Workdesk Wednesday 

Why wait to dance -woyww

This week I created a little Tin Art for a friend who is not having a great time at the moment.

I do love making these little vignettes/dioramas.

Aren’t they posh sounding words.

 The phrase I put together with the bag of magnetic words that I found in a charity shop.

An old thimble, squashed with pliers made a little plant pot and the flowers are made from pins and beads. 

My next task is decorating a hessian lunch bag with a Doodly Bird for Postmaster Glyn, for his wife’s birthday at the weekend.  It’s a long time since I last did one, hope my pens haven’t dried up.

Linking up with 

WHAT’S ON YOUR WORKDESK WEDNESDAY

The Pamela’s

As soon as I saw these super brooches by Viv Sliwka of Hens Teeth I burst into song.  Viv has named her creations “Pamela”.

This is how she describes them on her Instagram page 

LINK TO VIV’s WEBSITE

Yes but why have I burst into song you might be asking. Do you remember Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders ?  If you do you might remember this song -

Pamela, Pamela 
Remember the days 
Of inkwells and apples 
And books and school plays 
Where little Brer Rabbit kissed Pooh in the wood 
And Fluff was the cat that sat on the rug 
Oh, Pamela 
I remember so well 

When Laurel and Hardy were shown at the flicks 
With sticky red lollies on splintery sticks 
Pigtails and ribbons and crushes on miss 
Secret discussions about a first kiss 
But you were young 
And everything was new 
Impatient to do things you couldn't do 
Oh, Pamela, Pamela 
You started to grow 
Answers to questions you wanted to know 

When the rest of your childhood 
Forgets as a dream 
And the harshness of life 
Dims those peaches and cream.

I love the words and think they suit the “Pamela’s” beautifully 

I’ve long been a fan of this lovely ladies work and have several of her pieces.

One of my favourite things to do is to support British Makers 

Foiling Around .......

Talk about marathon crafting, this is what me and Mum got upto on Saturday at a two hour workshop.

Take an empty tube of tomato purée. Cut it open, wipe it clean, use the inside to create a lovely card.

My tomato purée tube card

I made a flower key ring with a cut up drinks can

And here’s my Christmas star made from a foil pie tin.

A lie down was needed after haha.

Linking with Julia over at 

what’s on your Workdesk Wednesday

Autumn Clobber

Isn’t autumn the most beautiful time of year in nature.  I love where I live for seeing and being amongst it.


I also love the transition into winter clothes and being able to bring out my favourite Fly London boots and opaque tights.

I’ve added this gorgeous green Scottish knit jumper to my winter wardrobe.  It’s one I picked up in Ulverston, near to our caravan in the Lake District.

Last winter’s outfits included the Dr. Who / Urchin look and providing it still fits I think I’ll be wearing it again.

You’ll not catch me walking through the dell in a fleece and a pac-a-Mac or waterproof trousers.

Home sweet home

Looking forward to sorting through my clobber and coordinating a few more outfits.

Alice the travelling petticoat - Woyww

This week we closed up our caravan for the winter and said goodbye to our Cumbrian friends until spring.  We did lark around a bit before we set off for home though.

Craft wise a friend came round to spend the day making pretty wraps to go round jam jars.  Jacqui glued her piece (above) onto card before securing it round the jar.  It gave it more structure.

I’m going redo mine as the stitching is to big and you can’t see the word.  What I will probably do is make another and stitch this onto a skirt or jumper.

Also I’ve been entrusted with Alice the travelling petticoat and her travel journal.  Alice started life in South Africa as a plain white vintage petticoat and so far she has been to the USA, Ireland, Australia, France and various areas of the UK.

Each member of the Petticoat sisterhood can add their own embellishment and write a little about themselves in the journal.  The book is beautiful.  It has stories of  people’s lives and homes and the adventures they’ve had while the petticoat has been in their care.

So now it is my turn to add to this delightful story before I send her on her way to pastures new.

I’ll give you an update once Alice and I have got properly acquainted with each other.

You can see more photos on Instagram by checking out the hashtag #petticoatsisterhood

This is what my friend Maria added

And here the petticoat is ready to leave Australia 

Hope you enjoyed this little story

Deskhoppers

Linking to 

What’s on your Workdesk Wednesday