Hello my friends. Already it is Tuesday evening – so time to write a post and tell you about my workdesk this week! As usual the work area has moved around the house … and further afield. Let’s start with the bedroom wall!

This is the gorgeous oil painting I have been attempting to get the dirt off. I think, if the cotton wool balls are anything to go by, I am succeeding. This is just SO Wales! I only wish I knew if my maternal Grandfather had indeed painted it – but there’s no-one to ask now. If he did paint it, then he would have done it around 100 years ago.

This is the photo I showed you a couple of weeks ago… taken from a slightly different angle, but so very similar.

So, from the bedroom wall to the sewing table. I took one of the silk paper sheets I had made and have done a little sewing into it in order to show the participants a possible use of the paper at the Crafternoon a week on Saturday. I used some rayon sewing threads because they have such a lovely sheen to them. Didn’t do a great deal, just enough to show folks that a) it’s possible; and b) it’s not easy to keep the sheet flat! it gets all wrinkled as I didn’t dare put it into an embroidery hoop.

From the sewing table to the dining table. I wonder why I so rarely get to eat there???! A 3D piece now. The surprise activity for the Crafternoon. I’m just waiting for it to dry. Shaped over a 2 pint pudding basin, the crinkles will even out a little when I remove it from the former.

And so, from the dining table to Martin Meer. A Wildlife and Wetlands Trust venue up in Lancashire. My 2 pairs of binoculars (one was John’s father’s pair and one his grandfather’s!) have recently died. They refuse to focus on anything – near or far. So, it was time for a rethink. I checked that Martin Meer sold a decent selection and headed North to find an expert. A lovely man called Jim spent ages helping me to find a pair suitable for someone who simply wanted to look a bit further afield and identify birds and animals, but wasn’t a birder!!! Then, armed with new binoculars, camera, zoom and macro lenses, I set off around the centre. The weather was just glorious – I had taken coat and cardigan with me, and needed neither! Most creatures there turned their backs on me the instant I lifted the camera to my eye… but…

So that’s it, my friends. A full and lovely week. I’m completely ready for the church’s charity re-launch afternoon tea this Saturday apart from making some cakes on Friday. Their brochure which I designed is with the printer, and their website (including blog) is completely up and running. I’m nearly all set for the Crafternoon with Camilla a week on Saturday, just a case of checking the cross stitch patterns I need to use, and then putting my embroidery silks all ready – Remember those glorious rainbow coloured boxes the other week? I am trusting they will inspire folk! Then I am greatly looking forward to seeing my entire family over their Easter break, and spending some time with them all.

Take care my friends. Thank you so much to those who visited and commented last week. God bless you.

Margaret

I think it only fair to warn you that this post is just a tad photo heavy!!! Oops – sorry Julia. I hope I am forgiven.

Hello my friends. I trust this finds you well and enjoying your art times. My desk this week has been moving around the house – nothing unusual there I hear you say. So… firstly, the dining table has been covered in all manner of silk fibres, wool fibres, angelina fibres… yes. I have been making lots of silk paper sheets for whoever comes to the Crafternoon next month. I’m not sure what got into me last Wednesday when I told you we are going to do silk painting… we’re not! We are doing silk paper making!!! Just a bit of a difference! Anyway, as I set to, I discovered that by the time I had made a sheet for everyone and a couple for myself as demonstrator, I was going to be running very low on silk and wool tops. Oh, what a sacrifice – I had to get on the phone and order some more. I have always used Winghamwoolworks for these, and they certainly excelled themselves this time. Ordered Friday lunchtime, Monday morning this gorgeous parcel of loveliness arrived…

I am positively drooling over these – 28 balls of wool tops, 3 bags of silk fibres, and 2 of angelina fibres – copper and silver. Our plan for the crafternoon is that everyone can start off by making a couple of sheets each, which can then be drying whilst we all make something 3D using the sheets I have already made. Thus far, I have made 16, roughly circular and nearly A4 in length. I have had SUCH fun!!! Here’s a few…

From the dining table to the kitchen worktop and on to the armchair and tv! In the evenings I have been greatly enjoying myself making a zigzag crochet blanket…

It fits a full size single bed. I will probably give it to charity as I don’t need it, but I have had loads of fun counting!! From the armchair my next desk was the open air. Friday morning was absolutely stunning weather here on the North Wales coast – so, after a load of household tasks I decided to go out to Bodnant. Bodnant Gardens is a NT place around 7 miles from my home. When I went two weeks ago there were 2 daffodils out! Yes, you read correctly – 2. I thought the sun might have opened a few more… arrived to find there wasn’t a car parking space left! Went home in a huff! However, undeterred I went back on Saturday morning. Oh my goodness – what a feast for the eyes and the soul! I leave you today with a few snaps from the many I took that time!

There were millions – everywhere you looked. Up hill and down dale. It was the most glorious sight. Colour was everywhere. Azaleas, primroses, magnolias, even rhododendrons were opening up.

Enjoy gazing. Enjoy the beauty of creation. Take care my friends. God bless you.

Margaret

Well, hello my friends! I cannot believe I have done it again – gone AWOL for so many weeks. Tuesday evenings seem to come round when I am least expecting them, and consequently, I miss yet another week. However… today I have made it! So, my desk this week is in two very distinct halves – useable… and not! Here’s the useable half. Handcream and glue to the fore; heat gun; a little Chinese take-away container that has water with washing up liquid in it. You see, I have this gorgeous oil painting which came to me after my mum and dad died. It’s a mountain scene with a waterfall – and it lived above the dining table in my parents’ home for donkey’s years – with a coal fire – so it is pretty mucky. I am trying to clean it a bit, and bring up the colours somewhat. I watched “The repair shop” one time and this is the solution they used to start the process. I think it’s working. I have no idea of the artist, I just know I love the view. It is almost exactly the same as a place I stood and photographed the other day in Snowdonia, so it may have been painted by my grandfather.

This is the view I photographed – the waterfall coming down from Llyn Idwal to Llyn Ogwen. I reckon the artist probably was on the left of this picture looking up the valley and waterfall. The cleaning of the painting has a long way to go yet, so I will just enjoy the photo in the meantime. Anyway – on to the un-useable half of my desk! That blue box contains 150 cards, made for the launch event of our new charity at church – 125 are my own designs, and 25 are cards made using old cards which had the charity’s previous logo and details on them. So some cutting, pasting, layering, ribbon jobs were involved. Behind the blue box are a basket full of little gifts donated to sell, and the big Welsh bag contains some handmade boxes holding tealights.

So, apart from making cards, what else have I been doing in my absence? Travelling the nations – I visited Mr and Mrs D, where we went on a craft shop hunt! I then went on to see my elder daughter and spent an entire day helping my grand daughter make her first ever dress. Then travelled down to see my younger daughter who had booked tickets for us to go to Kew Gardens for the Orchid exhibition. Storm something or other put paid to that! Kew closed the gardens for the day. So, instead we went to her village Community Choir rehearsal. What fun!!! I thoroughly enjoyed a vocal workout. A fortnight later I was back with my elder daughter and family to attend my grand daughter’s first concert since lockdown. A fabulous venue in Nottingham, 175 musicians – from 5 to 18 years old. Three string bands, and two wind bands. The standard of musicianship was amazing. A beautiful event. I’m so glad I went to it.

So, I leave you with a picture from a day out to which I treated myself. The weather was so glorious, I simply couldn’t stay in, but drove into Snowdonia. Lambs filled the fields, daffodils, snowdrops and primroses covered the roadsides. It was good for the soul. Like having a holiday! So – my favourite view in the world… Snowdon herself with her acolytes! Snowdon is third from the right, and yes, honestly, the sky was that blue and so was Llyn Mymbyr! – in February!!!

So that’s me done today – just about prepared for the charity launch. Already thinking of a Crafternoon Cam and I are running at church – silk painting, scraperboard and cross stitch. We are looking forward to it! We already have some folks booked in – and we only started to advertise it last Sunday!! So take care my friends. God bless you.

Margaret