FNSI.... I was there!

I was not only there I was working like a woman with a brain for the first time in a long while.   The old mojo is still there it just takes a bit of coaxing to get it up and running.

Fist off I finished off a batch of  rotary cutting I started earlier in the week.  

How I managed to cut the minuscule ears from 160 tiny triangles using a rotary cutter on a rotating board without lopping off a fingernail or worse beats me but I did it... not an Elastoplast or a drop of blood in sight.    

Then I did a spot of sewing........

if you look closely you can see the odd white triangle sticking up.   Can't show you what I'm sewing because for the moment it's a potential secret.... depends how it works out if it's an actual secret or not.  Hope that makes sense to you.     I'm hard at it working on gifts for a couple of Christmas swaps again this year.    One is between friends and the other is none other than Chookyblues Secret Santa Christmas Swap.   What with that and other little gift making projects I have in the pipeline I reckon you'll be seeing more secret photo's for a while.

Like this one....

another potential secret that I added some stitching to on Friday.    There's another....

must say I love that little spool of YLI silk thread..... gorgeous colour isn't it.    Stitched with it on Friday evening and enjoyed every minute.    

That's it for FNSI projects.   Have to tell you that I didn't do it all on Friday evening I sewed quite a bit during the day too.... lucky me eh!  Well... that's it 

Only thing left to say about FNSI is why don't you pop over to Wendy's  and follow the links to see what everyone else got up to.  

What else....

My laptop suffered a terrible mishap...... I reclined on it!   When I woke after a little nap I found it wedged under my recliner chair.  I'm clueless as to how it got stuck under there but it took some tugging and pulling to get it out.   No sign of damage on the outside.  All seemed well... till I switched it on....

  

That black leaf shaped blob is screen damage!!     Nothing for it but to order a replacement screen... still that's better than forking out for a new laptop any day of the week.

Now... contrary to popular belief I'm no dummy.  I'm savvy enough to replace a screen.   Checked out a 'how to' video on YouTube just to confirm that it was doable and I was all set.   That was until Mac got wind of my intentions and lost no time instructing me on how to do it.

Now... call me stubborn but no way was I going to attempt such a delicate task while wearing industrial rubber gauntlets!    OK.... I know it's electric but I wasn't planning on connecting it to mains power while I dismantled it.  Didn't see the point of standing on a rubber mat for the same reason.  And having one leg tethered to a central heating radiator by a wire to 'earth' me was not going to be happening either.    At least he didn't suggest I wear the wet suit and deep diving flippers he keeps in the loft.... but given time......

Fortunately Chris and Sally were here when the screen arrived and more fortunately Mac was in bed fast asleep (did I mention he's almost nocturnal).   So I got down to business....sans rubber!

In a matter of minutes......

Good as new.     Never underestimate the power of a woman with a screwdriver!

What else.....

Almost forgot to show you the bit of cross stitch I started....

Haven't made my mind up what to do with it yet.... assuming it doesn't disappear down the ufo route.

Took advantage of a dry minute to see what was happening in the garden......

the Sedum is still cheering up a little corner....

love the colour of these Ajuga leaves....

and call me perverse but I think I prefer Hydrangea blooms when they are dying!  They have a lovely antique look.

Bagpuss inspected weeds......

and pointed out some odd looking mushrooms.  Hope Mac doesn't find them......he'll eat them for sure and to my mind these look suspect!    If you're a mushroom expert you might enlighten me.

Baggy and I both got the feeling we were being watched.....

I'm sure this girl thought we couldn't see her.... silly moo!

Hummmm..... I'm wondering if someone put the wrong legs on the front of this one!

Can you tell I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel for something more to say.   Why do I never know when to just shut up.  OK  I'm going to turn off my brain now and settle down to an evening of mindless TV.   Will I stitch?  Don't know.... depends how long I can resist the bottle of Shiraz in the kitchen.... not long I think! 

So.... it's bye, bye from me for now.    Have a great week and I'll see you soon.....how about that for optimism! :o)

Hugs

Josie

Claiming my blog!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3533009/?claim=kk3dvr2fy3x">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Haven't got the hang of the whole Bloglovin thing yet.   Seems I have to lay claim to my blog.... as if anyone else would want it!    I only hope I'm doing this right.

Just so you haven't come here for nothing.....

A brave but foolhardy  Bagpuss laid claim to Licky Lou's favourite chair in the conservatory.    Not hard to see the kind of snit she's in.   I won't tell you what happened next..... it involved a lot of flying fur!  
Ho Hum...... that's cats for you.

Hope you all had a great weekend....
See you very soon
Hugs
Josie

Stash Crisis!

One bright and sunny morning  with  laptop tuned into the Craftsy Class I began work on my Tinker Tote.   

I don't normally need sewing supervision but Licky Lou obviously thought differently.   Have to say she took her self appointed role of Quality Controller very seriously......

given half a chance she'd have had her nose under the needle.    Won't tell you how long it took me to choose fabric ( it's way too embarrassing) but eventually the first side was finished.

Quickly got the hang of the quilt as you go method of making the bag.

Second side is almost done now too.

It's easy as long as you're not the sort of gal who finds the concept of 'random' piecing somewhat akin to having your fingernails pulled with rusty pliers (or having a boil treated by your mother)

Since I mentioned my mother.....

she and her woolly stash (this is the tip of the iceberg... you can't move for the stuff) are making yet another take over bid for my little sewing room.

I tried to get her to tidy up......

she flapped her knitted pseudo elephant ears at me.    When I tried to force the issue.... 

she threatened to yarn bomb me!!     I'd have defied her but I know she's too good a shot.    In case you're wondering she's back to knitting squares again.   Not for the Dog's Home this time.  This time her needles of fire are clicking furiously to help knit enough squares to  make a story blanket for the Minister at Chris's Church.   I have to keep reminding her they only want a blanket.... not a fitted carpet!  

Now for my Stash Crisis.    After years of randomly squirrelling fabric in tubs and boxes in nooks and crannies everywhere I have a burning desire to get rid of it!!    Not all of it of  (heaven forbid).  But enough to substantially reduce the fabric mountain and maybe warrant buying a few of the trendy fabrics I love and don't have room for ;o)   I need to make scrap quilts and I need to make them NOW!!  

Now (before you mention it) I know need to finish all the ones I've got that are in various stages of construction too.     We all have those... don't we?  Makes me feel so much better knowing I'm not alone ;o)

So... wish me luck and watch this space.

What else.

There hasn't been a good day to get to grips with the Flame Gun yet.   It's way too wet and 'steaming' weeds is not the object of the exercise.  It was decided that Maintenance Man would be the one to burn off the weeds.   However...   Mac obviously wanted to be the first to use it (it's a man thing)  so he sneaked out early one morning.   I almost had a fit when I looked out of the landing window and saw him shooting flames across the drive.  Puff the Magic Dragon had nothing on him!   Good job there were only a few cows about to witness me flapping about in my dressing gown trying to stop him from melting the soles of his trainers and spot welding himself to the gravel.   That strip is as far as he got before thinking better of it and beating a hasty retreat back to his workshop.  Thank goodness.

What else...

It's official.... I have M.E.... and here was me thinking I was morphing into a sloth!  Fortunately I  now have some medication to help with some of the symptoms.   Unfortunately my little brain is so worn out some days it just won't boot up.   Deletes words when I'm in the middle of a sentence...  makes me look like a real numpty (idiot) in conversation.   Makes it hard to string a written sentence together too hence the lack of blog posts and comments this past few weeks.   Heck... it's taken me so long to write this post my hair has grown an inch!

Never mind..... it's not going to get in the way of my plan to decimate my stash!     Like I said... watch this space.

OK..... I'd better publish this post before my brain does something stupid like deletes it.   Believe me it has happened!

Hope you are all beavering away creating beautiful things to brighten your world but if you happen to be making a mess of everything you touch right now... join the club!! :o))

See you soon.....

Hugs

Josie