Tuesday 9 September 2014

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday 275

Hello and welcome to another week of What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, where we take a peek at crafty desks from around the world.  You can join in by clicking here.

My desk this week -

On the bottom left my my desk are two Christmas greeting cross stitches I am making.  They are on my desk as I featured them in my Creative Blog Hop post this week.  There is jam sugar on nearly every surface and shelf/cupboard of my house.  Well, not quite but it feel like it as there is an awful lot of it about, with it being jamming season.  Two batches bitty blackberry, one batch blueberry, two batches plain plum and one batch plum and port jam down, another batch of plum and port jam (or two), one batch Doverhouse chutney and one/two batches non-bitty blackberry jam to go.  That's if I don't get suckered in by Mr. Marketman beforehand.  Likely.

The purple in the middle is the remnants of a birthday card making session I indulged in at the weekend.  Face wipes are essential at all times.  Surprise, surprise, the yellow stars are still there.  They probably need dusting by now.

Coming up this week - more jamming, looking into starting a fabric advent calendar ad getting on with the Christmas cross stitches.

Hope you all have a great week! x

Sunday 7 September 2014

The Creative Blog Hop Post

I was asked recently by Fairy Thoughts if I would be able to participate in the Creative Blog Hop.

Every Monday, crafters all over the world write a post about themselves and why they do what they do.  It's a great way to find other people who may interested in the same stuff as you are.

So this week, I'm writing my Creative Blog Hop Post.  Traditionally, I am supposed to introduce you to three more talented crafters, and will do so, but in a different way to what is supposed to happen as only one of them has a blog.

Who Am I?
I am Lucy.  I am 33 and live in England.  I am a Haberdashery Specialist at a local department store and this is where a large chunk of my wages go.  I am interested in cross stitching, small sewing projects, card making, jam making and recycling/re-purposing items destined for the bin.

I am lucky to have my own craft room, which is always in a mess, but I think that is the point of  having such  room.

I am part of an online community called WOYWW (What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday).  It is full of crafters from many different countries who upload a picture of their workdesk every Wednesday.  It's great to see how their projects develop every week.

Part of participating in the Creative Blog Hop is to answer fur questions:

1.  What Am I Working On Now?
I am currently cross stitching these Christmas messages on plastic canvas from a pattern in one of my books.  There are five messages in total and I hope to finish them all, back them and hang it before this Christmas.

2.  How Does My Work Differ From Others In My Genre:
The work I am currently involved in isn't my usual type of cross stitching.  I normally prefer making my own charts or using a website called My Photo Stitch, which is great for pictures that don't need wording.  I like to work on geeky/niche projects.  Here are some examples:
 Assassin's Creed video game logo
 Logo from my friend's band, Scarlet Soho
 Classic computer game character, Kirby
 Ermintrude and Zebedee from The Magic Roundabout
 Monty Python Dead Parrot sketch
Logo of my friend Joe's heavy metal band, Talanas
 A play on Magritte's painting for a friend's present

In recent times, alternative cross stitch design books have been published so I know there are people out there doing the same as me, just none of my local group of crafting friends.

3.  Why Do I Create What I Do?
I cross stitch because I like to see a picture forming as I'm completing a project.  I do it because it's theraputic for me to lose a whole day on a tiny piece of work.  I love the excitement of the initial idea, seeing whether it's possible to do or not.  Because no one I know is doing the same.

4.  How Does My Creative Process Work?
I find a picture I like and upload it to My Photo Stitch.  I will spend a good deal of time getting it how I like before I download the image onto my computer.  If it needs font, I will plot it out on graph paper using a book of cross stitch alphabets I own.  My Photo Stitch gives a list of DMC threads needed for the task and I will pool the colours I already have together and/or buy what I don't already have. 

I prefer to stitch my pieces on my days off from work, when I am able to start early in the day.  I rarely bother in the evenings after work anymore as I'm too tired and there isn't enough time to get stuck in.

 I will love the project from the outset right up until I've completed a third of the picture.  The second third is filled with doubt - have I counted one too many stitches?  Is this part going to meet up with that part or am I going to have to unpick it all?  It is about this time that I will have seen my next project.  The last third is filled with utter hatred for the piece.  This is because I wish to start the next project that I will have already stupidly plotted out with great precision.  So I try to go as fast as I can, which leads to mistakes, more unpicking and cursing and then when it is done, I don't want to look at it.  It's torturous at the end.

 Various Scandinavian Christmas designs
 Internet meme, Nyan Cat
Christmas candy cane

As I mentioned earlier, my three nominations for this challenge don't write blogs.  So instead of them posting an entry next Monday, I thought I would post a link for you to look at their lovely stuff. (Matthew came up trumps!)

Matthew Sergison-Main - Illustrator
Matthew is an artist, illustrator and designer living in Hampshire, England. He works in traditional media predominately, using some digital as needed, to produce a highly detailed style of artwork. In 2012 he won a national art competition winning a solo exhibition at the esteemed Pallant House gallery in 2014. He worked on the acclaimed indie computer game 'Amnesia: A machine for pigs', and has produced artwork and illustration for musicians, magazines and festivals
http://artserge.tumblr.com/

Kimvi Nguyen - Artist
http://kimvi.tumblr.com/

Zoe Davies - Keepsake Maker
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Made-With-Love-Keepsakes-by-Zoe/594185547307127

Thank you for staying to the end.  I hope you will take the time to check out my friends pages.  Have a great week! x