Card-making Tuesday

Hello lovelies,

I've been signed off work for a while with my stupidly painful back so today I decided to use my time productively and begin making some c-word cards.  I'm beyond rubbish at being a crafter!  Any self-respecting card-maker would have a stash of beautifully presented seasonal cards by now having begun their endeavours in July.  As usual though, despite having best intentions, I've put it off and moved bits of paper from one end of the table and back again for weeks now without actually sticking anything to something else!

So, here we go then.  I decided on a festive floral theme and punched out some simple flower shapes from red card.

Then with my little ...erm... dibber tool (technical crafting term!) rolled the cut outs
to give them some shape.

Stuck two flower shapes together,

then punched out a stamen shape from black card

Once the stamen was stuck onto the card, I added a little 'Stickles' glitter to give it a little festive glamour!

Next, I punched out two christmas tree shapes from green cardstock;

And gave it a bit of a trim!

Next up,  I gently scored some vein like lines - 

and stuck them on to the back of the flower shapes.

Next job was to find some suitable backing papers.  These were freebie ones from a Scrapbook Inspirations mag that have been in my stash for  ages - I think they're by Bo Bunny.  I covered the join in the paper with some coordinating ribbon.

Next, I stamped a Christmas greeting using a stamp and some black ink, and  punched out the greeting with a large square stamp, before matting it up on some green cardstock.

And finally - the finished product!  Ta-dahhh!!

Card making in its simplest form!  Not a bad  effort really - now stop looking cos this one might be yours!!

See you soon!!

A Homely Day

Evenin!

We've had a homely day here at the 'Pod'.  Man has doing manly things of a tree cutting nature, whilst I have been swanning around the kitchen in a domestic goddess manner, creating The Hairy Bikers' Mum Knows Best Coffee & Walnut cake.

Tis yur :-

Man professes it to be lovely and moist but not very "coffee-ey".  We've tried this recipe a couple of times and it's a good one - but we really need to try it with 'Camp' coffee and chicory essence rather than just strong instant coffee.  I think that will make  a huge difference.  Ah well.  I'm sure it won't last long - cake never does in this house!!

As I'm on a very strict diet regime (yawn), I'm not allowed cake in its usual form, so I baked myself this:

This is a  "1/2 syn" (if you're on the Slimming World plan)  roulade, which contains simply 4 eggs, 1/2 a tub of quark, sweetener, almond essence and, a teaspoon of baking powder.  No flour, no fat, no sugar.  It was baked in a swiss roll tin, allowed to cool and then spread with the other pot of quark, duly sweetened and combined with half a cherry fat free yoghurt, then rolled up like a swiss roll.  Et voila - a sweet but guilt free treat. This had a cherry bakewell kind of flavour, but  in the past I've replaced the almond essence with lemon, and spread with one of the new fat free greek style lemon yoghurts.  Or vanilla essence and strawberry yoghurt.    Any port in a dieting storm I say!

Remember the long running saga of us taking up the lawn in the summer and replacing it with the freebie slabs we were lucky enough to inherit?  Well I think we are finally (finally!!!) on the home straight.  This pic was taken this evening. Not the best I'm afraid as the light was fading and it hadn't quite dried out but you'll get the general idea.

We just have a couple of edging boards to paint, and the very top bit to sort out and I think we'll be there.  Mum planted up my pots with some cyclamen, heather and pansies this afternoon so they'll bring a welcome splash of colour for the next couple of months at least.

Out in the fields, the farmer has been making the most of the dry spell to plough and till the soil ready for the next crop.  He's a miserable old git and destroys the footpaths every single year until the walkers reclaim them by exercising their right to roam.  It's a public right of way and has been for very many years but he seems to pay no heed - I think he just likes being difficult!

See you soon!

Sunny Saturday

Hasn't it been an absolute belter of a day?!   I hope your Saturday has been a sunny one.  It's been beautifully warm here today with stunning golden sunlight, the quality of which can only be witnessed at this time of year.  It's been such a welcome change from the dreariness and torrential downpours of the preceding week.  It certainly makes the heart feel lighter - well that and having your hair done!

S'cuse me  for a minute- I need to have a private conversation with Mr Cro of  http://magnonsmeanderings.blogspot.co.uk/  fame.    **waves**. 

I've tracked down the stripey pears that you admired from yesterday's post.  They're delightfully called "Humbug" (Pysanka) and they originated in the Ukraine.  Very sweet and juicy apparently and even the young shoots are stripey!  I'm sure you'll be able to track one down!!

This has been a public service announcement for pear lovers of the world!

I mentioned the Malvern show in yesterday's post.  I was very frugal whilst I was there and although I could have cheerfully spent hundreds of pounds on trinkets and gorgeous stuff, I was a good girl and just observed, gasped, cooed, stroked, appreciated much stuff of a beauteous nature and cried quietly into my scarf.  

One of the stalls I couldn't get away from, was one which showcased lots of carved wooden treasures.  I have a bit of a 'thing' for owls, and my lovely Mum treated me to this gorgeous fella!

The blurb stages that "each owl is individually carved ..." and "set in a Jempenis log with its original bark still intact".  It is then treated with teak oil to protect it from the elements.  He looks very at home on the shed I reckon and is keeping a watchful eye on any potential garden shenanigans.

I also have a bit of a 'thing' for sculptures of hares and really want to get a moon gazing hare statue for the garden (on our new patio don't cha know - ooh that's finally finished!  Will do a tadahh post tomorrow hopefully).  Next to the owls on the same stand, was a veritable drove of carved wooden hares of all shapes and sizes and all very beautiful.  One in particular called to me.  I don't know what it was but I found myself stroking his nose!  (yes I know I'm very odd and don't mind admitting it!!).  

As I'm a very spoilt brat, and to my complete surprise, that very hare found his way home in the same bag as my little owlet!  Man justified this frivolous purchase having apparently 'done a deal for the two'.   I was very

 cross with him for about 2.1 seconds, but then I found myself stroking his nose again  (the hare, not the Man) and all crossness was forgotten.

The full Harvest Moon was out in all its glory last Saturday night, so, as fitting as this was, I took the hare outside and let him gaze......(as this rather rubbish photograph details!).

See you tomorrow, men in white coats permitting .......

ooh  p.s. - if you share my love of carved wood, check out the website http://www.timber-treasures.co.uk/index.html .  I am in  no way associated/affiliated blah blah blah to this company however they really do have some wonderful items which would be perfect for Yule gifts.

The Malvern Show

Firstly I would like to thank my lovely followers from the bottom of my heart for your very kind words after my "Post of Woe" yesterday.  I'm fed up with feeling sad.  Normal service will be resumed forthwith!

Last Saturday we were very decisive (if you knew us personally you'd understand what a momentous occasion this was.  We usually lie in bed umming and ahhing over what to do that day with plenty of "I don't mind - what do YOU want to do"s with any decision as to outings eventually being decided by the toss of a coin!! )

We got up relatively early and took ourselves out to the Malvern Show for the day.  The train from Stourbridge to Malvern doesn't take more than an hour (with one station change) and we arrived at Great Malvern (such a gorgeous little Victorian station) in time to grab a quick coffee before the free shuttle bus arrived to whisk us away to the show.  The Malverns looked stunning in the autumn sunshine.

The rest of post will be very photo heavy as I'll let the pictures do the talking.  We had a lovely day.  It was one of those perfect, golden autumn days and I'm so glad we made the decision to go.  

Enjoy the pics :)

I need to grow some of these in my garden next year - they were so pretty.  Particularly when the sun caught them.

Apples galore

Gorgeous colours!

The spectacular Malvern Seven Sisters (well three of them in this particular shot!)

Painstakingly perfect displays of autumn bounty

I love the way they displayed these caulis!

This display of tomatoes was almost too perfect!

Gorgeous gourds!

I hate 'Keep Out' signs - that just made me want to snip the rope and walk in!!  

How beautiful is this colour combination?  

Love these stonework arches - I couldn't fit one in my pocket, sadly.

oh!! Hello Cowboy!! ;)

Loved the way the sunlight filtered through these Agapanthus

Wonderful floral displays - reading some of the comments cards left by the judges, though - sheesh - how perfect do they need to be?!!

This was my favourite.  

Lettuce trees and mushroom .. erm.. fungi!  Inspired!

Isn't it a sign of the times that this sweet little floral pram display was chained to the drainpipe?!

We missed out SO much of the show - six hours simply wasn't enough to see everything.  I think we'll plan a little better for the next one so we're there early doors.  

Have a wonderful weekend.

xxxx

Can the rest of 2012 ......

.... kindly naff orff!

I'm usually a really cheerful person with a very positive outlook on life, but sometimes, just sometimes I just want to curl up in a corner and hide under the duvet until the world buggers off.

In the past 3 months, I've lost my beloved Dad, I've been diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in my spine, one of my favourite chickens had to be put down, my daughter and her boyfriend were involved in a road traffic accident whereupon he lost control of his car in atrocious weather conditions, hit the kerb and flipped upside down into a field.  Thank my Goddess that they were both relatively unscathed apart from minor aches, pains and scratches - but it was certainly one of those telephone calls a Mum dreads.

And to put the topper on it all, this evening I had a knock on the door from a neighbour to tell me that I needed to go and look at our cat as 'she didn't look very well'.   This was a bit of an understatement. I think she died just as I was crossing the road to get to her.  Our beautiful little Minnie-cat, she of the permanently pursed lips and the air of disdain, the whippy tail and the predilection for catching butterflies, mice, voles, shrews and birds has gone.  I can't work out whether she was hit by a car as there was no outward sign of damage or she had some underlying condition.  She hadn't shown any sign of illness and was eating really well ( as usual).  Her little body was still warm as I cuddled her to me but it was clear that she'd left us.  Poor little soul.

Rest in Peace Minstrel Minnie Mouse.  

I'm sorry this post is a bit "woe is me" but hope that it goes some way to explain my lack of blogging recently.

I do have some lovely pictures and nicer stuff to share with you and shall attempt to get this done very soon.

Thanks for bearing with me. 

Positivity will return very shortly.

Wishes and kisses xxxx

Great Expectations

No I'm not with child!

Hello lovely readers.

As you will know from my last post, I'm just getting back into my crafting.  I've just started an art journal which, although I'm no 'artist' in the general sense, I can use to sketch, doodle, fling paint at and stick things to.  I'm enjoying the freedom that the journal is letting me have.  It really doesn't matter that I'm not good at art - it's the 'doing' that I'm finding quite therapeutic. When I'm feeling tired,  I can sit quiet and doodle in my armchair with just a pen or pencil and have a good old colouring in session without the need for lots of materials around.  Conversely I can allow myself to be surrounded by every craft item known to man and sit up at the kitchen table where I can get messy with glue and glitter and oils and pastels and all that malarkey!! As I've just been diagnosed with spondylosis in my lumbar spine, I'm feeling a bit sorry for myself so this journal will be just the place to let off a bit of a creative steam.

My friends over at The House of Bears blog SEE HERE  set a literary challenge a few days ago using "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens as a prompt and using the words

• gentleman
• Neglect/decay
• Nature/nurture 

for inspiration.

I'm ashamed to say that I've never read Great Expectations so the challenge was more, erm, challenging.  Thanks to the mighty Google however, quick character synopses and quotations were provided to me - and with this help I think I just managed to pull it off. 

Borrowed from the t'interweb

The character of Miss Havisham drew me in immediately and I knew it was her that I wanted to feature.  I printed off a picture of Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham (apparently a new film is in the offing)  in grey scale and then used pencil to de-prettify her! (Ms B-C is FAR too pretty to play Miss Havisham, I feel - although from an eccentricity point of view she has it in spades!).  

As I just wanted the picture as a base, I went to work on altering her a little, giving her black button eyes and a stitched mouth a la Sally in A Nightmare Before Christmas.  Her hair was created using Angelina's Fusible Fibres which I cut to shape before sticking down.  Some  thread and lace dyed with good old fashioned tea was added and Miss Havisham was .. erm... born! 

I used watercolours to create a gloomy dark background and, as the text advises that the room was 'yellow light in the darkened room' I added a touch of yellow to the mix to reflect this and the suggestion of neglect/decay. 

The nature/nurture element was relatively easy really.  I colour washed the top of the page with the palest hint of blue, then found a feature garden picture in one of my old Country Living magazines.  I painted the window frame around the picture and then added two painted strips of card to denote the window itself.

The quotation "So!" she said, without being startled or surprised; "the days have worn away, have they ?" 

was added to complete my challenge entry.

Thanks bears - I had great fun!!  

Friday Crafty Corner

Hello lovelies!

I haven't crafted for a while, mainly due to lack of time and space, however just lately the yearning to play with bits of paper and glue has returned with a vengeance! 

I first developed a passion for paper crafting (mainly scrapbooking) some time ago now when an American friend introduced me to it.  A little later, after visiting a couple of scrapbooking fairs, I enrolled on U K Scrappers, a crafting forum, and through that forum met a group of ladies who I am blessed to class as some of my very closest friends.  We've been friends now for a number of years and have our own closed community forum where we chat every day.  A little later this year, some of us are getting together at a weekend retreat to indulge in lots of eating, chatting, laughing (lots) and maybe a little crafting too!

One of our number issued a small round robin challenge recently.  Basically anyone who wanted to take part would put together a small kit together with instructions for a project to be created by the recipient.

Yesterday I received my package of goodies (and I've just remembered that I didn't photograph the flippin' kit before I attacked it with the scissors and glue!).

The project was to use the papers and embellishments provided to create a decorated 'minibook'.  My friend had kindly created the 'book' for me out of 8 x 12 cardstock, but I'm a clumsy, sausage fingered crafter and needed something a tiny bit bigger to work on, so re-created the minibook from 12 x 12 card stock.  

Having inked the edges of each page with a nut brown ink pad, I matted up the front cover with two types of gorgeous patterned paper, I cut spirals from some dark brown card stock and attached two butterfly embellishments.  When the book is moved, it looks like the butterflies are fluttering!  

 

These butterflies are so pretty - they have an iridescent sheen on them which reflects the light.  Gorgeous!

As it's well known that I'm head over heels in lurve, the sentiments, papers and embellishments provided were of a very romantic nature and complemented each other perfectly.  The flourish and picket fence were provided to me in white card stock, so these were inked up to give a little definition.

Aww - L is for Lurve! 

Again the die cut butterflies were beautifully cut from white card which allowed me to employ my snazzy copper gilding pen to do a little 'colouring in'.  I was really pleased with this effect.

This is how the book looks in all its glory!

I sealed the bottom of two of the pages to make pockets, then decorated two of the tags with more of the embellies provided.

The tags slot perfectly into the 'pockets' and give a bit of added interest.

Ta-dahhh!  The first crafting I've done in ages!  Thank you Sherri - I've had a lovely chilled out afternoon, cutting and sticking to my heart's content!  

Looking forward to the next challenge now!