Mixed media frenzy

Hello all, I'm finished,done and dusted (well, not literally) for the day and everything's packed up ready to set off for the Craft Range in Burnley tomorrow. Should be a very fun and informative day with all sorts of demos going on. Mine will not be stamping, for a change, as I'll be using all sorts of products to create mixed media canvesses, cards etc. I finished this journal yesterday....

....I eally enjoyed making this, though it took quite some time working on the front and back covers and the spine. The "hinges" wrap around from the back to give a more substantial look to the book. My tip, if you are going to be using messy products on a ready made journal, is to wrap the pages in cling film before you start - makes life much easier!

As well as more substantial items, I've used the same techniques to make cards and here are two that I'll have with me tomorrow...

A certain someone has been trying to be helpful again, if you can call plonking himself on my work table as being helpful! This was his contribution this morning....

....though it took me longer to get that foam square backing off his nose than it did to get it off the foam square itself! What a fidget!

My other little pal decided that it was better just to leave me to get on with things without her interference so she just lazed about in her latest preferred sleeping spot on the back of the sofa....

.....she is just adorable - when she's not hissing and lashing out! Anyone coming to the demo tomorrow will be able to spot the latest result of her flailing claws on my hand!

Speaking of the demo, as I'm not a fan of wearing aprons (even my Ranger one!) I shall be wearing my old scruffs - including a top that's actually got a few holes in it. So, please don't think it's my normal standard of dress - not that I've ever been the snappiest dresser in the world!

Oh, if you haven't already left a comment below the blog candy giveaway post then please do so before midnight on Tuesday when it closes. Here's the link to the post that you need to comment on -candy time.

Oh yes, here's a photo from my occasional "this day last year" spot.....

.....a whole year since I repaired and painted my front door! Can't believe it was twelve months ago, although there are definitely a year's worth of little teeth marks at the bottom corner again where Tara has been trying to chew her way in - why she can't ring the bell like everyone else I don't know!

Well, that's me finished for the day, so I'll sign off and hope to see some of you in Burnley tomorrow. I hope it's going to be as sunny a day as it's been here today - just lovely. Have a great weekend everyone.

A little help

Good evening all, I hope it's been as glorious where you are as it's been here in Lancashire.What a beautiful, sunny day it's been.

I've had a little help in my Doo Lally room this week,or should I say a little help-er...and not so little either! Thomas seems to have decided that my work needs to be supervised - only trouble is that he doesn't leave me much room to do anything!

Not even sure that he approves of my work!

I'll be travelling up and across to Newcastle on Friday and then onto South Shields on Saturday morning for my demo at Crafty Corner. I've got lots of Christmas cards and tags made using my latest Christmas stamps as well as Sweet Dixie dies and various sprays and spritzers. Could get messy (could? Who am I kidding?!).

Talking of my pusscats, I had a close shave this week in the form of Tara - who else? What a little monster she can be! I was letting her out and she stretched her front legs right up as if to tell me to hurry up.I bent forward to give her a little kiss on her head and her paw came right up and into my eye - it was so fast that I didn't have time to blink. I felt her claw in my eye but, thankfully, no damage was done. She really can be a minx!

Thomas was rather unpleasant to be around yesterday as he was rather whiffy! I think he'd been curled up in the sun too long and he's also recovering from a bout of fleas...yikes! They do both have their drops but, living with open land so close by, and the fact that there are quite few farm cats about, fleas can be an occasional problem. He's been scratching, as they do, and was generally looking (and smelling!) a bit of a mess! I made the bold decision to give him a bath!

Never in a million years would I contemplate this for Tara - I'd be flayed alive - but I thought that Tom might just be okay with it - enough for me to give him a little wash anyway. Having read that a few drops of vinegar in the water is excellent for cat's that have had fleas, I added some into the warm bath water, changed into my old clothes and shut us both in the bathroom. 

Of course, as soon as I started to lower him into the bath his legs extended in four directions and he made rather a loud grumbling sound. However, once he was in the water,he placed his front paws on my shoulder and stood quite still as I gave him a really good wash! He even purred! Once rinsed off I got him in a big towel and dried him off and, after a few shakes, he trotted off very happily and sat in the sun. He seemed to actually enjoy the whole experience and he looked a lot happier!

Well, aside from feline escapades it's been pretty quiet here except for working on various samples and projects. I made a few jewellery pieces for my Etsy shop using metal bezels and Ice Resin. They are fun to make but the frustrating part is leaving them alone until the resin sets....sooooo tempting to stick your fingers in to check.....not a good idea! I hid them away till the following day so I wouldn't be tempted and then I was able to add chains, bows etc. This one is called "Fly Free", with the little bird,some metal flakes and a bow.

And this one is called "Soulful" which seemed to bemuse my nephew when he saw it on Facebook!

All my "stuff" for Saturday's demo is packed up now, so I don't have to think about that now until Friday. Tomorrow will be a mixture of a little housework (nnoooooo!!!) mainly prompted by the fact that my neighbour will be popping round to look after the two terrors. She always says that she doesn't notice the lack of housekeeping but I'm sure she must be thinking that I'm a real sloven!!! Lol! I'll also be working on some canvasses that have been ordered and then it's Church in the evening, although not a service. This time it's puppet rehearsals first and then we are hosting a concert called "A Little Night Music" which is songs from the shows. There will be refreshments and a raffle...I'm helping...with refreshments....not singing! So, it should be a lovely evening altogether.

Right, I am off to make a coffee and a sandwich before Bake Off, so I shall bid you good evening and hope to see some of you on Saturday.

Don't forget, if you haven't already done so, do leave a comment after the previous post to be in with a chance of winning my Blog Candy. All the details are below. You can't win it if you're not in it!

Fluttering days....

The days are fluttering by in more ways than one here....can any of us really comprehend that it is September? How did that happen? And there seems to have been a resurgence of butterflies....Large Whites, Peacocks, Painted Ladies....all are flitting about my garden once again attracted by the late flowering nasturtiums and the lavender. I was working in my Doo Lally room yesterday when a butterfly of a species that I hadn't seen before danced into the room. It really did appear to be dancing...skitting about by the windows and tipping its wings in a very dainty fashion. I managed to get a few photos in the moments when it settled.........

.....this made it much easier to identify it from my insect book later. The photo doesn't do it justice as it looked much prettier and the colours were certainly brighter than they look here. It turns out to be a Speckled Wood butterfly of the Satyrid family and it may well have been dancing, in a rather soporific fashion, as they apparently have a penchant for imbibing the juice from over ripe blackberries - of which there are many along the edge of my fence!

Yesterday evening I got the binoculars out so I could watch a Kestrel that was perched on a fence post in the field behind the house. He was being bombarded by brave little birds that were trying their utmost to get him to scoot but he was completely ignoring them and staying put!

I hope you're having the same fabulous weather as here in Lancashire. The sun has been beaming down through hazy skies with not a breath of wind - just lovely. It makes it all the more of a shock when it starts to go dark so much earlier now - oh to have more of the long evenings!

Looking at my "this day last year" photos for today, it seems that it wasn't quite as lovely as there are pictures of a very foggy morning and wet grass! I did like this photo though and I can remember going around the garden that morning and seeing lots of spider webs glistening from the morning mist....

In between all this "country diary of an Edwardian lady" stuff I have been doing some work too - honestly! As I have a couple of weeks without doing demonstrations I've still been busy making things for my Etsy shop and the stall that I'll be having in December. I'm looking forward to that as I'll be part of the Christmas Festival market which we have in Poulton square and part of which is the lighting of the nativity crib with carol singing followed by coffee and mince pies in Church. I'll miss out on the refreshments this time as I'll be manning my stall out in the (probably) very cold weather!

Here's a large canvas that I created this week......

....one of several that are adorning my walls at the moment like an ever changing gallery! I have a long list of things to be made for my December stall.....cards, bookmarks, canvasses, paintings.....anyone know where I can buy a few extra hours in each day?!? Thankfully I do like getting up before 6am when the light is decent, so I have been making a head start!

Tara likes to keep an eye on what I'm doing when I get the camera out - she's looking at the soil that I managed to knock out of one of the tomato plant tubs here though I think!

Yesterday was not a good one regarding the pusscats in my household! In the morning I was stroking Tara when she suddenly decided to sink her teeth into my hand - she's not done this for a while and there was no apparent reason for it this time. Of course, she had to be told off so I told her she was "a very bad girl" and  tapped her bottom as she scooted off - and when I say tapped, I do mean the gentlest of chastising taps. Of course, being the softie that I am, I very quickly went to find her so we could be friends again. She was on the window sill in the bedroom and when I drew back the curtain she cowered away from me....you can imagine how terrible I felt. Tara was a rescue cat when mum and dad got her and she's always been grumpy and nervous of people so who knows what has happened in her past....certainly  my raised voice yesterday brought it rushing back. 

Needless to say that she had extra fuss made of her (including some treats of the fresh ham variety!) and  was soon perfectly okay again. I felt like the worst person in the world though - even though she had bitten me very hard!

In the evening I heard my neighbour across the road calling my name and I went out to discover that Thomas was in her garden growling menacingly at my neighbour's cat, Smokey, who is not only very elderly, but is the tiniest adult cat you could imagine. As soon as I tried to pick Thomas up he launched at poor little Smokey and it was like a whirling ball of cats until we managed to separate them! Poor little Smokey shot into the house and Tom sauntered off looking twice as big as normal with every hair on end - and he's about the size of a fully grown lion as it is! Lol! Talk about showing me up! I was very ashamed of him, especially as Smokey is female!

So, lots of feline stress one way or another. Thankfully they are both behaving themselves today - so far anyway!

Well, this has been a bit of a rambly post but I just wanted to sign in and say hello really. I hope everyone has a really great weekend. I'm having one of my rare treats of a Friday evening where I can really relax knowing that I don't have to up at daft o'clock to catch a train to who knows where! Lovely!

A little holiday...and a loooong post!

Well that's an overstatement! I've not actually been on a proper holiday for over twenty years (seriously!). It's one drawback of being freelance because if I don't work, I don't get paid! Still, the freedom of being my own boss makes up for it.

So, my little holiday is really just a having a few days off, at home, without feeling guilty about doing whatever takes my fancy. Yesterday, being Sunday, began with Church in the morning. There was a baptism during the service so that was jolly - always fun to see whether the babies will cry or just look surprised when they have all that water poured onto them...yesterday's baby cried!

After Church there is coffee which is always a good chance for a catch up and then I was invited to join a couple of the ladies for a spot of lunch which made a change. As it was a beautiful day I then had a lovey stroll home through the park. After a very long day on Saturday (more later!) I was feeling really tired and could hardly keep my eyes open in the afternoon. I decided to go outside into the fresh air. Lots of lovely things to look at in the garden just now too....

....lovely peachy roses right beside my bench....

 ....and David's beautiful memorial rose is flowering profusely and looking stunning......

.....and this amazing rose greeted me yesterday. It's one that I planted a few months ago and the flower is huge. It smells as gorgeous as it looks.

Sitting on the garden bench was lovely but I decided to lie down on the lawn and I soon nodded off and spent an hour or two dozing in the sunshine which I think did me the world of good. Thomas thought it was great fun so he lay down too! 

After a phone call to Heather, my sister, I decided to make the effort, get ready and walk back to Church for a Songs of Praise service in the early evening. On the way there a group of teenagers ahead of me were dropping all their sweet and crisp packets on the road as they walked along so I pulled them up about it. Of course, I just got the usual jeering and I picked up the litter and put it in the bin myself after telling them that they didn't deserve to live in such a lovely place (not a very original remark I know!). 

This came up in conversation after the service....we were all treated to some sparkling wine at the back of Church.....and I was told "you were brave, tackling teenagers", which is something I hear a lot. It never seems that way to me, it just seems better to say or do something than to let things go. I was pondering on this as I made my way home, back through the park, and recalled how I've often walked that way on dark evenings in the Winter months. I rarely feel nervous though, and, when I do, I have a quick word with "Him upstairs" and ask him to look out for me! 

I was having all these scatterlogical thoughts yesterday as I entered the park and then spotted the teenagers that I'd had a go at earlier. I had no thought that they would do me any harm, but I was expecting to have to "run the gauntlet" as I went past them. Just as I thought that, I saw a male figure coming in my direction and then realised he was wearing a dog collar. He said "Good Evening" to me and the teens focussed all their attention on him, asking if he was the new Vicar, the old Vicar, or who was he. I heard him say that he was a Priest from the Catholic Church. I haven't seen him before and it made me smile that I'd just been thinking about how I always feel that I'm being looked after and protected and I encountered the Priest just as I was anticipating some heckling. 

This reminds me to say that I've decided not to continue with my second blog (My Rambling Spirit) which I'd set up in order to have somewhere to talk about more spiritual things. I never seem to get the time to post in two blogs and I also decided that, as my faith and spirituality have always been a huge part of my life, I shouldn't feel the need to keep them separate as if I'm somehow embarrassed  or worried that I'll alienate anyone. So, please feel free to skip over any part of my posts that don't appeal to you! I do try to make my blog quite encompassing rather than just being about art, craft and things creative.

When I got home last night Thomas was waiting for me by the gate and he decided he wanted me to go for a stroll up the lane with him so we had a nice wander and watched the Swallows racing each other round and round the big tree in the field - they are racing each other I'm convinced of it! The bats were also out and about, even though it was still quite light, and it made for a lovely way to end the evening, watching them swooping and dipping over the garden. Just lovely.

I had a great night's sleep and woke to another gorgeous day here. This was a day to do very little! I mowed the lawn, did some washing, cut back some Foxgloves and Snapdragons that had gone over and did a bit of weeding and feeding of plants. Then it was time to sit outside and read for a few hours. I've been reading Life of Pi since early 2013 and still not finished it! Terrible I know! I just haven't been able to focus long enough to really spend time in a good book, even though I had been enjoying it. As I'd suggested the film for one that some friends could come over and watch, I decided I really must finish the book first. So, I've got through quite a lot today and really enjoyed myself. This photo pretty much sums up the kind of day it's been.....

....Tom likes the bench as much as I do!

Later it was watching the tennis and egg and bacon sandwiches for dinner - yum! A refreshing shower and freshly laundered PJ's and I'd call it a pretty relaxing and enjoyable day.

Tomorrow I'm meeting Heather in Blackpool for some window shopping and to return the shoes that I bought a couple of weeks ago which disintegrated the first time I wore them! 

To go back a bit, on Saturday I went to Daisy Jewels and Crafts near Coventry to teach an all day workshop. This involved me getting up at 5.15am in time to get ready and then walk round to the station and catch the early train to Preston for the first leg of my journey. Imagine my horror to be told that the train was cancelled (due to staff shortages...I ask you!) and that, instead of arriving at 9.20am it would now be 10.53 am when I got to Bedworth! Thankfully, the ladies were all very patient and spent time looking round the shop until I arrived. We tagged the time onto the end of the day but it was a rotten start I can tell you!

A great time was had by all (so they told me!). We made several projects.....

...including a wall plaque featuring a Doo lally Pip character and roses made from rolling up spirals of ink sprayed dictionary paper. 

I used my "Frayed Around the Edges" character, but the ladies all had a choice of which stamp to use....

....here's one in progress using my "Keep Dancing" set, before any flowers were added. I liked the way the burlap was cut out as a heart shape.
Here's one of the cards made on the day...

...lovely and cheerful!

Everyone was kept hard at work to get through everything....

.....including Zendoodle Owl cards....

....complete with stripey branches of course!

The shop has two amazing dresses on display which were made by DCWV for one of the trade shows. Just look at this fantastical creation....

....wow! Thanks to Wendy and all the ladies who came to the workshop for making it such a fun day and being so patient when British Rail let me down...again! Gggrrrr! I'll be going back there in October and will post more details nearer the time.

Well, I told you this was going to be a long post and I was telling the truth! It's almost 11.30pm now, so I should make a move, get the two terrors in and lock up the house before getting to bed. A nice day with Heather to look forward to tomorrow and then, on Wednesday I am assisting with a funeral at Church in the afternoon before our second Les Mis study group meeting in the evening. So, busy even when I'm having a few days off!

I'm waiting for my new Christmas stamps to be sent to me so that I can start getting samples made up with them, so will share those as and when of course. I won't post any more of my new designs tonight though!

You may like a couple of cute Tara pics to finish with instead! On Friday she was sitting on the chair facing into the corner and looking for all the world as if she'd been a naughty girl and was in trouble with the teacher. I couldn't resist making a little something so I could take a photo...

.....she didn't move at all and hardly seemed to notice her new attire! She even posed for a lovely close up for me....

.....cutey pie!

Right, I will now sign off before anyone still reading this missive drops off! Enjoy the sunshine everyone.

Going underground

Well, I will be tomorrow. My favourite form of travel...the London tube....not! I did have a look at getting down to the Craft Barn without going through London but the journey time went up to over seven hours - gulp! So, Euston and Victoria it is and I shall just have to try and stay upright with my case as the regular commuters shove past me on the escalators, tutting loudly as they do so - or worse!

I'm just having a quick coffee beak before I carry on with last minute putting together of a few more samples - I won't tell you what time I started this morning but David would have called it "daft o'clock"! So, I thought I'd take the chance to sign in and show a few piccies from the last week.

On Saturday I was at Sir Stampalot in Peterborough...no photos as I didn't take my camera. Had a great day though and a big hello to everyone who came along to the demo. A special thank you to Linda for the lovely plant that you brought me...I got it home safely and it's now happily planted in one of my tubs. A big hello to Stephanie too, and thank you for your lovely email. And I have to mention Margaret who attended my workshop at Cutting Edge Crafts in Skegness and who came to Sir Stampalot to see me again. She told me off as I'd cut her head off in a photo I posted here, so, I promised to make amends in my next post! So, Margaret, especially for you....

....complete with your finished wall plaque....and face!
I've been working in the conservatory this week, which is becoming increasingly tricky due to the amount of space being taken up by the jungle which is growing inches by the day!

The large leaves at the front are on the courgette plants which I have three of...should be enough for me, Heather and a few friends too!At the back are a couple of the sweetcorn which I think will have to go outside before too long. 

Of course, if I'm in the conservatory I'm never alone as one or both of my furry friends will be keeping me company. If I put any kind of box or bag on the floor it's only a matter of time before Tara has to try it out for size and she was quite impressed by the laundry basket but even more by one of my pens! Not really helping there Tara!

Thomas was happier just to lie around napping...poor Tom had worms last week - ugh! However, some drops from the vet sorted him out in double quick time and he's absolutely fine again now.

Mind you, he is sulking a bit....he always knows when I've got a trip coming up no matter how hard I try not to give any clues!
Here are some pictures of what I've been up to with my stamps and inks! This first one was made using two layers of corrugated card that I scruffed up a bit, painted and buffed with Viva Inca Gold wax. I used some burlap (from a brilliant DCWV burlap stack) which I frayed and generally duffed up! The figure, heart and words are from my "Frayed Around the Edges" Doo Lally Pip stamp set.The heart was stamped onto some linen which I cut out and frayed a little. I've coloured some nylon ribbon with Dylusions inks and heated it so it went curly wurly!

 Next is another Doo Lally Pip character who's proved to be my most popular from the latest releases. He, his dog and the words are from the "Sartorial Elegance" set. I used a Kraft card blank which I used a Crafter's Workshop template to stencil through with Vintage Photo Distress ink before cutting chunks out and sanding the edges for a really scruffy look.

 I still had one of the little frames that Heather gave me last year, so I decided to use my "Dreams have Wings" set to create a picture. The background is just white card lightly sprayed with Dylusions inks...Squeezed Orange, Cherry Pie and Slate Grey - the grey is a fabulous colour. I simply stamped the birds in Archival black and then overstamped with just the twigs and leaves without re-inking to give some depth. I used a white gel pen to add highlights and the moon. The frame looked too plain so I stamped the extra bird and the words, again using Archival.

Well, I'll have these, and much more, with me this weekend at The Craft Barn, so hope to see lots of you there. Looking forward to the all day workshop on Friday too....if you're on the class then make sure you get a good night's sleep as we'll be hitting the ground running with lots of techniques and processes to get through!
Christina from A Maze of Memories sent me this link to the AMOM blog, featuring some of my Zendoodle designs...thanks Christina! When you stop and think, how amazing is all the technology that allows us all to keep in contact, share ideas and photos....quite mind blowing really.....well, to a non techy person like me anyway!
A big thank you to everyone who showed concern over my post root canal problems. The latest update is that I saw the dentist again yesterday and they are now referring me to a neurologist as half of my face is still numb - it feels very strange and putting lipstick on when you can't feel half of you lip is pretty tricky! I may have to wait up to two months for an appointment and the problem may, hopefully, right itself before then. Fingers crossed.
I was glad to see the end of May with all it's sad memories. Again, thank you for the lovely messages that were sent to me last week, they were really appreciated.
Well, I had better get back to that pile of card, stamps, inks and general mess in the conservatory! The coffee has been drained so I'm sure the caffeine will be kicking in shortly and will keep me going! Looking forward to a really busy and fun weekend and hope everyone enjoys whatever it is that you're up to over the next few days.

Where did everyone go?

After a crummy night's "sleep" on Monday, I decided on an early bed last night (with fresh sheets - lovely!) and slept right through. So I was up at the crack of dawn this morning...well, at around 6.30am anyway! This was the sight that greeted me.....

......thick fog, hence my post title - although the photo doesn't really show just how foggy it is. I took this one of the same view from the back of my house, last night, just before bed time when the fog had begun to crept in.....

.....it made me think of a John Carpenter film that David and I used to enjoy watching...The Fog. It used to amuse David no end how it made me jump every time, even though I knew what was coming! Here's another view from last night that somehow reminds me of paintings by one of my favourite artists, John Atkinson Grimshaw who was a Victorian painter born in Leeds.

He painted a wide range of subjects, but he's probably best known for his atmospheric night time town scapes. He was a very experimental artist too, using sand and other materials mixed with his oil paints, to get different effects. Sadly, he died from cancer at a relatively young age, but not before he'd left a wonderful legacy of work. If you don't know his paintings, do click the above link for a real treat.

Well, I decamped into the conservatory again yesterday to make the most of the sunshine while I worked. I was finishing the second display board of flowers made from the Sizzix Susan's garden dies, ready for the four day show at the NEC next week. 

Some of the flowers on the left board have got slightly crushed in transit after being trolled around in my case! My favourite set of the new (to me) ones is probably the Pansy and Violet which I really enjoyed adding the shading to. They're all lovely though and many are very versatile in that you can change the colours and how you shape the petals to create different blooms.

Of course, before the NEC, I am visiting A Maze of Memories in Long Crendon this weekend, where I'll be demonstrating and hosting some make n take sessions using my new Zendoodle stamps. (Click on the link for more information about the day). Here's a sneaky peek of the make n take project!

When assembling the Sizzix flowers I've been using one of my all time favourite adhesives, Art Glitter Glue, which was designed to be used with ultra fine glitters as it's really strong and grabs the pesky glitter so it doesn't shed. It also dries clear which makes it perfect for the glitter under acetate technique. I hadn't done this for ages, so I felt it was time to revisit an old favourite! I'd got one of the ultra fine tip attachments for the glue, so, once I'd stamped my Zendoodles Fungi (CICSA6196) onto acetate, I began filling in with glue and glitter one colour at a time. The conservatory needed a good hoovering when I'd finished! This is the back of the design.......

....showing the glitter over the stamped image. I left it to fully set overnight and, once I've finished this post, I'll be turning it over to see how it looks from the front, with the glitter encapsulated beneath the acetate. I'll show you the finished result next time! Unfortunately, I already know that the central toadstool has got a splodge of turquoise/lilac glitter where it shouldn't be, as I managed to dink it with the top of the glitter pot as I was sprinkling...gggrrr!
So, I'll be off first thing tomorrow for the four and a half hour trip to Haddenham and Thame. Christina, who owns AMOM is taking me into Oxford for the afternoon which I'm really looking forward to, having only been through it before. I hope the sunshine comes back! I've got a new tote bag too, from Advantus, so I'm giving it it's first test run on this trip. It's not roomy enough for the excursions when I need to take large Sizzix dies with me, but I'm managing to get all my stamping paraphernalia in it quite nicely and it seems very comfy to pull along.
Time to get some work done now. The coffee is drained, the fog is gradually lifting and I've got some last things to put together for my trip tomorrow. I'm off out this evening too, popping up to church for puppet rehearsals and a new piece that we are starting on based around the story of Lazarus. I've no idea what character I'll be playing yet, and I'll get my first look at the script tonight too. Thankfully, we don't have to learn the lines by heart as we have them pinned up behind the screen - he he!
Before I go, here are two close ups of my best pals, taken in the conservatory yesterday....

....my big soldier, Thomas, and the little madam herself........

.....big nose...er...I mean Tara! They both loved being in the conservatory with me yesterday. I had the door open and they were happily wandering in and out of the garden secure in the knowledge that I was keeping an eye on them!
And, just to finish, I thought it would be fun to add a new element to my blog posts. So, this occasional feature is called "This time last year...". I like to look back at photos for the same date from a year ago to see what I was up to, what the garden looked like, anything interesting (or not!), so here is a picture from this date in 2013.....

....a huge crow that visited the bird table in the front garden (well, under the table really) and spent quite some time picking out crumbs from between the gravel. I love these massive birds with their imposing beaks as they are surprisingly shy considering how powerful they are.
So, next time I post I'll share a photo from "this time last year" - if there is one of course!
Have a great weekend everyone.

Service resumed

Hello folks and, yet again, I'm starting with an apology for being absent from blogland for a few weeks. This has been partly due to me being weighed down with show prepping work - I'm going to be at forthcoming Event City show this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and then Stitches trade show for four days the week after that, so, loads to do.

Alongside this, our mum developed a chest infection which, combined with her ongoing illness, meant that she was very, very poorly. So much so that we warned to expect the worse.We have had a very worrying time and, you may imagine that other things have taken a back seat. Thankfully, I'm happy to say, that mum has amazed everyone and has bounced back yet again. She really is a remarkable lady and my new name for her is Duracell! We know that we still have to take things a day at a time, but, for the moment, mum is out of the woods. Needless to say, Heather and I have been feeling pretty stressed again and it's been quite hard to concentrate on work.

I have been doing my best though and I'm ready for the first show at least! So, I'll be on the Card-io stand again at the Event City show near the Trafford centre in Manchester. I'm concentrating solely on Sizzix dies this time, so I've been making a whole selection of dimensional projects, including flowers made using the Susan's Garden range of Thinlits dies. Here's a wheelbarrow made using a Bigz XL die which I've then filled with flowers made from card stock that's been inked and shaped. I cut slivers of green card on my trimmer to create the filler - I didn't have any of the stuff you can get from the florist which would have been quicker if not as creative!

I'm especially fond of the Poppy die which comes together beautifully. I used a heavy card stock to make the wheelbarrow which I then coated with black gesso. I used the same technique with another Sizzix die - the watering can......

....I used my pallette knife to spread the gesso quite thickly to give plenty of texture. It takes a fair while to dry, but if left in a warm spot the surface will cure faster and then a heat gun can be used to gently finish the drying process - with care though, so as not to make the gesso bubble up.

Once fully dry I use DecoArt Metallic Lustre to create the finish by simply rubbing it over the surface with my finger. I used Silver Sparkle on the watering can.........

...the left hand example was just cut from basic card stock which I inked to give some definition. The watering can creates an open box effect, so it's easy to add flowers etc.

The weather has been pretty cold, wet and windy here and, on Friday, we had some snow......bbbrrrr! Thankfully, it turned to sludgy sleet so it didn't stick...

....anyway, a combination of the icy temperatures and having a tidy entrance to the house over Christmas made me decide not to fill the Doo Lally room up with work again. I really do like coming in at the front door and not being confronted by piles of card and an inky mess everywhere! It's much nicer when people call round too - especially if they don't know what all the mess is about! So, I decided to go back to the way I used to work back in our flat in Manchester - that is, on the floor! I know it wouldn't suit everyone, but it has lots to recommend it....I'm warm for a start, by the fire in the lounge. It also means that I can spread things out around me, all easily on hand. When I'm die cutting it makes things simpler too with so much more space than working on a desk. 

I have a small table with wheels that I put everything I'll need onto and then I can simply push the day's materials into the lounge in one go. I "tidy" it away when I've finished for the day, though it's not very tidily put away at the moment whilst I'm so busy. The spare room (which is already minus a bed - given to my nephew!) does look rather like a dumping ground just now but at least I can close the door and get away from it in the evening. And I don't mind working on the floor - I'm always the one sat on the carpet when there are more people than chairs!

Thank goodness the evenings are gradually getting a little lighter. I don't know about you, but I'm really fed up with the dark mornings and short days. It's been really sunny here today and that, coupled with seeing Spring bulbs poking through the ground really does help to lift the spirits. I don't know where my snowdrops are though - I know I planted some! I had to go into the village today and I walked through the park where the gardeners were laying tons of bark chippings on all the beds. It looked and smelled wonderful and really made me want to get cracking in the garden again. I'm afraid my garden really does look shocking at the moment, so I'm desperate for the warmer weather so I can get it sorted.

No time at the moment anyway of course - especially when this box arrived last week....

...my new stamp sets! They are pre production rubber versions and I can't share any of the designs with you as we haven't released the images yet. You may be able to get a sneaky peek if you enlarge the photo though! So, you can see there's a lot to go at there - and all to be done by the end of next week.

When I'm working (on the floor!) I usually have my lap top nearby so that I can regularly check for emails, stock numbers of products etc. I thought you might find this picture quite amusing........

......I got quite a surprise when I looked up! Thomas has a habit of plonking himself beside the laptop when he wants my attention, but I think he just decided it would be a nice way to warm his bum this time! Needless to say I shooed him off there pretty sharpish and, thankfully, the laptop survived his ton weight and tendency to dribble!

So I'd better share a piccie of Tara as well, just to even things up, and she does look very pretty in this one...

....the little worried expression is her default setting!

Well, now that I've said hello again, I'll sign off and hope to share pictures from this week's show after the weekend. Also hope to see lots of you there for, what I'm sure, will be a very busy and interesting event. 

Show time!

This could be quite a long post......it's been a week since the first day of the show at the NEC already - ridiculous! I've been up to my elbows in inks, papers, dies, glitter, stamps and glue.....nothing new there then! I'm quite looking forward to being able to take a couple of days off next week - hopefully - but, till then, it's as hectic as ever.

Working at the show over the four days was really good fun, hard work but fun. Each show day began at 9am and finished at 5.30pm so, with little time to take breaks, it was full on. I was on the Card-io stand and, while Wendy was demonstrating her own beautiful Majestix stamps, I was working with Sizzix dies. This was quite a change for me and it took me a while to adjust to not being covered in purple and blue ink! I really enjoyed showing how to construct the dimensional creations such as the Luminary and Birdhouse. These Treat Poppers (crackers to you and I!) were a big hit too....

....I made lots of them at the show. The great thing is that the crackers themselves are quite quick to make so you can afford to spend lots of time decorating them.

Here's a table decoration made from two Sizzix dies - the Reindeer and the Sleigh. The sleigh is very cleverly thought out and fits together beautifully. It's ideal for holding little sweet treats!

I hope everyone who bought the dies is having great fun using them....I know I did!

I had forgotten how drying the air in the NEC can be and so had omitted to take any lip balm with me. By day two I felt as if I'd been traipsing through a desert! Diane (Thomas and Tara's unofficial auntie!) paid a visit and took this photo of me trying to do a running repair with my lipstick...nowhere near as effective as lip balm I have to say!

Diane also brought pressies for T & T.....beautifully stamped and decorated.....

.....their names were even stamped on the reverse of the labels! Thank you Diane, they loved them! If you click on Diane's name (above) you can see some more piccies of the show.

On day four I was back to stamping and getting covered in inks. My Doo Lally Pip stamps raised a few smiles which is just what I intend! It was a day of contrasts with everyone having great fun and then the two minutes silence which is always marked at 11am on the Sunday of the show at the NEC and I found it especially moving this year.

Then, before I knew it,  the show was over - unbelievably quickly it seemed. It was quite a trek back home and, thankfully, my neighbour had put the heat on for me so I could have a hot shower before an early night. I was pooped!

I mentioned last week that I was a bit worried about the weight of my case and how I'd get on carting everything down to Birmingham. My poor case was just not up to it, so I have had to have a complete change and am now getting used to a new one. Of course, this hasn't gone unnoticed and a certain someone decided to check whether it was suitable.......

.....by the way, that's not a real mouse on the carpet - just a toy that has been mostly ignored by both Tara and Thomas!

There wasn't really much time for a rest as I was up in Durham yesterday, so I had to prep more samples for my demo there in Crafty Nook. On Monday though, I spent some time with Heather - I've passed on all the good wishes that were sent her way last week...thank you from both of us. We called into St Chads to lay a rose on the memorial book of remembrance as it was two years since our dad passed away and his name was on the page for that day.

I had a lovely time at Crafty Nook, once again working with Sizzix dies and also decorating some candles too....

...this one was made by cutting a Sizzlits die (Woodland Deer) from Graphic 45 paper which I edged with Gathered Twigs Distress ink before warpping it round the candle base. I wrapped greaseproof paper around the candle and heated it gently to melt the paper into the wax. I used the same technique to add the Martha Stewart punched fern around the top. You can't really see it here, but I also added some Rock Candy Distress dry glitter over the surface for a little bit of twinkle. 

Today I've been getting more things made for my demonstration this coming Saturday in Chesterfield at Crazy About Cake Craft who have now expanded into papercrafts as well as their established baking supplies. 

A certain someone always worries when he sees me getting my case out as he knows it usually means that I'll be trolling off again. 

I think he figured that if I was going away then he was coming too! As you can see though, he's a big boy and there wouldn't have been much room left for anything else! Bless him!

Here's a non Christmassy wreath that I made this afternoon using the Sizzix Prima Gulien die....

...the flowers are quite large so I didn't need too many to cover the card circle beneath. I used quite muted paper and edged them with various ink colours. If you look closely you might be able to see the Glossy Accent dew drops here and there.

Well, time to put my dinner in the oven and then a shower while it's cooking. Lots of ink and glue on my hands, so washing my hair should get rid of that lot! I'm a bit sore and stiff too, and it's really cold here, so some hot water and spicy shower creme is just what the doctor ordered!

PS It's amazing what they sell in supermarkets these days. We have a Booths store here and look what's in one of their carrier bags.....

This picture is specially for my friend Paul, who has a soft spot for Tara!

PPS before anyone reports me to the RSPCA I didn't ram Tara into a carrier bag for the sake of a cute photo! She is obsessed with climbing into things and has taken to running into this bag and skidding across the carpet as if she's on a snow slide!