Sunday - A Day of Three Halves (I know it should be thirds, but it doesn't sound right)!

Sunday started well...... the sun was shining beautifully if not a little icy but it soon melted and there really was some warmth in the sun for most of the day. I got a lot done in the morning and most of the afternoon - work stuff, but it went well. Until it came to driving home from Barnard Castle and that's when things changed with a 'Bang'!

Now, to explain a little about 'sods law', it goes like this.... Knowing that I have a long trip to do by road at the end of the week, on Saturday morning I popped my car down to my friendly, local tyre shop and asked them to check it over for me. I've had to put air in the front tyres several times over the winter and they always look a little flat to me. I know low profile tyres are supposed to look like that but....

Anyway, they said the back ones were absolutely fine but I should start to think about changing the front ones. 'Fine' says me, order them up. 'Come in on Monday and we'll have them for you by early afternoon' they say. That's great! I've used this garage for many years and if they say I should have tyres then I should have tyres. They have always be extremely honest and trust worthy and as I'm driving two other people to Birmingham for the trade show at the weekend, I'd rather be safe than sorry. I do an awful lot of miles in the space of a week and at quite high speed most of the time. So off I go happy in the thought that I've taken care of that before anything untoward happens.

So back to Sunday afternoon, I'm tootling along with the sun sinking low in the bright blue sky, I've done everything I set out to do and I'm enjoying the drive. Flying past all the Sunday drivers, boy does this little car motor. I call it my 'Pocket Rocket' you know. Then, hey! what was that? Something feels mighty strange whoho..... my car doesn't normally feel like this and what's that noise? Something's definitely wrong. Oh boy, is it ever - yeh! you've guessed it. My nearside tyre has blown and there's a gash some 10 centimeters long on the edge of the tyre.

My wonderful husband sorts it out for me but I have to drive on one of those horrid solid spare wheel thingies that has been hiding under the carpet in the boot. My car has low profile, wide wheels and I'm used to it cornering like it's on rails. Not on this 'thing' it doesn't. At one point I almost take an iron railing with me going round a corner and I wasn't even driving fast. So that's the second half of the day taken care of.

Last week I told you the tale of the Pigeon and about my sister-in-law taking it in and caring for it. Well, Susan and her husband Howard, have been to Otterburn (Sunday morning) to collect a little baby Chihauhuas - I think that's how you spell it. It's how I spell it if it's wrong.

So Sunday evening we set off to go and visit Susan and Howard, Mr Pigeon and welcome the Pup and we arrive in one piece despite the solid lump of rubber that's a poor excuse for a tyre. (Shouldn't moan really - at least I'm still mobile)!

The trauma of the afternoon just melts away when I'm handed this wonderful little bundle of fur.... let me introduce you to Rupert!

Isn't he adorable? I am so used to big dogs, I've always had Afghan Hounds or German Shepherds, my Mum and Dad have Rotties so this little mite just seems so tiny. Let me tell you, what he lacks in size he sure makes up for in peronality and ghusto. Susan's other dog is a Tibetan Spaniel and little Rupert was really giving him what for. But it wasn't long before he was pooped and he crashed out on my lap.......

He really made himself at home and I didn't want to give him back. This little chap is going to be loved so much. Susan and Howard lost their beautiful Chihauhuas 'Peanut' just before Christmas in very sad circumstances and with very little warning. He was a rescue dog who had been very badly treated and when he came to live with them he had hardly any fur and could barely put one foot in front of the other without falling over. They sorted him out very quickly and he was a little treasure who we all miss dearly.

So I have no doubt that Rupert is going to capture everyones heart - he already has mine!
Unfortunately, I had to give him back and here he is in his own little house. It's really a cat house but shush! don't tell him that. Mr Pigeon is doing well too, he's settled in really well and looks a lot more relaxed. His wing is still not fully repaired but it's improving. So it has been a nice end to a day of three halves!

Here are a few more pieces of Stampbord from the Stampbord Sampler that I finished last Monday. I will post a pic of the completed piece soon..... promise!

Just a Little Stampbord Taster!

Just a quick post to finish the day with some artwork. I have spent most of the weekend and Monday working on arty projects for the up and coming 'Craft Hobby and Stitch International', a trade only show which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham this month.

It is coming round so quickly and there is still a lot to be done so the focus at work for the next two weeks (well, ten days really) will be preparing for the show and being ready to leave for Biringham a week on Friday.

I will take photo's at the show and will post a lot more art work after the show concludes. But for now I have a few sneaky peaks of some of the pieces I have been working on for one of the projects........
This is a Stampbord piece which has had the background coloured first, it has then been stamped with a permanent black ink. Using a scratch knife I have lifted off the top surface to reveal the white clay beneath. On this square I've used some 'Tombow' artists pens to infill with colour. Sunflower Stickles create the feature in the centre of the rose and a little metal humming bird has been added to give dimension.

These squares are just a small portion that go together to make a much larger piece of work. All stamps are by Elusive Images. ........... and another little taster! But that's your lot.

This tag and cards are things I made some time ago -The tags on this card above and the one below have been sprayed with glistening inks. The effects are stunning and so much better than I have managed to capture in a photograph. The cards are collaged with stamped images, some embossing and a few tastful embelishments.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a BIG thank you to everyone who visits this site and and even BIGGER thank you to all of you who take the time to leave a comment..... it is so appreciated. If you find yourself reading this and haven't left a comment yet - please do, I'd love to hear from you!

German Shepherd v Pigeon

A week ago today just after lunch, my dog Diesel was standing at the back door asking to be let out into the garden. I was busy in the kitchen and watched him wander out onto the patio. He was standing at the top of three steps which lead down onto the garden area surveying his territory and I was about to return to what I was doing when all of a sudden I saw him launch himself into the air.... up, up he soared and at that moment, I realised what he was doing.

A very large, plump wood pigeon was swooping down from the Maple tree and was aiming to clear the 7 foot fence around the garden when it was grabbed, unceremoniously by a huge black dog.... yes this is a dog not a cat!

Diesel at Christmas - Looking quite Angelic!

Diesel landed gracefully in the lower garden and there was this poor bird, it's wings still flailing madly as it tried in vain to extracate itself from the jaws of the monster which had it in his grips.

I'm afraid this is one of Diesel's more unsavoury traits and one which he has possessed since being just a little pup. Within a couple of weeks of getting him he was chasing small birds. I used to scream at him to 'LEAVE' and he would stop momentarilly, look at the mad woman who was bellowing insanely, look at the little birds and decide it was much more fun to carry on chasing the poor little things than to give in and heel. My husband said, 'don't worry, he'll never catch one'! Huh, within the week he was proudly walking around with the first little brown bird in his mouth.

Fortunately, he has a very soft mouth and hardly ever 'closes' his jaws. He really is a gently giant. But the little birds don't know that and of course, they are petrified and more likely to die of fright than from any damage Diesel would inflict. Once shouted at, he will instantly release the poor little thing and leave me with a quivering ball of wet feathers.

Back to last Monday, and once again I shouted in my most authoratative voice for him to leave, he gently put the bird down and having seen the look on my face, flew past me and into the house. The pigeon was obviously hurt, it's wing dragging along the ground as it tried to get away from me.

I decided to leave it to calm down as it was now sitting in the flower bed in the warmth of the afternoon sun. I checked on it several times and it was still alive but had only moved a couple of yards. I had to go out later in the afternoon and left instructions for my husband to tell him not to let the dog out into the garden when he got home, but to wait 'till I got back.

When I did arrive home, it was dark. We took a torch and went all around the garden checking under the bushes and all appeared well. Mr Pigeon must have regained the use of his wing sufficiently to escape the confines of the garden. All was well!

Tuesday morning whilst in the bathroom getting ready for work I heard a commotion and my husband shouting for me to help him. Yes! Diesel had found the bird again. It must have taken refuge down the side of the house when dusk fell and had found safety amongst some bricks which are stacked up against the wall. Diesel, the little blighter, had him in his mouth again. Once again, he let him go and proudly trotted off for his morning walk leaving me to find a box and make a temporary home for the bird.

We did'nt really know what to do as both of us were about to leave for work. My husband's sister has a wild pigeon that she has nursed back to health and the bird has stayed with them. So we rang Susan and asked if she could help. Mr Pigeon was safely transported in the box and transferred to a large cage at my sister-in-laws house.

She is brilliant with all creatures, great and small. I visited today and found Mr Pigeon doing well, he's eating and drinking and his wing is not as low on the ground as it was. He seems to be able to flap it but it still has a droop. He is being kept company by Susan's pigeon which is in the cage below him. Hearing the other bird coooing has calmed him down and he appears to be doing well. There is no sign of any puncture wounds from Diesel's teeth and we are hoping that he will soon be well enough and strong enough to be released........ well away from our house I hasten to add. I just hope he isn't a 'homing' pigeon!!!

Mr Pigeon - Today in his Cage!

Resolution: Don't Agonise - ORGANISE!

Well, it's been a busy old weekend with some very enjoyable hi-lights. Sunday morning I zipped up the A1M to the Metro Centre where 'the girls' from work were all meeting for a shopping expedition. Of course, it had to start with coffee and sticky 'things' in M&S Cafe - courtesy of Emma... thanks Emma, it was yummy. Then we were off to enjoy ourselves.

We were five on a mission and we found some bargain jewellery pieces just right for zapping with alcohol inks and mixing with Stampbord and we did an awful lot of 'hat trying on'. Not sure why as at least three of us were looking for foot wear, but the hats were a riot and everyone suited them, well most of them. I did have my camera in my bag but thought I should be restrained, after all, someone else may have had their camera too and I sure didn't fancy being immortalised in some of the concoctions I tried on!

Inevitably, I found my way to the Paper Mill Shop and bought a box of card for some book projects I'm into at the moment but more of that later in the week. I ended up going home via Team Valley and the HobbyCraft store and bagged myself a few more bargains. I'll post some photo's soon.

I have been doing a lot of re-organising in my craft room of late and trying to make more room to work. It's pretty impossible really and I have come to the conclusion that I need to do something radical like move or extend? Must give it some serious thought! But in the mean time, I've thrown loads of stuff out, given some stuff away and put some larger things that don't get used too often in the loft. It's helped a little and at least I have a clean work top and can see what's on my shelves again. I have a real problem with MESS! If my work area is in a mess then so is my brain and thought process so I am going to make a huge effort this year to really organise my work area, storage systems and access to equipment. Hence, my new years resolution: Don't Agonise - ORGANISE!

While I was tidying I came across some art work that I'd stuffed into a little suitcase bought for altering but ideal for storing goodies:-

This piece was made quite a few years ago and is a Carousel of Fashion using Hero Arts 'Ladies' stamps and lots of other stamps to build the collaged background. I really enjoyed making this and finished it with little tags instead of Carousel horses.

I mentioned earlier that I am working on some book projects...... I have always loved making books of all descriptions and I love to try new techniques and styles. Here is a selection of books ranging from the tiny 'Domino' books (courtesy of the wonderful Mr Holtz's Creative Journey DVD), an accordion type book which is double sided and two hand stitched Coptic books. With the exception of the Domino Books, all of the others were made at an Artist's Retreat I attended three years ago, generously organised and hosted by Glenda Waterworth. It was an amazing three days stuffed full of fantastic creative workshops with very talented tutors. The Coptic Book Workshop was taught by Susie Jefferson and the accordion style pull-out book was a workshop taught by the fabulously talented Helen Chilton. Happy Days!

This is a pull out Tag Book made a little more recently. I adore working with tags of all shapes and sizes and a great way of binding a series of tags is in one of these little (or not so little) books.

This is the spine of the book with all of its wonderful silk ribbons cascading from the concertina spine.Opened out, it displays the full series of 12 tags. This one was based upon travel destinations. The tags have been distressed and stamped using Distress Inks and the surface was sealed with a Tea Dye varnish before applying the embellishments. The reverse side of the tags were all painted with Lumiere Paints in bronze and coral shades. Yum!

Festive Review - Christmas 2007: Part Two

I'm back with part two of my review of Christmas but it seems so long ago now. My, how a few weeks really moves things along but it's nice to look back and it's a great record for next year when I can't remember how I had certain things arranged.

I have already mentioned Christmas/Family Traditions and one that goes way back in our family are these:-

it takes me back to a time when there was only the BBC or ITV to choose from and they both had their own programme magazine. We used to wait eagerly for them to arrive at the newsagents to rush out and buy the TV Times for ITV and the Radio Times for BBC programmes over Christmas. Then, we would sit down and go through them cover to cover, picking out all of the festive programmes and films we wanted to sit down and watch and do you know...... I still do it today! Even though each magazine printed seems to cover all the stations, including most of the main satellite channels, I still rush out and buy both of these - it's the tradition you see!!! I have to admit, I don't get to watch half of what I carefully hi-lite in bright pink marker, too busy shopping and cooking and getting everything ready but it's fun and it's part of our Christmas tradition. As are these:-

Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without these three films.

Another family tradition that goes way back to when I was a little girl is always having a new nighty or pajamas to wear on Christmas Eve and Mum making up our beds with freshly laundered linen...... something else I've continued in our home. This year, I came across some fantastic bed linen - a 1000 thread count no less. Oh Bliss! Together with a feather bed (a Christmas pressy to myself and DH) it makes getting out of bed on a cold winter morning even more difficult than normal.

One of the last jobs on Christmas Eve is to make up the bed (it's actually the penultimate job as this year I didn't have any of the pressies wrapped in advance) and then climb into fresh PJ's, pour a glass of Champagne and sit down to all the wrapping.

Christmas Cards and Candles.... are a must. I love writing out my Christmas Cards, it's one of the few opportunities I have in this age of email and phones, to sit down (with a little glass of something of course) a beautiful writing implement (I love proper PENS)! and write to family and friends and watch the little pile of envelopes grow into a heap. All of this is enhanced by candle light and the magnificent fragrance from the Yankee Candles which burn in just about every room in the house over the holiday season.

I love receiving Christmas Cards too and really look forward to hearing all the news from friends near and far. It's a great time of the year to catch up with everyone I haven't heard from in a while.

The Tree in the Lounge

The hall is all ready with its much smaller tree and swagged staircase just waiting for Santa to arrive! He has to use the front door as we don't have a proper chimney (tee hee).

....... and finally, Santa was very generous to Diesel,

he got squeaky toys in abundance (UGH)! A football, rugby ball, base ball, ball in a net, edible treats and this......

can you believe this?

Yep! it's dog beer and it even has a German Shepherd on the label! We thought it was so appropriate for Diesel as he helped himself to a crate of 24 John Smiths Extra Smooth when he was just a pup... but that's a whole other story. This one is very definitely NON ALCOHOLIC!

Festive Review - Christmas 2007: Part One

(This could be quite lengthy so I'm going to split it up and look at before and after Christmas in different posts).

Well, where did it go?

The decorations have all been taken down, dusted off and safely stowed away in the loft until the next time. We were all packed up in plenty of time to comply with the tradition of 12th Night... but only just!

I really don't like it when people start taking down decorations early. Some homes in our neighbourhood took down their displays almost straight after Christmas and others waited until New Years Day. There were about half a dozen houses within view of ours that left everything in place until 12th Night which I whole'heartedly agree with. Christmas has become very commercialised and it is nice to preserve some of the original traditions of the festive season. It also takes so long to get everything in place and looking just right, that it is such a shame not to be able to enjoy it for as long as possible.


I like to maintain as many 'Traditions' as possible so that Christmas doesn't just become a huge eating and money-spending binge, although we do enough of that too but in proportion.

Sunday 23rd December, 2007

Dressing the outside of the house is just as important as the inside and I love to have a beautiful fresh green wreath hanging on the front door. This year, the ready-made wreaths were so expensive and as I love flower arranging I decided to make my own. The photo's not too good and I had been up all night decorating the tree in the lounge before I sat down to make this........

but I was really pleased with the result and the bow behaved perfectly when I put it together. So while I was on a roll, I made one for my parents door too. I raided the garden for greenery and added in some Laurel and some Mock Orange Blossom as I didn't have any more pine cones. I was so surprised when I went out with the secateurs to find blossom buds on the Mock Orange Blossom bush, it was so Christmassy.

Things I Love About Christmas:

Being with my Family

Family Traditions

Snowstorms, Freshly Fallen Snow and Frosty Days

Decorating the home and trimming the tree

Christmas Music to trim the tree by

Mugs of steaming Hot Chocolate

Candlelight

Long walks with my husband and dog

Choosing gifts and wrapping them

these are just a few of 'my favourite things'!

Finishing touches were put to the decorations in the dining room. The Christmas Tree and illuminated swag above the french windows were joined by hand-blown clear glass baubles which contain solid glass features in the centre....

there's a star in one, a very delicate snowflake and a dapper snowman all suspended by invisible thread from the chandelier. It looks really beautiful at night when the chandelier is on but dimmed to a low level and it hangs centrally over the dining table creating quite a focal point whilst sitting at the table.

Here is the bauble laden swag that dresses the fireplace in the lounge with stockings hung at either side......

and the main tree which stands in a corner of the lounge waiting for all of the presents to be placed beneath it.

And finally, the front entrance taken at night. The door is surrounded by a greenery swag which has pine cones, black berries, twigs and cinnamon sticks wired into it and lots of tiny white fairy lights to create a welcoming entrance.