What's a Wall????

OK now ...What is a wall ...and how come I have all these e-mails suddenly? ....from people, some of whom I haven't been in contact with for 10-20 years ...and some I've never heard of ... or I have totally blotted from my aging mind. The answer .... Face Book.
I only asked DD about it in passing and now here I am totally drowning in emails. I panicked ...I'm not good with new concepts especially those connected to the Internet.
On hearing yelps , and maniacal mutterings DD rushed in to give assistance ...thinking the worst. 'Dont panic ...I joined you.' she nonchilontly replied to my utterings ......... 'WHY' ... I spluttered .... 'Got fed up with all my friends asking about you ...so thought you should talk to them' came the reply 'and any way there are loads of people out there that may want to make contact, for old times sake' ...and with that she left ... leaving me bewildered and bemused. She has now prommised to spend some time with me , while I sort myself out and become confident on it ....is she mad???? ...does she not remember that it took six months for me to feel confident on Blogger??? lol.

Talking of Blogs .... am I a boring person ?? .... no do not answer that ...what I mean is, everyone seems to want and enjoy changing headers, colours and the bits down the side but I'm still happy with the original ones my daughter set up for me, in the colours I requested. Is it expected of one to regularly change it all? ....OK you can answer that ... I've had mine for a year-ish and it is only crossing my mind now ... because others are doing it ... often.


Well I did finish my LO from WOYWW and here it is ... hope you like it.



Ended up painting chip board as I couldn't find any Thickers that I was happy with ...unbelievable considering the number of packs we have between us, here in this house. The idea was sort of a modern and vintage mix as they remind me of two little old men reading their newspapers lol ... Statler and Waldorf ... lol. I think DS will kill me for that remark.

I must rev up my mojo and get some more Heritage LO's done .... I am getting some lovely responses to my FH blog on the UKS Genealogy forum and it makes me so happy that people who only know me through UKS can enjoy these LO's and MY Family History too. Thank you ladies.

I shall go now as a I feel a glimmer of mojo coming on
Thanks for reading this.

Take Care xx

WOYWW ....8

Well its WOYWW again and STILL no Del ...I have had no real mojo all week ... until last night! What is it about the approach of this Wednesday blog get- together that often kick starts the grey matter.You nearly didn't get a photo as DD went out with the camers but it isback now. My area is a mess but there in the middle of it all is a 3/4 done LO I must try and finish it tomorrow . I have even started to think about making a mini book, using Ladybugs instructions, but normally, they are not my thing. I have done the odd 6x6and a 'Tags on ring' thingy once but her book has started me thinking about gifts. It crossed my mind that I could make it, without photos, and then give it to non crafty friends who could fill it as a 'brag book' with photos of their chidren/grandchildren /pets etc.

A big THANK YOU to all of you that gave me ideas on how to deal with the ferocious feline. Shooting ... with water ... seems the most popular but the chilli/curry powder idea sounded tempting except that my own cats might be upset by it.

Thanks for reading this ... its a bit short but it makes up for all the long ones lol .... Iwill be back soon with finished LO ... hopefully

Take Care xx

My Cat Problems

Over the past years of being an obsessive cat owner …aided and abetted by DD … I have always been considerate of my neighbours and never let more than a few be out door cats. I know that some people think it is cruel to keep them in but if I feel that if they are desperate to be out …we let them. Our vet says the life span of an out door cat is 3-4 years less than one of an indoor so maybe I shouldn’t worry as they all seem very happy. At the moment 4 go out, 3 (neutered) males and a 14 year old ex-feral female. A few of the others think they want to experience the outside world but when more than their front half comes face to face with it, they retreat.

My outdoor quartet have been very happy over the past four years in our new home, making friends with others in the vicinity …even brought the odd one back to meet me … early confrontations long forgotten.

However

We now have a new feline on the block that is taking no prisoners. ‘IT’, as I really do not want to get that close to sex it, is making the life of my three macho males, a misery. It has a collar and disc … and no fear. It is smaller than its chosen opponents but behaves as though it were a cross between Mike Tyson and a Pit-bull. Poor Bilbo, who resembles Baloo the Bear, looks as though he is doing the Green Cross Code every few yards he ventures out, after being cornered the other day …not even my appearance halted the fight … only screams and growls from me finally brought things to a halt and the ginger and white monster sloped off down the garden. Smudge, who suffers from stress and cystitis when faced with children, is now back on the medication after being also recued from a vicious attack, by DD but poor Felix, our beautiful Tuxedo cat, has suffered the worst. He has had a chunk taken out of his rear and has been cornered on our doorstep several times. He is so scared that he looses control of his bodily functions when cornered. The Monster has cost me over a £100 in Vet bills so far and we are not happy bunnies. I have tried to keep my boys in but Bilbo is the only one who now just nips out in the mornings … the others cry, or should I say scream, to go out so I have to let them go. Felix ventures a few yards and turns for a reassuring word or two … ‘Go on boy …you will be ok’ I call and he slowly, in trepidation, heads for the green house.

My daughter has suggested we get a Super Soaker water gun and splat the ******.. My idea was to try to get close enough to read its tag (am I mad) and then visit its owner …with a bill. I fear that they will only say ‘so’ or ‘sorry …cats will be cats’. A friend has suggested Snaps …I think they are like the sound of a cap gun ….. I really do not want to hurt the ferocious feline, although sorely tempted …

WHAT would you do.?

Sorry there are no LO’s ….mojo not back yet. It also has been so wet that I haven’t photographed anything ….so that is why you have a tale of woe.

Take care xx

Tags and Awards

Yesterday, I was tagged by Jocelyn.

I have to say I’m not a great reader except of Craft Mags, books on Genealogy and Cookery books. Luckily I do have a collection of auto/biographies sitting next to the computer …waiting to be read ……. so here we go .....

My book is …. ‘Dear Fatty’ by Dawn French … (not sure I had to tell you this)

My passage is …

The endless disgusting sheets, the sticky rooms, the trolley laden with individually wrapped biscuits, too delish to resist, taking photos of each others bums on residents’ cameras for them to discover in Boots, when they returned from their holidays.

So now I am passing this Tag to:

Jay

Carmen

Dorothy

Claire

Mole

What you have to do is ….
1. Pick up the book that you have most handy
2. Turn to page 161
3. Find the 5th complete sentence
4. Cite the sentence on your blog
5. Pass it on to 5 other unsuspecting blogger friends.

And HAVE FUN

I also received this wonderful Award … again from JOCELYN.

She is an amazing lady who deals with life as it is thrown at her. She is petit in body but a heavyweight in inner strength and in her determination not to let anything get her down. She really cares about her family and all of us out here in Blogland …. and she has time to be a great scrapper too.’ Please have a look at her blog, look back on her posts and enjoy a good read.

Now I have to pass it on ….

This was SO hard as I feel I have a circle of about 15 friends who I value comments from and look forward to their blogs ... so how do I make it only 5???????

After a lot of thought …here are 5 people whom I have met through blogging and have now become a part of my circle of blog friends.

Carmen

Julia

Ladybug

Ginny

Anneliese

Judith

Linda

Yes I know … I can’t count … and neither could Jocelyn lol

To pick up the Circle of Friends Blog Award:

Cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog.

Nominate at least 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends.

Link to your nominees, within your blog post and include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post.

To show your appreciation to the person who gave you the award, link back to their blog.

Finally, comment on the recipient’s blogs, to let them know they've received the award.

Take care xx

p.s sorry for the odd spacing and text size, blogger has gone do-lally!

WOYWW ... 7

Still no sign of Del

Even though DD found me these two little ones, my mojo had taken flight … just like my duck.

As a result I have nothing in progress on my workspace but to cheer myself up I had a tiny sale spend, in the hope of mojo resurrection (that’s my excuse anyway) and it arrived today ... the papers , not the mojo...great service from Cardinal Colours. Now at least my space is not just an empty mat encircled by bits that are still waiting to be put away.

And the close up

All that for less than £10 including postage …. Not bad.

TY Cats Rule

Here is Mika …pretending to be a TY Cat. He actually kicked the two cats off the top to make a space to sit.

Yes I am 62 but I love TY Cats. I used to actually collect them but now I just enjoy them … and I usually still get one at Xmas. Like scrap book papers, they make you want to stroke them and the bigger ones just ask to be hugged. The calendar next to them shows that I am not an organized person as its still on June lol but my excuse is that we have at least another four around the house. Trouble is I forget which one I wrote important things on …doh … but if I’m given a calendar I have to put it up!

Take Care

Thanks for calling by xx

Should I Cry ... or Laugh

I am here to let you know that Del is no more … she has gone… sadly I fear to Altered Duck Heaven.

She was sitting quietly on the table, now able to see, as her eyes had been newly marked in, awaiting the next step in her exciting makeover ... when without warning ... she took flight. I fear that it was with a little help from one of my mischievous felines, who may have been jealous of the attention paid to her.

The prime suspects are …

Phoebe alias Rat Wawa (long story!)…

Lucky …

and Mika

…….all of who suffer from severe cases of kleptomania.

No foam brush or length of ribbon is safe and elastic bands are carried around as trophies, if found before being disposed of. Bottle caps washed for re-use of the plastic bottle (helping the environment and all that) are unearthed from the draining board even when hidden under a mug or bowl and used as footballs!

I have hunted high and low …even begged for her return with the offer of treats but to no avail. I can only hope is that she is being held hostage in a hiding place I have yet to find but the future looks bleak and if she is released, I am sure she will require a total make over.

DD has offered to get me a replacement but I fear, at the moment, my heart is not in altering anything … after all there is still a glimmer of hope for Dels’ return.

I shall close now ... hoping for a safe return. xx

WOYWW? ... 6

Here I am again …. Now for WOYWWednesday before its Thursday … doesn’t it come round quickly?

The completed LO,s that were photos and paper, just sitting there, last week are safely on my other blog and this week I’m having a go at altering the tiny duck. She’s coming along quite well as I hope you can just see and I’m up to my elbows in glue and tissue paper … in fact my fingers keep sticking to the duck and lifting the paper off but I WILL succeed in covering every last millimetre …even if it kills me. I primed her with gesso before I started … not sure whether it helps or hinders the process, as this is my first attempt. I’m also trying to think of how to finish her off.

You may notice that there are still things left from the last two LO’s, as I just might need them again … soon … no that’s a lie … I’m just too lazy to put them away especially when I want to do something else. By the way Julia … the stapled packs at the back are my vain attempt to categorize my photos!

The one strange thing on the table, for those that noticed, is a piece of paper with what looks like a shopping list …. It’s actually a recipe … well nearly one, as I am working on it… Healthy Flapjacks. Yes I know …. those two words do not go together in the same sentence ...but the test run was yummy if I say so myself.

I have decided … just now … as I was typing …. I’m calling her DEL as she is Psychedelic lol and I thought I would give you a close up of her so far, any way.

Thank you for leaving your thoughts on why you scrap … it made interesting reading and I ‘m glad Posterity and Memory still seems to come before Work of Art.

Thanks for reading this

Take care xx

Blog Award

I go up this morning to find that I had forgotten to check some of my favourite blogs yesterday and found the Carmen at Whoopido....ings blog, had given me an "I-like-your-style" Award. To say I was chuffed would be an understatement. I have displayed the award in the side bar but here it is again.I am pretty sure I got it for my other blog so I am going to put it there as well, just in case of course lol.

The rules of accepting the award are:

By accepting this award you agree to display this award proudly on your sight and include a post link back to the giver.

Share this award with a few other people or as many as you would like.

This was so difficult to decide on but after a lot of thought .... here we go ...............

I would like to give this award to following blogger friends

Julia-I award this for her words of inspiration, wisdom and humour. Basically it is a fantastic read and I look forward to every post she makes.

Ladybug-I award this for her amazing layouts, especially in Jack's book. Her Mojo seems never ending and is an inspiration to us all.

Kerry- I award this for keeping the craft of knitting alive, in particular that of making socks, ( a lost art!). Along side her passion for paper crafts and her dog.

Anneliese- I award this for her infinite imagination and expertise. Her projects can only excite your imagination.

Ginny- I award this for being a challenge queen and a prolific card maker and also for introducing me to dustin Pikes fabulous digi stamps.

now last but not least ...

Jay- I have to give an award to my DD, without whom I would not be blogging and might not have finished or rescued some of my layouts, and I think (without bias, well maybe a little lol) her LO's are amazing.

What an amazing way to stat the day .... will be back later with WOYWW

xx

Thoughts and questions

Many pose questions on their blogs or have profound thoughts … I rarely ask questions and I cannot remember having a profound thought … well not committed to a post! My mood is one of contemplation but on a topic that has probably come up many times before but here goes ……

As I look through galleries, forums and challenge blogs, I have been musing on why people scrap. Is it done for the sake of posterity or is it an expression of the art within us? Is the photo the most important element of the LO or does the photo just enhance the overall effect? As styles change and grow and techniques evolve and become more complex, I feel art is playing a larger part in our LO’s. Should we strive to follow trends and increase the complexity of our work or should we be true to our own style … no matter what that is or how simple it is?

When I come across an amazing LO, that blows my mind, it makes me dissatisfied with my own work, I want to scrap their way but it doesn’t work for me and my mojo totally disappears until I come to terms with my own style and realize that this is me. Am I the only pathetic person out there that thinks like that? … yes … I hear you shout lol

For me the photographs are of prime importance and I hope they are seen at the same time as the page, or maybe even just before but when I look at some of the amazing LO’s that are out there … that blow my mind with their complexity and their creators expertise … I have to remind myself that there is a photo there on the page.

Scrapping should also be fun and that is an emotion, personal and different for everyone. The fun for me is buying stash and then again when the page is completed … the part in-between can drive me mad and cause me to be stressed but I am addicted to doing it. I could never scrap to a dead line, so I have the greatest respect for those who do. Neither do I enjoy challenges, as I tend to dislike the finished article but have fun on the journey!!!! … I really do not know why challenges reverse my emotions.

Lastly... Do you keep all your LO’s because…

1) You like the work of art and it is a demonstration of your ability…. Or ….

2) The memory it captures, has to be saved for you and others to look back on… OR

3) It is a beautiful way to preserve and document the photo for posterity, and future generations will never have to ask, … “Who is that?”

Or…. You don’t keep your LO’s because it was the fun of creating and displaying … and maybe winning something or being published … that excited you.

I keep mine for reason 3 with a large helping of 2 and a touch of 1. I scrap for fun even though the journey of creating is not always smooth. It also satisfies any artistic urges I may have …. HOW ABOUT YOU?

Excuse all the ramblings but I really would love to hear your thoughts on why you scrap and why you keep all your LO’s.

On Wednesday I was sure I had the papers I wanted to use for my next two LO’s … well after a lot more shuffling of papers, I changed my mind and decided to create 2 SLO’s that would sit together, linked by a paper and the theme… the marriage of my grand parents in1913.

Again I have created simple LO’s but have used one main embellishment that I have created.

The ‘Wedding Party’ has a banner that was a stamped, white die cut from My Minds Eye. I chalked it and inserted grey silk roses where the stamped flowers lay and then rubbed on the title.

TIP … set your chalks with hairspray before trying to use a rub-on, as the rub-on will not adhere and also removes the chalk leaving a white letter …as I found out!!!. Could be used as an interesting effect though sometime.

The ‘Honeymoon’ uses a chalked journaling sheet under the photo but my embellishment is the tag that’s lying on it. I used old stamps from the USA and the Victorian flat decoupage technique of ‘randomly placing and sticking’, for applying the stamps to a die cut tag, and then trimmed it when dry.

As this is such a long post I put the story of their meeting and the finished LO’s on my FH blog …just click the icon,( top right of page) to see them.

I look forward to reading any comments, about anything, you have time to leave as its a bit like having a chat with a friend.

Take Care xx

WOYWW? 5

Well what’s on my work area?.....answer…..

A COVER, after my disaster … and DUCKY…still waiting for his make over.

He now has a friend, which I hope inspires me to have a go, as she’s a lot smaller and hopefully quicker to do, for a first attempt.

I have put my patched paper away for this week and am contemplating a layout with the photos and papers on the mat …yes I retrieved my mat from all the chaos of last week but had the tidy up forced on me due to the water incident. Shame … I still had some table to move down to lol. Mind you I've managed to start a little mess next to my tote.

It’s a CORDYLINE AUSTRALIS…. That outburst will mean nothing to those who haven’t read my last but one post but for those who have, my tree is native to New Zealand and is a known as a Cabbage Tree. Mine still has one trunk and is only about 8-9 feet tall but I am 99% sure I’ve got the right one.

It, however has caused its own problems this week and now has been deflowered, sadly. The smell got worse and worse, DD felt sick every time she went out into the garden and Vicki, who had the worst ever hay fever reactions to its pollen, renamed it … The Evil Death Tree.

I caught this last bee shot before their pollen store was removed.

Lastly … we had a visitor to the garden on Monday night and DD managed to get some shots so here's Mr Hedgehog... all together now ... AHHHH

Having changed to Mozilla, the font had changed on my blog. Today is an experiment and I hope it's OK... it should be back to what I used to use ...fingers crossed but the rest will just have to stay small.

Thanks for reading this

Take Care xx

What does it Spell?

Take … a LO, that was about to be filed, a glass of water, three cats and a moth … what does that spell … DISASTER

I stood up and walked away from the table for a second … a thunder of 12 paws could be heard as three cats charged in and across the table. Phoebe was in the lead followed close behind by Wanda and the rear was brought up by Lucky. She is rather like Mr Miyagi (from Karate Kid) when it comes to catching moths … her paws spring together with the prey within them but the coordination of her back legs leaves a lot to be desired. She clipped the glass … I screamed ‘N-ooooo’, as I watched it topple … … the cats retreated and the prey escaped. DD threw herself down the stairs fearing what she would find … she found me in tears holding my wet ‘Catherine Mary’ LO. She grabbed it and dashed upstairs to where she has her craft area ‘Just leave me …. I’ll sort it’ and she did.
She quickly dismantled the whole thing and mounted it all on a very similar background, as the water had managed to confine its self to the Mary segment.
This is the result …. Thank you DD

Last post I talked about making background card from scraps .... well I found a picture that I felt suited it and I have done the LO. I stamped on the outer mat that the photo is mounted on, edged it all in gold and used letters I bought two or so years ago .... yeah





I am putting this on my FH blog too ...as suggested by other bloggers and I have added the background story .... if you want to read it.

I'm off to find two more photos to use my other two contructed background cards on and update my other blog.


Thanks for looking.

Take Care xx

It's Hot, Hot, Hot

We have had two of the hottest ... most humid ... days that I have experienced since we moved up here, so I am actually relieved that today was a little over cast with some wind ... and that the clouds managed to squeeze out some rain ... after I got the clothes in!. I really do not do hot and humid.

The only good thing about it being that hot is that one can indulge in ice cream and lollies with out feeling any guilt ... not that I often do ... feel guilty that is.

I am musing over some old photos at the moment as I have created a sheet of card by sticking several off- cut and ripped scraps of vintage style paper ... that shouted from the scrap box ... on to thin white card. Infact I got carried away and made three sheets. I haven't found the ideal photos yet but hopefully I will soon ... maybe by WOYWW, if not before.

Earlier this year (April) I did a DLO plotting a year in the life of my tree ... sad I know ... I did it because it had sprouted a strange flower thingy which later turned into hundreds of berries that the Starlings gorged themselves on, later.... well this year there are FOUR! and the bees love the pollen too.

And now for the close up.

I actually tip-toed around the tree, taking loads of photos, just to catch a bee in shot ... see I am a little mad.

Its there ... in the corner lol.

Last year I noticed a strange smell in the area of the tree ... now I know that it is this blossom, not the bins, that sit close by. Does anyone know what tree this is?

Thanks for reading this.

Take Care xx