The Dress!

I just had to scrap this photo.  My daughter made it into a card for my birthday and it bought such memories back of when I started to make all my own clothes.  Being small I always had trouble finding anything to fit me in the shops.

I used Kaisercraft paper - storytelling collection and added texture paste stencils and stamps to vamp it up a bit.

Flowers from the tattered florals TH die using the same papers. 

Here's a sneak peek of a  new home card which is winging its way to my friemd Mitra Pratt in New York.

Hope she likes it.

Thanks for looking and your comments.

Hi I'm back!!

Hi folks I’m back blogging at long last!

I haven't stopped crafting but blogging, has been and still is difficult, as my eyes only focus for a short time.

 I’m going to leave you with some of the projects I’ve been working on while recovering from surgery to my eye and knee.
 Most of them are mixed media work on canvas or tags which I enjoy making.
The first is a small frame for a friend's birthday, using some of the Graphic 45 papers and other elements.I just love the new range of metal embellies out now.

The next one is a heart textured with paste and painted on both sides which has gone to Lisca my cleaner.

I've promised to make her a large canvas in these colours.

This little canvas is available to anyone who wants it.

So is this one.

Hope you like my work.  Bye for now.

Boobs and Birds-Sian's Storytelling Sunday- the Ultimate!

Hi Everyone my blogging has been so limited the past few months due to various things but I couldn't miss Storytelling Sunday at Sian's Blog.  The very last one!!  Why don't you pop over to see what others have written. I ummmeed and ahhhhed over what to pick as I have so many stories still untold - I haven't chosen a Christmassy story but one which tells a little about my story.

As a young woman my body was slim, lean and petite, like Audrey Hepburn, which other women yearned for. My sister and friends were envious of my body!
I wanted a fuller, curvier figure, as to me I looked like a boy! My boobs were non-existent.
Falsies, as they were called then, silicone implants now, were very expensive so not an option for a young working class girl.
I got married, had a busy life bringing up my two kiddies, working etc and the dream of a voluptuous body faded as attitudes to large boobs changed. Models became skinny up top and below and I felt quite lucky to be slim.
Then the ageing process kicked in, in my 40’s and I put on weight and suddenly developed Boobs!
I quite liked having them, I felt more feminine and my clothes hung better.
Trouble is the halcyon days didn't last long! Approaching my 60’s the larger I got and so did my Boobs!
Now nearing 70 my whole body’s heading South. Ahhhh!!

And I got to thinking, what if I’d had the implants, where would they end up now?
I’m so glad I didn’t have them done as I‘d be on the floor with the weight of them.
I made this bird  (the purple and green one), a few years ago, to document my body's journey, it sits in my craft area and it‘s a very precious reminder to me to enjoy life whatever body you’re in. 

I tried to take a new photo of it but for some reason my new printer has wiped out my memory card drive which enabled me to load my photos onto my laptop.  Until I sort it out I cannot upload photos to my blog!!  Very frustrating!!!

Thank you for reading my story and I hope you have a lovely Sunday!

Mrs Tiggywinkle re-visited!

It's that time again and it's the penultimate time for entering at Sian's Storytelling Sunday. Why don't you sit for awhile and read all the stories on offer this month.

 Here is mine.
In the summer I went with my granddaughter, Daisy to visit some friends in Cumbria.  We were hoping to visit the home of Beatrix Potter at Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. Beatrix wrote many of the Peter Rabbit Collection of stories here at the farm and Daisy wanted to see her drawings and paintings in real life.  There were so many tourists doing the same thing and the roads were very busy so my friend thought it would be better if we returned in the half term when it would be quieter.  I wrote this story earlier in the year for Storytelling Sunday, where I introduced Mrs Tiggywinkle to you all and here's her story today.

Anyone who has read the Beatrix Potter books, knows about Mrs Tiggywinkle and the rest of the characters she created and when Mom saw a pattern in the Woman's Weekly to knit the little figures she set to work straightaway.

This was about 20 years ago and Mom was making soft toys to raise funds for the Childrens' Hospital in Birmingham where many children from all over the country were treated for cancer. Mom's partner was a volunteer driver for the hospital and had to pick up a child from a remote farm up in the Lake District, not far from Hill Top Farm.  On this trip the farmer had to carry his daughter down to the main road as the access to the farm was deep in snow.  Mom used to go in the car too and would sit knitting away while they were travelling.  She was making Mrs Tiggywinkle on this trip so when the little girl saw it she asked if she could have one too.  Mom promised she would have that one when it was finished. She kept her word and when, a few weeks later, the little girl was going home, Mom gave it to her. I loved Mrs Tiggywinkle too so Mom made one for me.  She stayed in my bedroom but was always available for any visiting children to play with. When Daisy was born she loved playing with her and eventually claimed Mrs Tiggwinkle as her own.  She spent the last eight years in Daisy's bedroom, on her bed..  She's back with me now, still very precious but a bit shabby and once again sits on my bed. I've mended her head which was in danger of falling off and repaired the stitching around her waist which had come undone so now she looks a bit smarter.

Last week was half term in the UK and Daisy and I travelled up to the Lake District and visited the home of Beatrix Potter. Mrs Tiggywinkle was coming with us to Cumbria so we could have our photo taken outside her creator's home,  but.................  my memory is getting as bad as my eyes and she was left in the house along with my camera!!!  I did get a shot with my phone camera though to prove we were there. We had a lovely time and I'm sure I shall enjoy scrapping the few photos I did take.  Thank you for joining me today on Sian's Storytelling Sunday.  Why don't you pop over and read some more stories or better still, have a try at telling your own pick your precious story.

Daisy outside Hill Top Farm.

The End of the Smile-Storytelling Sunday at Sian's.

Hi Everyone sorry I missed you all last month, August was so busy and before I’ve blinked a few times it’s over!!  I love September as I can start collecting all the memories I made in the Summer and getting them down on paper.

Today it’s Storytelling Sunday over at High in the Sky so it’s time to Pick your Precious!  Maybe about a lucky charm or a talisman you wouldn't  be without or carry in your pocket.

My story is about something precious that I carry around but not in my pocket...............

A few weeks ago I was staying with my granddaughter Daisy at my friend’s hotel in Cumbria in the UK.  We were in our room, freshening up for dinner and Daisy wanted her hair plaited, in a grown up plait, she said.  She looked so sweet in her short red skirt, navy blue top and one big plait draped over her shoulder.

 Her top had a caption on it which I smiled at as she stood there.  It said HAPPY, always wear a smile. I must take your photo Daisy to show your Mom and Dad how pretty you look.  She posed in front of the mirror and I got the picture, a little out of focus I know but you get the picture I’m sure.

Now it’s your turn Nan, she said,  I pulled a few funny faces as I hate having my photo taken but she didn’t press the button.  I want you to smile Nan she said.  I smiled and she took ages before she pressed the button.

Got it she said. I love when you smile Nan but I had to wait for the end of it as that’s the best part, when the holes come in your cheeks.

(I think she means my dimples)  That's what we call them in my neck of the woods anyway

So you see, it seems I’m carrying something precious around with me and I didn’t even know I had it until that day!

Now I’m all smiles every time I think about what she said.

I'll be a bit late reading your stories as we are going for a trip to a Butterfly farm in Worcestershire today. Daisy's last treat before school starts on Monday. Yuck! Her word not mine! It also ensures she arises early today so goes to bed earlier tonight!  Good ploy on DD's part.

I'll be popping over to read all the other stories later, why don't you pop over too.  You wont be disappointed

Hope you all have a great day and thank you for reading my story.

Catch up news!

Hi folks so much has been happening this month in my life and it's been too hectic to  scrap.  My fingers are itching to get down and do it but..........

First off I've been away with Daisy to Cumbria and the Lakes on the train which we really enjoyed.

Starting our trip - our train was late so we were stuck waiting for the next one for nearly 2 hours!

Here's Daisy with my friends' two sons at the Haverthwaite Steam Railway station in Cumbria.

We stayed in my friends' hotel overlooking Morecombe Bay, this is taken looking out of our bedroom.

Here they're riding a croc at the Animal Park!

I had an incident on the way back where I was scalded quite badly from a full cup of hot water at the train station cafe in Preston which scalded my knee with my brace on.  Very painful but we did get to ride back in First Class!!

On the way home!

Our first time and it was very comfortable, clean and with air con. Brilliant. The staff were very kind and gave me a burn gel pack to stop the blistering too much.  As you can see Daisy loved her new hat!!!

I was just recovering from that when a friend phoned to come to stay for a few days and we had a lovely time exploring Shropshire which culminated with a trip to the theatre, my birthday treat from her and my other friend Mary.  We saw The Lion King.  Breathtaking, wonderful and the best feel good show ever.  Forget London, come up to Birmingham and see it at the Birmingham Hippodrome.  They put on a fantastic show! 

I'm so lucky to have such lovely people in my life.

My other good news is about MY MOM. Finally, the x rays show her leg is healing over the plates she has in her hip and leg and she can at last bear her full weight on the leg without fear it's going to break again.  She still has a mammoth task to get back on her feet but she's determined to have a go!  What a star she is!!!  I'm so proud of her and her attitude to all she's endured since last December.  

Sorry I haven't been doing any Blog hopping and leaving comments but hopefully next month will be less hectic.

It's a long weekend holiday this weekend in the England so have a good weekend wherever you are and thanks for reading this far.

"U"- July challenge at Berry71bleu

Hi Everyone here is my entry for the July challenge at Berry71Bleu where you are challenged to do anything!!  This is a bit of a tall order as you suddenly have the freedom to go anywhere with whatever and it’s SCARY!!

Do I go for plain and simple, pretty, pretty, a good story, WHAT???  I've mulled over it for weeks and had given up when I read Anupama’s blog post about her LO she had created.  I was inspired by her beautiful work to try my hand at a mixed media page simply called “U”.

I had this gorgeous photo of Daisy looking more like 12 than eight, taken last Easter by her Mom who is a much better photographer than me. (She has a Degree in it)  I cut two copies of it into heart shapes and just flew with it from there.  Hope you like the finished results.

The flowers were made from kitchen roll which had mopped up my paint and some of the purple vellum from the vellum hearts I used.

I've written the story about this LO for Alexa’s Blog,  Simply a Moment, which you can read below if you wish.
If you finish here, thank you so much for visiting and any comments you leave and thank you Anupama for the inspiration.