Zen and the meaning of holidays...

Well I finally got my act in gear, and started all the jobs on my 'holiday' list. I got the shed painted in a dry spell  between the soggy bits, relaid a garden path, went to the recycling centre, several times, with loads of  dross, dug the garden, cut the hedge and the grass. I even overcame my arachnophobia and tidied out the greenhouse. Chopped up sticks for the chiminea and planted some bushes in my newly dug border.

As for the inside jobs, well they got done too but only because we couldn't find the' Zen' for playing music as we wanted it to take on holiday with us, and in attempt to find it I turned all the cupboards inside out. Then I thought if I'm going to this bother I may as well have a clear out,  threw out the unwanted bits, tidied and put all the other stuff back -  job done!  No Zen though.

Despite vowing that I wouldn't get sucked into 'Olympic Mania', I did, but whilst watching the telly I managed to finish the last of the 10 scarves I knitted for a local charity shop.

I even managed to make a few cards, had an attempt at alcohol inking and made a gift box

an anniversary card for my sister-in-law and her husband

For a beautiful wee girl 

for  my teenage nephew

For a 40yr old who once starred in a school production of Grease 

What's inside?

All this and a surprise visit from my eldest daughter for the weekend. Not bad going.  Now I am ready for my actual holiday which starts tomorrow!! We are off to (hopefully) sunny Spain for two weeks. I am fair excited.   Two weeks of doing nothing...... gulp! What no crafting for two weeks? How will I cope?
Last year I think I may have been  the saddest person on the planet because I actually took my promarkers (or some of them) with me to Spain, and a batch of stamped images just in case I got bored. I worried for two weeks about my markers because it was so hot!  So this year I am taking stamped images and a small watercolour set, some brushes, some artists pencils.......... what's the baggage allowance again?

Hasta la vista baby!

A stitch in time...

Going Knitting Nuts

Hi there folks, finally the school holidays are upon us (in fact this is week 2!), and I have done very little from my list of things 'to do'.  Every year about this time I make a list of jobs that are screaming out to be done in the house or the garden and I vow to tackle them in the school holidays. This year I made the list then promptly lost it. Not too drastic, as I do remember what was on it but I cannot get my act in gear to start any of them.  I have never felt so lethargic and uninterested in anything. Even card making has become a bit of a chore.(I can't believe I just said that!)  I am blaming it all on the weather.  I can't paint the shed because it's raining. I can't do the garden because it's raining, I can't sort out the garage because it's raining, I can't clear out my wardrobe because it's raining... you get the picture?  Apparently we are going to have an Indian Summer in September......SEPTEMBER.... you won't be able to me my house for weeds if I have to wait till then to get rid of them!

I tried making cards but most of what I made didn't quite turn out right and I felt as if I had lost my mojo... maybe it's been washed away in the rain... I shouldn't complain as at least my house is not in a flood area like some of the poor folks down south who have lost everything. My heart goes out to them.

I haven't been totally idle as I was sitting watching daytime tv and drinking endless cups of tea, I have started knitting scarves for a local charity.  I noticed an advert in the local paper asking people to knit  1 metre scarves which will all be crocheted together to form a huge one to go around the town centre. So I got the needles out and cast on. I am now on my 6th, and although I feel like Edward Scissorhands first thing in the morning I really think it is helping my arthritic joints. All the scarves will then be donated to Blythswood which is a charity supporting people at home and abroad.

Here are a couple of cards which turned out not too badly.

For a friend

Papermania Urban Stamp embossed with gold powder, matted and layered with blue and gold card on cream card stock. I used an embossing strip up the edge which reads best friend, added a butterfly stamped on bright paper and some flowers and ribbon. This card took ages to make as I started with the stamp and hadn't got a clue where I was going with it.

For a first birthday

I did a bit of research into Waybuloo, a CBB's  programme (weird programme or what?), and came up with my interpretation of De Li, one of the characters.
I used spellbinders nestabilities for most of the shapes, a punch for the flowers and sizzix Trixie alphabet for the name.





All joking apart, I have to get my act in gear as these chores won't do themselves, and sure as a cat's a hairy beast Graham won't do them....so I need a right kick up the behoochie to get going... any volunteers?... till the next time folks......

Help, I need somebody...

Can anyone out there in blogland please explain to me how to go about putting pictures linking to other blogs on the side bar? I managed to do it once and now I have brain freeze and can't remember how I did it. I wanted  the picture to link back to http://wiccababe.blogspot.co.uk/.
Would this also work for button badges on other folks craft pages?