Happy New Year

Hi,

I wish you a very Happy New Year and may 2011 be better for all of us.

I am going to make only one resolution this year, to get better. I have two appointments at the hospital early in January, and then hopefully the surgeon might get something done and operate.

Take care and stay safe
Hugs
Margaret

Christmas Parchment cards

Hi,
Although its warmer today, its foggy and drizzly after heavy rain yesterday and during the evening the snow has all but gone, just little bits left here and there on the garden.
I know what you are thinking I rarely bring you any parchment well here today I bring you the family Christmas cards.
I am afraid these are not the best pictures the light was not good before Christmas, I don't like using sub standard photos but these cards were late being made so I had little time to wait for the light to improve. They are all the same design as such, I used the parchment Christmas CD from My craft Studio, these are the first cards I have made from the Cd's, I am not sure about the Cd's as I like to do my parchment from scratch.
I worked the designs in the middle from a grid, the pattern is the same but all done in a different way. The card above was to my Mother and is grid work all over the middle, with the crosses cut out.

This card is to special Friends and the pattern was worked in strips across the middle.

This card was to Vernon's sister Dee and Brother in Law Peter with the pattern done in strips downwards.

This card was to Vernon's Dad and was worked into squares.

This is a very poor picture and these two cards were of a Christmas tree with green gem stones randomly added to the tree. This design was also from the Christmas parchment My craft Studio C.D. I did some embossing on the bubbles.

All the designs had green shinny paper behind to bring out the designs.

I wish you all a very happy New Year and Hope 2011 will be a better year for everyone.

Thank you for popping by today and look forward to seeing you again in blog land in 2011

Hugs

Margaret

Tatted boxed Horseshoe for Karen

Hi,
Another day with snow on the ground, its still freezing cold, and no sign of a let up with the weather.
Today I bring you a tatted Horseshoe which I made for one of the girls in the office who got married last Saturday. I do hope she likes it.
I made the box from white card and finished off with silver peel offs and red ribbon.

This picture shows a close up of the box.

This picture shows you the horseshoe on the base of the box, I used card that looked like leather.

This picture show you a close up of the horseshoe, using a pattern from The pattern Collection book by Mary Konior, she used this pattern for a cross, I liked it so much that I adapted it to make the horseshoe. I added two butterflies in a thread which I brought in Rhodes on holiday a couple of years ago, of red and silver. As I don't know when I can get some more of this thread I tend to only use it on special projects.

This is the first Horseshoe I have made, I have been thinking of making a few to put on my craft table, I have also found another pretty pattern which I have tried. I am always trying to find something different to put on my table and as weddings happen all year round they might useful on the table. In these days when money is short for everyone finding new ideas that won't cost the earth to tempt customers is getting harder.

I have been working on two projects in the last couple of days, a pair of tatted earrings and the tatted bell which I started in Turkey.

Update I have had two appointments from the hospital for early in the new year, so hopefully when these are done I might get something done and the pain could be a thing of the past. I can only hope!

I have another post before Christmas hopefully of the family Christmas cards I have made in parchment, yes its time I did some parchment, I am still learning but these cards have given me the opportunity to learn some more grid work, plus Vernon's card.

I hope you have a very Happy Christmas and a very very Happy New Year. until we you pass this way again please take care in this bad weather.

Hugs

Margaret

Last Commissioned card

Hi,

Another cold and freezing day here in somerset, the snow is still here about 5 inches in my garden. I am hoping we don't get any more and what we have can go as soon as possible. Lovely to look at but driving around the country lanes is not fun. Tomorrow does not look much better with freezing fog.

This is a card I was asked to make for a fellow trader in Cheese and Grain, she wanted a religious card for her husband. I hope she likes it as I have had to send her the card as the craft fair was cancelled last Saturday.

The image on the card is from Joanna Sheen CD, also used her backing paper that went with the image, mounted the image on silver card, and finished off with silver peel offs.

I am still waiting for a parcel from Amazon its coming by royal mail and was sent on the 13th December, as its for my husband I hope it comes for Christmas. Our new postman has told a neighbour that there are hundreds and hundreds of letters at the sorting office waiting to be sorted, I expect Vernon's present is in the pile. The car is snowed in, Vernon has not dug the driveway out so I can't go to the sorting office and complain. That's his way of keeping me off the road as I am not suppose to drive with all the pain killers I am taking, three different lots per day and a special one when the pain is severe now.

I now have two appointments for the Royal United Hospital so I hope the weather improves for these scans etc. in the new Year.

I hope you are ready for Christmas and looking forward to the big day, me on my no fat diet is beginning to wonder what I am going to eat as nearly everything we have already brought for Christmas will be no good for me, yes I can have the turkey and vegetables boiled, but my favorite nuts and chocolate's will have it wait until they have sorted me out. Perhaps we can have a second Christmas later next year, when the surgeon has finally done something.

Until you come this way again keep warm and take care in the bad weather.

Hugs

Margaret

Knitted and tatted picture plus snow snow and snow

Hi,

Well we have snow, and about 4 inches of the white stuff, my garden looks quite pretty with the white stuff covering the weeds!!! It messed up today's plans. firstly I was going to do a craft fair at the Cheese and Grain in Frome, it was cancelled at 6.15am not surprising really with the amount of snow that landed over night but we were forecasted some more but so far it has not arrived. Vernon was going to help me so all I had to do was sit, he was also planning on visiting our sister in Law Sheila, but that never happen, he will have to go and see her another day before Christmas with their Christmas present. Now I have had a row with Tesco as they have not delivered Mother food order, I am not surprised but what really annoyed me was on my orders it says its been delivered but they cancelled it and never told us, I did wonder if it might get though but they could have rang and told us they could not get it to her.

One of the girls in the office Karen is getting married today, I have no idea if she has managed it, I have made a small gift for her which I took into the office with my sickness certificate on Thursday. I shall put the gift on my blog in a few days time when I know she has it.

The doctors have now signed me off for four weeks and they are hoping that the hospital will get the scans/x rays done by then. In the meantime I am now on a no fat diet, its a bit hard and it took ages doing the shopping last night looking at all the labels. It is not until you read the labels you realise just how much fat there is in so many products, and I don't buy processed food I cook food from scratch. They say I should lose some weight, good I have been trying for years without any success, not that I wanted to do it though illness.

Today I bring you a new picture I have knitted the foxglove in two strand of white and one strand of blue embroidery thread on number 14 needles. The flowers and sprigs of greenery around the base are tatted and the tatted butterfly is one strand of blue and two white strand of embroidery thread with beads in the centre and at the top of the antennas. The foxglove imps is an image that I was given by a do crafts member Angie. I meet her for lunch as you would have read about our lunches and being chatted up in the pub a few months ago. I coloured it with pro makers and shades of blue to match the flower well I that was the intention. I then placed it in a frame. It was going on my table today well that was going to be the intention.

I hope where ever you are, you are not snowed in and feeling cold, this north wind is biting at the moment.

So until we meet again in blog land take care and keep warm.

Hugs
Margaret

Knitted Christmas Angels

Hi,
What a day, its pouring with rain now and so dark, I will have to have the light on to do the Christmas cards, I did so well yesterday by wrapping and sending all the presents that needed sending.
Today I bring you my Knitted Christmas Angels, its a very old pattern, which came from a ladies magazine, but it was so long ago I cant remember which magazine they came from.
They are all different in some ways, they are knitted with white cotton thread on number 12 needles. One has blue beads around the base, wings, collar and the halo. The halos are 30 beads on thread and then knotted and then glued onto the hair which is embroidery thread.
Another one has a halo of mixed coloured beads and another one had gold beads. They are all glued onto strong card and then have cotton ball heads. It took me at least three nights to knit each one, they are not difficult but its just a fiddly in parts.
I went to the doctor today and I have been signed off for 4 weeks in hope that the hospital will get their finger out and get the scan done. I had another bad night with no sleep after 3am, even though I took 2 painkillers at 3am the pain still did not ease off. I am on a fat free diet so far its not been easy, I expect as I get used to the diet it will become easier. There are so many things that you would not think had any fat in, so its a question of reading labels.
I hope you are keeping well, do not have any snow yet.
In the meantime of seeing you again as you pass by my blog take care and keep warm.
Hugs
Margaret

I cannot believe Specsavers in Frome

Hi,

I was going to post my knitted angels but after a conversation this morning with Specsavers in Frome well I just had to write and share it with you.
I think I had the most stupidest person that works there, I rang up for an appointment for my husband between Christmas and New Year, you would think that would be simple.
No.
The conversation went like this :-
"Could I please book an appointment for my husband between Christmas and New Year"
"We have a cancellation for this afternoon if you would like it"
"No thanks my husband is at work and he is not working between Christmas and new year"
"I have one for the 21st December",
"No I want an appointment between Christmas and New Year"
"You are confusing me" she said by now I am getting a bit annoyed.
"What is so confusing about an appointment between Christmas and New Year" I ask
"Christmas Day"
Now I am angry, "No one works on Christmas day and I am not asking for Christmas day he wants an appointment between Christmas and new year are you open then"
"Yes what about the 29th"
"Fine what time"
By now I am to the point of screaming, Where do these firms find there staff because she needs a lot of training, I better not go with him I might be rude.
Sorry to share this little story with you, but I hope when you make an appointment over Christmas and New Year you have better luck than I have had at getting one.
Hope you are keeping well and warm, take care and I hope we do not any more snow before Christmas
Hugs
Margaret

I'm having a moan

Hi,
Well the sun is shinning, with a clear blue sky its a bit warmer today, gosh it makes a lovely change, but I'm going to have a moan so please excuse me.
During the night I was in severe pain, if there was a scale for pain 1 to 10 it was 11 and half to 12, Vernon (my husband) rang the ambulance and was told they do not come out as it was not life threatening. They said the nurse would ring in about 15 minutes to an hour, that was at 3.15am. The nurse rang at 7.20am, asked a lot of questions of course and would ask the duty GP to ring me. At 7.30am she rang for once luck was on my side, she was not only one of the doctors from my surgery but one of the doctors I have seen in the last couple of weeks. She then made an appointment for me to go to Shepton Community Hospital to see the Duty GP at 10.10am. More luck he was a lovely man and understood everything so now I have special pain killers for when I have severe pain. This is the second bout in 48 hours, I am feeling really washed out and rattling from all the pain killers. Poor Vernon must be feeling very tired and fed up I don't get much sleep at night at best, and he was awake for hours last night.
I am sorry for my moan but how many times do you see on the TV ambulance man/woman attending late night revelers that have drunk themselves into oblivion, yet for someone in need with severe pain and oh boy it was, I got no medical attention...........
Enough of my rant, and sorry to sound off.
I hope you are enjoying this rest bite in the weather and getting your Christmas shopping before it turns cold again, and hope you are keeping well.
In the meantime until you pass this way again take care
Hugs
Margaret

Commissioned Christmas Cards and update on Hospital

Hi,

The frost of the last week seems to be giving slightly, but its still very very cold, at the bottom of the page I have put a picture I took yesterday of the trees next door in the hoar frost. We had have a hoar frost for three/four days so this is just a build up over the last few days. At least the sun has been shinning today not that it made it any warmer but its nice to see there is something up there that shines after days of fog.

Today I am bring you some cards I was commissioned to make the green card at the top of the page and this red card are for grand children and the other three are for her children, she does not do Christmas and these are the only cards she will be sending this Christmas.
I use on both card a 3d image of father Christmas. with shiny paper backing and then finished off both cards with peel offs and matching ribbons.

On this card I used images from the Art Deco Christmas Ladies CD. and finished off with gems and silver peel offs and white ribbon.

This card I used a Joanne Sheen image from one of her Cd's, placed it on silver card and finished off with peel offs and green/blue ribbon, the ribbon had a green/blue sheen on it which on blue card looked more blue than green, but when placed on green card looks more green than blue

I stamped the bubble stamp and used white/green heat embossing powders on black card, with a white and green paper worded background again finished off with silver peel offs .

Update on the hospital, I went yesterday to the RUH (Royal United hospital) in Bath, he is prepared to take my gall bladder out even though I am not "Text book", is everything so black and white with these surgeons? I am me not a text book and I don't like the idea of conforming to a text book. Now I have to have a scan/x ray on the pancreas and bladder first to check that they are OK, if they are clear then he will operate. At least something might be done now.

I hope you are not too snowed in and keeping warm and you have enjoyed visiting my blog today. I look forward to seeing you in blog land again soon, in the meantime time take care

Hugs

Margaret

Paper Angel Ornaments

Hi,
This is a short post but I found something really beautiful in blog land and I thought you might like to check it out too.
On Carolivy I found some beautiful paper angel ornaments.
There is a video tutorial on Fred-she-said and for the Paper Angel Template go to CAROL'S POST to get the details, more angels and pic's, and template download. They are really worth checking out.
Hope you are keeping warm on these very cold days,
take care
Hugs
Margaret

Christmas Tatted Earrings

Hi,

Today I am bring you my Christmas Tatted Earrings, this is the first pair of earring I have ever made. I was asked for a pair of earrings by my sister in law Sheila, we call each other sister in law but I suppose we are not. Sheila was Vernon's previous wife sister, who died before I meet Vernon. At our wedding Sheila said to me "I have never had a sister in law before", well neither had I, but now I have two Sheila and Dee Vernon's sister.

This is the pattern which I designed at 3am one morning when I could not sleep and was waiting for the pain killers to kick in, actually that night they did not work.

I used Lisbeth Christmas delight thread no 20 which I used for the butterfly, angel and lady I posted a few weeks ago, and added beads on each picot. I have called the pattern Sheilas Earrings

I hope you are snowed in and are able to keep warm, we still have snow here and had another load on Wednesday night. Its bitterly cold and although we have some sunshine today its not got any warmer.

Thank you for visiting my blog and look forward to seeing you again in blog land. In the meantime take care and warm

Hugs

Margaret