Selection of cards made with the Hougie Board plus I was made redundant.

Hi,
I hope everyone is well and life's treating you OK.
The sun had its hat on here in somerset early this morning then it clouded over and its raining.
I was going to put these cards on my blog last Friday but due to circumstances that happen and with being ill unfortunately it never happen. I had some bad news I was made redundant on Friday. My area manager rang and told me shes thinks its from the 1st April but I expect it more like the last day of March. I thought it was coming I had to go in for an interview on last Wednesday, to be honest I felt really awful that day and it was an effort, I had had pain killers all night and a bad morning, as I am not driving at the moment due to the pain killers and their side effects I had a taxi into Frome that cost £15.00. My brain went in the interview and they gave me a glass of water but that's one of the side effects of one of the pain killers, as I am on a combination of four different types to keep the pain in order.
Vernon he is disgusted that when someone who is signed off sick from work and they can make you redundant. I am already down as far as anyone can get with the GP wanting to give me happy pills without having this on top as well. Well now I wont have to worry about rushing back to work, I can take my time and get well. I see the surgeon on Wednesday 2nd March, its been a very long February waiting for this appointment so I hope hes going to tell me whats he going to do and get on with it.
Vernon did my craft table in Cheese and Grain again in yesterday, I was under strict instructions to sit and only answer technical questions as he does not do technical. He sold a few cards made from the Enchanted Dreams Cd from Joanna Sheen. This Cd seems is packed with some beautiful images and it seems is going to be a big seller with cards made from it. If you wondering about buying it do its packed with beautiful images and I think its one of the best Cd's she has made.
Now for today's cards, these were put on my gallery in do crafts on Friday so some of you might have seen them. They have all been made with the new hougie board, Mother gave me the board for Christmas and these are the first cards I have made with it.


These are what they call "V" cards, there have pleats, I did add a piece of card under to hold the pleats in place. After finding the pleats did not stay closed and they are very thin so gluing them was not easy, but by adding a piece of card under that holds them in place.

This one I put lace in the folds of the pleats and again placed a piece of card under so it held the pleats in place. The fairy is 3d although by this photo it is hard to see, as is the teddy on the last card.

The card at the top is a spring card, they are very easy to do on the hougie board as you don't have to sit and measure, and the hougie trick helps to push the card into the diamond shape.

Hopefully I will have some better news next time.

I look forward to seeing you again in blog land. in the meantime take care and keep well.

Hugs

Margaret

Spring cup cakes

Hi,
I hope the weather is not too bad where ever you are and life is treating you well. I say this because, February is dragging and the appointment with the surgeon still seems a long way off its the 2nd March. I still feel down and was very tearful yesterday, although I am not feeling so bad today. I feel I have reach rock bottom, at least the tablets I got from Holland and Barret seem to be working. I refused the GP's happy pills, I take enough of hers already. The pain is not so bad today but last night I had another dose at least it did not swell up as far. Roll on the 2nd March and hopefully he will say what he is going to do.
Enough of me
Today I am bringing you my new cup cakes for the spring, they were fairly easy to make although I did do a different topping and did the knitting so it would look sloped around the cake


I knitted them in pastel colours and then made the daffodils in soft colours.

These will be on my craft table for Mothers Day and Easter, both being late this year with Mothers Day at the beginning of April, and Easter at the end of April.
I hope you like my latest creations.
Thanks you for visiting my blog today, I hope you are all keeping well and look froward to seeing you again soon in blog land.
In the meantime take care and have a good weekend.
Hugs
Margaret

Parchment cards for a change

Hi,
Today I thought I would show you some new Parchment cards, they are my own designs, using peel offs and embossing.
This card is on yellow parchment paper, with peel offs and embossed from the back and a embossed surround with gold ribbon


This card is on white parchment with the design in peel offs again embossed from behind, It has red card behind and a cut work borders which is a very simple easy pattern

This card is on purple card and the parchment design is oval again with the same cut work design in an oval shape. The flowers again are peel offs and embossed from the back, and ribbon to match.

Last card this is the same design cut work around, with fairy peel offs embossed from behind, with dark pink card behind the parchment and mounted on cream card.

I am still learning parchment and some of the lovely designs in parchment are very complicated and take time to learn and do.

Thank you for visiting my blog today, I hope you are keeping well and look forward to seeing you again in blog land. Any comments you would like to leave are always appreciated.

take care

Hugs

Margaret

How I started Tatting

Hi,

I was ask when and how I started tatting, this question is from Tatting Fools blog, and also The tatting whisperer's blog both are worth looking at, follow the link to see their blogs.

My story starts from childhood, there used to be an old aunt who used to visit my fathers parents, she said she would teach me tatting when I was older, but then she died.

I started work in the City of London around 1971 and found a wool shop, Yes they do have shops in the City of London. I used to knit on the train back and forth to work, they had a good supply of all sorts, I was looking for some wool. There on the shelf was a book called Teach Yourself Tatting by coats, I still have the book, a little worse for wear now. I brought a shuttle and some cotton, it took a little while as tatting is not the easiest of things to master.

A short time after another old aunt came to stay with us, she was over thirty stone and took up a great deal of room, I always enjoyed her so while my parents and her were chatting I brought out my tatting. I never knew she could tat, and soon she had me on the right road as I was doing something a little wrong but she sorted it out. She also said about my Fathers mother could tat, news to me I never saw her tat although we do have some very old tatted doilies which we never did know who tatted them, so it could have been hers, at the moment its at my mothers and one day I must have a rummage around to find some, then I will take a picture of it and post it on here.

I remember I used to do tatting on the train back and forth to work, and those City men in their bowler hats sat reading their paper and peeped every so often to look and wonder what I was doing, I used to be asked occasionally by some, others just looked on bemused, you see city men don't talk, train rides were peaceful no one spoke. I remember when their was a strike on, British Rail as it was often went one strike back in the 1970's, the night before on London news TV we were compared with 1,000 milk bottles, yes milk bottles and what a milkman earned and a train driver earned. The next morning there we were jammed into a train carriage, not able to move and standing, suddenly a voice spoke and said "Last night we were compared to 1,000 milk bottles and here we are jammed in they would not even treat cattle like this", everyone laughed and conversations were started. Today I expect its mobiles and lap tops that rule the journeys.

Now I have been tatting for 40 years this year, Vernon and I worked out that I have been knitting since I was three so that's 55 years and sewing and embroidery is 52 years gosh that makes me sound old. I think I need Jane's brain cell #3 if she will let me borrow it.

I remember at private school when I was about 9 or 10 we had a sewing class we were given some cross stitch on large hole cloth to make glasses cases or bookmakers, some of girls took several classes to do one item, me I was finished them a flash and the teacher got so fed with me and said "You are so quick I have run out of things for you to do, you better make another glasses case" I don't know how many I made but even I got fed up with them I wanted something more challenging by then I really could embroider.

I still enjoy my crafts, there are still things to learn and always something new coming out. I hope to bring you more as the years go on. You could say tatting is in my blood and hopefully I will be tatting into my old age.

Well that's my craft story, what's yours.

take care

Hugs

Margaret

Vernons Valentines Day Card

Hi,

Happy Valentines Day, I hope you are having a great day. I thought it was a lovely day with the sun shinning for a change after it rained all day yesterday. I suddenly looked out and it was raining, I had washed one of my settee covers and put it out for some fresh air, only to get wet, never mind its on the radiator now, so it wont take too long to dry.

I made this card for my husband Vernon, hes not into valentines day his opinion is that valentines day is for lovers and not married people. Every year I get the some conversation about how valentines day was originally intended for lovers and cards were sent secretly to someone who you liked or loved. Well this wife is a bit of a romantic at heart and she likes to show him that she does love him.

This year I made the card simple and put an image from the Robert Addams Roses CD, there are some great rose images on it. Then put the bunnies at the top looking over the image, the sentiment also comes from the same stamping block "Some bunny love you" they are a Dawn Bibby design range. I just added red ribbon and gold peel off to finish the card off. The insert had to be hand written as with Vernon home and not being very well I could not do it on the computer.

I had a bad period of pain end of last week, Vernon stayed home Thursday and Friday, the gall bladder was swollen, hard to touch and I had a hard lump come up. The lump went down after a few hours. I felt really ill for a few days, Vernon does not like leaving me when I am really bad, its nice of him to stay home to be honest I was glad, the days are long on my own. My next appointment with the surgeon is on the 2nd March, it seems so far away.

I am hoping he will do something now and hopefully the tests he has done will be clear. Just got to try and keeping going, I am signed off until the 9th March, so hopefully by then we should have some news.

I hope you have a lovely valentines day, hope to see you soon in blog land.

take care

Hugs

Margaret

Tias day 10 its finished

Hi,
We have a beautiful day here in Somerset today, the sun is shinning although it was foggy early on. The forecast is not good for the rest of the week, so we must make the most of today. I think just having the sun shinning makes you feel better.
Well here it is Tias day 10 an aeroplane, we have reached the end, I have enjoyed doing this challenge, not having an idea as to what it was and no picture makes it a real challenge, and I am pleased with the result. I know the picots ( for those who are not tatters that's the loops ) are too long for the beads, which I did say in an earlier post but I carried on with this one as I started it so I went on to finished it. I have started doing another one and this time the picots will be the right size for the beads, I will post it when I have done it.
Will Coops (Nic) get in touch, you got it right and I would like to send you a little something.
I hope the sun is shinning with you and hope you are keeping well, in the meantime take care and look forward to seeing you again in blog land soon
Hugs
Margaret

Rose and Leaf pattern

Hi,

Just to let you know that my new blog Margarets designer cards pattern and how to blog is up and running, this pattern for the rose and leaves are now on there.

Margaret

Tias Day 9

Hi,
From a windy Somerset, we still have the high winds, we had some rain yesterday, although its fine at the moment but I don't think it will be long before it rains again.
This is Day 9 nearly there only one more day to go, now do you have ideas now, I think we are back to aeroplane again, it looks a bit more like it at the moment, have to see what Day 10 begins.
Yesterday we went shopping in Wells, Wells is the smallest City in England, Vernon wanted to get his driving licence picture renewed, every ten years now we have to renew our driving licence pictures at a cost of £20 plus doing it at the post office costs another £4.50 as they take the photo for you. They don't use the photo you bring, they take another one and you have to take your glasses off, even though he wears glasses all the time the picture has to be without them.
I went into Barret and Holland, I wanted something because I am so down and crying, Connie the manager is brilliant in there and she sorted me out when I went through the change. She came over asked if she could help and I started to say I want something and burst into tears, poor Vernon he stood there feeling, well I felt the twit. She took us into her office at the back of the shop, sat me down and talked about what I was going though, she was wonderful, she gave me a spray which you spray on your tongue and boosts you up and then sorted out some tablets, St Johns Wort and Lemon Balm. I don't want the Gp's happy pills shes given me enough to take, Connie checked what would go with my pain killers and well I could not have asked for anyone better, she was marvelous.
I treated myself to two craft magazines, one has some free stamps one I love which is a car with bears driving it, and a Prima just for a change, I rarely buy women's magazines its nearly always craft ones.
Day 10 of the Tias I think is tomorrow.
I hope you are OK and thanks for visiting my blog today look forward to seeing you again soon in the meantime take care.
Hugs
Margaret

Zodiac Cards

Hi,
This post is a card for each of the zodiac signs, I have made for my craft table a set of cards and will do a "Card of the month" so every month there will be a new card for that zodiac sign.
The images have come from Joanna Sheen's Enchanted Dreams CD, I think this CD is wonderful and her best yet.

I have tried to match the colours from the images and make them all different in some way, not easy with 12 cards.

I do recommend this CD the images and the colours are really lovely and its packed with so much including bookmakers and backing papers, toppers and so many images it will take years to use them all.

I hope you are OK and until I see you again in blog land take care

Hugs

Margaret

TIAS Day 8

Hi,
Nearly there this is day 8 only two more to go, any ideas yet? No I still have no idea, thanks for the wonderful comments on my last post at least I have many of you thinking and wondering, I did like the aeroplane idea, that's not a bad guess only Jane knows what its going to turn out like, as she designed it. Jane has a great piece about beads and adding them to tatting well worth checking out if you are not sure about adding bead to tatting.
I am not as good again today and still have a lot of pain, yesterday I was really down and crying a lot, at least today I have not felt like crying that must be an improvement. Its just one of those things I have good days and bad days, of course not helped by Mother who is being a total pain at the moment. The weather is not helping either its horrible outside with wind and misty drizzle now, very dark, almost to the point of having to put the light on and its only lunch time.
This is going to be it for today, just a short post, more hopefully tomorrow I have some cards to load up for you although those of you who are members of do crafts will have already seen them as I posted them on my gallery a few days ago.
Hope you are keeping well and until I see you again take care.
Hugs
Margaret