Art at the Hospital - Drawn to Textiles

 Hi
We had a visit to the Royal United hospital in Bath last week and while I was waiting for Vernon I had a look at the art which they had on display,   These pictures were taken with my new mobile so they are not perfect. Unfortunately the lights have not done the pictures much good.  so I hope you can see them OK.
The pictures are really well made with thousands of pinned sequins on what looked like calico fabric.

 This one I liked not sure what it is, 



Below is the piece written about the show which I thought I would take so I could not forget about it.

Hope you enjoyed these pieces of art.
                    Hugs
                Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Bundle of Joy

 Hi,
Another cold day but no snow flurries so far today,  they say this is going to last through April.   I feel so sorry for farmers in Scotland and the Isle of Man whose sheep are buried in snow drifts of twenty feet,   I hope they will be able to find them before they die,  many must have lambs or near to lambing.


Lets change the subject this weeks theme on the CD Sunday Challenge is Bundle of Joy, Link to their blog 
This week I ended up doing two cards boy and girl.  I used the backing paper from the CD Crafter Essentials Background from My craft Studio. 
I put the words bundle of joy in the top balloons.
I matted the image on gold miri card,  I did these images in Parchment some time ago and then lost one of them,  by the time I found one I had lost the other one.  I sorted out my craft stuff the other day and found them both,   so before they disappear again I used them on these cards,   I used a cradle peel off and then embossed and on a grid did dots inside of the cradle coloured the bows and heart in pink/blue.  
I used a stork peel off in the top corner,  I used pink baby ribbon with the words "its a girl",  I thought I had the same for a boy but I could find that so he got a plain blue ribbon.





Close up of the cradle.
I hope where ever you are,  you are warm and dry, in the meantime  take care, and thank you for visiting my blog today.
                 Hugs
             Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Wonderful Wings

Hi,
From a very very wet windy Somerset,  If you thought spring was coming today's weather makes it further away than ever, heavy snow in the north of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, floods in the south west,  but here its rain and oh boy has it rained.  Don't think we are not getting the snow it looks like we shall have some on Sunday,   and its going to stay cold until Easter.  Its more like January than March.  enough of the weather I hear you say.
Today I bring you my card for the CD Sunday Challenge this week its Wonderful wings.  As I have run out of ink for my printer, I went though my craft papers to see if I had anything printed and not used and found this one, I am sure its from Joanna Sheens Enchanted Dreams, which I used for the backing paper.  I used this beautiful die cut tree that Suzanne so kindly  cut for me,( Suzanne its wonderful and thank you),  I cut out a piece of green miri board for the backing of the tree and then silicone glued it to give it height off the card. The Peel off butterflies were put on parchment paper and embossed then glued onto the design and the ribbon is from Joanna Sheens on line shop.  Finished off with gold peel off's and pearls which I won for my card from a previous challenge. They were sent to me by Carol from the CD Sunday Challenge and I cant remember which card won but it was last year.
I love butterflies and they have such beautiful wings that's why I chose them for this challenge.
I hope where ever you are you are warm, dry and cosy and until we meet again take care

               Hugs
           Margaret

Having a blue moment, 2/25 Motif challenge

Hi,
What a horrible day,  its been raining all day with high winds and it looks set to rain for the next few days, the floods will back soon at this rate, Where is spring certainly not looking like its going to appear for a while yet. Not that parts of Somerset have got rid of the flood water, yes it still flooded on the Somerset levels and has been since before Christmas,  farmers are worried  their fields now are so bad and the grass being so ruined it will takes years for the grass to get back to normal.  In the meantime their livestock are suffering,  and some farmers have sold some of the animals to pay to feed the rest of the livestock. There seems no end in sight,  with this horrible weather with snow in the north and rain down here the UK is not having a good time weather wise.
This is what I tatted while waiting for Vernon last friday in the Royal United Hospital,  they said an hour and half,  I sat in the the cafe and finished the bookmark,(Floral Bookmark by Kersti) (the tail I did at home)   I then had a walk around the wall art (another post in a couple of days with photos I took)  I then went back to the waiting room to wait for him, I made two butterflies (Mary Knoiors pattern) they take me just under an hour to tat,  I have done so many I know the pattern off by heart,   and then to finish up the thread I had left on my shuttles two mini butterflies.  .


I did these three hearts the other day,   two small tatted hearts by Betsy Evans and the larger one is butterfly heart by Irene Woo
All were tatted in Lizbeth no 20 Peacock Blues.

To finish up the thread on the shuttles I made again the Butterfly Heart by Irene Woo and a mini butterfly, this is Lizbeth thread No 20 Sea Island Citrus, now I have re-wind the shuttles with continuous thread so I can start the tat along mat and get my head back on finishing the row I messed up on.




I hope you are keeping well and until we meet again Take care.
               Hugs
            Margaret

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hi,

Happy St Patrick's Day,   we woke up to snow again this morning,  I did wish winter would finish and spring would start,  its been a very very long winter.   I only have one daffodil in my garden with a flower bud on which wants to flower but its too cold for it,   the rest of the bulbs have no flowers at all,   the snowdrops have finished and the crocuses have been bashed about with the strong winds we had.   Spring cant be far away can it???
This little shamrock pattern is from Joelle's blog she had been doodling some clover leaves and I just had to try her little pattern,   link to her blog Le Blog de Frivole.  thank you Joelle they are such a great patterns. I used Lizbeth thread, no 20 Christmas Green mix.
I hope you have a nice day where ever you are in the world.  hopefully where ever you are the sun is shining.
              Hugs
            Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Land of the Pharaohs

 Hi,
What a cold week we had last week and the beginning of this week,  we had beautiful sunshine most of the day today,  for days we have been having snow flurries  and with a East and then North wind and a chill factor of -6 or -7 its been so cold over the last week.  I wish if it wants to snow it would get on with it and throw it down instead of playing games with us.
This week the CD Sunday Challenge is Land of the Pharaohs link to their blog here

My card this week is the Egyptian Cat,  I used the My Craft Studio Click, Print, Go crafters Essentials Backgrounds CD for the background paper.  I found my Egyptian decoupage sheets by Cardcraft Plus and my Egyptian Peel Off's which I used a strip down the side of the card,  the strip has various Egyptian signs and the pyramids and finished off the card with red and gold ribbon and gold corners.
Hope where ever you are you are keeping warm and cosy.
Until we meet again take care.

              Hugs
             Margaret

Tatting at last and start of the 25 motif challenge

 Hi,
Many of you know the last couple of months has been hard,   my mojo just went not surprising really.  Tatting came to a virtual stand still not helped by making a complete cock up of the tat along mat which I might add is still sitting on the coffee table in front of me and not been picked up since we got home.
Anyway I was asked to tat six snowflakes as above,  the pattern is one of Anna's from December 1991.  
I have been doing little things since we got home,  a few butterflies and these hearts which is the small Tatted Heart designed by Betsy Evans,   I saw this on a blog back in January I am sorry and must apologise I cant remember whose blog it was on but they had a link to the pattern.
Top row from left to right its Lizbeth's white, and Falling Leaves,  Pale Yellow DMC
bottom row left to right Lizbeth's Sea Island Citrus,   Gold,  and Rainbow Taffy.
I have enjoyed tatting these,    its a quick easy pattern,  
close up underneath.

I hope now my mojo is returning and feeling a bit  better I can start the TIAS,  the pages are printed ready for me to do,  just got to pick a colour and tat. These are the start of the 25 Motif Challenge which I said I would start in the new year.

Take care until we meet again

               Hugs

            Margaret

Elephants..............

 Hi,
Its the most beautiful day here in Somerset now the fog has lifted,  we had a frost over night and now the sun has come out to play.  Its that strange thing that shines in the sky,  we have so many dull, dank, horrible days all winter that now the sun has appeared it just wonderful to see it again.
I know it was up there somewhere,  and was shining on someone but not here.   This winter has been long,  cold,  wet, snowy,  dull, dank, dark and its not going to last, rain is forecasted again from tomorrow.  The Somerset levels are still flooded from the rain we had before christmas,  all the meadows and fields will have to be re-sown,  its a total wash out.
I was asked to knit some toys,  this is an old and trusted pattern, I did a lot of these years ago many in football team colours.  These are knitted in 4 ply wool she's in shades of peach and he is cream and blue,  they make a fetching pair.   I might add she was over the moon with them and has asked for more knitted toys,   whatever I what to knit.   Well there is another elephant that needs his hat finishing,   I have something else to knit  more about that next month hopefully when I get the pictures to show you.  In the meantime when I have finished that knitting I will be back on the toys,   so watch this space for more to come.
Enjoy this beautiful day and until we meet again take care
              Hugs
          Margaret