The CD Sunday Challenge - Aged to Perfection

 Hi,
Its official its been the coldest spring for 50 years,  and today is just the same showers and sun,  and not very warm.   I wonder if summer will ever come, as for spring lets forget it and hope for a summer?
Today I bring you my card for the CD Sunday Challenge,  Aged to Perfection,  I found this image and thought it would be OK.  Thatched cottages were mainly built years ago and although they are very expensive to live in as the thatch needs attention and renewing about every 50 years so you could say they are aged with perfection.  Thatched cottages are very warm in winter, cool in summer and expensive to insure,  this cottage is a real chocolate picture.
The backing paper is used came from My craft Studio crafters essentials CD backgrounds,  I used a lovely piece of trellis which was sent to me from Sue (Aunty Sue),  thank you Sue the die cuts were lovely and the other die cuts of leaves were sent by Suzanne, thank you Suzanne, which I coloured with pro markers   I matched the rose buds and roses with the flowers on the image, and finished off the card with gold peel off's
                                                                         Hugs
                                                                    Margaret.

Guess who won

Hi,
Just a quick note to say I am over the moon, after a hospital visit which ended up being two visits and an appointment to go back to see the surgeon next Monday.   I had a wonderful email from Orsolya to say I had won her beautiful tatted jewellery.
When is arrives I will post a picture for you to see,   In the meantime you will find her and what I won on this  Link
I hope you have a nice day, the sun has been shining here but it's getting a bit darker so it looks like its going to rain.
Hugs
Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Go Green

Hi,
I don't know about you but the weather here cannot make up its mind, one minute the sun is shining and its warm then the sun disappears and its dull, another day its cold, grey and windy.   I hope summer wont be long because I am fed up with this winter, as for spring well even the flowers and plants in my garden are confused   and if they are confused I sure am.   I was hoping to take some pictures of my garden plants that are out in flower,  but the weather and sun are not co-operating. When  I can get a good picture I will out there with the camera.  watch this space as they say.
This weeks card for the CD Sunday Challenge is go green,  I was rather confused  did it mean a green card or a recycled element.........
Well this is my card,   on the computer the image and papers looked green, when I printed them out they were rather gold colour, although the image does have some green in it.  Its from the Joanna Sheens Royal Horticultural Society CD,  and being Chelsea Flower Show this week I thought it would be nice to use this CD.  I used the image and matching papers,  3d the image,  matted onto green miri board   green line and corner peel off's   and the ribbon is recycled - I brought a white top in a well known store,   and they had these flaming white ribbon straps on the shoulders inside,  well they came off straight away.  I hate shoulder pads and bits of ribbon hanging inside,   it might be fine to hang the tops up with but I don't want it, so I re-use all the ribbon on cards etc. has they say waste not, want not.

I hope where ever you are the sun is shining and until we meet again take care.
                          Hugs
                      Margaret

Lovely Tatting Giveaway

Hi,

It's the most beautiful day here in Somerset, although the forecast has said rain, hopefully it will go another way.
I am writing this on my iPad but I wanted to tell you about the beautiful tatting giveaway that Orsi is doing on her blog,  She is doing the giveaway as she has reached 150 followers to her blog.   Sorry there is not a picture but the iPad does not let me put it on my blog. Do go and visit her, her blog is really worth a visit.  Link to her bloghttp://spulni-blog.blogspot.co.uk
Have a nice weekend.
Hugs
Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Ornate Blossom

 Hi,
Another day of heavy showers a bit of sun and cold, at least we missed the snow than some parts of the UK got overnight, although it was not that far away.
Today I bring you my card for the CD Sunday Challenge, well I made one and then another one and well instead of one you are getting two because I don't know which one to enter. This is week its Ornate Blossom and I chose Ornate Lilies.
Both cards were made from Joanna Sheens CD If flowers Could talk by Patience Strong, on both cards I used the matching image with the backing papers.  The pink card, has a glitter peel off around the edge of the image,  pink ribbon and bow and square gems placed at the top and bottom.

 This card, again Ornate Lilies also has a glitter peel off around the image with a  pink and green ribbon and bow down the side and square green gems at the top and bottom.
I think this card could be used as a sympathy card, as the words are lovely.
There,   you have two cards made in the same style, from the same CD.  I hope you like them,  
Until we meet again take care and keep warm hopefully summer is not far off,  as for Spring well I think its just a write off.
                 Hugs
             Margaret

Day Out in Oxford part two

Hi,

Part two,  This is the Christ Church Cathedral which is built in the college and the Cathedral of Oxford.  This church dates back to the 12th Century is amongst one of the oldest buildings in Oxford and one of the Smallest Anglican Cathedrals in England.  This is the only church in the world that is both Cathedral and College Chapel.

Some of my pictures were not good enough to post so this is just some of the strain glass windows.

 The one above at the top if the Jonah Window,  it shows Jonah and the city of Niveveh in detail.
Next shows the Shrine,  built in 1289, destroyed 1538 and rebuilt in 1889 and 2002  It is the oldest monument in the Cathedral,  once held the relics of St.Frideswide who is the patron saint of Oxford, destroyed during the reformation.  St Frideswide was buried beneath a nearby gravestone.


This is the St Catherine Window,  the central figures face is St Catherine of Alexandria is a portrait of Edith Liddell,  she was the sister of Alice who inspired the book Alice in Wonderland.   The portrait of Alice can be seen in the window of the Great Hall,  sorry my picture did not come out.






This is the Bell Altar,   this was made to mark the millennium and dedicated to the memory of Bishop George Bell,  who courageously opposed the bombing of German cities in World War Two.
The cross picture below was cut from the underside of the Altar.

This is the Chancel Vault designed in 1500
The Vault is made up of intricate star-shaped patterns to crate the image of heaven.
There are 12 beautiful Pendants hanging from it.





A Brief History of Cathedral
c.680 - 727 First church and founder / Patron Saint of Oxford 
c.1150 - 1210 Present Building constructed by Augustinian monks as a Monastery
1524 Augustinian Monastery suppressed
1525 Thomas Wolsey founded Cardinal's College
1546 The church becomes a Cathedral,  the college and Cathedral refounded by King Henry VIII as Christ Church.
1642 - 1646 English Civil War, King Charles I lives and worships at Christ Church.
1720's  John and Charles Wesley both study at the college and both are ordained in the Cathedral
1870 - 1876 Some of the interior is redesigned by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
It is worth a visit when you come to Oxford, as is the Oxford Castle which started as a moat and bailey dating back to c 700.

Now for a walk to the River Thames 

Anyone for a Punt????

 A walk along the  River Thames,  and for those overseas visitors to my blog this is the same River Thames that flows down to London.

The Picture below  is the walk from Christ Church to the River Thames

I hope you enjoyed both Posts,  Oxford is a lovely place to visit and has many colleges which visitors are welcomed to visit.

Until we meet again Take Care

                         Hugs

                      Margaret

Day out in Oxford Part one

 Hi,
This is part one of our day out in Oxford, on Bank Holiday Monday    Brilliant weather, sun, blue skies and quite hot around 20+.
This is the Great Hall inside Christ Church College,  where Harry Potter was filmed.
The Hall is used as the dinning room for the collage,   there are portraits of many famous members of the college but unfortunately my little camera did not pick up the pictures very well,  so these are the best pictures of the day.


This is one of the many strained glass windows around the hall,   under the window is many coats of arms.

 This is the fireplace showing the brass firedogs with long necks,  Alice is pictured at the top,   Alice is Alice in wonderland,  which was written by Lewis Carroll (real name Charles Dodgson)  he studied, taught and lived at Christ Church College,  Alice Liddell was the Deans Daughter then,  he wrote the story of Alice in wonderland which she is immortalised in.

 This picture shows a few portraits at the far end,  many are famous members of Christ Church which include 6 of 13 Prime Minsters, John Locke, Henry VIII,  Thomas Wolsey, and Charles Dodgson.
In the middle (the large Portrait  is King Henry VIII who was the founder of the college,  In Alice's adventures the red Queen continually shouts "Off with her head"  which comes from Henry VIII who famously executed two of his wives.


This is Tom Quad with the winged Roman God statue of Mercury standing in the middle of the fish pond.  Tom Quad is named after the six ton bell in tower (picture below)
Christ Church is a royal college following the fall of Thomas Wolsey in 1529,  King Henry VIII inherited Cardinal College, then refounded as King Henry VIII's Collage in 1532,  in 1546 it became Christ Church College.  From then on the reigning British monarch acts as the representative of the Founder, known as the "Visitor".

This is Part One,  I had too many pictures of Christ Church College and the Oxford Catheral to do a whole blog.  so I will add the next part in a couple of days.

                          Hugs

                     Margaret

May Toys and Flowers

Hi,
Last weekend was warmer and lovely,  this weekend is cold, windy and heavy showers,  what a difference a few days make.   No wonder there is a lot of flu around,  I have no idea what to wear from one day to another.
These are the Toys I knitted for Lizzy,  first is another Huggins the Hippo but I made her in variegated pink and added a tatted a white small butterfly on her leg. The pattern is from Fluff and Fuzz.


Next is Bernie the dog,  I knitted him in cream and I love him,  I think he worked out really well,  This is another Fluff and Fuzz pattern.

This is a Mice pattern which was a pattern from Woman Weekly,   he's knitted again in cream with a blue variegated scarf.

 When I  took the photos I tried to get him in his best position,   not sure this is his best but his long legs going every way I had a little smile so I am sharing it with you.

Now for the flowers they are plain white with crystal, dark and pale blue beads in the middle.  Royal blue with white tips on the petals and crystal beads.  Gold and Black with plain gold beads in the middle,   the black and gold wool was hard to knit,  I found this in my draw so I have no idea what I brought it for but it made a lovely flower in the end, only the picture does not do it justice.
Close up pictures below

I hope you are having a lovely weekend,  and the sun is shining where ever you are,  until we meet again Take Care

                       Hugs

                   Margaret

Earrings, Bracelets and a Cross 3/25

 Hi,
Its a Bank holiday here in the UK,  the sun is now shining after a wet yesterday morning, so hopefully the rest of the weekend will be good.

I start with these earrings, they are the snowflake from the Tat along mat by Renulek,  I used the Atkin Basak Thread No 50 and they make a great earring,   I used light turquoise with gold beads which I am still not sure about and dark turquoise with silver beads.  As I was tatting the snowflake on the mat it said to me earring,   So what do you think, Vernon said they were too big and no one will wear them, but at the moment big jewellery is in.

 The bracelets are the Classic Edge pattern by Marilee Rockley I used Lizbeth white and black thread No 20.
The white has dark beads with multi colours and the black has gold beads.


Lastly the cross which I used the light and dark turquoise thread from the earrings,  the pattern is from the Pattern Collection by Mary Konior book.
This is the 3rd of the 25 Motif tatting challenge.

I hope you are having a lovely weekend,   we are off to Oxford later,  so whatever you are doing enjoy your weekend.

Until we meet again Take Care.



                                      Hugs
                       Margaret

1st May 2013 - No Lilly of the Valley

 Hi,

Today is the 1st May and usually I have Lilly of the Valley in my home,  well to show how far behind my garden is this is a picture of my Lilly of the Valley today.  They have shoot up over the last few days but unfortunately there are no flowers as you can see.  The sun is shining,  the sky is blue but its not what you would call very warm around 12c at the moment, in the shade its cold.
As we drove to and from Frome today the trees and hedgerows are just showing colour, some are bursting out in leaf others are still wearing there winter coats.   Spring is trying to come forth, at this rate it will be summer before spring really shows its face. Its so nice to see the sun and feel some warmth, winter has been too long, roll on summer.
So I am showing you the picture I took this time last year,  my Lilly of the Valley from my garden,   
Have a nice day.

Hugs

Margaret