Stella and Alec Wedding Day

Hi,
Today we should have been going to Stella's and Alec wedding party but well we are in Rhodes,   someone booked a holiday without thinking and remembering that I had RSVP we would be at the party in the Cadbury House, in Congresbury near Bristol.
Stella was one of my Bridesmaids when we got married ten years ago.
I have sent a present and this is the card I made.
I did a parchment card,   the bride and groom are peel off's which I put on parchment and worked a pattern in the middle and then cut out and 3d onto the parchment,  I did a design around the outside and placing the bride and groom inside, finished off with a sheer white ribbon edged in gold and gold peel off lettering.  I am still learning parchment and enjoy it but I don't seen to find enough time to practice.
I am pleased with the card and I hope they like it and the present.
I hope they have a lovely evening and the actual wedding went OK aboard.
I wish them every happiness for the future.
                Love and hugs
                    Margaret

Summer Fun........... what this summer? 13/25 motif challenge

Hi,

This is a new thread I treated myself too, when I had to buy some white thread,  its called Summer Fun, by Lizbeth.  I used No 20 thread.
Summer Fun not this year its been the mostly a wet summer ,   with a few sunny dry days just to let us know there is a sun up there,  well it was shining somewhere but not necessarily in the UK.
These are what I made with the new thread, 

The Bookmark is Kersti's tatted floral bookmark which I have done several times.
If you would like the pattern here is the link

The heart is a new pattern which I was not happy with I found that the written pattern just had how many double stitches and picots  but nothing to say where the joins were.  As when I read the pattern it was 3 double stitches between the picots,  so I followed the picture as to where to join.   I do like the heart now I have made it,   the pattern is from Free Tatting Patterns -  tatted heart (Valentine) 1 link here


By the time you read this I will be on my way to Rhodes,   I hope you enjoy the scheduled posts I have left for you and until I get back take care.
              Hugs
           Margaret

Happy 21st Birthday Adam

Hi
Today is Adams 21st Birthday,  Adam is Vernons nephew,   its been a horrible year for him and I hope this is a turning point for things to change.
His Dad (Peter) was killed in Kenya and then last month Peters mother his grandmother died,  it can only get better from now on.
I did a My craft Studio Klever Konstruction card for him,  he's into cars and engines etc so I hope he likes his card.
I know there are plenty of things planned for this weekend and no doubt he will drink too much,    but you are only 21 once.
Hope you have a great weekend Adam.
                     Hugs
                   Margaret

Shepton Show

 Hi
I thought you might like to see my table at the show,  I took these on my mobile phone,  gosh I never realised until seeing these pictures that my cloth was a bit crooked.  They show the inside of the tent,  gosh we were hot but what a good day.  The weather behaved to a point,  it was humid first thing with cloud,  then it got foggy and chilly,  after a while the sun came out and it was hot hot.   Too hot to be in a tent.
I did quite well and I was pleased I had a lot of interest and many questions.  one lady brought a heart because the thread was so beautiful,  she had never seen beautiful thread,  she was a lace maker and is taking the heart to show fellow lace makers at their next meeting.   Lizbeth thread is made in the US so the average crafter in the UK has never seen the thread,  let alone the colours they produce.
I had one lady who came up to the stall,  I had my shuttle in hand and asked if they were "handmade".  I kept my cool but I really wanted to say something else.  I think that was the gem of the day.
They had a display of birds,  they had a young Kestrel he said it was the first time he had been at a show,  he took off,  and circled the show ground,  he called and called him,  then he put food on his hand,  still he flew around,  then he put food on the rope they swing around (sorry I don't know what they call it)  and finally he landed.   He said that they have a radio aerial connected to his tail feathers so if he did fly off they could track him and find him.
There was so much going on including ferret racing, dog racing, show jumping, old tractors, steam engines,  old vintage cars, and lots more.
I did not see much of the show being stuck in the tent,  but there was a lot of people and everyone seemed to enjoy the day.
We left early and missed the Wurzels performance,  I was disappointed but they did not go on stage until 4.30.
We went to see Mother in the nursing home,  the home made her a birthday cake and gave her a birthday card,   she seemed to be having a nice day.   To be honest by then I was knackered so we got a Chinese on the way home.  
Taking about customer stories,  I did a craft show a few years ago and this woman came up to my table and ask what machine made the snowflakes,   I tried to explain I use my hands they were handmade,  I got my shuttles out and showed her,   she said Oh and walked off I should have charged her for the demo.  So if you don't know your hands are machines?????
Well that was my Tatting demo,   now I can get ready for the holiday,
Take care
Hugs
Margaret

Happy 90th Birthday Mother

Hi
This is a scheduled post as I am today at Shepton Mallet Show doing a tatting demo.  I can only hope that it is fine which will make a change as this week we have some very heavy rain,  its a lot warmer than it has been.  Is this another summer quick minute and by next week it will be back to how it has been,  a wet summer.
Today is Mothers 90th birthday,  as you know she is now in a nursing home at Ston Easton,  she still has not walked since her fall and now I doubt if she ever will. She has settled in and seems to be happy as least I don't get too many moans,
Mother is a Japanese POW from world war II,    she was a nursing sister assigned to the Royal Navy on the Australian conveys,   the ship she was on was torpedoed by the Japanese and she spent two and half years in Japan.    She still has scares from her injuries she got when the ship went down,  plus the scars of being in the Japanese camp.  After the war she went and worked on the cruise liners when they started up again.
When I grow up I spent my childhood travelling Europe as Mother had a travel business,   it was an unusual childhood and I saw and went to many places that most people would have never heard of. We used to pick which hotels we wanted to see and then my father would work out a route to drive around Europe  We would then walk into the hotel,  and ask if they had a room,   we never told them who we were or book. They have suspected a family as being a travel agent. Up in the room it was checking out if there was dust under the beds,   was the bathroom clear etc, etc.,  go down to a meal,  next morning have breakfast and then go and pay the bill,  it was then they would tell them who they were.   Many receptionists face have drop and managers come running,  it was our way of checking out a hotel before we sent anyone to stay.   No good telling them in advance they clean the room,  cook special meals and try to win you over in sending guests to their wonderful hotel.  Better to have the same treatment as your guests so you know what they will get.
I hope she likes her card,   I used a flower soft image and made some parchment flowers,  the gems in the middle are ones I found last time I went to Rhodes a few years ago,  I only use them on special cards.  I hope to get some more when we go on holiday in ten days time. 
I hope you are having a lovely weekend and enjoying the sunshine that is if its shinning where you are,  as the north of England has rain.
Until we meet again take care
                    Hugs
               Margaret

Our 10th Wedding Anniversary

Hi,
Today is out 10th Wedding Anniversary and this is the card I made for Vernon (my husband)
The last two years have been hard on both of us with me ill and then having a cancer op etc, etc.  But here we are in double figures with Vernon now retired (and getting under my feet)  life has changed again.   It been hard getting used to having home all the time.
We had a wonderful wedding on the hottest day in August 2002,  it was a very wet month and up to the wedding day we both thought it was going to be a wet day but the sun came out and it was hot. Since we got married the hotel we had has been pulled down and the land is going for housing,  but as yet they have not started building its just a patch of weeds.   We are doing anything much today,  we might go out at the weekend for a meal.
The image has three panels the side panels I put so they were built up on the outside and bend into the picture,  the backing paper is from stock I have had sometime and blue ribbon and bow.
Hope you have a good day.
                             Hugs
                          Margaret

The CD Sunday Challenge - Exotic Birds and Blooms

 Hi,
After a real wet day with pouring  heavy rain all morning,  so dark I had to have the light on,  it had a very winter look outside.   As I have said before the sun was shining somewhere just not here in Somerset.
Today I bring you my card for the CD Sunday Challenge this week is Exotic Birds and Blooms.   They said if you did not have both you could do one or the either.   Mojo was not working very well on this one,  the exotic bird got the bird it was too big and well got canned,  along with the ideas for the card.   
So this is what I was left with this just a very simple card,  hope it will be OK.
I used Joanna Sheens CD The Royal Horticultural Society disc number two,   I love this image but as you know I love Orchids.  I put a glitter peel off around the image,   the backing paper is from the image on the disc.  I used parchment orchids which I brought sometime ago from Claire's Crafts,  they are on a sheet and you just cut them out and then bend them into shape.   Finished off with pink gems and pale pink ribbon.
I hope you are having a better day then me and the weather is better with you than here.
I shared with you a few weeks ago my orchid to my surprise it now has another flower stem coming off the one its flowering on,  so it looks like another few orchid flowers.
Have a good evening
Take Care
                             Hugs
                          Margaret