Christmas Card Club - Card 07/2020

Evening Everyone,

You'd think that being confined to quarters for the duration would mean I had all the time in the world to make cards for today's Christmas Card Club challenge, but here I am running late again! I've been so busy keeping myself busy - sorting my stamps into categories and into the empty DVD cases bought specially for the job. I've been through my entire collection and, would you believe it, I do not have one image suitable for Rita's choice of Christmas Candle(s). Fortunately, LOTV came to the rescue again with these Cute Squares from the 'Christmas Girls' pack.

There was five toppers so there's five cards in all.

I rang the changes with different patterned paper backgrounds - all papers from my ancient collection of 6x6 paper packs - and a variety of embellishments from my equally ancient collection of adhesive backed pearls and gems. No real thinking involved!

These eight cards bring my total to twenty-nine so far this year!

I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - because, as I keep saying, they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

Friday Smiles

Hello everyone,

As Annie has said this morning, it's more important than ever to look for reasons to smile and keep our spirit up. So here I'm sharing, for her Friday Smiles meme, are some of the photos my family have shared this week to make me smile.

First up is a pic of my grandson, William, with little Callum, busy investigating online educational sources.

After online lessons it was down to real hands on stuff.

A joint effort from father and son.

My sister Margaret is in lockdown at the care home she lives in.

Because no visitors are allowed at this time, the staff at the care home surprised my niece, Louise,with this lovely photo of her, all made up and looking fabulous.

My cousin, Rick, in Australia, posted this pic of his gorgeous granddaughter, Grace - the apple of his eye.

And this is the newest granddog in the family, Flight. My grandson, Josh's fiance, Annie, trains collies - she has five. Flight is the puppy of the pack. We particularly love his markings, especially the spots on his nose and forehead.

And finally, not a funny, just my way of showing support for the wonderful people who are working so hard to save lives right now. I worked for the NHS, as a secretary and administrator, for many years, so I'm only too aware of the strain that's being put on this beloved health service of ours.

I hope you are coping well during these difficult times. Stay as safe as you are able and keep well.

WOYWW - Week 564

Hello Everyone,

How are you doing? It's been quite a week. So much to get used to in a very short time. I hope you are all well during this period of enforced isolation. And that those of you who are key workers are doing okay. We are immensely grateful for all you do.

I hit a bit of a wall for a while this last week. Because I'm retired I would have said that I don't go out often, that most of my days are home based anyway. But, what with the cancelling a variety of appointments, the shut-down of the quilting classes and craft group, not to mention closure of all my favourite coffee shops, and, worst of all, the freedom to visit family and friends whenever, I now realise that I get out and about a lot. And so, not surprisingly, I'm at a bit of a loss on how to fill all those extra hours. It will pass but, in the meantime, I'll be trying, along with all of you I'm sure, to stay positive in the coming weeks.

Enough of that! You're here to see what's on my desk this morning.

It's another page for one of the classes I'm following at the moment. That's Freya and Josh (our great-nephew and great-niece) home-schooling. It's early days but they are sticking in and making the best of things. The background paper, Pinkfresh Studio's Felicity 'Happy Words', couldn't be more appropriate. I can't decide whether it needs a separate title or to let the 'Don't Worry Be Happy' do the job.

Here's what's on the right side of the desk.

Still a pile of page kits to work through, but it's going down - slowly but surely. Here, for the curious, is what I did with the one that was on top of the pile last week.

Finally, these lovely photos of Juli as a bridesmaid are in her album. She was fourteen at the time - 1985 - a lifetime away.

Just out of focus in the last desk shot is this. The new shelving expressly bought to house all the stamps that will go into those empty DVD style cases. I'd like to say I've made great headway with this project, but I haven't. Not yet. There's plenty of time.

Instead, I've been sorting through and making more space for this growing collection of albums. The two to the right on the upper shelf are new and therefore empty. I figure that they will soon be filled up over the coming weeks.

I have been knitting - yet another hat. I love this tweedy wool - the colours remind me of our Highlands. There's enough wool left, I think, I hope, to knit a matching scarf.

The knitting is keeping me occupied while I watch recordings of Jamie Oliver showing us how to use what we have in our pantry ... isn't that a lovely old-fashioned word ... fridge and freezer. Not that I don't know how to make the most of whatever I have in, my mother taught me well, but it's good to see Jamie 'keep cooking and carry on'.

And here, finally, for your amusement.

The hat, as modeled by Elizabeth!

Take care, stay safe and keep well.

In A Vase On Monday - Rays of Sunshine

Afternoon Everyone,

Afternoons of early spring sunshine have encouraged the daffodils/narcissus in our garden to burst into flower. And a cheering sight they are too.

Rather than just go out and pick every bloom there is, I've been selective and left as many blooms as possible for me to enjoy on my daily trips around the garden. I've added a few sprigs of rosemary, variegated myrtle and winter jasmine. I wish I could name this gorgeous, and sweetly scented, narcissus, but it's just one of the many planted by my husband so there's no label to refer to.

Spot the rays of sunshine tempting me outdoors. During these trying times, those of us with gardens, big or small, are the lucky ones. I'm even loving the weeds!

Linking this post to Cathy's meme, In A Vase On Monday, on Rambling in the Garden and joining with many others who share whatever they have found to put in a vase this week. If you have filled a vase today, I'm sure you would be very welcome to join in too.

Stay safe and keep well.

WOYWW - Week 563

Hello and Good Afternoon to you all,

It's Wednesday and that makes it What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday and I'm very late today, so no shilly-shallying about, here's the desk:

.What can I say? It's a mess. In an attempt to fill all the days of isolation I've signed up for Shimelle's latest class and Nicole Jones Scrapathon 5. Both at the same time. Am I mad? No. This is to prevent madness. 

Which is why there's this humongous pile of homemade paper kits on the right side of the desk. Hopefully enough to keep me going for however long is needed. 

And on the left - all sorts of goodies. Some will be useful, others will not, but they are there just in case. 

And so about Coronavirus and how it's affecting the EM and I and our family. We both, at 81 and 72, fit into the category considered most at risk. I have asthma too which as it has been troublesome recently and I've needed extra treatment. All good reasons to stay home and follow the guidelines according to the NHS. 

And that would be fine if it weren't for hearing that my beloved daughter may have caught the virus. She too is now confined to quarters for at least the next fortnight.  I'm concerned. Of course I am, but what is helping is being able to keep in touch with both her, and the rest of the family, through social media. 

If ever there was a time to stay in touch, this is it. So to quote from Julia. "we’ll take one day at a time and be here for each other ... you don’t have to be alone - if you’re feeling it, ask for some digital company; somewhere round the world someone will be up and happy to chat."

Take care and keep well,

PS: if  there are any mistakes in this post, please forgive me. I wrote this in a hurry. 

Christmas Card Club - Card 06/2020

Hello Everyone,

And apologies to my fellow members in the Christmas Card Club. I'm so late! I've been at sixes and sevens since the weekend. I woke up on Sunday convinced it was Saturday and everything has just gone downhill since. Still, I'm here at last with all the cards I've made for Lorraine's chosen theme - Garland or Wreath. I've made a few.

First up is a set of three made from an old kit that came free with a magazine so long ago I've forgotten the details.

The rest were made from either much older stash or I've recycled cards received in previous years.

Not exactly a garland, perhaps, but almost and that reindeer with it's googly eyes will be perfect for a little girl.

Another girly one - this time with just part of a wreath in view.

Wreaths and garlands galore!

Again, only part of a wreath on a gold background - this one proved very hard to photograph.

And finally, as a gardener I loved this image, wreath on bench, when I received it a couple of years ago and couldn't throw it away. Sadly, we rarely get snow and never as deep as it is in the image.

These eight cards bring my total to twenty-four so far this year!

I hope you will pop over to see what my teammates have created this week. You'll find a list of their names and links on my right sidebar - because, as I keep saying, they are so much more creative than I will ever be.

A very quick Friday Smile

Hi Everyone,

I've been out and about the couple of days and it all seems to have taken up so much time this is the first opportunity I've had to sit down and post anything at all. So I'm going to be brief and just post this one photo for Annie's Friday Smiles because it makes me smile.

Ebony, who seems to be a bit of a star after her last appearance on Friday Smiles, never misses a chance to cuddle up whenever we visit. She is the most loving of puppies and I enjoy her attention too.

Take care and keep well, stay safe.

WOYWW - Week 562

Hello and Good Morning to you all,

It's Wednesday and that makes it What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday so without the usual preamble here's what's on mine today.

It may look like it but it's not really a mess. I know everything that's there and why. The print-outs are there to be cut out, the papers are there because I was working with them last night to make the layout that's lying underneath everything, and the ink/paint bottles/daubers are there for the same reason. The scissors, glue tape, piercing tool, and the tray and dish of embellishments are, I hope, self - explanatory.

Here's the layout. The background was created with the help of the dauber bottles, by Jane Davenport, and Mister Huey's Color Mist, Plumb Thumb, and Heidi Swapp's Color Shine, Ocean. It's messy but effective, and fun too. The photos are reminders of a long ago holiday in Malta, July 1987!

I managed a little bit of sewing.

The EM requested a zipper bag to store the miscellaneous bits and bobs he keeps in the car boot - don't ask, I've no idea! It's made from some left over furnishing fabric and the lining was cut from an old curtain.

Finally:

That's it from me this week. I'm off now to see what Julia and our fellow deskers have been showing us today.

Take care everyone and have a great week ahead.

In A Vase On Monday - back again

Hello Everyone.

And happy Monday to you all.

It's been quite a long time since I've been able to join in with Cathy's meme, In A Vase On Monday, but it's been a long winter!

At last it's been sunny enough and dry enough to enable me to take a wee wander round the garden, secateurs at the ready. This little quartet of vases is filled with snippings of Osmanthus x burkwoodii, Winter Jasmine, Jasminum nudiflorum, and the earliest of dwarf daffodils, narcissus Tete-a-Tete - a very welcome harbinger of spring. The scent of the flowers of the Osmanthus, once fully open, is so strong it easily fills a room. Delightful!

Now that the weather is improving, and the storms have eased off, I have high hopes of getting out into the garden more often. There's a lot of tidying up to be done after weeks of neglect. And, hopefully, there will be more floral material to pick and fill a vase, or four!

Linking this post to Cathy's meme, In A Vase On Monday, on Rambling in the Garden and joining with many others who share whatever they have found to put in a vase this week. If you have filled a vase today, I'm sure you would be very welcome to join in too.

WOYWW - Week 561

Hello Everyone

Wednesday again and, surprise, surprise, I can report it's another lovely day. We have wall-to-wall spring sunshine. Just what the doctor ordered! And so it's a perfect day to join in with Julia's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Here's what's on my desk today.

Yet another scrapbook layout. Well, two, one complete and the other just waiting for a bit of tweeking and some journaling to explain the ancient (1966) photo. There's also a pile of scraps that didn't make the layout. I need to decide whether to keep or toss. Decisions, decisions! On my daily walk (now that the weather is better) I popped into Tesco's and discovered the two new notebooks - I think it's been said before, I'm a sucker for pretty covered notebooks. So that's two more to add to the collection. Perched, teetering, on top of the tray filled with embellishments, is this new set of stamps.

Clearly Besotted's April Showers - a magazine freebie - contains 25 stamps and a five piece die set. Not sure when I'll use any of it but they appealed to me, my resistance is low, so I had to buy. More stamps to add to the new filing system I've just made a start on. 

Here's a close up of the hidden layout.

The photo is of our very photogenic great-niece, Freya, enjoying a delicious but messy hot chocolate.The photo is a favourite of Tracy, her mum, and we can see why - it shows Freya's bubbly personality perfectly.

The hat I started a couple of weeks ago - mentioned in Week 559 is finished. The flower, a perfect match, was a gift from a talented knitting friend. 

And finally, not the book bit. It will be back soon but in the meantime:

Just a few images that made me chuckle - hope you like them too.

That's it from me this week. I'm off now to see what Julia and our fellow deskers have been showing us today.

Take care everyone and have a great week ahead.