New Balls please!

Yes!  The tennis has started.   I managed a nice walk on Monday,  to High street to tax car and pay bills (ugh!),  but came back through the park.  The sun had burnt through the clouds by then and it was a lovely day. 

Yesterday it was a bit grim,  grey skies, again!  Will summer ever arrive?   Only one shower though and a nice afternoon.  More tennis and first match for Murray,  he did a nice job and got through first round without any hassles, just needs to keep doing that.

I've been doing lots of prep work for the upcoming MBS fair on Saturday.  Today was printing day,  Still need to get one of the encaustic posters blown up to A3, but still not sure which one - too much choice.   I made another today,  used one of the underwater digi kits to make this poster,  just changed the colours of the dolphins and sea horse.   I also know the organiser of the fair so we discussed which table would be best,  I chose the one that had the wall, that way we can display the posters.  Must remember the blue tack! 

I was hoping to get something to wear today,  but tried 3 different tops in M&S and didn't like any of them.  Was tempted to go to craft shop, but went to see a friend instead,  and then back home for more tennis, and printing.   Guess I should get back to the leaflet I am supposed to be producing!

Nail biting...

Well if I was into nail biting it would be.  I know not many will be concerned with the footie, but hey, it is our team! 

After a gloomy start to the day the sun finally made an appearance early afternoon.   I woke up this morning fancying a lie in,  thought I'd make some tea and toast, then saw the time... I'd already had my lie in!   Oh well.   Mum has been having a lie in,  and as daft as this sounds it is nice to sort of have the place to myself.  I think this is only something a carer can understand.   I can get out and about, but what I like most is just having the flat to myself.  When I said this to another carer they knew exactly what I meant.   When mum did get up I had to chivvy her along to get dressed,  she has an ongoing wound problem, and I have to dress it every couple of days,  but I can't do that until she is ready!   Today it was getting close to bacon butty time,  and I didn't want to have to go change the dressing mid bacon butty.  After that it was time to tackle the crossword,  read the short story and then get to my room to do some crafting.  Nothing very interesting, just tags for the stall this week.  At least I did manage to design a holder for the tags!  

Then it was back to Craft Artist pro,  more use of the cutout facility.  It was also featured on CnC, so I learned a bit more about it.  I grabbed some pictures of birds of prey, eagles and kestrels,  and put them together with some encaustic landscapes.   Kind of gives a very dramatic effect, think maybe I need a little field mouse in the picture.

Good news, I've lost some weight!   Got my thumb ring back on,  I'd taken it off when I was playing the djembe,  but not put it back on, which was silly.  Just been cutting out a few extras,  not on a diet as such,  in fact I don't believe in diets.  You need to develop a diet for life,  but I'd been overdoing things and with being unable to get the exercise as I used to the weight has gone on   Now, happily it is coming back off  :-))    Nor can I afford a new wardrobe!

Best get back to the nail biting, just distracting myself.  Tennis tommorrow.  

Wild days

Yesterday was a total washout.   I woke up at around 5 a.m., to hear the rain lashing down, I feared for my garden!   In the end I took a peek outside, the new plant seemed to be holding its own, but the St John's Wort, just in flower was taking a battering.   And then it just went on and on and on and on and on, all day.   I braved the weather to do the supermarket shop,  it was yuck. I had my fully waterproof jacket on,  sadly no waterproof trousers.  

It was a day not even fit for ducks,  I am sure they were also taking shelter.  Felt so sorry for those who got flooded,  such a heartbreaking thing to happen.  And we'd had plenty of warning, so why were our councils caught out?   Forward planning isn't rocket science,  just plain common sense. 

So with a day fit to go nowhere it was back to Craft Artist Pro, and some more experimenting with the cutout facility,  as you can see I managed to cut out an owl in flight - I love owls.   Was chuffed with this photo/pic.  Also did a spot of crafting, but not yet taken a pic, the final page of my AB book,  and in spite of me marking the page so it would be the right way round, I still managed to get it wrong!  But then I thought that it would suit the book to have the final page facing the wrong way, it would sum everything up.    So just need to take the photo and add show it tomorrow. 

Popped up to a craft shop, well that is what it says it is.   Not a lot of paper craft stuff on offer,   I did managed to get some gorgeous sparkly material for the stall next week.  And picked up some lovely 'pearl' gems,  and a few butterflies, but aside from that there was nothing to tempt me.  It is a well visited shop yet the paper craft side of things is being allowed to slip.   Any wonder most crafters end up shopping on line?   

Nearly time to hit the hay,  it has been a good day, got lots done for the stall next week, display shelving sorted,  material sorted...  now need to finish off the display cards and posters!   And it is Wimbers on Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


That is Wimbledon to the uninitiated, tennis...  two glorious weeks of sheer indulgence. 

And England tomorrow...  will the nerves stand it? 

Okay who kidnapped our summer?

This isn't funny any more - this gloomy and cold weather, feels more like January than June!  Stupid forecasters said we'd have a better day - really? Can't say I noticed any difference.  Just the same old slate grey sky,  high winds and bloody rain!

So not a lot to do but play.  So out came the wax and the iron,  made a few pictures,  then moved over to Craft Artist.  Downloaded some 'on offer' digikits and started to enjoy myself.  Wanted to create some quirky pictures,  a digi kit that included lots of silhouettes,   skylines, birds on branches and wires etc all came in useful to create this picture.  Which actually began looking like this.  I accidentally changed the colour, but then loved the effect.  I also used this lovely lacy bird from another digi kit.

I also made this picture,  chose a monochrome wax picture,  then used the fantasy digi kit to add all the other bits.  I love the eraser which allows you to make things 'fit', everything is so easy,  which makes you wonder why so many photo editing programs have to be so damned complicated.

Then, at the suggestion of a friend, I printed both pictures out, and wow,  they looked even better than on the screen.  The monochrome especially looked so glossy and rich.    I made a few more wax pictures,  so have lots to play with tomorrow.

It's still grim outside,  some comentator on telly was moaning about being too hot, well try being  here pal!  Feel so sorry for those who have been on holiday.   I think I've lost all enthusiasm for the Olympics,  the Olympic torch relay has just been a money making scheme,  I thought the idea was that local heroes would carry the torch, now it seems if you have enough cash you can 'buy' a chance to carry it.  It would also have been more meaningful had it just been one torch passed from person to person, as it is they just light the torch via a gas canister, so much for the 'Olympic' bit!

Also have some tennis to look forward to tomorrow,  the French Open final, should be good - far better than the women's final which was a bit of a damp squib.

Thanks for stopping by...  stay safe and warm

And that was that!

The marathon that was the Jubilee has come to an end... phew.

Meanwhile back at the craft table I opted to do some wax pictures,  just felt like having a messy time.   I also used some stamps,  had to go back to the video to remind myself what to do!   For this pic I used blue and purple,  the effect is created by just dragging the iron in one direction,  then just lightly applying it and pulling it away to get the effect lower down.  The lovely thing with this art is that you never know what you are going to get, each picture is a surprise - and there are no mistakes!  If you don't like it you just keep working the wax till you do. 

So once I had finished my wax pictures I returned to Craft Artist Pro,  I am really having some fun with the program.  As I was uploading some backgrounds I realised I could use the wax pictures so I took this pic and uploaded it to CAP,   and then....

Made this!   I used one of the fantasy digi kits.  I stretched the wax photo and turned it into a background, then tried various embellishments till I was happy.  I love these ink blotty fairies,  they work so well with the wax picture.   I added a couple of butterflies as well.   This took about ten minutes.   I've got loads more waxy pictures so I am going to have a lot of fun!

And it looks like I will get a holiday this year!  A friend has said we can use her caravan to get away somewhere!  It won't be for a few weeks yet but it has boosted my mood. 
It would help if I knew when I was going to have my operation, but thanks to Cameron and his bunch of idiots the NHS is going backwards. 

Well back to normality tomorrow! 

That's better!

Yes the mojo returned!   This page came about because I found my ATC kit,  needed it to get the envelope template.  So having got the kit,  I rummaged through and found all sorts of goodies. So back to that page.  It started with the sentiment, different from yesterday's choice,  and went from there.  I used the Indigo Blu Poppy stamp, which I think is just gorgeous,  found some lovely buttons in the ATC kit,  and the ribbon (buried behind the poppies), and the ATC,  which has the sentiment stamped inside it. Much better I think than yesterday's pathetic effort.   I also used an embossing folder,  then distressed the card,  then inked round the other side.   Used promarkers to colour in the poppies.  Been picking up tips from the lovely Barbara Gray.

 So felt much better after making page so decided to go play with the craft artist stuff. And thought I may as well use the pageant photos from today.   So grabbed some photos from Google images, and here it is, a quick page.  Still finding my way round the software, but it is fun.

With this one I used the Jubilee digi software with the free street party stuff.  Wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for those at the pageant or think they were bonkers for sticking it out.   A pity the weather didn't cooperate, but then this is Britain and what else do we expect?    More playing tomorrow I think, though my enjoyment will be curtailed by a skype call for mum from my sister. 

all for now folks

Give me....

Strength!   I'll come ome back to that topic.

Meantime a spot of crafting, very unfulfilling crafting.  Guess I wasn't in the mood and it showed!   Was going to make a new page for my AB book,  here is the not so great result,  even worse I'd got it the wrong way round!   I knew it wasn't going to go well when the blue dragon fly fell apart,  guess I should have called it quits then.  But no, decided to plough on, with regret as nothing was working,  the idea was there, but the creativity had got up and flown off.   I was annoyed as the stamping was just right, and I used a rockabloc, which can be a bit hit and miss, well it is with me.

So if at first you don't succeed, plod on. Second version, not sure I am any happier with this, and, by the way it is still the wrong way round!  Made changes,  at least I remembered to get rid of the rogue bit of card,  embossed the script,  only used one dragon fly...   but still not happy with it.  will have to revisit the page tomorrow, when hopefull I'll be in a better mood. 
I was in a bad mood cos of my dear mum, she had been very trying all morning!  I was in a happyish mood when I awoke,  I'd had a good nights sleep,  weather was a bit iffy.   But mum did her usual thing of just remaining inert...  now you wonder why should that bother me?   Well because she has an infection,  it is a long term infection and it needs to be dressed every couple of days.   So until mum chooses to go get washed and dressed I can't leave the house!  Very bloody annoying.  If I ask her to get a move on then I get my head bitten off,  obviously I am supposed to be without feelings.   I have the tricky task of suggesting she attend a day centre - wish me luck.   I know she will enjoy it, she will have company, folk of her own age and it will get her out of the flat.  It will also allow me time to myself to get on with things.   The government sees fit to pay me nearly £55 per week for being a carer, that is 24/7, the minimum wage is £6.08 per hour...   need I say more?    My mother's daily wish, well she wishes it several times a day actually is to 'die'.   That is what I hear on a regular basis, my own mother wishing to be dead!  She says this in a loud enough voice for me to hear,  if I respond she starts arguing,  I have no energy for that,  if I point out she is being utterly selfish she takes umbrage and it is still my fault.  Mean while my sister suns herself in Portugal and my brother has his head in the sand.  Great huh!  Any wonder I was not in a crafting state of mind?   

I wasn't even able to watch Barbara Gray in peace,  mum was still in situ and making barbed comments... 

Then this irony occurred to me.  Explain how there are two pensioners in the UK, who are provided with several substantial residences,  with staff on hand to cater for all their needs,  they get free travel for the UK and around the world,  they are already well off, own plenty of property/land yet the state gives them a very generous payment.   Other pensioners must apply for extra benefits, negotiating the complex system,  free travel has been curtailed and only applied to England,  they must pay for any care they receive,   and worry about the time when they are no longer able to be independent. Mmmm,  something is wrong with this picture.    Yes, Cheers Liz, didn't you get lucky? 

It's the Weekend!

Way hay!    Yep the sun is shining,  it is warm and the Olympic torch has made its way through our town, and city, even took a trip on a ferry!  And how did I spend this momentous day?   A supermarket shop!  

And then I played with Craft Artist Pro.   I realised, yes the penny does take a while to drop, that I could make some banners for my blogs!   So having downloaded the free stuff, I ended up purchasing a few more digi kits.  A bit of browsing and I discovered the official Jubilee site, with official photos.  So more playing,  well it is the only way to learn as far as I am concerned.   As you can see I am getting the hang of things now,  thanks to a bit of telly watching,  tuned in to CnC this morning for the Serif program,  and learned a few bits and bobs.  Stuff I was missing mostly,  it was a case of paying attention to the computer screen! 

I had a bit of fun with this layout,  not exactly my best work, but not bad for a first attempt.   I am more chuffed with the two banners I made for the blogs,  I'll continue to mess around with the program till I get what I want.

So I was crafting, but digi crafting.  Now I'm on the look out for photos of the Olympic torch in our town,  got a few,  but would like one of it on the Ferry, that would be memorable.  I did have a thought about making the effort to go down to the beach to see it, but in my present poor physical state it really wasn't an option.   I can't clamber over sand dunes or rocks any more, not like I did a few years ago for the Tall Ships.  I wish I could.  Still not feeling amused at the thought of further surgery!  

And the Jubilee!   Well good luck to them, but I also look back on the mean spirited lot who were in government in 1977, the other jubilee,  and I was in the army.  We all wondered if we'd get a jubilee medal, but some tight wad decided that they'd ration the medals to one per camp! Charming.  Alls I remember is that it was a Regimental weekend, meaning all leave was cancelled, and a lot of marching and ferrying about of officer types.

Enjoy the weekend folks,  whatever the weather chucks at us!