~ and now for something a bit different… ~

… said in my best Monty Python voice.. although not as nuts as Monty Python’s stuff, i hasten to add!

I said before i was going to catch up with some of the photos i’ve been taking over the last six months or so.. so here’s some of the ones from Christmas… As usual, most are behind the cut, but be warned, its a very image intense post.

I adore this photograph. It just says "Christmas!" to me. This is actually a long table decoration that i made for Michiel's mom and dad when we visited them before christmas - there are wider shots behind the cut. there are actually four candles in the long decoration, the last is out of shot on the right, and unlit, as is the custom - we were then only 3 weeks into advent.

 

~ craftwork: easter cards ~

With it being Easter, of course i couldn’t let the occasion pass without sending out some cards. Unlike Christmas though, i tend to keep these for family members closest to us. I experimented this time with making 3d flowers from parchment paper. Although the basic idea came from somewhere else (i’d seen some instructions for making orchid flowers, this way), i worked out the details of the daffodil myself, and i’m quite proud for having done so. I’ll definitely make more of these. 🙂

daffodil made from parchment paper

the petals curve just like real flower petals do, which is done through embossing the paper. The trickest part is doing the orange bit in the centre – that involves a lot of swearing, glue, and orange penwork.. LOL.

more photos behind the cut…

 

~ in apocalyptic times… ~

… break out the wool and start crafting. That’s what one 98 year old did, when she was trapped for 30 hours after the earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy, she spent the time crocheting. To my mind, that is one seriously cool lady… [reported on the BBC].

 

~ swans & wedding anniversaries ~

It’s mom and dad’s wedding anniversary today – 39 years, which in anyone’s book is a long time, although not one of the big years, of course. In this age of divorce and relationships breaking up easily – and i count myself in that – 39 years seems almost an impossibility. It certainly does for me, barely 6 years into my own relationship (and actually, since mom and dad actually met 41 years ago, its even longer than 39).

Anyway. i won’t embarrass them any more, but will share the card i made for them.. Happy Anniversary, Mum and Dad. Here’s to many more!!

swans mate for life, which is why i chose this - decoupage - for their card. It just fits, as well as being a beautiful card. (It's part of a set, that came with the cranes that i gave to Michiel's Mom for mother's day).

 

~ springing forward ~

well, the clocks have now gone forward – and we’ve lost an hour’s sleep! Still, it means the evenings are now lighter, and its one more inexorable tick on the way to summer warmth!!

The last few days have been tied up with shopping: buying a new strimmer, weedkiller, fertiliser, string and things like that for the garden (and some lavender plants – which smell gorgeous) and a few things for the house as well – our old draining board is giving up the ghost, and needs replacing. Its a wooden one, which we both love, but they don’t seem to make them any more. I found a similar design in metal, but its nowhere near as good, sadly. On top of all that is all the usual shopping, lugging home heavy trolleys of shopping that leaves me quite tired at the end of the day. The weather hasn’t been wonderful either – i suppose if i didn’t have shopping to do i could have worked in the garden, it wasn’t THAT bad, but not encouraging when you’re already tired.

On the plus side, my seedlings have grown! Most, if not all the tomatoes have sprouted, all the flower seeds, all the basils.. In the flower seed tray the nasturtiums have absolutely rocketed away, and need pricking out badly. That, i’m going to do tomorrow, along with the rest of the flower seedlings. I actually went out and bought some more nasturtium seeds, seeing how well they grow, and opted for a tall variety this time. Hopefully i can get a few growing up the fence. And the flowers are edible. What more can a girl ask for?

I’m also aware i’m very behind on photo-a-day. I don’t think the photography page is working, though, not as it is – its not getting a lot of hits and i keep forgetting to post them, its so easy to forget, especially when its tucked out of sight, so as of April 1st, the PADs are going back on the individual page. I’ll catch up with the March photos when i can – and probably backdate them too.

Today has been about cardmaking. Again, i could’ve gotten outside but the weather was windy, intermittently spitting, and cold to boot, and when i know that sunday’s forecast is for bright sunshine and calm skies, well, its a no-brainer, really, isn’t it? So i stayed inside and worked on my cards instead. I can’t show you the results yet because the recipients read here, but i can tell you that i’m really really pleased with the results. Two down, just a few more to go. I’ll post the pics when i can.

Tomorrow? well i already mentioned the nasturtiums and other pricking out. I’ve got twine to finish tying in the raspberry canes, i ran out last week. a few more pottering-type jobs in the garden too. More seeds to sow as well. Should be a fun day!

 

~ jesslove and the mobile ~

I caught Jess peeking over the back of the sofa earlier this evening. Our sofa sticks out into the middle of the living room, and when Michiel is due to take her for a walk, she often watches eagerly to see when he’s ready to take her. She’s also very camera shy: i took the first two shots on a zoom, but when i got closer, she turned away…. So cute!

What i could see from where i was sat at my desk...

What i could see when i stood up, taken on zoom. Isn't she adorablely cute?

I also hung the butterfly mobile today in its final position… it looks lovely! So bright and cheerful – i can’t wait to see them on a bright summer’s afternoon, fluttering in the breeze (might even make another version to hang outside from the arbor).

butterfly mobile, in place, in the bedroom window...

today’s been about pottering around: i pulled some of the gardening stuff that got dumped in a box in the closet of doom out, sorted through that. Found a clothes line i don’t remember buying in there! that’ll be handy, cos our old line broke late last year. I’ve also been sorting out the finances: we get paid tomorrow, and with a new strimmer to buy, i’ve been making sure we really can afford it. (thankfully, we can). This is the strimmer i’m picking up tomorrow, i have it reserved for me, so it’s just a question of picking it up and paying for it. Its quite expensive, relatively speaking, and i’m taking a risk with it because we could get a letter on thursday offering us a really nice flat without a garden, and i’d have just wasted £30, but its got a wider strimming “circle” than the old strimmer, which i struggled with, frankly, about 14cm wider, which is great. Its also not cordless, 10m cord, and we have an extension cable if necessary, which means in principle i can do the entire garden in one go (which i never could with the old cordless strimmer, the battery always ran out). This led to problems because i could never guarantee getting out there when the grass was dryish (especially in Manchester – I mean, there’s a reason the city (founded on cotton mills) is here, and its to do with having an awful lot of rain!) and being able to do it all in one go, which meant i couldn’t really stay ontop of the grass cutting. I should find it much easier with this one. I just sincerely hope i don’t get a letter on thursday offering us a dream flat – at least one without a garden (but then, it wouldn’t be a dream flat …)!!!

 

~ butterfly mobile ~

Woke up this morning to a drizzly world. The fine weather has come to an end, and with it, my work in the garden – for now, anyway. It ended yesterday with some seeds being sown: Asparagus Peas, various varieties of courgette, and some herbs, all of which are in the cold frame. We’ll see how they get on. Most of the seeds i sowed a week or so are well on the way, the rest won’t be far behind, i’m sure. Probably  have to have a pricking out session in a few days: hopefully the weather will be clear one afternoon so i can get on with that. The tray of lettuce seeds i sowed about 4 weeks or so ago has been delivering baby lettuce leaves which are really really lovely – I had *the* most gorgeous sandwich for my lunch today. Just simple, cucumber slices, avocado slices, spring onion, and baby lettuce leaves. I could not believe how tasty it was – something i’ll be having again, at least, when i buy more avocado, and i can’t wait to taste it with 100% home grown – avocado apart – salad.

The garden being off limits is probably just as well: things in the house were beginning to pile up a bit, so i got on with that instead. Washing up followed, and bathroom cleaning, dusting, sweeping.. all good stuff 🙂 I’ve some more to do tomorrow – i suppose you could call it spring cleaning – but for now i wanted to post the results of my butterfly mobile. I sat down this evening, wanting a little project to do, and my eye fell on the box containing the cut out, coloured in butterflies, left over from the cards i made for Mum. I’d already decided to try making a mobile from them, although i wasn’t quite sure how or how successful it would be. Tonight i had a go. I used wooden bamboo skewers, with the pointy bit cut off, to form a simple square, then hung my butterflies from that. It was simple, but fiddly. I think if i was to do this again (and i probably will), i’ll invest in some invisible thread, as it would make the whole thing far more effective. Still, it’s not bad for my first attempt and i’m quite pleased with it.

my first mobile!

Apologies for the photo – I finally finished this at 2am, and the place i want to hang it doesn’t have a hook at present, and 2am is NOT the time to be banging one into the wall. So its hanging from a towel rail – the kind that hook over the door – and its hanging at an awkward angle. Plus the light is poor – i had to use the flash – and that’s set up shadows and made it look like there are more butterflies than there really are. I’ll try to get a better photo tomorrow, probably of it in situ. Couple more pics behind the cut…

 

~ mothering sunday ~

Today is Mothering Sunday – much later than “mother’s day”, which most of the rest of the world seems to celebrate in May. Mothering Sunday actually goes back to ancient times. You can read more about it here, if you’re so inclined, but like Mother’s Day, we send cards to thank our mothers for being our mothers.

Unlike many people i like to send cards to my grandmothers as well. Although they’re not directly my mother, without them i still wouldn’t exist, so i like to say thankyou to them as well. And although the Dutch don’t do Mothering Sunday, i’ve taken to sending one to Michiel’s Mum as well. Seems wrong to remember my family and not Michiel’s mum!

Anyway. cards – photos are behind the cut…

 

~ mum’s retirement card

Mum is retiring today. I know she’s not looking forward to it – or rather, she’s looking forward to retirement, but not to all the fuss that’s being made of the occasion! She does deserve it though, after having spent many years working.

When i sent the invitation cards, the gift cards to her, i also sent dad’s retirement card, and her own, with instructions not to open it till the friday. I’ve held onto the pictures for this long because, obviously, she reads here. But by now she’ll have gone home (or at least, i hope she has), and have opened the card, if she didn’t open it this morning. So i can post without feeling too guilty.

mum's retirement card

A very different style of card: simple weaving of ribbons. while not as flashy as the butterflies, i quite like it – its got that “home made” feel to it, rather than the really ultra professional feel of the butterflies. I hope Mum likes it too.

a close up of the ribbon weaving

Either way, Mum… happy retirement! I hope you enjoy your years of rest – knowing you, you’ll wind up busier than ever!

 

~ teabag folding ~

A new technique i’ve been trying out with regard to card making is teabag folding. To this end i made a card for a male cousin of mine, who’s birthday is on sunday, using this technique. Its related to origami, folding identical squares of paper and fitting them together to make a pattern. Its kind of fun and i’m looking forward to trying more of it!

card i made for my cousin