Saturday 31 January 2009

Soup

What's this 'soup' you might ask...well, I've just joined a group called 'Inspire me Thursday' and this week's challenge was to interpret 'SOUP'! I was watching TV last night with half my brain taking in the show and the other half mulling over this 'soup' like a dog with a bone. Suddenly, eureka! the light bulb went on, as it does, and I had my slogan. This morning I took a photo of my right eye (using a mirror and not that easy) and used it to interpret 'A fly in my soup, soup in my eye' - yes, I know it's corny but what can I say - light bulbs!! I can only hope that the other members forgive my sense of humour and let me live to fight another day.

The photo seemed to lend itself to a scrap book layout and I used my stash of bits and pieces to liven it up. I think I'll have to start a 'Challenges' scrapbook as there are several site I think are really cool and giving me lots to think about.


Last Thursday on the market, I was given an order for a waistcoat for a man with a colostomy bag, which I was really keen to make. I floated the idea with Bert and he loved it, having to wear one himself. He said that he felt embarrassed wearing just a shirt and trousers with braces and in the hot weather jackets are out. A waistcoat was just the thing to cover the bag and braces. This gentleman was going to the Carribean where it would be really hot, bless him. I also was asked to do some embroidery on the legs of some jeans that another customer had bought, the only problem is how much to charge?
This week has been busy but gratifying inspite of the problems and with February just round the corner bringing with it all the new challenges and workshops, it will be a month to look forward to.

Wednesday 28 January 2009

A great week, finally

This week started badly but got a lot better as the days progressed. I do my banking on a Sunday and noted that I'd been charged with a huge sum of money by Capital One bank and I know I did not authorise this, so I had to phone Abbey and freeze my account and bank card. What a mega deal that was, and now I have to wait 7-10 days to get the new account number and card which had me diving into the village to arrange different bank accesses. Fortunately I had another bank account that I could transfer money into to keep me going until all was safely restored. Whilst in the bank the customer before me was reporting a similar problem and I really felt for him and both of us are hoping Abbey can get our money back.

Tuesday was better and I started my 'Be good to yourself' challenge that had to be finished by end January...Huh! I started a project based on an article in last year's Workshopontheweb with a pagan theme, but somehow it morphed into something else (don't you hate it when that happens?) however, I cracked on and made a pocket book for holiday mementos, almost finishing it on Tuesday and I got up early Wednesday to complete it, photograph and send it to the group website just in time. I really enjoyed this challenge which is what it's all about.
I think that is all my challenges for this month completed and now feel bereft, with nothing to do. However, February brings its own challenges and course work so I think I'll give myself a little holiday until then.
Today Wednesday, I got a huge water bill (I think I'm being targetted!) which will have to be sorted out - that's my next task. Also I need to make more leaflets for the market tomorrow, they all get taken but don't seem to gender any orders...go figure!

Well, it's a lovely day today, sunny and warm'ish, but just a little damp. This should be good for tomorrow and encourage people to come out and shop, hopefully.

Wednesday 21 January 2009

Lots of fun

I have been racing away with my challenges this month, and finished a couple of them. The first was a little book made from a chipboard book from Maya Road and an article from the January edition of Crafts Beautiful. I did all the pages but it became too much for the covers to close so I've had to take some pages out and make little book covers from them.










I took up the challenge of making an art doll and got inspiration from a wild ginger plant called Red Torch grown in Indonesia...my doll morphed several times before this light bulb went on but as soon as I saw the picture I knew I could "make it work" to quote Tim Gunn. Well, I finished it today and it's ready to be swapped with another member of our group...I hope she likes it (heartfelt prayer). But...this has set off an addiction in me and I want to make more dolls and maybe progress to arms and legs, who knows? I have seen such wonderful dolls on the internet whilst researching and have to admire the work put into them.










Apart from that, I have been busy making waistcoats for my customers and looking after the dogs...little tykes...had a fall and hurt my knee which upset Digger mightily, he didn't stop shivering for at least an hour so it must have taken him back to when his previous owner fell and died in her kitchen. But if he will pee on the lino where I can't see it and slip what can he expect? Now I know why they call them 'slippers' and have taken to wearing shoes instead whilst hobbling round the house.
Bert is progressing well and feeling much better in himself, he seems to be coming out of the doldrums and looking for things to do which must be good. His doctors are impressed with his recovery which unfortunately gives him nothing to complain about.
Mother is having her bathroom sorted out this week, she is having a shower tray and a new toilet put in by the local plumber. We have been talking about this for over a year as Madeleine and I would love her to have a completely new bathroom suite, but she has gone for least disruption instead, and as she is 87 in a couple of weeks, I can't blame her. I'll be talking to her tomorrow and find out how she went on and if it is all she wanted/needed.










Saturday 10 January 2009

Sanctuary, sanctuary....please!

Bert arrived New Year's Eve so I was able to celebrate in style by going out for dinner and a few bevvies, but I was home and in bed for 9pm, so there!

We spent a few days really dossing and enjoying life until the electrician I had found appeared on the doorstep wanting to see what my job in the workshop was. Well, after my previous experience with local workmen I didn't expect him to appear especially so soon after New Year. He was horrified at the state of my electrics to the workshop. I had an extension from the upstairs bedroom socket down through the ceiling of the kitchen to another extension that went into the lobby and then another extension to the workshop and then another over the ceiling joists to the otherside of the room. Each 4 gang extension had all 4 sockets used and he wondered why it hadn't blown up yet.

He came back on the Monday and put me a circuit breaker in the lobby and fed all the sockets I wanted off that. He made such a good job I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone else. He also does property maintenance and grass cutting - a real find.

However we had to spend Sunday taking everything out of where he would be working and Tuesday putting everything back and now I can't find a thing! I took Bert back to the station very early on Wednesday and went to the market on Thursday where I picked up an order for a waistcoat for a wedding. It was wanted for Friday lunchtime and meant I had to get up early yet again, try to find space and worktools in the workshop and make a special sized waistcoat plus go to the dentist at 10am. I managed somehow and had it ready for 12:40 - just in time. Talking of dentists, I have found this really ace dentist at a surgery next to Tesco's so I can use their carpark, whom I call 'speedy gonzales' because despite what work he has to do I am never there more than 5 minutes in and out! Yesterday he capped my front tooth, drilled and filled and upper tooth, all without an injection (no pain whatever) and wished me Happy New Year - amazing!

Today I am wending my way through a huge pile of washing and making a little book from an article I found in a scrapping magazine. I also have two purse books to create too besides all my course work.

I had a mental abberation two days ago and put my name down for an art doll swap and now I'm scared to death as this is my first swap. I want to do an egyptian doll because my sister and son have both just recently been there, so I've done some research and gathered some ideas and sketches but actually making the doll is going to stretch me as I have to do all the dying of fibres and fabrics myself.

What was that I said about stress and time management???