MMM 'Boxes' challenge

November's Mixed Media Monday challenge was 'Boxes' and I had an idea I had been playing with for a while - in my mind - so now was the time to bring it into being. I have been experimenting with shapes for some time now and a bird box had taken my eye when I visited a friend's garden where she had loads of them nailed to her house wall. They were all colours but the same basic shape. I think the one I came up with has too large a hole in the front and next time I'll make it smaller. It could not have a roof either because there would be no way of using it to carry anything or add a little present. So I added a ribbon on the inside of the front appex and tied it through an eyelet hole on the back to keep it together. The bluebirds are made from some pieces of fabric paper, painted and stamped with writing and the flowers are glued onto ribbon bases.

Apart from that I'm busy making Christmas presents and little things for Sue's stall, such as bookmarks, glasses cases and lavender sleep pillows.

My cooking is taking a life of it's own and I'm looking out previous cook books for recipes and inspiration. It is difficult cooking for one because the food becomes boring after the second helping, so I think I'll have to invest in some freezer bags or boxes to carry the meals over into another week.

Has anyone seen the Cloth Paper Scissors mag for this month - it has some very interesting ideas in it and I'm going to try out the Christmas card workshop on page 30 but not in wax, I can get in quite a mess without that, but I do have ideas of how to apply the principle to create some cards. I'll post an example soon.

Winter is upon us

I just had to take this picture of my sycamore tree which I keep in a plastic pot. It has changed to the most amazine colours but sadly all the leaves have fallen off now and all I have is bare branches. Also my clematis has been flowering since March, most unusual, and still keeps going. I have fruit on my passion flower vine and not a clue as to what to do with them. The birds will have a treat instead.

Since I last blogged I had a full on very nasty shingles virus that started across my left eyebrow and up to my hair line plus one really nasty blister at the corner of my eye. This has left me almost blind as the swelling in my face completely covered my eye. I dashed to the hospital and was diagnosed as having insect bites but after a further visit to my doctor, who diagnosed the shingles, this meant that I had missed 3 days treatment and the virus had a complete hold.  Still, this is probably more information than you want to know and now I'm on the mend.  Unfortunately this has left me with a dilated eye where I had to add ointment and drops. Also anyone who has had it will know that the horsepills they give you 5 times a day for 7 days are very difficult to get down a swollen throat. I tried cutting them in half then quarters and finally crushed them on a spoon. It was the only way they would go down. Do you need this when you're so ill?

But, on to more interesting things. I started my Christmas presents, as you do at this time of the year, and made the little brooch pin below, it's designed by Jill Oxley in Australia:

Not bad for a one eyed monster, and I have ideas for other flowers to replace the rose. The pin head unscrews from the pin and allows the beading to be slipped on - very neat - and it can be attached to anything, like a jacket, handbag, rucksack etc. I wonder what my mother will attach hers to? Don't go there...

Well, now I can see - mostly - I must catch up on my blogs and see what next week's challenges are, and whether I can think up an unusual response.

A thought...Amazon are pushing this new Kindle, an ebook thingy that you can download books to, change the font and store them forever!! I really needed something like this to take the boredom away from sitting, feeling sorry for myself, so I must see about getting one for my next disaster.