putting the stuffing into Christmas...

Its been an 'odd' 72 hours here at Domestic Goddess Tower!  

Friday evening (after what felt like the longest work day in the history of mankind) had me dashing home and straight back out again to take my sister to babysit my Great-Nephew and my collect my niece to come to the local Moving Picture house to see the next instalment of The Hunger Games.

After dropping her off back at home, saying a quick 'hello' to my Great-Nephew (who was still wide awake!!) and then bringing sister back home from her babysitting duties, my sister explained that while we were out, details had come through about our friends funeral :-(   This is the second good friend we've lost to cancer in six months and we're all still reeling from the H losing her fight against pancreatic cancer, just 3 weeks after her diagnosis.

I'm not the biggest fan of 'Christmas' and most years find myself caught out (which always surprises me as it is ALWAYS on the same day!!!) and running around like a loon trying to think of gifts to buy the nearest and dearest.

This year, I've made a selection of 'home made' gifts for the girls of the family and they've already been wrapped up (I started making them in September!)

Two weeks ago I set about making 6 homemade Christmas Stockings for the nearest n dearest's pressies to go in.

Last weekend I designed, cut out the lino blocks for and printed 150 Christmas Cards (having bought the lino blocks, inks, blank cards and polypockets weeks ago) - I've sold enough to family and friends to have broken even...this makes me happy...its still a way from being a 'self-funding' hobby, but I do enjoy doing it.

This weekend I had 2 birthday card commissions to complete and I wanted to make some homemade Christmas hanging decorations with the left over fabric from the Christmas Stockings...so this afternoon I drafted 3 basic paper patterns.  I've done 'test' runs of the first two designs - I can't do the 3rd as the fabric I want to use is currently sitting on my desk at work!!! doh...

So, I've tried hard this year to summon up some festive cheer, despite the horrible year we've had and all the while knowing that my 'christmas celebrations' with friends will all be done and dusted by 5th December!! and that I still have a friends funeral to go to on 10th December (that will obliterate what little festive cheer we have).  

I've posted pictures of my 'festive creations' on my social media pages - which my friends and family comment on (no one ever comments on these pages, so its almost like a personal diary!) and today, received a 'warning shot' of sorts from a 'friend' stating that her craft work has been copied and she has copyright over her designs....I've subsequently been 'unfriended' from her social media pages!  

I've found this whole experience rather laughable (initially I wondered why it hadn't particularly bothered me and then it dawned on me....can a grown woman, well educated and on the face of it, normally quite rational, state openly on social media sites state that she has 'copyrighted' christmas craft designs ???!!!! god help all the little ones handmade cards of 'hand print' christmas tree's etc and anyone else in Christendom that want to make their own decorations in these recession hit times!!! 

So, especially for anyone who cares to look and see....here are the Christmas Hanging Decorations I hand drafted and made this afternoon :-)  hope you enjoy them as much as I do...(even more so knowing that apparently all things 'Christmas Crafty' are not allowed ?!?!?! presumably without giving due credit to some little cottage industry/hobbyist crafter!!!) 

HO-HO-HO peeps!!! xxxx

Weekend Festive Fun...

Last weekend I found myself with a few spare hours, which has been a little unusual for me, so, with lino blocks, lino cutters, designs, inks and over 100 blank cards to hand I set about creating my Christmas Cards for 2014.

I only did 1 design last year, this year I wanted 3.  And I did 3.  There's something about lino cutting and printing that I just love.  I'm not saying for one minute that my designs or technique are perfect, far from it, but I just thoroughly enjoy each process.  Maybe its the 'repetitiveness' of it?  Maybe its the definite stages you go through with printmaking?  Maybe its just the whole kit n caboodle! :-)

So, in just under a weekend, 120 cards have been designed, cut, printed, dried and bagged up - and even more surprisingly, I've managed to sell enough to family and friends so that I've just broken even! Which is handy as I've already spent any profit I may have made on more lino blocks, ink, roller etc ready for more designs for during the year.  So many people have suggested I do some craft fairs...so I think I will, would be nice to have a self-funding hobby!...

 Not many people can say they have 40 snowmen drying out in their dining room!! I think this has turned out to be my favourite design... and prints up beautifully.

 At one point I had over 130 cards on every available inch of space drying out (much like the artist herself should consider given the bottles of spirits battling for space!)

All three Christmas Cards 2014 - and very please with them I am too!  the Red Christmas Stocking was probably the nicest one to print and the Holly and Berries the fiddliest...but all good practice for other designs to come.

it's ho-ho-honly round the corner...

My first whole weekend off with absolutely no plans, parties, or people to see in weeks.  So I set about gearing up for Christmas.

This weekend has been designated 'Crafty for Chrimbo' weekend.

I'd bought my festive fabric from my trusty market stall fabric man in Canterbury on Wednesday - 1 metre of each, red, green, white.

First thing Saturday morning I ironed each, then drafted a basic pattern (this was reasonably easy...but I now know where I went wrong on one of the pieces....knew I had to allow for a seam allowance, yet still forgot!).

I thought it would only take a couple of hours....

I finally finished the last one at just gone 10pm!   to be fair, I was getting quicker as I finished each one, and a lot of time was spent drafting the pattern and cutting out.  Oh, and of course the odd bit of weekend housework still had to be done.

Despite this misjudgement in timings, I'm still very pleased with the final results - there not lined like most homemade Christmas Stockings are, but these are going to hold gifts so not necessarily for ornamentation.

I've enough fabric left over to make 3 more...if I can find someone who wants to pay £4 each for them!

Crafty of Chrimbo - Christmas Stockings

it seemed such a simple task!!!

I'd read the instructions, I'd checked to make sure I had all the fittings, I'd charged the drill, bought some pre-made polyfiller to fill the holes I knew there would be, measured and re-measured and generally prepared myself for the simplest of tasks - to remove the old pine curtain pole in my bedroom and to replace with a lovely new pewter/metal one and hang a lovely new pair of curtains to match the new bedding range I bought a few weeks ago.

So, at 10am, I removed the first of the screws holding the old pole to the wall...well...I say 'holding', it pretty much fell apart as soon as the first screw was removed, along with a rather large piece of plaster!

Now, to be fair, this wasn't wholly unexpected as this part of the curtain pole had been slowly sinking into the old paster wall over a few years! Not entirely sure the pre-made polyfiller will do the trick - the pot says its good for filling cracks upto 10mm deep - I'm guessing the hole the pole left behind was 1 - 2 inches deep!!! still...

With all remaining old brackets and subsequent holes removed and 'filled' I set about drilling the marked holes for the shiny new brackets.

Hole for bracket number one went a-ok... rawl plug inserted, bracket and screw inserted... wasn't 100% fixed but ok for the first one...

Problems arose for the second bracket.

Drilled the first hole for the rawl plug.  Was a little 'concerned' with the apparent ease in which the drill bit sank into the wall, but maybe I was just getting used to the pressure needed right?!?!?

Drilled the second hole...which suddenly turned into one BIG hole after the plaster crumbled around the drill bit and joined up with the first hole!

Tidied up said crater with a rather large amount of filler....again, I'm aiming to disprove the '10mm' limit on the pot!

Popped the kettle on for a cuppa and re-think.  Was at the point of no return - didn't want to drill more holes that would grow into unmanageable 'air ducts' to the outside world, but nor did I relish the thought of having no curtains at the bedroom window for the next who knew how long!

So, quick 'status update' on my FB page and 2 minutes later Dad was on the phone...and round my house with his industrial drill, drill bits, assorted rawl plugs, screws, measures, levels....and 60 minutes and 2 large cups of tea later - success!!! One new curtain pole with new curtains ironed and hung :-)

Dad even complimented me on my excellent measuring and re-assured me that I'd done everything right, it was just that the wall was out to get me (the house is over 150 years old and we don't think the walls in the bedroom have been re-plastered in all that time (the bits that fell out still had horse hair in them!!) and the fixings supplied with the pole weren't really up to the job (would have been if the plaster was in better condition or in a newer house).

It just goes to show...doesn't matter how much of a feminist with power tools I think I am (I did build my bed the other week single handedly after all!) there are still times when a girl needs her Dad! :-)

New shiny curtain pole and beautiful new curtains...now to find some time to re-paint the walls

hello damp dark Winter :-)

Winter.

Not my favourite time of year by a very long stretch...and last night saw our clocks go back by 1 hour.  Cue, slightly lighter mornings - for a least, what, 5 days!!! and dismally long dark evenings! 

In an effort of stave off the oncoming Winter Blues that always strike around and about now, I've treated myself to a brand new bed and mattress.  Suffering from back, neck and shoulder problems of one sort or another for the last 18 months, I've finally saved enough pennies to afford a wonderfully new 'back back' mattress!!! and today, I made full use of the extra hour we gained over night to 'settle in'!!!!

Took me a little longer than stated to build the bed, but I was doing it on my own!! go me!!! and I'm so pleased with the new bed, the new mattress, the new super warm duvet, the new luxurious 'memory' pillows and bright n cheerful bedding!!! 

the old kingsize solid pine bed...actually belonged to my ex (we split up 7 years ago & no idea how long he'd had it before we moved in together!!!!)

the new 'double' bed with storage drawers...and yes, I use every single inch of it!!! and I LOVE it!!!! 

a stitch in time....for 'christmas'

Now that the horror that is 'enrolment' at work has now finished, and I'm finally managing to get home at a sensible time (although last night was a bit of a nightmare....1hour 40mins to drive 13 miles!!!)...I've found some time to get some 'christmas' homemade gifts made.

Last year the family got a variety of oil on canvas portrait paintings.  I just don't have time for that this year...and I think they're getting fed up of trying to find wall space for the work I do!!!

So, this year, the girls of the family are getting bespoke, completely individual, no two alike....hand knitted scarfs!!! lol lucky them!!! 

Obviously, these are just little 'stocking' gifts...all are made from left over wool, so other than my love and time, they've cost nothing.

I hope they like them!

I've never been quite this organised before!!! I may even wrap them tomorrow (was supposed to be going out with some old work colleagues, but its just been cancelled) so I'll have some spare time!! all this and its still only the beginning of October.

Now I've got to source and plan a little pirate outfit for my godson/great nephew to wear at his 2nd birthday party next month.

S'all go creatively ...and I LOVE IT!!!! 

getting ahead...

The annual leave is over and the stress that is Enrolment time at work has begun! 

There are one or two 'things' on this month, and if I don't get organised early on, I won't have time (or energy) in a few weeks time.  With this in mind, I set about making a few cards I'll need during the course of August.

Cue blank cards and the coloured pencils.

Firstly was a birthday card for my niece - no gifts please, just money to help fund her trip to Leeds festival in a few weeks time - so, she also got a birthday card designed around the Reading and Leeds Festival posters/tickets etc (which I inexplicably forgotten to take a photo of?!) - then just a few days before niece no. 1's birthday, niece no. 2 emailed me and asked if I do another card for her to give...she doesn't like 'bought' cards and liked the card I'd done for her 21st, so could I do something similar?... 

card for niece no.2 to give to niece no. 1 !!!

Then, while I had to time, I got to work on an Anniversary card for my parents...

anniversary card....just need to write in the 'heart'

I also have a friends 40th birthday coming up.  A group of us are going with her on a 'spa weekend', should be 'amusing'!!!

Happy 40th!!!

and towards the middle of the month, I have another friends birthday! 

again, just need to write in the banner...

I love drawing out these little cards and Niece no.2 thinks I should make oodles of them and sell them (not that she offered to pay for the card I made to order for her!! hehehe)

but, after doodling this little version in my sketchbook, it has given me an idea for a quick little painting that I might try out - there's an exhibition at work in Oct/Nov that I might put it in for if it turns out ok....

got plans for this sketch...wonder if I achieve similar results in paint though!!

so whats 30 months ....

30 months ago (2 1/2 years) I finally completed large oil painting (Challock Wood - oil on canvas) I had started approximately 18 months previously (my art work goes in fits an starts - real life and 'office' job get in the way).

Today...today, I was determined to finally hang it!  Its nicely dry now, and I've had the brass plates, screws and wall plugs for, well, long enough and the drill batteries had both been charged, I might have procrastinated over this, but I am thorough!

This morning I attached the brass plates onto the back of the frame, easy-peasy.  They were just your basic three holed brass plate that I had bought from Wilkinson's some time ago (probably for hanging work during our final year exhibition at university!...I graduated 4 years ago!).  I marked the back of the frame just over half down on each side.

The trickiest part was getting the picture in the right place on the wall - this would have been FAR easy with two people...however, I'm a stubborn, independent singleton, and although I had asked my sister to pop round (she only lives a 1 minute walk away), the weather was a little damp with rumbles of thunder bouncing around, and I'm not the most patient person in the world, so...tape measure, step ladder, pencil and a small spirit level in hand, I set about balancing, holding, straightening and marking where my drill should make suitable holes in my wall.

Being a cautious 'measure twice, cut once' kinda girl, I double checked my marks more than twice... 

Remembering something my Dad had told me, I placed the wall plug against the drill bit and wrapped some masking tape at the depth of the wall plug so that I would know when I had drilled the hole deep enough.

Then, deep breath, I drilled both holes into the marks on the wall...much easier than I expected (dunno why my Dad complains so much!).  Popped the screws through one of the brass plates and into the wall...tightened it a little then repeated on the opposite side. Then fully tightened the screws...et voila!! job done... took less than 30 minutes including tidying up afterwards. 

So, 30 months procrastinating over doing it, less than 30 minutes to complete!  really don't know why I left it so long.

very short time lapse footage of me work on  'Challock Wood'

another time lapse clip....

'Challock Wood' now hangs on my living room wall

phew!!!!! feeling hot, hot, HOT

My penultimate day of annual leave today...and boy oh boy, it was a hot one!!! 

Woke with the lark (I've done this every day whilst on holiday -- shame I can't manage it on a work day when I need to be up!!), and pottered about, packing my lunch and a bottled water in the cool bag, digging out a my huge old throw (which doubles up nicely as a picnic blanket!) and some sun cream, and generally getting ready for a little trip to the beach.

Its on hot summery days like today that I'm so pleased to live where I do - Monday saw me hopping on a train for just over an hour to visit good Ole London Town for a spot of culture and today me, my parents, my eldest niece and my great nephew (god-son) piled into the car  and took a sensibly slow n steady drive down the beach.

We've not taken the godson (he's 18 months old) to the beach in the summer before and he wasn't too sure about it all at first - refused to walk on the sand...then refused to walk on some shells/pebbles and finally refused to dip a toe into a little pool of water (the tide was as far out as it could be!!!) but after his initial reluctance he soon got the hang of it and we all spent the next few hours chasing him around!  Such fun and was a lovely way to spend a few hot hot hours - with a nice sea breeze cooling us down!

one last toe dip in the sea before home time...

Finally got home at 3.30pm and threw open the french doors onto the garden, poured myself an ice cold large vodka and lemonade and sat in the garden marvelling at my pure luck in picking this week to have off work and the glorious weather I'd had...and...even more happy that although tomorrow is going to be my last day off (for quite some time) its forecast to be even hotter!

I've already warned everyone that on my last day off...I'M DOING NOTHING...I'M GOING NOWHERE...just slathering myself in suncream, setting up the parasol and lounging in my garden...

perfect :-)

Race for Life 2014 - Pretty Muddy Maidstone

Ever since our friend Paula got her diagnosis of Ovarian cancer just before Christmas, 'the Gang' have done various fund-raising activities:

Dryathalon in January
Race for Life 10k in February
'Gang' Great British Bake-Off in March
MacMillian Big Night in May
'Gang' Come Dine with me's in January/March/May (these have been fun!!)

and yesterday, the lady 'gang' members took part in the Pretty Muddy Race for Life in Maidstone.

Such a lovely atmosphere, over 3,000 ladies, young, old, fighting fit and not so!, survivors and mourners...all there to Kick Cancer... reading some of the messages on the running numbers stickers was truly heartbreaking and inspiring.

Our set off time was 1.00pm - all of us were sporting some kind of injury and luckily this is a 'fun run' event - not timed, not competitive, just a good excuse for fundraising while getting down and dirty!!! 

I have to say, was the best (most enjoyable) fund-raising thing we've done all year and I most definitely will be more than happy to do it all again!!

happy snap just before going off to warm up!

the best fun you can have on a random Saturday morning!

Random's Mucky Fudderz heading to the end!

hot beverages and indoor play...

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday I pottered in the garden for most of the day in lovely sunshine.  It wasn't scorching hot, but t-shirt pleasant.  

Today, grey skies, a brisk 'breeze' and by this afternoon, a fine light drizzle had entered the mix too.

Definitely not a day for sitting in the garden doing nothing.  Or so I thought.  My old school friend turned up for coffee, a cup cake and a chat once she'd dropped her mini-me's off at school, and, being a smoker, wanted to sit outside in the garden to enjoy a fag with her coffee!

Once I'd put a jumper and thick cardigan on it wasn't so bad, I also think that two very hot cups of coffee helped too (not so much for drinking but for cup hugging).  Had a lovely gossip (old school friend hadn't made it to our school reunion night on Saturday, so she needed to now who was there and what information I had managed to gather - turns out that she's pretty much bumped into most of them at some point or other at school gates, so there wasn't too much for me to tell that she didn't already know!  

As she volunteers at her children's school (I believe she was on library duty at lunch time and reading duty this afternoon) she wasn't able to stay too long and off she went at 11am.  Lose and baggy arrangements have been made for me to see her one day next week - seeing as I'm still on leave...not too sure if I'll make it...this week has gone so fast and today has been the first day I haven't had much planned...other than our 'coffee morning'!  And I really need to get on with some art work in preparation for doing some paintings for the work exhibition later in the year.

Speaking of which...

Once she left, I dug out the coloured pencils and had a mini indoor play day this afternoon...

calla lilies in the garden (will almost certainly attempt a painting of this image)

al fresco dining - a little reminder of just how lovely the weather was yesterday!

Lazy day...well, almost!!

Thought I would treat myself to a lazy day today...I am on leave after all.

Seems that lazing around doing nothing is something I'm only good at during the occasional weekend - go figure!

Was up dressed and ready to laze by 8.30am...was in the garden attacking the next door neighbours over grown hedge by 9.00am!! (only dealing with the 'overhang' into my garden...which is disappointing as the darn thing is well in excess of 20ft high and blocks out sooooooo much direct sunlight by the time I usually get home from work!  He keeps promising to 'sort it out' ....but, typical man...full of empty promises!!!) 

By the time I'd done that, cut it all into manageable pieces, bagged it all up and then got distracted with some 'tidying up' (weeding pots and cleaning decking and patio),  I suddenly realised that it had gone midday!!! 

So much for lazying around!

The sun came out just in time for me to enjoy a delightful little lunch...when a chilled glass of cheeky white wine is around it doesn't matter that it was just ham & cucumber baguette!  

Sat in the garden and thoroughly enjoyed my 'lunch hour' in the sun...butterflies flitting from flower to flower and bee's busy buzzing around - was lovely!!! 

If only I was able to live like this always, beats sitting eating a boring ham sarnie with a tepid coffee at the office desk any day!!!

cup cakes n flowers...

My oh my!!! so much for taking it easy on a 'staycation'!!!

Was up with the lark again this morning, and all ready for a morning out with my Mum. 

Off we popped to the garden centre - to buy the plants we didn't get yesterday.  I had a list, modest requirements to turn my boring and bare garden into something a little more summery. On my list:

2 x medium size pots

2 x white hydrangea

3 x calla lilies

lavender

Hanging basket

What I actually bought:

2 x medium size pots

2 x white hydrangea

1 x mauve/purple hydrangea

1 x calla lily plant (with 5/6 lilies in)

2 x white patio roses

1 x buddleja (small mauve)

1 x leucanthemum 'freak' (large 'daisy' like plant)

1 x impatiens giant (large busy lizzy plant)

did a very rough add up and was expecting a bill of approximately £100 (well, the garden is completely devoid of anything living), so, once my 'privilege' card discount was applied and a 2 for 1 offer on the pots, I was very pleased and happy with myself when the bill came in at a very modest £88 !!!! 

Just about managed to cram everything into the boot and back seat of my Mum's little car!!

Unloaded everything, and because I was up so early, and exceptionally organised (why I can't do this on a normal working day beats me?!?!), my Mum and I sat in the garden with a well earned mug of coffee and some cupcakes that I had rustled up this morning before we went out!

I then spent the rest of a dull and sporadicly light drizzly afternoon planting most of my goodies up.  The only thing that stopped me was a lack of suitable size pots! (but...luckily I know where I can get some on offer!!!)

before the trip to the garden centre....could it be more dull & uninspiring?!

Goodies all rowed up and ready to be planted

one patio rose and the 'daisy' plant in their new pots

calla lilies & the buddleja - lilies are my most favourite plants/flowers

mauve hydrangea in my half barrel

the white hydrangea's either side of my french doors

 well earned cup-cakes :-)

now I just need the glorious weather we had last week & yesterday to return so I can sit in my garden and enjoy it!!!

Summer leave - day 1

Annual Leave has started with a busy day. 

First thing this morning, once the troops had arrived (my Mum, eldest Niece and my godson), we all piled into my car for a little shopping trip to Canterbury.  

First stop of the day, The Marlow theatre were I bought six tickets for, what I'm expecting to be a rather fantastic and fun-filled night of singing and revelry at, Sing-Along-A-Grease!!!  can you imagine just how much fun and laughter this is going to be!!! not one of us can hold a note but we sure can belt a song out!!! I already feel sorry for the rest of the audience!

Once they were safely packed away, off we trotted to the large Art supply shop - Chromos Art Supplies - which is sadly closing down.

The supplies in there were very hit and miss as you can image with a Closing Down Sale, and I had a sad but brief look around (an Art Supply shop is not the place for an impatient eighteen month old).  The few bits and pieces I got (3 pots of Screen Printing colours, 2 brushes, a sponge brush, 2 meters of acetate, some silver & gold foil) rung up to £30 - £35 as they had already been reduced by 50% - so I was almost speechless when the lovely man on the till told me that as of today, everything had 90% off and so the total payable was £3.50!!! I was speechless...gave him £5 and told him to keep the change - which he refused.  He told me that they are staying open until Saturday.  I will almost definitely be making a return trip during the week...there was a large variety of pencils/pastels/paper that I want to take a proper look at and I have another 'artist' friend who is on leave this week who may well be interested.

We then had a slow and steady pleasant drive home and stopped off at the local garden centre (my garden is an empty shell of a garden, bereft of any foliage and flowers!) - we all had a 'free' hot drink curtesy of some vouchers and then had a pleasant mooch to see what plants were looking their best.  Being unable to make a purchase (there was nowhere left in the car to put any plants or pots....my Godson's buggy had taken up all the boot space that was available), a mental note was made of what I wanted (its going to cost a bit...!!!) and then we took the Godson round the corner to see the fish in the aquarium - he loves them!

Once I'd dropped everyone back home, I headed out into the garden, and enjoyed the last bit of homemade chocolate cake and a pot of tea for one...with a few art books to while away an hour or so....

afternoon tea in the garden...a perfect start to some well earned annual leave!

and so it begins...

Two whole weeks of solid, unbroken, long awaited and eagerly anticipated Annual Leave!!! This is the first time in four years I've have two weeks leave in something that vaguely resembles Summer, and surprise surprise, the weather has been less that pleasant this weekend.

As per usual, I'll be enjoying a bit of a 'stay-cation' - I'm determined to go abroad one year, but still trying to pluck up the courage (and money) to go on my own.

I've lots to busy myself with on the home front anyway - handmade cards and some paintings I want to complete for an exhibition to be held at work in November.

I've already completed another handmade card - and have another two to make during my holidays.

'Thank you' card made for my Mum to post out - inspired by a floral design on some fabric I have.

And I've already completed one painting for the exhibition for work:

Echinacea - oil on canvas

All in all, its been a busy 'creative' couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to having a bit more of a relaxed time in the studio.

The annual leave creativity took a bit of a 'baking' turn today - something I've not done in a while - and my eldest Niece asked me to bake 18 cup cakes for her friends baby shower tomorrow - even though I say so myself, I make rather delicious tasting vanilla cup cakes, and as I know the Mummy-to-be (for nearly 10 years) these cupcakes will be a little baby shower gift from me to her... I hope they all enjoy them - I've certainly enjoyed 'tasting' all aspects of them...from the batter mix to the icing!!!  have to say I'm a bit 'sugared' out at the moment!!! 

18 glorious, lip-smacking tasty baby shower pink cup cakes.

Happy Sunday everybody and roll on tomorrow and the start of annual leave proper!!! 

more card creations

Its been an odd couple of weeks...with things converging into this weekend in particular.

Yesterday 'the Gang' said a very sad goodbye to Paula - after an eventful Spring and Summer last year we noticed that she had lost quite a dramatic amount of weight - we presumed it was down to her recently stressful personal life.  

At the beginning of November and continued weight loss she was diagnosed with IBS. 

One month and a 2nd opinion later, she received the devastating news that she actually had ovarian cancer. 

From that day (19th December 2013) on, she argued and fought it every step of the way.  The prognosis was never very hopeful, even from the outset the doctors thought she had six months to a year at best.  As much as she fought and sought 2nd opinions and argued and challenged different treatments and 'trials', she very sadly lost her fight just 23 weeks and 1 day later on the morning of 30th May 2014.

and yesterday, we had to say a final goodbye to her.

We'd all chipped in for a small floral arrangement - a hydrangea for Paula in her favourite blue, surrounded by nine white roses - one from each of 'the Gang'... the original arrangement was made by the floristry team where I work, which my sister and I 're-arranged' to something more suitable and like we had in mind. As the floristry team are 'students', they don't have 'cards' as you would get in a more professional shop, so I decided to make a card for the gang to sign... I was very pleased with the result...I think she would have liked it...

the remembrance card...watercolour on card

the original arrangement - not 'quite' what we requested - but otherwise still beautiful

the arrangement mark 2 - which is more structured with just the 1 hydrangea head

I'm sure Paula would've approved :-)

Now I'm about to get ready to go out with 'the Gang' to celebrate a birthday - it had been arranged before we lost Paula, and the birthday girl was going to postpone - but the rest of us have put a stop to all that - we need to go out as a group and enjoy all that life is - grab each day and celebrate every opportunity you get - just like Paula would have done.

homemade birthday card...

Was a gorgeous day today - and while I had an eight hours delivery time slot to wait for, I thought I make a little homemade birthday card for my friend Rose - a little bit of cutting out, hand sewing on the applique and a healthy amount of Spray Mount to attach it to the card!!!!

Pleased with the results - its now busy laying flat to dry off properly...then I'll write my birthday wishes in it.

It's been a short weekend for me...only the two days (had a lot of l-o-n-g weekends for while due to the need to use up some well earned annual leave from work!) ... and went to a friends wedding reception yesterday...so feeling a little 'delicate' today, then all of a sudden, it was Sunday Evening and the weekend was all but over!

tiny bit of tinkering...

Had a day off work today ... on the quiet...was up with the lark and had the weeks shopping done and dusted and back home with a cuppa in hand by 10.00!!, pottered about the house and prepped a half leg of lamb (its been bubbling away in the slow cooker now for 5 hours - the kitchen smells divine!!) for tonights meal, and caught up with all my housework by midday...

so while I enjoyed some of my 'art' programmes (I really need to be inspired - there's an exhibition I'll want to put some bits into in October/November)... I thought I put a tiny little embellishment on my Nieces apron:

a little bit on hand sewing - think it adds to the 'patchwork' request she had made...

Its her birthday tomorrow - so this really is the last bit of tinkering I shall do on it!