New Fridge Freezer

Isn't always the way - because I'm not feeling as tired as I had been I was planning on spending this afternoon catching up with some C & G work and make my postcard for this month's Calendar girls. But sods law I didn't get anything done.

As I was passing the fridge freezer last night I noticed a red light on it that isn't supposed to be lit up was. It lights up when the freezer goes below a certain temperature. We hadn't noticed the motor hadn't been running so we don't know how long it had been off for.

I checked how much it would cost to repair 'from £99.99 upwards' so we decided it was easier to get a new one. So I spent Saturday afternoon shopping for a new one. I chose this one from John Lewis.


It's a Frost free one so bliss I won't have to defrost the freezer. We'll have to manage until Wednesday when it will be delivered. We had to throw out ice cream and lollie ices because they'd melted but if we don't open the freezer too often some of the food will stay frozen for a while until we can use it so luckily we won't lose a lot of food.

I'm Back

I can't believe it's a month since I've posted anything. I went for my regular blood test a couple of weeks ago and got the results on Friday I'm anaemic again. No wonder I've been feeling so tired all the time, to be honest I just haven't had the enthusiasm to do anything and now I know why. Hopefully once the iron tablets start working I'll feel more up to doing things. I was wondering where my creative muse had gone, she seemed to pack her bags and had been on holiday for most of this year.

I finished my OU Photography course last Wednesday, you can see some of my work here. I'd appreciate your opinions on them.

Here's a photo to keep you going until I have some work to post about. There are 120 SuperLambananas that have sprung up around Liverpool, these are 3 nearest to where I live.

June Calendar Girls postcard

Hurray I'm ahead of time with this months postcard. This months card is for Jenny.

I started by embellishing blue wool on to a piece of purple muslin for the background.


Next I made some Silk Paper in yellow, cut petal from it and stitched them to a piece of water soluble film. I FME the flower centre and leaf.



Once I rinsed the piece to get rid of the soluble film and dried it I zig zagged round the petals to attach it to the background. I've left the leaf loose.

Hope you like it Jenny.

May Calendar Girls

Late as usual ..... but my postcard for Joanne is winging it's way to NY. Firstly I coloured a nappy liner for the background with some scrim over the top. Next I printed the words on to some T-shirt Transfer paper. I made a footprint stamp and used some fabric paints to stamp them near to the words.

TIF April.......

........ only a month late and just in time for Sharon to give us June's challenge ....... one of these months I'll get it done on time.

For April's challenge Sharon wrote:

"Since it is the first of the month it’s time to set another Take it Further challenge. With the arrival of Autumn in my part of the world and Spring in the Northern hemisphere my mind turns to ideas of cycles that involve change. Some people see change as positive while others are fearful of change.

How do you see change? That is the challenge topic this month."

Lynda kindly sent me some of the polystyrene frames that she blogged about here


so I decided to use one of them for this challenge.

First I stuck some straws on to the sides and after they had dried I covered it with tissue paper stuck on with PVA glue let down with some water. I glued some thick thread in the spaces between each straw. Then I glued scrim to the front and finally some crochet cotton in various swirling shapes on the front and left it to dry thoroughly for a few days.


Next I painted it with Burnt Umber acrylic paint as a base, then lightly with some Burnt Sienna and finally Copper acrylic paints.


I stuck a small oval shaped glass bead at the bottom on each side.

I'm not sure whether to leave it like this or add some more glass adornments. The square centre has clear covers that I may put something in between. I'll leave it for a while and see.

I started the colour option for April but the colour don't really do anything for me. I'll finish what I've started but I may add some brighter colours to it before I blog about it ...... stay tuned.

Quick update

This first ATC is from Debbi she made them for St Patrick's Day and offered to swap but kindly sent it me when I left a comment saying it was my birthday that day.


and this is the Calendar Girls postcard I got from Debbie for April.


This next ATC is for Domito she emailed to ask if I'd like to swap with her. I sent her one of my doodle ATC's

and I got this lovelly Spring ATC in return.


This is the ATC I sent to Carol for the Shapes Lottery on Textile Challenge. The background is crumpled foil painted with Brown Umber, Burnt Sienna and Copper acrylic paints and the triangles are made with a glue gun and coloured with gold embossing powder.


Anna set a challenge a while ago. She sent me some buttons and I had to use them in an ATC and this is what I sent her.

Plastic bags and easter egg wrapping

I've just found this post from last month, it was still in draft for some reason I hadn't posted it so her it is only a month late.

I've joined another group Textile Challenges and Carol T who runs the group has set a make along challenge for April.

I wasn't sure if it would be my sort of project but you don't know until you try do you. First of all I had to find some plastic bags to use, you know the sort supermarkets have that we are all supposed to be cutting back on the use of. Well I have been for a while, I carry a canvas bag and only take a plastic carrier bag if absolutely necessary so I had to have a good look in drawers. Luckily I found a nice pink one from Superdrug so I set to work.


and the pink carrier bag and a piece of gold foil from around an Easter egg glued to a piece of muslin became this

OU T189

I started my Open University course last Thursday. I've started another blog
if anyone would like to follow my progress.

Mum called me the other evening to see this Rainbow. I just managed to take a photo before it disappeared.