Calendar Girls postcards

I've not been able to do any work for the past few weeks. My Mum was rushed into hospital in the early hours of 21st November with pneumonia and fluid on her lungs. She came home on Friday but for 2 weeks my life revolved around hospital visiting. Anyway my life is back to normal now so I'm trying to catch up.

I am late sending this first postcard to Sharon but hopefully she will think it was worth waiting for.

This is the picture chosen by Jenny for November.



I have had a piece of fabric I dyed using the 'shibori' method for my C & G work and it reminded me of the bark of a tree so I used it for the base and backed it with a piece of wadding and FME around the shapes.

December's postcard is for Doreen in Australia, so I worked on it this afternoon. I want to get it in the post so it will get to her if not before Christmas at least before the end of the year.

This is Neki's choice.


I used my embellisher to attach some silk fibres to a piece of black felt.



PS I bought the silk fibres from a UK distributor but they are from Treetops so they are going home.

Go Penguins update.........

The Go Penguins are 5ft high but I forgot to say in my last post that Liverpool schools have designed and painted 3ft high penguins see here. Aren't they good. If this is a sample of what our youngsters are producing "Art" is safe in their hands. They also seem to be more aware of the Environmental issues that are facing the world than many adults.

3 primary schools near me have done one each 'Arnot St Mary’s C of E Primary School' which is my old school, 'Gwladys Street Primary School' and St. Francis de Sales Catholic Junior School.

Go Penguins......

...... last year as part of Liverpool's Capital of Culture year brightly painted 'Superlambananas' sprang up all over the city and where a surprise highlight of the year. I don't think anyone knew how popular and successful they would be.


This year Liverpool's year long theme has been the Environment. As part of 'A Winters Trail' for Christmas this year the council commissioned the same company to come up with something new .......... Penguins.

I missed out on doing a design last time so I made sure I did one this time and this is what I submitted but unfortunately I wasn't chosen boo hoo!!! I thought perhaps it was because I hadn't done a design featuring the Environment but now I've seen the finished ones some have nothing do with it. Never mind maybe next time they do something similar.


I called him/her 'Oddles of Doodles'.


They all went on display yesterday and this website has them all - click on one of the photos and it will take you to a slideshow with further info about each one.

Some of them are brilliant but is it just sour grapes on my part but are a few of them a bit mediocre?

I particularly like Carrie knitted from 300 recycled plastic bags, Gustav Penguin, Waterfront Penguin, there are some fun ones Sleeping Beauty, Snowy and a celebrity one Owl Ma Penguin. I'd love to see these but they are over the Mersey on the Wirral Grow Your Own Penguin and Strawberry Fields which given its' name you would have thought would have been on this side.

Now I've just got to try and get photograph of as many as I can. I can at least see what my design would have looked like Home Bargains one of the sponsors have been selling 6" high ceramic penquins that you can decorate and enter a competion to win a 3ft version with all the proceeds going to the Lord Mayors charity appeal. I've bought my nephew one each and a few for myself.

Lest we forget

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning.

We will remember them.

Calendar Girls postcard for October

At last I've done Pippa's postcard for October. I caught my nephew's cold when he came a few weekends ago so what with the kitchen refit and a rotten cold I was feeling very sorry for myself so only felt up to creating at the weekend.

This is the picture we had to work with chosen by Carol M.


I embellished some gold coloured wool to a piece of fabric, it matched the ladies dress. Then I took part of the mosaic background behind her head and free machined it on top. I think it's worked okay.

Back to creating

At last the new kitchen is finished and I can get back to creating.

It was worth all the upheaval but oh what a mess workmen do make. It's a long kitchen with windows at one end so where the stove was positioned before (where all the new cupboard are) I was standing in my own light when I was cooking so it's much better where it is now.




Do you know windows and doors don't count as part of a kitchen??? Well that is according to the painter from the firm who did the kitchen so I've got to get some paint to do them myself. Though how I'll manage with the window over the sink. I may get up there but I could be stuck up there for some considerable time. We had curtains up at the windows but we're considering blinds now.

Another Doodle book

I had another go at a Doodle book but this time I used watercolour paper for the signatures and 5 lots of 2.

Doodle Book

Like many people I bought the books by Maggie Grey and Lynda Monk/Carol McFee. Last Monday the first of their online classes started.

Our landlord is replacing our delapidated kitchen so I was in my studio at 8am this morning while the plumber replaced the pipes.

At the end of the day this is what I ended up with from Lynda's first lesson.

Inside Cover

Outside cover

Front inside cover and signatures

Back inside cover and signatures



Doodle Book Spine


Finished 'Doodle Book'

I didn't think I'd be able to do any sewing for a while. A few days ago my right hand was very painful. I don't know if I'd been using the computer mouse too much or if it was from doing the lino cutting. It's hard to describe but I couldn't hold anything even writing was painful so I rested my hand for a few days and it seems to have eased.

The plasterers will be here before 8am on Monday morning to finish the walls so I'll have a go at Maggie's lesson then.