Jeudi Journal - Mice?

 "People who hate cats were mice in a former life" is the quote we have to work with this week, coupling it up with Sharon's theme at Art Journal Journey which is "Snow".  I found this piece of paper which I carefully stuck in my journal because the design reminded me of snowflakes and snowballs.  Then I stamped some different images of snowflakes over the printed ones in Versafine Bali Blue.  After I had coloured (Promarkers) and cut out my figures I put some 'puffy snow' underneath them instead of shadows in order to ground them.  The two figures are by Dylusions but the cats are Laurel Burch images by Stampendous (just thought they were a change from the ones I usually use).

"Alf and his sister, Brenda, had gone out doing some Christmas shopping, it was a lovely crisp, bright winter's day and Brenda insisted on wearing her sunglasses.

"Why on earth are you wearing those?" asked Peter, who felt a bit embarrassed at his sister's choice of what to wear that day.

"Do you mean my sunglasses?" asked Brenda, "if so it is because the glare from the snow gets to my eyes and I don't want to have a headache" she replied.  "Or are you referring to my hat and the fact I have brought my little furry bunny along with me?  You know how I feel about my toys."

Peter just grunted and decided to let it go.  Yes, he had meant the sunglasses but the hat was a bit over the top and he just hoped he didn't meet any of his friends whilst out shopping.  You see, it hadn't been his idea to go shopping with Brenda, it was his mum who had insisted.

Brenda was obsessed with all furry animals.  She wanted a dog but mum said 'no' and she just made do with a cat.  The trouble was the cat would not let her dress it up but a dog would have, wouldn't he?  At least that was Brenda's logic.  Saying that she loved her cat, loved all cats and often had the neighbour's cat in the house as well as their own.

"People who hate cats were mice in a former life" she said to Peter.

"What on earth are you talking about?" asked her brother.

"People who hate cats were mice in a former life" she repeated.  "I've just been thinking, nobody on this earth can hate cats, but as cats chase mice and eat them I bet mice hate cats.  Therefore Mr Brown down the road who shoo's cats away and puts that stuff down in his garden to keep them away must have been a mouse in a former life."

"If you say so" said Peter, agreeing to anything she said that morning.  He didn't want a tantrum in the street with her and he knew if he said anything to upset her she would throw one and then what would mum say.  "Come on slow coach, if we are to buy presents for mum and dad we had better get a move on."

And with that the two of them hurried through the snow to the store that would be nice and warm and have lots of lovely things for them to choose from.  They had an hour to get a present for mum and dad and Peter was hoping to find something for the girl down the road he had a bit of a crush on."

WOWW 811

 Nearly there, almost time for that jolly little old man dressed in red to come down your chimney.  Have you been good?  Or have you been bad?

Well at ours the tree is up, the cards are on display (thanks to anyone reading this who sent us a card) and all are looking mighty fine, what wonderful designs people choose, whether commercial or hand made, the mince pies are bought (yes, didn't make any this year) and the cake is just waiting for the marzipan to dry out a bit and then I can ice it.  Mind you there is so much to eat I doubt we will cut into it (last year we had it for my birthday in March).  Most of the shopping is done, just the two of us for Christmas so we don't need much but I bet we have overspent as always.

We did have an early joint Christmas present, courtesy of Black Friday, at long last we have an air fryer and I cannot get my hands on it.  He won't let me near, but I am not bothered as he is enjoying cooking and I am enjoying eating the meals he prepares.  When the novelty wears off I will have a go at baking in it, looking forward to making some bread and some kind of sweet (cakey) loaf.  Also I spotted a great buy of a vacuum cleaner in "Martin's Money" so we treated ourselves to that and we love it, it is so light and I can use it with ease, not like the one we had before.  

Well, with Christmas prep out of the way I decided I needed some down (Non Christmas) time in my craft room and so I began colouring some old coasters.  I'd done the one with the hare on months ago so now I have started an owl and a humming bird.  All Lavinia of course.  Here is my desk:

Think it is pretty self explanatory as to what is on the desk, bottom right is my Nocturne ink pad upside down with my dirty baby wipe that I cleaned the stamps with.  I'll show you the coasters when they are done.  That just leaves me to say Happy Christmas to you all, we will be closed for maintenance next Wednesday ie mince pies and wine after the big bacon muffin we have made a custom for at our house on Christmas Day.  Call in if you want one but ring with your order first.  See you at Sarah's shortly.

Jeudi Journal - Thin?

 "I'm usually thin and gorgeous but it's my day off" is the quote we had to work with today and marry it up with Art Journal Journey 's "Snow" theme.

"It was a snowy day when Sandra and Bettina decided to meet up and do something, afterall it was a lovely crisp day with just a little snowfall on the ground and it had not turned into that slushy stuff that happens just when you have a brand new pair of red boots that you want to show off.  So, making the most of the light snowfall Sandra set off in her new big shiny red boots.

"Fancy going ice skating in the park?" asked Bettina.

"Not today" answered Sandra.  "I've only come out to please you" she went on to say.

"Oh, sorry, there was I thinking you had come out to show off your new shiny red boots" quipped Bettina, "I had noticed them, in fact you can hardly miss them, they are huge."

"These old things" replied Sandra, fingers crossed behind her back because she hated telling lies but it was ok if you did that with your fingers, wasn't it?

"Well, what did you have in mind then?" asked Bettina.

"Err I don't want to do anything where there are crowds, I'm not feeling up to it today."

"What do you mean?  You've come out wearing that big red coat and those fab new boots but you don't want to go where people are?  I don't understand you." 

"You know me, I'm usually thin and gorgeous, but it's my day off."

What do you mean it's your day off? queried Bettina.

"I don't honestly know.  I was so excited to wear my new red boots but then when I set off did not feel like it, not wanting to go out at all.  But I had promised to meet you and so I didn't like ringing and calling it off."

"You silly old thing" said Bettina, "You know we have been friends for such a long time, you could have rung and told me how you felt.  I'd have come over to yours and we could have stayed in nice and warm.  We didn't have to come out."

Bettina went and put her arm around Sandra giving her a big hug and the two of them decided the best thing to do was to go back to Sandra's and sample some of her mum's mince pies.  Who likes trudging around in snow anyway!"

Hopefully I am back now, still got a few spots that are itching but at least the pain of the shingles has gone.  How I wish I had known about the vaccination in time to have one.

WOYWW 810

 Hip Hip Hooray - the last of the cards went in the postbox today.  I've just one special one to do (and not a clue what I am doing) and then I can start on next year's (yes, I mean it, I am not going to be caught out next year).  Then I have two challenge pages for my blog and two swaps that are not cards (?) to do this week.

Oh and marzipan the cake and then a week later (Boxing Day?) ice it.  There are also some of our special decorations to put on the tree, for some reason he did the tree but missed the special ones out but I found the box with them in and now they need adding.  Really I need to tidy up my craft room which is an absolute mess at the moment but I can close the door on it and pretend it does not exist.  Tidying it really means decluttering so it may get left until the new year and just have a bit of a duster flicked around for now.

This was my desk the other day.  The cards on the left are ones I stamped with a stamp I bought either last year or the year before because I loved it.  Never used it so this year I did and I do like it and maybe will do some like that for next year.

Here is my crochet mat that I keep telling you all I once did.  It has Solomon's Knots and pineapples in the pattern and yes, I did do it all on my own with instruction from my mum (gosh I do miss her).  So Lynne, I did once know how to crochet and will do so again one day, God willing.

Will leave it there for this week folks, see you over at Sarah's Craft Shed shortly.  See you!

WOYWW 809

 Wednesday again, they come quicker than the 510 bus does and that is a frequent service according to the transport authority here.  Cannot believe it is the 5th tomorrow, my son's birthday but also 20 days to Christmas Day and nothing worth seeing here.

Yesterday saw me making an attempt to put together some cards, Chas putting the tree up and both of us feeling like we were walking in treacle.  Forget the little houses, they won't be out until next year so hopefully I will be a bit ahead for 2025 God willing.  This is my desk and the sum total of my "C" cards thanks to shingles.

The cards on the left are ones I have made over the last few months at online workshops which you have seen before and the other two piles are some I made a while ago when I was playing with a foiling machine.  They saved my life and gave me eight cards.

I've never done a Masterboard before and haven't much of an idea on one but it might come to me giving one a go in the next few days.  In the meantime I will start making inners for these cards (phew!) and give my Christmas cake another dousing with spirits.  Now I will go and see what Sarah has to offer and what you Woyww'ers have been up to.  See you over there.

WOYWW 808

 I do not believe it, it is almost December and that means it is near enough to Christmas and all that it brings with it.  And guess what?  I am nowhere near being remotely ready.  In fact I think I will shut us off for the next five weeks and pretend we are on a world cruise or something.  (Actually we made the Christmas Cake yesterday - a bit later than usual, but a good slug of spirits (or two, or three) and it will be fine.)

Trouble is I am still not operating on all cylinders with this damned shingles but I am getting there at last.  Just need my stomach to stop itching and to get a good night's sleep.  So there has not been much production on the card making or anything creative.  Remember I got some small houses, identical to the others I had bought?  Well here is the total production line - plus two or three not coloured in case I need a certain colour when I put them together as cards.

Later today I hope to get some grey paper, about 125gsm, and see how many cards I can make with the houses I already have.  The ones made by the DT at Lavinia were on circular cards but I haven't time for any of that and they will have to be rectangular.  Maybe I will have some to show you next week before they hit the postbox.

Right, it's off to Sarah's now to see how everyone else is - hope there are a lot more organised crafters out there than I am.  See you next week.

WOYWW 807

Another week has gone by but not been enjoyable for me.  Don't want to whinge but it is getting me down now as it is never ending.  Up four times in the night and then I sleep all morning.  There is a stomach bug going around apparently and I have got it on top of everything else so feeling a bit angry with everything.

Good thing is last Friday my order from Lavinia arrived but I didn't open it until Monday - here is what I bought - topping up my bits I want.  Well, you have to do something to cheer you up and spending on crafting always works for me.

The houses are a smaller version of the ones I coloured a few weeks ago, wanted some to use to mix in and make things that bit different, will be good for perspective too.  Didn't think I needed the tree until I saw it being used, now wish I had bought the larger one too.  Crows were on my wish list from ages ago, would have been good for halloween, fairies, well I just liked them in the end.  Blue wink of stella pen - Jo used it on a card I liked so I got one - and ink pad is one I needed for something, what it was I cannot remember.

That's it for now, will probably be up in the night and maybe wander into the craft room and upload and see if Sarah is on to link up.  See you all next week.