Tribute

To a very dear friend who passed away last night.

Audrey and I with 

The Ranger Flag

This is a tribute to a very dear friend, ex Brownie Guider, Trefoil Guild Member, Guiding Singing Circle Member, Lacemaker, Beader, Stitcher, Egg Decorator - in fact a lady who could turn her hand to anything.  She will be sadly missed by so many.

Rest in Peace Audrey.

Following both Helen and Carol's messages - yes, I did get to see her on Monday and although she was sleeping most of the time I am sure she knew I was there.  When we went in her daughter, Karen, told her I was there and Audrey put her hand out for me to take hold of.  Later, when I mentioned my cousin and asked if she remembered her she gave a slight nod, I will treasure those moments along with all my happy memories.

A Very Dear Friend

Got home early evening from our Roast Lamb Lunch (delicious) to find a message on the answerphone to say that a very dear friend of mine was quite poorly in hospital.

Now, Audrey and I go back a long time, way back to the 60's when I first became a Guide Guider again following a break when I had my son.  She was Brown Owl at the Pack in Waterfoot where I was based.  Much later on I took over a Guide Company in Crawshawbooth and when some of my Guides became too old to stay I opened a Ranger Guide Company as well.

We decided we wanted a flag to carry on Church Parades and other occasions so I set about designing one and it was with Audrey's skill that the two of us made the flag for the Unit.  I could not begin to guess at the hours we spent embroidering all the different elements that went into making the flag but I do remember I did the easier embroidery stitches whilst Audrey did the more complicated ones.  At that time I was at Uni in Manchester and travelling on the bus I would be sat there doing some of the embroidery on the various elements that were to make up the flag.

A couple of years ago Audrey was 80 and on one of my visits to her house she showed me some of her beading projects.  Only a couple of weeks later she gave me this which she had sat down and made for me.  It is a little purse made from seed beads, including the "chain".  I was overwhelmed.

Isn't that a work of art

and done by an 80 year old!

Well, today we are off to see her in hospital, whether she will know me or not I do not know until I get there. Her daughter explained, last night when I rang her, that sometimes her mother is asleep and misses seeing her visitors.

Nonetheless I have made her a little card so that if she is asleep, when she wakes she will know that I have been.

Just a simple little "thinking of you" card, coloured with Twinkling H2o's which I am sure  she will like.

I must find one of the newspaper photographs which shows Audrey and I holding the flag just before its dedication.  Maybe I will upload it and tell you about the non-dedication we had that week and the actual dedication which took place in Blackburn Cathedral.

A Card from a Friend

Alison sent me this RAK (random act of kindness) and as it has not been on her blog I thought I would upload it to mine as it is a lovely card.  Her blog is well worth a visit.

As you can see it is an Easel Card

Yesterday I directed you to Dot's blog so you could see the lovely RAK she sent to me - hope you enjoyed her blog there's some smashing stuff on there.

Oh Johnny

Made this card for my dil who is crazy about Johnny Depp (well who wouldn't be?).  As you can see I used pre-printed images in a collage for the main part of the card, one of my MS punches for the side decoration and a paper tissue rose.  The rose is like the one I made at the ArtsyCrafty weekend but this one has a shrink plastic clock as the centre but it does have two metal leaves on it.

It is actually on a pale blue shaded card but it does not show up in the photograph.  Couldn't scan it as I would have flattened the rose.

The reason it is a Thank You card is that they are treating us to a roast lamb lunch on Sunday and, although I expect Andy is making it, I thought I would make Sam a card.  Hope she likes it as she is not that into my handmade cards.  Boo Hoo!

I am off to Paddy's now as I have to start my sample for her crafting weekend when I am doing some claywork and as I have to make 40 beads to swap for a Polyclay weekend I am attending in June I doubt I will have much time for cardmaking.  Ah well, out comes the pasta machine.

ps I have a Thank You of my own to make - to Dot.  Thank you for the lovely card you sent to me.  If you want to see it you will have to visit her blog (23 May) - it is the top blue card with the shaving foam technique background and the birds on it.

Japanese Tea House (Origami Tag Book)

As promised here are the instructions for the Japanese Tea House (and especially for Gayle).

This was first taught to me by Lenna Young Andrews she in turn having been taught by Chris Peden.  I have Lenna's original class notes but she asked that I do not repeat them per se so these are my own notes.  I would ask that if you teach this you also make up your own notes and acknowledge the source.  (See other pictures 3rd April blog)

Now to begin:

Cover - 2 pieces mountboard 3 1/4" square and 2 pieces paper to cover (4 1/4" square).
Stick the board pieces in the centre of the paper, cut the corners and fold over sticking well down.  Set to one side.

Tags - make 14 small tags, stamping on both sides - attach approx 18" yarn by doubling thread and looping through to each one.  (You can have more tags but I think this is a nice number to work with.)  Set to one side.

Book - 7 pieces of thin cardstock 5 3/4" square
Stamp an overall design on one side only - this will be the roof.  (You could use fairly substantial scrapbook paper and use the design on it for your roof.)

Do an Origami Flower Fold on each one, open out and stamp on the triangular pieces for the inside.
(Origami Flower Fold:  Fold square in half with roof side to the table, open out and fold again in half, open out and fold corner to corner ONCE  with the roof side inside.  See pictures below)

Fold in half

turn and fold again

 

Flip cardstock over and fold diagonally

Stamp on the two flat sides (inside) and the two triangular pieces which you can see I am holding.

Like this

The photograph below shows the placement of the stamps when opened out.

Poke a hole through the top where all folds meet and put yarn/tags through - two per hole.  Put one tag either side of the triangular piece.

Attach all seven pieces together on the flat side.

Attach covers to the back and front remembering to add ribbon for closure and hanging loop before sticking down.

NB there are different ways you can finish this:

Gently pull each tag out of the pocket page so it hangs just below the pages then make an overhand knot with your yarn right above the top of the pages.
OR
Attach a bead to the top end of each double set of fibres.

I hope you can follow these instructions - not easy to do without physically showing you and I chickened out of doing a video because I don't know how to upload one.

Artsy Crafty Weekend (Part 3)

The final chapter.  This is my Sampler for which I must have requested "lime green" as my colour:

The rose is made from metal, the square next to it with the bird is metal also, as is the dragonfly and the top right and bottom centre squares are also metal.  

The other squares are a mix of stamped canvas and Terra (Viva) paints the latter showing three different techniques with the Terra paint.

Here are some of the examples we saw on display:

This is one done by one of the other participants - I just love this colour combo

Not sure now whether these were samples or whether they were done by participants but just love these colours.

Aren't they beautiful?

As well as a great weekend of lovely projects thought up by Lin and Leandra there were also some new friendships made and I just have to include the girls from Spain on my blog.  Only one could speak English so we had a ball trying to make one another understand what we were saying.  All of this was done with lots of laughter and giggles.

It was good to meet up with one or two people from the last weekend I attended in Warrington and to meet a friend, Gaynor, from way way back in my stamping days.  I also met, for the very first time, Wendy from one of my Yahoo groups and Nathalie from a forum I am on, so that was extra nice.  

but to finish off I have to show you 

Freema chilling out

not exactly behind the bike shed

but in the car park of the hotel

Artsy Crafty Weekend (Part 2)

Well, as I said yesterday, here is the third project we did on the weekend.

This is a little bird house with love birds sitting in the centre.  This was coloured with Kaiser paints and then a piece of metal cut with a big die was embossed and I added some paint to it to vary the colour.  The roof piece was also embossed metal.  The heart and the little birds are carstock.

Again there were samples in different colours - wish I had done that blue - or the lime green as I just loved Carol's finished piece.

Here's a picture of Kay working diligently

Freema on the prowl

and my dear friend Anne sucking her lollipop

Tomorrow I will show you the main project which was a sampler.  That's all for now folks!