Jeudi Journal - Bad Mood

 My journal page for Art Journal Journey today features Walter de la Mare's "Five Eyes".  Now that is something a bit different to usual but in order to do the challenge at Art Journal Journey as set by Valerie and Erika I had to include a piece of poetry.  And so my journey began with a search on the internet for one of Walter de la Mare's poems as I remember studying his work when I was at school.  "Five Eyes" immediately stood out in my mind when I saw it and I thought maybe I could link it to my page using Dylusion images and somehow bring in the quote from 'Tim Holtz' Snarky Comments "I thought I was in a bad mood, but it's been a few years so I guess this is who I am now.".  

As the poem is set in a windmill you can see a CBeebies short film about milling grain here: -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4my5CdWyYCo

"A long time ago in Holland there lived an old miller called Hans.  He had three cats, Jekkel, Jessup and one-eyed Jill.  The cats lived happily in the mill chasing rats to keep them away from the grain that went into the milling for Hans to turn into flour.  All of their activity took place at night when it went dark as that was the time the rats were most likely to come out.  Most of the time during the day they would curl up and sleep and live normal cat lives.

Jekkel, being the only male cat, was most protective of one-eyed Jill, the baby of the family.  You see their mother cat had crossed the rainbow bridge a while ago, but before she went she made Jekkel promise he would look after his two sisters, especially the youngest, one-eyed Jill, who had lost her eye in a cat-fight with another kitten.

Jessup was a real tom-boy type of female cat.  She was always competing with her brother, Jekkel, to catch the most rats each evening.  Sometimes she could be quite aggressive in her approach to rat catching and this often led to her and her brother having an argument.  In fact only the other morning when they were totting up the number of rats each had caught she and Jekkel had a big argument.  Jekkel began throwing out all kinds of accusations and bringing up past indiscretions of Jessups.

"I have enough to do looking after Jill" shouted Jekkel as he ran around in circles chasing his tail, "it's always got to be a competition with you Jessup.  We are here to watch the grain and stop those horrible rats from eating it for Hans and his family.  They need the money and without it there would be no Mill and therefore no home for us.  Don't you see?"

"Are you saying I am in a bad mood?" asked Jessup.

"Yes, I am.  And you are always in one, always have been to be honest" replied Jekkel.

"Yes, I am in a bad mood.  I thought I was in a bad mood, but it's been a few years so I guess this is who I am now" she replied sulkily.  "Or at least that is what you are implying."

Just then little one-eyed Jill spoke up.  "Stop arguing you two.  It is upsetting to me and I know I catch the least number of rats so I feel bad when you get like this Jessup."

"Sorry" said Jekkel.

"Sorry" said Jessup.

Just then they heard the door open and the familiar 'clip clop' as Hans began climbing the stairs.  Quickly the trio sat in a line and greeted Hans with the usual "Miaow" chorus as they waited for the creamy bowl of milk they got in a morning."

WOYWW 778

 Another Wednesday, another meeting of like minded friends on the internet.  I say 'friends' because that's what we have become even though some of us have never even met face to face, all thanks to Julia who started this WOYWW desk snoop some 14 years, 11 months and 1 week (I think) ago.  It's a happy little club to be a member of.

So, my desk.  Well, to be honest I didn't know where to start taking a photo today so I have literally stood back towards the door and taken it.  It's just been a dumping ground and as DH has now got a bad back he is using my typing chair from my craft room to sit on to give him support.  I have to be careful getting in and out as cupboards and cabinets by the door are all piled up so the chair could be wheeled out.  Ready?

I have been playing catch up with an online workshop that I watched last month but it is not finished as yet so I cannot show you what I was doing.  However I needed to do something last week to give me a kick start and so below are some cards I made in navy and white.  These are now in my stash for any birthdays that come along where I need a card.  They had to be made standing up as I was not bending my knee sufficiently at the time so they took a while, plus the images were embossed which I find is better done standing up anyhow.

The one in half should be the other way around and a sentiment will be stamped in the curve depending on the occasion.  It is a Stampendous image and the other one is a Honey Doo image.  

Well, having just read Julia's blog I guess I should make a start on some ATC's for the Crop which is to be held this month.  Great time to meet up with some of the others and a new venue this time.  Now what am I going to do?  Not a clue at the moment?

Jeudi Journal - Sarcasm

 This week the quote from Tim Holtz' book of Snarky Comments is "My level of sarcasm has gotten to the point where I don't even know if I'm kidding or not".

Because I missed a substantial amount of Valerie's challenge "Geometric Shapes" at Art Journal Journey I decided to include a few using my Aall & Create Stencils to give her 'circles, squares, diamonds, circles and semi-circles' which remind me of protractors as used in geometry.

"Jacqui woke up early that morning having had a troubled sleep filled with not so nice dreams.  Nothing scary, just 'not so nice', and they bothered her.  "Am I really that kind of person?" she asked herself, hands on hips, as she looked in the mirror.  

She had been at the gym the day before and she had overheard some of the other girls obviously talking about someone.  When she went over to join them they all had fallen silent.  Now if that wasn't an indication that they were talking about her she didn't have blonde hair.  Jen had gone a bit red in the face and so she wondered if that was anything to do with her having a bit of fun with Jen towards the end of the session.

"My level of sarcasm has gotten to the point where I don't even know if I'm kidding or not" she said to Laurie her little dog.  "I'm not a bad person really, I just make these sarcastic comments now and then but the girls all know that it's just my way of having fun".

Laurie just walked past her and she realised there was not much point in talking to the dog but who could she talk to about such a delicate matter?

"Perhaps it's time to go and see big sister" she said.  "At least Valerie will be honest with me and tell me  if I am being a bit paranoid or not.  She usually sticks up for me when I have arguments with my friends but this is a bit different, it's me asking her for honest advice."

And with that she turned to Laurie, "Go get your lead, we are off to see your Aunty Val.  I know you like going to hers because she always has a treat for you.  Hope she has one for me too."

Last week Wendy said she struggled with the quote, well Wendy - this week I did.

WOYWW 777

The "Wool" idea I mentioned last week hasn't come off.  I was going to knit something but the pattern arrived and it needed three needles.  Apart from not having three needles I don't think I know how to knit with three needles.  So I suppose I need to view a You Tube video or something and get cracking.  At the moment the pattern reads like double Dutch to me.  Don't hold your breath on that one it might take a while like the crochet.  Still am not happy with my tension but I do keep trying to do it each week.

I think I am out of touch with shopping, especially for stamps.  I wanted a polymer stamp and did a search for it on the internet - finding it was £15 put me off a bit.  Just one image of a flower.  Fair enough it was a large one.  Is that normal these days?

Remember all those images a friend sent and I coloured in at the start of my accident?  Well here they are now mounted up and made into cards.  Some are purely coloured pencils and some are Inktense pencils used as watercolour.

The top two photos are the cards and the bottom one is my desk as it is at the moment.  My foam mat for stamping on my poppy stamp, watercolours and my guillotine.  Oh and a piece of card I was using for a card but never stamped on it.

Hope the other WOYWW desks are more interesting than mine.

Jeudi Journal - Best Friends

 Here we are with another quote for Wendy and myself to work with whilst attempting to work within the boundaries of Valerie's challenge at Art Journal Journey which is 'geometric forms'.  My page uses hexagons which are from a stencil by Aall & Create and the quote is taken from Tim Holtz' book of Snarky Quotes - "That moment when you hear someone else call your best friend their best friend and you are like ... No."

"Tori was feeling ever so upset.  She felt that she and her bestie were no longer exclusive and a third person had come into the equation and so she needed a shoulder to cry on.  That is where Frankie came in.  She and Frankie had been to school together and friends for ... oh, it must be ten years now.  So off Tori went, to see her friend Frankie.

Frankie was getting ready to go out when Tori called.  She had bought herself a lovely new hat with a tiny bit of veil hanging over one eye on which there was a tiny spider with sequins for eyes.

"Oh, Frankie" said Tori with a tear in her eye.  "Are you going out?  I am so sorry, I should have rung before coming around.  So sorry."

"No worries" replied Frankie, realising that Tori was upset about something.  "What's the matter?"

Oh, it's Sarah" said Tori, "we went out bowling last night and she brought a friend of hers from work along.  I thought we were all going to get on well, and we did, to a certain extent, but then I heard her friend talking to someone and she said she was out with her best friend.  You know what it's like, that moment when you hear someone else call your best friend their best friend and you are like ... No.  I was fuming at first, then I felt so hurt.  I just carried on for the evening watching the two of them laughing and joking and talking about work whilst I just joined in as best I could but my heart wasn't in it.  I ended up making some excuse about a headache and left the two of them to it."

"So you didn't say anything to Sarah?" asked Frankie.  "Have you rung her today and said something?"

"No" said Tori, her lip beginning to tremble.

"Well, the first thing you need to do is go around to Sarah's.  Just tell her you felt a bit left out last night and it brought on a head ache.  I know that is a lie but it's only a tiny white one.  There will be some silly explanation, where Sarah will not have been aware you felt left out.  Much better to say something than carry on in this state.  Now come one.  Let's have a coffee and I have some nice chocolate muffins here, nothing like coffee and chocolate to make you smile again."

And so the two of them sat down with a coffee and some cake and Tori really did feel better for having talked to her friend Frankie.  Now to go off to see Sarah."

WOYWW 776

What a day it has been again.  Sunshine this morning meant I set off to clinic with just my hoodie  over my t-shirt and on the way back I went into Iceland with Chas only to hear thunderous rain, as we thought, beating down on the roof.  When we ventured outside it was hail.  So many days now we have had these hail storms and on Monday it turned to sleet as we were driving to the hospital.

Well, I got signed off at the hospital on Monday for the cutaneous horn I had removed back in December and I don't think it will be long before the clinic sign me off for the knee.  Last week there was only a tiny bit still open (over granulation) which was bleeding and today it was the same, a tiny bit bleeding, but I think it was in a different place.

Now, ages ago a lovely friend sent me some images for me to colour in.  It was fine for me at the time and now I have made some of the images into cards but I only have one to show you, do you remember me showing them to you - I had used coloured pencil crayons to colour them.  

You can see one of them on the left of my desk - a tea cup with two more images waiting to be finished and then I can make them into a set of three cards.

So this is my desk as it is at the moment.  My small guillotine, the cards, images, my coaster (thanks Jo) my favourite flower stamps with some new pockets in front as I am putting them all in pockets to keep them safe.  The rest is as it always is - ink pads mainly.

Here are two cards I made last week.  Remember the blue Bluebell looking one?  Well, I tried again with a poppy stamp.  The first one is the last one I did as it is a second generation image.

and here is the tea cup mentioned previously

I used gingham card behind the image to represent a tablecloth but now I am thinking it should be a 'posher' cloth than gingham for that classy cup.

I am hoping to get a bit more into my stamping and also do one or two other crafty things (with wool?) that I have on the back burner this next week.  I would love to get out more but as I am so slow on my feet at the moment I daren't risk it for fear of getting soaking wet if I am caught in one of the downpours we all seem to be having.

See all you WOYWW'ers next week hopefully, in the mean time, happy snooping.

Jeudi Journal - Not on Track

Hopfully I am back on track but the quote isn't.  "The pity train has just derailed at the corner of Suck It Up and Move On" is, I think, today's quote from Tim Holtz' book of Snarky comments.  Anyway, that is what I have based my journal page on.

I know I have been missing for ages and I still can't sit to craft or stand for too long so I was thrilled to see that Valerie had "Geometric Forms" as her challenge for Art Journal Journey and I knew I had seen a magazine page somewhere that had shapes on it.  Sure enough the page had rectangles and circles on it and with the addition of two figures and a few more punched out circles my page was complete.  I could easily colour in the figures whilst sat in my chair so it was a nice easy page - now to think up a story to go with it.

"Amy was feeling very down, her boyfriend of a full two weeks had dumped her.  She had thought he was 'the one'.  At seventeen she really wanted a permanent boyfriend and Billy had seemed so grown up and perfect for her.  Turned out he was as bad as the others and so poor Amy had spent the night in tears, playing love songs and crying into a pile of tissues whilst she wrote a letter to her favourite teenage agony aunt explaining how she felt.

The next day she felt a little bit brighter but there was still a big ache in her little heart as she got dressed in her prettiest dress and wandered into town.  It was there she saw her big sister, Sophie.  Sophie had left home when she was 20 and got herself a lovely little flat above a hairdressers shop in town and she was just the person Amy needed to talk to.  Surely she would understand.

And so Amy began relating all her troubles and woes about Billy her ex to her big sister.

"Amy, you know I love you and I would do anything at all to help you don't you?" asked Sophie.

"Of course" replied Amy, "You must have been there when you were younger."

Sophie grinned, she was only six years older but then being the baby of the family Amy had always seemed much younger than she actually was, probably because mum and dad gave into her so much, and always had done.  What was she to say?  Yes, she had suffered when boyfriends had come and gone but it was all part of life and you just had to accept it.  She realised that now.  The right man would come along some day.  She smiled to herself - she was still waiting.

"Look Ames" she said, this is all part of growing up and these things happen.  Besides which Billy wasn't right for you.  He hung around with the wrong crowd and I am sure mum and dad would have not been happy if they had seen you with him. Besides which, let's face it, you only knew him a couple or so weeks."

"It doesn't matter how long we had been together, I loved him" shouted Amy.  And there is nothing you can do or say to make me believe he was not the right boy for me.  I thought you would understand, you are my big sister and you should be there for me all the time."

As what Sophie said, Amy came back at her, tears of anger and frustration spilling down her face and half an hour of Amy in one of those moods was enough for anyone.  In the end Sophie had had enough.  Being nice had no effect, maybe it was time to give her little sister a bit of a shock.  And so when Sophie came out with 'the pity train has just derailed at the corner of Suck It Up and Move On' Amy was so surprised that she stopped shouting and the tears disappeared.

"What do you mean?" she asked her big sister.  

"I mean it's about time you pulled yourself together and stopped spoiling that pretty face of yours and listened to me.  There's plenty more fish in the sea and you are only seventeen.  Let's go to mine and put the kettle on and then we can get your face washed and sit and talk like two sensible young women.  How about that Ames?"

Amy agreed, and grabbing her sister by the arm she said 'sorry' and the two of them went on their way.