A Canvas for Granny

I think I mentioned that it is my Mum's 70th birthday next week. What do you get for someone who is 70? If they haven't got it by the time they are 70 then they don't need it do they!! I don't think I have ever made much for my Mum so I thought I would have a bash at a canvas for her. Started by covering it with some colours that go with her bedroom...

Then I went mad with more colour, gesso, circles punched from a book, stamping, stencilling and cosmic shimmers!

Finally I cut out some blue tits (and I think a coal tit) and added them along with some words.

I used my new modge podge to cover it all and stick it all well down! So there it goes, my first ever canvas. What did I learn? Don't paint modge podge over Distress Inks, they run!

The whole top!

Ta-da! And here it is, all sewn together, with the fourth square representing Burnice's log cabin. I have already shown you that one in close up I think. So that is the top, about 29" square and ready for the next stage. I think we are just backing and binding, not sure if there is going to be more border but I think we shall discuss what we all want to do next time we meet. I think there is some thought to a panelled back, explaining why we did what we did for each person...

Linda's Square

This one is the square Linda made me. The fat quarter I gave her was the green spot and she was going to make a piece with the flying geese pattern. However over the course of many discussions I have come to the conclusion that I am not all that keen on patchwork based on triangles....not keen on all the points for some reason! So Linda chose this design, Drunkard's Path, that she remembered I had seen in a book and liked! Hmmmm, wine bottles, Drunkard's Path; do I sense a theme here?

Just look what a fab match the fabric she used is with the fabric I used in my square and then decided to do the borders in!

Tomorrow the final shot of it all together....

Burnice's Square.

This was the square Burnice made me. I gave her the fabric that she has used for the bow (and in various other places) so she has made me these four panels. The initials are those of my four children and the charms are a sewing machine (obviously) a clock and a teacup, to represent all the time we spend drinking tea! Then she came across the fabric with wine bottles and thought of me! Can't think why! The colours just look great together, so there was my border!

Close up of that fab fabric!

Friendship Quilt

A fair number of months ago Burnice, Linda and I decided to make a friendship quilt each. You may remember me telling you about how we bought each other a fat quarter and then made a 12x12" square for each other which we then exchanged for Christmas. Next we made ourselves a square and then the fourth square was the log cabin where we all meet and we all used the same pattern for that. So now I have the four squares and the second thing that I am REALLY proud about is that this weekend I sewed them all together to make my quilt top. Over the next few days I shall show you them until the final reveal of them all together!! First of all I shall show you the one I made for myself. It was based on a Hobo Quilt and I chose four smaller squares that represent my life. From top L, clockwise they are; cops active, man with a gun, OK and kind-hearted lady. My friends will know why I have chosen these!!! I was a bit nervous that my quilt squares wouldn't go together so I used some fabric in mine that was the same as I gave to Burn and Linda in the hope that would add some "flow" to the final quilt. Stop laughing at me Burn......as a Virgo I struggle with too much randomness!

Mum's 70th birthday card

Is it wrong to be proud of something you have made? Well whatever the rights or wrongs of it I am rather chuffed with all I have achieved this weekend. On Saturday I spent almost the whole day (with a bit of chatting and cake eating too) constructing the inside of this card for my Mum's 70th birthday. Then I finished it off when I got home from Gilly's. The front is all stamped and inked.

Inside is this construction. I got the pattern from this month's Craft Stamper and I am rather pleased with it. I think it may have looked better if I had managed to buy some stamens to go in the middle of the flowers but anyway, 'tis done now and I think she will love it!

Tomorrow I will share what else I am rather proud of!

Nearly there with the Art Journal!

Week 48 was all about "Wisdom. Are you wise? What words of wisdom can you share? Include a stamped owl". Luckily I do have an owl so I just did a bit of masking, stamped him and coloured him in. Then I sat and thought about my best bits of advice; how I try to live my life.

Week 49 was about traditions. "Do you have any Christmas ones? Use festive colours and stamps". That felt a bit odd using red and green in January! Nice bit of glitter on the holly berries and a few key words to show our traditions.

Last one for this batch is Week 50, just two more to go. This was about "Toys; what did you have and play with? What did you always want? Do you still have any of them? Use vintage image". No stamping in this and I hope the 70's images count as vintage enough! I do still have my Sindy and my Tiny Tears in the loft!

A card!!!

Don't faint but I made a card! After completely dipping out on the Christmas card front I thought I HAD to make a birthday card for Burnice or she would never let me forget it! The brown strip is actually on the inside of the card and there is a gap in the front held together by the flourishes and the "B" if you get me! I really am not good at cards; maybe that's because I never enjoy making them!

Art Journal weeks 46 and 47

It's been a while but as I said I am determined to finish the projects I have started, so in an effort to do just that I have cracked on with the last few weeks of my art journal. Week 46 was "Astrology; do you believe in it? What star sign are you? Do you read/believe it. Include your star sign". Well I don't really believe in them on a day to day basis. However there are a great many personality traits assigned to Virgo that are "me" so I guess I have to believe in them!

Week 47 was "Are you generous? What is the most generous thing that has happened to you and what was it? What is the most generous thing you have done? Be generous with your stamping". I used my new Caran D'Ache watercolour crayons for the BG and then stamped lots and lots in purples over the top of it. I didn't have a lot to say, so short and sweet!

You're never too old to learn...

Think back to last year for a moment if you will, and my struggles learning how to crochet; I am delighted to say that after 30+ years I finally "get it". Not all of it, I haven't worked out how to follow those complicated diagrams, but I can make stuff using crochet! So here is the beginning od a crochet project. This insignificant square is about 3" square.

Here he is joined together with lots of his mates, all exactly the same as him. I decided that once I had the basics what I needed to do was just repeat, repeat, repeat the process so it would finally stay in my brain. This pattern requires 432 squares, all the same, in 24 rows of 18! This is just the first 8 rows, a long way to go but if you look at it from a different angle I am a third of the way there already!

Just a close up showing the first two rows crocheted all together. One of my resolutions is to enter a country show a la Kirsty; maybe this will be my crocheted item....

Finally complete!

Just thought I'd show you the front....just so you know I really did finish it. Cleared my decks today and spent a nice chunk of time crafting. I am trying to finish projects off before I start new ones! Not really a resolution, a necessity!

Close up of the tiny bells!

Last 3 days.

5th Jan was meant to be about clearing up and packing away. But we haven't yet! so instead I chose to write about our turkey this year.

Last promted page and it was meant to be all about what Christmas meant to us. Well Christmas to me is all about the family and the food! Not a great photo but the best I could find. My shots haven't been that great this year.

As always there is a page left on the back of the album so as we haven't taken our tree down I wrote about the research I have done about Twelfth Night.

There, made it! I just have to do the cover now and we are all finished for another year. Now I need to finish my Art Journal!

JYC 3 and 4 Jan

January 3rd was a chance to journal that one memory of Christmas that hasn't yet been told. We had a very quiet one with little remarkable to mark it out from others! The only different thing I can think of is that we have had a different sort of tree and apart from not smelling, it has been the best one we have ever had in 20+ years!

January 4th and it's list time again. This time a list of things to remember for next Christmas. I looked back in last year's journal and I had remembered to do most of those things this year and by some fluke this yearI was all organised with no major mess-ups! It really has been a most laid back festive season for some reason!

JYC 31 and 1st Jan

These entries are definately getting plainer as I rush on with them! I hope I don't look back in years to come and think I sold out! New Year's Eve is where we are now and this year, for a change, we went out! My friend Alison invited us over. She has a daughter the same age as Jasper and Eliza and a cutey pie son who is just 6 months old. We had a fabby time with lots of silly games and didn't get to bed til 2.30!

New Year's Day and those resolutions again! I re-visited last years and was quite chuffed to see I had achieved several of them! I set some realistic ones for this year too....I hope!

2nd January was meant to be about the innocence of Christmas but I had nothing to say about that. Instead I chose to reflect on our 2011 which has been difficult at times. A plain page as I wanted it to be calm and peaceful bearing in mind the content of my entry.

So nearly there, last push to the end now!

Day 29 and 30

Day 29 was a chance to document that tale of this Christmas that hasn't yet been told! I think I mentioned that Katy is doing GCSE Photography this year so on the day we did the tree she set up the camera in the corner of the room to get some shots for a multiplicity picture. This, she informs me, is where you edit a picture so you can get lots of things all in it together. So here we all are decorating our tree with two images of Jess, two of Jasper, my arm, Eliza and Ken putting the star on top! Love this image but unfortunately the printer is being a bit rubbish. Still, it's in and done!

Day 30 and a review of 2011 in brief. I trawled my photos of the year to find an event for each month.

Jan-we went to the Ballet in London; Feb-I flew to Edinburgh with Jess to visit a Uni there; March-Katy and her Explorere Scout team won the Overland Hike; April-Jess was 18; May-we went to Norfolk to see my brother in law and sister in law, a very sad picture because she sadly died just a few weeks later; June-Jasper and the Scouts took part in their Annual soap box derby; July-Jasper went on Scout camp for a whole week.....he was shattered when he came home!; Aug-I had my first ever quilting class; Sept- Jess went off to Uni; Oct-we went to THe Big Gig with the Guides; Nov-I found a HUGE clutch of 24 eggs in my garden! and Dec-Katy was 16. Wow what a year we have had, some huge changes and our fair share of tears this year too.

JYC Days 27 and 28

Day 27 was all about how we sleep differently over the festive period. I always think this is an odd one but when I look through my pictures there is nearly always a sleepy one in there somewhere! I really LOVE this Santa paper but this is the only piece of it I have used! It didn't seem to go with any previous pictures!

Day 28 was about those special things we only ever have at Christmas; those real treats. This year I chose Christmas cake and a small sherry, very christmassy and two things we don't have at any other time of year.