Hello my friends. So, here it is late Tuesday afternoon. My desk looking almost neat and tidy. At the top left are all the service sheets printed and folded in readiness for my Dad’s funeral on Monday. There’s a set of alphabet stamps, a baby wipe I’ve been using to wipe up distress inks, some printed photos, memento inks, an empty cutting mat, and a few bits and bobs. It’s tidy because I had just finished photographing the last of Mrs D’s cards, and put them ready for her, and photographing a commission of boxes and handbags which are also finished and need to travel with me at the weekend. I had made a lovely inky mess colouring the ATCs for Saturday, laid them on the floor to dry, cleaned up, and so had a gloriously empty desk. I had treated myself for my birthday to the die which made that rather cute triangle box. I just HAD to play with it…

The floor, as you can see, is another matter. I had actually put away the RUB containing the distress inks when I took this photo, AND two boxes of ribbons, AND tidied the waste bin into a sensible place. I had, however, also placed a box containing a tyre pump (birthday present from my daughters), an RUB with the boxes and handbags, the ice cream container of Mrs D’s cards, and a wallet of cards for the hotel, all near the top of the stairs to be taken down whenever I was going that way. You can see the four pieces of paper on which are all the little ATC backgrounds. You can see that I haven’t hovered yet – paper poo all over the carpet. You can also see the houseplants hanging their tongues out, gasping for water! Note to self – MUST do that…

So that’s my little space in the universe today. It’s only three more sleeps until the Crop – and I’m really looking forward to welcoming so many to the Homeland. Lunch is organised in my head and on paper, tables are already in the room, plus lovely comfy chairs – even organised for the heating to be on if we need it. Feeling jealous that you are not among those who are coming? There’s still room – just let me know in your comments… Mrs D has announced she is DEFINITELY coming as she is beginning to feel somewhat better. She has booked my spare bed for the weekend.

That’s it this week folks. Shorter than usual because I still have plenty to do. Thank you to those who have wished me a special birthday today – thanks Jan for the card! It has been a good day – a little retail therapy!

Take care folk. See you next week with photos of the crop. God bless.

Margaret

Good morning, my friends. I’m writing this at ridiculous o’clock because I woke up and thought it wasn’t worth going back to sleep… I reckon the plot has been well and truly lost here on the North wales coastline!!

However… my workdesk this morning… in all its messy glory…

Thought it best, really, to alter the angle yet again. Here you see a satisfactorily bulging ice cream box. Filled almost to completion with Mrs D’s cards. Only 8 more to go and I have completed the 90 she thinks she needs. The right shove pile is there at the front with the plastic box of dies used and STILL not put away. A piece of paper with an extra name to add to the harvest meal list for Sunday – I think that makes 60 we are cooking for – a good number. There’s the usual clutter of inks, brushes, glue, double sided tape, scissors, an image propped against the wall which I can’t decide yet (after two weeks) whether I will use or throw, a pile of pergamano magazines, an album I really want to finish but never get around to, a virginally empty cutting mat (apart from the folded paper destined for the waste bin). Further back are my glitter glues and perfect pearls, trays of peel offs,  a plastic RUB of cards for the hotel, gift boxes and handbags for a commission, and the left shove pile (which has been sorted and then re-filled!).

Peering into the ice cream box is a most satisfactory exercise now! here’s a few examples…

Still using up Mrs D’s ready cut images! Must admit I love that stamped sentiment.

Fancied a bit of a change, so cut out that lovely new die I found at the show, then thought… what to put behind it? I know, I know – the wrong way around… but then, this is me we are dealing with here, not you sensible, logical good folk…

When I started this exercise I stamped a whole heap of the specially bought image Mrs D had chosen. This is the last one to be used. You see it peeking in the back of the card.

So, that’s me this week folks. Still busy, looking forward to my birthday next week, eagerly anticipating the crop a week on Saturday and thinking through what to offer as lunch, hoping to finish the last of these cards today, and working out if I really need 8lbs weight of beef to feed 48 of the 60 people on Sunday!!!

Take care my friends. God bless you.

Margaret

Hello my friends. I do trust all is well with you. I really need to apologise to you all. Last week, I posted my blog, linked up with Julia, and an hour later had a phone call from my brother to say our Dad had died in the night. Could I go down to the Midlands so we could do all the arranging. I was on the road by 9am! We managed an incredible amount in a couple of days so I returned home – but was so exhausted I simply didn’t visit anyone of you and you were kind enough to visit me and leave comments… I’ll try to visit a few more this week!!

As you can imagine, my desk hasn’t seen a lot of activity in the past seven days – on Monday I managed one card for a 50th wedding anniversary, and on Tuesday made 9 Christmas cards. That’s it! Total sum of it all. I’ve been busy in other directions of course – sorting out the thanksgiving service for Dad, attending a craft show in Manchester with two friends, and receiving lots of encouraging messages from my daughters over the start of a new year at school. Eldest grandie starts A levels, youngest grandie starts Secondary school, and the other three fit in between – so a busy start of the year for both daughters.

So, my desk…

Still the same clutter – just from a slightly different angle! More little memento inks dotted around – I’d just used those tiny Majestix stamps with that mask which is sitting on the cutting mat to produce a Christmas card. The peel-offs are still there, the large stamp at the back, same coloured wax pots, brush, scissors, blade (oops – uncovered!), the bottom of my to-do list, perfect pearls and glitter glues. There’s a lovely Christmas paper pad under the empty stamp packets to the left. Needless to say, out of sight to the left AND the right, the shoved piles are growing; the plastic box of dies is getting fuller by the hour, and the heap of papers pulled out “just in case” is threatening to topple onto the floor. The waste bin is overflowing, there are two drawers of stamps heaped onto the floor instead of in their unit, and two boxes of ribbons await a tidy up session. Oh dear!!

So – what have I achieved? A 50th wedding anniversary card…

I found the Britannia die at the show – and fell in love! It is so beautiful and so dainty. Not huge – the card is 6×4 inches. Still nothing complex, I’m afraid – just a simple card which needed to get in the post rather rapidly.

So that’s me this week, folks. Busy – when am I not?; saddened by the untimely and sudden death of a dear friend which has left the church community here in shock; saddened by the death of my dad, but incredibly grateful to God for hearing our cry to take him home to Himself. Dad had become a Christian in his early teens, and was 96 when he died. He suffered from dementia, but had occasional flashes of recognition – and what a tribute – the death certificate stated he died of Old Age!!; looking forward to,and planning for, the crop in two and a half weeks. YAY!!

Take care my friends. God bless.

Margaret

Good morning my friends. Another week has flown past and here we are in September. Today (6th) is my younger daughter’s 20th wedding anniversary – goodness, where have all those years gone??? Yesterday was the first anniversary of John’s death – I simply cannot believe a whole year has gone by – a year in which I have done and gone through so many “firsts”. Not only the “first Christmas”, “first birthday”, but also the first time I bought a car – ever!; the first motor insurance in my own name – at 66; the first time I ever booked a B&B – to go to the crop. I know to you young folk that seems incredible – but there it is – John did these things. However… I did them – I’m getting brave – boldly going… etc!

So, my desk this week. Looks very similar to last week, doesn’t it? But, I assure you that isn’t through inactivity – no – the desk is piled even higher as I have been delving further into Mrs D’s Christmas box, hauling out (and piling up on my desk) bits I could maybe use… There’s her box of Christmas peel offs, her bags of potential toppers, pads and papers, images of the stamp she had planned to use, baby wipe, glue, my wax colours, and there at the front 2 cards drying off. I now have a neat pile of 55 cards for her and Mr D. I’m a bit chuffed!

Said cards a bit closer – the last two I have so far done, using the stamp Mrs D had chosen, some of her papers and toppers, but my “Noel” and flower dies.

I found this piece,embossed and green coloured, in the box, and thought it looked good – an embossing folder I love – so played. Cut it down a bit, added some more colour and the scroll-shaped sentiment, some border… and another of the 55. None of the cards I’ve made, are terribly complicated, I’m afraid!

So there you have me this week folks. Up to my eyes in Christmas cards, still working my way through all our CDs to see which are my taste, and rejoicing in the fact that Mrs D was released from hospital custody yesterday, and she and hubby went to their elder daughter’s home for her to recover a little before returning to the boat.

Only three weeks to the crop!! Oooo, I’m so looking forward to it!

I will hope to visit you all – but it may take a few days. Life here is complicated in various ways… but I’ll get there.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Margaret