Hello my friends. Sorry I was missing last week – Marian’s hubby asked me if I would be prepared to drive down to Cheltenham and pick up his mum for the funeral. It wasn’t a hardship! I enjoy driving – so went down Tuesday and back Wednesday ready for the funeral on Thursday – a huge affair, very emotional, folk came from all over the world, the service was beautiful and it was precious to catch up with friends – some of whom I hadn’t seen for nearly 20 years. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

But here I am today to tell you that Mrs Bun the Baker’s wife didn’t win the best dressed duck – and didn’t win the race either… oh well – try again another time. But we did raise well over £100 by sponsoring her within the church.

The window people have been, done their stuff, and gone. The ceiling is re-plastered where they had to cut out – but not yet re-painted as I have discovered the wall is cream – and I only have white paint!! However…

ta-da!!…

Today, for the first time since the window was put in, I have spent all day having a card-fest. It has been really dull here until this evening, and normally I would have been working with the ceiling lights and the daylight lamp fully on. Wahoo!! No need. That window lets in a glorious soft natural light right over the top of my workspace – brilliant! Well worth the money spent! Having to completely empty the space means I have had the opportunity to tidy and do a bit of sorting. So, what can we see…left to right – a little display area of things made or given to me, a clear area around the cutting mat and glass mat, a daylight lamp, mug of tea, two piles of cards, and my computer. Basically on the shelf are the same things as before – but tidier!! I even had time over the past week to hunt in my scraps box and sort! This means that I have made 12 cards today – and not cut into a single new piece of paper or card stock. Everything has come out of the lovely, neat, sorted, scraps. YAY! It also means I have made almost all the cards I need for the year, plus some Christmas cards. So I shall go to bed this evening feeling very chuffed with myself – just some for the hotel now!

So that’s me, folks – happily playing in my re-vamped space.

Take care everyone. I’ll do my best to visit over the next few days – I have an important church meeting Wednesday evening, and three Roman Blinds to make for friends. Never made them before, but they don’t look difficult on the internet!!!

God bless you.

Margaret

Hello my friends. Here we are again, peeking at one another’s desks – mine this week is exceedingly boring. It’s completely empty… and when I say Completely Empty…

Well, I did warn you! The reason being I’m having a velux window fitted just above my workspace. the roof this side of the house faces North East, so ideal light for crafting, and the guys want to come do it before the weather breaks – hope they are in time!

But, you know me. Can’t bear to be totally idle, and most definitely am certifiable… so, when a friend asked me last Thursday if I had ever dressed a duck… It appears the local hospice, for which we at church are extremely thankful, are running a duck race as part of their open day this coming Saturday. Local companies have been asked if they would like to buy a duck – with a prize for the best dressed!! There were the usual thoughts about orange sauce… but when I sat down and stared at this huge plastic duck (about 15 inches lond and nearly 12 inches high!), well, I decided it was most definitely female. What’s more, the company to be represented by this particular duck is Food For Thought Conwy – a fairtrade cake company established here in Llandudno on the Great Orme. So what was more appropriate than to make my duck into Mrs Bun the Baker’s wife – those of a similar age will remember her from the card game Happy Families!

So, here she is, ready to race. I’m hoping the owners of the company will lower her wings a little before they allow her in the river Conwy!

And, erm… yes, that IS a knitted cupcake on her head!

So that’s me this week folks. Hope I have brightened your day with hilarity. The men in white coats will most definitely be around as soon as this goes live…

Thank you to everyone who visited and left comments last week – and for your sympathy and prayers following Marian’s death. I appreciated them. They mean a lot. I think I managed to visit everyone last week – and leave comments for everyone except Kathryn. I hope I have now realised how to visit and comment.

Take care everyone. God bless.

Margaret

Hello my friends. I really want to apologise for hardly visiting anyone last week. Life took a turn I both was, and wasn’t expecting – and I found myself rather thrown! Those of you who came to the crop last year will remember Marian who popped in at lunchtime to thank you all for your generosity. She has been one of my greatest friends since I first met her in the early 1990s. When John died she was the one who came with me to register his death, and came with me to a craft show – completely out of her comfort zone! In March this year she was diagnosed with cancer and within a month was told it had spread too far for any treatment. She knew she was facing the end of her life on earth. I have never seen anyone face death with such quiet certainty and with such hope of Life Eternal in Jesus – it was beautiful to behold. Last Wednesday as I prepared to come visiting I learned she had significantly deteriorated that day. Whilst on the Welsh Highland Railway on Thursday I received the word that she had gone as an inpatient to the local hospice – how fortunate we are here to have this facility right on our doorstep. On Friday evening I learned she had died. You can probably imagine the sadness in church on Sunday – we completely re-wrote the service, allowing people to weep, to ask their questions, to give glory to God as we spoke of Marian and her life. An amazing time with God!! So it all meant I simply didn’t find the energy, or actually much time, to come visiting – sorry.

I have hardly touched my desk all week – I’m sure the heat hasn’t helped, as my house hasn’t dropped below 23 degrees in over a week now – day or night! However – here is the said desk:

Almost the only difference is the fact that I have taken the photo from the other end! But – I have finished the wedding card and a couple of other cards today – so not completely unused! Piles of paper and card, some ready cut images Shaz Silverwolf gave me – still going through them, Shaz! – box of sticky risers – or whatever their name really is – glues, DST, fairly dead baby wipe, peel-offs, scissors, etc. An empty cutting mat means the three cards are finished, and behind the corner cutter is hiding a list of cards I must make before I go away in August. Seemingly most of my family and friends have birthdays or anniversaries in the next two months!

So, if you can bear to peek at a few more images…

The completed wedding card – Brambly Hedge stamped images, heat embossed then water-coloured and diecut. Used the matching CD to print off the banner and the backing papers, then cut loads of leafy swirls. A bit of silver ribbon, lettering and – voila – an easel card.

I have received three more ATCs – and they are lovely. Thank you so much to Christine:

To Kelly:

And to Nikki C:

PLEASE – if anyone has sent me an ATC this year and not received one in return…. let me know! Don’t sit there and think “what an old meanie” – It hasn’t been done on purpose!!!

So last Thursday , on the hottest day of the year, I headed off on the Welsh Highland Railway with two lovely friends. The trains takes two hours to travel from Caernarfon down through the mountains to Porthmadog – yes, the Porthmadog which has consistently been the hottest place in the UK! Fortunately, because we all had to get back, we only had half an hour there in that lovely little Welsh town. But never fear, I’ll do the run again and stay longer! Oh the blessing of a resident’s pass which means I travel for only a third of the regular cost! The day was glorious – and the views spectacular. Cloudless deep blue skies meant we saw all the tops. Wonderful!

Snowdon:

At three and a half thousand feet – the highest peak in Wales – showing off its beauty!

The river estuary at Porthmadog – even got the horizon line fairly level!!

Our gallant little engine which was singing the children’s song, “I can do it” up the pull and then all down hill from just before Beddgelert, and then did the opposite journey in reverse!

My childhood holidays were taken on the North Wales coast so my mum could visit her family. Coach trips out invariably took us past this mountain – famous because of its shape… Any guesses?

Yes, elephant mountain! It was such a beautiful day, a good time with friends catching up as they prepare to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary, glorious views everywhere we looked, sun, friendship, meeting strangers on the train. Brilliant.

So that’s it folks. That has been my week. A complete mix of emotions, as you can guess, but as a Christian, I know that Marian is now safe in God’s arms – free from cancer, pain and suffering. I praise Him for that fact!

Take care. God bless you.

Margaret