Wednesday 30 November 2011

Reindeer Candle


It was craft class yesterday and I was looking forward to it as I knew in advance we would be doing candles.

I didn't feel all that great after a sleepless night and a thumping headache and I had the shakes when I was cutting. In hindsight I should have had some lucozade or a bit of chocolate, but it all seemed like a rush.

This is meant to be for a raffle prize for the Christmas fair tomorrow at school, but Marion says it's too good to give to them lol



We also made a reindeer card, the silver tag has Merry Christmas on it. I think I might give this to my parents.

She's off school today because of the strike, it's the first time her school has closed for strikes, but this time they're out. School was closed on Monday due to an underground electrical fault between the sub-station and school, they were in yesterday and off today!! I suppose we can't complain, this time last year they were off due to the snow.

I'm thinking about taking her out to get some winter boots, especially after yesterday coming home in gale force winds, rain and hailstones and being pitch black at 3.20pm. My feet were soaking, when I took my boots off the water just poured out. Thankfully it's nice today, chilly, but sunny.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Stuffed Robin Card


Too cute, but fun to stitch.

Monday 28 November 2011

Snowman Iris Christmas Card


I've never done iris folding before, but this week at craft class we made the beautiful star at the bottom left of the card. Once you get the hang of it, that particular fold is relatively easy. I love this card and it's the final one for Tracey's order.

Sunday 27 November 2011

By The Fire Place


I love this card, it's simple but very effective. It doesn't show up very well, but I added glitter to the hat and the penguin tummy.

The house still isn't completely tidy, but we went to a craft fair yesterday and didn't have as much time to do everything, but we do have some tinsel up and that's keeping her happy at the moment. Still plenty of time to get it all done.

Saturday 26 November 2011

It's a Cracker


I loved making this card. I thought it was going to be difficult, but I was proved wrong!!!

It's getting closer and closer to Christmas and I'm still struggling on what to get Mum. I have my Dads and this time it doesn't smell, as that's what I usually end up buying him. I have almost everything for my daughter, just need a couple of small things and some stocking fillers.

Stitching seems to have been forgotten, but I am still doing it. I've treated myself to a couple of things from Down Sunshine Lane, I needed some needles and a couple of Pine Mountain designs fell into my basket, as well as an LHN or Lizzie Kate - whatever it is, it's an advanced order one and I said I was happy to wait for the whole order to be sent together. Something to look forward to.

Friday 25 November 2011

Kitty Christmas


This is another card for Tracey, for her card order. I have 3 or 4 more to make and then I'm complete.


Look at this lovely card from Australia that I received today. The Australian flag hanging from the candy cane and the koala hugging it. The threads were inside the card.

As it's such a nice day today, not too cold, I'm going to pop out and buy a new pack of gutter hooks (my Dad packed up my Christmas boxes last year and I can't find anything now) and then I'm going to hang my new lights up and put the set round the tree. I didn't get caught out by the snow last year and I'm not going to this year either. My neighbours can moan all they like.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Model Castle


They've been learning about castles at school and had to do a picture, poster or model of a castle. She immediately ruled out the picture and poster and I groaned out loud and complained bitterly, but I didn't get my way.


This view shows the drawbridge and the windows.


An aerial view of the inside and so you can see all four walkways between the battlements. It also shows the picnic table and pond, I did make her a fountain but I broke it :(


I think she did a good job of the Scottish flag. I had no intention at 10pm last night in even trying to do a British flag and we are a Scottish family, so she decided on that.

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Design a Christmas Card


Something woke me up at 2am this morning, I looked around the house and looked out the windows to see if I could see anything, but it was nothing but fog out there. At 6am I was still trying to get back to sleep and by 7am I was ready for sleep.

My head has been fuzzy all day and all the running around I've had to do I'm ready for a long lie in.

She had to design a Christmas card. It had to uppy downy (portrait) on a4 card and couldn't be folded. I thinks she's done a good job. That's one bit of homework done, the next is a model of a castle as they've been learning about them for the last couple of weeks. I gave her a suggestion to make it easier on me, but I was shot down in flames - castles were not made of brick, they were made of stone. I've had to go out and find 2 different shades of grey paint (tester pots) and a proper decent sized box.

My Grandad must have passed the artistic gene through and it's come out in her, he was a brilliant artist and designer (he designed and built the runway in the Faroe Islands with his Squadron during WWII when he was stationed there).

Monday 21 November 2011

White Tree


This is ornament number two for the Ornament Challenge. I haven't made it up yet, this gave me loads of grief and the frog family had moved in by the time I'd finished it. Honestly it nearly went for a trip on the M1 motorway the way I felt about it.

I was half thinking of doing another and putting them together, but I'm not holding my breath on that at the moment.

Sunday 20 November 2011

Winter Houses Card


I like this one, it's a sort of victorian scene for Christmas.

Saturday 19 November 2011

Country Companions Christmas Cards


Another couple of cards for Tracey's Christmas Card order.


I added the glitter to them as they just seemed dull and lifeless to me, they just needed an extra boost.

Friday 18 November 2011

Peace on Earth Card


I haven't made these kinds of cards for a long time and just decided I wanted to do something different the other night. It took me two evenings to complete and then I put it together today.

Marion had a fantastic time at Disney on Ice last night with Brownies, she was so excited about going.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Bear Snow Globe


This teddy was so cute to do and fun to colour in and has been turned into a snow globe or shaker card. I want to keep it for myself, but it is part of a big Christmas order I've had from a friend.

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Poinsettia


I like the way this is a pot plant, rather than just a poinsettia on a card. It was hard work cutting out all those poinsettia's, but well worth it I believe.

She did well in her swimming lesson last night. Normally there is a girl there that expects to go first all the time and gets moody if she isn't and then she annoys the rest of them and they get fed up and stop concetrating. Thankfully she wasn't there and all of them just got on with it and worked hard.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Elliott Elephant


I think this would make an excellent card for a new baby. It could easily be framed afterwards and put onto the wall in the nursery.

Monday 14 November 2011

Christmas Cards


At craft class we make cards for each others birthday and Christmas will be no exception, so I think I'm going to do stitched initials for everyone as Janet has told them I make wonderful stitched cards. Plus it will be something different to what they will be used to.

I have already written and posted some Christmas cards this year, mainly because of a birthday group I'm in, but also because they were all going overseas and I didn't want a repeat of last year when we had the snow and no post moved for almost a month. I would like my cards to arrive in plenty of time for the festive season and there are only 40 more days until Christmas.

Sunday 13 November 2011

Meerkats


It's the craze at the moment for meerkats and stitching cards is no exception.

I am trying to really hard to stitch some ornaments, but I keep making them into cards for some reason (oh yeah because I'm lazy!!!)

Friday 11 November 2011

We Will Remember Them

For The Fallen

Laurence Binyon, 1914

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.



In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


We Shall Keep the Faith

by Moina Michael, November 1918
Moina Michael

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.

And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.

For those who have served and losts their lives in any war since the Great War, this is for you. This also remembers those who are out there serving our Country.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Bah Humbug


This morning my 9 year old daughter got out of the wrong side of the bed. All I did was say it was time to get up and boom straight into tantrum time. She was screaming at the top of her lungs that her hair was a mess, but she'd go to school like a scrufty tufty and other things were said in decibals only the man in the moon could hear.

I did her hair and that was wrong because - well I'm not really sure to be honest.

She couldn't find her shoes, even though she'd tripped over them twice and then went mad at me when I pointed them out. I was glad she was going to school because by 8.30am I had a banging headache.

I wouldn't take her to school in the car, so she frog marched all the way there. Actually it was quite funny, just very draining. She's still smarting from Sunday. I couldn't wait to get my homework out the way each week, so I didn't have to think about it.

Anyway I thought this design and finish was appropriate for the post. (Don't know if it would be classed as a finish for the ornament group, but I'll pop it on and Becky can always delete it).

Monday 7 November 2011

Eskimo


All day yesterday I was like a broken record "do your spellings". Of course it fell on deaf ears and at 8pm I told her I was writing a note to the teacher saying that she'd refused to do her spellings and if she made her stay in at playtime to do them that was fine by me.

Screams of "alright I will do them, please don't tell my teacher" could be heard as the heard of elephants - no sorry just my daughter - stormed upstairs. I have no idea what she was doing, but it certainly wasn't her spellings because more than an hour later she had written all of 2 letters for the first word. Seven boxes of 10 spellings just copying what the teacher had written. I could have had it done in 5 minutes, I loved spellings and spelling tests. She did do them in the end. It was just mentally draining for me.

Tonight I forced her to sit at the table and do one box of spellings and 5 minutes later she was upstairs in her room watching a DVD.

Saturday 5 November 2011

Guy Fawkes Night

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...


Guy Fawkes & the Gunpowder Plot
Words of "Remember Remember" refer to Guy Fawkes with origins in 17th century English history.
On the 5th November 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with several dozen barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was subsequently tried as a traitor with his co-conspirators for plotting against the government. He was tried by Judge Popham who came to London specifically for the trial from his country manor Littlecote House in Hungerford, Gloucestershire. Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrendous ever practised (hung ,drawn and quartered) which reflected the serious nature of the crime of treason.

The Tradition begins...
The following year in 1606 it became an annual custom for the King and Parliament to commission a sermon to commemorate the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot Sermons. This practice, together with the nursery rhyme, ensured that this crime would never be forgotten! Hence the words " Remember , remember the 5th of November" The poem is sometimes referred to as 'Please to remember the fifth of November'. It serves as a warning to each new generation that treason will never be forgotten.

In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man.

Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".