Stir crazy rainy day distraction

 I am going stir crazy - and just don't  know what to do with myself.

I can't read, can't do much crafting - as you have read, the wooden ATC took me days, I shouldn't really be on here - but I won't be long.

 

I thought I would distract myself sorting out my garden studio as it's been hammering down with rain all day.

 

I decamped to a tiny room indoors winter 2010 due to bad weather not much fun trudging up the garden in deep snow - although once inside it's cosy and warm and I have internet connection.

 

The builders commandeered it during the summer for all their materials whilst we had the garden room added.

 

Then this past winter we had lots of snow too - so apart from a bit of flower arranging it's been abandoned.

 I got distracted all right - just sitting looking out of the windows at the views - the chooks running around in the rain, and digging for worms and generally having hilarious fun

 I daydreamed of the summer, and the roses outside the window, the flower borders filled with colour

The gooseberries on the side of the garage getting lush and plump.

I opened some big boxes - which I found contained some of my eldest son's wedding photo's in Japan, and sat and daydreamed of their traditional Japanese wedding a temple, and the guests dressed in beautiful kimono's and the gentlemen in smart black suits and white shirts, and white gloves.

Haruko had the most beautiful white kimono and headress for the monk's ceremony and blessing, and my son was dressing in the tradition Japanese style too - looking very handsome.

Then Haruko changed for the wedding reception at a big hotel, and wore a stunning beautiful embroiderd silk kimono and the traditional headress that goes with.  

Then I pulled myself together after quite a while, and had finished looking at several other photo albums, and got tidying again.  Do you get side-tracked?

I did some tidying up - sorting out things to go - then putting them back in drawers 'just in case'

 I bet you can't spot the difference - but there is a lot, including packing up lots of oak floor boards and moving them!

Still - I do have some empty drawers now, and I have decided to move all my polymer clay 'equipment' in here - and maybe some of my stamping and painting, and gluing and inking.........

or not!!!

Well just the polymer clay stuff first, and the sewing machine, and perhaps I'll move my metal stuff and start playing with that in a few weeks time when my eyes are properly sorted and healed.

Best go back indoors - it's time for tea.

 

One eyed crafting

Apologies in advance for the dreadful  photos and any typing errors.

I have been trying to craft with the 'corrected' eye seeing only long distance, and the other eye not being able to see clearly more than a foot!

I ordered some crafty goodies from Happy Daze  the link is in my side bar too.  Amongst them were the set of 'Flapper' stamps and a chunky wooden ATC.  I think that I will enter this for the Happy Daze Challenge here

 

In real life it does look so much better and I am pleased with my efforts - but  you'll have to take my word on that!

 It's taken me quite a few days to accomplish with blurry vision.

The wooden block is the colour of pine, and it has a lovely grain, so I mainly left it as it was and just added a bit of white ink in the middle to stamp on.

 I used sepia ink for the image and swooshed a bit of water colour pencil around the edges of it.

 

Of course I had to pick the hardest colour combinations to photograph!  

Trust me!

 

I used a sepia water colour pencil to add extra colouring and shading to the images.

and a light coating of copper rub and buff to pick up the wood grain.

The idea was to create a faux perfume bottle.

 Crickey these photos are so bad which is such a shame as it looks pretty in real life and more like a bottle with the light catching the copper highlights and the wooden knob on the top shines like solid metal.

I really love this set of stamps and can't wait to see again so that I have really play with them.

It's been ages since I stamped - I really lost enthusiasm for it - but I have got it back now.

8 days until my next operation - and only 9 days until I'll have 20/20 vision in both eyes - yippee.

(But I'll still need reading glasses)