Crafting but no show and tell

I have been crafting - but just can't post any photos as they have all be for presents or for a design team I belong to.

Here are some sneak peeks - which seem to be all the 'rage' lately.

Some paint and inking going on here

A bit more going on here too - perhaps some texture?

Hmmm what can this be?

Peace

I've had a wonderfully busy weekend and little time to sit still - bit I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Sadly the weather kept us indoors most of the time, but there are lots of things to do indoors isn't there.

After a big Sunday lunch, I needed a little bit of time to recharge my batteries, and so did my grandson Luke. 

It was Luke's idea - ice cream smothered in chocolate sauce!

Us grown ups had the less messy version of a choc ice.

Who cares that it is sleeting outside - it's summery warm in here!

Spring cleaning at the palace - and eight eggs in total this year

dAfter the past few weeks of snow, rain, mist, fog, frost, ice, and a repeat performance of the list - Peckinghan Palace was looking a bit dingy, so I decided to give it a spring clean

The money I invested in the palace was well spent.

I slid off the roof, lifted out the back, and took off the egg hatch door.

The outdoor tap was still frozen so it was the old fashioned method I used.

A bucket of warm water with some disinfectant in it.

I emptied the 'litter' trays.

I gave all the surfaces a quick scrub and wiped them dry.

I sprinkled Stalosan on top of the Hemcore - I have been using it for years.  It is a powdered form of disinfectant, anti-bacterial, etc and it also keeps the palace smelling fresh and clean.

I also use it in the nest box area where they lay their eggs.  Scrabble tends to sleep in there at night.  The reason for the green seed tray, is for Daisy's benefit.  She tends to take over the whole nest box when laying an egg - or just contemplating it and gets very grouchy if anyone wants to share.  But having a separate tray for her - has solved the problem.

I probably should have posted these photos in a different order - this is just to show you how easy the trays slide out for emptying.

The plastic roosting bars seem almost non-stick - and only needed a quick wipe over both sides - no risk of red mite in this Peckingham Palace that's for sure

There we go - in less than an hour it looks like new again - the back top panel is just drying off

Meanwhile

The girls were keeping a close eye on the spring clean and having quite a cluck about it

Daisy being the top and very chic chick decided to do a bit of casual preening, trying to act all nochanlant  - but taking a keen interest in what I was doing

Teeny Poppy did a running commentary on the process - but Snowy got rather bored and went off to do some serious insect searching

Poppy decided to chat to Gozzie instead - who actually paid some attention to her - she is too polite to do otherwise

Daisy was in chicken heaven having discovered a nest of insects by the strawberry pots

Twiggy was checking out my efforts in the run and deciding whether to help me spread out the hemcore

Having been a show girl she decided it might mess up her pedicure so had a little snack instead!  Which I thought was priceless considering how she had spent the morning digging over the flower beds chomping at worms

Snowy and Poppy were deeply engrossed in their search for insects, and judging by the excited squawks coming from them - they were having great success

Twiggy has finished her snack and can't decide what to do next

Scrabble is looking like she had a late night - but she is getting old and it will soon be time to go in to roost

Hmm - she's twisting her foot - I will have to keep an eye on her.  She is prone to 'leg' trouble at her age, but it might just be what she is doing today - she always makes funny stances - often standing on one leg like a stork - especially if the ground is cold and wet - but she can stay in the nice warm run if she wants too!

She's OK now!   Well I can't be standing here any longer

But they are so fascinating!  Always up to mischief and fun.

I am getting cold - so off to tidy the things away - I will be back out again soon when they go in to roost

I stamped some pre-printed paper

I cut up lots of sheets of plain paper

I printed out one of my favourite images onto material and mounted it on colour co-ordinating backing paper

I assembled all the sheets of paper, the back and front covers added the friend embellisment and popped it in to post to a very kind friend.

True Friend

I have done some crafting but can't really post it on here yet.

Well here is a sneak peek just to prove I have done something

But I have been very busy on my other blog if you want to take a look HERE

Revealed - The triplets names

Thank you for your suggestions for names for my new Modern Game birds.............

May I present to you Zola on the left and Lola on the right.

I love the rationale behind your choices.

Zola - after Zola Budd - the South African Olympic runner.

and

Lola - "She was a show girl"  as these were show girls.

Meet 'Twiggy'  - a great suggestion.

"Legs like thin twigs like the model"

L-R

Twiggy, Zola (more sandy feathers over her head, neck, and back) and Lola who is slightly lighter

My modern flower arrangement

I went on a workshop Friday afternoon, and made a modern flower arrangement

As you can see it is large semi circle which I made using three Oasis foam blocks glued together, then cut up to shape.

The other ladies were lucky as they had seen the arrangment before, but I had no idea of what it would like like. 

Since I took the above photo I have finished filling in all the gaps with roses and foliage

I had to collect 100+ leaves all the same.  Everyone except me brought ivy leaves to cover the sides.

Silly me picked bay leaves from my tree, and took a great deal of time trying to get them a uniform shape and size.  Instead of just placing the leaves on at random - as you can with ivy, those being all different shapes and much bigger too - I decided that the bay leaves would look nicer following the line of the semi cirle, and made a 'fan' shape.  Patrick says that it reminds him of Roman 'things'. (They were made out of laurel though, but I didn't tell him)  I had both sides to do and each one is pinned into shape, and I used more thatn 100 leaves - and I was the slowest!  Why do I make things hard for myself?  It just comes naturally he he.

The next bit usually makes people gasp when you do it.

To fill the middle of the 'sandwich' I used roses - just the tops -

so the long stems were snipped right off!

It is infilled with tips of yellow conifer and pittosporum

With carnations, dried pink berries

and creamy pearl beads.

The flowers and rosebuds are all opening up in the warmth of the room making a really striking display.  And oh those bay leaves - they do smell wonderful.

It was quite a challenge doing a 'modern' arrangement, and I was surprised that I had the patience to pin every single leaf symmetrically - not like me at all!