Walking in my winter wonderland

Just thought you might like to join me in my own winter wonderland garden - its too deep and dangerous to walk around the village as yesterday's snow froze underneath today's and its really slippery.

Views of the back garden

Virgin snow - love it!

Like a postcard

It is so deep it comes almost to the top of the walls

Even the squirrel is iced like a cake.

You can't see in this photo, but the Robinta looks wonderful with red tipped leaves poking through the snow

The netting over the chicken pen is draped with the weight of the snow and looks like a Sultans tent.

My own Swiss Chalet - aka my studio

Lunch al fresco anyone?

An outdoor Christmas tree

Icicles

 are twiceicles

as niceicles

When you have them in your garden.  This one is really long and right above the front entrance to my studio where I go in and out.  I hope it doesn't pierce my heart when I go out there this afternoon

 

I live in a modest little bungalow with a modest garden

But do you know what?

I couldn't be happier

And wouldn't wish to live anywhere else in the whole wide world.

Patrick has to go to Great Yarmouth this afternoon to compete in a bowls tournament - with his team.   It's madness - but the roads are clear on the coast - no snow at all.   I'll not be content until he is back home safely this evening - at least he is going with other men.

Whilst he is out, I will not be cocooned snuggled up in the warm.  I have things to make in my studio - and something to finish off which I started yesterday afternoon

Keep safe and warm

More blog candy at Artistic Stamper

The stamp set on Artistic Stamper is just brilliant - and Jennie is offering it as candy on her blog!

Craft Stamper giveaway

Craft Stamper magazine are having a blog giveaway

I am hoping to win these!

The proud owner of the only phone like this in the world!

I recently  bought myself a mobile phone and it is brilliant - and has made a huge different to my life

A lovely friend sent me some alcohol inks so I decided to have a play

I added some silver, and lots of blending solution

At least I know that there will never, ever be another like it!

I've had the time of my life - without the dancing!

Phew what a great time I have had - spreading my birthday out for as long as I can!
Monday we went to my oldest son - and was surprised with the most fantastic meal - he is a great cook - and it was great to all be together to celebrate.  Sadly my younger sons girlfriend was too ill to come - she has been struck with swine flu.  Get better soon 'M'.

I have more lovely pressies, and Haruko made me a gorgeous rich chocolate cake - with candles - and 60 on it too.  And they sang 'Happy Birthday' and I got to blow out the candles.  This is the first time in my entire life that I have had a birthday cake, and now I know how good it feels - brilliant!   (A bir ironic as I used to make cakes for everyone - birthdays, weddings, etc you name it I made one!)

Yesterday I went to Olney to LB Crafts for a workshop - Mixed Media Jewellery inspired by Tim Holtz

We made three pendants.

This is the reverse of the first one.  Inside is a square of card, coloured and stamped and sprayed with copper shimmer.

This is the front using the same method, but it's hard to see the shimmer spray.  It started off as a little silver frame, (which I coloured with alcohol inks,)  into which we sandwiched a piece of card (which we stamped and inked) with two pieces of glass.  Then finished it off with the clock parts, and the metal 'roof'. 

Now that I have mine home, I think I will replace the stamped image with something different - its nice to experiment.  All the pieces turned out differently on the course - and it was lovely to see the different colours and interpretations.

For this next pendant we all had a copper 1 inch frame.  A piece of copper, a mould, and a piece of copper wire.  The finished pendant was achieved by moulding the piece of copper, cutting it out, staining it if you wanted too - which I did, and I gave it a spritz of gold glimmer spray - all these glitzy things are hard to photograph sadly.  I am going to finish this off by sealing it with Diamond Glaze and perhaps adding a little jewel.

I am really rather proud of this last piece.

I decided to totally go 'wild' and change the colouring of it.   I used rust, copper, blue, and a few other colours to make it something that will go with any outfit - and it looked great with what I was wearing on the day.  Rich and wintery and warm.

I am 'hungry' to make more of these with different photos or images, and colours.  I am going to use alcohol inks to colour the little gold adornments I made either side - to tone in with the over all 'rustic' and old look, and the green beads I will alter with alcohol inks too to make them look a amethyst colour perhaps with some copper.

This looks so much better in natural light and in one's hand and it really catches the light with the alcohol inks.

It is finished off with disc and key. 

I have bought some more frames, essential bits to construct more of these, but the discs, and keys, and the 'clock works' all come in separate packs containing far more that I need and cost a fortune, so I will have to improvise somehow - which adds to the fun.

We arrived home last night - tired but happy - and thank you to all those on the course with me, I had such a wonderful time.

Stamp Man Christmas Giveaway

The Stamp Man is having a great Christmas giveaway - click here to join in

Birthday cards and pressies from internet friends

Here are some quick photos of the gorgeous cards and presents I received yesterday.   I wanted to scan them in individually, but its manic here, so I just can't fit the time in.

I took these last night so they are not as bright as they are in daylight.

Aren't they fabulous - I am still on a 'high'

These are a bit better to see

 I just find it amazing that all these people spent so much time making these just for me - and I haven't even met most of them - I am truly humbled - but with a huge grin on my face.  I am taking them all with me when I visit my sons on Monday - I know they will be amazed!

Ok I know that the one in the middle is a Christmas card and the one on the end is a Thankyou card, but they all came on my birthday (or maybe before because Patrick was hording them) and they have all be made just for me.   The one of the left is a photograph (by a famous artist where my friend lives) mounted inside the card.  I first met her on a 'chicken' forum and we have been friends ever since and we meet up when they visit Norfolk.  I would love to meet up with all my other internet friends all living in far flung places.

The 60 card is from the owner of the Time For Crafting Forum which I am a proud member of, and I just had to include the picture that Luke sent me - he is 4 on 23rd December and getting very good at drawing.  Haruko wanted him to use other colours but he was most insistent that he wanted these - red and green - very Christmassey I thought.

With all this inspiration, I will have absolutely no excuse now to avoid making cards.  And I now have a great reason - lots of like minded friends to send them too.   Next week I am going to make time to make myself a birthday book - and I want lots of names and dates to put in it.  I shall put lots of pages in it too - ever the optimist - with the intention that my internet list of friends will grow and grow.

Must dash - so much to cram into the next five days!