Retirement!

Hello there! Long time no see. I have been a little remiss over the last year. Busy working, enjoying the job but getting more and more tired as the year went on. Loving my job though. Difficult situation. What to do for the best. Well, a year of deliberating and suddenly it was Christmas and I had retired! I was told by my retired friends that I would love retirement. By my working friends, what will you do all day! Nearly three months on I have news for my working friends, I absolutely love being retirement. I have time to catch up with friends, do home cooking and breathe! I have also discovered the Joy of going to Cinema Matinee as well!

Easter Swop

A little while ago my Blogger friend and actual friend Joy, arranged for a Swop amongst her Blogging friends. I was lucky enough to be picked and also extremely lucky to be twinned with Ellie.
I do not know Ellie, only a few of her interests. Ellie does not know me either, obviously, but knows of some of my interests.
We planned our parcels and in due course sent them of to the Post Office.
(Mine was late going. Mainly because of work commitments and being disorganised!)

Opening Day was yesterday and WOW!

The pictures on this blog are all from Ellie's parcel.

The eagle eyed among you will notice that the bag of Galaxy Caramel Eggs is empty. I assure you it was full when it arrived, Ellie did not send me an empty packet!

I have a notebook and colouring pens. Chocolate. Seeds. Cake cases, gorgeous quartz earrings. The most stunning felt embroidered egg. I believe Ellie makes the felt herself. Amazing and beautiful. Very pretty fabric and pale chiffon ribbon wrapped the parcel.

So many things I would go on for pages so will leave you with the photos and go and eat the rest of the chocolate! Apologies for missing out one of the gifts. A tiny pair of ceramic bunnies. Very Sweet.

I am very fortunate to have drawn you Ellie. Thank you so much joy and Ellie. I am not a gardener but I will be planting the seeds and crossing my fingers!

New to Jean

I have been crafting now for around 50 years. Good heavens, if I think too much about that sentence I will feel very old!

Anyway, I digress.
A very good friend told me about Somerset Patchwork when we met up recently to celebrate our birthdays. We came back to my house and whilst the men were watching football we sat at my work table and as usual some of my machine patchwork was there waiting to be finished. It was then that Penny told me about a type of patchwork I had not come across.

So, Penny, this one is for you. I have not decided how I will make it into a gift yet. The embroidery frame is 7" and the backing fabric is 8" square so not big enough for a cushion!

I have thoroughly enjoyed the hand folding and stitching, so everyone is a winner!

All our Yesterdays

Today my little Granddaughter, Alice starts school. Would someone please tell me where did the last 5 years go?
She is adorable and I love her to bits of course. She now has a sister and a baby brother and is such a caring big sister. I am a very lucky Granny Apple.
Last night my daughter asked me for a picture of her aged 5. So I set to and came up with my daughter through the ages! She was very special too.

Little Scruff for Samuel

This little man is for my new little man. Samuel was born in August of last year and of course I had to buy a miniature bear from the lovely Jean Grogan.
I have her bears for his sisters so it is only fair. I also have two more in case my son wants to settle down and have children, but he can only have two as that is how many bears I have for him!

Anyway, Samuel's bear is just gorgeous, of course, and I wanted a vintage tin for him. This tin is an old Clotted Cream tin I found on eBay. Just perfect in size and aged looking.

Did you ever go on holiday to Devon or Cornwall and send a tin of clotted cream home for Granny? Happy days. This tin is still shiny bright on the inside but has oxidised on the outside with a few tiny paint spots on it. I like to think that someone's Grandad thought it was a good tin for bits and bobs and popped it on a shelf in his shed. I don't think he ever used it though as there are no scratches.

Well that is my news for now, if I was clever I would put a link on to Jeans's site. However, if you are reading this Jean, please put one in for me!

Help - I Can't Remember

For around four years I made and sold jewellery at Craft Shows, online and to friends. I sold a coral glass and china bead necklace to a work colleague who is now a friend.

A few months ago this friend handed me a bag of beads and told me her granddaughter had had an accident with it and would I please mend it for her. No Problem Sue.

Came home with the bag of beads and looked in the bag and closed it again. Oh My, I had no recollection whatsoever. . . . . Perhaps my bead friend had made it and Sue saw it at a Craft Fair. Nope!

Tonight I have settled down with the beads and this is the design I have come up with, but I have a feeling it was a-symmetrical design, maybe? I hope Sue likes the new way. ( I have a few beads leftover, bit like a flat pack kit I suppose)

15 Minutes a Day

Some of you know I have family abroad! I may have droned on about it occasionally! Can you imagine how many pictures I have on the computer, two computers actually. Plus hard copies.

The first baby was born in 2007, the second 2009 and the third was born in 2012. All gorgeous children, of course, and happy and healthy, thank God.

So, I have decided to sort out the pictures, keep the best and make albums. Proper, old fashioned photograph albums.

I read somewhere that a lot can be achieved in 15 mins a day. This is true with washing dishes, ironing and tidying up. So, will it work with photos?

I will show you how I am getting along next week!

Old Pyjamas!

I wear pyjamas! Usually Marks and Spencer's. I hate to throw them out so usually keep them for just in case. (Not sure when I would ever need threadbare p.j.'s with the elastic missing. . . ) anyway, I digress.
I found a post on the Internet by, I think, Flossie Cupcakes for these sleeping bags and used up some of my collection. For some reason I always buy Pink, other colours seem wrong......Bye for now.

Work!

Well, that is it, holiday over. Now back to work. The new switchboard decided to malfunction today so not an easy day for my colleague and I. But, at least I have a new coffee mug for work. I like to see the good in most things!

Bye Bye Christmas

The last of the mince pies, with my home made brandy butter. Saved for my lovely husband who had to work today even though he has raging toothache (probably abscess)
Our tree is coming down tomorrow, won't take long!

My newest venture

For a while now I have not been making jewellery. A few people have asked about my Christmas Tree Decorations, but not enough to make me wish I was still making them!
I am now into simple patchwork. Not the English kind, but the the American machine made. I am thoroughly enjoying it and this is the result of some of my leftovers. They come from a single size bed quilt made for Lucy, my middle grandchild. She loved the quilt and the dolly and sleeping bag. (I did not make Dolly)
My next project is to start English hexagon patchwork.
I will show you soon!

Christmas Day

Verification thingie!

Hi! Joy asked me about. verification thingie, I did not know I had one. Sorry. So, do not know how to get rid of it. . . .
Anyway, here is something we found when having a clear out. I only just rescued it from the bin in time. My husband is not sentimental. He was going to throw out this hand painted gift which celebrates his Christening, but seems to be attached in a very odd way to a complete garage full of tatt!
That's all for today folks. If you know how to remedy the above can you let me know!

Merry Christmas

Hello one and all, if you are reading this, THANKYOU for keeping me on your list of blogs. Since I had my iPad for Christmas 2011 I have not been able to work out how to blog with a photo. (Some people should not be allowed to have new techi stuff!!)
I really love it.
Lots of things have happened this year. The biggest event, my new grandson, Samuel, arrived on 3 August. Of course I think he is gorgeous, I met him in November and had a fab time with him and his two beautiful sisters
Enough for now, if this works I will be back soon!

New Banner!

What do you think of my new banner!! Big and bold eh?

Packaging

When I receive a package from a fellow crafter I know I will always be happy with the presentation. As Crafters we know that the 1st impression counts almost as much as the quality of our work.
Just look at the packaging from Linentree. Especially the tag. Amazing. The little purse inside, which you can see if you click on the link, is going to be fabulous too.
I first found her whilst browsing the site that banned one of my items and led to me throwing my toys out of the pram and leaving the site completely!!!I bought some Christmas Gifts tags and was so delighted. Have a look and you will share my admiration.
I will get back to crafting again soon, but until then I am enjoying supporting others.

I have an iPad2

No, I am not boasting. Just saying, my lovely husband bought me one for Christmas. Fantastic. More than I could have ever dreamt of. To explain:

My lovely husband is quite unpredictable when it comes to gifts. One year I had a feather duster. Another year a stainless steel pedal bin. Useful, but not romantic. On the other hand, I admire a bracelet in a shop window in June one year, he offered to buy it for me, but I said it was too expensive. That Christmas he quietly presented it to me after all of our guests had gone home.

That is why we are still together after almost 43 years of marriage.

Anyway, I digress into soppyness:))

Just to say, I have not worked out yet how to place pictures usingmy iPad. I will be working hard to learn!!!!

Happy New Year.

Calling *Busy Little Chicken* and *Missy*

Hello Girls!
I am sorry to have to get your attention this way but I am embarrassed to say I do not know your real names! I tried to contact you through blogging but apparently the account I have that is enabling me to blog is out of date and I have to register again!! Never mind!

If you really want a Father Christmas then I am very very happy to list one each for you, but if you were being kind then please do not feel obliged.

Jean x x

Angels at Dawn

As many of you know I left Folksy on principal. Mainly because they were bullying some of my online friends and taking away their revenue and secondly because they barred me from selling my angel charms.
I joined Support Hand Made and the girls on there gave me the ooomph I needed to reopen my Artfire Shop and get back in the groove.
This morning I was trolling around Folksy ( love some of the sellers on there ) and found 'my angels' but in a garish 'gold metal'
Cross and then fed up.
But, I decided to take my angels out of their box and start listing them on Artfire. I even found a mushy and sentimental edging for the image!
The keyrings were popular last year and so maybe I will not be too late for this year.
Apparently this weekend is going to be the busiest shopping day of the year as we will have all been paid for the last time before Christmas.
If you have some pennies to spend and want free shipping then pop along and look at my little angel, her name is Ruby.

HoHoHo!

Here he is. First one hot off the mat!
I shall be improving him tomorrow, or maybe he is perfect, only time will tell.
I shall be selling him on http://talkingbeads.artfire.com
Wish me luck x