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I hope you enjoy reading my posts, and please leave me a comment. I always enjoy reading them, and will try to visit you in return.

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You are welcome to copy any of my designs, as long as you do not take credit for them yourself. I am very happy for you to sell them. If I have used anyone else's design, I always try to give credit where it is due. If I have missed anything, please let me know and I will put things right.


This is intended to be mainly about my crafting stories, as a personal record of what I do. However, I interpret crafting quite widely, not just paper crafting but other things too. I have a butterfly mind and like to change from one thing to another depending on what I feel like on a given day - knitting, crochet, cross-stitch, cards, baking and several others, including my favourite right now, parchment, both traditional skills and Groovi, very relaxing and calming to do.

I have decided to put some structure into my blog so that each day will have something of a theme.
Monday- for Mindfulness; Tuesday - Tidy Up Day; Wednesday - What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday; Thursday - Technique and Tips; Friday - Finish Off Day; Saturday - Start Something New; Sunday - Anything Goes
These themes are not hard and fast and will be changed if I feel the need.

Saturday 1 November 2014

Where has this week gone?

This has been a frantic week from start to finish, but, at least, I do have something to show for it.  So I don't feel too bad about the vanishing of the time.

As many of you know, I have had some problems over this past year or so with getting the caravan nto a condition that I can manage.  Each one of those problems has been sorted with the help of Broad Lane Caravans.  I did manage to get away once this year with the dogs and the caravan and proved to myself that I could do it.  It was within my capabilities.  Then came the decision that, yes, I could do it, but, do I still want to do it?  That was the question.

I finally made the decision at the end of last week.  My life has changed so much in the past 18 months and I need to follow through with a totally different life style, which no longer includes the hard work of taking the caravan away.  So, it is on its way to the dealers, who will sell it on my behalf, saving me the hassle.  Apart from the money for the van itself, it also will save me the cost of insurance, servicing etc, which will pay for quite a decent holiday each year or even for the Clarity Retreat.

So this week was partly clearing the caravan out, removing everything personal and things I wanted to keep.  Needless to say, the house is now a wreck until all the things have been found a new home.  I have enough paracetamol and ibuprofen to stock a chemist and as I have reduced my intake of painkillers since starting with honey and cinnamon, they will last me a long time.

Thursday was still chaotic with a dental appointment in the morning and my first visit to a painting club.  I am not sure about it yet.  They were very friendly and welcoming but they were all into fine art which, at the moment, is definitely not my strong point.  They were all doing beautiful paintings on large canvases or sheets of watercolour paper, and looked at me as something of an oddity with my gelli plate, brayer and stencils.  How they would have coped with Sam Crowe, who is so brilliant with the gelli plate, but known for her talent along the grunge lines.  I think that might have been a step too far for these ladies at the moment.  I shall go back, but I think that next time I will take ink pads, stencils and stencil brushes as being less confrontational for them

Friday was busy too as I had booked myself into a crafting club down at Pink Tulip Creations at Studley in the morning.  That was more comfortable with lots of ladies, all at different levels, but very friendly and helpful, keen to show what they had mastered and what everyone else had done.   The class was led by Angela Crompton, an old friend, the mother of two of our competition swimmers from when we were so involved with the swimming club.   A couple of ladies took the projected design and did it their way, with lovely results.  As it was my first visit, I went with the original, but being too busy chatting, I realised after I got home that I had made the classic mistake and created an Australian card, ie I had mounted it upside down.  Oops!


The original design was all blue and white, but after I had destructed it at home, I decided to mount it on a larger card, as that pack was right next to me.  Also, one of the other ladies had added pink flowers with tiny pink pearls,which was so pretty, and I decided to follow her example and used one of the small flowers from the Clarity Florabundance stamp.  The first generation stamp was far too bright as it was a very juicy ink pads, so all the pink flowers are second, third and fourth generation.  I also used a stencil brush and Stormy Skies (again because it was next to me) around the edges.  I edged it with  a Reef Blue Promarker.  Then I brushed the base card with the same Stormy Skies to soften the stark whiteness.

By then, I was deep into playing so I painted the birds and the flowers with a blue Wink of Stella  and used the pink one for the flower centres.

I shall definitely be going back to this club again, which gives me another view to add to the workshops with Barbara Gray, Maria Simms and Sally-Ann Haines.  All good fun.

6 comments:

Helen said...

Sounds like you have had a very momentous week! I am sure the decision about the caravan will prove to be the right one for you. Love the card - and the best of luck with the painting club! xx

Dora said...

beautiful card, Maggie. I like the how you do the background. beautiful dies too.
Ooo...I think that you have think a lot before you put the caravan away for selling. that was a hard decision, I think.
also good to read that you are going to seek out for creative things, oh no...that feel not good with that painting group. maybe they can learn something from you with that gelliplate. hihi.
the second crafting group...nice that you have pleasure crafting!
wishing you a good weekend.
kind regards, Dora

Mrs A. said...

Your card club sounds like fun. Hope you feel more settled now that some important decisions have been resolved for you. Hugs Mrs A.

Theresa said...

you have been busy Maggie. i hope you get a good price for your van. take care xx

My name is Cindy said...

Hi Maggie, sounds like you have been very busy! I think though you probably made the right decision about the caravan, though it must have been a difficult decision. I like your rationalisation that the insurance will pay for the clarity retreat - nice one! I love the idea that you sat at your desk creating with the things you can reach - I often catch myself creating like that, being a tad lazy at times. Haven't had a chance to pop by lately but it sounds like you are keeping busy and making new friends - I know those arty ladies will appreciate tyhe beautiful work you do!! Look after yourself, Cindy xx

My name is Cindy said...

Hi Maggie, sounds like you have been very busy! I think though you probably made the right decision about the caravan, though it must have been a difficult decision. I like your rationalisation that the insurance will pay for the clarity retreat - nice one! I love the idea that you sat at your desk creating with the things you can reach - I often catch myself creating like that, being a tad lazy at times. Haven't had a chance to pop by lately but it sounds like you are keeping busy and making new friends - I know those arty ladies will appreciate tyhe beautiful work you do!! Look after yourself, Cindy xx