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Friday 30 April 2021

Blog Along with Effy - Post Thirty

 

This was April 29th 2009, in our apartment in Abu Dhabi.


If you have been reading some of my April posts you will know that when I saw
Effy's Blog Along, I thought I would share some 'diary' posts, along with some of the crafty things that I have been doing. I have enjoyed the trips down memory lane!

This is my 30th Post on April 30th - if you are interested in my 'starting points' for each of the days of April, I have listed them below.

I am sure another April would have produced a totally different set of ideas. Because of lockdowns and restrictions, my Facebook page has rarely had something new on it. It has usually been memories!

A case in point - yesterday threw up scenes of our yoga class in Abu Dhabi , 12 years ago.  


At the time we were living in a large 'Arabic' style apartment with a huge living area. If we put back the furniture there was space for lots of yoga mats. I think the record was 17. My friend Deepika used to come and give the lessons. 


After one session, she decided to write a limerick about me:
A playful lady named Sue
Yoga she decided to do.
Postures and poses
Are no bed of roses
But crocodile is perfect for you.



I countered with: 

That famous young model named Deepika
Taught we ladies 'the exalted warrior'
With elegance we stretched...
No...don't hold your breath...
But still the crocodile is the favourite posture...


Not to be outdone Noreen added:

If in the future
Yoga you want to choose,
Join Deepika's workout
She holds it at Sue's.
The 'Sue' mini croc series,
Will set your body in full sway
You can depend on Deepika
To show you the way-
To make your joints stronger
To tuck in your tum
To do daring stretches
To learn mantras and hum
And then you will find
When you've finished the course
There's new shape to your body -
In your mind - a peace source.

We did have fun! And certainly it really helped my knees!

Funnily enough when we lived in India I never did any yoga. The next time my yoga mat came out of retirement was when we were back living in England. I joined a group that my sister in law went to. This was in the school that my Dad used to go to in Belper. It had been turned into an Adult Education Centre. I often wondered if he would remember it if he went back, whether he would be able to tell us what it had been like. He attended this school when he was evacuated from Derby in the war. His memories of those days faded as his Alzheimers became worse. At one time he would always be telling us of his days as a Radar Mechanic in the Navy. It is such a dreadful disease.

The things he could remember were the words to songs - another memory that popped up on Facebook this week. A video of Mum and Dad singing. They would sing every morning...

Changing the subject... I got up very early this morning to join in a Craft and Chat Zoom with my friends in the UK Stampers Network. Now that we are 9 hours different I find it hard to wake up early enough for the start but at least I can catch up a little! Today Mickey led a little workshop to make a window pop up card. I quite liked this and ended up making two! My first is blogged here

Then later I went and had lunch with the friends I mentioned yesterday. Lots of chat and lovely food! All in all a pretty good day!





Happy Crafting!


Day One - Copper Wire
Day Two - Family
Day Three - Birthday
Day Four - Spring Flowers
Day Five - Pets
Day Six - WOYWW
Day Seven - Pets again
Day Nine - Spirit Trees
Day Eleven - Grow Your Own
Day Twelve - Wanderlust Week 15
Day Thirteen - WOYWW 
Day Fourteen - Giant Lilies.
Day Fifteen - Doodles
Day Seventeen - My brother
Day Eighteen - Bat Appreciation Day
Day Nineteen - Colour and China
Day Twenty One - WOYWW 620
Day Twenty Two - Reading
Day Twenty Three - Theatre
Day Twenty Four - Breakfast
Day Twenty Five - Trees
Day Twenty Six - Boats
Day Twenty Seven - Craft Space
Day Twenty Eight - WOYWW 621
Day Twenty Nine - Clever Dexter










Color Dare Challenge #442

 

This is another make for the



Do pop over to the Color Dare Challenge and take a look at my teamies' makes!

This is today's colour scheme 


I have chosen to use all the colours plus white. My colours are the closest match I have.
The imagine sticker is actually the Sangria colour.


Recipe:
  1. White rectangular card blank.
  2. Layer of Stampin' Up paper in Sundance and white.
  3. The rectangle layered on white is a Hampton Art stamp embossed in Paprika and sprinkled with Brushos, then spritzed with water. This gives the Sapphire and Blue belle.
  4. Finally I added stickers in Wisteria and Blue Belle, and Sundance and Paprika. Imagine is Sangria. These stickers are from Memories Magenta Style.


Hope you will join the Color Dare Challenge...


Happy Crafting!



What are Friends For?


This morning I got up early to join my friends from UK Stampers Network in a
Zoom Craft and Chat meeting.

Mickey demonstrated how to make a little interactive plus aperture card.

I used this fun pre-coloured image from Hetty Clare
I printed it twice in two sizes.


This is a small white rectangular card blank from which I cut an aperture using a Nellie's Choice die from a Nellie's Multi frame Set.
The image is placed behind this inside the card and as you can see just part of it is showing.


I punched the same part of the image from the smaller print and placed it on the die cut to also add to the front.


The image inside was placed on a scored and folded platform so that as you open the card it moves a little.


Finally I added the sentiment - just printed from the computer, trimmed and with a little blue distress.


I will add this card to the Path of Positivity Challenge #90.




Happy Crafting!

Thursday 29 April 2021

Blog Along with Effy - Post Twenty Nine


I made this simple card just before writing this post - more details below...


If you have been reading some of my April posts you will know that when I saw
Effy's Blog Along I thought I would share some 'diary' posts, along with some of the crafty things I have been doing. 

About a year ago I made a series 4 cards featuring painter quotes and Clever Dexter - a Lizzy Love (from Oddball Art Co) Digital Stamp. He is the logo for the Clever Dexter Challenge  (By the way if you want to join in with the Clever Dexter Challenge, the current one #16 is Anything Goes and has just a couple of days to go...)




In January I decided to make an ATC using the same image and idea, having been given the Challenge to make a Gratitude ATC - what are you grateful for?

This is what I wrote on the original post:

The last months have been difficult for all of us what with Covid, restrictions, lockdowns...
On top of this I lost both my parents in the space of 3 months - in August and October. How often did I wish I could fly back to the UK in those months?
But I am in Australia and they were in the UK.
I am so grateful for the love and support of my family and friends during this tough time.
I am grateful for all the mail that I have received from them...
I have found that my craft room has been my lifeline - getting messy with paint.
I am so grateful that I have that outlet...

At the time, I remembered Maya Angelou's quote
'This is a wonderful day. I've never seen this one before.'


And decided this was the one to use!

Today I decided to make another set of Dexter plus Artist quote cards and this is the first:


I cut the easel on my Cricut, coloured Dexter with markers and cut him out. The 'painting' is part one of Carolyn Dube's Spark your Art images. The quote I just printed, scribbled around and cut out.

One of the things that all the lockdowns have caused, is that we are now out of the habit of just 'nipping out'. I have driven the car so seldom since we got it, almost a year ago, that every time I get into it I have to remind myself where the indicators are! It is an automatic and I have always been used to a manual - so I find myself wanting to change gear!

But I must start getting out and about - and on my own! So today I went for my hair cut - yes, this is a pretty big deal!



And tomorrow I am going to meet some friends for lunch...

See you then for Day 30!!


Happy Crafting!



Wednesday 28 April 2021

WOYWW #621 Blog Along with Effy - Post Twenty Eight

 

I took this picture last night. I had been working on the dining room table , cutting the pages of my 8 page journal creation (inspired by Niamh Baly), but the light went so I had to move into my craft room where I have a space with that excellent 'two bulbed' lamp.


If you have been reading some of my April posts you will know that when I saw
Effy's Blog Along I thought I would share some 'diary' posts, along with some of the crafty things I have been doing. To be honest I blog something most days (currently April posts =56, March = 60) but usually the posts just feature a crafty item. These 'Blog Along' posts and the 'What's on Your Work Desk Wednesday' posts tend to be more personal.

This is also my desk picture for WOYWW 621! As it is Wednesday again, I am linking to the Stamping Ground. I usually manage to comment on all the desks - but usually later on in the week! If you want to know what WOYWW is all about please follow the links.

WOYWW

I thought I would show you how far I have got with the Niamh Baly set. To start off though this is the journal I am using - it is a Strathmore - about 8 by 10 inches.


I decorated the cover with Scribbly tiles (from a workshop by Kate Crane). My yellow random lines turned out not to be so random!


My finger really hurts having done the cutting of 8 pages. Now I have to add words - I am still thinking about that. But this is how some of the pages worked:


I was delighted that the washi tape came off easily - it had been on for weeks!

Another of my 'desks':


I was attempting to repair a 50-something year old Womble that my daughter inherited, whilst watching television. Also continuing with my crochet...

We are about at the end of our first month at the market. We have at least broken even, selling some of my craft and upcycled items.


To help stock the stall we tend to trawl the charity and antique shops. And end up buying things WE need. Last week we picked up a fan heater (it is getting very cold these evenings!) and today a standard lamp which will be good next to my chair! I have now fixed the ribbon on the typewriter I picked up a couple of weeks ago - the intention is typing some word strips for my journal.


To finish, this is what we saw when we looked out of our window this morning...


The owners were having a bit of trouble with their boat! They did fix it eventually and went out in it!

Happy Crafting!



Addicted to Stamps and More #404 - Any Occasion

 



Here's my Any Occasion project...for Challenge #404 at Addicted to Stamps and More

I decided to make a Birthday card using a Mini Miura Fold which is the current theme for Mrs A's Butterfly Challenge  and I will link the card there.  I had intended entering the L for Lantern fold but somehow time got away with me. But I had made this type before and in this photo Sophie and I were having a bit of fun with it!


Mrs A gives instructions for the Mini Miura fold  here and the challenge has the following associated wheel. 


My base paper was Misty Moss and the Stampin' Up papers I used included all three colours.

I also used a washi tape on the belly band and across the front as decoration.

On the belly band I added a metal paper clip ornamented with a die cut butterfly.


Inside I added a kraft die cut with more paper and washi plus a silver Happy Birthday confetti.



 Hope you will enter the Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge! Do hop over to see the fabulous inspiration from my team-mates!




Happy Crafting!