Tutting

Yesterday was a 'Girls Day', a day my friend and I spent crafting.  BetBet had decided we would try to learn how to Tat.  We had both fancied the idea of Tatting and she had bought the Tools of the Trade (a shuttle each) in readiness and we both had odd skeins of embroidery thread lying around waiting to be used for just such an occasion. 


 We watched a few tutorials on YouTube, then had a go. 
It was a lot harder than we had imagined.  One needed very nimble fingers and being women of a certain age, we found it painful to keep our fingers in the positions they needed to be in.  We decided that, maybe, we should have tried this many years ago.


However, we persevered for a while longer and finally I 'got it'.  Something clicked and I found my way of creating the stitch.  I couldn't hold the thread how one was supposed to, but through trial and error, had found a way that suited me.  It wasn't such good news for BetBet.  However hard she tried, her fingers would just NOT do what she wanted them to. It was very disheartening.


This is what I managed after a couple of hours ...

around three inches of raggedy, uneven stitches. 

This is what I managed after another hour or so, once it had 'clicked'...

I had something that was starting to resemble Tatting!

I love the way it automatically goes into circles.  I can see endless possibilities for this; jewellery especially.  However, I am not sure my fingers want to revisit Tatting any time soon, but my brain is telling me "Ooh, this is fabulous, lets have another go!"


After a tasty lunch, home-made crustless, spinach quiche if you're interested, BetBet showed me how to Macramé.  She had taught herself many years ago and had made pot hangers and the like.  I had always wanted to have a go, but could never quite understand the written instructions - no YouTube in those days!  I must say this was much, much gentler on the hands.  I took to it like a duck to water.

(hands courtesy of BetBet)


She also showed me how to add beads into the work.  I did take several pictures of my Macramé, but as we were using dark wool they have not come out very clearly.


We had a look a several YouTube tutorials for both Tatting and Macramé, which helped us enormously.  I have to sing YouTube's praises for Videos on how to do things. Fabulous invention if you ask me!


It's also fired up my imagination for all sorts of Macramé-d things.  I can't wait to have another go.  YouTube showed us lots of bracelet tutorials and I can see myself using  finer embroidery threads, rather than the traditional hemp, and small beads to create Christmas gifts.


We also looked at Needle Tatting, where the shuttle is replaced by a very, long needle.  It looks so much easier and more kind to one's hands. We are thinking of giving this a go.  Maybe on our next 'Girls Day'.


We were not alone in our crafting. 
 We had a very special guest...

meet Poppy, a neighbour's cat who seems to prefer BetBet's company.  She seemed to know that if she wanted to stay with us, she had to be Very, Very, Good.  No chasing the balls of thread and wool!


And there I will leave you.


'Til next time.


Debs xxx

Colour Therapy

I've been feeling a little blue lately, a little sorry for myself and wishing the sun would shine.  Fed up with rain and yet more rain. Thought I would soon be growing webs between my toes! Feeling in need of some colour therapy.

THIS WEEKEND there's been SUNSHINE and lots of it!

I've been out in the garden and lovin' every minute of it.

Ahh, that's better...

Til next time xxx

Some Crafting

This is one of the first digital scrapbook pages I have made.

When Mr C asked me what I wanted for my Birthday at the end of February, I decided I wanted an easy-to-use graphics programme.  I had been trying for several months to understand how to use a very expensive professional programme that I had, to no avail.  Even with the help of the manual, I still couldn't figure out how to put together a page layout.  I had been watching Create and Craft (a TV shopping channel here in the UK selling all things craft related) and decided that this software was the one for me

Serif's Craft Artist Professional.

I can honestly say that from the moment I loaded it, I was hooked!

It really is easy-peasy.  I've only used a couple of the tools that are available and have downloaded two free digi-kits to play with, but my-oh-my, the results I think are fabulous!  Here's the second  page I made.

This was a scrapbook page encapsulating the moment when my father presented a boxed gavel and base to the Royal Engineers Association for use at their meetings.  This was a very poignant affair as it is likely to be the last outing my father takes as he is terminally ill.  This presentation was something he was determined to do despite being so ill.


I am very pleased with how this has turned out and have added two more pages showing other photos taken on the night.  I like the idea of hybrid crafting, where one combines both computer crafting and hand crafting and I am planning on adding a pocket on the middle band to the right, where I can keep a written record of the evening. I may also decoupage the flowers and ribbon. I printed this page out on smooth 250gsm paper, but feel it would look better printed on glossy photo paper, although the shabby look is more suited to a matt finish.  Decisions, decisions.  Once I've decided on what paper to use I will get the other pages printed off.  I already have twelve by twelve plastic page protectors that I can place these in and I can see that this will become the start of many more scrapbook pages telling the story of my life.


I am already planning on going back to my childhood for some pages, making pages about the dogs that have been in my life, pages about Mr C and keeping a visual diary of day-to-day life at Soggy Bottom.


I feel an obsession coming on!


Wishing you all a Happy Easter, 'Til next time. Debs xxx

Play Day

I've spent a happy day today crafting with my friend BetBet.

We usually have a craft day once a month where we do our own thing and chat and eat and sing... but this year I suggested we do something a little different.  Instead of doing what we fancied, and thereby always doing the same sort of crafting, why didn't the host of the day decide on what we would do?  This way we would push ourselves to do things we perhaps had never tried before and get out of the comfortable crafting rut that we've been wallowing in for some time.

As it was at my house today, it was my decision and I  went for Rosettes and Roses.  Now, I have only ever made one rosette and never roses, and BetBet doesn't often reach for paper (paint and glass being her specialist subject) so this was something I knew would fit the bill of 'pushing the boundaries' for the both of us.

My attempt was pitiful, but this was BetBet's

Good huh?

We then went on to make paper roses.  They were much more successful and we both enjoyed doing these.

I reached for my trusty Tim Holtz Distress Inks to add definition to the edges, whilst BetBet used her glass products

It took several attempts to get them to be consistent and I think I managed slightly better than BB, but then I use paper all the time.  Here are the fruits of our labours

As I mentioned earlier, we always have a treat, often Tunnocks Tea Cakes - we can't get enough of them!  Seriously, we LOVE these so much that  we restrict  our consumption to Girls Days ONLY!

We came up with the idea of seeing if we could make a rose from the foil wrapper.  BB stuck the foil to a piece of cardstock first for robustness, then set about making the rose.

I think they turned out very well, don't you?

We were also very, VERY naughty as we  had After Eight Mints as well!

I'd better not eat for the next week to balance out the calorie intake!

I hope you enjoyed the peek into my day.

'Til next time, Debs xxx

*L*O*V*E*

Sending light and love 

To Mr C

My father who is very poorly

And to the Universe.

XXX

Sunday at My House

Its snowing!  

I don't know why I get so deliriously exited when it snows but I do.  I HATE it for travelling in and getting anywhere,  but it is SO BEAUTIFUL.  A mixed blessing for sure.

Mr C was out there, double-quick, shovelling it away so we could get to the bird feeding stations and water bowls.

Minus 0.2 degrees C - pretty cold!  But, does Mr C care?  Not in the least, any excuse to get outside.

And then there's the obligatory tea break!

What was the man in your life doing today?

Derailed

When I decided to take a little break at the beginning of  July last year, little did I know that it would end up being a BIG break!

After a prompt from Mr C that the house was looking less than clean and tidy and that I seemed to be on the computer all the time (something I admit that I hadn't realised)  I decided I would take a complete break from the cyber world, as indeed I had become a little fixated by blogland and all that scrumptious goodness that can be found therein. I would concentrate solely on the house, tackling the dross that one accumulates, oh so quickly, and generally get things back to a respectable level of cleanliness and tidiness.  But one month turned into six as Real Life took over and decided it had other plans for me.  Suddenly it was Christmas and we all know how that can derail us!

So there you have it, in a nutshell, my absence.

My aim for this year (which has already been derailed) is to blog weekly, so I hope you will stop by regularly and see what's occurring at Soggy Bottom.  To make it easier for you, I've finally discovered how to put the email widget thingy on here so all you have to do is sign up to receive new posts directly in your inbox.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day.

TTFN XXX