A-Z of me

I made this A-Z of me last year, I think in October or November, worked a whole week non- stop to get it done. Once I started I couldn't stop, so I just kept going till it was finished. And my flat looked like I had been crafting more or less non-stop for weeks, chaos as far as the eye could see, and even more where it couldn't. (Well, actually, nothing unusual, is it?) And as I have been crafting a lot this week, too, doing nice, messy things with ink and embossing powders, it looks pretty awful.... But next week I really am going to clear up. (Well, I have to, because my friend Inge is coming to stay with me for a few days....) Reminds me of one of the sayings of St. Augustine, *Lord, make me holy, but not yet*. And for some reason I didn't blog it, so here it is now; enjoy, and have a nice weekend, whatever you have planned!

The last of the cardboard box tags - for this week!

OK, I am sure I will be back in business as soon as I have dug the rest of the cardboard out of my bottomless hall closet. But it's the last one for today, anyway!



Have a nice day!

Causing distress to innocent cardboard boxes....

Well, I have been at it again. I finished off three of the tags I started on Sunday. For 2 I have used the TH embossing folders again, and then did several layers of colouring and embossing and perfect pearls to give them real depth and shine. The third one is partly peeled cardboard, embossed with clear embossing ink and then different metallic embossing powders and perfect pearls, and then stamped with the pocket watch (a lovely stamp from *LaBlanche*) and embossed again. This also gives a lot of depth and shine to the tags. I have included pics of the tag at this stage, too, before decorating with TH die cuts (lock and key) and an autumn fairy. There is also a little face looking out from behind the key-hole, but it's hard to see on the photos. Was fun playing around again, and I like the colours in the tags which show up differently according to the light falling on them! Have a nice day you all, happy crafting and try some experimenting - it's fun!

And yet another cardboard box distressed....

Had a nice weekend, in spite of the gloomy and misty begin yesterday. I visited my friend Inge , where we enjoyed another gay old ladies' day - an eclectic mixture of talking about God and the world, enjoying our food, playing Skipbo and Rummycub, and just enjoying each other's company. Poor Inge had bad backache, but she is very courageous! We got up late this morning, enjoyed a nice breakfast, and then I went round to her daughter, B,and we crafted all afternoon. Of course, we did have a few little breaks for lunch (yummy, B, thanks!!), coffee and a wonderful dessert which her Dad brought us. And in between talking we both managed to do some crafting. B made a beautiful new-baby card, and then worked on her album, and I played with 2 TH embossing folders, cardboard, lots of different embossing powders & distress inks and other bits and pieces. The cardboard has been cut into tag form, embossed, distressed with different colours of ink, & clear embossed. Then the raised parts have been inked with archival black, and then partly embossed again with bronze, silber and gold. Then I put on a bit of perfect pearls in different colours and heated it again. The bird is on the cage this time, and the *nest* has been made from some fibres sent to me by Maria some weeks back. The golden numbers on the BINGO card were part of a big bagfull I bought at the flea market in Königswinter for next to nothing. Was fun to make, as always, and I have another 4 tags waiting to be embellished in the course of the week! Have a good week you all, and take care!

Season of mists.....

Keat's *Ode to Autumn* was the first thing I thought of when I looked out of the window this morning. Actually I said *Mist!* when I looked out, but then *mist!* in German really means *manure* so it's a somewhat more polite way of saying *sh*t!* Had a bad sleep, with silly dreams, and a blanket which kept falling off the bed instead of keeping me warm, and then woke up in time to see a quick flash of red where the sun was rising before it disappeared into the mist. I think the sun has now gone back to bed, as it is nowhere to be seen, perhaps I should do the same....But I decided to stay up, drink lots of hot coffee to warm me and dissolve the mists of despair which are enveloping me today, and then to see what the day brings. After such a dismal beginning, it can only get better....I hope!!

And here is Keat's beautiful poem for those who like to remember what they learnt (or didn't!) at school:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,-
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Susie J tagged me....

Thursday, 26 August 2010
Getting to Know Me
Susie J tagged me on her blog today and these are the questions I need to answer:

Gettin' to Know Me...



1. If you blog anonymously, are you happy doing it that way; if you are not anonymous do you wish you had started out anonymously so you could be anonymous now?

No, what I blog can be looked at by others, otherwise I can write a journal at home....

2. Describe one incident that shows your inner stubborn side

I'm like a terrier, hate to give up when I have started something, like reading all night to get a book finished because I just can't put it down....

3. What do you see when you really look at yourself in the face in the mirror?

A lot of wrinkles, scars on my eyes from all the operations, and a smile that reminds me of my family....

4. What is your favorite summer cold drink?

Diet coke, fizzy mineral water or freshly pressed orange juice....

5. When you take time for yourself, what do you do?

Scrap, read, listen to music, walk along the Rhine or just day-dream.

6. Is there something you still want to accomplish in your life? What is it?

I would like to visit New Zealand.

7. When you attended school, were you the class clown, the class overachiever, the class shy person, or always ditching school? Describe who you were if not one of these.

I was always naughty, liked to play the clown, but nearly always at the top of the class, and HATED girls who got better marks than I did....

8. If you close your eyes and want to visualize a very poignant moment in your life, what do you see?

The night before my husband died, where he relived his childhood.

9. Is it easy for you to share your true self in your blog or are you more comfortable writing posts about other people or events?

I keep a lot back, but what I blog still shows a lot of me.

10. If you had the choice to sit and read or talk on the phone, which would you do and why?

Sit and read - I think I am one of the few women who does NOT like nattering on the phone!

OK, that was it. I am tagging GINA, so that she gets round to blogging again, and SUE

The place where I live - Gill's DC Blog challenge

Today, Kaiserswerth is a part of Düsseldorf. It is the oldest part of the town, dating back to the early middle ages (7th century) and has a long and varied history, which is still visible when you walk through the antiquated streets and paths.
*Kaiserswerth* means *Emperor’s Island*. In the 7th century St. Swidbert, an English Benedictine monk, came to the island, where he built a monastery and began to convert the inhabitants....Any more Swidberts over there? The ancient church which bears his name still stands proudly at the Rhine, and there is a beautiful golden shrine which holds his remains. A side arm of the Rhine used to flow round the town, forming a moat, which together with the ancient walls gave the town protection.
The oldest relict here is a standing stone from about 2000 BC, which can still be seen at the corner of the street where I live. It’s always an amazing feeling to drive past this piece of antiquity and to think what tales the stone could tell….
For many centuries, the little town of Kaiserswerth was an important strategic base on the banks of the Rhine. The mighty ruins of Emperor Barbarossa's imperial fortress are testimonies to this age. In the 11th century, the Archbishop of Cologne kidnapped the emperor Heinrich IV – who was still a child – to make himself Regent over the Holy Roman Emperor. In the 12th century the emperor gave Kaiserswerth the rights to collect customs and tolls, and no ships could pass the Fortress without being seen, a function which has long been taken over by inland revenue and our politicians.... During different wars, the castle was used as a prison for many high ranking hostages. The Duke of Jülich and Berg besieged the town and fortress, broke down part of the town walls and diverted the old Rhine arm, so the town could be taken. For many centuries Kaiserswerth belonged to Cologne, which *took* the town after many battles as a *pledge*, and kept it till 1772.
In the 19th century, Florence Nightingale visited the town, and trained to be a nurse here. The hospital here still bears her name.
Today, Kaiserswerth is a part of Düsseldorf and invites you to an idyllic walk through its medieval lanes.
There are baroque houses at the old market place (Marktplatz), the Rhine promenade with a view of the typical Lower Rhine landscape, St. Suitbertus Basilica dating from the 11th century, and many narrow, cobbled lanes. There is a car ferry with which you can cross the Rhine, and a passenger ship stops here in the summer months for trips along the Rhine. There are also many restaurants, from a take away grill to ice parlours and *Konditoreien* - cafés which sell delicious home made cakes and gateaux- and some very exclusive restaurants led by star-chefs for people who don’t have to worry about paying their bills….
There are also lots of stables here, where people can *park* their horses, who have abundant meadows and fields to graze in. The Rhine and several other smaller streams, rivers and lakes make the area very green and pleasant, and give room to an abundance of water fowl and other wild life, which are always a joy to see and hear – except when they wake me up in the morning!
All in all, a lovely place to live.
PS - There's a nice panorama view of Kaiserswerth to be seen here: http://www.duesseldorf.de/stadtpanoramen/panoramen/index05.shtml

This photo album created with Smilebox