Autumn mists and other signs....

The past few days have been so cold that I was not really tempted to go out, but had to, as I had lots of things to see to. We are getting icy winds from the north and east, I even heard the word *snow* being spoken on the weather show, but I hope they were not talking about here! But I do love to watch the early morning mists, which creep over the fields behind the house, hiding the trees, and giving a glimpse of the hedge here and there. Sometimes they look like white ghosts or witches floating over the grass. But don't worry, I know they are not, even if Halloween (and Netty's birthday) are coming nearer and nearer. I was not in a very good mood this week, although I ususally like Autumn, but perhaps sometimes we all just need a time to grouse, and I think my recent surgery took it out of me more than I like to admit. But on one day we went to a garden centre, where I bought 2 little witches to hang up at the end of the month, and where I wanted to buy an autumn wreath for my door. But the prices were so high, that I decided to leave it. And last night I took an old polystyrene ring, wound some hessian round it, and then stuck on all the autumny bits and bobs I found in my decorations. Had fun working with my glue gun (only burnt myself once this time!) and lots of little black headed needles - which more often than not found their way into my fingers - and now I have a wreath for my door. The round thing in the middle is the spy hole, through which I can look to see who is standing outside, in case anyone should ring my bell. It's not the best wreath in the house - just sneaked around in my dressing gown and looked what the others have got on their doors - but it's mine, and all my own work. Thanks for lookng, and have a nice weekend!



I am entering this for the *Stampman* Autumn Challenge

Birds, flowers, bits and bobs....

Well, this last week has gone by very quickly, probably because I spent a lot of time sleeping, resting, reading and recovering from my operation. I was not able to craft as much as usual, as I just didn't have the energy, but sometimes we just have to take a break....But I did manage a few things in between. A simple card for a friend who was in hospital, made with a TH *On the edge* die and with a *house mouse* card tucked into the pocket in the middle. I coloured the picture with pencils, not something I usually like doing, but it was a gentle occupation which I could do while lounging on the couch. Then I managed some flowers using the TH *tattered florals* die, but I am not sure if like them or if I will use them. The black and red bird has been made with honeycomb paper sandwiched between leather-look cardstock and given to a neighbour together with a bottle of pro secco to say *thanks* for giving me a helping hand this past week. And today my friend B visited me and we did some crafting. She worked on her LO, I made 4 tags, which all somehow look a bit bleak, and remind me that autumn is well on its way. But it was good to sit down together and craft and natter again.
Oh, and I must have made the ATC with wings sometime in the week, probably with the remains of the card....

Thanks Netty! **** UPDATE****

Netty passed this *one lovely blog* award on to me before I went into hospital, but I didn't have the opportunity to post it till now. Thanks a lot Netty, and I will pass it on to other worthy crafters in the next few days. Netty makes wonderful things, and is a very creative lady, so have a look at her blog!
I have decided to give the award to the following people, who all have lovely blogs:
Sue C - http://sueccraftyblog.blogspot.com/
Gill - http://drumcloggirl.blogspot.com/
Alma - http://tasselstagsandteabags.blogspot.com/
Sue Bubbles - http://sue-bubbles.blogspot.com/
Maria - http://myhomefiles.blogspot.com/
Carole G - http://carolescraftycorner.blogspot.com/
Gina - http://southlea.blogspot.com/
So pick up your award!

Home sweet home.....

Just a short post today to say that I am happy to be back home after being in hospital last week to have various parts of my interior operatively removed. The staff in the *Florence Nightingale* hospital here were all very friendly and caring, and I always had the feeling that I was in competent hands. I will not describe any details of the Op or the pains and discomfort afterwards, suffice to say that it all went without complications, and it's a good feeling to be back in my own four walls. Came home with a taxi yesterday, and the driver was very grumbly that it was such a short drive - about one mile - and dumped me and my case unceremoniously in front of the door, and refused to carry my case up the stairs. So I dragged it up to the second floor with my last vestige of strength and draped myself on the couch to recover! Hope to be able to get back to doing some crafting in the course of the week when I can sit and move with less discomfort and fatigue, but just now it's rest that I need. The picture of Florence Nightingale - who did her nursing training here at the hospital in Kaiserswerth - visiting her patients does NOT show the ward I was on; I had a large, quiet room just for me. But hats off to a great lady who revolutionised caring for the sick in her day.
Thanks to all my friends, especially Sue B,Gina, Alma, Maria & Netty, who sent me encouraging texts and mails containing lots of healing sparkles. So, here's hoping we all stay healthy.
Have a good week you all!

Some owl tags for the LIIU Challenge No.3

Decided to make myself a lazy day today after a few very stressful days with too little sleep, a lot of work and no time for crafting! So I declared today to bath and craft day, and up till now it has been very relaxing. Been playing with some new TH embossing folders, and made 2 tags and a card inspired by the LIIU challenge, which involves using your favourite stamp and a charm. My favourite tag at the moment is the owl, which I have used here. The small tag has been embossed with the TH notebook folder, distressed, and then embellished with some black netting, half a lace doily, an owl which has been stamped, embossed, brushed with perfect pearls and then cut out and mounted onto the tag. The eyes have been enhanced with soot black stickles, and the owl is holding a key-charm in his beak and some flowers in his claws. The card has been stamped with a script stamp using resist ink, then distressed, and a silver moon and the owl stamped over it. The owl has been embossed and brushed with perfect pearls, and the card has been completed with some hand doodling, a prima vine and a TH *On the edge* die cut, for which I used cardboard which has been embossed with bronze and silver. The third tag has been stamped and embossed as before, and then placed behind a frame, which has also been stamped, embossed and cut out by hand. Added some flowers, a bow with a rose charm and a white down feather as decoration.

Which Witch lives in Which Witch House?

One of my favourite songs when I was at school was *The hag’s astride* from Robert Herrick, an English poet who lived from 1591 to 1674. While I was making the Halloween tags, the melody was going round in my head, a fitting background for spooky pictures. The tag has been cut from some cardboard packaging, distressed with TH inks in blue, grey, yellow and green tones, and stamped with some flowery scrolls. The haunted house is a Sizzix die-cut, as are the bats and the skeleton. The other decorations were bought from a local stationery shop last year; the skull badge was on my sneakers and the other skull part of a bracelet. The frog prince has been sitting on my desk waiting to be used for a long time. BTW, I never tried to kiss him, I don’t believe in fairy tales….


The Hag.
THe Hag is astride,
This night for to ride;
The Devill and shee together:
Through thick, and through thin,
Now out, and then in,
Though ne'r so foule be the weather.
2. A Thorn or a Burr
She takes for a Spurre:
With a lash of a Bramble she rides now,
Through Brakes and through Bryars,
O're Ditches, and Mires,
She followes the Spirit that guides now.
3. No Beast, for his food,
Dares now range the wood;
But husht in his laire he lies lurking:
While mischeifs, by these,
On Land and on Seas,
At noone of Night are working,
4. The storme will arise,
And trouble the skies;
This night, and more for the wonder,
The ghost from the Tomb
Affrighted shall come,
Cal'd out by the clap of the Thunder.

Tombstone City Revisited....

I love making things for autumn and Halloween, and today I just needed a bit of fun….The *tombstones* have been cut by hand from white cardstock, and distressed with TH inks in pumice stone, weathered wood and forest green. The die cuts are from Sizzix, the owls stamps are from Hero Arts, and the foliage stamp is from LaBlanche. Added some numbers, a Prima flower, a skull, a text stamp *By the pricking of my thumbs….* and some hand doodling. The tags were great fun to make, and just something different. The small *graves* on 2 of the tags open up to reveal Halloween surprises….