Need a kick up the backside!

I don't know if it's a combination of the looonngggg winter or having the builders in since the beginning of January, but I've been doing bugger all these past few weeks. It still feels like I haven't stopped but I think that's just my brain whirring all the time with things that need doing, orders I should be doing, blah, blah, blah. I know I've been spending far too much time on the computer, though I don't really know what I've been doing as it's been 10 whole days since I posted on here! The things I have to show you (except for the card above) have all been made by talented mama's elsewhere. The card was for my nephew's birthday - the picture is one he loved and posted up on facebook so I printed it off, after resizing it, then made the card. I never got round to making the anniversary card, shame on me.


Now to the gifts we've received for the season swap on the Green Parent Forum. We have a pom pom chick, a daffodil, a rabbit and a hen. Thank you so much Daisypip, they are just beautiful.

This is a daffodil bud baby kit that I bought from Myriad. I was a little sceptical when I recieved it but it has come together beautifully.

These are the season swap gifts we received from Liz, as mentioned in the previous post. We've filled the bowl with our different eggs.

And just look at these gifts! Arn't they just gorgeous?! They were made by the most amazing crafting mama - go take a look at her blog. Dawn very kindly sent these as a surprise for me - my very own needle felted Mother Earth and her root children. Just gorgeous. Thank you so much xxxx.

So here is our season/nature table this year. We also have a vase with daffodils and forsythia in it but I don't put it on here in case the cats decide they are going to sit there! You'll have to excuse the dust - unfortunately the builders only clean the work area, not the rest of the house that likes to share plaster dust!!!!

Swaps and cards

As it's the Spring Equinox/Ostara today it's the day for opening our GP season swap. This is what we sent to the lovely PixieMama - an appliqued springy picture and a finger-knitted then stitched nest with wet felted eggs (made by JJ and myself).

We also took part in a separate swap organised by Liz - this is what we sent. A cherry blossom fairy and a beeswax egg candle. I've received the gift from Liz but I'm unable to photograph it yet. We got a gorgeous felted bowl and a fabric seal/bird (embarrassingly some of us think its a seal and some of us think it's a bird). They are both beautiful.

Two more birthday cards (on the same theme as the last ones) for the remaining girly birthday's this month.

Uurrgh

Just thought I'd stop by and winge ;-). Well not really, but I am fed up with this awful sore throat/cough/cold thing. It leaves me with no motivation/energy to do the crafty things that I should be getting on with, let alone the decorating, housework, gardening, etc, etc that also needs doing. Oh well, hopefully get some energy soon. Hope everyone else is well and getting on with lovely things.

Last one today...promise ;-)

I know I've had a lot to show you today (although this will be the first post you read) but I just wanted to show you the bargain double sheet I got in the charity shop last week - it's just gorgeous and it only cost a pound!! Wonderful fabric.

This is the heavy canvas and the yellow gingham that I will be making the campervan hammock with.

And some more cocoa butter as I used the last lot with the birthday bath melts (see next posts).

I'll leave you too it now.

My Nan

Sunday we went to visit my wonderful Nan (my Mum's Mum) where she cooked us lunch, we dug up a tonne of strawberry plants and the raspberry canes that she doesn't want and came home with 2 large bag fulls of crafty things that she had sorted out for me. My Nan is just an amazing lady - at 83 she still does loads of stuff; cooks fantastic 'proper' food; embroiders the most amazing cushions/pictures/boxes plus loads of other pieces; is a do-er; stayed married to a man who was a bully for 60 years, but still misses him now he's gone. She's a true inspiration to me. Right - some of the stuff she gave me:-

Fabric (above 2 pictures).

Old cards cut up to re-use (glad I'm not the only one who does this).

Embroidery silks from kits she has previously finished.

Old embroidery silks - just gorgeous.

Handmade lace by a Great Aunt, amongst newer lace.

Modern non-cotton lace.

One of her WIP that she didn't want to finish - I'll just add it to my list ;-).

Handmade Birthday

First of the birthday presents and cards this month. Since I have a few female cards to make I thought I'd make two of these. Got the fabric in the charity shop last week (double sheet for £1), mounted it onto yellow felt, then added buttons to embellish. The bath melts are cocoa/mango/shea butter with ylang ylang essential oil added to it. The bath salts are a blend of epsom salts and sea salt, with olive oil then lavender essential oil and dried lavender added as well. This is the first time I have given these as a gift and they were very well recieved so I was pleased.

These I made while I was doing part of my season swap gift. I've been saving the empty tea light holders to use with local beeswax. After burning one of them I don't think I'll be doing it again as the wick with this wax burns too quickly and doesn't use all the wax up.

Mum

Yvonne, born 6 March 1955 - my Mum and friend. Today is her birthday - she would have been 55 years old. I chose this poem to have read at her funeral, but it is only now that I can actually do these things without feeling angry or bitter at losing her.

She is gone

You can shed tears that she is gone,

or you can smile that she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,

or you can open your eyes and see all that she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she's gone,

or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind

be empty and turn your back

or you can do what she'd want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

I dreamt about her last night - first time in ages. I do believe that people who've died visit us in our dreams. She must know that the cruse counselling helped because she said to me 'you don't need me any more' (in a nice way), and I replied that I'll always need her.

-x-

Anyway, I finished these last weekend but I wanted to save them for today. They will hang in my hallway just as soon as I've painted it all.

Edited to add: the date at the top should be 6 March but blogger wouldn't allow me to schedule it!!!!!