the luv-spud and other 'things'

Hello Peeps!
Happy New Year!!!

I've been a bad blogger... again!!! (methinks far too many of my posts start this way) It being a new year and all that I really should do something about it, especially seeing as my good friend Debbie from Tiny Treasures has been nagging & wagging her virtual finger at me to to update my blog.
So here goes... well I thought I didnt have much to blog about until I sat at the keyboard and now I think shall have to make several posts with all I'd like to say since I last said something! I never learn.

Xmas brought me some lovelies that I hadnt expected, most of you by now have realised I have a 'thing' for pumpkins & chickens, but I also have a 'thing' for mushrooms and a 'thing' for hearts, amongst other 'things'. So imagine my suprise while preparing the breakfast on Xmas morning when this heart shaped mushroom made an appearance.

then my lovely hubby gave me this as a present

I'd admired these mushroom stools for a long while and was over the moon to get one that had heart shaped seats :o) I had no idea he had hidden it in the shed, he apparently got up at stupid-o-clock to carry it through the garden full of snow into the house, whilst I slept!!! (note more of my collection spreading across the background)
and to complete the hat-trick, I also had a heart shaped potato... we called it the luv-spud... and it was luv-ly :o)


I was also delighted that my son bought me another Pendle Witch to keep the one that sits above my workbench happy

my first Pendle Witch above, and below the new one I got for xmas :o)


she has such a kindly face :o)


(you can read about The Pendle Witches here)
... methinks witches should be alone or in 3's so methinks another may be needed... this is beginning to sound like yet another 'collection' brewing LOL it did however leave me pondering if it were possible for me to scale up rather than down and try to make one by myself? I've only ever worked with polymer clay in 12th scale and smaller so this will be a real challenge for me. My miniature 'to-do' list has grown so long, that I really should be working my way through that rather than venturing into different scales. But to be honest, my dream of being able to make miniatures as a business venture has slid almost out of reach due to various health issues hindering my timescale for creativity ... and deadlines... pfft, I'm not the best with them! So, similar to the claims I made for my last new years resolve, I have decided (again) that I'm not pressurizing myself into making anything this year! it'll happen when it happens!!! (which isnt usually very often! LOL) but if I do make anything for sale I shall list it on here first.

When the snow from holidays cleared and the postman resumed his duties, I received a beautifully made xmas ornament from my friend Kat over at 'Little thoughts from an Average mind'.

it will look great alongside the other felt ornaments I made for the tree, but alas, it didnt make it onto the tree in time this year, but has been packed away safely ready for when the big event comes round again. In the mean time, I can play with the other goodies she sent me to go into the sewing shopbox I'm putting together. I shall show pics of its progress next time hopefully.


The Teapot is for Hagatha in my Skool of Majick... and the bear will go into the Santas Toyshop, more buildings which I hope to show you progress of soon!

Another reason I've not posted much is that I have been discovering so many new blogs! for example one I found has given me a numb behind where I have sat reading & admiring her work for so long today! LOL & my head is now filled with so many wonderful images that you just have to go see for yourselves. Pop over to Boxoftrix and have a peep, if you love embroidery,textiles & miniatures, you'll be glad you did.
I have also been remiss in welcoming my new followers, I apologise, and will add links to your pages with a proper introduction SOON x

right, off to prioritize that 'to-do' list!

sparkly things

I've seen lots of bloggers have been showing their beautiful xmas decs, so I thought I'd join in and share some of mine too.... although I must confess that they're nowhere near as stunning !! but they're what makes my family and I happy, and thats what matters at this time of year :o)

We have a really large conservatory and so put our tree here as theres more room to move about when lots of people are in there.and for Debbie - top right corner is my first ever Dec, my precious windchime thats always the first to be put up... holds some memories that one :o)

some of our decs, there are a few that have been around many, many years like the robin - I seem to have had that forever! but the little red hen was a pressie from one of my chicken chums more recently :o)

we usually have white twinkling lights on our tree, but the xmas 'stuff-up' fairy (I'm not normally that polite and have worse that I usually call it!) decided to attack them in the loft! so off we went to buy new lights, and they looked lovely for about 20 minutes and then one set died!! so... off came all the decs and lights and we decided to use our red holly berry lights instead that used to go around the stair garlands, only the 'stuff up' fairy had mutilated them too... wires everywhere!!! Not one to be defeated, hubbs decided to play fix it guy and resoldered all the joints to the lights and hey presto they now work :o) alas the twinkly lights couldnt be saved... we've still to put up the light nets onto all the windows, it is a total sparkle-fest in there at night as the lights all bounce off the windows .this was one taken last year of my son helping to put the lights up... probly the only time Ive ever seen him with cleaning products in his hands LOLthis dec is one of my favourites, a friend bought it for me last year and I just love it! its 12th scale too and has a tealight at the back to make it glow.
We dont decorate the lounge much as we tend to use the conservatory at xmas so this tiny tree is the only one in this room LOL. but I do have one in my craftroom! you still with me?... tis going on a bit LOL
here's my stair garland-y thing in the hall/dining room...
and the dog has a stocking too :o)and finally a few recent additions to my kitchen
am off for a cuppa and a mince pie now... hope you enjoyed my decorations :o)

I wish every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

nom, nom, gingerbread :o)

I havnt updated my blog for a while... again, but I've been very good and have been doing the excercises the physio-terrorist gave me and am slowly becoming more mobile and less achey :o) (methinks the drugs help too!) I've still not been able to get the clay out for a play yet tho as I know if I sit down to sculpt I will take root and it wont do me any good to sit for that long! I don't like to get bored so I have been going through my 'to do' list for things that I CAN do. One of the things I decided on was a pattern for a half eaten gingerbread man I saw somewhere in blogland last xmas (sorry I forgot where) but it originated here at Elsie Marley's site and I fell in love with it ♥ its ever so easy and full instructions are given on her site, including the template... and its FREE!
Anyway, here's some of my efforts at making a few for my tree.I made some uneaten ones as well as the half eaten ones from the pattern & made enough to go on the this tree in my craft room and some more go into my kitchen.

I hit a blank when trying to remember how to do the French knots for the eyes and found this reminder on youtube that helped to shake my brain cells back into action.


You're probably all tutting at me for not remembering how to do something so simple, but hopefully some-one might find it useful, my memory obviously isnt what it used to be if I'm forgetting how to do stuff I've done a thousand times before! best I not try and ride a pushbike eh...? LOL

I'm going to make some xmas pudding decorations next, I'm sure I can manage those without instructions ;o) but before then I shall be making a tiny coat for my littlest chook, as she's not regrown all her feathers since she moulted and its been bitterly cold here recently so she needs a protective layer, -6 is not a good time to be featherless!!