How lovely to spend your life creating things like this

There is nothing worse than finding out about someone who everybody already knew was a genius. Until last week I had never even heard of this woman but it seems that lots of you out there did know -and you didn't even tell me.

here is another of Jacqui Lawson's beautiful Christmas cards. Turn up the sound and get in the Christmas mood.

Trust me when I say that you will like this

I've never done a post in which someone had to click something - but there is always a first time etc etc

If you go and click on this, I think you will like it.

One for Wednesday

One for a hot Saturday

One for Wednesday

One for Sunday

I've not run out of them yet - One for Wednesday

One for Saturday

good use of a stale loaf perhaps

One for Thursday

One for Monday

One for Thursday

One for Wednesday

One for Tuesday

Fairy parcels

I'm not much of a joiner of things. I don't send on chain letters or emails, I subscribe to forums, get very enthusiastic initially then disappear, I don't go along to expat events; I just don't. But recently I saw on a blogging friend's blog details of little present swaps -http://thesocietyofsecretfairies.blogspot.com/ - and it sparked my interest. I didn't realise that everyone involved were illustrators, artists, craftspeople - people with real talent who make a good living from their skills. If I'd realised that I probably wouldn't have joined.
Well, yesterday my parcel arrived from this lovely lady here- http://deboraburr.blogspot.com/. She is a Proper Artist. In fact the criteria for this Christmas swap was a home made card and decoration and when I saw her card my initial reaction was she didn't bother to make the card, what a copout, she just bought a fancy one from a good shop. Then I looked carefully at the name on the back and realised it was indeed done by her. The decoration was also a work of art - a cardboard pyramid shape that opened in segments to reveal a pressie inside - also homemade. A very unusual giftie of beads and silver that you drape around a glass or mug so that you know the right one to pick up. Excellent!

There were such pretty things that she had bought me: some lovely foot gel; some pretty yellow bed socks (Deb, how did you know I get cold feet?); some lavender incense sticks;another of her beautiful cards; a Christmas pud chocolate which I ate whilst opening all the red-wrapped goodies; a lovely pale apricot chiffon scarf - the long drapey sort; and, because my bichons had donated their hair to make her Christmas card, she had bothered to go and buy them a foodie treat. What a lovely lady! She's had a rotten time of it lately and yet she still went to extra trouble to think of the dogs. Thank you so much, Deb. I sincerely hope that 2007 is a better year for you.

Crafty crafty

It's been a week or so since my last entry and it's because I've had loads of different things to do.

I'm taking my OU studies quite seriously and like to spent at least two hours a day with various books taking over the table. Then they all get pushed to one side and out comes the Christmas card I'm attempting to make for the pressie swap box I've got involved with. One stipulation is a home made card and, as I'm not very arty or handy, it does not come very naturally to me. It's like being a kid again because I've got out my scissors, glue, felt and random bits and pieces, last used many years ago.

I've also begun knitting again. This is something I really got into some twenty years ago and ended up making and even selling quite a few things. I used to love Kaffe Fassett's designs and in the attic of the house we sold some three years ago are about ten of his designs that I did. (We're able to keep some of our stuff at our ex house because we sold it to a friend who is okay with this). My comeback to the knitting world will be a mohair jacket with symbols in Shade 12 of this


My chap is currently in the UK on business so I can devote myself to all these bits and pieces with abandon. I've got an extra dog I'm currently looking after so, together with the bichons, there is lots of doggy love to go round.

I can't draw for toffee

What a strange phrase that is. But it applies to me. Yet I was silly/rash/ hopeful enough to become one of these...http://thesocietyofsecretfairies.blogspot.com/.

I never realised I would be in the company of illustrators, painters and generally very creative people. Ooops.