Legs and cool boots!!

My spasms have stopped (YAAY!!!) but I have really painful legs at the moment (UGH!!!).  They feel like lead and walking is really hard work for me.  I can get relief from pain killers but they knock me out so I'm trying to get by without them.  Its a different pain from the neuropathic pain that I'm using my TENS machine for.  This is like toothache from my hips to my toes on both legs!

I decided last night I had to journal about it after cutting some more bits from magazines.  So I cut out loads of pairs of legs and used Golden matte gel medium to stick them down.  Then I used a stencil and sharpies to write the word 'LEGS' and just spilled the rest of it.  It really helped to take my mind off the pain!!

Jo was here for a cuppa one day last week and we had a look at the Clarks shoe shop website sale.  She was looking for boots with higher heels than I can manage but I spotted these little beauties and, of course, I had to buy them!  Would have been rude not too!!  They're the original desert boot design with retro animal print suede.  The suede has a texture like real animal skin and is just FAB-U-LOUS!!!

I can't wear my Dr Martens boots anymore as they are too heavy for my poor legs to cope with, but these little babies will do just fine instead of the Docs!!!

Yumminess and journaling

I ordered some yarn from Flamboyance Yarns last week as Carrie has offered to knit me a scarf.  I needed to get some 4ply or sock yarn for the scarf.  When Carrie tweeted that Flamboyance had 20% off all yarn for one day only I rang her and we chose the yarn.

The one in the right of the picture is for my scarf and the one on the left is fibre for spinning.  Carrie has a spinning wheel and I'm gonna try and do it myself and is I can't manage, Carrie will do it for me.  This is gonna be fun!!!

Aren't the colours just yummy!!

As I've not been feeling too well I've ordered loads of crafty books and have a little bit of mojo reappear!!  My spasms have all but stopped now, but I'm still so tired so I've done a little bit of journaling to cheer myself up.  I still can't sit at my craft table for too long so I've pretty much done these pages in fits and starts.  But that's the beauty of journaling - you don't need to do it all in one go!

This first page is my first attempt at layers.  I originally wrote a letter to Martha (my gorgeous cat who died in May last year) and it made me so sad each time I saw it that I wanted to cover it up.  So I started with a couple of layers of gesso, followed by some watered down yellow and ultramarine Golden paint.  Once that way dry, I used torn book pages and used gel medium to stick them down.  Then I used white acrylic paint to make marks over the pages with bottle caps, credit card edges, the lid from a large Malteser tube and a texture stamps that I found in the kiddies section of an craft store.  I'm really pleased with the result.

The next page is something that just popped into my head one day when I was walking (carefully) downstairs.  I'm really pleased at the way it turned out.  I used music paper behind Darth Vader as I can't look at that picture and not here his music from Star Wars!!!

Free digital downloads!!!

My very talented friend Carrie has some wonderful FREE digital downloads on her blog.  She's played about in photoshop with photos her and her hubby took and they are stunning!

Please go and have a look at her blog!

Pay it forward

A couple of my crafty / blog buddies (Judith and Lesley) have this on their blogs.  I've signed up on both of them so I'm hoping I'll be one of the lucky ones.

The rules are simple - to send something handmade by you to five people before the end of 2011.  So we all have plenty of time LOL!!!  If you decide to enter you must 'pay it forward' and post this offer and promise to give something handmade by you to the first five people to comment on your own blog post. 

I solemnly promise to send something handmade by my fair hand (not sure what yet!) to the first five people who leave a comment on this post.  I really hope I get 5 comments.  I'll look a right billy-no-mates if I don't!!!

The dress

I've been to Hexham today for a little look out as I'm not too well.  I'm coming off some pills that take away neuropathic pain (which has been all but obliterated by my wonderful TENS machine), but the pills also help to stop spasms.  As I've come off them I've started to have violent and painful spasms which seem to make my entire body seize up.  They're completely draining me of energy so not feeling too good at the moment.  The doc has given me some new pills which will help but I am in the process of building up the dosage so I have to just wait until the spasms subside.

Yesterday Jo popped round for a cuppa and I had a spasm as I tried to get up off the couch.  I found the only thing that helps is if someone can push me back onto the chair and it'll break the spasm.  We had a really good laugh when Jo poked me in the shoulder and I landed back on the couch.  Its certainly a different way to spend the morning!!!

Anyway back to Hexham.  I was waiting for the lift in one of the shops when I spotted this dress.  Now its definitely NOT the kind of dress I would wear, but the trim on it is gorgeous.

There is this gorgeous beading around the neck which seems to be all one piece.

The shoulder pieces had 3 layers of lace, one vintage, one broderie anglaise and the third is made from the same lace as the main body of the dress.

The main body of the dress is made from a black lace fabric with a cream panel down the front and some broderie anglaise trim around the sides.

Once I take this to bits I'll be able to use it on so many projects (I hope!!), and all this for a fiver!!!

A New Years Resolution

Heres to a  Happy, Healthy New Year for all of us!!

I don't have much confidence in my art work.  Whenever I used to go to workshops at Graphicus (which has sadly had to close) I used to look at everyones elses work and compare mine to theirs.  Not in a jealous way.  Just in the way that when you're in a restaurant and someone gets a meal you'd look at it and think 'I wish I'd ordered that!'.

My good friend Lou keps telling me that I'm talented, so I decided this year to start as I mean to go on.  I don't usually make resolutions as I never keep them but this year I have and I've put it in my journal to remind me.

I'm sure that this is one resolution I will keep!!

June's canvas

I met my wonderful friend June when she was having her first infusion of Tysabri, a drug to help modify the symptoms of MS.  She had only recently been diagnosed and when she was moved to a different day for infusion we swapped e-mail addresses.

We've talked through all of our feelings towards MS and I sent her a photo of my MS canvas.  She said she wished she could express her feelings like that, but instead she sent me something about how she felt trapped like a bird in a gilded cage and not able to enjoy her life.

As soon as I saw this I had an idea of what I wanted to do for her, but I wasn't sure she'd appreciate it as our feelings are so personal.  I rang and told her about it before I sent it in case she'd be upset.  She was thrilled that I had made something for her.

I used a 5" x 7" canvas board for the base and coloured it using Broken China and Crushed Olive DI's.  Then I cut the TH bird and bird cage out of grungebord and coloured the bird cage with Crushed Olive DI and embossed it with Vintage Photo Distress EP.  I wanted to make the cage appear to be rusty.

I covered the bird with double sided adhesive sheet and gilded it with gold gilding flakes.  I wanted to gild the bird to show that once it was free it became golden and left the rusty cage behind it.

I used the Sissix 3-D Flower die to cut some Artylicious paper to make roses for the canvas.  Even though I'd cut both sizes I found that the smaller ones fit best.  I used a long handled quilling tool to actually make the roses.  I had to wait for a time when my hands would let me turn the tool to make the flowers.  With a little persuasion and some Glossy Accents they worked!

And this is the finished canvas.  I really enjoyed making it and June loving it has made it all the more special!