Linkage Love

I have been seeing such great things on this wide web of ours that i thought i would share some of my favourite ones with you.

As we are getting closer to Christmas lets start with these first

# How about some word cards

# I have also been thinking about doing a Christmas quilt with this pattern.

# One day when i have children i am so going to be making an advent in a box!

And how about these cute sewing projects

# A funky grocery bag dispenser

# And these tea towels would make a wonderful gift

# The best head band ever

# And then how about these sweet little hair curlers. My gran used to have some that she used to use when we were younger.

# How about a reversible sewing machine cover

# Some cute owls - i have so many different ideas for these babies

# And as we are having some new baby additions soon how about these cloth shoes

# I forgot to add this cute Bagsket Tutorial

This gratitude journal is a great idea for next year and i have actually made a start on it. I decided to make one as a Christmas gift so this morning i started making 2.

And how about this snuggly neck warmer or these really funky hats

These past few days i have been wanting to do more paintings and art journaling but for some reason i have spent more time art journal surfing than art journal painting. There are some really good blogs and sites around - you can see a few of them on my sidebar - but this one in particular is one that i have really been enjoying.

OK, so i know that today's post has been a little higgalde piggaldy but i just need to vent one little frustration that i have been experiencing for the past few days. Paypal have decided that they need me to verify my bank account with them so they have put a block on me sending payments through paypal until this has been done. Just great! It is going to take between 3 - 5 days to sort out but do they not realise that its coming up to Christmas and it just so happens that i have won and bought several items which i now can not pay for ...arghh. So frustrating!!

On that note i will leave you with this quote that i found while blog surfing:

"to finish the moment, to find the journey's end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom." - ralph waldo emerson

Happy Wednesday all!

Its finally started

I feel like i am actually on a journey. Its a little weird because i have been feeling like i have been standing still for sooo long now. Its nice to know that i am starting to move forward. Part of me feels anxious - the other part feels peaceful. It probably sounds a little contradictory but that is how I am feeling at the moment. I feel like some big changes are commig my way. Im not sure if they will feel like good changes at the time but i have a peace about them. Im not making much sense am I?

Proverbs 31 - Faith

This is the first of many canvases to come. I had so much fun with this one that i am planning on doing a whole series of them. The theme will be around the Proverbs 31 woman and my head is just spinning with cool ideas for them.

It took me 3 days to do this one. I tried so many different techniques with it and i now know which ones i will be trying again and which ones i wont. I used acrylic paints, made my own backing paper, used old stamps and some stickers, rub-ons, watercolour pencils, chalk, sandpapering and even some dabbing on the wet paint. LOVE IT!

Here are some close ups.... I must admit that i am very surprised at how well the rub-ons stuck to the paint and the canvas. I also ran out of T's but thought that a 7 would work just as well.
This is a close up of her face. Now face's are not my most favourite part but i can honestly say i am pleased with how she turned out. Her chin is a little too pointy and her neck went a bit wobbly but her nose turned out great and her hair looks good as well.

Giving thanks

First off i just want to share this recipe with you. I am sure that a lot of you already have it, or at least something similar but for my non US friends this is definitely a very nice recipe to try.

Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole

Recipe found on Allrecipes.com

Original recipe yields: 5 servings but i just scaled it down for the two of us at our home.

INGREDIENTS
3 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoons orange juice
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar
Sprinkle of ground nutmeg and cinnamon
1 tablespoons butter

miniature marshmallows

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large saucepan cook sweet potatoes in salted water over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until done.

Drain, and add orange juice, brown sugar, spices and butter. Whip until smooth. Spread into a medium size casserole dish and top with marshmallows.
Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until marshmallows are golden brown

My notes

I did find this recipe a little on the sweet side so next time i will probably skip the sugar all together. Oh yeah, I almost forgot that i made one big casserole rather than smaller ones.

Now onto my tittle. Everyone knows that this month is Thanksgiving in the US. When i lived there, this as well as Christmas, was my favourite holiday. Since i moved to the UK i haven't celebrated it in the sense of decorations and turkey but i do still take this opportunity to give special thanks for those things in my life that are special to me. Often things that i overlook or take for granted suddenly get the attention that they deserve. I do try and live with a grateful heart but i guess there is always room for improvement, right?

So, here is my list of things that i am grateful for. Thing that have been around for as long as i can remember and things that i am grateful for just today.

* My new car, Feebie. I am so grateful to have her and to know that she is in good condition and is reliable.

* For being able to see my gran this year and to spend some time with her

* Having a little sachet of Hot Chocolate sitting in my desk draw just waiting for me to need a pick me up

* My family who have blessed me in so many ways this past year

* Stuart has managed to pass his truck licence test and is now much happier at his job

* I just love the talents that God has blessed me with. Painting, Knitting, scrapping, drawing and so much more.

* Thankful for my freedom and safety that i have

* For the job that i have even though at times i wish i worked somewhere else

There is so much more that i have to be grateful for but i am doing this at work today so probably should stop here for now.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Be safe!

Because OH asked so nicely

This one is for you honey!

P.S My apologies for all you unsuspecting people out there but this just had to be done...lol
Back to normal posting tomorrow!

It has taken me two weeks to read this book. This weekend i finished it and i love it. My mom lent me her copy but i am definitely going to have to get my own. This story is beautiful, heartwarming and so inspiring. If you get a chance i would definitely recommend it.

This weekend i got some time to paint. I am currently working on a canvas and hope to have it finished by the end of the week to show you guys. This little piece is going to sit in the stairway. I have the picture of what i want in my head but it will probably change as i work on it more and more. I have started to finish some of my old acrylic paints and so a few weeks back i picked up some new ones from Tescos. I must admit that i love them and the next time i need some more i will be getting these rather than the old ones. My only complaint is that there are only basic colours in the set but on the flip side to that, because of this, i have been experimenting with mixing my own colour and creating my own shades which have made the journey even more fun and rewarding.

In between waiting for the different paint layers to dry i decided to work on this. My first quilt pin cushion. I used scraps from my first quilt and used the stuffing from an old cushion. I sorted through my button collection and found the perfect green button to go in the centre. It took me about 30 minutes to complete her and i am so pleased with how she turned out. I might even make one for my mom at some point.

Sunday night i spent some time looking through GodTube. It is very similar to You tube except you can find things related to God, Christian music, parts of sermons and much much more. While having a look around i found some music videos by Coffey Anderson. This guys is amazing! If you have some time make sure to listen to his other stuff - well worth it.

FO: Child's Placket Sweater

It feels like it has been ages since i last finished a knitted project. Perhaps that's because i have several on the go at once instead of just concentrating on one at a time. This little guy took me about 3 weeks on and off.

Name: Child's Placket Sweater

Pattern: Can be found here for free - Thank you purlsoho

Yarn: Chubby Baby Yarn in blue, less than 100g

Notes: I am still a new knitter and i found this pattern a little confusing at first. It is knitting in the round and this is the first time that i have knitted a sweater using the method that the pattern calls for. Once I found some alone time I managed to get my head around it. When I think about it, it probably wasn’t as difficult as I thought it was but I guess that is the fun of learning something new.

Overall: I must admit that I feel a little disappointed with this FO. Not in anyway because of the pattern but because of my level of skill. Take a look at the photos below.

Yup - those are big ugly ladders that you can see. Luckily, it has happened on both arms so OH says it looks like its part of the pattern. I so appreciated his kindness and thoughtfulness because I can not tell you how close I was getting my scissors out and just cutting it into a hundred insy winsy pieces.
While knitting with my dpns I tried so hard to make sure that I pulled that first stitch so very tightly but alas it looks like I wasn’t doing as well as I thought I was. I don’t just have that one ladder on each arm - I have three! One on the front, one on the back and one on inside of the sleeve.
Perhaps it just comes down to practice but if anyone has any tips for me I would greatly appreciate it.

This week has had its sad moments for me. One of my friends at work lost someone very close to her and so was off work for four days. I made this card for her just to let her know that she was in my thoughts.

Then today, my best friend in the office is leaving us. She is going to stay home until the end of January, how lucky is she, and then she will be finding a new job. Saying goodbye is so hard but at the same time I am so happy for her and just wish her all the best of luck.

This weekend we are hoping to get a way for a day or two. We will probably go up north and visit some Christmas markets and some new places. I hope that we can find somewhere out in the country side to visit but I am sure that whatever we do, it will be good.

Hope that everyone has a great weekend and see you all on Monday.

I've learned

I have learned that art is a very personal thing
I have learned that trying new things can be both extremely scary as well as immensely rewarding
I have learned that having fun is more important than having a perfect drawing
I have learned that getting inspiration from someone else and using it is NOT cheating
I have learned that if you never try new things you will never know what you can really do

I have been stretching myself these past few weeks. I have been trying new things - loving some while hating others. That is OK.
I have been doing things that have felt good. I have been mixing paints to make my own shades of colours, i have been painting with sponges and even with my fingers. I love that i can try all these things and come out of it feeling better in myself. Art is a very personal thing.
I was reading Donna's blog last week and came across this post of hers. My post is very much along the same lines as hers and it is because of her entry that I found both my inspiration for my art piece as well as Kelly Rae Roberts site. Kelly's site is so inspiring and it has helped my mind explode with all sorts of new ideas and things that I would like to try.

So today I sit here and I say thank you. Thank you to Kelly for inspiring Donna. Thank you Donna for inspiring me and thank you Lord for this passion that you have blessed me with.

A good weekend

So what sort of weekend did you have? A good one i hope! Mine was very nice. Normally they seem to fly by without much worry for my wants and needs but not this weekend. This weekend i managed to get so much done. I went shopping and bought some new acrylic paints, i found some time to finish off this art journal entry
as well as start and finish this entry....
This was last weeks prompt from Suzie. This included some paint and a lot of collage and glue. I had so much fun with the glue….lol

After I had had enough art time I sat down and watched this
And this

And got some much needed knitting time in. As of right now I only have one more row to knit and then I can cast off, block it and then sew up the seams. I am hoping to have it ready to show you all by Wednesday.

My gran has been gone for a week already and I wanted her to come home to a nice little mail treat. So last night I put together this little card for her. Card making is not my normal choice of artwork but it was nice to try something a little different. Inside the pouch is a photo of my self, my brother and my gran and on the back is a little message from me. I hope that it gets to her safely and that it makes her smile.

I am just finishing up work and then heading off to see the doctors. Tonight i hope to finish knitting the baby item and get some more reading time in.

Tea, Books and Birthdays

Today is my dad's birthday - Happy Birthday dad! I hope that you have a wonderful day and that the year ahead is full of happiness and blessings. I love you.

A few posts ago i mentioned that i am going off of tea....well, one of the ladies that i work with brought these in for me to try yesterday.
This was so sweet of her. Now i can try some before having to go out and buy entire box fulls. While sorting out my cupboards this weekend i also come across a box of Strawberry and Mango teabags. Hmm, they were rather nice as well.

Ever since i was a little girl i have always been a lover of books. I remember getting awards regularly in school for the most books read. Today, some seventeen odd years on from Primary school and i still love books. They fascinate me. They draw me in. For the past few months i haven't really found a book that grabs my attention but all this changed on Monday evening. My mom lent me her book to take on the bus down to London. What a great book so far! I have been reading in my lunch break, before i go to bed, even in the bath last night - i just can not put this book down.

Art

I have been thinking really hard about putting my art journal up on my blog. Some of the pages are very personal to me and others i don't mind sharing so much. So what i thought i would do if just share those that i want to.

Now before i show these two pages i want to just let you know that if you don't like them then you are totally within your right not to. Art is different for everyone and this is my art, for me, right now. I am having fun, expressing myself and challenging myself to try different things. To step outside of my normal box and to do things that i might have tried if i was the five year old me.
Be true to who you are
For this page i used acrylic paint, rub ons, stickers, paper and collage techniques. I really had fun with this one as it was the first time in a long time that i had mixed my paints to make the exact colour that i was after in my head - loved it!

Good Bye This was the very first page that i did in my art journal. Again a very personal page but this one i don't mind sharing. I used acrylic paint, masking tape and my journal pen.

Tomorrow i am hoping to have some photos up of some of my knitting projects that i have going on at the moment. I seem to have 3 UFO's and at least another 2 projects that i am just itching to get on my needles...lol.

Have a good day today

Whats going on....

I seem to have a lot of different things going on at the moment and i thought i would take some time to share them with you as well as make a note of them for myself for the future.

*I would like to wish Adrienne a happy birthday for today! Hope you have a wonderful day.

*On Monday i am off to London to go see the embassy. It is way too expensive to catch the train down to London so i am going to have to go by bus. A three hour journey there and a 3 hour journey back. A long time! I am hoping to get at least one knitting project finished and possibly a second.

*My new car is working fantastically and i am really enjoying driving her around.

*We also bought a new DH ready flat screen television on Wednesday night. We have been borrowing a family members TV for months now so thought we had better get our own and give them theirs back.

*Last night we met up with my family and my gran and we had a lovely meal at the Hobby Horse Pub.

*Over the next month i will be spending so much time on this Handmade Holidays Tutorial site by Sew Mama Sew. It looks fantastic.

*Stu's engine in his motorbike has got some problems. We have found a new engine for the bike and if all goes well we should be picking it up this weekend.

*I have not been doing any scrapping lately but i have been doing a lot of work in my art journal. I will get some photos posted some time this weekend. If you are looking for something fine to try your hand it have a look at Suzi's site, D'blogala's site and doc.u.menting site. Your art doesn't have to beautiful to anyone else except to you so don't what others say or what that critical voice inside of us put you off trying this.

* I have only recently found the creative organizing blog but i can not wait to get my teeth stuck into it a little more.

*I seem to be going off of tea for some reason. I am not sure why or what i am going to drink if i keep going the way i am but my daily cups of tea just aren't doing it for me anymore.

* I love Greys Anatomy

* We have made no further plans on the wedding front

* I am really missing my old friends lately

Have a great weekend everyone and keep safe.