...throwback to the last time I footered with clay.

So now and again I make some pottery stuff, I fire them and glaze them myself - lots still to learn, but it's addictive. I sell some of these at craft fairs and I loaded up a few things to Etsy to see how that goes, but mostly it's just for fun. I was taking some pics this evening and thought maybe you might like to see, this is a 4 inch tall mushroom/toadstool ring tree - I thought it was cute, I love working with clay and don't get to do it nearly enough, but these are fun. I adore how the glaze pools and settles, it's like magic! If you are curious there's a link to my Etsy in the sidebar. :)

... So what does your Sunday look like?

I'm editing a video, been making this on and off all week, should have had it ready already... but I'm a little distracted, eldest kid is away on a school trip.. far far away... and she's having a ball, but I keep breaking off to text her if she's warm enough, got enough to eat etc, I'm turning into a little old Irish mammy...  hope your Sunday is going great!

... Focus

And all of a sudden it's 2017. I'm not exactly ready for 2017 yet - been languishing under a patchwork quilt of aloe vera tissues and paracetamol blister packs, which have become a feature of Christmasses lately. Feature of life in general lately, 3 kids, 3 different schools, maximum calculated germ pool of somewhere in the region of 2,400 children all exchanging germs with maybe 4,800 parents... all at the same time... throw in an average of one sibling, a well meaning Auntie and a doting Granada per fam and you're looking at maybe 14,000 potential infectors....

Somewhere after Boxing Day I ran out of Agatha Christies and stalked a few folks on Facebook until my eyes were too sore - wound up lying in bed staring at the ceiling.

Nothing like enforced reflection round about this time of year and so I gave in and played along - I chose a word. Been watching people on FB do this for a few years now, didn't really give it much credence until last year when I dallied with the idea of 'Simplify'. I didn't really carry it through as well as I might have, but I mulled it over and thought that maybe perhaps it wasn't a bad thing to have a guiding idea of sorts.

This year I'm thinking I like the sound of 'Focus'. I have a ton of trouble focusing - I want to do everything. All the time. I have a million ideas, there's a million directions I want to go in and I feel all creative and arty, but I often find that I don't exactly end up where I thought I would so I'm thinking Focus could be useful.

Take this picture - it's Ross Castle in Killarney, County Kerry Ireland. I have a long association in my head with Ross Castle. When I was small, maybe 8 or 9, we had a set of encyclopaedia at home. It was a complete set, you know the type, one volume per letter of the alphabet. I spent years poring over those books, soaking up bits of miscellaneous information. One of the articles I remember most was a few pages in the 'I' volume. Ireland. I knew the encyclopaedia were produced in USA and I was curious about what they had to say about Ireland, where I lived. The opening paragraph text was ranged around a small photograph of a man driving a horse and cart past an ancient castle ruin, overgrown with ivy. It was an evening shot and the image was all shades of inky blue splashed with gold. There was a light on in a castle window and the cart carried a lamp.

There was no caption to the photo and I had no way of knowing where the castle was. The article about Ireland spoke of a land filled with castle ruins and I suppose the editors felt that the image was generic enough not to need a caption. It was an image that I looked at a thousand times or more and I felt very drawn to it. I developed an interest in things historical and a fascination with Castles. As years went by I visited many of the castles in Ireland. I finally made it to county Kerry and even though Ross Castle had been restored and cleaned up I knew instantly it was the castle from the picture. I prefer the image of it that I have in my mind, the old darkened ivy crawling over the walls, the wooden cartwheels and the lamp light. I often thought that in a parallel universe I might have been an archaeologist or a historian, but I expended a lot of energy daydreaming and wandering around looking at castles instead of making up my mind to study history properly. I kind of went with the flow and followed a skill that I had - and that has been very interesting, but I am thinking that maybe it's time to pin down a few goals for myself and aim for something specific instead of floating along on a slip stream.

First thing I'm focusing on this year is making stamping videos, you have been warned, lol. I have never produced a video before and I'm expecting a few stinkers to begin with, but it's first on my list and I've cleared the desk!

So what are you focusing on this year? I'd love to hear.

...music to have your teeth drilled by...

Today I can't even....anything. 

It started bad, small boy announced this morning that today was evacuee day at school and he needed a costume. That was grand except it was 8:30 am and we were on the way out the door to school. Full scale scattering match as we tried to round up a waistcoat and some brown paper. We totally nailed it, in a failingly crappy type of way. The idea was to dress up as a World War Two evacuee child. I'm not so sure they wore chinos and tweed waistcoats, but hey...

Dentist followed. Dentist for me. I've been having a course of 'treatment' lately - I knew my ostrich approach to dentistry would eventually land me in trouble and it all came home to roost about a month ago. Couple of broken teeth, niggling pains, yep it was time to book myself in. Some fears are so deep rooted that they just cannot be overcome, but pain is a super motivating factor. Problem was my favourite oral bio-mechanical structural engineer had up and done a moonlit flit to Armagh, without telling me and I was left high and dry.

Normally I get on well with all peoples, but the receptionists at the usual place were a bit sneery, I mean, what's a lapse of a handful of years in the grand scheme of things? "What's that? Kevin's left now? He's got married and moved away? He has three kids now? Really? when did that all happen?"

Anyhow I decided to shift camp and asked around. So glad I did, my new dentist is lovely. So lovely. Such a nice lady, and the added bonus, as my small daughter says, is her fingers are waaayyyyy smaller that the last dude's, it doesn't feel like you have a whole hand of bananas in there at all.

In a hypothetical kind of way, and on behalf of a friend, I asked her if she had any good ideas for folks who could be described as just the teensiest wee bit terrified, you know, just in case I ever needed to advise anybody. She told me to bring my ipod and some earphones. Life changing moment. There I lie blasting ELO though my brains at max. Mr Bumpy can't compete with Mr Blue sky. I win!

The after freeze face-ache is a killer tho....

...Hallowe'en

About two years ago myself and a friend were driving home from Athlone. We had about 120 miles to go and it was late enough in the evening. We were full of chat having spent the day at a craft show and neither of us were tired as we had driven down the day before and stayed over.

No need for the radio since both of us could talk for Ireland and so about a half hour into the drive we were both a bit startled when the car dashboard beeped to let us know we were low on petrol. I hadn't had the wit to check the level before we'd set off.

I completely believe the maths when it tells me that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and so I'm not one for following motorways when it looks like I can go more directly from A to B on country roads. I like to think I have a great sense of direction and so I'd taken a cross country route home.

I know there's about 30 miles left in the tank before I really run out of juice and so I'm not really panicking as such but I get my friend to flip on 'Nuala' the sat nav to see if she can pinpoint a service station - it's not like Ireland is that big and there's probably one round the next hedge. It's been pitch dark since about 7 or so anyhow and I'm on country roads that I'm not familar with and so it's handy to have the sat nav to fall back on.

A while back we passed a signpost for Trim, and so I know that I'm somewhere between Trim and Navan and neither is further than 10km so really, there's not a problem.

Blasted sat nav can't find a satellite and so I do what any girl scout would do and keep going 'til I reach a small village, we knock the door of a 70's style bungalow and the nice lady who lives there tells us that we're only about 4 miles from a service station - she even telephones ahead to make sure he is still open - it's about ten to nine and he's getting ready to close up, but he says he'll wait for us - where would you get better?

It's a grand clear night and even though there's no lighting along the country roads, the sky is clear as glass and, for a change it's not raining. I turn into a stretch of road about a mile long and poker straight. I'm doing about 35mph, which I don't think is excessive when my foots takes a convulsion and slams itself on the brake. Thankfully the brakes are great and we don't skid further than about 4-5 feet. About a nanosecond later my eyes register the shape of a big-ish white dog standing in the road, about a foot in front of the headlights -  and I mean just standing there. He's not looking at us, he is standing in the middle of the road, side-on to the car, just standing there staring into the hedge. He gets bigger every time I tell this story, but in truth he was about the size and shape of a Wolfhound. I have no clue how I didn't see him, his back is taller than the bonnet of the car, he is all white and the headlights are practically bouncing off him. He must have leapt out of the hedge on the right, mentally I give him the full 10 points for a perfect landing, he's not even swaying.

I turn to tell my friend that he must be hunting something in the ditch under the hedge, his concentration is powerful and she's laughing at me "What are you, the dog whisperer?" we both turn back to him and he's gone. Must have went in after whatever it was he was hunting, 35 mph now feels a little fast and my heart is still racing, so I put the car into first and prepare to crawl forward a bit, I'm paranoid now that the dog will bounce back out onto the road, and I'd rather not run him over, so I ask my friend to keep a look out on the left and I take the right - for about a split second I wonder if he is lost and should I try to nab him and take him somewhere, but he just didn't have that 'lost dog' air about him and I decide that he's a local and he'll be grand. It's a bit dark out and I really don't fancy running round fields trying to catch a dog while keeping the petrol man waiting. Also he's a bit on the large side. I wonder if he is deaf, or blind even, he didn't take us under his notice and it was odd the way he didn't even look at us. Poor oul thing. This all takes place in the space of about 5 seconds, and as I let down the hand brake and press my foot on the pedal an ear splitting crack rents the air like a gunshot. The shock of the sound makes me jerk my foot off the pedal and I freeze. My friend freezes. It sounds like a ton of gravel is raining down on the car, I hear a huge rusty hinge creaking and the gravel is still raining. The car is bouncing slightly as it stalls and something vast hits the tip of the bonnet, the back end of the car raises ever so slightly then bounces down again and we roll back a couple of inches. The gravel stops raining but I can see nothing. "What the H*** is happening?" I shout. Silence.

It takes about a full 5 minutes for us to realise that we are in the canopy of a massive tree. Neither of us can get a door open, but we climb into the back seats and I pop the boot. We climb out into the road and back into the clear moonlight.

A massive tree has come down in the road right at the front end of the car. We are shaking. Speechless. We walk back to the 70's bungalow. Phone home. Hot sweet tea. The nice lady phones the Garda and they get the road closed off and organise getting the car out of the tree. Few scratches, front bumper is off, but Garda Timoney thinks I have a sixth sense - he notices there's no collision marks on the tree trunk - and he's seen the skid marks on the road - "How did you get stopped in time? you couldn't have known that tree was going to fall?"

I just tell him that I slammed on the brake when I saw the big white dog. Garda Timoney's eyes dart to his fellow officer, who stops writing and looks back at him, nice lady spills her tea.






*Garda - Irish Police

If you liked this post you might also enjoy this one.

...a wee spin

 

If you ever happen to find yourself in Dalkey of an evening, you could do worse than pop in here - it's a bar/restaurant called 'The Club'.

Over Easter we had taken a little spin down to Dalkey, which is a little coastal village just outside Dublin and this was a great find - the food was good, and there was decent level of atmosphere. I did manage to take a couple of quick snaps before the place filled up and you can see they have a lovely panoramic painting of what looks like a sort of Italian riviera scene, all around the main bar area. Not sure if it's a real place or a fictional spot, but it was nicely done.

Dalkey abounds in oversized college lads. At first it can leave you feeling a little hobbitish, but it is actually a very good thing - we find them particularly handy for push starting the car. Three or four of these young oaks can coerce an unresponsive Renault Scenic into and out of a three point turn in under 2 minutes, we know this because we timed it. Once they have it facing the right way,  they barely have to break into a jog before the motor is running but what really endears them to one is the tremendous ancillary support you receive in the form of good humoured vocal encouragements as you exit the scene, struggling to keep pace while inserting 3 children, bodily, into a moving vehicle. "Ah get yer rump in there, ye gerrrl ye!"...might be a while before I show my face, or indeed my behind in Dalkey again...

...a little eggy goodness

 

You might recall this little card from later year's A Good Egg stamp set - well this week we had the matching dies come in and I am just getting them onto the store this evening! Yep, we are cutting it a little fine for Easter this year, but since we are shipping these from both the UK and USA locations, you just might have time to put something together!

The die set features an egg, a banner and two of the flower shapes from the stamp set.

Waffle
This is absolutely nothing to do with stamps, but you may indeed read on if you too are struggling with, how shall we put this... your own personal vintage. It was suggested to me the other night, by somebody who ought to know better, that I'm getting on a bit. How very dare he.

If you are a taut twenty something and we met at a 'function', it's just possible that you would be tempted to deposit me with your mum and take yourself off to where all the other young folks are clinking glasses and comparing the absence of cellulite, but I can still imitate a slim-ish woman for a whole 47 seconds (after which I need to breathe) and I have a most useful facial feature. I have dimples. Dimples are great, instant youthfulness guaranteed. All I have to do is remember to smile, and by crikey I smiled at the muppet who should have known better the other night.

Being the age I am with the children I have, I often bump into folks I went to school with, ferrying their offspring around to all the events that my own offspring also attend. Folks from your past, in particular old school acquaintances, often mistake ancient fraternity for recent familiarity and I have found that this especially occurs with the male of the species who was perhaps a bit stand-offish, or even cheeky as a pre-teen boy. If you are really unlucky, like I was the other night, you bump into one whose mother never told him that generally, a lady does not like to have her age discussed in public, especially among strangers. Nigel obviously never got the memo and thought it would be fun to introduce my incredible antiquity to the general chat among the group of daddies gathered with us in the foyer...

Time to engage the dimples. Lots of dimples, also raised eyebrows. Feigning complete surprise is always a good move. With dimples set to 'stun' I decided to throw in the anime eyes for good measure. Having sucked in my breath 42 seconds previously I also knew that I needed to be outside within the next five and so as I grinned a last a goodbye wave and wafted around the doorway out into the night the uncomfortableness ended at last when I heard one of the daddies say "Catch a grip Nige, there's no way she's as old as you!"

A silent prayer of thankfulness for the unknown daddy. Don't care whether he really believed it it or not, chivalry lives on.

...Mojo Monday

Good morning/Afternoon ladies, we interrupt our regular schedule to bring a surprise to one Ms Julee Tilman!! Hugs to you missy!

If you are looking for our blog party round up, please scroll down to the post before this one, or you might like to stay and wish Julee well!

If you are following the Mojo Monday trail you will have arrived here from Taylor Van Bruggen's blog. If you have just dropped in at random, and very welcome you are, you might like to start here at Julee's blog  or here at Teresa's Blog so's you can catch up and see all of the Mojo Monday inspiration cards.

 I'm sure you already know that Julee is the owner of Verve stamps (one of my absolute fave places to shop, because Julee is one of my absolute favourite folks) and Teresa has hi-jacked the Mojo Monday Sketch challenge to invite us all to send warm wishes and hearty congratulations to Julee and her DH Mark who are expecting a rather special delivery!

Any moment now twins are expected in the Verve household and I think that's pretty much the best reason in the world to celebrate, so let's raise our tea cups, coffee mugs, soda glasses, and champagne flutes if you have them to say a huge Congratulations to Julee and Mark may all our very best wishes be with you both as you await the wee folk!

So Julee, Teresa assured me that it would be ok if I offered you the benefit of my considerable advice, being the perfect mother and all...and if I could remember any of it, I would, but since the arrival of my firstborn just over 12 years ago the one abiding piece of wisdom that still echoes in my empty, sleep deprived brain is this - When folks utter those golden words "Is there anything I can do?..." you say YES! Let's practice...Say it with me....Y...Ye...YES!!!

Yep, everyone will want to hold the babies and do all the cute stuff, and tie the wee bibs on and feed them with those cute wee dinky bottles, but no. You need the dishes washed, the laundry folded and the dinner made, and don't be afraid to say so. "Yes Aunt Marjorie, be a dear and scrub those filthy potatoes for me and if you could just peel those carrots ooh and the stock cubes are in the drawer and 220 degrees ought to do it ...and I'll be upstairs having a doze..."

Oh how different life will be Julee....but take the good of it - snuggle up beside them when they snooze, forget about the house, it'll still be standing 18 years from now when you are waving them off to college. Take all the help you can so that you can enjoy every second of their tiny lives. I hear that, with the right training, even men can be drafted in to handle such tasks as diaper application. I didn't get to see it in my time, but we've come a long way since then and new studies have suggested that the male of the species has finally evolved enough...

So, a simple formula to sum it up: Julee and Mark = Babies, Everyone Else = Everything else.

Simple.

And since 9 to 12 months will go by in a flash, the formula for toddlerhood is as follows: Small boys = smiling dirt and Disney dvds are not evil.

Congratulations guys and Yes, Everything IS going to be OK!!

 

For my card today I pulled out an Irish Blessing from the Blessings stamp set that felt appropriate and mixed it with some purty paper that had dinky wee pears on it..geddit? pears? pairs...twins? lol. I liked it anyhow. And since ginger goes so well with pears (well it does in my house, ginger and pear crumble..no?) I used some ginger coloured card and toning inks in browns and distress tea stain. Alittle stitching and some nice ginger velvet ribbon to finish, a fabby sketch from Mary Fish.

I believe I am the last stop on the trail today and so I will send you back to Julee's blog after I show you the Mojo Monday Sketch.

Have fun playing along and don't forget to stop by and wish Julee and Mark all the very best!!!

...even more waffle

I am a ridiculous-situation magnet.

It's my own fault. I have one of those brains that thinks it is coming up with imaginative solutions to  urgent problems. Take this very afternoon. Mr B was down on his knees in the road changing a tyre on the car of a dear relative. The car had been parked on the roadside after having sustained a nasty puncture and, having ferried said relative home, we had returned to complete what DH assured me was a two minute job...

It was towards evening and a slight drizzle was extracting itself from the damp dusky air. The wee folks were getting bored in the back of our car and chose to advertise the fact to passing traffic by pressing various facial contortions in combination against the steamy windows.

I was standing by the front of the punctured car providing witty repartee and sage advice on removing stubborn nuts and bolts, that sort of thing...when the interior designer in me noticed that Mr B's trousers and indeed jacket were an awfully good match for the tarmac.

Concerned for the eyesight of the oncoming motorists, I betook myself to the rear of the vehicle and stood there boldly advertising the fact that there was 'work-going-on' at the side of the road, reasoning that the oncoming traffic could not fail to notice me nodding and winking at them with my arms folded in a serious stance.

Had we been in France, where the sensible road law insists that folks carry reflective vests, myself and DH would have been boldly attired in luminous yellow but, alas, we are not French... and the interior designer in me allowed at least half a dozen motors to pass before recognizing that my jumper and indeed jeans were in a hue with the punctured automobile in the same way that my crouching DH looked like a small boulder on the road....and that anyone who had spotted me at all was probably vaguely aware of a bluish white bodiless face floating roughly 5 and a half feet from the ground...

My solution? - simple and elegant. With flourish I withdrew a crumpled white sheet from the open boot of the injured car and slung it over my shoulder, I was now a bright beacon to behold. In my head, DH was safe to continue the business of replacing the wheel while I boldly stood by advertising the fact that a man was at work on the roadside. Headlights reflected marvelously well off the sheet and I sensed a pat on the back was due me.

DH seemed to speed up mightily, buoyed no doubt by the able support of a good woman...

It was only as I was folding up the decorating sheet that I noticed the thin grin and the side to side shaking of the ginger head...was he laughing at me? I asked him as much.

"I was just wondering why you didn't put the car lights on?" he said...." and you would have looked less of a muppet if the sheet hadn't had that big yellow stain on it...."

I will go to bed tonight re-running the scene in my head, praying that none of the two dozen or so cars that passed contained anyone who knows me....

...waffle

....ever have a time in your life when you suddenly look up at the clock and realise 3 weeks have passed??
happened to me just the other day... I was full of New Years resolutions and brilliant schemes for January only to find out that January was, in fact, over. Gone. The entire first month of 2012 somehow got out from underneath me....and it was February...

Lately it feels like Sunday nights are way closer together than they used to be, and even my elder daughter is noticing it too... Much relief to hear that, I was running on the assumption that I was just getting older...but nope, time seems to be speeding up doesn't it? My DH has a theory that time is, in fact, speeding up. I countered this with the supposition that if this was the case then people should be living longer because a years worth of now is worth only, say, 11 and a half months of 200 years ago...so somebody who reached 100 years of age 200 years ago, should reach around 104 these days...but wait, according to popular belief, we are living longer...so either he's right or I'm right, or this ole earth is spinning faster....

Either way, there are not enough hours in the day for me...but...reassuringly the time space continuum, or lack thereof, has been a boon for other members of the Brennan clan, my five year old announced that he was the very man to build the new lego helicopter flaunting itself on a shiny new box in Auntie L's handbag because he had, and I quote, "Twenty-seven years experience in cosntruction!"

My eight year old visibly expanded with relief and indeed belief, when I confirmed upon a recent birthday, that I had indeed reached the grand old age of 23 years of age....I neglected to mention that I had also reached 24 and 25...

Thankfully the newly minted 12 year old is keeping a grasp on reality and has admirably resisted, as yet, the imminent and instant temptation to leap directly from 12 to 16....that can accompany that particular  birthday...more power to you Enid Blyton wherever you are my dear....

...Halloween is coming

It was during the last days of Second World War. She had been evacuated from home in Belfast to a little seaside town in South County Down. A picturesque little spot overlooking Carlingford Lough and the Cooley mountains. At 6 and a half years of age, Mary was sent with many, many other Belfast children to the homes of people far away from the bombing and the blitz in Belfast.

Most folks were very kind to the children and old Mrs Bradley was no exception, she found a room for Mary in the far end of her little long cottage. Tucked away in the room behind the huge hearth, Mary was very comfortable. The room was empty save for an old iron bed, a three legged stool, a blackened wooden chest and a white jug and basin which sat in the enormously wide window ledge.

The cottage was old, very solid, with not a suggestion of damp and Mary's little window faced the sea. Old Mrs Bradley was a keen cook and Mary loved to help. The two became friends. Mr Bradley had 'gone to sea' a long time ago and was not asked about, Mary was not a nosey child and Mrs Bradley usually spoke enough so that Mary didn't have to ask questions. It was Mrs Bradley's manner to talk to Mary about everyone and everything as though Mary had always been with her and knew everything already.

The War drew to an end and many of the children returned home. On the morning of the day that Mary was due to leave, she and the old woman sat for a while before the fire and the old woman treated Mary to a cup of tea in her best china tea cups, retrieved from the wooden chest.

"These were a gift from the mother-in-law, when Marion was christened." said Old Mrs Bradley holding the good cream china tea cup up to Mary in a toast. "These are the last two cups I have Mary, I want you to take that one home with you and bring it again when you come to visit me, we'll drink a health to each other."

Mary looked, as she had done many times, at the image of Marion on the mantle-piece, a pretty lady with shining ringlets. Marion looked happy and Mary decided to ask "Is she sad because she broke the cups then Mrs Bradley?".

"Is who sad child? what do you mean Mary?" asked Mrs Bradley

"Well, when Marion comes into my room at night to mind me, she sits on the wee stool and looks sad. Did she break the other cups Mrs Bradley? I think it must have been an accident, I don't think she meant to..."

Old Mrs Bradley didn't miss a beat, "of course not child," she said and up she jumped from the chair and busied herself about the parcel of scones she was sending home with Mary. With a sidelong glance at the picture on the mantle, she wrapped Mary's cup in waxed loaf paper and tied up the two parcels with a length of wool. A little loop for carrying.

Out the front door of the cottage they went, arm in arm, the best of friends. Down the lane to the road, past the churchyard where they had lain flowers together and stood in silent prayer together every day that the child had been with her.

Old Mrs Bradley waved Mary off into the little throng of children, marshalled by schoolteachers, being gathered together for the journey home to Belfast. Her bond with Mary was a good one and she knew she would see her again, so she was not at all sad as she walked up the hill home, picking hedge flowers on the way.

Pushing the graveyard gate open she stepped in and knelt by the memorial stone just inside the gate.

"Now Marion, Mary is a fine child of course, a lot like you, yes, but she will never take your place my daughter...no. You'd no need to be so sad." sighed Old Mrs Bradley to the stone as she fussed the flowers into place beneath the name and the lower date, carved in large fine lettering: Marion Bradley, - 1923. "And isn't it a blessing the child can't read...".





A little Halloween story! 90% fiction, 10% true! lol. Hope it tickles!

Pics were taken at Rowallane gardens Saintfield, Ghosts trail and pumpkin day last weekend. Photoshop filters used.

...Happy World Card making day!!!

ED, My Harriet card is finally finished!! I've written the info in blue, 'case you were here earlier and already read the post.

Good morning! It's World Card making day and there are a stack of fabby things going on all over the web, Here at WMS we have a freebie for you in honour of WCMD!

Say Hello to Harriet, she's a little Vintage moppet all wrapped up in her winter fur, and she's got a gift for you! Won't she look fabby on a Christmas card, maybe inside a nice Vintage frame??

And, we thought we might run a little competition with Miss Harriet - If you'd like to be in with a chance of winning some free stuff, why don't you snag Harriet, make a card/project with her and enter into our WCMD giveaway.

You have until 11:59 pm EASTERN on Saturday, October 9th to enter. We will draw a random winner to win a free stamp set of their choice! Simply upload your project to your blog/fave online gallery and then add the link here!

My Harriet was printed onto cream and coloured with copics, I lack Lisa's superb colouring skills that you can see here, but I was actually really happy with the result, these wee ladies are really growing on me...! lol. I trimmed her out with a Spellbinders labels Labels Seventeen die template (#S5-025).

Sponged copiously with Antique linen...what else? lol. Trimmed out a mat by embossing the die temlate onto purple cardstock and then trimming along the outer edge with scissors. Made a similar panel for my sentiment.

Did you like my snowflake embossed background? It's a Spellbinders Impressabilities (# I2-1003) Gorgeous results. Here it is below, before I added the panels.


A wee gold button and snippet of purple ribbon, just to finish.

My Sentiment...do you like it? lol, I must admit I'm being a little sneaky here...you know what's coming, don't you...? lol! Yep, the October release is looming....



How to Snag Harriet:

I'll be making Harriet available to download directly from the store Freebies section here. If you are reading this before I have that ready, you might be able to click on the image above in this blog post to make it bigger and then swipe it to your desk, Mac folk can just drag it, PC people maybe have to right click? I think.

Waffle

It's Saturday morning, who knows you might be bored...lol!

I'm not that fab at drawing people, some of you might be very polite and say that I did an ok job on Harriet but believe me, I'm out of my comfort zone...lol. It's the faces...actually it's lots of things, I went through about 6 versions of Harriet before I settled on one that I liked...this time it was the nose...now there are loads of girl type images out there for folks who like to colour and some I like, some I'm not sure...it's the no-face people that get me...lol, I always want to add little smiles but when I came to draw Harriet, I found myself baulking at the nose...lol, I even left it off but the DT ladies wouldn't have it, nope we needed a full featured face and so I added the teeniest little line...think I got away with it...just...

This was not the case many moons ago...

I went to Art College, you know, that bohemian place where girls in flowing chiffon scarves pout in front of statues of gorillas made from decomposing fish...free expression or something...I can't remember what particular movement was on at the time...it pains me to think so far back...lol

I made a few wee wax discs one time by pouring melted wax into a little dish of cold water...I thought it was cool that the water made the wax solidify instantly and I was able to capture wax bubbles and such...lol, I was having a ball... It didn't hurt that a tutor thought I had single handedly produced just about the best 'visualization' of the chaos theory that he had ever seen....Of course that's what I was aiming for!! (slaps head) any fool could see that...yeah right...

I enjoyed the theory classes, I wrote a thesis on Japanese design, I ate up the classes on Art History, I painted like a demon, I modeled in all sorts of 3-D, I bought my first Mac, I still have it, I fell in love with drawing on the computer, I reveled in packaging design...

...but I couldn't draw people for toffee...

part of it was embarrassment...life study class...you know, the one where they wheel out the naked human being for you to sketch...some nights I still re-live the red faced shame of being singled out in class... every single week... the tutor in charge would come and stand directly behind me... every single week... the little tutting noises... the tapping of the finger on my sketch pad... every single week... in the little blank areas of my otherwise finely detailed sketch...hundreds of sketches of people...with no faces... no boobies... and no bottoms...

yep, I think I started a whole new movement....

...at the edge of the world

Hello from the edge of the world!
I raised a few laughs in Westport yesterday when I walked into a mobile phone store and asked for a dongle. I’m reliably informed that a dongle would enable me to surf the internet from the comfort of my armchair overlooking Clew Bay. I thought it was a reasonable enough request, it was greeted with undisguised mirth, I was only slightly embarrassed....lol.

Of course, internet is available here in hotels etc, but I baulk at the thought of stealth surfing undercover of darkness in the street outside the hotel and my wee folk will not tolerate me ‘computing’ while we dine and indeed a few spousal eyebrows have been raised at my even bringing the laptop with me so I’m afraid it must remain languishing in the corner while I lavish undiluted attention upon my wee clan! In fairness I am enjoying the family time...could do without the sandridden wetsuits tho’...

Anyhow, here’s a couple of pics we snapped last night, the first is a pretty sunset seen at Lecanvey, the second is the national famine monument at Murrisk, f you’re squeamish you won’t want to study this pic too closely...it’s a ship fairly rigged with skeletal shapes. The first time we saw it we approached it eagerly and then hurried the wee folk away when we actually realised what it was.

It’s a terrific piece of art but takes some explaining to a 6 year old.

Right, must be off, fish to be caught! Chat soon!

...two 500's...woohoo!

ED - I'm leaving this open until Wednesday night! (21st), lol, and I'm loving the comments!!

Well I just noticed that we now have over 500 folks in our wee Forum!!! AND yesterday's post was the 500th on my blog and in Blog Land that means it's time for some candy!!!

So just for fun, I'm going to give a little parcel of stampy goodies, (and maybe a Co-ordinating Die template???) from the store to a random commenter on this post!! I want to know which of the latest goodies from Spellbinders you are most looking forward to getting your mitts on!! lol!! I have my eye on the Labels 14 that Debbie Olson kicked it all off with HERE.

You do know they've been having a Blog Frezy, the eye candy has been so good it's almost unbearable!! Check it all out HERE! and then come back and tell me what you likey likey!!

Yep, your prize will be a stamp set or two plus a matching Die set!! I will chat to the individual who wins to make sure they get something that they don't already have!!! - Right off you go and show Spellbinders some love!!

Store News

Waltzingmouse Stamps is getting a new store!! It might even be ready this week! I cannot wait to show you ladies, it is lovely! Keep an eye on the old blog for more deets!

Waffle

What are the chances that you'd run into town to go to the bank and bump into an old friend that you haven't seen in years? 16 years to be exact. Yep, we scrambled into the bank first thing this morning, barely dressed in threadbare house cleaning attire, before breakfast, not a hair in the house brushed, badminton fee emergency.

We'd promised ourselves a leisurely pancake breakfast upon our return while we really got ourselves together for the day. And there she was, a friend from College who went on to great things, in faraway places. In my little old town where (thankfully, it must be said) not very much goes on.

She was from the South of Ireland and we were quite good buddies for the few years we were at Uni, and then we moved on, as you do, quite rightly so. I was pleased to see her looking so well. I believe I used the word 'glowing'.

She hasn't married but is happily partnered, no wee folk, great big house at A, second pad at B. I was genuinely delighted at her success and then the chat turned to myself, "Oh yes, having a ball, 3 of a family, got a cracking little Stamp company, designing...making...fabulous Design Team, product partners with a hugely popular crafting company, so happy..." As I'm waffling, I'm following her eyes up and down my person, taking in the smaller folk, the wrinkled linen, overstuffed handbag and I'm noticing a sympathetic smile trying to hide itself on her lips.

It's not until I'm walking away that I realize she doesn't believe me...and I know she doesn't believe me because with a thunderclap of epiphanic remembrance I picture the very last time I was talking to her, I have a very good memory of it, we were in a cafe in Belfast 16 years ago and I'm wearing the same blasted shirt.

...empty promises

It was one of those empty promises you make, not ever expecting to have to follow through.

"OOOh, can we go on the big wheel?" she said, one day last summer. 'Sure' we said, driving past, thinking about what I was going to make for dinner, and now, fast-forward six months and they hadn't taken the blasted thing away, as I'd always hoped they would.

My wee folk had pestered us about it, on and off since the summer, each time, I had a reason ready, we were in a hurry, it was closed, it was too busy...

Last night we were down in Belfast at the Christmas Market, which I have to admit, is getting to be quite interesting, tho' not a patch on Salzburg, but that's a tale for another day.

And there it stood in all of it's floodlit spectacularity.

It was a monster I hoped I would never have to face. All of my favourite things rolled into one tiny swinging capsule. Suspended at height above unsuspecting onlookers.

If you're guessing I'm afraid of heights, you are right. You get extra points if you spotted the claustraphobia.

Add on the peril factor. Plus the multiplicative nature of my brain and all of a sudden I'm imagining that the structural engineer must surely be nuts if the thinks those bolts are going to hold my little family safely, 20 stories in the air. No way. I wonder did they check the structure today? That attendant looks a little tired, I wonder if he's the 'safety guy'?. How do they get you down if you have a heart attack. At this point we're in the queue.

My little, bigger, daughter, who really, REALLY wants to go on the 'wheel' wants to hold my hand! Oh dear. Back out now before it's too late. My Brother is with us. Not much phases him. I take comfort from that and reason with myself that thousands of folks have shuffled through here, had a 'go' on the wheel and safely shuffled off again, completely safe.

Wait a minute!!! Thousands of folks have shuffled through here, had a 'go' on the wheel and safely shuffled off again, completely safe. Oh no! surely it's 'due' a breakdown!!! think of all the wear and tear those thousands of folks have inflicted, why didn't we go last summer when it was still fairly new, in prime condition, instead of waiting for a damp, cold, night in the Belfast gloom.

A light went off in my face. A millisecond later I was glad i resisted the urge to throw myself bodily under the walkway ramp, when I realised it was just an attendant taking a photo of our 'big' moment as we boarded the swinging gondola.

The voice in the back of my head screamed GET OFF NOW. My five year old looked up and smiled, delighted at the thrill ahead.

The attendant closed the door.

UP.

I will spare you all the liquid details and move quickly to the point where I'm on my feet, in a swinging gondola, 50 feet in the air, gasping for breath, fist jammed into the emergency stop button! Thinking "NO! I DON"T WANT IT TO STOP! I WANT IT TO GO DOWN!"

Three little pairs of eyes agog, mouths open. DH shaking his head, eyes rolling up in amused incredulity. Brother actually rocking with mirth.

Littlest daughter was the first to speak. "Close your eyes mummy, and hold my hand."

I did as I was told, one finger still on the emergency button.

The attendant opened the doors, out I shot into the night like some crazed vampire escaping the dawning sun.

The ride went on without me. I regained enough composure to take some pics for your viewing pleasure but this morning I still feel quite ill. LOL. I have reached that stage in life where i now know my limits and I will never, voluntarily, cross them again!

...Happy Thanksgiving

To all my American buddies and customers, I wish you all Happy Thanksgiving!! Tonight I'm very thanksful for the fact that my son's hospital appointment went well today!!

Waffle

Ever buy anything and then instantly regret it?

Today I took delivery of new window blinds, my old ones were literally falling apart. We operate on a replace-it-only-when-it-causes-acute-embarrassment basis. We don't have a mountain of funds for household maintenance, don't get me wrong, I'm not crying poverty but we knew the going would be a little tough while one of us was at home raising little folk - I expect most folks are in the same boat.

So this month it was time to finally do something about the blinds. I'd love to do without them completely but we're well within view of anyone who cares to turn around. Indeed we once had a neighbour across the street who used to toast me with his glass of wine from his front window in the evenings while I fed my daughter in the dining area at the rear of our house...

Feeling lucky, I was delighted when the guy arrived with the blinds, very polite, everything beautifully fitted, even managed to bag the fabric I wanted at a terrific price. I thought clean white would be a nice change from the cream we'd had before. Nothing, not at all one thing, to do with my aunts' casual comment that cream blinds looked nicotine stained...

Spent 5 mins hoovering the drill dust up and relaxed with tea, smiling at my good fortune, before popping out to get small folks from school and then over to the hospital for Little dude's appointment.

Nothing prepared me for the fact that upon my return, in the dark, my house looked like it was radio active.

I kid you not. There seems to be some sort of UV attractant in the fabric that glows an eerie kind of blue whiteness in the dark. I believe we may be visible from space. I just saw a satellite come back for another look. Keep an eye out for it on google earth. They're gonna have to go...

...waffle

ED - actually Jak, yes i do.

I was just fine with my 'stage' in life until last week. It's all Colin's fault.

Colin works with my husband, sounds like nice chap, works hard, good sense of humour. Quite often folks with a good sense of humour are very astute in many other ways...they're good at spotting things most of us just don't see.

So it is with Colin.

Colin spotted that folks of a certain age make a little noise when bending down to pick stuff up. A little 'hhnnngh' noise, just a teeny little, strain-releasing groan, right at the moment of furthest exertion when you are reaching for that thing you've dropped on the floor.

Colin gleefully pointed this out to my DH, who gleefully pointed it out to me, and now I'm pointing it out to you.

I'm not gleeful because I have reached that stage in life.

I do it.

All the time.

When I've been bending down to pick up the toys from the floor. To lift the mat. To reach under the bed for the shoes.

hhnngh!

Every time.

It's not like I haven't tried not to, but it gets me every time, I make the wee noise, then I become aware that I've made the wee noise, then I think of Colin smirking all over his face !

I'll bet Colin doesn't grunt when he bends over. The stinker.

I have no idea whether I have always made the wee noise or whether it started recently.

The only consolation I have, is that now you've read this, you'll be thinking about it too. You'll picture me smiling all over my face and i won't feel old and lonely anymore!! LOL

ps, this is my second post today, scroll down for Postal strike news regarding the store!

...Ho Ho Ho!

Well I feel a bit guilty that the old blog is so bare this past week! But I'm consoling myself with the thoughts that if my next release comes off as planned I'll have something that will blow your wee minds, unless of course you are into skydiving, swimming with sharks or any other sort of extreme sport that really does blow your mind! LOL

anyhow, can't wait...but have to...

waffle

I've been an Interior designer, a graphic designer and most recently a stamp designer. I flatter myself that I can put things together to make a pleasing arrangement, so WHY am I the pits with fashion?

I couldn't dress a wound.

I live my life in blue jeans, plain T-shirts and brown hiking boots. Just so's you have the full picture, I have longish dark brown hair and a fairly unremarkable face. Ok, the nose is...well, regal.

I feel comfortable, and I can run if I have to, lol. It doesn't bother me, and I don't really think about it, it's not like I go to many gala dinners. But yesterday I was in the kitchen, trying really hard not to iron when a tiny hand shoved a sheet of printer paper under my nose. It was a glorious piece of handiwork. Stolen crayons and larger sisters' best felt tips combined to paint a picture of an amazing creature, a princess decked out in a flowing gown of myriad colour. High heels and stripey tights. Each individual eyelash outlined in a different hue. Collagen lipstick like you couldn't buy.

"Ooooh that's lovely!" I said, wondering if I was going to have to make it, we'd been talking halloween costumes.

"It's you mummy she said."

I wish everyone could see me like she does, just once. LOL.

...they're in...they're out!!

Got another shipment of Very Vintage Christmas and Halloween sets this afternoon, which means that ALL outstanding orders are now packed and ready to ship first thing in the morning!!!! Yay!! yes, even the orders placed today are ready to go. I'm so relieved - I can't tell you all how I hate to keep folks waiting!!

It might take a day or two to get all the shipping notices out so I thought I'd post it here.

I'm hoping my supplier is recovering from their horrendous move earlier this month and that replenishment will return to what it was.

So how are you all?

I've been busy. I'm drawing like crazy, trying to get a stack of sets ready and working on a new webstore!!!!!

I'm really hoping to have an 'Official Launch Party' in a few weeks time here on my blog and on the new store. There will be plenty of inspiration, wink! and a GRAND prize!! so keep an eye out for more news on that.

So, that's it for store news, read on only if you are truly bored, otherwise call back soon as I'd really like to make a few cards in the next day or two it feels like so long since I did any!!

Waffle

Most days I can do a real good impression of a flat stomach just by pulling it all in and holding my breath, the sight of a clingy tee-shirt, actually hanging loosly across a taut tum really diverts the eyes from the accompanying purple face and puffed cheeks. So it was with a slightly dejected countenance that I stared down into little guys' smiling face as he announced, loudly, in an audience-seeking kind of way, that "Mummy, you has got twoooooo bellies!!!" 'Course we had to be in the supermarket at the time.

Sympathetic smiles and tilting-of-the-head from anyone within earshot.

Purple with embarrassment I hurried to the next aisle.

Little guy, not one to be fobbed off, carried on the monologue. "Mummy lemme see your twooo bellies!!" and promptly lunged forward to grab a couple of handfuls. In a split second, ninja-slow-motion moment I began to comprehend that little guy was actually aiming far higher than belly level and, in his two year old innocence, has no idea that they are actually called something else.

I left the second aisle mortified as the little hands landed.

...nearly ready!!

I am home from Mayo just this evening and I thought I'd have a wee nosey on the old blog before I hit the sack. I hope you have enjoyed the sneak peeks and I'll be starting the new projects on Monday.

There will be 4 sets for this release and I am looking forward to sharing the samples and stamp images with you all and I love feedback - many thanks to all who left comments in my absence! I am very excited about these sets!!

Loads of you are away at CHA and I hope you are all having a blast! I look forward to seeing pics when I get a moment to catch up on blog surfing!! I'll have some pics of Mayo after the release.

The Design Team decision is still in progress and I am taking every opportunity to avoid having to decide between an astronomical number of applicants, but I will tie it all down after the release is over, probably at the end of the month.

Waffle

I find it very interesting to think about how we appear to others.

Just this week while on Holiday in Mayo (this is where God goes on holiday too - THE most beautiful place on the planet), I fell into conversation with a darling French lady from Paris. She began by complimenting my children, (you know how your children always look sweet and angelic to folks who don't really know them, lol.)

I tried my best to chat to her in French - it's rusty but I can tell you how to take a pair of tights to the trainstation to the train station etc. Unfortunately brain freeze set in, and when we reached the part of the conversation where she was telling me about her daugter's children's ages etc. She asked what age I was.

While I fumbled about in my memory for the correct words, she guessed that I was 23. I could have hugged her. It was a bad hair/face/head day and I suddenly felt youthful and vibrant . Sadly I had to admit tho' that it has been some time since I saw 23. This was all fine except that my big girl (9) is what we call 'no dozer' and had been following the gist of the conversation and was all too able to count the fingers as I relayed to the french lady that in actual fact I was thirty several. I saw my daugters' eyes like saucers as the realization set in that mummy is, in fact, "really old" in kid terms. I suddenly felt ancient and tired. lol.

Also, I sing like a bird.

Sadly, the bird in question is a laryngitic crow. My dear departed father-in-law pestered me to sing at every family gathering and celebration for about 4 years (back when I was a new addition to the family) I can still see the pain of sudden regret in his eyes when I finally caved in and obliged him, and the rest of the Brennan clan, with a solo performance one Christmas Eve.

It was so bad that they don't even tease me about it, merciful beings.

I have no idea why my father-in-law thought that I might be able to sing, I never once hinted or suggested that I could. I went out of my way to tell him straight that it wasn't a sound that nature intended to be heard, but he was such a lovely man that I would have done anything for him. So I gave it my all, and he never asked again. I giggle about it now and I wonder who else has a totally misconceived idea about what I'm really like, lol. I can't dance either!