Merry Christmas

Wishing you a really

 Merry Christmas 

and a 

Happy New Year

 from

Christina & Ruby & Ella

XXXXXXXXXX 

Tower Computers

 Hi Everybody,

Well what a worrying time this has been and I have really struggled over the past two weeks.

 

But I am relieved to say that I found a really good computer man and I gave him a ring.
He tried to sort some of the things out remotely on the day that I called him but he needed to come and see what my system is like.

Griff used to sort out my problems for me and he would have known what to do.
ME .... well I am just lost !! 

 It seems that my PC has two hard drives and Antony, the computer man,  is going to simplify it for me in the next few weeks, by enlarging one of the drives and taking out the other one.
That way I will not lose any space that I now have.

He didn't recommend getting a new computer as he says this is a really good system and so that saves me some money.

He also managed to recover my Editing suite for the videos, and the photos that where lost was because of the two drives, so that is now sorted too.

I was just thankful that some photos were already in my Blog files and I could get to them,  and that I had done all my Friday Freebies well in advance.

So now I am back and can get things done again and I am happy that my PC now behaves as I expect it to. I will write gain with the winner tomorrow 

And if you live on the Fylde Coast and you are having computer troubles I would highly recommend TOWER COMPUTERS

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby update

 Hi Everybody,

I have just come from the vets and I am so happy to say that Ruby’s eyes are much improved. She still has a way to go yet before they are fully healed but at least there was no mention of operations for her. I have to keep on with the two different types of drops for her eyes and take her back in two weeks and hopefully she will be all clear by then.

Another piece of news is that I have been given an appointment to have the knee replacement operation on my right knee on the 18th of March. I will need to self isolate for two weeks prior to the operation and have a COVID test three days before. I am hoping that by the summer I will be able to walk properly again without pain and take Ruby on a lovely long walk.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Ruby Update

 Hi Everybody.

Thank you for your concern over Ruby and this is just to bring you up to date on what is happening. The vet put some green liquid into her eyes  and he tells me she has ulcers on her eyes.   The looked really painful and she could hardly open them. Apparently the light is painful for her. 

He prescribed painkillers and some drops that have to be given three times a day to repair the Conjunctiva. She has more drops that need to be given five or six times a day to treat the ulcers. And so I have diligently given her the care she needs and cleaned her eyes every time I administer the drops.

I took her back to the vets last Thursday and the green liquid was put in again and although there is some improvement they are still not right. We have more medication for her and she is still on pain killers and I have to take her back next Thursday for another check up.

I have everything crossed that she will be much improved and feeling better in herself. If she is not improved then the vet says he will refer her to an opthalmagist for further treatment, which is called an Corneal debridement.

Please cross your fingers fo us and hope she will be fine. She is only four and such a beautiful dog.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Paint Pouring with Arteza

Hi Everybody,

My eldest daughter likes my paint pouting efforts and she has asked me to do one for her dining room, and her favourite colours are green and purple

 I thought it would be about 12x12" and so I said yes.

 Then she said "It's the one with Audrey Hepburn on it " and I knew that it was a biiiiig canvas.

This is it and it is a good 30" square and you can just make out the print underneath.

 I have painted over it with white paint to block out the print.  Sorry Audrey !!

I used a really cheap house paint to do this as the canvas is so large and it would have been very expensive with acrylic

Once that was dry I did the base coat in white paint ready for the pour.

I had to lay this out on my garage floor because of the size and make sure that it was all level before I poured otherwise it would just run off the sides.

Once the Paint is spread out evenly I can get ready to work on it.

Then I had to mix my colours ready to work with. I used Arteza Acrylics and I mixed two shades of purple, and one of them was metallic, into separate  cups.

I mixed up three different shades of green and a beautiful gold and one of pewter

 Stupidly I started to pour and forgot to take photos of it as I did and so I have nothing to show you of that part.

But this is a section of it as it was tilted and once it is completely dry I am going to add Gold Leaf to  highlight the gold in it.

And I really hope she will like it when I give it to her to hang in her house.

 I will take a complete picture of it once it is finished to show you the end result.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Happy Mothers Day .. to everybody

Hi Everybody,

I do hope this post finds you all well and escaping the effects of Coronavirus. 

It is a very worrying time for all of us and can be very upsetting for those who have to isolate them selves from society.

I sympathise with you and I too, at 72 am, one of those who has to stay in doors.

We have to find things to occupy our time and keep our hands working.

 I have started to do my spring cleaning early

Make use of Facebook, if you are on it, to keep up with family and friends.

 Go back to writing letters or making phone calls to them. 

We may be in an imposed social distancing situation, but we can keep close emotionally and tell people you love that you do love them and are missing their company.

Also think about the people out there who have to face everyday wondering if someone they meet will infect them. People on the front line like NHS staff, shopkeepers, transport drivers, school staff who have to stay open for some children and many many other workers that are too many to mention.

Think also about small businesses who are struggling in a different way. If the supermarkets don't have fresh fruit and veg then try the small green groceries who will also be struggling to keep going

 This hits home to me personally as my Grandson has his own restaurant and has now had to close. He had a full house for Mothers day and now he has none.

 He is operating a Take Away service and I will be taking advantage of that as this situation worsens.

As for me well I will try to give you all something to look forward to each week with the

 Friday Freebie that will include the magazine and the gift that came with it.

I will cover the postage so that it is completely free to you and I am happy to send it wherever you are.

As crafters we can keep ourselves busy with the things we love to do, and remember that you don't need to go to the shops , Craft Stash is always there for items you may need.

 They are still operating a full service though many staff are working from home.

Subscribe to your favourite magazine to make sure you have the inspiration you need, and get it delivered direct to your door, keeping you safe.

And don't forget the NEW online community that has been started for us all

Craft World will be the place to keep in touch with other crafters and enjoy a little fun in the process.  And you will get exclusive videos on a regular basis.

So it's not the end of the world, and many of those who have had Coronavirus have now made a full recovery and  can move forward . 

We will all move forward eventually and things will get back to normal. 

The sun will still shine tomorrow and the rain will still come down, but spring is on the way and so is change.

 Keep smiling and be kind to others and we will all be better for it.

Much love and big hugs to you all

Boring Cream Lamp ...

Hi Everybody,

This is a lamp that sits in my hall way and it was one that I have had for years. 

It was just a plain cream one with gold calligraphy on a cream shade. 

So I decided to give it a new lease of life with a can of gold spray paint, some glitter and a little bit of  gold flower wrap.

I was very pleased that the gold writing showed up on the shade and it makes for a very pleasing result.

I sprayed the gold flowers wrap with the same can and that just blended all the shades of gold together and looked much better.

It now sits back in the hall and it is on a timer so that it lights up the room and I don't come in to a dark house ... which I hate doing.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Happy New Year 2020

Hi Everybody,

I wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year and my you get all the things you want for yourself and your family, and those dear to you.  

Time is going by so quickly for all of us and we need to make the most of what we have, so be happy and Laugh, Live and Love as much as you can. 

I also wanted to thank you for your continuing support over the past year and I know that some of you have been with me a long time.

I really am grateful that you stay with me and I hope you will be with me next year and the one after.

I couldn't do what I do without all of you.

I will be continuing with the Friday Freebie each week so I hope you will add your comments to that page each week.

I am going to be back on the Craft Stash Facebook Live channel,  and Hochanda, in the not to distant future and I have some beautiful die designs to share with you all

Thanks again for everything

Big big hugs xx

Sweater Story ...

Hello Everyone,

It's me Ruby and I just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year for 2020.

I am wearing my new Christmas sweater here and it keeps me really cozy when I go out.

My mum was mad at me the other day when we went for a walk because I decided to go for an unexpected swim in ... my new sweater.

The water wasn't the cleanest and I came out covered in mud and ... my new sweater

And I didn't smell the nicest either ... nor did ... my new sweater.

My mum was not best pleased with me but I, and my sweater, scrubbed up well, so nothing was lost in the end. She said the water was that dirty when she bathed me it was like  mud soup and it took ages to get me clean again.

But after  my mum had given me a nice warm bath,  dried me with the hair dryer and I had eaten my dinner I got the biggest cuddle while we sat on the sofa and I fell asleep on my mums lap.

So until my next adventure take care everyone and have a Good New Year

Much Love

Ruby xxx

Christmas Presents

Hi Everybody,

These are some more of my handmade presents and the recipients liked these too.

It is amazing what you can put together with some glass bought from the charity shops and it always surprises me what people discard.

This set has been spray painted silver and an upside down bell added to the top of the smallest dish. 

It looks like a pear and I have used flower wrap around all the pieces

Inside the bell interior, and to the wine glass on the tallest one, I have added crystals and sealed them in well onto a votive dish.

It is stood on a silver decorated tray with door knob feet on the bottom

And this one was the smallest one because of limited space on the dressing table.

I had to make the base myself from wooden blocks and spray it silver then decorate with mirrors and diamond wrap and door knob feet

I also added crystals to the empty cavities on the tallest and middle pieces

I am really pleased with all these items and I filled each one with cotton wool, ear buds and make up pads for my recipients to use.

And even if they don't use the contents the pieces will still make lovely ornaments

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Christmas Gifts ...

Hi Everybody,

I hope you all had a good day over the Christmas Holiday and not feeling too full of food and drink. 

Thank you for all your lovely comments on my glass ware and as I promised I have more to show you now that the day has gone by and my recipients have been given their gifts.

Depending on the space they had available on dressing tables I made these lovely sets for each of my daughters and granddaughters

In them I added cotton wool balls, cleansing pads and  ear buds and I am really pleased with the way they turned out.

Each of these also has a candle holder with it and they have been sprayed silver

The glitter on them has been sealed with Mod Podge and extra bling added to all pieces.

I have added small feet to each one to raise them up and they really do sparkle in the sunshine

I just hope that my recipients do like them and didn't say they did just to be polite

This one is on a very large mirror base that I made from wooden blocks  and then glued 5" mirrors to the top.

It has been decorated on top and on the sides and the jars are covered with crushed glass which again was sealed with Mod Podge to stop it flaking off.

These are some and I will show you more next week.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Gluey fingers...

Hi Everybody,

I have done some videos lately and my hands look dreadful in them.  I have explained that my fingers have black paint and glue on them and it is very stubborn when I try to get it off.

 I have promised to show you why they have been in this state but it will be mostly after Christmas as I have been making my own gifts this year.

Some of the things I have already shown you, in the form of my wall art with mirrors, spoons and plates, and you can scroll back if you wanted another look at them 

But this vase is one of the things I have done, not for anyone but me and it is made from cardboard, paper mache and silver paint. 

Then I added mirror tiles to it. So I hope you like it

It is really glitzy and I love it and it is in my guest bedroom.

It's quite big but because it is cardboard it can't be used for real flowers.

Artificial flowers don't bother me as I think they look really pretty and so that is what this one will be having added to it.

Though I must say it looks good enough with nothing in it.

So there you have it from all angles and it may not be up your street but it is certainly an eye catcher especially when the sun shines in through the window

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

More Strange Makes ...

Hi Everybody,

Here is a picture of the plates and spoons mirror with the string lights behind it and it looks lovely on the wall

The lights look blue but they are just bright white string lights and I got them from Amazon.

They are Olafus 16 pack LED String Lights for £16.99.  I love them and they make such a difference to any project and as long as you don't immerse the battery pack they can be used in water 

Now here is a challenge for you ... Can you tell me what this one is made from ??

I also added the lights behind this too and this is on my dining room wall.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Plastic Plates and Spoons ....

Hi Everybody,

I am so pleased that you liked my spoon mirror and all those who laughed have now got to say that they do like it. 

And here it is with the string lights behind it and it looks amazing on the wall. I made this after watching videos on YouTube and it was a real inspiration.

And this one cost me about £4.20 to make and I have lots of products left over to make a lot more. 

But this one is my favourite and for this I have used a foam board as the base, five silver plastic plates, flower mesh wrap, Gorilla glue and plastic spoons all from Amazon.

Five silver glitter coasters and five x 3" mirrors from the £1 shop, white paper flowers from my stash.

A can of silver spray paint, Mod Podge and a large tub of glitter from the Range. 

It is about beautiful and much bigger than the  spoon mirror and once I add the lights to it it will look fantastic.

Have you spotted the spoon handles in there ??

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Ruby - how she has grown ...

Hi Everyone,

It's me Ruby and I haven't been to talk to you all for a little while but a lot has happened in my life in the past year. 

I was born on the 17th August 2016 and this is me at nine weeks old ... now you must admit that I am rather cute and my dad decided to call me Ruby.

I have been so happy here and grown up into a really rather special dog. Well my mum tells me that I am.

I have a very special friend too called Dougal and he is only two weeks older than me and he is a Cockapoo.

We love playing together and we spend al lot of time with each other. He is bigger than me BUT I am the boss and he always lets me win whatever we do. 

Well nearly always !!

This is me in my new jacket getting ready to go for my first walk, after having all my injections. 

I was only 12 weeks old here and so excited to be going out into the big wide world.

There are a lot of scary things out there, but my mum and dad took care of me and I really enjoyed myself.

Now as I am older I love going for walks. and I sit and stare at my mum to make her feel guilty, so that she takes me out 

This is Dougal and me all dressed up and ready for our very first Christmas. I have wings on but you cant' see them in this photo.

Then after that came our fist birthday and we had doggy cake between us.It was lovely and we ate it all. 

I love Dougal and he is such good fun to be with whenever we go out. 

And each week we both go to Doggy Day Care and we love our "Aunty"  Sally who takes care of us while our mums are working.

Now this is me at One Year Old and haven't I grown up into a beautiful puppy.

This is the look I give my mum that makes her feel guilty to take me out. It never fails and she always gives in ... even if it's raining a little.

I haven't seen snow yet but I would like to, and then I can run around and roll in it and see how it feels.

So maybe this winter we will get a little bit and then I can tell you how it feels to me. 

This is Dougal and I at two years old. Isn't he such a handsome boy

We both go to the groomers regularly to have a bath and a haircut that keep us neat and tidy 

I like having a bath and I love going swimming and will take that chance whenever I can.

And that brings us up to present day, Here I am just turned three years old on the 17th August and I look so pretty.

I have lots of fun with my family and Dougal and I went on the walk up Snowdon with them all last weekend.

Today I am going for my first lesson at agility training, and that will be another adventure that I can share with you later.

My mum will have to run around with me as I am taught what to do. But when I went for trial run it was lovely and I enjoyed it very much.

I was tired and hungry when we had finished but I can't wait to go again

I will be back to tell you all about it 

See you soon

Love Ruby xxx

Griffs Birthday

Hi Everybody,

Today is a very sad one for me as this would have been Griffs 72 birthday. 

And the first one we have had since he died last November

This is the wonderful and funny gentleman that I was married to,  with Ruby,  the Cocker Spaniel that he adored. 

He gave her the name and he loved her so much.

This photograph was taken last year when we went on holiday with Vickie and of course both dogs.

Ruby went swimming in this lake and Griff went "Water Skiing" on a stone at the side of water.

 It was often hard to get photos of Griff as he was the one that did all the pictures and videos wherever we went.

Here he is, with Ruby waiting patiently, as he cut up a big bone into smaller pieces for her to gnaw on. And this one kept her busy for hours.

Griff took her walking every morning at 9.45am, while I got some work done, and she looked for him for days when he was no longer there.

How can you explain to a little dog that her human is not coming back anymore.

 Now she follows me everywhere making sure that I don't leave her as well, and she has been a blessing to me.

So tonight Griffs daughters and my daughters with their husbands & partners, grand children and myself are all going out for a meal to celebrate his birthday.

And have a drink to remember the kind and generous person that he was and who never knew how to say "No" to anybody 

We ALL love you and miss you very much Griff

Hugs xx

My Irish Fan Club

Hi Everybody,

Nothing pleases me more than being the "GIVER" of beautiful things. I have so much still in my life and  I enjoy sharing what I have. So let me tell you the story behind this intriguing title and the picture.

As you know every week I give away one of the cover mount gifts that come with the magazines from Practical Publishing. I asked PP's permission to do this and I was delighted when they said yes. 

One of my winners awhile ago was a lady called Elaine Prendergast and she wrote with her address to claim the gift. She told me that she was a school teacher to the Second Class who are 7 / 8 year old little girls.  She has told her class about my blog, and they have looked at the pages and they like my cards.

Elaine is a crafter herself and she has shared some of her own things with the class, as many of them enjoy crafting too, and so I asked if she would like a few more things for the children to use in their class.

I put together this box of items that I have bought in the past and it was full of all sorts 

I posted it to Elaine in Ireland and she took it into her class for the children to see.

This was my gift to the class and I could almost hear the squeals of delight here in Blackpool.

Here they are in front of the box and I wish I could have been there to hear them.

On the table in the centre is all the stuff I sent and I am sure that they have had a lot of fun playing with it.

I sent inks and papers, and embellishments for them to dress up their projects.

Some ready foiled packs for them to put together. And Flowers, Ribbons and Pearls of course !!

There is even a can of shaving foam in there for them to get really messy with

Some of them have emailed messages to me thanking me for their gift.

Elaine sent me the photographs of her class and once I got permission from their parents I am able to write this blog post.

And all these little smiling faces have made me so happy

As a class they have made me this huge card and inside everyone has added their comment and signed it onto a die cut shape.

They love die cutting and have used Elaine's machine, and caused a lot of consternation when they asked Father Christmas for one

Parents started asking what a BIG SHOT was !!!!

And so this is why I say these are my Irish Fan Club

They will all be moving on to a higher class later this year and so Elaine will have to start again with another group of bright smiling faces

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Happy Birthday Vickie

Hello Everybody,

Today I wanted you all to share with me my youngest daughters birthday.

Both of my girls and both of Griff's daughters have been such a comfort to me over the past few weeks but today it is Vickie's day.

So you will get to see the card before she does as Ruby and I are not going round to her house until later today for cake and coffee 

Vickie is Dougal's mum and we all know that Dougal is Ruby's very best friend.

We have still  managed to take them both out on dry days for a good walk but as you can imagine Ruby is a little confused and follows me everywhere I go

So here's to a good birthday to Vickie XXX

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

So Many Thank You's ...

Hi Everybody,

I have so many people to thank for the love, support and encouragement that I have received since the death of my wonderful. handsome Griff. 

Today would have been our

 Wedding Anniversary

 2nd December 2000 

and we had 21 lovely years together.

I am overwhelmed by all the kindness shown in messages, cards and flowers that have been sent to me from all over the world and I wish I could thank every one of you personally.

But that is impossible so I will just leave it at ...

THANK YOU ALL xxx

I have not worked for weeks and I feel as if I have been away for ever. 

I have no cards to show you, no videos to share, and no projects done.

But now is the time for me to try and move forward and so I need to get back to work and give my brain something to think about.

Today I will make a card and tomorrow I will be back to blogging and show you what I have done.

Much love to all of you and thanks again for all the lovely ways in which you have supported me at this heart breaking time

Hugs xx

Little Holiday !!

Hi Everybody,

My eldest daughter has recently move to France and so doesn't get to see her Grand Children as much  as she did. So this weekend my Granddaughter and I are taking the children to visit their Gran.

We are going to the Bordeaux region and I am hoping very much that it is still warm

Griff and Ruby are not coming with me on this occasion but I am sure we will go back to visit again soon and we will get Ruby her very own passport and then she can come with us.

I won't be doing a blog post for a couple of days as I won't get back until very late on Tuesday but I will see you again on Wednesday with the latest magazine freebie video for you,

 I hope that you will come back to visit my pages then

Hugs xx