I've Finished Something

I hope you are sitting down because I would hate to be the cause of someone injuring themselves when the faint with shock.
Now as you can see I have been stitching again --no I didn't do all of this but I have finished them off.
In November last year I did a workshop at the guild with Effie Mitrofanis and then I took them on the cruise with me and did a little bit more to them.
Since then they have been hiding in a box with all the threads, beads etc until several weeks ago.
I had been feeling guilty because our annual Guild exhibition was fast approaching and I had not stitched anything for at least 7 months which meant I had nothing to exhibit.
I decided to open the box and finish the two samples that were almost finished.
I then mounted each one on an artists box frame canvas which I painted black.
I must apologise for the poor photo but this was the best that I could do--but you can get the idea as to how they look.
I feel like I have conquered Mount Everest--I am so happy.
More stitching days ahead for me I am sure.

An Update on what's Happening

I am just dropping in to let people know how I am gettin along.
I haven't posted since April for many reasons.
I have not been well--and if I were to list all my ailments you would just give up reading.
It is strange that when one reaches my age the wheels seem to fall off -health wise.
I have been healthy all my life-only the odd cases of flu and other minor things,but this year it seems that everything that could go wrong-did go wrong.
The worst thing though is that I have been suffering with depression.
Last year if someone told me I was going to have depression I would have told them that couldn't happen to me.
But it did and it left me in a very sad state.
I suppose when one considers all the pills that I have been taking something had to give and then there were the family dramas that seemed to be larger than life itself.
But with the help of a very good psycologist and me realising that I can't solve all the problems of the world on my own I am now in a good head space at last.
In fact I have even started crafting again.
It has been 8 months since I have made anything but I now feel the need to create something-anything in fact.
So what I am saying is this sad-lonely blog may get a bit of attention in the near future if I keep improving as I have been in the last few weeks.

Doreen

Taking a break

I have been procrastinating for a few months now about closing down my blog-but I just can't bring myself to do it.
I haven't been a very good blogger for the last 12 months and I kept thinking why do I bother.
I have not been doing much of anything that would excite me let alone any of you and as you know I have not been well either.
I still can't bring myself to close the blog down so what I am going to do is just take a break and see what happens.
I will still visit you-I may not leave a comment but I will think about you.
I just hope that this break will help me get my act together.
Take care everyone.

What every teenage girl wants

A cake filled with cream and 13 candles on top.

And a pair of black Patent Leather Dr Martens from her Dad.

My how times have changed.

Easter Wishes

Firstly I want to let you know that I have seen the specialist and I am now on medication which seems to be helping me but I won't know for sure until I go back to see him at the beginning of May.
I do have to have a blood test and another MRI scan so that they can compare the before and afters.
Anyway if the way I feel after only a week is any indication then I should be ok.
Secondly Ebony will be 13 in Easter Sunday--my how time flies--I still think about all the funny little things she used to say and do when she was little and I have a chuckle to myself.
Lastly I would like to wish you all a happy Easter.
May you have a special time with your loved ones and remember what this time of the year is all about.

No More Curls

For ages now Ebony has been saying that she wanted to have her hair straightened--heaven forbid I would kill to have curls like she has-(had).
Before Christmas she got herself a fancy hair straightener and proceeded to do it herself, much to my annoyance but as she said it was her hair.
Anyway she has a birthday coming up at the end of this month so we all chipped in and let her have it done professionally at my hairdressers.
I could have supported 3 needy children is some war torn country for what it cost  but after all she is my grand daughter so what could I say.

I took this photo of her on Saturday morning when she woke up and like my DIL said "Tina Turner paid a fortune to get a style like that.
This is the first time she has ever had her hair cut in any style because before her hair had such tight curls, the hairdresser could not get a comb through it, but since she had been straightening it herself it was easier this time.
This is what she looks like now.

The style that the hairdresser cut had more of a wispy fringe over her face which I thought was beautiful but she likes it more this way..
Anyway she is the one who has to wear it and if she is happy then so am I.
They said if she looks after it the way that they instructed her to then it should last her six month--I do hope so otherwise we may have to hock the house to do it again,

I'm Feeling much Better

At last I am feeling a lot better health wise.
I have seen a specialist regarding my Pituarity gland and I will see an Endocronogist in two weeks who will let me know what the treatment will be and then things will be better hopefully.
To add to my woes of being unwell I have had a reaction to some medication that my doctor prescribed for me but since being taken off the medication I am feeling so much better.
And guess what I have made something.
We are having a small challenge at the guild arranged by me in conjunction with the Recycle Table.
Members have to buy something off the Recycle Table and create something with it.
The idea is that they will create something different-it doesn't matter what it is and it doesn't have to have embroidery on it.
At the annual exhibition these creations  will be on display and if the member wants to it can be sold to raise money for the guild.
Today I made a 3D  "thing" from a book to give people an idea as to what they can do.
The book is small-about A5 size.

The pages are folded in a certain way as indicated below----

And this is what I ended up with.
The white pages are the end covers of the book which has a hard cover that enables it to stand up easily.

I had seen something like this on a larger scale last year at an exhibition and I thought that it would be a very hard project-but it wasn't.

Yesterday a friend  gave me a pile of old paperarts magazines for the Recycle Table and what do you know one of them had the instructions on how to make this little gem.
It only took me about an hour and a half as well.
I think my Mojo is back--maybe.