Back on my Feet in Pretty Shoes

I am tiptoeing out of my January slump to wish you a belated Happy New Year and lots of  blessings in 2013. I've been sad and fed up of the long grey days. I am trying to focus on the good days, little moments of cheer and colour.

Which brings me to a different shade of blue......

It is ridiculous how smiley my new shoes are making me feel today (after all I am a Doc Marten girl).

 

I tried them on months ago and loved them, but I couldn't justify spending £54 on them. (OK I know Doc Martens aren't cheap, but I know they will last me for life through rain and snow and we are talking frivolous, girly shoes here!) A few weeks later I tried them on again - £30 in the sale- and they were sooo comfortable and the heels were exactly the right height so I could feel glamorous without tottering about like Danny LaRue! The problem.....no blue ones in stock:( 

 

 I have scoured the internet and driven my children and Mr Dotty mad by dragging them into every Clarks shop around. I had given up hope. Then, whilst moping and having a last wistful look at my perfect shoe, I discovered a pair in McConnell Shoes in Ireland....less then £30 including postage!

 

 

They arrived this morning and I am chuffed to bits!

 

They are even beautiful inside as they are lined with Liberty fabric.

 

 

 

All I need now is for Mr Dotty to whisk me off somewhere nice!!

Goodbye....

Dad

 

                          16th June 1943 - 19th October 2012

  Loving and beloved husband, father and grandfather. xxxxxxx

Coming Soon...

 

I've been busy finishing, labelling and packaging my work for this exhibition and I've also made some brooches to sell. The exhibition will be stewarded each day by members of the group, so if you are in the area, come and say "Hi".

Rain, Rain, Go Away

This wet, windy, grey weather is doing nothing to improve my mood!

I'm feeling sad as my poor Dad continues to be very ill and each day is a struggle for him and my lovely Mum.

We take each day as it comes, but it is strange to be getting on with the normal, hectic, day to day life with this hurt tucked away inside.

I can still create a little....

...some brooches to sell at the next Ten Plus Textiles exhibition.

And I can still laugh a little....

"Really Mum, I didn't take the coals off the fire"

And the world keeps on turning.

Can you hear that?

Listen carefully....yep, it's the sound of silence (well it would be if the neighbour's builders stopped for a brew and the dog stopped grumbling!)

I have to say though, I don't much care for it...an empty house, no kids running in and out, taking over the computer and leaving dirty mugs around the house. It's going to take some getting used to!

Today my youngest started at High School and I've been on pins all day waiting to see how he got on. My middle child is starting a new term and GCSEs and my daughter has gone on a last trip out with her friends before they all go to different colleges.

So while I can get near the computer and it is quiet enough here to think, I'll show you what I've been up to recently.

I've started to crochet a blanket that was featured in Mollie Makes magazine and is also in the "Cute and Easy Crochet" book by Nicki Trench. I'm fairly new to crochet and I've never crocheted a square, but I was amazed by how easy it is and now I'm hooked (pardon the pun!)

I'm only going to use a small amount of the gold and blue, but the other colours are in my bedding.

 

These are my first few squares- I know they don't look very square at the moment, but they will be once I've pressed them.

It is going to be a great project to pick up when I have a few minutes spare.

 

As you may remember, I am interested in grafitti and I  am planning to do some more textile work based on the colours found in the city. When I visited the Festival of Quilts in August, I found these two great books full of inspiration.

 

 

I can't wait to experiment with Sharpies, printing and fabric collage.

I'll be back soon with more!

Party Rings and Olympic Rings

The summer holidays are passing at a fair pace and I think we are beginning to adjust to the fact that my youngest baby has now left primary school. He was very sad about it and I felt so emotional and stunned that all those years had passed so quickly. My home-loving son seemed to change over night once the holidays began- going off to the park to meet his friends with my old mobile phone "in case of emergencies" (though it turns out now he asks me to text him when I want him to come home!) and deciding that girls are actually not too bad once you spend time with them. He may need gently reining back in at some point, but for now he is enjoying his new-found independence.

His Year 6 teacher and support staff have been brilliant and have really encouraged the children to grow and blossom into young people who are ready to meet the challenges that their new schools will offer them.

I made them some cute felt biscuits as a token of our appreciation. These were featured in an issue of Mollie Makes magazine some time ago. I made mine into keyrings.

Felt biscuits are the only kind I am allowing myself at the moment- I am trying to get fitter. At school, I played a little hockey, but mostly I hated sport. I was never very coordinated and Sports Day was an annual source of humiliation. My lovely(?) PE teacher used to bring me out to the front to demonstrate how not to perform shot put, javelin or discus throwing!! I'm just not put together right for running!  However, I love walking miles, Pilates and swimming (in my own splashy way!)  I have to say though, how inspiring I am finding the Olympics. I can appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into developing a body that can produce such power and achieve such amazing feats. It makes me want to challenge myself to try something new. I might be tempted to dust off my bike. Or maybe, it might just be possible for me to teach myself to run, slowly, a step at a time.... after dark!!!

Beauty and the Beast

  BEAUTY

My beautiful girl en route for her High School Prom. I was so proud- she is such a good girl, has worked so hard for her exams and I am so glad she could enjoy this special evening with her lovely friends. (better photos when I get hold of Mr Dotty's CD)

BEAST