Thursday, 18 October 2012

First box finish....and a Daisy

Hello again,

My promise to blog more often was hardly worth the screen it was written on!

However, I have been busy.

I look at many blogs (ah ha - that's where my time goes!) and have always wanted to try a box finish. But there were difficulties.

For example, where do I get a box from?
What do I use to paint it with.
How will I attach my design, assuming that it will fit the space?

(Can I just say that I know that since I retired from teaching, my grammar has deteriorated. The first sentence in my list should say ' from where do I get a box' and the second 'with what should I paint it'. I know this and still I write like what I have wrote!)

Anyway, I found a box (at a Garden Centre, would you believe!) my blogging friend Carmen suggested acrylic paint, my stitching friend Anne worked out dimensions and stitch counts and I stitched it and stuck it in!!




This is the outside, the box is painted dark brown. I didn't attempt to distress this one, but I think I will next time.



This is the inside, with a wool felt needle page, a green check background and a little pocket for holding scissors. I was going to line the sides of the base with fabric, but choose instead to just paint it green. I am quite pleased with it - for a first try.

Also....another first try.

I am, she said modestly, now a jeweller.

I know!!!

My friend found a really good offer on one of those discount coupon sites for a day making jewellery, so we bought tickets and sorted out our beads.

But...it was so much more than bead threading. In fact there was no bead threading. We worked with copper and silver and hammers and punches and saws and stuff. And the best thing was, after only four hours, we actually had something decent to show.

We began with copper and I designed (for truly I am also designer of fine jewellery) this little tree pendant. It is a bit rough and ready I know, but it was only a practice piece.


Then we were allowed the real stuff........ ooooh silver!!!

This is my attempt. My favourite flower, a daisy.


I couldn't find a plain chain, so popped it onto this amethyst bead one and I love it.

This is a craft I could get into. (into which I could get!)

.........If it wasn't for the stitching, and the stained glass, and the spending of hours reading about other people's lives.

Hey Ho.

I think I should have retired when I was 21, then I could have tried all these things.

I am attending a class by Betsy Morgan at the beginning of November. She will be in the beautiful Cotswolds visiting our Sampler Guild and I am really looking forward to it. I will be stitching the Casket Etui and the Tall Square Year Box ( those are all the right words but not necessarily in the right order!). I am just about finished the pre-stitching.

About time you say? I know already!

My lovely setter Meg has has so much trouble recently. She is in hospital as we speak. She quickly developed diabetic cataracts which made her blind but luckily our pet insurance covered her to have them removed, which happened last Tuesday. Then she got an infection behind her eyes which gave her a lot of pain and could have blinded her permanently. We rushed her back to see the specialist veterinary eye surgeon and he was able to operate again and save her sight. She needs another 24 hours observation and then we can bring her home. She is such an amazing, patient, lovely dog. I really believe she knows that whatever we do we are trying our best for her. Can't wait to bring her home.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post. I really appreciate you calling by. Be assured that I read all your blogs too, even if I don't always comment.

Lots of love Irene xxx

I am sitting at my little desk in the bow window as I write and have just noticed that Bronte has eaten the tassel holding back the curtain. B.......y dog!!