What glorious weather we've had for the last few days! Doesn't it make you feel better?! Well, it's made me feel better after the nasty people I've encountered over the last few months!

I'm waiting for a box of goodies to arrive from Elaine in the USA, so will post pictures when it arrives...

Watch this space...

Newest 'Elaine' Things...

Well, we've got through April Outbursts at last, only to be confronted by May Outbursts as well..let's hope the sun decides to join us soon...Brrrr!!

A Few More of my Favourite 'Elaine' Things...

Just wanted to share my newest things from the fabulous Elaine at Catspaw Primitives (6stringbluesman on e-bay)

Elaine painted these 2 Rolling Pins. The bigger one has a sleeve of fabric, but she did such a good paint job, I had to show it off! I bought the smaller one from the USA, got it sent to Elaine and she painted it for me! It had red handles and a wooden body...what an improvement!!

With the sleeve on...

Some close~ups...

These are some Butter Paddles from the USA...they were all natural wood, so I painted them...with a little inspiration from Elaine!!

I painted these two as well...

Thought I would do a Patriotic set of Butter Paddles in Red, White and Blue!

This is on my kitchen windowsill...Elaine did the blue Spoon, cream Spoon and Butter Paddle...

New Lamp...made in the USA...I just LOVE it!!

Pin Keep made by Karen Shaw at Olde Cottage Primitives...her work is fabulous and I've got lots of her things!

Karen also made these two little Pin Keeps...they look really good with these Bears!

I've had this Sheep for a few years now and his legs started to slip. I mounted him onto a piece of painted wood, which I had painted, sanded and waxed, then made a set of Blocks to sit underneath him!

This is him before...

And after...let's see if anyone decides to copy my idea and

'make it their own'..!!

I've had this Sheep for about 4 years and he would NOT stand up any more...his little legs must have been soooo tired! I mounted him onto wood, which I had painted, sanded and waxed...then added the wheels and pull-string.

These two Sheep were single ones. I glued them together and mounted them onto this piece of wood on wheels. The wood used to have a Bear sitting on it, but he came off and was quite happy sitting with his three friends!

I gave this Doll's High Chair a coat of paint in Robin's Egg Blue. It's given it a new lease of life!

I bought this old Toy Bag from the USA. It was a bit grubby, so I washed it. It came up lovely!

New Set of Shaker Boxes...

And finally, the beautiful Miss Beatrice May Barker, who hopped into this world on Good Friday!! What a little sweetie!

Well, I think that's it for now!

Have a great Bank Holiday Monday!

Love Karen xx



HAPPY EASTER!!

Happy Easter to you all...

Have a wonderful weekend...

Just wanted to share my little Bunny Family with you!

Love Karen xx

Hmmmm...

Saw this today. I wonder...



Officially Spring Time!

SPRING IS SPRUNG!!

Spring is on the way....

Some people....

I don't know about you, but I really don't understand some people...

If I do something that upsets/offends/annoys people, then why don't they just get in touch and ask 'hey, what the heck...'??!! It would make this world a much happier place! No, instead, they have to cop the hump, go snotty and childish and just ignore me!

Well, that's as it may be, but this year a few people have done that to me...and do you know what? I couldn't give a toss! Get on with it, all of you! Go and live your clicky little lives...most of you are two-faced and talk about your so-called 'friends' anyway, so I think you've all done me a favour...GOOD RIDDANCE TO YOU ALL...

Here's an e-mail I received earlier this year...from someone I thought was a 'friend'...oh and excuse the spellings!! (it's just been copied and pasted)

well Karen you have played a blinder this time didn't you. i cant believe you contacted ***** to let her know the things you bought from me that came from her, that was a real bastards trick know wasn't it, you showed your true colours there.
i know in the past you tried to cause trouble with me , ***** and ***** pointing out gifts that had been sold that either ri had bought them for present or they had bought me so know it was your turn with ****** coz it didn't work with ****** and ******
all i can say is that you must have a sad little life to sit and do things like this.
well i have lost a friend of 12 years thanks to you and *** has lost her god mother so you did well give your self a pat on the back.
do not ever contact me again i don't want to know some one as deviace as you, keep going and soon you will have no one.
oh and do not ever talk about me behind my back saying i used you !!! i was never a friend and would never be a friend to some one like you.


Well, wouldn't you be really happy to get an e-mail like that?! Oh and just for the record, the friend of 12 years and the God Mother were not actually lost, it was just a lie to try and make me feel bad!
My old nan used to tell me to choose my friends wisely and not to keep the ones that pulled me down and made me feel bad. Well, when 'friends' behave like that, they actually do the dumping for me, don't they?!
And with 'friends' like that, who needs enemies?!! ROFLMAO...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Nearly Thanksgiving!

Well, what a hectic week it's been here...I did a Craft Fair last Saturday, but only had a days' notice to get ready, so that was a mad rush! I didn't get time to sort things out, so I had boxes and boxes, which meant more work loading and unloading the car! My friend Helen came with me, so it wasn't too bad! We're doing another one this Saturday too...getting the Fair Bug now!! I've still got lots of stock from my shop, so need to get it sold!

This was our little table...

Helen happily waving!

I got a frame for the Sampler I got from Christine of The Primitive Shelf. I stained the Sampler and have put it in the frame, but I need to iron out the creases...I think it looks really Prim now and I LOVE it...Christine's work is superb and every single stitch is perfect!! Treat yourself to one of her pieces of fabbyness!! This one really looks like it was made a hundred years ago, the style is perfect! The frame is a rough wood one and really suits the Sampler...made for each other, I think!

(the picture's a bit blurred, so I'll take a better one tomorrow, after I've ironed it!)

Sampler Addiction... 

Last week, I bought another Sampler...from the USA. Linda posted it on Friday and it arrived this morning!! I asked Linda to take it out of the frame for me and just send the Sampler. Two reasons...in case it got broken and to save on the shipping cost!!

This Sampler is absolutely beautiful...the work in it is amazing and I just absolutely LOVE it! I'll take some close-up pictures and post them, then you'll see what I mean. Every stitch is perfect and it is a wonderful piece of Crafts~woman~ship!! I don't think I would have the patience to do something like these...plus my eyes are not so good now...even WITH glasses! I'd need a magnifier on a stand LOL!!

Here's the American Sampler... 

Zoé will be 19 on Friday! Oh me oh my, where did those years go to? It only seems like yesterday she was a blonde haired, blue~eyed little baby! My baby is all grown up now! We're going out for a meal in the early evening, then she's off to a club to party the night away! Terry's daughter, Toni (the one getting married in February) is going out with her...she'll either look after her or get her blind drunk!

I'll post some pictures on Friday or Saturday evening...after the Craft Fair!!

Well, have a good rest of the week and I'll be back soon!

Love Karen xx



11.11.11 ~ Armistice Day

It's a pretty poignant day here today...

Armistice Day...a day when we take 2 minutes to remember all those who died in the Second World War...
[Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on the 11th of November and commemorates the Armistice signed between the Allies of World War 1 and Germany at Compiégne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War 1. This took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning ~ the
''eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month'' of 1918]

My dear old nan was born on this day, way back in 1917, Bless her, she would have been 94 today! She left us 5 years ago, well, it will be 6 years in January. How those 6 years have flown by!

So, not only have I been thinking about nan, but all those brave soldiers in the past, those who have been killed or injured in Afghanistan and those still there right now. Terry's son, Jamie, is in the army. He's in the Royal Engineers. He's been to Afghan three times...and seen the horrors going on over there...

LEST WE SHOULD FORGET...

God Bless those who have gone before and those still there...may you all come back home safely x

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Well, that's yet another week that's flown by!

I haven't decorated anywhere with Halloween...now Dan and Zoé are older, it's not much fun any more! Plus, all the kids that used to come Trick or Treating have grown up too! I'll stick to all my fabric Pumpkins LOL!!

I took some pictures of the Wedding Stationery (for Tel's daughter Toni) to send to one of my friends, so I thought I'd add them on here...the printing was done in the USA by Lisa of

KOUNTRY EXPRESSIONS...

Her work is fantastic and I've been using her for nearly 5 years! How ironic, it worked out sooooo much cheaper to get Lisa to do them, than getting them done over here!

Here goes...

Wishing Well Verse Card, Tag for the voile bag and Mint Matchbooks for the Favours...

Insert printed for Guest Book...nobody wanted to hand write it!!

The Promises of Marriage Verse...

Name Place Cards, Table Number Cards and Invite Insert...

Table Plan Cards...I'm going to get a large sheet of cream Card, then a smaller sheet of blue Card and stick these onto the blue Card, which should contrast nicely...see the Hearts in the next picture...

I got Lisa to print these Hearts...there are 3 different sizes and they will go around the edges of the Table Plan...plus some are going on the Wishing Well...

It's about 15 weeks to go now and it's getting really exciting! Most things are done, just a couple of things to get sorted, but they'll be done this side of Christmas! They had to choose February, as Matt gets really bad hay fever and said there's no way he's having his wedding pictures taken with big red eyes and a runny nose! This February 24th was a really lovely sunny day, so let's hope it's the same next year!

Take care and chat soon,

Love Karen xx

Selam Kizkardesim!

Merhaba Kizkardesim ve on cok guzel ailem!

Burada resimler var benim ev ve yeni bahce...

Ve biraz evim ici...

Ben senle konusmak istiyorum cok yakinda...

Kendine iyi bak...

Seni milyon cok ozledim ve bilyon seviyorum...

Mas Allah!

Kizkardesin Ingilterre icin...

xxxx

Crow Pillow...

My Crow Pillow from Christine arrived this morning! Christine had left it white, so I gave it a stain with coffee...it came out great and I love it!

This was it before...

And this is it now...

I think I could get a bit of an obsession with the Cross-stitch/Samplers! The work in them is just superb!

***********

FABRIC SIGNS...

Last year, I bought some 'Signs' from the USA...they were actually stencilled onto calico! I had some calico from my shop stock, so I thought I would have a go! Here's what I did...

This was the first one...the green is a bit too light, but I'd already started it!

Then I did this one...getting better!

And this is the last one I did...it came out fantastic and I think I got the colour combinations just right LOL!!! What do you think?

I've been having a sort out here...yesterday, I cleared 2 of the worktops in the kitchen...things seems to get dumped and left there...it got to the stage where I didn't have room to dish up dinner! Took the bull by the horns, took everything off of one side, cleaned it all and put a few things back...and the rest in the places they should be! We've got another 'dumping ground' in the kitchen...a Breakfast Bar...which is full too! That's one of today's jobs!

I've got a lovely collection of wooden Mashers...mostly from Elaine of Catspaw Primitives in the USA...I had them in different places: handles down, handles up in an old enamel Flour Tin...some standing upright in an old Wall Box from the USA...this wasn't doing them the justice they deserved, so I came up with an idea...hang them from the Shelves up on the wall. I had some hooks, so I got to work...

This is the result...

Mashers, just 'hanging around'...

Close-up of Mashers...as you can see!!

From left to right...the first 2 are from Elaine, next one I painted, next 3 Elaine and last 2 I painted...joint effort, Elaine!!

Close-up of Shelves...Butter Paddle City! All the Butter Paddles came from the USA...2 little Mashers and 2 little Rolling Pins are from Elaine...Donut Cutter and little Water Scoop are also from Elaine...

Close-up of Wall Box...this came from the USA, of course! I bought if from a woman who used to buy all the stuff left at Estate Sales that dealers didn't want. Then she would bring them back to life...and she did a wonderful job! I also bought a set of handcarved, Heart-shaped, wooden Scoops...I'll add a picture below. They are absolutely beautiful...and soooooo unusual too...I've never seen another set and had to get Terry to screw them securely to the wall...a few of my mates who saw them wanted them!!

In this Wall Box there are 2 little Bread Boards, a red Butter Paddle and a blue Spoon from Elaine...the Masher in the middle is the original wood and I painted the black and cream ones...oh and there's an old brass Scoop...

Here are those Scoops...and i just noticed the cracks in the wall...have to get Terry to sort them!

Backs of Scoops...

Ok, I've waffled enough now...time to get on with some housework...yeahhh, lovely!!

Have a great weekend and chat soon!

Karen xx