What a way to spend my bloggiversary.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED. NO MORE ENTRIES NOW. LET THE DRAW COMMENCE


Rather later in the day than planned, I am here to mark the fifth(not fourth as I initially reported) anniversary of my blog.

I can't believe that five years have passed since I first tiptoed into this part of cyberspace from the pages of Flickr.

I predicted my blog would last 4 years before I filled up allowance of space, but it seems to be going on. 

I've made some lovely friends and was very good at reading blogs for at least three years but lately its all got too much. 

I'm grateful to everyone who reads and comments still.

Anyhow lets get on to the customary giveaway to celebrate. Two brooches.

Comment below and add the word pink or green (for obvious reasons) and you can go into the draw for one of these brooches. I will choose one from each colour.

The giveaway will be closed on Thursday afternoon.

Hope you like them.

Today I have mostly been ironing.

You know what its like....the ironing basket gets filled up and every time you iron you leave a bit behind. Well today I was determined to iron everything. 

HUGE Damask  tablecloth; Egyptian cotton sheets; small embroidered table covers. And this is where it got a bit weird.I was ironing this familiar object when I suddenly spotted......

is it 'the scream' in cutwork? 

The leaf at the other end has only one hole.

And suddenly all the motifs took on lives of their own. 

Look at this cute little bear popping out of a box in the middle of a flower. 

Or is it just me?

When I'd finished the ironing I promised myself I'd clean the bedroom, (such fun!) change the bed, put away all the clothes, dust and hoover. ...er....Dyson.

But the drive belt had snapped on the dyson. No problem according to Sam from Unifit: watch with what ease he removes the sole plate. I'm with him there. Removing the old belt..easy ours had snapped; removing the brush roll...yes I managed that but then...if you look carefully you can see that Sam from Unifit grimaces...grits his teeth, his arm trembles  but still asserts 'Thats how easy it is'. At least  Matt from espares  has the good grace to admit its a 'little tricky. '

Hetty and Jules are as baffled as I am.

After an hour and a half with the aid of a knife and the handle of a washing up brush I conceded. 

You need long fingers like ET and biceps like Arnie (Schwarzenegger) to stretch the rubber band whilst niftily hooking it round the spindle of the motor.

My husband came home and we fixed it together but I have to admit..its twisted.

Never mind ..it works. I will ignore the heat and the slight smell of hot rubber.

Its taken me a few days to recover from my wedding flower escapades at the weekend.

A young woman who I used to teach asked me ages ago to do her wedding flowers. She wanted mainly 'gyp'. In her original email she asked me to do pew ends.

I did buttonholes.

I did bigger 'ladies' buttonholes

I did corsages for the mothers

I did a wrist corsage for the bridesmaid.

I did the bouquet.

I did an arrangement on the altar

and several bunches in jam jars for the top table at the reception

BUT I COMPLETELY FORGOT THE PEW ENDS.

 I discovered this omission on Friday afternoon so after a sleepless night  I made an early saturday morning trip to the wholesalers 25 miles away for some more 'gyp' and managed to tie 10 little bunches to the ends of the pews. Just in time.

It looked very pretty but I was so embarrassed that I'd just not taken it on board that I had to do them in the first place, and quite worrying.

I slept for the rest of the afternoon.

 Hetty news. She's had a drastic haircut. She's not happy. When we were protecting the flowers from wilting by not putting on the heating, she was sitting shivering so we had to put her coat on.

But I like how we can see her eyes now. 

(Just a note...I have just found a whole lot of comments in my spam folder. I don't know why or how but I am sorry if I haven't replied, They all had addresses as 'no reply' . If you would like a direct reply  you have to comment with a google account id.)

At Last

DRAW DEADLINE 5PM (British time)TODAY WED. 13TH MAY
Entries for draw closed now, but still feel free to comment.
results later.


Have you noticed, if you live in the UK, how the weather forecasters always say what lovely weather we're having when its nice in London?
Well I live in the North. The wind is howling around our moorland village and creeping in through all the gaps in our old house, one of the highest in that village.
The central heating has broken down and we are COLD.

To take my mind off it I am having my bloggiversay at last.
One whole year of blogging(and a couple of weeks).
One hundred and forty five posts, 2,528 comments, 110 followers, 233 subscribers in reader, I don't know how many photographs, 365 days of fun.
Because of my blog I have

• coped over the recent sad days with your support and comments.
• enjoyed my trip to Marrakech all over again when I relived it on the blog.
• been encouraged to pursue pieces of work through the reception they have had here.
• Found lots of lovely friends in blogland
• received amazing gifts from far and wide
• had an exciting development (can't mention it yet)publishing related.
  
• been invited to exhibit in an arts trail
• sold lots of pieces of my work on etsy and by requests.

I only had two nasty comments all year ..actually one was an e mail the other was from 'anonymous' who didn't believe we were really friends.
Not a great deal of spam except the usual Chinese stuff.

At times I couldn't work blogger but you were all there to help.
I learnt how to link, how to stop links, how to use Google reader, and how to install stat counter.

Now for the thank you. Because I really want to say a big thank you to everyone I have communicated with in any way.
I said I would make a special thing for the giveaway but my creativity has been under pressure lately so this is what I'll do.
I am going to draw 5 names from 'the hat'.
The first name can choose one anything from my etsy shop or from this post.
The other 4 names can choose a little round brooch (now featured on Cuteable)from the 21 below .
(I put the other picture of these on flickr and its been a great success going straight into 'explore' and getting loads of comments. Its great but I don't know why. I preferred the one of them in their box.)


I am offering this piece as first prize but you may not like it.


Its about 8 inches square and is based on Ancient Greek Motifs.
really much nicer than it appears here.
But as I said, you can choose.

I've finished these pieces as brooches now.




Because of their irregular edges I couldn't stitch the back on so have had to rely on a combination of bondaweb and pva, but they are up for grabs in the giveaway.
All you have to do is leave a comment here. You could tell me which is your favourite post if you like but you don't have to.
Now I don't want anyone saying to themselves ' I won't comment because it looks like I only do it if I want something'.
No .
And come on you lurkers. You are just as important as the regular commentors.
Even if its your first visit, feel free.
All those lovely people who commented in the last fortnight when I was so sad. Leave another.I would esecially love to include you.
All the regulars as well..come on!
I wish I could make something for everyone but I can't.
I'll do the draw midweek. Wednesday evening perhaps.

Now although I wasn't feeling creative, I was committed this week to decorating our church for a wedding today, so last Thursday I worked my socks off and bunged all these flowers in various arrangements.I was absolutely shattered by 5.30 having set off at 10.30 am to buy the flowers and been on my feet all day. I haven't slept very well since 'you know what' and it takes its toll.

The bride is a girl I used to teach. She and my son were schoolfriends. She often looked after our dogs when we went away, until she got her own,and she is absolutely mad about animals.
I hadn't seen her for a few years when one day last year I was walking Willow up the hill towards home and a white van screeched to a halt and out jumped Yvonne and her Adam, delighted to see Willow again.

So it was little surprise to see how she arrived at church.

Bless!

Barefoot too.
Shoes put on later.
She loved the flowers.
They are honeymooning in Ireland so they can take their dogs.