TizDuster

A treat for myself

I spend a lot of time drooling over the wonderful things fellow bloggers make and every now and again there is something I just can not resist.

When I saw these polymer clay and silver crow earrings over on Joan Taylor's blog I just knew I had to have them.

They arrived this morning and I have to say the picture  does not do them justice. There is soemthing really magical about them - something almost other-worldly.

That's a rather romantic thought for me. It may be something to do with the book I'm reading at the moment. It's called Pegasus by Robin McKinley. A beautiful book about a time when pegasi and humans lived side by side. It you appreciate gentle writing, I heartily recommend Pegasus. I am transported into their world and really don't want the book to end, especially as I believe it ends on a cliff-hanger and I will have to wait till 2014 for the next installment.

Robin McKinley is a talented and intelligent writer and is in the enviable position of being married to Peter Dickenson another wonderful writer.

Bird houses

Continuing my ongoing avarian theme I've started making bird houses. My idea is to make quite a few to display at our next Aldborough Creative. I'm hoping people will like to buy them for their gardens.

Here's the first one. I quickly needle-felted a bird to look out of it in case nobody knew what it was meant to be. Excuse the bad picture But I couldn't wait till daylight to take it outside. I'll get some more natural pictures later in the week of the three I've managed to do so far.

I think they will be quite cosy for birds and very servicable. The one I put out a few months ago is still warm and dry although no-one has taken it over yet.

And luckily the cat is not putting off the visitors to my bird table. There is now regularly a male and female robin, a male and female blackbird, a male a female blue tit, a male and female chaffinch, a male and female collared dove, and some assorted sparrows. There's also a big fat pigeon that keeps cramming himself onto the bird table and nearly knocking it over in the process.

I think I'll have to build an extension if this amount of activity continues!

 

Ready and waiting

I wondered why there were no birds at the bird table this morning.

I looked closely beneath the bushes and there was Tag, the cat, waiting patiently!

Hurumph .......he may be fourteen years old but he's not one to give up bad habits easily.

An airing cupboard full of hats

What more can I say?

I've been busy this week trying to build up a stock of hats again.

I was going to keep the green one for myself too wear at the footie. But somehow I think it will have  to be saved to swell the display for the next Aldborough Creative in May.

Versatile Blogger

I don't always respond to blog awards because they usually require you to jump through countless hoops and I'm not good at being told what to do. Mainly because of my upbringing by a bullying mother - but more of that another time.

Anyway a few days ago Angela over on A Life of Felt awarded me a Versatile Blogger Award and I was frankly thrilled to think that my blog has come to her attention. Mind you I have been cyber-stalking her for about a year now and threatening to get up north for one of her workshops. But so far I haven't made it.

Angela's felt work is fantastic and daring - she uses a lot of British wools, which are not the easiest to work with as I am finding out. When I am feeling a loss of direction I look to her blog for inspiration.

Back to the award - I have to write a few random things about myself, so here goes. I'll let my hair go grey when I am 70, I have a bad habit of drinking too much at the weekends and my guilty pleasure is Peter Andre.

Is that enough? 

Oh and I have to pass the award on - I think I'll send it to Jo over at DaisyChain Designs because she is very generous with her tutorials and advice, because she makes lovely jewellery and finishes her work so well and because she has had a tough time recently.

 

Another hat finds a new home

I managed to make another hat recently and it didn't hang about long. This weekend it went off to a new home. My friend who bought it for a friend's birthday said she'd keep it for herself if it didn't fit!

I was half hoping I'd get to keep this one for myself. I think I'll make another tomorrow afternoon.

The colours of January skies - sky scarf update

Remember the sky scarf I started on the first of January? Well I have managed to stick at it and here's how it looks after one month.

A pretty drab and grey month it has been here up in North Norfolk. I'm looking forward to adding in some brighter blues as the year progresses. You do have to make calls of judgement about what colours to use, but, overall it is really representative of how January has been.

Note the unholy tangle (top right) that has resulted from three days knitting. I can't actually go any further now without straightening that out.

There are two others knitting along with me. Earlier in the month Jaqueline over on Super Gran posted her update. You'll see the skies were much brighter in Essex!

Also over on 11am Hawthorn is knitting along but we haven't seen how far she's got yet.

Two robins sighted

More news from the bird table!

I have been trying for the past month to get a picture of the two robins that visit my bird table. As soon as they spot me picking up my camera they are off. This is the best I could manage, it was a dull day and I had to take it through the window. Nano seconds later the one on the left was airbourne.

It's unusual to see two robins on a birdtable together. As far as I can gather they might either be Continental Robins who are not so territorial or it may be too early for territorial behaviour.

Maybe one of you knows more?

Poppy challenge

I've been lucky enough to be picked out of the hat to take part in Jo Tinley's Poppy Challenge over on Daisychain Designs.

The idea is to make two of her lovely silver headpins into a decorative item, be it jewellery or something else.

I feel very honoured as I have long admired Jo's work and the tutorials she generously posts up on her blog.

I'll do my best to do the headpins justice.

 

The other people taking part in the Poppy Challenge are:

Jo Tinley                             Daisychain Designs

Marissa                                  Sea Flowers Studios

Molly Alexander                       Beautifully Broken Me

Kristi                                 Curiosities by K

Jennifer Cameron          Glass Addictions

 

Silver clay workshop

Last Saturday I got up bright and early and drove down to deepest Cambridgeshire to go to one of Silverpebble's (Emma Mitchell) silver clay workshops. I have admired Emma's work for some time now and have actually purchased some of her work at the Holt Pick and Mix Craft Market.

A last minute space came up on her workshop and it caught me at the right moment. I was just gazing disconsolately at a couple of packets of silver clay languishing on my shelf. I couldn't pluck up the courage to open the packets and get cracking.

After a morning with Emma and some very successful work I now feel inspired to get going again. I'm really pleased with this necklace and earrings I made. The button is destined to be partof a charm bracelet which I hope to finish by the next Aldborough Creative.

I can thoroughly recommend Emma's workshops, she is an excellent teacher and what's more she bakes a mean muffin!