Saying goodbye

My Dad passed away in November 2010, to be reunited with my Mum. Who I am sure was waiting for him with a cup of tea. Consequently our family home went on the market. It was with a mixture of sadness and nostalgia that we started the immense task of sorting through the house. Mum and Dad bought the house in 1964 and they made it a wonderful family home for me and my two sisters Lesley and Angela ( plus the cats, guinea pigs, hamster, terrapin, stick insects etc that we looked after along the way).

Going through a lifetime of possessions was hard….so many memories. We laughed, we cried, we were amazed and astounded at what we found but one thing that was constant was the love our parents had for each other and the love they devoted to us girls. Why is it that you find things out about someone only when they are gone. You have so many questions you want to ask them but you can’t.

I feel blessed that I had such a happy childhood and two such kind, loving and devoted parents and I shall cherish the memories of that house and the happy times we had there.

Yesterday was time to say goodbye. The house is sold and the new occupants will be moving in on Tuesday. So …goodbye Gordon St, you will soon have a new family to shelter. You will once again hear the sounds of laughter, tears, fun and happiness. Look after this new family but please, do not forget Mr and Mrs Rice and all The Little Pudds.  xx We love you.

Born to craft

 

 

 

I count myself very lucky in life. I had a wonderful, warm, happy childhood with two very special, hard working, loving parents , two very different sisters, a wide selection of relatives and a wonderful circle of friends( many still keep in contact with me ).

From an early age I realised that I loved to craft. My Mum was a very talented Seamstress. She made all our clothes. Dresses with matching headbands, dungarees, fancy dress outfits, long dresses and skirts, headbands(it was the 70’s) and lots besides. She also knit….all our jumpers, hats,scarves,gloves and ponchoes. Over the years she developed her skills to include baking, flower arrangeing, gardening, making covered boxes and cross stitch. She then discovered card making. Mainly pergamano and using peel offs. Sadly she passed away before she really got started and never realised her full potential but it was whilst joining her on a trip to acraft show at The NEC, Birmingham that I finally took notice and realised how much I wanted to make cards as well.

I have always been a craft addict. When I was little I can remember lying flat out on the floor drawing and colouring. Money was tight but we made do with what resources we had. collages of shells and seeds, bunty comic cut outs, cutting from old mail order catalogues,knitting, crochet and embroidery(especially all over our Jeans ). That passion for art stayed with me through my school years and luckily I was blessed with a talented and caring Art teacher who encouraged me and fueled my passion further. Since then I have dabbled in several crafts…..knitting(especially when my boys were little…logo front jumpers…sonic, thomas tank engine, mutant turtles etc), cake decorating, crochet, cross stitch, knitted dolls(Jane Greenhoff) , embroidery and now card making and box making. I am hooked. I love it. I spend all my spare money on stash. It is a passion that fuels my imagination and makes me happy.

I have other talented family members too who inspire me and I will tell you about them another time. I have waffled on for enough today. I still count myself very lucky………………

 

Hello and welcome to my world

For some time I have wanted a blog of my own. My son Andy was visiting over the weekend so it seemed an ideal time for him to create one for me.

My blog will be a random mix of my thoughts, ideas, inspirations and general musings about my family, my life, loves, hates and my passion for crafting.

So, be sure to come back soon and visit me.