While I was shaking

Hi there,

What lovely weather we have been having. The odd rain shower has certainly helped the crops along, although I do have to remember that my containers do still need to be watered, especially hanging baskets!

Today, instead of going to the allotment like I should have, I have dead-headed the front garden and given the gravel a once over for weeds, Then we set-up an overflow water-butt in the back garden to prevent the wall getting wet after heavy rainfall (and because I keep running out of water over summer). Unfortunately we found a dead sparrow in there, which must have come down the drainpipe - rather worrying - so we have now put a metal grid over the downpipe to prevent this happening again!

My excuse for not going to the allotment is that Gavin is only home at the weekends, working away during the week, so I need to spend time with him. But it does mean I need to out in the time during the week after work, when sometimes I do wish I could just go home and sit on my backside lol. I did dig up some of my Purple Majesty potatoes yesterday thought for tea tonight - I forgot how good they taste!! They may look funny (being purple even after cooking) but they have the perfect new potato flavour - gorgeous!  And of course I got MORE berries lol:

On to the crafting. I had a couple of challenges that I wanted to join in with, and it is time to make another Christmas card, but with the theme of Not a card lol. So I came up with this Shaker decoration instead:

So I first off went out and bought some white card as I realised I had run out and had nothing to print my digi stamp onto! Grrr. Once I got my card I printed out the digital image from the Summer celebrations CD-Rom (by Adam Pescott) that came free with Quick Cards Made Easy Aug 2012. I printed the image onto a few papers. I coloured the main image in Sepia tones, to give it an aged feel (although it is difficult to see in this picture). I then paper-pieced the presents and hats onto the base layer. As I needed these to sit pretty flat I used micro dots (those you press the item onto and then they peel off onto it) to adhere the pieces - even so they are not completely flat, which adds a little to the shaker element. I die-cut the image using X-Cut extra large frame dies (the largest one) and cut out a piece of patterned paper from the Papermania 'at Christmas Time' collection, which had a vintage feel. The aperture was measured and cut then backed with thick acetate. Finally 3D foam tape was used around the aperture, white and green stars added inside the tape and the pieces adhered together to make the shaker element. Merry Christmas ribbon then made this into a hanging decoration.

This piece is to be entered into the following challenges:

Anything But a Card - MMM - closes tonight

#210 Paper Piecing - SOS - closes 20/07

Don't be a square - papertake weekly - closes 20/07

#278 Pets - ilove promarkers - closes 21/07

Christmas - crafting by designs - closes 21/07

320 Christmas - CRAFT - closes 21/07
Traditional Christmas Colours - Winter Wonderland - closes 23/07
#108 Christmas in July - deep ocean - closes 26/07
N for not a card - abc Christmas - closes 20/07
#226 Shaker card - Just Hanna - closes 21/07
An old fashioned christmas - Jingle Belles - closes 29/07
#70 Anything Goes - card mania - closes 28/07

And here is the recent Audio Book Review for you:

While I was Gone by Sue Miller

Jo Becker is now a successful wife, mother and veterinary surgeon, but a return of a friend from the past causes everything to come crashing down around her, and she has to try and pick up the pieces.

Most of the story revolves around introducing the main character and those close to her, and providing the relevant information from her past, to understand why it has such a big impact on her life. However, it does feel that the story lacks a plot a lot of the time, possibly because it is very close to how normal life would occur, instead of everything being over-dramatised. Therefore, there are details about work and family interaction and her re-evaluation of her long-ago friendship. This is a good light read (although the main item is not light-hearted at all), for those times when you want something that you do not have to think too hard about. Definitely suitable for the journey to work and back.

Thank you for looking

Hugz Tinz