Memos, Mail and Me

Joining in again with Sian and the Monday Memo Makers where we share our mail, our Mondays and anything new we have learned.  

This little beauty arrived with my mail this weekend which is the perfect cue to put the kettle on, brew up a cup of tea, dive into the cake tin for a rock cake and sit in the sun having a good relaxing read.  

It's such a lovely magazine, and about the only magazine I've subscribed to that I have found my husband looking at from time to time!  

So after a half an hour reading and relaxing it was with a relaxed sense of calm that I opened the other mail, that envelope that we'd both not bothered to open as it was simply addressed to 'the occupier'.  To discover that a house just around the corner has put in a planning application to change it from a mock Tudor red brick and timber frontage (in line with all the other houses in the road) to an ultra modern, white rendered, grey tiled property.  I think they've been watching Grand Designs.  We have no issue with them demolishing all internal walls, extending out the back, moving rooms around, and adding a huge glass verandah to run the whole width of the back of the house - after all, what happens indoors, stays indoors - but changing completely the whole style of the exterior?  It would look so out of place and completely at odds with the rest of the street, and so, for the first time ever, we will be objecting to a planning permission!  The design they've chosen is very modern, and would look lovely in the right location, but that location isn't in the middle of a row of traditionally styled houses.  Watch this space ...

Anything else new?  Well I've now made 30 flowers - yes I know that the number hasn't increased dramatically, let's skip over that.  However ... there is something new to report

I have finally got to grips with that hot glue gun ...

I can see me getting quite carried away with this new toy piece of crafting equipment.  So all 12 wicker hearts now have three little rose buds on them and look very pretty, and I am currently trying to think of what other projects I can come up with that may involve a bit of hot glue gun action. 

Talking of weddings, a new pair of shoes has joined my wardrobe.  Grey suede, rather gorgeous, and hopefully part of the MOTB wedding outfit.  I just need to have the bride give her opinion on them.  But they're staying whether I wear them to the wedding or not, because they fit beautifully and I absolutely love them.

So that's what is new in my world, I'm just of to Sian's to see what's happening with everyone else.  Happy Monday everyone!

Memos, Mail and Me

The very best of good intentions is my theme for my Monday post, linking in with Sian and the other Monday memo makers. Which has nothing at all to do with any intention to restrain myself from eating chocolate for breakfast yesterday.  But if that had been my intention, it is only fair to be honest and say I failed miserably.  No, this is an intention to dust off the sewing machine ...

"Let's completely refurbish the conservatory" said my husband, so we did.  New roof, new windows, new window sills. 

"As it looks so lovely and new again, let's replace the furniture too" he said, so we did.  

"That quilt that Coco likes to sit on when she's enjoying the sun on the sofa out there is looking old and faded" I said, "I'm going to order some new fabric to make a new quilt to pick out the colours of the buttons on the new sofa", so I did. 

"I'm going to make a start on that new quilt as soon as the fabric arrives" I said, but I didn't.  

Before I give you my excuses as to why I haven't even cut out so much as a square of fabric, let me first take your mind off the fact that I've not started what I promised by sharing with you a picture of the fabric that I bought.

I think it will look nice.  

When I get round to cutting it out and sewing it together.  

Which may not be any time soon.  

Because no matter how good my intentions are to get going on that project,  my other mail this week included the ingredients needed to make these ...

We're going to hang a little decorated wicker heart on the end chair of each alternate row along the aisle of the room where Rachel is getting married.  Which means we need 12. I thought I could get away with just winding the stem of each flower into the wicker but I don't think that it's going to be sturdy enough.  So it means that I need to get to grips with a hot glue gun.  Which I have never done before; wish me luck!

I also received the paper to make these ...

My dear friend Denise very kindly cut out the petals for me, and I 'just' have to curl and cut and stick them together to make flowers which will eventually be stuck onto ribbon (more hot glue gun action) to wind round serviettes on the dinner tables at the reception.  Since taking this photo I've done a few more and it total I now have 26 finished roses.   

I need 80.

You see my dilemma - there is no time constraint on making a quilt but I have a deadline for the flowers!  I know it seems like I have a long time but you have no idea how long it takes me to do each flower.

So that's me for this Monday, sitting amid a crumpled heap of metallic foil which once decorated an Easter egg, and trying to get rid of the crumbs of chocolate from the keyboard of the computer.  Let's hide the evidence eh?  

Liberate Your Art 2017

I'm not sure what made me decide to join in with Liberate Your Art for the first time last year.  One of those spur of the moment things I guess, because there is no way on earth that I consider myself an 'artist'.  I have trouble drawing a straight line with a ruler, so there is no paint related artist blood running through my veins!  So when I read through the sign up post I realised that art takes many forms, not just the initial idea of paint on canvas.  I've always been keen to create - whether it be by sewing, knitting or sticking bits of paper onto other bits of paper and creating scrapbook pages - so as a 'newbie' to LYA I photographed things that I had made as examples of my 'art'.

When the LYA mail started arriving last year I discovered that out of the postcards I received, some of my favourites were photographs and I realised that you don't actually have to physically make something for it to be art, that you can make art through the lens of a camera.  I filed that idea away for the coming year's project!

Enough of my history with LYA - let me share some very special mail that has arrived on my door mat within the last couple of weeks.

Aren't they fabulous?



From street life observations, finding art in a close up view of a vintage object, collage, and original art. 

And along the way I've discovered new blogs to check out and new Instagram accounts to follow.  None of which would have happened if I hadn't been brave enough to put my insecurities aside and sign up and join in.  My postcards came from many different states in America and one from Europe.  Yes, one postcard had a very long round trip from Slovenia to America and then America to England!  Now I'm thinking, we need to advertise this more in countries this side of the Atlantic - so please consider joining in next year.  It's always good to receive Happy Mail, be inspired by others and forge new acquaintanceships.

For my postcards this year I didn't photograph 'things' that I had made, but when I was on holiday last year I kept an eye out for things that I thought may be suitable for making into a postcard.   Inspiration came in many ways!  While on holiday in Portugal I found some very clever street art painted onto old crumbling cement walls.  Then while laying on a sunlounger and staring up at the sky I noticed how striking the opening petals of a lily growing on the patio looked against the blue, and on an early morning walk, the blossom on the tree looked pretty with the sun gently shining through the branches.  A trip to the English coastline gave me inspiration for my final card.  I love beach huts, and we are lucky to live in an area which is well known for its colourful huts along the sea front.  These were taken while walking between Frinton on Sea and Walton on the Naze on the Essex coast.  So these were the five postcards that I sent out.

 Please do visit Kat's blog to see the kind of mail which has been travelling between the participants of this year's project. Click here for more information.  Ready for some facts and figures? 

876 pieces of art were sent around the world
146 people took part, and those people came from ...
12 different countries

But even better than that, join in next year!  It really is a great project and Kat makes it so easy to participate in even if you live outside of the US. I promise to let you know when the sign up starts for 2018, so start thinking about what you can make into a postcard now!

Memos, Mail and Me

When you look at the work calendar and you see that you have two weeks away from the office for the Easter break, it brings a smile to your face and puts a spring in your step.  Two whole weeks.  Oh the things you can do with two whole weeks to do what you want.  Then a short while later you look at the calendar again and realise that you've already had one of those weeks and have very little to show for it apart from getting up when you want to, having lunch when you want to and having as many tea/coffee/biscuit breaks as you want to.  How can I possibly have frittered away half my holiday on not doing very much at all?  Or maybe that is part of the holiday experience, not having to do very much?  One thing's for sure though, my postman has been busy giving me ample exhibits for joining in with sharing mail.

Liberate Your Art postcards are flooding in!
 

The idea is that you will receive 5 cards from fellow participants and one from Kat, who organised the whole thing.  In addition to this some people do 'side swaps' so it's lovely to receive more than the minimum amount.  I love checking out new blogs and hearing about the inspiration behind the postcard, or a quote written on the back.  This year, I even have one which travelled to me from Slovenia via Kat in the US.  The majority of people taking part are American, so I think it's time to spread the word this side of the Atlantic!  Check out the project here - so you can join in next year!

One thing the postman should have been delivering, but didn't, was my fabric for my new patchwork project - I received an email to say the layer cake pack of ten coordinating fabrics I ordered was out of stock, so instead I've chosen some of the individual fabrics and fingers crossed, they will be here in time for next week's Mail, Memos and Me post.

Other news this week

Our long term houseguests have gone home!

My daughter, her fiancé and baby have been having a lot of work done on their house and asked if they could move in here 'for a couple of weeks' so they didn't have to live with all the dust, dirt and disturbance of the builders.  Now multiply that by three, and that's how long they've been here!  In some ways it has been lovely; we've seen Leo grow two teeth, be weaned onto real food and learn to crawl.  But it makes you realise how much you forget about the demands of a baby, and how they gradually take over every room in the house!  As I type this up, the quietness of the house seems weird, and everywhere looks a little bit empty as all his paraphernalia has been taken back to his proper home. 

But I had better get the bed linen changed and room aired quickly as our son is coming home for the whole Easter break - instead of early retirement next year, maybe we should consider opening a Bed and Breakfast :-)

A long weekend for everyone next week - I wonder how many Easter eggs we'll have consumed in time for next Monday's check in? 

Joining in with the Monday crew inspired by Sian,

Memos, Mail and Me

Oh my goodness, April - you're here already.   I mean, obviously I knew you were on your way, but the time has just flown.  I see you've brought the sunshine with you so you are very welcome in this corner of the country.  You're just in time to join in with Sian's Mondayers. 

Postcard 2 of the Liberate Your Art project arrived this week
 

Just look at the texture on those bowling pins.  What a clever photograph.  Big thanks to Paula Bogdan of littlescrapsofmagic.typepad.com  Quite apart from loving getting artistic cards through the post, I love how this project introduces you to blogs you would never otherwise have come across.  Pop over to Paula's blog, and be prepared to be very impressed by the creative work that she produces.  I have particular sewing envy of the little squares she has on her blog post.

The conservatory project is 95% finished

Before and after shots, taken 4 days apart.  I hadn't realised just how grey the tint was on the old polycarbonate roof we had, changing it for plain glass has made such a difference.  We've also changed the windows so that instead of having a small opening window at the top of each panel we only have 2 on each side like that so the eye line isn't broken up so much and it really does make the whole room feel bigger.  New armchairs arrived this week, and a new sofa is on order - watch this space ...

New furniture and a dog who likes to sun herself out there means that a new throw needs to be made.  A perfect excuse to get the sewing machine out, buy some new fabric and get back into patchwork mode.  Add a sprinkling of sunny spring weather and I think my Easter school break is sorted!

I hope the sun is shining on your Monday, wherever you are, why not join in with the rest of the Monday brigade and share any mail related or Monday memos?