Monthly Archives: September 2009

Art with My Needle Week ~ Week 6

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Last week I was drawing shells and left you with a puzzle.

Whatever would I do with this?

Make a trinket box?

The lid of the box I made in two pieces with a loop and a button fastening that I made in the form of a tiny shell.  The opening was an illusion as it didn’t in fact open.  The lid had an oval ‘wall’ that slid inside the base.

The clear oval wall was made using a sheet of acetate, the type used for overhead slides in the days before Power Point Presentations.  I decorated it with Machine embroidery before hand stitching it to the top.  The base I made from strong card that I covered in silk Dupion to match the lid.  The decorative stitching was achieved with handmade cords of gold and silver threads couched in place by a single strand of the silver thread.

All I need is a treasure to go inside it.  My Elly won’t fit.

The other part drawing will have to wait until next week.

My thoughts for today

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Today I am thinking of Bikehikebabe a very humorous lady who comments regularly on my blog.

Bikehikebabe will undergo surgery on her shoulder only a couple of months after a hip replacement.

I will keep a candle burning for you girl!

Food Monday ~ Fried Potatoes with a difference

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I am very late today, please go easy on me as I am struggling a little today.  I’ll be grand tomorrow!

Fried Potatoes with a difference

Serves 4

  • 500g potatoes, grated and rinsed to extract the starch.
  • 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil.
  • 375g vegetables finely chopped; choose from broccoli, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, leeks, mushrooms, onion, parsnips, peppers, runner beans or sweet corn.
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, grated.
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Use a cloth to squeeze the excess moisture from the grated potato.  Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan or wok.  Fry the grated potato fot 5-10 minutes or until nearly cooked, stirring frequently.  Add the chosen vegetables, soy sauce, ginger and salt and pepper and fry briskly for a further 5-10 to cook the vegetables yet still keeping them crisp.  Serve hot.

Collective Names

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A cast of actors
A panel of experts
A class of students
A coven of witches
A flock of birds
A library of books
A batch of bread
A clutch of eggs
A deck of cards
An embarrassment of riches

I could go on all day, but then you would not have a chance to add your own efforts.  I can’t wait to see what Magpie comes up with.

Old Rope

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‘Money for old rope’ is a phrase I heard many a time as I was growing up.  I thought of it as I took this picture:

This saying originates from the days of public hangings. It was a perquisite of the hangman to keep the rope used to hang his ‘customer’. The rope, however, was popular with the macabre crowds, so the hangman used to cut the rope up and sell it.

Thankfully the old rope above was used for a better purpose

Last night

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I was very tired last night after a lovely day.

At 9pm I gave in and went to bed.  Elly thought it was a little early for me to settle for the night as it would mean I would be up very early this morning.  She wheeled in Tobias to entertain me while I rested.

The lower part of my leg became uncomfortable due to the swelling and I thought if Elly puts some cream on it it might help.  I called out but she didn’t hear me.  Not wanting the effort of getting out of bed, I checked to see if she was on chat.

21:32 me: Are you on the phone?
Ellybabes: no
me: can you come in a min
21:33 Ellybabes: sure

She was in the kitchen at the other end of the house and the door was closed.  She came immediately and sorted out my leg and made me more comfortable.

Modern technology is wonderful!

Now I am off to think about breakfast.

I’ll see you at 5pm (my time), for more fun with the Consortium.

Thursday Special ~ Sales Rep

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A man walks in for a sale rep job.  He is very qualified, but he has a nervous twitch, and his left eye is always winking.

So he speaks with the manager and the manager says, “Well sir, you are very well qualified for the job, but people have to be comfortable around a sales rep, and that eye thing is really freaky.”

The man smiles and says,”Oh that, I just take some Tylenol and it goes away.” So the man reaches into his pocket and pulls out a condom, he takes several more condoms out and finally finds some Tylenol. He takes two Tylenol and the eye twitch goes away.

The manager frowns, “Sir, I’m sorry but our company does not like womanizers.  I don’t like the look of all those condoms.”

The man chuckles, “Oh, I’m no womanizer… but do you know how hard it is to buy Tylenol at a drug store with your eye constantly winking?”

Thanks Ramana for this one.

Art with My Needle Week ~ Week 5

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Last week I asked what we might do with a collection of coral and shells.  There were a few very interesting answers.  Today I will pick one of the items and take it a stage further.

Clam shell

Drawing and colour study

A section taken from the drawing and the lines enlarged.  I then placed it in an oval shape.

The shape quilted onto silk with a layer of wadding backed with muslin.  The stitch used was a simple chain stitch in a decorative thread.

What did I do with it?  Please be patient with me as I am still tired but will finish the project next week and take the drawing on a stage further:

Using the curved lines and changing the oval to an egg shape, I removed some lines and added others.

I hope I have aroused your curosity to come back next week to see the fruits of my labour.

Recap 2

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Today, as part of my lazy blogging look back to the early days on my blog, I take you on a virtual walk to 22nd September 2007 when I wrote about a Message in a Bottle.  A serious topic that takes repeating!

If that post does not move you into action, then perhaps this second helping will.

I urge you to pay heed to it, after all it might save your life.