Overwhelmed - who me!!!

Does anyone have a few hours to spare that they could lend me.....on second thoughts, perhaps not, as I am pretty certain that I will not be able to return them! Just at the moment I am feeling totally overwhelmed - well OK not strictly just at the moment but for a few weeks now since just before I went to Stitches. So much to do and so little time.....and on top of all that the orders that I placed at Stitches are due to arrive this week!!!! anyone know how to clone yourself?????
One of my daughter's best friends, the lovely Gillian who was a bridesmaid at daughter Victoria's wedding is getting married herself later this month and so I made her a trifold-shutter card from the gorgeous L'Romantique collection from Graphic 45 - such beautiful designs.

This morning I made an easel card for my Isla, a beautiful 5 year old who is my grandchildren's half sister - they share the same Mum...and who calls me Granny Clifford like my own two do...
Tonight in class the youngsters completed their 2011 art journals - a voyage of discovery of paint techniques...not bad for 6 to 10 year olds... there are 28 pages in these journals all painted, splatted, dribbled, stippled, spritzed and stamped and probably much more besides and Saturday Jonas...

and Blaithin - seen here with the lovely Yaa my Saturday girl completed their 2011 journals...
some youngsters are still to finish theirs...

and on Friday morning my lovely ladies finished their 3 week project of a doll painting - all who said I can't paint or draw - just look what they have achieved.
The unfinished painting in front of the photo belongs to my good friend Lorraine who sadly had to take her poorly dog to the vet's and wasn't able to be with us

So with an album to make for good friend Liz and another to finish for Gayle whose 40th birthday I went to last Saturday week...and those are just in the pending tray...this is not mentioning all the other half finished projects still lying around and all the projects I shall want to make when the delivery arrives and whose ideas are floating round in my head...now do you understand when I say I am overwhelmed and I am not after sympathy - it is all self inflicted
pressure so as Lesley, the Editor of a magazine I advertise in said earlier today....hhhmmmm and just Breathe!!! so with those words I shall say

Bye for now

Sue

Couple of days of catching up to do as I have been in so much pain with Sciatica I didn't know what to do with myself - couldn't stand, sit or lie down comfortably. Today is much easier.

Erica came in on Tuesday to do more work on her journal...



...and Tuesday earring watch...diamonds, er no... zirconia!!! from Italy 2001...



...and Wednesday earring watch...how about these pink beauties!!!



...and the Wednesday girls did more work on their journals



Alice has been on holiday in USA for the past month so she hasn't made this journal and so tonight she made some Halloween atc's instead.



The girls are so talented...
Yaa brought in a sketch she has done of a friend...



and Mar brought in a canvas she has painted...



Mar finished her journal apart from running out of time to stick all the photos in









The girls do amazingly well considering their age and that there are 20 different techniques in this journal.

...and so this morning I sat down to do some more in my lovely moleskine journal - Thursday is always quiet as the market is on in the old part of town...who was I kidding - it was busy, busy, busy...but I did manage to get a layer of paint on three pages...






...and today's earring watch - small pink four square...quite sedate after all those danglies!!!



Anyway, I am having an afternoon of tidying, sorting and forward planning - I have all next years classes and workshops to think out, design and make so

Bye for now
Sue

very productive morning

Long one today...hadn't planned it to be - do we ever plan anything that goes on the blog...it just comes out on the screen like it comes out of my mouth.....say no more!!!!!ha!ha!

I had a really good and enjoyable morning.

Other blogs show journal pages that people pre-prepare to work on on their holidays or at a later date. I have never done this always making a page from start to finish in one go so I challenged myself to get out of my box and have a go and I am quite pleased with the results.

I started off quite tentatively..





...but soon became bolder....this was inspired by salad in a magazine article I was browsing at the Dr's earlier - had to have an injection in my b*m for Sciatica - it appeared suddenly on Tuesday - hurts worse than having babies believe me!!! and when I had exhausted all paracetamol, co-praxomol, naprosyn - a muscle relaxant Colin said - so why can't I remember Tuesday evening or night or my friend Ros' phone call!!! I finally booked an appointment and went yesterday. I have to go back for more jabs Monday and Wednesday but at least it has taken 90% of the pain away thank goodness. I was crawling the walls!!!



















and with Halloween at the end of the week it seemed appropriate to make something for that















my last one was just a blue sky










I'll keep you updated how they progress.....









...can you see the salad inspiration on the table...

Meanwhile, Melissa was none too happy at missing next week's class where they would finish the journal they have been working on for some weeks. Her family are off to their native Germany for a half term holiday so I suggested to her Mum that she could let Melissa come in this morning as Saturday there are no classes and she is a lovely girl and such good company.

She almost finished her album - just a few finishing touches - more decoration and stick more photos in...she has some beautifully stamped, heat embossed and mica painted flowers and butterflies to add -

the front cover has 5 techniques on it...pity the shimmer doesn't show up in the photo...














these are both shimmery and shiny too...




these are matte finish for contrast...



















...and these are shiny too,,,



Hope Carole Diane doesn't mind me copying her email to me onto here - it is a response to an email I sent to her after reading her website - www.caroleswindows.com/ - well worth a view for the lovely window treatments and cushions,etc she makes.

"Hi Carole
Just looked at your website and the beautiful window treatments, cushions, etc are just gorgeous. I clicked on every icon and read it all and the testimonials are right. They say what a delightful person you are, easy to work with and with a gentle personality - couldn't have summed you up better."

and her reply...

Hi Sue!

Thank you so much for your kind remarks. I've just finished downloading all 358 pics of my incredible trip to Spain. . . The craft class and dinner at the Duck Farm are a couple of my most memorable times. . .I'm so glad that I sat across from you and got to know you better. I'm sure that if I lived nearby, I'd be taking your classes and we'd become good friends. It's been so much fun reading your blog and now that I know some of the ladies, it's even more so! To say nothing of the giggles I get seeing Mom and me in the photos there. . . I'm going to send this email and go directly to Desire to Inspire and "sign up". . . I really hope that I can return to Spain some day. That area is so beautiful!

"See you on your Blog!"

Carole Diane

...and just in case you have forgotten this is the lovely Carole Diane 2nd left with her Mum Carole left.



...and this is The Duck Farm - it's a fabulous Spanish restaurant serving traditional Spanish food... where we had a very enjoyable evening with way too much food...



I will just finish with earring watch...gold flourishes today



...if you are still with me and I haven't bored the pants off you I'm glad...

so Bye for now
Sue

Tonight the younger girls were having such a good time they didn't want to go home - again!!

Dayana showing the cover of her almost finished journal -



Lauren and Dayana co-operating whilst using the Big Shot



Louisa and Lauren



Dayana showing the pet passports she made at home with a technique she and her Mum learnt in class - they are really excellent....



.... and Louisa trying to scare her Mum

Lovely girls, all of them - but they eventually went and I came home and flopped in front of the television. I have become addicted to Come Dine with Me and Golden Balls - I will never understand how someone can shake hands and then steal!!! Maybe its just me but it's not something I could ever do. Oh well. I suppose that's life!

Bye for now
Sue

More art journalling

Just a quick look at the girls last night busy on their art journals. They have done some lovely pages already and I will take more photos next week.
Bye for now
Sue