Wednesday 29 March 2017

WOYWW 408

My desk on Tuesday night.

WOYWW 408 29-3-17

I have been continuing to work on my Infusions samples and the desk shows the end of the evening’s session. You can see the blank sheets on top of the toilet paper roll on the left, my bubble wrap stamp under the tape rack, and then two piles of completed samples. My Versamark pad and a piece of Cut-n-Dry foam, a failed sample, and at the front, a sample created by stamping with Versamark and then applying Infusions which are then lightly spritzed with water. There’s a small sheet of notes of ideas to try, and the usual detritus of a busy desk!

Here are the latest samples I’ve completed.

68 Recent Samples

Ones of particular interest are the stamped ones at the front, for example:

55 Stamped Water Droplets

and the ones using texture – firstly, textured gesso:

66 Gesso Sample with Gilding Wax

and then textured gel mediums, for instance glass bead gel medium.

48 Glass Bead Gel Medium Dried

I also tried the woodgrain technique, painting on the Infusions that have first been mixed with a little water.

65 Crackle Paste Completed

This was quite an interesting one as it incorporates some Golden crackle paste which I had fun experimenting with.

I also created some interesting textures by pressing into Polyfilla and applying other materials:

35 Close-Up of Royal Blood on Textured Polyfilla

39 Mulberry Bark with Orange County - Detail

47 Fruit Net Texture Trimmed

You can read about all these by scrolling back through previous posts.

Dry Rot in the Kitchen

Last Thursday the damp expert came round (I mean, the expert in damp – he didn’t arrive in a rainstorm!) and had a look at our problem in the kitchen cupboard. He confirmed at first glance that we have dry rot. He explained what will need to be done, but cannot tell us the extent until he takes the floor up in the corner of the kitchen. Best case scenario is that it is confined to that corner only, but he will have to cut back the timbers well into the healthy part to make sure it won’t spread again, but it means the fitted double oven has got to be moved. Worst case scenario is that it has spread under the sitting room. I am not allowing myself to worry too much till we know what we are dealing with. He sent us his estimate which was more or less what he told us verbally, and today he rang to say he hopes to start the work a week on Thursday (6th April).

We are fortunate in that we have Mum’s kitchen to decamp into while this is going on, and her sitting room if he has to work in ours. Over the past few days I’ve gradually been clearing the old cupboard in the kitchen and moving stuff into Mum’s kitchen, so I won’t have to do it all at once and in a rush.

I’ve been doing some research into walk-in pantries and am quite excited now about what we might end up with! Hopefully the kitchen fitter will be able to start work as soon as the damp expert has finished.

Health Update

On Monday, Kermit, my stoma, celebrated his second birthday! I cannot believe that it is two whole years since I went into hospital for my bowel cancer surgery which left me minus my entire colon and with a permanent ileostomy. Unfortunately, having been so poorly recently and in hospital, I’ve had a lot of catching up to do since I’ve turned the corner with my recovery, and haven’t had time to do any baking, so this year he didn’t have a birthday cake or a party – last year the Allerton Three got together and pigged out on cake – we all met on Allerton Ward having our bowel cancer surgeries and have remained firm friends ever since.

10 Kermit's Birthday Cake

Apart from the usual problems in the early days, and recent problems caused by the hernia (recently repaired, and requiring further surgery), I have had no problems with Kermit and am very happy to have him. Life is much better with an ileostomy than with miserable ulcerative colitis, I can tell you, and having him has saved my life into the bargain!

Phoebe

Last week I reported that the vet had said she thought Phoebe had bowel cancer. Over the following days she picked up and started eating again, and has seemed quite well again, so after the weekend my hubby took her back to the vet to see if she’d been wrong and it was a blockage that had got shifted by all the palpations she did, but she confirmed that there is still a mass there. She said that as long as she seems well and is managing to eat, we don’t need to worry, but obviously we are to keep an eye on her. If she doesn’t eat for a day or two, she does tend to lose weight rapidly. The vet weighed her again and she had regained some weight which is good news.

Beatrice is getting quite wobbly on her legs (at 16 1/2) and so we’ve put a stool under her radiator hammock to give her a bit of a leg-up! Her balance isn’t as good as it was and she’s got a lot less spring in her legs. I think she needs a granny frame. The trouble is she thinks she can still do all the things she did when she was young! Just like humans do…

Two sunbathing kitties.

Sunbathing in the Flat 2 26-3-17

Phoebe at the front, Beatrice at the back. They love the flat sitting room that gets all the sun.

Finally – we were in a rush to get to church on Sunday and when we arrived we could hear them singing, so we crept in, only to find they were singing the final hymn! Yes, you’ve guessed it… we BOTH completely forgot to change the clocks!! Duh. We arrived just in time for coffee!

11 comments:

  1. I am loving your samples - the crackle texture one is fabulous, I have several brands of crackle paste and find it a bit hit and miss, some don't crackle as well as others. The stamped ones are lovely, I especially love the grasses and seedhead stamps, aren't they gorgeous.
    I hope the news on your dry rot isn't too bad, you are certainly lucky to have another kitchen to decamp to.
    Lovely to see Phoebe enjoying the sun, I was sorry to hear the mass is still there but it's good that she's enjoying her food and not suffering because of it. It sounds like both your kitties are getting 5 star treatment!
    Diana x

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  2. Bet you weren't the only ones late! Brought back memories of it happening to us some years ago ....lol
    Love all those samples, some great 'must-try' ones there.
    Dry Rot is awful but best get it done now before it spreads too much, I have only ever lived in houses with walk in pantries.... love them.
    Take care and have a good week
    Christine #15

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  3. We have been known to arrive at the end of Sunday mass when forgetting clocks. Sorry to hear of your furries' medical issues, but glad to hear how well you are doing. My Dad suffers with ulcerative colitis, but luckily it is well under control. Unusually it did not develop until he was in his late forties, although our second cousin's son was diagnosed at the more usual age (early 20s). My son has had a look at the comments process on my blog and can't see where there is a problem. Thanks for making the effort to comment every week despite the difficulties. I love all those textures and materials used over the infusions. Sarah #13

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  4. Hi Shoshi. Your last paragraph had me in fits of laughter - because you weren't the only one!!! I forgot as well - but managed to remember in time to get there for the service - a good thing as I was playing the grand last Sunday, and also saying what it meant to be a mother - the privileges, the pain and the prospects!!!
    Goodness - two years already?? Where does the time go??
    Trust your kitchen floor is soon sorted and not as bad as it could be.
    Take care. God bless.
    Margaret #29

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  5. Wow! Just WOW! Amazing samples! Beautiful cats, too!
    Hope you have a great week!
    Carol N #33

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  6. Your cards are so awesome! Great art in a little space. Dorlene #33

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  7. mixed news all round then.... hoping the dry rot won't have extended too far.... and that Phoebe continues in good health. Loving the latest infusion samples, you really have had fun playing! Helen #1

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  8. Phoebe and Beatrice certainly enjoy that sunlight! Just like Inky and Penny. Penny is our 17 year old and she seems to follow the sun in the afternoon! Luckily she is still fine, although a bit overweight! I hope your Pheobe feels much better soon, and that you don't have to deal with cancer after all. Fingers crossed. I love all your experiments! the one with the 3-D drops is awesome! Thanks for sharing, Lindart #35

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  9. I bet the rest of the church found that highly amusing, you two arriving at the end. Pleased to hear kitties are doing okay. Loving your samples, been having a bit of a play myself but my time has been taken up a bit by other stuff. Happy woyww and have a great week too, Angela x11x

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  10. So late this week, sorry, only had time to read the desk section! Admirable research with the infusions...hope youre enjoying doing it - by the time you get round to using them for no research purposes you'll have run out! So many techniques, so little time! The only trial so far I thought was a negative for me was the one on gesso - they just look like cultivating mould to me! Bet you arty types will love it though!

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  11. Sounds like I missed a lot Shoshi! Sorry I wasn't around last week! You've got some amazing textures there and those water droplets look real! Dry rot (or damp) is not much fun. We've looked at some older properties in our search for a new house and we can immediately tell if there's a damp issue. You can just smell it, unless they aired the room really well. Hope your dry rot is not too extensive and easily repairable. I can't believe Kermit is already two years old! That cake will become a tradition now, won't it? Poor Phoebe! I hope she still has a good few years left in her, as does Beatrice. It's awful that our pets don't live as long as we do. They look very cozy sprawled out on the floor enjoying the sunshine. I often ask Oreo "are you sure you're comfortable enough?" He always manages to look super comfy. I want to be a cat! Hope you're doing well and sorry for the late visit!

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