Wednesday 31 January 2018

WOYWW 452

What’s On My Workdesk this Wednesday? A Crop-a-Dile!

05 Crop-a-Dile Big Bite Unboxed

Magnificent beast, isn’t he. He arrived yesterday morning. I wrote a blog post about him here. Any suggestions for a suitable name for him? He’s no wee timorous beastie, that’s for sure.

This was a staged photo taken just after I’d opened him. I’m afraid I can’t show you my desk proper this week because it is covered by my Mystery Project which has to remain Under Wraps till it’s completed. Sorry about that.

I can give you a sneak-peek of one bit, though, without giving anything away.

55 Page 6 Bottom Flap Mat Papers

This was some additions I made to some pieces of green patterned card in my stash which I didn’t much like (the piece underneath). I added some Forest Moss Distress Ink by smooshing the card through it on my craft mat, and then added some Broken China Distress Oxide, and finally distressed the edges with more Forest Moss, and a little Black Soot Distress Inks. I think this is an improvement. It was very wrinkly by the time I’d finished it, but I flattened it nicely with my craft iron, which I suddenly thought would do the job a lot more quickly than the heavy-books-overnight treatment.

My blog editing app seems to be working OK again! I didn’t do anything, so I’m not sure what’s been going on. I just hope it lasts.

Kittens

I’ve been so busy this week that I haven’t had time to edit my recent videos of Lily and Ruby, but I’ve got some photos.

They’ve both been incredibly wild and playful and now they are so big, they are careering about the place and nothing in their path is safe! When they wrestle they don’t seem to know their own strength and often make each other cry if they bite too hard! They are turning into two little adolescent hooligans. Lots of naughtiness which isn’t as sweet as it was when they were tiny (oooh how I miss that!) and my threats to sell them on Ebay if they don’t behave, fall on deaf ears. Ruby is far too busy and fidgety to enjoy a cuddle with Mummy at the moment, although they are both still cuddling up with my hubby while he’s still only semi-mobile.

They still suckle on the little black fluffy thing though, and like the babies they were when they first started doing that, they crash out, totally exhausted, after a heavy bout of play. I don’t think they realise how big they’ve got, because they still squash in together in the top section of the cat tree, but now, bits hang over the edge!

01 Squashed Together on Cat Tree 29-1-18

When a tail hangs down like this, you can lift it up and drop it, and it’s completely floppy and lifeless. We’ve never had such laid-back and relaxed kitties.

Lily got all wild up there yesterday evening and started rolling around, much to my alarm – it’s a long way to fall!

03 Lily Rolling Around on the Cat Tree 30-1-18

I know that all of us arty and crafty folk like to distress things. Years ago I bought a Tim Holtz distressing tool which roughens up the edges of card really nicely. I could have saved myself the money. Lily and Ruby do a far better job.

02 Cardboard Distressing 30-1-18

This is about two days’ work. Feline deconstructive art. Note the bits of cardboard all over the floor, too. I’m always sweeping up.

Health Update

I’ve got my second pre-assessment appointment on Friday, this time with the anaesthetist, when I am going to discuss with him my request for a PICC line to be inserted from the outset – I hope he will agree to this, so that I don’t have to go through that whole awful performance of every cannula failing, and my arms blowing up, and me not getting sufficient pain relief etc. etc. I ended up like a complete pincushion by the end of it, but got instant relief with the installation of the PICC. Here’s hoping.

I will probably get an operation date soon. It can’t come soon enough now. However, after my past experience with postponements, I shan’t believe it’s actually happening until the anaesthetic enters my system.

“Normal life” again – at least for a while

A small oasis of near normality till I have to go into hospital. Now that my hubby is so much more mobile, I’m getting my life back at last! We are back in a routine where he gets his own breakfast so I haven’t got to get up so early, and can have a more leisurely and restful early part of the day which suits me better – my internal clock is all haywire with the ME and I tend to stay up well into the small hours feeling wide awake and wired, and need time to get going in the mornings. He is also doing all the kitty feeding, just for now, and I will take back the lunch and supper feeding eventually.

I have started doing some cooking in readiness for when I go into hospital and for afterwards – I am making up some low residue dishes and over the next week I shall try and organise the freezer so that things are easy for my hubby to find. I am hoping not to be too long out of action this time, and hope to be doing the meals before too long, even if he has to carry and fetch for me for a while! I’ve also started putting things like shredless marmalade and white bread on the shopping list – I shall really miss my home-made brown bread and chunky marmalade, not to mention the huge quantities of fruit and veg I eat (mostly far too fibrous for Kermit to deal with after he’s been remade).

The greatest result of thing getting back to normal is that my creative mojo has returned big time, and I’m spending as much time as possible (never enough) in my studio. I just wish I could share with you what I’m up to…

12 comments:

  1. Yay for the return of your creative mojo! I have a crop-a-dile but it's much smaller than yours - it still cuts through chipboard like butter, though! Love how you jazzed up that boring green cardstock. When I first started out in mixed media, I made the mistake of ironing acrylics - not a good idea, but yeah, it would totally work on distress inks. Love the kitty distressing idea - I have that TH tool too and never used it! Not even sure where it is! Ruby and Lily look so cute cuddled up together! Growing up so fast! Happy WOYWW! Just waiting for Julia to post so I can link up before leaving for work.

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  2. Wow, that is a beastie, to be sure!! He should have a BIG Scot kind of name, I think :)
    Happy WOYWW :)
    no. 4

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  3. Morning Shoshi. Well, I've just read back through several posts in order to catch up. I'm so glad the celebration of your mum's life went so well - I know it takes a lot of hard work to put together - but even doing that is all part of the mourning and thankfulness, isn't it. Glad too, all went well with your appointment - hope you hear soon and all goes well for the op. Hubby sounds like he is really recovering well - these things take a lot of time, don't they - and aren't dealt with so easily by our system as we... erm...get older...
    Take care. Love to you both. God bless.
    Margaret #1

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  4. Hi Shoshi, glad things are moving along with your operation countdown. I'm keeping everything crossed that nothing gets postponed. Love the Crop O Dile. Mine's pink but yours is a much nicer colour. Love what you did to that paper too. There's a dark green coming out in the latest set of Distress Oxides (can't remember if it's Forest Moss or Pine Needles) also Bundled Sage and Evergreen Bough so there will be lots to mix together when the latest bundle arrives. Good luck with all the rest of your preparations. Can't wait to see what else you've been up to in your craft room. Sarah #12

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  5. Hi Shoshi, great buy with the Crop-A-Dile. Will be very useful for the books you make. Loving the kitty pictures. Haven't they grown! I totally understand the PICC line request- every canula I had when I was in hospital each time fail after a day or two! It's easy to get blood out, but useless trying to put it in! Hope they get this all sorted for you soon, Have a lovely week, Hugs, Shaz #6 XxX

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  6. Cuthbert? Colin? He's a chunky thing to be sure! Glad to hear that things are progressing with hubby and yourself. And the cats!
    Hugs LLJ 11 xxx

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  7. I was trying to read this on my phone at work at lunchtime but didn't get to the end (busy work day!) that is one big beast of a crop-a-dile... mine seems smaller. hope you enjoy using it! Good luck with getting a quick date now.... Helen #2

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  8. Shoshi, those resident felines are just precious! We have three indoors and let me tell you....the shenanigans that go on in our home!!! The box scene is hysterical, but I sooo know all about that!! Mine also love plastic????? I really think they are eating it!!???? Wonders never cease! I love the sneak peek of that project! Those colors are just yummy!! I don't have any of the "oxides," and I'm seeing some great stuff coming from those guys! I the regular distress inks, so may just have to stick with them for awhile! I have wayyyyy toooo many other crafty loves right now!! LOL I'm prayerful for the PICC line insertion!! I can't image the constant battle without one! Happy to hear hubby is more mobile and you guys can get some relief for a bit! Just keep those creative juices flowing and look to see some really wonderful things on the table soon! Blessings to you Shoshi! :) Felicia, #29

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  9. Now I wonder what must be on this desk??? Hope we get to see it. Have a lovely woyww and happy crafty week, Angela xXx

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  10. That background looks awesome now, you rocked it! Happy belated WOYWW Vicky#10

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  11. Happy Belated WOYWW. I hope that you have your operation date soon (and it doesn't get postponed) and that the PICC line insertion is agreed. I love that your kitties still sleep together on top of the tower. I remember when I used to use my TH distressing tool on every edge - and lots of Distress Ink around there too. Everything was grungy! I tend to go for a cleaner look now, but still enjoy ripping card rather than cutting. Look forward to seeing what you are working on. I am going through a stage of being really tired first thing in the morning. Only the dog needing to go out gets me out of bed. I am not actually getting any more sleep, as we are calving on the farm for the next couple of months and hubby gets to bed very late, so a midnight or later bedtime for me seems to be the norm now. I am definitely fed up of winter and really looking forward to spring here (and getting to Spain again). The only positive is that the days are getting longer. Ali x #26

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  12. And...you get your life back a bit, just in time for an operation so hubby gets to contemplate another bout of caring. What a merry go round! I have the hand help cropadile and we used it for the first time in simply ages yesterday in a workshop. It must be over a year. Hope you enjoy your st@nd up one, it’s a lot of machine for punching holes and setting eyelets isn’t it!!

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