First day of Spring, 21st March

Its the first day of Spring today and its piggin' freezing!  I have just walked my dogs and past my neighbour who announced that tonight we are expecting yet more snow!  a possible 6cms.  I think today being the first day of Spring its now quite alright to moan about the long, dark, cold Winter.  Its been the coldest March in 50 yrs apparently and today it really does feel it!

But.....

Spring brings babies round the farms and in the fields so we have something to look forward to, Spring Lambs bouncing around in the green fields and sunshine with floaty daffodils nodding their heads in amusement.  Some time ago I wrote a tutorial for a lampwork glass sheep bead and popped it onto the Craft Pimp forum and this week its been included in the Craft Pimp Blog click HERE to read how to make lots of Shaun the Sheep glass beads.

As well as baby lambs Spring brings us bright flowers, sunshine and hopefully a bit more warmth!  I listed in my Izzybeads shop yesterday this fabulous Spring necklace

Blue and Amber Rose glass necklace

Izzybeads shop

Just click on the links beneath the photos to go to the listing and have a little look.

And...to make you smile a bracelet that will be coming with me to the local craft fair this Saturday at Withington Village Hall in Herefordshire

 

 

What came first the chicken or the egg?

 

 

Laney x



 

 

 

 

 

Liebster Award

I have been awared a blogger award from Sooz from Sooz in the Shed

I am not very sure on these awards, but Sooz says 'It seems to be a way of promoting fellow bloggers, and we could all do with a bit of that, so here goes...'  and why not?

So here goes, these are the rules....

The rules of the award are as follows..
- List 11 random facts about yourself

- Answer the 11 questions which are given to you by your nominator

- Ask 11 questions for all the bloggers that you nominate to win the award

- Nominate 9 bloggers with less than 200 followers to win the award

- Go to each of the nominees' pages to inform them about their nomination

- Thank the blogger who nominated you by mentioning them and linking their blog in your post

 

 

 

 

11 Things about me

 

1.  I am married to Jim, we have been married for 18 yrs this May.

2.  We have two children, Ben (19) and Charley-Jennifer (17).

3.  We have two bouncy golden retrievers, Izabel (6) and Defi (3).

4.  We have Claude, our very old geriatric mog (cat) who is now 21.

5.  We all live in the beautiful county of Herefordshire in England and my bedroom window view is of the Black Mountains which are in Powys and Monmouthshire in South East Wales.

6.  I love to make lampwork glass beads, especially those with faces and bums!

7.  I drink Assam tea, black, and lots of it!

8.  I love to listen to the radio whilst torching and sing along to all the old songs from the 60's and 70's, even though I wasn't born in the 60's!

9.  My favourite time of the day is walking my dogs down by the River Wye.

10. I love to read, fantasy books being the current favourite.

11. I love brussel sprouts.

 

 

11 Questions from Sooz

 

 

1.  If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

 

Brussel Sprouts.

 

2.  Do you have a secret talent, if so what is it?

 

I can still get my knees over my head at the grand age of 40 something!

 

3.  Have you met any celebrities?

 

Yes, but was a long time agon.

 

4.  Do you have a pet name?

 

I use my pet name of Laney in everyday life, its my original name I rarely use.

 

5.  Do you have any pets?

 

Yes, my two goldens, and Claude our mog, sadly our chooks were killed this week by the fox.

 

6.  If you had to make someone a special meal, what would it be?

 

Ha!  it would have to be a take out as my cooking skills are awful, thankfully hubby is a great cook!

 

7.  What is your favourite holiday destination?

 

I love the idea of holidays, of sunshine and have visited many beautiful countries, but, my favourite place is home.

 

8.  What style of music do you like and who is your favourite music artist?

 

Country music and Dolly Parton is my hero.

 

9.  What would be your ideal day?

 

I am lucky to have my ideal days most days, just a little bit more sunshine and everyday would be perfect.

 

10.  Have you done anything you really regret?

 

Yes.  I didn't have a normal family life growing up, I regret dwelling on what I didn't have for so long.

 

11.  Do you believe in Karma?

 

Absolutely!

 

My 11 questions for my chosen bloggers...

 

1.  Are you tidy or untidy when you are working on your craft?

2.  What is your favourite colour?

3.  What is it that inspires the craft that you do?

4.  Are you a night owl or a morning lark?

5.  Who do you admire and why?

6.  What is your favourite meal?

7.  Where would you like to live, anywhere in the world and if money was no object.

8.  If you could be an animal for the day, which one and why?

9.  If you could choose any time in history to live, which era and why?

10.  How do you start your craft/piece of art, with sketches or just get on with it?

11.  Do you have a favourite artist and why?

 

And my nominees for the blog award are...

 

Leah at http://beadyeyedbunny.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Kayleigh at http://cyndraarts.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Lizzie at http://theneedtobead.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Marlene at http://glassygear.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Cat at http://catswire.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Vic at http://cornishdragon.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Donna at http://delicatesparkles.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Mel at http://inkydoodlecrafts.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Jane at http://jane-janesjournal.blogspot.co.uk/

Jolene at http://kitzbitzartglass.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Nic at http://smittenkittende.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Phew!!  that was a list! and thank you to Sooz for nominating me.

 

Laney x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birthdays and hangovers.......

Soooo, here in the UK this last weekend was Mothering Sunday,  held on the 4th Sunday of Lent.  I was doubly lucky this weekend as the day before Mothering Sunday, Saturday was my birthday and my daughter brought me a fabulous birthday gift. 

 

I am a real child at heart and as I can't cook or bake, honestly my cake baking is banned in the house and hubby usually threatens to leave home if I offer to cook, my cakes could double up as house bricks and most certainly break your jaw should you attempt to eat one, so my daughter takes this occasion to either make me a cake or buy me one from the childrens party cake section in our local supermarket.  I love both.  This year she didn't have time to make me one, so on her way home from college collected this fantastic hedgehog cake called Hugo

 

Isn't he just fabulous?

 

Hugo was lovely with flake chocolate spikes and fudge feet, the eyes I have no idea as my son had those, but he did say they were delicious.

 

After the cake, the hubby and I opened a bottle of wine, one turned into two bottles and two bottles turned into three!  We were legless, which is a rare thing for him as he rarely drinks, but we did have a giggle.  I wasn't giggling so much the next day with a monster sized hangover, I most certainly was not 21 again!  but I did get the opportunity to sit quietly, VERY quietly, and finish my beaded dog.

 

 

 

I am still very much a new seed beader, but enjoying the learning.  I have combined my lampwork beads, a dog head and four glass paws and really just made it up as I went along, I am rather impressed with him.

 

Tomorrow I am off down to Middlesex to visit a lovely friend and melt some of her glass, of which she has loads and loads of new and exciting glass.  Hopefully the snow will hold off and tomorrow will be sunshine and blue skies.

 

 

Laney x



Grey days and Chickens.

Today in Hereford, its grey, misty, dreary and a little depressing, considering its early March.  After a very wet walk down at the river this morning, followed by a vigorous hosing down and cleaning up of the dogs when I got back, I turned on the heater in the studio, and had a couple of hours pottering about in there.  Coming back into the house I walked past this trio, and they waited there until I could grab the camera and take this snapshot from the window in the hall.

 

My studio is left of these wooden chairs, which see alot of sitting on in the summer, and to the right of them is my veggie beds, hence the sitting on in the summer, admiring my lettuces and such, but over winter they languish under the grey skies and turn that lovely silvery colour with touches of green...and chickens!

 

 

From left to right, Dirty Gertie, EveryReady Looky Likey and Frankie, who was originally totally black feathered and now white as snow.

Two of my veggie beds, waiting for veggies, we have one of the Maran girls (there are two but they are just the 'Maran girls' and Big Red, the oldest member of the chook coop.

Not the best pictures of the week, but they made me smile!

 

Laney x

Bumble bees and Mondays

Back from the bead fair in Harrogate, was good fun, as always.  Lovely to see like minded beadie people and talk beads and patterns and colour all weekend, and me and the husband get to have a few nice meals and bottles of wine with the kids taking care of the homestead!  Its rather a nice get away, but Monday morning always makes me feel exhausted.  The kids might look after the homestead, but its never quite have I like it...fussy me?...never!  So, I spend the day catching up with washing - my daughter only does her own! - and wiping down the kitchen sides properly, not that you can tell the kids, they do it in their teenage, hap hazard way, but they try, which is always nice and taking the dogs on a nice long walk, which is good for me and for them, then I try to sort out some beadie stuff and light the torch, as I am usually getting withdrawal symptoms.  Yesterday, I decided to have another go at making a video for Youtube, hubby brought me a new memory card for the little recorder and so I went into the studio and made a video on how I make a bumble bee bead.

Click here to take you to the video.  Enjoy.

Laney x