IN A RUT

I am not sure what the problem is but I feel in a rut.When I was doing the daily journal page over at milliande.com i was motivated every day. Now without that daily prompt i am just drifting. I feel as if i am creating things just for the sake of it. I always know when i get these low moods because i buy things usually that i do not need..Yesterday I received the Tim Holtz Sizzix die leaves which i ordered on a whim. I am pleased with it but i did not need it.

I used it straight away to cut leaves from can lids and then embossed with a texture folder.
And today i ordered more dies so watch this space tomorrow.
This week i also created 4 house ATCs for a swap on milliande.com these have been sent off to sunny California today.

They look so dark in the photo but are a bit brighter in the flesh. They were actually quite fiddly to do.I  used a clip art picture of a house which i adjusted the size and printed on to tissue not as easy as it sounds. I sprayed a sheet of A4 card with a reposition able glue and stuck the tissue to it. this was so i could put it through the printer. the houses were then applied to the ATC. I then did the same with a photo i had taken of the sunset over the village. Lastly i used a photo of an oak tree in my field and altered it with PICNIK and then printed it on to acetate this was then cut out and attached with foam pads.
I have also got ahead of my self and done the journal pages for Nina's swap and this evening i have started to make bookmarks for another swap.

I have also signed up to swap a piece of art with Nina (Ginger Pickles ) see my blog lists  through milliande.com although I find this daunting as Nina whats to have this piece on her wall.

Earlier this week when i was just wasting time playing with PICNIK i decided to alter a picture of myself.

original with turkey  neck dark circles and lines

neck and skin smoothed out

and then i added pink hair

This was such good fun that i ordered a tube of pink shampoo which I may use over the weekend i do not think i will get the same depth of colour as my hair has quite dark roots but watch this space.

snowdrops in the ditch

one lone crocus flower by the pavement

a small group of daffodils on the sea wall

I am just going to add photos of signs of spring i saw today while walking Wilson they are not good photos but i feel as if i want to keep a record.

And lastly going back to my original statement about feeling low well i know one of my problems is the fact that i am putting on weight. I know that as i come up to 58 it is harder to keep the weight off but i am finding it impossible. OK I know in my last blog posting i had photos of pizza and eclairs but if i know i will be eating fatty things i cut down during the day. So yes i feel very shallow when i say it is getting me down after all if all i have to worry about is a little weight gain i am a very fortunate woman. which of course i am.

VALENTINES DAY

Valentines Day nothing special about that in our house but it was great to have the early morning sun streaming through the window.I have 2 orchid plants that I thought I had killed off last year but they have flowered now for several months so i must be doing something right.

Wilson running through puddle

I think this may be one of a pair i photographed last September.

Ladybirds mating September 2010

I only took Wilson for a short walk across the fields I was hoping to see some signs of spring but green shoots are few and far between but i took this photo as the clouds passed behind the old oak tree.Wilson did his usual run through a muddy puddle  . Walking back to the house I spotted a Ladybird on one of  the young larch trees  which I thought was strange as I had photographed  a pair mating  in the same place last year.so i am not sure if she died of shock or got stuck in resin but it is amazing it has been there all winter.

The wildlife pond is looking very bare at the moment but i am hoping i will get some frogs this year and also that the grass snake comes back .
Because we have had such a harsh winter Britain has proberly lost a lot of plants .There can not be many streets that do not have at least one garden with a Cordyline Australis. In this area i do not think many survided  I lost two and my neighbour lost several some as big as trees.

winter damage

Wilson had a quick drink from the trough before we went in to do some cooking.

As I had time i decided to make a Pizza even though I do try to avoid wheat they are so easy to cook. I also made some eclairs which i have not done for a few years .I used to make them on a regular basis. instead of filling with cream and chocolate i just poured some spun sugar and cream over to serve.

Just in case you are wondering I only has a very small slice of pizza and very little cream on the eclairs.