I'm off

Before stocking up the fridge, I went to Barleylands to see if Kezzy had an art lesson today, just as well I did, as it had been cancelled. It would have been rude not to go to Craft Arena to see Denise while I was there, but she had popped out. I got the latest issue of C.P.S., which I am saving to read while I am at my Mother's for the weekend. After the supermarket dash round Asda, I found out that our postman is not on strike. The first item I opened was the book, 'Rook' that I saw on Carolyn's blog.I just love the pictures.

The next item, was the goodies that I ordered yesterday at 12.00 from Craft Superstore. I had never bought anything from here before, but my friend Bernie had sent me an Internet Gift Voucher for my birthday. WOW!!!! how was that for service.

I made a Scrumptious Slice this evening to take to Mums, it is very rich, but sooos moreish. Inside it has marzipan, apricots, coconut and chocolate. No dieting this weekend, as Mum has been baking and made made a carrot cake.

When we were driving up to Coningsby on Tuesday, I needed some hand stitching to keep me quiet in the car so I took a book cover I had started on a Francis Pickering Course quite some time ago.

The cover was to be made with craft vilene covered with gesso, and patterns stamped in to it. BUT, I had wanted to be different, so I went and collected some fallen Flowering Cherry leaves which I embedded in the gesso and then covered the leaves with it also. When the gesso was dry, I painted the background green and the leaves in the Autumnal colours with acrylic paints. When that was dry, it was given several coats of acrylic wax. The reason that I had never finished the book cover, was that as I hand stitched the background the following week, the leaves started to disintegrate revealing the white gesso underneath , even with extra acrylic wax.

So, it had been gathering dust, it was so nearly finished that I was loath to throw it out.

I had a light bulb moment. I covered the leaves with a fine sheer and machine stitched very closely around the edge of the leaf, and the surplus cut away with a soldering iron. I don't know whether it will work, but it is worth a try.

The cover is lined with Evalon, painted with Dynaflo, the pages coloured with Brusho ala Frances Pickering.