Saturday 13 December 2014

I feel like a perpetually emerging butterfly...

It's been nearly 5 long weeks... flu on top of Fibromyalgia and M.E is definitely not a good combo!
After each Fibro flare-up, I eventually wake up feeling like me again... it's a constant cycle with no pattern, one that has destroyed the person I once was... but I rejoice each time 'that day' arrives and I become me once again.
How do I explain what it is like, living with varying degrees of pain, 24/7, to somebody with no reference to compare to?  I'm coming to realise that I can't... a very frustrating situation for all concerned.
I had a thought, that I'd put my feelings into verse, just now and then...a bit of self help poetic therapy.... with a visual image, preferably one of my own. So here is my first attempt...



Living with chronic pain.

Like waves on a seashore, ebbing and flowing,
Never ceasing.
Sometimes just there,
Often battering the shoreline that is me.
I long for the calm but more often get the
storm.
Learning to go with the flow, to roll with it,
Keeping my head above water, long enough to
enjoy the view,
That is the goal...

I'd be interested to hear what anyone thinks... please leave a comment at the bottom of the post, in the comment box x

... and then there was Ozzy!
Our little pup Ozzy is a constant joy... he is Steve's baby but he has brought joy to both of us. The 4 cats are learning to live with his boisterous spirits and are quick to put him in his place... he never learns and I'm sure I've seen them look at him with both puzzlement and pity LOL
He is a brave little lad and is quick to alert us when someone comes to the door... he is on that huge learning curve that all youngsters travel, his reactions to new experiences are a constant source of amusement.


Here he is with his favourite toy, 'Lambie' ...or what is left of him! I think this is one of my favourite photos of Ozzy so far... and here he is watching the bath fill up. I wonder how he will react when he has his first bath? That should be worth documenting LOL

After doing no crafting for weeks, I've finally put scalpel to card and glitter to glue... yes, I've started my Christmas cards at last. I'm extremely pleased with the ones I've done so far... so without further ado here they are..!






I hope you like the new designs...
I'll be back with more news very soon ~ until the next time bloggers, take care of yourselves x

Tuesday 18 November 2014

It's mainly a knotty tale...

Hi everybody, it's a chilly November day, here in north Kent, I shall get my thermals out soon I think! 
I'm resisting as long as I can ...once they come out I practically live in them until the summer starts... not the most fetching of looks LOL ~ I have given in to the aching joints a bit, and I've fished my old padded knee supports out of storage! 
I've been struggling to get my little Etsy shop up and running, because of the fibro/ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), so it's with much relief that I tell you it's now open! WOOP WOOP :)
I've still got some more items to add on, but there are a good few pieces listed & ready to post/ship.
                                 
This pic is one of my Facebook cover photo's, the mask is in the shop (with its own special decorative box) and a galleon will be on there very soon.
I've finally made my first beaded wire wrap/shawl pin... I'm so pleased with it! 
Now, you've got to understand that this was another learning curve, a lot of trial and error and a real struggle because of my hands ...but I did it AND I've designed a second one, a dragonfly.  I've made the main structure & hope to start beading it in the next day or two.


Why do I love it? am I blowing my own trumpet? not a bit of it! 
I mainly love designing, making and finishing something because I'm just so enthusiastic about creating something new; seeing it materialise and finding out if the design works or not. It's really the design process I love, the solving of any design problems etc that gives me the 'feel good factor'. 
Now I know my little creations can't be compared to the likes of a potter or a jewellery maker, for example...  their skill sets and materials are so different. 
My crafts are really more akin to cottage crafts, but never the less I am proud of what I do.
I've designed these pins so that the actual pin is an integral part of the design. In my research I found that many of the designs had a pin that could be added anywhere, to fix the garment together, so an owl pin may have the pin itself going through the side of the owl... not very owl like :)
My second design is a dragonfly, I've made the wire frame, selected my beads (from my very limited stash), now all I have to do is do the beading. If these two designs get a good response I shall invest in some better tools and materials. 

        

The owl pin coordinates with the wrap and has little pearl like beads, wire wrapped, onto the main wire shape. I've also made the pin its own packaging. I've recycled a chocolate box with wallpaper and silver cord, it's finished of with a plaited decorative fisherman's knot .

         

When I was a little girl we used to visit my gran' s brother. My great uncle George had been a merchant seaman and he was accomplished in many areas. One of the things he made were ships in bottles. I recall him showing me a huge book, all about fisherman's knots... with alluring names like 'Turk's head' and 'Monkey's fist'. His ship's bottles were always beautifully finished of with a decorative knotted closure. I also remember the fresh water well in their garden. It had a huge rope knot, instead of a handle, on it's hatch... it was a Monkey's Fist!
I've had a fascination with decorative knots for as long as I can remember, it just goes to show how a childhood experience can colour your adult life.

 
Turk's Head
Monkey's Fist
Well folks, that's about all I have for the moment... I need to get motivated, so it's back to 'Dream it, Make it, Love it' to add some more of my goodies. Pay me a visit, why don't you... you may find that little Christmas present you've been looking for. 
www.etsy.com/shop/DreamItMakeItLoveIt

Until next time bloggers, take care x.

Saturday 8 November 2014

I ache to do something more with my life...

This is an unashamedly, totally Fibro/ME post... perhaps because I want people to get some idea of how I feel, personally.
I've been pushing myself recently, to finish some small craft projects, I've also taken it upon myself to create some items for friends and family... adding to the work load and stress and I answered several pleas for creative help, when perhaps I should've said no. 
The upshot of all of this... I'm now depleted, miserable, my pain relief is non-existant because I've got out of my routine, my ME is running riot and to top it all I've been snappy and totally unbearable to live with (when I've been awake)... that calls for a deep sigh!




As most Fibro and ME sufferers are aware, pacing oneself is key to getting through any day. This is easier said than done, especially if you're having a 'good' day. Having a good day means waking up with at least some resemblance of energy, not waking up feeling as though you've got full blown flu, with motivation and pain levels at a workable level. 
Because these days are few and far between, when they appear most sufferers make the most of them, joyful that they feel 'normal' and determined to make the most of such a gift.
This is 'living' not pacing and nearly always results in at least 2-4 days of intense pain, sleep problems and numerous other conditions careering out of control.


One of my dilemmas is that I'm the only one that drives... so if we're going out anywhere on an 'iffy' day... and I'm going to drive,  then I can't take my pain relief... which results in a very miserable & unhappy bunny!
After a day of such activity I usually have days on end where I'm homebound with IBS, sleep deprivation... or I have sleep encased days where I don't even wake to eat or take my medication... days where I can't walk without my sticks, sit or lay because of sciatica and other joint pain, or take a bath because I'm just too exhausted. 
These are just a few of the symptoms and these are typical days/weeks/months for most Fibro and ME sufferers... and gradually this becomes the 'norm'.


So, where am I now.... still in my pj' s (not at all unusual!), it's 8:30pm & I still haven't had my bath, dinner was a delivered pizza (thanks to m'Stevie), I'm miserable & downright ashamed of my waspish & grumpy behaviour recently but determined to try and remedy that... increasingly, when I'm in constant pain & discomfort, I'm really not myself, so I guess I need a plan of action again! 
Maybe a trip to my local gp is in order, for more effective pain relief? 
At the end of the day I'm alive, not at death's door... I have my family, m'Stevie and our furry, four legged entourage... so I have something to be grateful for.
Until my next post people's....










Sunday 26 October 2014

The best laid plans.... and all that jazz!

Hello everyone, how have you all been? 
I've had spurts of inactivity (as per usual the #M.E and #Fibro constantly interfere with the best laid plans of mice and men LOL). It really is the most painful and frustrating combination of conditions! ...however I have managed to complete some projects that had already been started as well as a couple of new items.

Since my last post I have finished a few of the Christmas trees & I've also made one wreath... I hope to stock & re~open my Etsy shop by the end of this month (which is fast approaching!)  





    
I also managed to finish my first Beachfinds Birdhouse... I'm really pleased with it. I just have to seal it and it will also be ready to go into the shop.



Next on my list are a couple of baby quilts. I became a nanny again, to the beautiful Poppy Mae and Steve & I became Great grandparents to little Freddie... these are the quilts I made, they're only small & are for a pram, crib or moses basket.




I also finished several of my new style cards. I really like these & think they are both stylish & pretty. Each card was made specifically for the person/event.




I hope you've enjoyed seeing some of these finished projects & I look forward to the next blog. Don't forget to have a peek in the Etsy shop at the start of November, for your Christmas shopping x



Tuesday 2 September 2014

Bits and bobs...

It's 2:49am on Tuesday morning & I'm wide awake... definitely a good time to blog don't ya think?
...so here we go peoples...

Ozzy the puppy has settled in really well... our front room now resembles a crèche with all of his toys, he's teething & has many different toys to keep him amused & to distract him from eating the furniture! 


...here he is with Steve, tired out from racing around,

My ME & Fibro have been appalling just lately, but I have had moments of inspiration & I've started a couple of new projects. 
I've also started jotting down my ideas, so that I don't forget them, in the back of an old sketch book... so I've started drawing again WOOP WOOP 
...these next images  are from the sketch book ~ 


This is a new baby mobile, I'm making it for our new granddaughter who is due soon.
I'm using a mix of fabrics... the polka dot is new but the plain pink linen and the ribbon print are both vintage. 


The mobile design is butterflies & clouds and is the girl version of Logan's boats & clouds mobile (pictured below), that I made at the start of the year.


I'll post pics of the new mobile when it's finished.
I've finished the knitted wrap but I need to take pics of it on someone or on a mannequin, the next sketches/doodles are for a wrap pin (to secure it when being worn).


As you can see I've thought of a few ideas, I need to choose one for my first attempt... I'm edging towards the owl, probably because it's quite simple in design.
Here is the wrap with it's lace edge & beading, 



Last but not least are my 2014 ideas for Christmas decorations... I'm sticking to a Nordic theme, in red & white, like last year... they're so striking & seem to be quite popular. 
Here are the sketches followed by the first decoration (in progress).



...as you can see I've kept pretty much to my drawings, I just have to do the pot & plant it. 
I do love dreaming something up, making it... and loving the finished item, which is exactly how this blog got it's name! 
Don't forget you can catch me on facebook and Twitter too x
Until next time... take care x

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Fibro, ME and crafting,,, not always a good combination!

I seem to be stuck in a circle, with no perceivable way out... finding the balance between over doing things & pacing myself appears to have deserted me... for the moment!

I ache to do more crafting & my ideas are plentiful but the dreaded #Fibro & #ME are really getting in the way at the mo. Life is not as depressing as it sounds, I think frustrating is a more accurate description... each day is a new challenge but I think things will improve, if I can just find my way back to pacing myself.





So... there we were, both of our lives affected and see-sawing between good intentions and the reality of living with this chronic illness... when a little boy came into our lives, & gave us a purpose !

Steve was 60 in February & received a late pressie from his sister... 
...this is Ozzy



Ozzy is 18 weeks old & he's a Jackahuahua... he really is adorable & is Steve's constant companion. This means when I'm unable to get out of bed, sometimes  for days at a time, Steve has someone for company. What a great present!
... and look, he can even do a trick! Things are surely looking up x




We took Ozzy for a walk on Fisherman's Beach in Hythe, he got so cold that I knitted him a jumper, doesn't he look smart?

These bows are for my neighbours daughter, She is getting married very soon and wanted 2 bows for two baby girls. 



I've made them with crocodile clips on the back, to attach to the headband, this means the bows can be interchangeable & can even be used to decorate the pram or a bag, The design is a twisted bow and I finished them with some diamantés.

One of the Fibro traits are the bad sleep patterns, often referred to as 'painsomnia', where pain keeps you from sleeping for any length of time.
Last night, during such a session, I managed to finalise & order some business cards. A friend of a friend is a psychic medium. She is just starting out, doing readings, & needed some help so I've completed a small website for her & these cards finish everything off. I hope she likes them,

Maria is based in Hythe, Kent. The web address is http://anangelsintuition.WebStarts.com 
Pop over and check it out peoples.






































Tuesday 12 August 2014

From here to kniternity !

What a week I've had!
The Fibro and ME have been doing a duo act again... I feel like I've been doing a lot and getting nowhere fast... on a more positive note I've finished the main body of my first wrap and knitted the lacy frill.


This pic was taken as I was knitting the frill onto the body of the wrap... I'd never done this before and was so glad to have discovered this technique.


...and here it is finished. I'm not quite happy with the kneck edge, I wanted it to stand up more so I need to find a way to stiffen it somehow, I shall have to give it some thought.
Next time I may need to try a heavier weight yarn.


Here it is pinned out so that I can steam block the lace, the following pic shows some of it done... you can see the difference quite clearly.


Now that I've steam blocked the frill I should be able to put the whole thing through a softener rinse and let it dry flat. This is a learning curve for me, as are most self taught & self designed things, I can't wait to get to doing a bit of beading on the lace, that's the fun bit for me. I'm also going to design and make a wrap pin to go with the wrap, something else I've been wanting to do for a while.

Last week we went to Hythe & to Whitstable, here are some of my better shots.




Well, that's it till the next post...  take care peoples x