All things bright & beautiful...

I'm switching it around for this post... the doom & gloom can wait 'till the end LOL

My garden is both flourishing, while simultaneously being in a severe state of unkemptness! 

As you can see the grass needs a hair cut desperately... whilst my secret garden is being kept secret for all of the wrong reasons... 

This atrocity used to be my sun bathing haven, a place that was secluded with gently running water & a pebble pool... & a butterfly's paradise to boot... can you hear my deep & woeful sighs? 

I know I desperately need help LOL 

... I think I might have the very person, fingers ever so gently crossed! Watch this space x

On the plus side my bedding plants are still doing their own thing and have been glorious... what a joy to see colourful perfection... you've just gotta love plants 💖

What do you think of the recycled Crocs? They've certainly brightened up a drab old fence & the idea has worked beautifully x

I'm still waiting for the Lobelia to grow a bit more and to bloom,  I'm so pleased with the outside loo... it's all very pretty... 

I just have to get the backdrop sorted (if you get my drift).

If you read my last post, you'll remember I was about to try Alkanet dye on my hair... what happened I hear you cry!!!

... well, to start with my significant other emptied the first batch down the drain, he thought it was old beetroot juice LOL 

Undaunted I made up some more & did the deed this evening...

As you can see I still have grey roots, my disappointment was palpable! aaah well, on the plus side my hair is wonderfully soft, the hot oil is certainly a winner, so the rest of it won't go to waste.

Father's Day is almost over... with no father to speak of, our afternoon was spent with me'Steve's daughter. We've had the nippers again, so we took them home in time for dinner with their daddy... & Steve recieved his gifts as well.

Here they both are, giggling at my jokes & all dressed up for their dad.

Hopefully by my next post I shall have made some new things to share, on the crafting front that is :)

Ok... here comes the doom & gloom, feel free to exit now if you're not interested, I shall keep it very short LOL

The problem with having Fibro is that, most mornings, I wake feeling as though I've got the flu... that's on a normal day! Things get really nasty when you actually get a flu virus on top of everything else!

This is what happened last week, I spent the week previous with a bad bout of M.E, and then caught a virus that was going round.

Misery just doesn't describe the last 2 weeks, I'm just so thankful that I'm back to the plain old Fibro/ME/HMS/IBS etc

Until next time peoples, stay safe x

...just dyeing to tell you all about it!

Afternoon all... after another horrendous week with my constant companions #fibro & #M.E ~ coupled with a sick bug, yuck, I do believe I feel a bit like me today... yippee LOL
I can't begin to explain what it feels like when you can't wake up for days & the only waking moments are governed by pain, its a miserable existence that gradually tears down your relationships, your confidence & your self esteem... so I'm mighty glad to be awake today!

As you can see, while I've been sleeping my bedding plants have been doing their own thing... looking rather nice I think... another week & I'll put them in their proper places (2 hanging baskets to go out the front & 4 half buckets to go on the wall).
Another thing that's growing is out little lamb... isn't he just a poppet?

He brightens up even my darkest day, when he comes to visit, so I'm already looking forward to the next time x

The other week I decided to look into alternative forms of hair dye... being on a tight budget means grey roots ~ not a look I'm partial too LOL
I found that #Alkanet root gives a burgundy red colour, I ordered it along with some Jojoba oil (oil or rubbing alcohol are essential for the colour extraction process)... when it arrived I followed the recipe (1 third root to 2/3 oil ~ I used olive oil to make up the difference).

It was all popped into a jam jar & left to soak in the sun for 24 hours (on my warmest windowsill), I then zapped it in the microwave & strained the roots from the oil (roots were chucked into the compost).
I've been left with a nice warm red oil mixture.

So peoples... I think tonight will be the night I do the deed! This is an experiment of sorts, as I have no idea what it will turn out like & I have no idea if I've made enough... we shall see.
I have to apply it warm, just like a hot oil treatment, wrap my noddle in cling film & a towel,  leave for 45 minutes & wash out.
Photos to follow asap.
In the mean time, here are some pics of the garden, I just love the colours & couldn't resist sharing x

TTFN peoples, stay safe x

What a difference a day makes !

Well folks, after a rotten night full of painsomnia, I'm snuggled in my recliner chair, wrapped in my fleece, waiting for my meds to do their thing.
We have our two nippers staying... I love it when they're here, they brighten up our days with their chatter & their innocence. I came down stairs at about 4 am & nodded of eventually at about 7... I heard the nippers get up with Steve at about 8 am & heard our ' little legs' say 'shhh be quiet, don't make a noise, nanny's asleep'. I have to say that really struck a chord with me, she really is so sweet.
It was last summer that these two asked me if I really knew someone called Fibro Myalgia, so funny!

As usual I use our nippers to model my new creations... crafting really does keep me sane on my better days but it's incredibly frustrating when I can't do it.. anyway, above is MaiseyMoo, modelling my first attempt at my loopy ear hat design...... & this is our Connie, modelling my loopy owl hat design, both my own designs...

These, and my other hats, will be in my Etsy & Folksy shops in the autumn... I'm trying to build up a collection & hopefully sell a few... of course if you can't wait that long, just leave a comment or message me on my Facebook page (link on this blog).

As you can see I've had a couple of good days & I've actually managed to finish some of my recycling projects. After having our toilet replaced I grabbed the old one, from a rather startled plumber, and quite literally planted it in the garden!
My recycled Crocs are all also now ready to fix to the fence, or wall... I can't wait to see how they look in a couple of weeks, when they've filled out a bit more.

.... & last but not least, here are two old frames that I've recycled & decorated with driftwood. When we visit my sister~in~law, in Hythe, we often go beach combing... she gave me a bag of her's, the last time we were there, I've mixed it with mine & I should have enough to do another project.

It seems to me that the Fibro & the M.E have both been more frequent of late... & more intense... which is a right royal pain in every sense of the word LOL however I'm determined that it's not going to impact on our lives, any more than it has already.
It always amazes me how it effects my physical appearance, it's almost instantaneous! ...but what a difference it makes to have a very good day, with the motivation & energy to even apply makeup!
These are my 'feeling grotty' & 'feeling great' pics...

... what a difference a day makes!

adieu peeps, until the next time :)

💙it's all ME ME ME!

💙 it's almost 3am... yes peoples it's another night of unwanted sporadic activity LOL thank goodness for the internet!

It's the lovely month of May & we've been having some wonderful weather... & as I've been searching for garden plants, I thought I'd use one of the images I found, to make my awareness pic.

Although I'm all for education, just this once... if you want to know what M.E is... Google it... you'll find it linked to CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome).

💙 the blue hearts dotted about the place are to symbolise the blue M.E awareness ribbon💙

Today, mucho excitement, we had a new loo put in (we lead such exciting lives LOL). so I grabbed the old one from a rather startled plumber... I knew exactly what I could use it for in my garden... now all I have to do is buy my plants, yes folks we now have an outside loo!

💙 At the moment it just has compost in it & it's plain white, without a seat... planted up it could look like this ~

 

I'm debating whether to put a seat on it, ours has no cistern & looks a bit unfinished... the other idea was to decorate it (please excuse the fuzzy photo)... what do you think?

💙...decisions, decisions... the bane of a create mind! 

I  must admit that I'm drawn towards the decorated one, as it will provide a splash of colour when the winter is upon us... but the clean white would look good with an architectural plant in it... ho hum & mucho scratching of my noddle!

I absolutely love recycling/up-cycling or re-using, whichever terminology fits, and while I'm on the subject, I'm aiming to plant up my recycled crocs this week, and get them fixed to the fence...

💙 if I can keep up with the watering, there's every chance the garden will look really pretty this summer💙

Here's my May dreamball, my birthday present from me'Steve... it's handmade glass by Mo's Art (also on facebook), I'm a fan of his work so pop over and have a peek, there's a link on my facebook page.

... don't forget, you can follow me on Facebook by clicking on the link here or on the icon

www.facebook.com/DreamIt.MakeIt.LoveIt

TTFN... catch you on the flip side folks💙

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

Good evening peoples... I thought it might be useful to give a very brief account of my week, believe me it won't take long... So that any of you unfamiliar with Fibromyalgia can get an understanding of it's effect... so, how did M.E & Fibromyalgia effect my week...

... well, let's see ~  Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday were (for me) good days.
I usually rise late in the mornings, because my joints are stiff & it takes a while to get moving, coupled with the extreme fatigue (no matter if I've slept or not), it's like waking with the flu every day... 

~ basically most days is a real struggle to get out of bed & to get dressed.

anyway, over these 4 days I took mum to get her hair cut, had 4 year old Connie to stay, cooked a roast dinner & fetched mum over to eat with us, had a visit from my daughter & new grandson, then ferried mum & Connie back to their homes and managed to finish knitting a hat for my craft page... juggled my medications so that I could drive & generally pushed on through, got things done & mostly felt as though I'd accomplished something...

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday are mostly a blur... I ate when I was threatened, tried valiantly to stay focused & awake but failed miserably.

I was unable to communicate with anyone beyond a couple of words or to stay awake for more than 10 - 20 minutes maximum...

~  my waking moments were spent in a lot of  pain, as well as misery & guilt... guilt that I couldn't be a partner to my man, a mother to my children or a daughter to my mum (she is 83, was on her own & needed both company & help).

but here we are, it's Friday...  today I've been awake all day... I'm back, ready to start again.

So there you have it,... quite ironic really, as Monday 12May was Fibromyalgia awareness day & I was unable to show my support. This is the poster  that I'd prepared.

Ok, enough of that side of the situation.,, what about the hat I hear you cry...

Here you go, this is a mixture of my loopy hat, combined with my owl hat, with the addition of loopy wings... Connie is actually modelling an adult hat so it slightly too big, but you get the general idea. 
Also in the pipeline are a baby pink loopy hat with either an owl or an awareness ribbon. 

so, there you have it, my new owl hat... I'm loving it.., for this and others pop over to my Facebook page and have a browse

www.facebook.com/DreamIt.MakeIt.LoveIt 

... well it's now 3:49am on Saturday morning and I'm tempted to get up & start crafting LOL (disruptive sleep patterns play havoc with any daily routine!)  ~ nope, I shall try to get some more snoozing done & get up with my man... so until the next time peeps, take care x

Long time no see....

It's been too long folks... it's ages since I wrote my last blog, I shall endeavour to blog more often.

I've been busy of late, I think spring has stired up my creativity & I feel invigorated... ( well, some of the time I do, when the #Fibro is at normal levels LOL)

One of mum's roses... I do love spring!

My youngest daughter gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, who weighed in at a healthy 8ib 12oz. After going through IVF twice he is our little miracle. 

This is the Moses basket I made for them, the baby's name is Logan, hence the initial L.

I also made Logan a mobile, the first one I've ever made, I was very pleased with it.

I used the scraps from the Moses basket, so everything is co-ordinated. I think it turned out rather well.

I've also been knitting, I thought it would be good Physio for my hands... I've been knitting different hats, they're going into my Etsy shop, late in the summer.

One of the designs I've created is a ribbon awareness pattern, with a cable knitted ribbon... rather apt I thought, especially as any sales generate donations to #Fibroduck.

The ribbon awareness hats also have a handmade butterfly attached to them... purple for Fibro, pink for camcer etc

I've also made some 'buttons & bows' headbands... I've discovered the joys of 'Fimo' clay and I've  been busy making my own decorations & buttons.

These oversized buttons look great with the ribbons.

Well that's all for the moment folks, don't forget you can follow on twitter & facebook... just use the links. TTFN 💜