fiddly...

i don't do 'fiddly' along with gingham and purple.

that is fiddly 'little' things...

of course we have learnt dearest readers that i do indeed do gingham and purple

therefore it only stands to reason that i now do fiddly little things.

my work is all about the fiddly stuff,

piecing it together,

patching away,

until i am rather happy with the results

and that is fine and dandy,

for it is fiddly on a big scale.

but when that fiddly becomes 'itty bitty' fiddly

then i turn into a rather 'not nice' person.

i had no choice but to do some 'little' fiddling, for a bag of button making kits found me at the new thrift store on saturday,

they had potential to become such pretties that i succumbed, knowing as i handed over my pennies, i was on a rocky road to 'crossness'

yesterday i sat down,

armed with my scraps of fabric, vintage wallpaper and a cup of tea.

after a while it became obvious i needed something stronger than tea.

and so began a marathon in patience and time

this morning i continued along my road of 'fiddling with little itty bitty' pieces

but this time i was aided by a packet of cadburys mini eggs,

sent by my friend Debbie, for such emergencies as these.

having stepped back to view the end result i am most happy with how they look,

in fact i wish to keep them all to myself and never let them go

but alas i cannot do that, for they are destined for my shop window this Thursday

along with some 'just say it like it is' everyday card sets

and other goodies which i shall bring you tomorrow.

yes, it would be quite true to say, this week i am all about my shop update,

but my heart is all about the 'purple and gingham' that sits beside me as i stitch with Miss Ethel...

i tell the purple and gingham, to have a little patience, something i am lacking in with my 'fiddly little issues',

for next week

her time will come...

she is off to fiddle a little bit more and then she will announce "enough, she will fiddle no more" ~ Tif

conquering 'gingham'...

on Saturday morning i had been greatly cheered,

not only by your lovely comments which you so kindly sent my way.

but also by the knowledge, despite my 'zapped state', i had spotted a new thrift store upon the way home from the gray and beige DOL.

oh yes indeedy!

as we sat at the lights,

our #2 in charge of the wheel,

me clutching my little sunshine sack

and

waving frantically for her to move over lanes so we could get home...

soon realizing it was not to be, as no one was going to let us in.

that's when it happened

like a beacon in the dark,

a glimmer of sunshine on a cloudy day,

i spied 'it' over my shoulder,

lurking between two other buildings...

i could just make out the letters

h.o.m.e

and

i.f.t

i didn't need to see any more, my inbuilt senses told me all i needed to know.

no hope of getting to it then, we were already heading somewhere else due to a 'no lane' change.

no matter, for at that moment i was too zapped.

i know, it must be tres worrying for you dearest readers to learn Tif was too zapped for thrifting.

but do not fret about such things,

it will all be hunky dory in the end.

(do you like that? 'hunky dory'... i have no idea where that came from but i thought it most lovely for a monday ramble),

all that mattered was it's discovery,

waiting patiently for my return.

it didn't have to wait long, Saturday afternoon saw me and our #1 heading back.

just like me, she can't resist the pull of the thrift store.

on entering the store,

i found a cotton gingham duvet cover with orange flowers upon it,

i looked at the cover,

the cover looked at me,

i told the cover,

"i don't do gingham and i don't do purple"

but the cover had other ideas.

launching into dreams of living life as a picnic blanket, patched together with other forsaken fabric friends...

i told the cover,

"little duvet cover, you have helped me to see another side of myself that i did not know existed, and for that i thank you kindly. i can do gingham and i can do purple and i can for you little cover, do a picnic blanket"

she is busy working on recycled lovelies for her little shop update on Thursday ~ Tif

me and the DOL...

i have been zapped dearest readers,

zapped of my creative rambling soul.

it happened whilst sitting within the four walls of the Department of Licensing for the best part of today.

they,

(once again we are left wondering who 'they' are, but 'they' are out there and 'they' do these things)

yes, 'they' took it upon themselves to close down several DOL's within the area thus giving us only one building to do all the things that requires one to need a DOL

today my requirements were quite simple,

take our #2 to the DOL so she may take her driving test.

simple, but oh so time consuming.

i dressed in my crafty flowery frock and took my neverending 'blanket of the utmost kind' with me.

two hours later,

not even my blanket could save me.

i was drained by the feeling of 'waiting' that lay all around,

waiting in beige and gray surroundings...

i can't understand why someone didn't pipe up and suggest a risk was taken within the four walls i sat,

perhaps a risk with blue, or green or even yellow, something jolly and bright,

dare i say it, something 'uplifting' for those that are sitting waiting for their turn

i noted not one person out of hundred or more had crochet or knitting in hand,

they all appeared to have electronic devices within their grasp, our #2 included.

i wondered as i starred down at my blanket,

ready to change colors,

was i missing out not knowing how to text or play around with such things?

and then i wondered perhaps indeed it was the others that surrounded me

who were missing out.

surely it is more therapeutic to while away a few hours of waiting, having yarn in hand, slowly creating a blanket that one day will be given to another.

every minute

and

every hour

spent on this blanket

is a moment of my time and my love

i have given to her.

thoughts of her life,

thoughts of our life spent together

and

thoughts of the changes coming all too soon...

yes, surely i am not missing anything at all.

on returning to the shed,

five hours after leaving,

i now have two children that have a license to drive,

giving me even more reason to be thankful i can crochet.

when they are out and about driving i will sit in my shed

and without doubt,

crochet like i have never crocheted before.

thus distracting me from the worries of any parent waiting at home whilst their children are with vehicle in hand...

do you see what i mean dearest readers?

four hours of the DOL and my creative rambling soul has been zapped.

i don't think even my peachy red clogs can save me now...

she is wishing you a little color therapy within your four walls this weekend ~ Tif