Scooter said hello.....

Cried my eyes out today: found three black whiskers. Haven't bawled like that for a while now. 

3 precious whiskers....

Spoke to an "Animal Communicator" a while back. (Confused, don't know what to believe any more, etc.) She said some things that she could have picked up from this blog (not accusing her, it's just my head needs all loopholes closed) but she also told me stuff "from Scooter" that I hadn't told anyone. Or things that only I and Luvbug knew, and things Scoot and I did together, things I called him (loads of nicknames!) and then a few predictions.... finding black whiskers was one. 

-A BLACK one, even though they had gone grey, "because he really didn't like it when they started to go grey" she said, and "you'll find them when you're not looking for them". I HAVE looked for them. But I wasn't looking for them today, and there they were, next to the sofa.... he passed in September; how many times have I vacuumed since then.... 

Then after I'd been crying for ages, I made tea and put the tv on. I got a new box of tissues out of the cupboard, and found the outer sheaf of one of his claws.  

outer sheaf of a claw

 
So sharp! She said he had been very proud of his long, sharp claws. A black cat with long, clean white claws, you see. I loved to watch him clean them. I've put it in the little box I keep snips of his hair in, a print of his paw, and now the whiskers..... 

paw print that I took the day he passed... 

I rested his paw onto an inkpad

 

Now... this one really blows my mind... I stared and stared and stared-

Last week I came across little patches of moist muddy prints, so fresh they still had water around them. This was at 5am, in a high traffic area (door to kitchen), at least 5 hours after Luvbug had gone to bed, and after I'd been half watching tv, snoozing on the sofa for ages. No other cats in the house: catflap is covered over. I stared, got right down on the floor next to them.... in the end I took a photo:

 wet, muddy pawprints

I wasn't wearing shoes, I was wearing big fluffy socks.... I really wracked my brain, and looked all round for an explanation. I couldn't find one...

I just took the photo's, thanked Scooter and smiled, then went to bed. After I settled down, I heard a few bumps in the kitchen, but I just smiled and went to sleep...

Precious boy. I love him so much, and I miss him so badly, like part of me has been ripped away.

I'm glad for these *tangible* parts of his presence. When I'm low, or when I get that aching lump in my chest that his photo often brings, I'll know that it isn't just my crazy head that says he's still around, because I have things to hold and look at. Hallucinations can't be photographed.

At the risk of people telling me I've totally lost it, I'm posting this here, hoping that it helps anyone else who's grieving at the moment.

animal communicator: Clare Metcalf; her website: Free Spirit Animal care

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Hobbycraft Heads Up

25% off at HOBBYCRAFT this week: 

order online and enter the code "HALFTERM" at the checkout (delivery is £3.95), 

or print out a voucher and use in store, exp. 24th Feb: http://vouchers.moneysavingexpert.com/vouchers/hobbycraftvoucher_p5.pdf

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Playing nursey today, as Luvbug had to have sedation this morning, to have an impacted wosdom tooth removed :o 

-he was  totally stoned for hours afterwards! He doesn't remember any of it, and he was only under for a little while- in and out in ten minutes. I couldn't believe how fast they were!

 

I am officially his 'responsible adult', as in had to see him home and look after him. Hahaha! It's almost as bad as when I was called a 'mature student'- yeah, right! LOL

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Gilding fun :)

 

I am trying out my new toy, the Indigoblu Gilding Starter set :)

I saw gilding with flakes on one of the crafty tv shopping channels years ago. I think it was Dawn Bibby doing it. At the time, I couldn't afford to try it. But this is a different make of flakes etc. now,and cheaper, and I managed to get hold of a starter set to try at last.

You get a special extra-sticky glue called 'flitterglu'.

I thought, ok, this is just going to be PVA stuff with a fancy label, isn't it?

But no! This really IS sticky!!! Like, "OMG I can't separate my fingers" sticky!!! But it's ok it comes off with a good wash in water and soap.

• As well as the glue you get a spatula, 
• some felty sponge to make an 'ink pad' with, 
• a small rough almost wiry sponge called a 'scoochy', 
• a bottle of stamp cleaner (though the soapy water worked fine), 
• a strong A5 size plastic box, 
• a pot of flakes, 
• some A5 sheets of card 
• an instruction leaflet. 

 The kit was just under £20. Ok it was treat ;)

This is what you do-

1. wipe out the box with an anti-static pad/cloth
2. empty the flakes into this box and spread them out
3. cut a small square of the spongey stuff for your 'ink pad'
4. spread about a teaspoon of glue onto the pad
5. apply this to your stamp (not too much)
6. gently press stamp to card (just a 'kiss', no need to press hard)
7. dunk the card into the flakes
8. pat the flakes gently with your fingertips, make sure all glue is covered
9. tap off excess gently
10. use the 'scoochy' to scrub off the flakes back into the box- they can be reused- very little is actually 'caught' each time.
11. the result is a stamp image in gilded flake.....

Here's quite a detailed image, but it still worked...

in the background you can see the pots of glue etc., and the flakes in the A5 box:

The gilded imagestays intact i.e. dosen't rub off easily like glitter. I was able to put the card under the guard of a paper timmer without it marking the image. Here it is trimmed, ready for using on a card:

Cool, yeah?

Looking forward to using it to edge cards and ATCs too, and trying other coloured flakes. They do a nice coppery one, which would be nice on my cat stamps, I think :)

Starter kit & more info available here (no affiliation blah blah blah..! )

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

WOODEN STAMPS for sale

These are the wood-backed stamps I want to sell. 
The clear ones will follow! 

I have looked up the postage on these by weighing them and going to the Royal Mail website. Link for the page is here. 

I was stunned by the prices, but these have to be sent as a "packet" rather than "large letter" as the wood makes them more than 25mm thick.  
The postage shown here is just what Royal Mail charge. I haven't added anything for the bubble wrap etc. as I recycle this!

So, I'm sorry for the postage rates but it isn't me!
**Because the rates go up in 'bands' it means that several items can be sent together with one postage rate, though**

All prices UK pounds sterling

UK - 2nd class packet, proof of postage but no tracking:
any number of stamps weighing 
up to 750 grams = £2.20
heavier than this = £3.50

Europe - Airmail small packet, proof of postage, no tracking:
any number of stamps weighing 
     up to100g = £2.70
101g to 150g = £2.93
151g to 175g = £3.16
176g to 250g = £3.39
251g to 500g = £4.82

USA - Airmail small packet, proof of postage, no tracking:
any number of stamps weighing  
  up to 150 g  = £3.86
151g to 200g = £4.42
201g to 250g = £4.98
251g to 349g = £5.54
350g to 400g = £6.76
400g to 500g = £7.98 
    
AUSTRALIA - airmail packet, proof of postage, no tracking:
any number of stamps weighing 
up to 100grams = £3.30
 101  to 150g = £3.90
150g to 249g = £4.50 
250g to 274g = £5.10
275g to 499g = £5.70
500g              = £8.26!!

Because of the astonishingly high postage, I haven't put prices on the stamps. If you are interested, just make an offer for the stamp!

Payment- UK cheque or PayPal. 
(You don't need a PayPal a/c to pay through PayPal I just need to know an email to send a PayPal invoice to, then you pay via secure site using a card. It will convert it into your local currency if you want it to.) 

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  Right! At last! Here are the stamps!!

*SOLD* thank you!!
1: CELTIC DRAGON

made by Dovecraft 

weight 50grams

2. CELTIC CROSS

made by Dovecraft

weight 40grams

 3. "Forget me not" TEXT

made by Rubber Stampede

weight 30grams 

   4. Large SPRING SCENE

made by Personal Impressions

weight 180grams

this stamps really well and is great water-coloured for Easter cards :)

  5. *SOLD* thank you!
Large MEDALLION ref pma1039

made by Papermania

weight 135 grams

makes a great background stamp- make patterned paper by repeat patterns in pale ink, or embossing.  I've also made 3D decoupage cards and tags with this.

 **nb: the wood is NOT cracked, the lines are bubbles in the clear film on top of the stamp**

stamps really clearly!

 

 6. Large MEDALLION stamp ref pma1038

made by Papremania

weight 125 grams

-I've made 3D decoupage with this one, too :)

try putting little gems in the circles

 **nb. stamp is NOT cracked, the lines are bubbles in the clear film on the top of the stamp**

7. Large BUTTERFLY

made by Anita's

weight 40grams 

  8. **SOLD** thank you!
Large PATCHWORK BUTTERFLY

Made by Funstamps

weight 115 grams

  9. **SOLD** thank you!
Large PATCHWORK FLOWER & HEARTS

made by Inca Stamps

weight 115 grams

  

10. FERN SILHOUETTE

made by Rubber Stampede

weight 65 grams

 11. HEART SQUARE

made by Funstamps

weight 40 grams

12. CHRISTMAS CAT :)

made by Inca Stamps

weight 90 grams

 13. GARDENING SET

made by Anita's

weight 60grams

 stamps really well and is great for gift tags :)

  14. SAILOR GIRL & BOY

made by Anita's

weight 45grams

 15. GARDENING BORDER

weight 60grams

 *nb. this isn't cracked, the line is a bubble in the clear film on top of the stamp

16. WILDFLOWER BOUQUET

made by Stamp City

weight 45grams

17. WISPY HEART 

made by Papermania, ref pma 10091

weight 115 grams

That's all for now!!!!!

Thanks for looking :)

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Stamp sale planned...

I've gone through my rubber stamps/clear stamps etc. and had a cull. I'm going to be putting loads up for sale. 

At first I thought I'd stick them on Ebay, but now I'm wondering if to put photo's of them on here and see if any of my readers would like them. Maybe I could put them on here first, then, put the ones that nobody wants on Ebay on one of their special "free listing" weekends. What do you think? I've got dozens...

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Picking things up again

 Had to look twice before I noticed she was carrying a black cat :)

Hi all! 

I have been keeping in touch with a lot of people via Facebook, which I only joined last year. 
I was reluctant to join as I enjoyed blogging instead. But now I see the advantage of Facebook is that I can see messages from my friends as they write them- I don't have to be on their page, a little square pops up in the corner to tell me who has just updated, whether they commented on something I posted, etc. So I am in touch even while I'm typing.

It doesn't feel the same as logging though. It's like comparing an article with a headline, or a letter with a text.

Well that's ok, as I've had some lovely online conversations with people whilst there (you can send private messages, not just on your page.) But I do miss my blog, and being able to write longer stuff, and share more fully what I've been doing.

It will be hard to get back into blogging, but to start I thought I'd do an update on the week, each Friday.

I especially want to do this because I don't want to lose contact with good friends that aren't on Facebook, like for example, Angel & Kirby :)

I'm going to look over my blog layout over the next few weeks and have a cull on my links. I'm going to make sure the links are only to blogs owned by friends, or websites that really interest me. It isn't that I no longer judge any of them as good, it's that my interests, my amount of spare time, and my own artistic interests and style have changed.

I have a feeling about 50% will go. So if you like any of the links on the left, make a note of them quick!

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Patter-Cake cats :)

Denise Nesbitt sent me this on Facebook.It really made me laugh :)

I wonder how long this went on for?

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Love, tea & cake, Helena

New Year

 I'm not the only one I know who had a difficult 2012. 

Let's hope this year is good for us all.

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I love the LOL Cats! 
I think you either love or hate them. 
I did read on someone's Facebook page that they hate the language applied to them, as it didn't reflect a cat's intelligence. I know what she means, I don't doubt how intelligent cats are. There was always a deep wisdom in Scooter's eyes. But there was often a wee bit of cheekiness, too.

I've no doubt that, just as I don't feel my 45 years on the inside, neither did he feel his 19, or whatever it was in cat years. On the inside there was still a trace of mischievous kitten. I think that's the same for all cats. So that's why I can imagine them using LOL Cat English. Just as Bob T Bear (esq) uses Bear English, after all.

I think there are pictures around of LOL Dogs, but I don't think it works. It works with cats because we all have a hunch that they are up to something.

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 Platforms at an old disused railway station at Clare, Suffolk. 

You can walk along where the tracks used to go, through woodland, under bridges.....

To all the very well-meaning friends who have urged me to take in another cat- I can't, I can't even move his bed. 

Or even the pillow on the windowsill- the pillow and its fluffy cover, which he slept on during his last night and day, is still where it was that day. I haven't moved it at all. I can't. I haven't even picked it up and put it back. I've just let it be. Sometimes I sit on the sofa beneath the window, with one hand up on the pillow, and imagine that last night when I sat there, hand stroking him.... so how could I have another cat here?

I still hear him sometimes, though it has got less.

Recently he meowed at the foot of the stairs. It woke me up, it cut through the night air so clearly. I think it was because Luvbug was sleeping downstairs on the sofa. His bad cough was keeping him awake, and he was worried it would wake me, so he moved downstairs while I was asleep. That meow waking me was the first I realised Luvbug had moved. I think Scooter was worried to see his daddy there and was asking me if he was ok, or was everything all right. I told him, it's ok, but daddy isn't well, so you go and snuggle up to him. Luvbug settled down and slept after that.

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We all have a nasty virus infection here. Luvbug has had it since the start of December. I caught it in time for Christmas. Mum caught it last week.  

It features a bad, chesty cough, tiredness and aches, hot and cold shivers and goose-bumps, headache. Mum's is mainly a bad throat; she has almost lost her voice. Luvbug's is mostly a bad cough. Mine includes a bad tummy. I've also been coughing up blood in the morning.

We've had anti-biotics and I seem to have gone downhill again since I finished the course, so I may have to return for more. The doc gave me a form to take to the hospital Outpatients and get a chest x-ray. I haven't bothered to do this so far because she said it will take at least 10-12 days for the results, pos. more because of the holiday. Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous? I may go to Accident & Emergency instead, not mention the form, and see if I can get one done there. At least then I'll get the results straight away.

I keep being tempted by the boxes of treats that Luvbug received as gifts from the children at school at the end of term. Now and then I think I'll have a chocolate. I'm soon regretting it, and running off to the smallest room in the house again :(

I bet the bug was a gift from one of the kids, too! Little snotty germ factories.... 

I hope you have managed to avoid this virus, which apparently has affected at least a million of us in the UK this winter so far. If not, I hope you are well on the way to recovery. 

The way it drags on and on is getting very boring!

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Christmas presents for kitties

Back in 1983 my parents adopted a little cat. 
Katie-Kat came from the Cats Protection League, as they were then called. She was about 18 months old, they reckoned, and had been rescued from a bunch of kids who'd been using her as a football. She was tiny. 

She remained tiny. And remained with us till April 2000, when, thinned by kidney failure, but still chatting to us, we had to say goodbye. She was maybe 18 1/2. 

You see, I had been thinking of Scooter's birth, in 1993, and saying that this would be the first Christmas in nearly 20 years when I hadn't bought a present for a cat. But I didn't included old Katie-Kat, our little, brave, black and white pusscat from the 80's. Including her, it means this is the first Christmas in 29 years, not 20.... 

Well, this won't do..... 

Mum and I have been adding a little cat food to our baskets when we go shopping at Sainsbury or Tesco, and dropping it into a collection bin they keep, for the local cat sanctuary. As I add mine, I whisper, this from Scooter..

And I commissioned this little gift stone for Scooter's place in the garden, for a Christmas present... this was and is my special name for him:

After I'd placed it where Scooter is buried with his sisters, I looked back and saw the doves above the spot...

Can you see how they make a heart shape?

 
 Hug your loved ones close this Christmas. I lost two precious friends this year. Don't take anyone, or anything for granted. Live each moment in the now. Things change quickly. Years rush by. Loved ones go..... hold them tightly.

And if any of them have fur, give them a hug from me xxx

 

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Love, tea & Christmas cake,  
Helena