UOAS 15MAR2012 My Girl and TCR #103 Bountiful Spring

Oh glorious glorious Friday!! spring has sprung in Stockholm even if we can get some occasional snowfall as late as in May. Snowdrops are nodding in the sun and the grit and sand from last winter has been cleaned off the city streets. Had a cup of coffee in the yard outside the office today, it was really nice and warm up against the wall and people thirstily let the sun warm their faces. Will have to go and get myself a pair of new shoes tomorrow!

This wonderful Friday I also photographed my page for the OUAS 15MAR challenge. We have a fantastic orangery in the office with glass walls that run the height of 3 floors and a HUGE brass and crystal chandelier that hangs from the centre of the dome. There I have the perfect spot for photographing my layouts.

The journalling criteria is to finish this line; "I miss ...." To tell about someone I am missing right now and why together with this lovely sketch:

The passed few weeks have been rather upsetting in many ways, several friends have become seriously ill, some have even had their time on this earth measured for them. It has brought back many painful memories of my mother and father, who were both unexpectedly and hastily taken away from us in the ugly decease called cancer.

It has also reminded me once again of how precious our time is and how we have to love and appreciate everything in our lives each and every day.

My journalling for the page I am now going to share with you is written with my tears on my heart, I have not put it in any form on my page as I will never ever forget.

After 5 miscarriages, my DH and I resigned to the fact that we were never going to have children. Hearts full of love we decided to have two four-legged family members instead; Ludde our boy, and Bettie our girl. They were both Sacred Birmans. Very shortly after Bettie had come to us, we discovered that both her hind knees were dislocated and had to be operated on.

If you have heard an animal in excruciating pain, then you know what I am talking about. I spent many nights awake comforting her in my own bed and many days feeding and stroking her tiny little body. We bonded in a very special way and she grew up to be an amazing personality. Very, very intelligent with a fierce love for me, her mummy. Each night for 14 fantastic years, she slept on my pillow with her little face on my cheek.

Here she is, My Girl:



Really weird how the colours photographed this time. What looks like a solid teal paper with tiny white dots, is actually green IRL.



Bettie never grew up to be a big cat, all her life she looked like a kitten and everybody meeting her just melted for her soft charm.



The Stickles in Gold och Fruit Punch are my tears and a very free interpretation of the horizontal elements of the sketch.



There is some pale green glitter strewn on the Gesso on the gauze, all the happy moments we had and how she will always shimmer in our memories.



The blanket stitch is a symbol of her favourite fleece blanket that had a stitched border, and the flowers are the blooms she loved to inspect every morning.



So sorry the 4 different Gessoed strips of lace don't photograph particularly well. I misted them in TA Sand + Garden Fairy + Fall Breeze.





The strips of lace again.

Now to something else.

We have come to the last sponsorship week of Pion Design over at TCR. Palette #103 is based on their Collection called Fairytale of Spring and boy are the colours really so springlike and pretty! It has been such an honour working with the papers that Jenny so incredibly generously donated to the DT.

Spring Skies, Scent of Lilac, Spring Leaves and Blushing Pink.

Here's what I came up with:


First of all the photo is not my own, I found it on internet while browsing but I just love the pastoral dreamy feel. Of course it's been staged, how else can one find a fabulous pick nick set up amongst sheep in this perfect setting ;))

The folded and inked "frame" was made using a tip from an Ingvild Bolme workshop that I attended last year.














Bleepers and bloopers; I just realized I hadn't seen the glue dot on the chippie fence when photographing. Not doing my checking properly, sloppy me.






And with spring in the air and hubbs on his way home from work with some Tikka Masala and Nan bread, I say todeloo and wish you a fantastic weekend! Thank you so much for your lovely visit!

xoxoxo Eila