hamster battery car makeover ...

granny bought the girls a box of boot-sale cars for christmas, among them this green one which has a motor and off set wheels so it almost walks too, and can even climb a bit ... diasy likened it to a hamster and it gave me an idea so i reached for the screwdriver!


mohair, beads, felt and hot glue and hamster-car was born!


daisy played with it all afternoon! today it has been riding on a break-down lorry. as a passenger, it isnt broken down !

have a happy new year everyone !
cat xxx

nostalgia ... a flash back !

here is a photo i cropped and printed out for the first "could have fooled me" exhibition with bill crumbleholme ...
i called it 'portrait of the husband as a father to be" and i was very pregnant with matty and daisy when i took it ...

we dont have that wall paper anymore, nor the pram, which i also used for about 6 months of mary's life too ... steve doenst have time to read the daily telegraph now!

hats! hats! hats!

i have made daisy and matty some new hats, ready for all the spring rain! you can wear them either way, as i covered all the seams with vintage bias binding ...
matty is a bit grumpy
perhaps she knows the light isn't very good for photographs ...

A Merry Christmas!

little rainbow-sparkle horse will also be unwrapped today ... clip, clop!

pink pony - another christmas present ready in time!

now all i want is for my three littlest poorly girls to feel better ...

art for the hands, again ...!

another tactile mat has been created ...


i wanted to put bright colours and contrasts in this for some one with poorer sight ...



"Hi Cat,

The Tactile toy just arrived and we ripped open the pack in our eagerness to have a look. It's SO GORGEOUS!

My daughter and I particularly love the purple satin back as that is one of our favourite colours. My husband noticed how that dinky lace pocket is in just the right spot for him Mum to slip her right hand into when the toy is on her lap. The bell is nice, too, just a sweet little tinkle of sound.

And it is so well made both in terms of being sturdy and being elegant and neat. Never in a million years could I have pulled that off.

Thank you for all your loving attention and skill.

I'll try to get a photo of the mother in law with it in the home and e-mail it to you. We were going to visit her today but it's snowing heavily there so we didn't go. Not sure if we will make it before Christmas now..."


so we will see if Audrey likes it perhaps sometime after christmas ...

rat's the way we like it ...

our rat, sweetie, has recently had surgery to remove a lump, and altho i at first thought it was growing back, it doesnt appear to be ...
here she is, sniffing daisy's little hand ...



mary is very confident around animals ...



matty is reaching out to be sniffed, you can see the fur on sweetie's left-hand-side growing back already ...



matty and daisy love the camera ...

Nan is happy to fiddle with 'Art for the Hands' :-)

"My Mum took the 'Art for the Hands' mat that Cat made for my Nan, Patricia Hardy, in to her yesterday, and she absolutely loves it! She spent the whole visit stroking the material, twiddling the ribbons and buttons, and trying to wrap the ribbon round the buttons. She spotted the cat material on it and commented on that too. At one point it started to slip off her lap and my Mum leant forward to pick it back up for her but my Nan grabbed it away from her - clearly she thought that Mum was going to take it away from her and she wasn't going to have any of that! She wasn't smiling or showing obvious pleasure in the way we would expect (she doesn't), but she was really fascinated by it and you could tell she was happy to have something to fiddle with other than her clothing and lips, which is what she usually does. Whether or not it was coincidental we don't know, but she was far chattier than usual on this visit too.

"The care home staff were very interested in it too, they've never seen anything like it before but agreed that keeping them occupied is beneficial. One of the websites I was reading said that there is research that proves that having something like this to occupy their minds makes them less likely to need so many meds too.

"So it was a hit, Cat! Thank you so much :o)"
June

thank you for letting me share this news june, its very exciting that something i could make might have real, practical use ...

Christmas Fayre and Art Auction at the Portland Arts Centre Saturday 19th

from an arts centre mailing -
"Sammy's Fun Afternoon was a roaring success with tons of children covered in glitter enjoying the christmas decorations and cards making! Lots more visitors and heaps of positive feedback! Word is getting around about the arts centre and the future is getting more exciting by the minute."



mary, daisy and matty certainly enjoyed the glitter-orgy!




would you like some pigs?



or some paintings?



Christmas Fayre and Art Auction at the Portland Arts Centre Saturday 19th. Fayre starts from 10am till 4pm, Art Auction begins at 2pm. We have just over £5k left to raise, so this is the final push to hit that target. The support from the public has been astounding! we have been thrilled with the turn and and the word is getting about fast, with visitors traveling from Swanage, Bridport, Bristol and London to make the exhibition.

We had 71 Artists exhibiting and many of the exhibiting artists are putting work into the art auction. Below is the full list of exhibiting artists

Adam Grose Painter
Alexandra Briggs Painter
Andrea Frankham-Hughes Jewellery
Andrew Curran Geometric Abstract
Angela Heron Photography
Annalisa Renee Painter
Anne Marie Kelly Painter
Antonino Photographer
Bill Crumbleholme Potter
Bronagh Fahey Sculptor
Caroline Nairne Painter
Catherine Owen Pottery/painter/collage
Cathy Chapman Photographer
Charles Maher Landscape painter
Charlotte Richards Crafts
David Archer Potter
David Mould Wood/paint/digital
David Walker Pottery
David White Photography
Denique Arnott Painter
Di Pattinson Textiles, felt
Eileen Sarup Felt maker/textile artist
Elaine Neale Painter
Elizabeth Morris Print making/painting
Erica Drake-Stoker Mixed media
Fi Woods Photography
Fiona Robinson Painter
Frances Shereston Oil, water colour, acrylics
Gary Biltcliffe Author
Gordon Chorlton Painter
Hayley Plested Painter
Heather McGregor Painter
Ingrid Ellis Textiles
Jan Walker Painter
Jane Davis Painter
Jill Garside Mixed media
Joanna Szuwalska Sculptor
John Stevens Digital photography
Julie Cross Painter
Julie McCabe Photographer/Sculptor
J McCavitt Photography/Digital
Katherine Bryan~Merrett Portrait artist Pastel/oil
Kieth Thompson Painter
Lin Stevens Ceramic Lights
Liz Wright Painter
Marian Arnott Painter
Mark Connell Photographer
Mark Hiscutt Acrylics
Mark Thompson Digital Media
Martin Leighton Portrait artist
Michelle Avison Sreen Printer/sculptor
Mick Bryan Driftwood Furniture
Morag Greer Water based bio paint
Pam Tetzner Mixed Media/ textiles
Pat March Potter
Pat Moverley Sculptor
Rachel Reed Painter
Rein Fulleylove Painter
Rhona Munday Print making
Richard Williams Driftwood Mirrors
Samantha Polley Photography
Sandra Symes Prints, Books and Installation
Sarah Gilpin Sculptor
Steve Mace Wood/painter
Tom Phillips Sculptor
Uschi Kruger Painter
Vicky Finding Painter
Virginia Day Sculptor
Viv Lydon Ceramic/painter/photographer
Wendy Braden Painter
Will Brown Photography/pin hole

meet chunk and ninja ....

this is chunk



this is ninja



sometimes, it's nice to make something special ...

swap doll arrived !

in the summer tantehilde (see blogs of note, left) fell in love with my wolly goats and so we agreed to trade and i sent the goat over during october ...


and this lovely girl has been made for mary ...


i made her a blanket, from sparkly cotton and white fleece, and edged with red binding to match the carry-cot hilde made.


go and visit hilde's dolls, they really are beautifully made ... thank you tantehilde!

an evenings work ... for busy hands ...

a friend wanted something for her nan, i had just had some freecycled fabric offered to me, but it was grubby and needing a wash. i pulled out some older stuff, with
a few textures and colours and some ribbon, and some 4 hole buttons ...

my sister is staying and she got out some knitting about 6 o clock when dinner was done and i started to cut squares. then the chids left the lap top, and came to
see what i was doing, daddy read to them and we put them to bed ...

at some point i called june to let her know she would have something fast, hubby put on batman and i flitten between floor and sewing machine and ironing board!
then i hand-sewed some buttons and backed the piece, pressed it and went to bed !

the next morning the kids loved it and i had lent my camera to a friend so all i had was my phone, but i took some pics of it before making a parcel. i knew i was going on a parcel run anyway ....



after the post office we took the girls to the park, and then came home for
lunch

been framed !

i have just got this beautiful piece back from my local framers, a collage made for me by viv, of hen'steeth.

it is coming up to the 10th aniversary of my fathers death, and this piece features images of him with some of his siblings, a letter he wrote to me when i was a teenager, and flowers, a big passion of his.

feedback ... written by the choir blogger for the dorset echo ...

Dorset for Singing’s big Christmas Concert, number two
Review by Cat Coombes, AKA the choir blogger …

Weymouth’s biggest community choir does exactly what is says on the tin. The choir gives its members the opportunity to perform, and if any want to, to stand up there and sing alone. And last night again we brought good people of Weymouth and further affield together for an evening of song, and as more than one person said to me afterwards, there was something for everyone, in our audience of 180 people!

If you enjoy singing all kinds of songs, then this is the choir for you, and the concert is an option of course, but to make sure everyone is welcome we have our words on a screen at the back, and often some seating. We even have a naughty corner, but this year they redeemed themselves just in time for Santa’s visit by handing out refreshments in the interval! Having the words on a screen can be interesting when they are half hidden by the All Saints school hall Christmas tree, but members of the audience laughed along with Director Ed Hintze when he pointed out some mistakes, and some said they loved how friendly and informal the evening was.

We sang a bit of everything, from Abba to snow patrol, show tunes, and old favourites, with a handful of Christmas ditties this year too! There were solos from familiar faces and a new choir member too, some of them beautifully and spontaneously backed by the rest of choir seated on stage. When I joined Dorset for Singing I had no idea it would take me to centre stage for solos, but what a great opportunity that is, all ears upon you, bright lights and your own pianist, nerves and wobbly notes, and all! And the applause! Oh yes, and the mince pies at half time.

Of course we also worked together to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Society, voted as this years charity to benefit from our termly concerts, and Malcolm Cumber from the south Dorset branch, came on stage to talk to us about ‘singing for the brain’, therapy for people suffering from Alzheimer’s. The concert raised a fantastic £462.83! Go Dorset for Singing! To find out more about our lovely choir, and catch up with the choir’s blog, go to www.dorsetforsinging.co.uk, and have a lovely Christmas, from all of us!

face lift ...

i took the clock face from an old toy that was wearing out, and washed the face carefully. then i used an embroidery hoop to fix the face to some new fabirc, and give life to - douglas!



thats some vintage bias binding that i recived in a freecycling package, along with zips, poppers and even ric-rac... i also gave douglas some new eyes, as the rpinted ones looked a bit flat. he is already helping my girls with their numbers and the idea of 'time'...

i just wish i had more time ...

winner!

good bye little bear, be goood ...



here is the randomly chosen winner, and their post

Audrinna said...
I want to win this bear, love bears
I have posted on my blog
http://aurinnnworld.blogspot.com/

26 November 2009 10:37

thank everyone for coming to comment ... good luck next time - it might be a rat!

it's that time of year again ....

Dorset for Singing Christmas Concert

An evening of musical entertainment from one of Dorset’s largest choirs!!
Featuring well known popular songs and much more!

7:00pm on Thursday 3rd December
All Saints School Hall, Wyke Regis

Adults £2.50, Under 14’s £1
(Cash bar available throughout the evening)

Proceeds to be donated to
“South Dorset Alzheimer’s Society”

Musical Director - Ed Hintze
Produced by Michael Anders

Tickets available from Christopher Robin Party Shop,
70 The Esplanade, Weymouth, DT4 7AA

Phone Jenny on 01305 759644 | email info@dorsetforsinging.co.uk

giveaway ... bear with me ...

here is a bear who has been around since 2004, one of the first things i ever made with joints ... now i have decided not to be sentimental anymore and send him home with one of you ...

so please leave a comment below, and if you want to come back and include a link to you blog or other, sharing news of this bear giveaway, then of course you will get another chance of being pulled out of the hat ...

now when shall i do the draw? well i want to give you a few days, but not make you wait too long ... how about next tuesday? tuesdays are not very exciting ...

look at him. he just wants a cuddle ... again!

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Anniversary ...

i am thankful to be celebrating our 4 years of marriage, and am taking stiv out for dinner tonight,
thankful for my little healthy family,
and my stabs at creativity ...
thankful also for my blog visitors and kind comments over the past couple of years i have been blogging ...

Please come back tomorrow, for a giveaway, which you can have in time for Christmas, urgh did i say that word already!?

hugs
cat xxx

extreme machining ....

trying to get things done, with an 18 month old that wants a piece of everything ...

her very clear speach includes the following words -

sewing
made
needle
sharp
careful
stab
pins
mummy's
sissors
and yes, machine ...!

of interest to UK HErs, a petition, if you please ...
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/

five fat hamsters .....

...sitting in a row,
four went to a local shop,
and one,
well i don't know !

where is he?

art on portland, dorset ...

pin cusion from 1 square piece of fabric ...
Originally uploaded by RaggyRat

well it was windy on portland yesterday, and if you fancy both a bit of portland wind and some carcking local art see my paintings and more at the portland arts centre ...

http://portlandartscentre.yolasite.com/5th-december-exhibitors.php

shows all the exhibitors and the expo opens after the private view, and untill 20th december ....

have a look at the rest of the website while you are there ...

bound for the new portland arts centre ...

mary admires them, and now my old 'could have fooled me too' entries are going into a christmas exhibition ...