Meet Molly

Ok so it's Sunday evening, and after so many comments about the "Dog's life" story I think we should have another inspirational story. Have a great week.

 Ya gotta meet Molly.... 

Meet Molly. She's a grey speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana.  She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.. while there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected, and her vet went to LSU for help, but LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee, and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. 'This was the right horse and the right owner,' Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain. She made it obvious she understood that she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. Molly's story turns into a parable for life in Post-Katrina Louisiana .... The little pony gained weight, and her mane finally felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. And she asks for it. She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. 'It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse,' she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people, and she had a good time doing it. 'It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life, Moore said. She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.' Barca concluded, 'She's not back to normal, but she's going to be better...To me, she could be a symbol for New Orleans itself.' This is Molly's most recent prosthesis.. The bottom photo shows the ground surface that she stands on, which has a smiley face embossed in it.... Wherever Molly goes, she leaves a smiley hoof print behind. God's creatures often reflect the character we aspire to.

Chip n Dale birthday card

I have had one of those weeks, started off with a wonderful day out at the NEC at the trade show, the next day the babies really made me pay! Since then I had loads of meetings and the house is just a mess. So here's where I get to cheat. This is a card I made a while ago using the Mickey and Friends Cricut cartridge. My son thought it was so fun. He is cut on cardstock and raised up on foam squares. I finished off the card with ribbon...simple!

A Dog's life

I received this email today from a dear friend and just had to share it with you all. We have a "Staffbrador", (a 1 yr old Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Labrador cross) called Linus and he is completely bonkers. He drives me mad, jumps up to steal any food that is left on the table or counter top, occassionally has an accident on the floor and leaves dog hair and chewed up bits all over the floor. We all adore him and he thinks he is a baby, albeit a naughty one. I cried when I read the e-mail and maybe it will help me to remember to just enjoy our puppy and not get cross with him so much.

"A Dog's Purpose? (from a 6-year-old).

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a

ten-year-old  Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's

owners, Ron, his wife Lisa,  and their little boy Shane, 

were all very attached to Belker, and  they were hoping 

for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. 

I told the  family we couldn't do anything for Belker, 

and offered to perform  the euthanasia procedure for the

old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and 

Lisa told me they thought it would  be good for six year 

old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as 

though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as 

Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, 

petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered

if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, 

Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to 

accept Belker's transition without any difficulty 

or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's 

death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal 

lives are  shorter than human lives.
Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up,

''I know why.''Startled, we all turned to him. What came 

out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more

comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try 

and live.
He said,''People are born so that they can learn how to 

live a good  life...like 

loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?''
The Six-year-old continued,''Well,dogs already know how 

to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.''

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
 

Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn

things like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet

them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in 

your face to
be  pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back

on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie 

under a shady tree

When you're happy, dance around and 

wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until 

you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, 

be silent, sit close by,
and  nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Stitches

I'm so excited, not only do I get a day off from the kids, the dog, cooking and cleaning but I get to go to a trade show at the NEC tomorrow with a girl friend - yipee! I'll be sure to take lots of photos (only on my phone though so hope the quality is ok!) I'll try and get news of all the paper craft goodies that are about to be released this year. Watch out for updates this week.

Voting

Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page and vote for your favourite creation... Thanks

my creative space

I love looking at other peoples' craft space so thought it only fair to share mine too.

The shelving is Ikea -Billy & Blond


The little pink/cream/brown canvas drawers are from Matalan

I LOVE STORAGE!


I keep photos either in photo safe storage albums or boxes

                                                                                             one pot each for tools, adhesives and pens.....

every girl loves Prima flowers....

my saddle stool (good for my back)....

my Cricut Cartridges

my Cricut expression and Cuttlebug - gotta love those bugs!


My beautiful victorian doll's house was built by my father in law and I'd coveted  it(I know it's a sin!!!) for many years. My lovely step mum in law decided to let me inherit it already as she needed the space.

storage for magazines and idea books....


The basket holds all my Sizzix/Cuttlebug stuff and the pink folder is for my Quickcutz dies....my punches are in the pink basket.

buttons and bits

 my art wall - all my own work, acrylic on canvas

 I just wish I could spend alot more time in here!!!

My husband said I should show you some of the messy parts too...Here is my quilting and stock storage cabinet, (stuff to sell from the shop I owned). I have my 12x12 paper rack that holds all my cardstock and my papers are sorted on another Ikea shelf over the other side of the room - I bought pink 12x12 material boxes from Ikea, (they come folded flat and hold so much). I sorted all my papers into themes (Christmas/Beach/Cruise/America/Disney) etc and then put all the papers/stickers/photos for that theme all in that pack - that way I can just grab a bag and set to work. 

LOVE Letters

The month of February and Valentine's Day, every where you turn you'll be bound see a big redlove heart. I created a gift of love to myself, (let's face it, no matter how much my husband loves me, he'd never make me one of these!)

 These letters are about 17cm/6.5inches   high and made of wood but could be MDF/papiermache/chipboards...whatever you can get. I painted them cream using the matchpots from a local DIY store, covered with scrapbook papers, stickers, flowers, ribbon and any  pretty ephemira that took my fancy. They can be wall hung or free standing and I adore them - hope you do too.

Manga/Chibi paper pieced cards

Wow, my baby just turned 15 years old. He has grown so fast and is now taller than me. One of cardmaking's biggest dilemas is how to make cards for teenage boys, men are hard enough to create for but teenage boys...aaaargh! I have always tried to steer clear of the usual sporting motifs as my boys were never very sporty. They do love Manga and Chibi, Japanese cartoon comic book drawing.To create these cards, I traced an image from a "How to draw Manga" book onto printer paper as it's quite easy to see through and hand cut the image.
Then cut out the individual sections and trace around the pieces on cardstock. Once you've cut out the shapes on the cardstock, (yes, I know, there is a lot of hand cutting, but the end result is worth it!) you simply piece them together like doing a jigsaw, you can raise them on foam pads.
The dog was cut on the Cricut using Animal Kingdom.

To highlight the shine on the eyes I used Stickles and completed the card with a stamped phrase. The actual cards are made by simply folding 12x12 cardstock in half.The Sonic the Hedgehog card was my first attempt 5 years ago and was hand drawn, (the hands are a little weird) and the card is now a little tatty. The great thing about these cards is I plan to "lift" the cut out image and scrapbook with it later when scrapping their birthday photos.
Have a go yourself.

So, here I am, writing my very first post on my blog. It was only recently that I'd given any attention to blogs. I had thought that "bloggers" were vain, narcissistic people who wanted to ramble on about their selves and show off what they had been up to,... then I realised that was ME!

For a long time, I'd been trying to figure out a way to create some sort of magazine that would feature the kind of things I like; scrapbooking, quilting, card making, home making, and generally speaking, all things pretty. Then it dawned on me that maybe this was the way.

The "Not quite Martha Stewart" bit came to me as it pretty much describes me. I'm crafty, artistic and not bad at homemaking. However, I don't know it all or have a lot of spare time and sometimes my crafting mind is a complete blank. I can cook a range of family food and even rustle up a few desserts but I'm terrified of baking and don't even try and ask me to make pastry. I once asked a friend, (who is a fantastic baker and cake decorator), to help me bake a sponge cake for my husband's birthday. She dutifully came into my kitchen and asked me where were my weighing scales...I told her I kept them in the bathroom! (I never had the need to weigh flour or sugar, did I?)

So my plan is to share some of my best "Martha moments" and hopefully inspire some of you along the way. Be patient, I'm new at this and will be relying on my teenage sons to help with lots of the technical side of the blog, (It will be like having a condescending PA who resents the fact that you earn more than they do but you couldn't do the job without them!!!) I may even post the occassional ramble or two. Thanks for stopping by.