Then it was the turn of the heating to pack up. Quick call to the Gas board who came out to give it the last rites, and it was pronounced dead shortly afterwards!! I then waited 2 days for them to come give me a quote for a new one. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK how frikkin much ???? Needless to say Our Tom came to the rescue with all his building mates and work will commence at under half the price...Phew!!! Unfortunately it won't begin until next weekend, so I have stocked up on oil radiators, fingerless gloves, and I am wearing all of my Sunday to Saturday furry knickers all at once !!
I have also been making loads of warming stews in the slow cooker. Cue for very smug looks at getting up early to make it, and very awkward moments when I realised I hadnt switched it on , lol. Pride comes before a fall, lol
Last night I warmed the house up as best I could and risked a long soak in the bath. Aah heaven, I closed my eyes and started to relax when SMACK the shower head fell off it's perch and nearly knocked me out!! I didn't know what had hit me lol...
Although paying for the heating will clean me out and then some, I am so grateful that I am finally in a position where I can pay for it at all! This time last year I would have been rubbing two sticks together and I feel so fortunate. Amazing how your fortunes can change constantly going up and down. I have always lived my life unduly concerned with money, as I made it my all to believe you will always have just enough for your needs. I brought my four kids up on a pittance but always managed to feed and clothe them and budget a little for small treats. Life has been extremeley hard and it is so nice to have a small amount of the pressure taken off. Now, don't get me wrong, I still have not a lot to show for all the hard work but and it is a massive grateful heart felt BUT I am further forward than before. And I owe it to all you lovely people who support us at Art from the Heart, and my lovely Dylusion fans. Thank you, thank you and thank you. I salute you all.
I am taking part in Dressember this year. You have to wear a dress (some wear skirts) evry day in December. Well nothing new there for me, lol. But this year I am trying to document it as I go. If you are on face book you can follow my antics HERE and this is Dressembers official PAGE. Come along and see the fun.If anyone is doing it as well I would love to know, never too late tostart!!
Also on Face book the lovely Kate Crane has started a group especially for all those of you who do the Calendar art journaling. It is a place to share, swap ideas etc. I have said I will start to do it agin, but I only got till April last time, before commitments over took me, lol.
If you arent already on face book I would highly recommend it, it seems to have taken over from blogging for me as it is so quick to update. There is a wealth of info, inspiration and friendship to be found on there and once you get the hang of it, it is so easy. We also have a shop page AFTH and there is a Dyan page for fans , where they post as many silly photos of me as possible, amongst other things!!!
If you are a fan of my Dylusions range Our Ben has a fabulous offer on in his shop at the moment, and online.
Weekend special offers on Dylusions Christmas Rubber Stamps & Stencils - huge savings to be had, so if you've had your eye on one of these, now is the time to grab one
Offers end at midnight on Sunday 9th Dec
For the online link see HERE
The shop is closed today Sat 8th, but we are opening tomorrow instead 10 - 3pm.
So without further ado I shall leave you with my first 8 days of Dressember.
Day 1...One of my fave dresses from Limb clothing, the fabric is Alexander Henry cowboy fabric, right up my street!! The shoes are from Office ( who are offering 25% off at the moment) and the massive baubles are my own, lol
Day 2... Dress made by me, cardigan recycled, 8 yr old Art boots.
Day 3... Dress made by me, cardigan good old M & S, 4 yr old boots from ?
Day 4... Dress from Collectif (no longer available), cardi from Primarni, Old Dr Marten boots, glasses from the lovely Catherine.
Day 5... recycled dress, originally from Collectifhttp://www.collectif.co.uk/hawaiian-dolores-doll-winter-hibiscus-p-sku5114-c-black.html, Ugg slippers ( mens as it was all I could fit my broken toes into!), hair undecided, lol.
Day 6... Dress from Lady V of London, cardigan from Primarni, tights from Matalan.
Day 7... Dress handmade by me, cardigan from M & S, boots as before, moustache necklace from Lily Von Pink. Black snood from the lovely Sarah
So there you have it Days 1 - 8. I will leave you with a clip from Crystal Tips and Alistair, see if you can spot the resemblence !!!
Enjoy xx
Love all the photos...especially with your hair down...looks fantastic! The cartoon was cute....been a long time since I watched a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteYour honesty just touches my soul! LOVE Dressember dresses...
ReplyDeleteI really like your hair on day 7.
ReplyDeleteMust say that I've never heard of Crystal and Allistair but was afraid Crystal was holding her breath while yoyo-ing as her little face seemed a bit purple-ish! Thank YOU for coloring my world with Dylusions - it has been and continues to be great fun playing with all your wonderful sprays, stencils and stamps! Looking forward to adding to my collection with anything you come up with, m'lady! <3
ReplyDeleteOh, haven't seen Crystal Tips for years and years!! Your week sounds a little along the lines of mine, but so far not quite so expensive (till the plumber gets back to me...) Enjoy the rest of your chilly weekend.
ReplyDeleteI hope you stay warm and I'm impressed you can wear a skirt or dress everyday - it's just not in me!! Happy Holidays Dyan :)
ReplyDeleteCrazzzzzzzzy Gal Luv ya lol xx shame you had a bad time with the boiler .. RIP .. but u sound possitive and not many things keep ya down .... Im a bloke but the dresses are sooooo you ..from the kind of personality you have ..
ReplyDeleteMark <3 Will be trying your Inks soon .. x
ooh, we had a new boiler last year...yikes they cost a bomb!
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of dressember, though I wouldnt have enough...oh, a trip to my local vintage shop maybe!!
So glad dylusions has taken off so well, thats because they are a great product....I love the bright colours and they are so easy to use and versatile-reap the rewards of your hard work and innovation-you deserve
it.
kyla
You're looking gorgeous as always. Hope the bolier gets fixed quickly.
ReplyDeleteI'm so pleased things are going so well for you. You have worked so hard for a long time (and still do) and deserve every moment of sucess. Anne x
Love the dresses. I'm sure my fav
ReplyDeletewill be the telephone booth one I saw
you in at Buffalo Stamps & Stuff.
Madame Chanel has nothing on you!!! Glorious outfits for a glorious lady!
ReplyDeleteDyan you always make the effort to look fab, I love your uniqueness and you make lots of beautiful quirky dresses too. You can tell you've thought about the whole look, and it really suits you, I couldn't imagine you wearing anything drab! I bet that never happens, I bet you even look amazing when you're scrubbing the floor! Me on the other hand wouldn't look out of place in a Catherine Cookson film scrubbing the floor. I can completely relate to your early years having left my son’s father when my son was 3 and we moved into a council house with no furniture. We slept on the bedroom floor with a few blankets before I could save up for a bed. Washing all my clothes by hand and having no fridge for about 12 months. Those were dark destitute days for me but we are strong cookies us women, we never complain and make the best of our situations. If you asked my son now (who is 22) if he enjoyed his childhood, he’d tell you he loved it, and he didn't want to grow up. We have many happy memories, and most were when we didn't have two pennies to rub together. I hauled my arse through university as a single parent and tried to show my son a good example, I hope it worked. Sorry for the life story comment! I really enjoyed reading your blog post Dyan. Michelle xxx
ReplyDeleteApart from all the arty wonderfulness you have now inspired me to make a dress! :)
ReplyDeleteYou look amazing. Am loving the hair on day 8, when did it get so long?!?! You deserve all your success, Dyan, you work so hard. Take care have a great Christmas. Marie (Preston) :-)
ReplyDelete