Sweet Willow (and a teeny bit of a rant xxx)

Here's Willow, and she's practising her ballet moves.

She is the star of this week's Willow Sketchie Challenge and you can see her and her brother Woody here.

This week it is the turn of Katy to design the sketch and I have to say that I just loved this one. Don't forget to pop over and see what's what :)xx

It's all a bit predictable chicks!!

I coloured Miss Willow with PMs and gave her a fair old sprinkling of Glamour Dust. The papers are from the Wild Rose Studio Spring CD.

Now, as it is a Willow Sketchie, there is always a bit of a twist. So this week it is buttons, bows and brads.

The buttons you can see above - they are Poppicrafts faberoonies and I coloured some twine with my PMs and threaded it through.

The brads are Amercian Crafts which I got from Hobbycraft - more about them in a sec (boo hisss!!)

And bows - well it isn't strictly a bow, but a blind man on a galloping hoss would not notice, would he lol xxx This fab ribbon was in my parcel from my lovely pal in the US xxx I will so cry when it is all gone!!!

Of course, I used my new MSBP which you can get from Dies To Die For - I think Tracy is expecting some more some day quite soon. Nab one for yourselves peeps, cos they are FABULOUS!!! I dabbed a bit of bling on the scalloped edges cos I just couldn't help myself!!

And there ya go :)x

Now why the booo hiss for Hobbycraft (or Hobbycrap as my kids call it, and I am inclined to agree with them at this moment in time).

You see, I have been harbouring an urge to make some jewellery for a while now, so I went to get some stuff earlier today. I had a 'recipe' that told me what I needed to make a 'simple' bracelet and some earrings. Now, if you make jewellery already, you will no doubt know what a two hole spacer, a head pin and tiger tails are. Sadly I don't, and even less do I know what these things look like!!!!!

But anyway, we were not to be deterred and we trawled the bead aisles looking for these things. After 30 minutes or so (I am not exaggerating) we gave up and leaving Nicola still searching, I went to ask an assistant. I spoke to a lady who was on the till who told us that she was the only person in the shop who knew about jewellery but she could not come and help us as she was on the till. But she gave me a leaflet with pictures.

So back up I went and we tried again. But still we could not find these sodding items.

Back down I went.

Same girl still on the same till said she would get someone to cover her and come and help us - hurrayyyyyy!!! But she couldn’t get anyone - they were all busy (standing round gabbing about what they were having for their tea or the price of fish or whatever else they were blathering about - ohhh yer nasty moo, Dawny P).

At this point I was ever so slightly losing the will to live and thinking that possibly going to Next and getting the same sort of stuff I wanted to make from there at a fraction of the cost probably would be a better option.

But wait - help was at hand cos just then a Hobbycraft man appeared so we asked him. I kid you not, this poor sod stood there looking at me like I was speaking to him in Swahili - I knew how he felt cos it was all a bit Greek to me as well. Then he went sort of glazed. Then he stood there looking at these things hanging up with the blankest expression I have ever seen, for about 5 minutes.

I could stand it no more.

So, I thought, to hell with it, to hell with it all. I said to him as nicely as I could, even if it was through gritted teeth, that I would leave it. I have never ever seen such relief on someone’s face. We were in there for nearly an hour and what did we get? A Princess sticker book for Kyla - that was it!!! So I'll stick them on me ears and round me wrist then shall I!!!!!

I know how Basil Fawlty feels and probably to the rest of the shoppers in there I must have looked a bit like a mini version of him !!

Now call me old fashioned, but it is a craft shop - well, arts and crafts. Should there not be people in there who know about craft or is that too much to ask? I know I am a moaning old goat but that sort of crap service does my head in. Yes, the teeny tinylittle packets do have descriptions on them but you would need the eyesight of a hawk to be able to read it, and in all fairness, I am a bit like Mr Magoo, even with my contact lenses in (I've told you the Donald Pleasance story before!!!).

And breathe .......

So that was it peeps. I am off to trawl cyber space looking for these things. I feel at this moment in time that I would have more luck finding Lord Lucan, Shergar or the Holy Grail!!!!

But ya never know and I'll let ya know if I find them :)xx

Have a fab night xxxxx