Welcome to crafts with Suzy!
You won’t appreciate how funny that line is because you’ve never seen my attempts to be creative. Put it this way, I’m a horrible crafter. I’ve made some diabolical messes in the name of arts and crafts. And yet here I am, announcing to the world I’ve had 2 successes!! Two!!! That’s two more than I’ve ever had before! Martha Stewart I ain’t! Hahahahaha
Not only have I attempted things, I feel like I’ve achieved some pretty impressive results too.
This is all very unfamiliar ground for me. My mum and my eldest son are very creative. Sadly it skipped a generation with me.
So what have I created? You ask with baited breath (I can dream that you’re interested can’t I!?)
Well, first off I made a spring floral display. I’d seen one on Neptune Home Official’s Instagram. They made a beautiful spring display in a china bowl.
I thought it looked absolutely incredible, so I thought I’d give it a go.
What’s the worst that could happen? Actually don’t answer that, it had plenty of potential for ruin. ;)
Neptune’s one…and my one…
Line with plastic, partly fill with gravel…
Add, compost, plants and moss…
And ornamental eggs if you choose to…
I love a bit of staging, I love a seasonal event, Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s, birthdays, Yom Kipur, I’m up for styling any occasion!
I was delighted with the results, it’s very unlike me to achieve something that actually comes out as well as I imagined it in my head.
It’s looks so pretty, it took up a few hours of monotonous, endless week days. It’s a win win.
The weekends are my favourites, I think it’d be weird not to be, unless we worked weekends of course.
I decided to spoil myself at the weekend, and why not? I’m an absolute treasure. Hahahah
I ordered the afternoon tea from 47 The Street, a rather lovely restaurant in our village. They do an amazing afternoon tea! What’s not to love? Finger sandwiches, cakes, cream and jam scones, it’s heaven.
So after a morning of pottering. primping and preening we had ourselves a delicious treat.
Obviously I dressed the table…with one of our 27 dinner services. (I have a small addiction to crockery. I would say I’ve got it under control but I don’t have many of my vices actually under control at all). :)
Dressed for a perfect Saturday afternoon tea…
Top from Shein, Trousers from Quiz, Boots from Christian Dior
I have very much enjoyed dressing up and playing house at the weekends. It gives me something to do for one thing.
I enjoy playing giant dolls houses in non pandemics but it really is one of the things that has got me through this last year of lockdowns 1, 2 and 3.
Anything that keeps you occupied and in turn, sane can only be a good thing.
Sunday morning came and I decided to make my first attempt at Av toast. I had the best Av toast of my life in The Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. It was also my first Av toast I’d ever tried, so maybe that had something to do with it. Plus the Beverly Wilshire is like entering heaven anyway. It all added to my enjoyment.
Well, it turns out I can’t make it…it’s especially important not to even bother attempting it with an under ripe avocado.
While I scraped hard, dry, crunchy avocado off my horrified tongue, I set about making a replacement breakfast.
Not a bad replacement at all!
I eventually made a delicious veggie breakfast. Which was actually edible.
While I’m thinking about that yummy breakie I made, I thought I’d mention the new weapon in my armoury.
Now, stay with me on this, I know it’s a bit out there but…Prune juice!!
Don’t go turning your nose up yet. Let me explain my thoughts.
I’ve been suffering from bowel issues since I was 18. I have very naughty bowels.
I know they say these days, that the second brain is in the bowels, but mine have always had a mind of their own.
I heard from lots of people last week about my ongoing constipation issues. It would appear I’m not alone in it too. Bagged and non bagged people are just having almighty trouble with them right now.
I don’t want to become reliant and dependent on laxative tablets. And yes, some of them are very natural and gentle. But I’m not a fan of relying on any tablets really. All I take is HRT because I have to, or rather, I don’t have to, but I don’t want to be a little wizened old prune of a woman, no offence to little wizened old prunes of women, you do you I say. ;)
(I lost my ovaries to the radiotherapy for the bowel tumour. My ovaries were then removed in my AP Resection operation).
Well, prunes are on the menu, in juice form. I bought this bottle of prune juice last week. I’ve tested it by eating 5 eggs (if I eat one egg it usually blocks me for a week). Well I am pleased to report, without going into too much graphic detail - I’m flowing freely, comfortably and happily. ;)
This bottle is a bit pricey at £7.99 but I felt it was a good idea to go for the best quality juice I can, for maximum benefit.
My review of prune juice? Well I was quite daunted by the idea. And borderline a little repulsed. It just feels like something pensioners use, again, no offence to pensioners. But at 47 I didn’t really want to morph into one. ;)
My advice, chill it to very cold. And try not to think about the fact you’re drinking liquid prunes. Hahahahaha
It’s actually not that bad at all once I got passed the thought of it, rather than the experience.
Consumed very cold it’s perfectly drinkable.
I have a 200ml serving on an empty stomach 3-4 mornings a week, and so far so good.
I’d say the egg test was quite a comprehensive study of its worth and it passed that!
It smells quite date like. I love dates, so what’s not to love.
I would recommend it. In fact I did. I have passed on a bottle to a friend to try. I have reiterated the drink it ice cold mantra.
Is it a surprise that a lot of us are having tummy troubles? No, not really, we went into lockdown a year ago today. And before that we’d never heard of lockdown or social distancing or “unprecedented” hahahaha.
We have been living in uncertain times, for some the experience has felt like a dystopian nightmare, for others it’s been full of loss and grief and for me the shops are shut.
We are living in a very different reality than we were used to.
I have invested in 9 bottles of prune juice so far. I’m only on bottle 2. I am being mindful not to binge on it as is my wont. I’m trying this thing called control. Desperately boring may I tell you.
The rest of Sunday was a very relaxing day. Just lots of garden chores and pottering about. I love days like that. Progress is always made.
For example. Chris put back the key stone that fell out of our house about 2 and a half years ago.
He had previously intimated that it needed a builder to put back in…which as it turns out, wasn’t quite correct. He’s a cheeky monkey that one.
Top from Next, leggings from Tesco, Sliders from Topshop.
One of these photos is posed for effect…and probably not the one you think.
I am the grass keeper of this house. Although it’s mostly moss these days, because I’m a terrible grounds man/woman.
It was a great day all round. And then I made a cake…
I love a seasonal cake centre piece, but what I don’t love are my impulse control issues. Which means if I have a cake present, I will eat 95% of said cake.
I’m trying to not binge, but life is quite binge inducing lately.
How do you make a cake that I won’t eat?…
Voila!!…
Follow me on Instagram for more cake recipes hahahaha
It has all the aesthetics I’m after, without a single calorie.
I don’t think anyone should be a slave to food. Eat, drink and be merry I say, but I have, and always have done, had a very unhealthy and unfortunate relationship with food, which means I gorge rather than consume.
I have self starved and I have overly fed, I very rarely have moments of what is considered normal intake.
I am teaching myself moderation. Interestingly, having cancer actually cured me of starving myself, I’ve not done it in 10 years (which explains a lot)...it’s a bit of a drastic move, but I’ll take my wins where I can.
Having a cake on site wouldn’t really help me. I don’t want the internal conversations of shall I? Shan’t I?
This cake works a treat. And thankfully, I can’t even eat the mini eggs as I have a food intolerance to chocolate. So I’m getting all the benefit of it looking and smelling like a real cake, but with none of the stress.
I first made a “cake” like this when I was about 13 or 14. I had forgotten all about it for years, until I wanted one for Easter, then I had a lightbulb moment.
My mum was on one of revolving doors of a diet and her birthday was coming up.
So I found an empty ice cream tub, turned it upside down and painted it. Waited for it to dry and decorated it with a cake topper, ribbon and a candle.
Everyone should have cake and candles on their birthday, even if they don’t want to eat a cake.
So, so far this week I have made two crafty projects. Quite well! I should get my own series!! Albeit quite a short run, seeing as two is probably my limit.
Although that said I am working on something at the moment so watch this space. ;)
I have brilliant craft ideas. But I usually rope other people in to actually perform them, I’m so clumsy and cack handed.
Sadly, with covid I can’t just trick my mum into coming over and painting or creating.
She’s super talented, but so is Chris, thankfully. But, that said I am working on projects by myself. I’m working on an amazing one right now! Can’t wait for the big reveal. :)
Chris has his Covid jab booked on Thursday, I was getting a bit jealous, as we were all told the under 50’s will have to wait until May.
But I got a text to say I could book mine too, so I’m getting mine on Saturday. I’m excited and nervous.
Wish us luck, and good luck and best wishes to you if you’re having yours.
My friend had the most frightful reaction to her one. The poor thing has been poorly ever since, which is most unfortunate. And does kind of defeat the object of the exercise if you’re going to be rough for 16 days.
Yes, of course I’m still going to have it. Admittedly Kim’s reaction to her jab has put a bit of a dampener on me getting mine. But even Kim herself is still pro vaccine.
It’s our way out of this bloody mess. I want to skip and hold hands with friends. I want to hug my grandson and my boys.
Plus I really want a holiday hahahahaha. The holiday thing does seem to be most people’s motivation for the jab.