jamjar

I have moved!!!

jamjar — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:48:05 +0000

Jamjar has moved, find me here: http://jamjarart.blogspot.com/

blog interuptus!!!!

jamjar — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 11:19:42 +0000

Just when I decide to begin blogging again and take part in a daily advent blog, our broadband goes down, grrrrr! Not sure when it will be up and running, we have been told it could take a few days, sigh! So bear with me and hopefully I will be back soon posting Chrissmasy related piccis soon.

bye for now : )

December 2nd

jamjar — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:55:19 +0000

The snow is still with us, it is -3 as I type. The last few days have been an early fierce introduction to winter, with temperatures dropping and snow piling up at the windows, small birds are regularly visiting the fat balls that I have hung up and a blackbird is making quick work of stripping the rowen tree of berries. Very pretty to look at, but oh so cold, especially when you have to walk to work!

One of the things that I do love about snow is that brief time between daylight and night-time, dusk, twilight. The snow seems to glow through the dimness and along with the orange glow from street lights and uncurtained windows. and the hills that are unseen on moonless evenings, are there illuminated, looking bigger than ever, The landscape takes on a really special quality.

Hope you are warm where ever you are.

You can visit more advent blogs here…..

purple podded peas

fan my flame

dragonfly

happiness is a bottomless button box

77 belle

oodles noodles poodles and doodles

December 1st

jamjar — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:53:01 +0000

I noticed over at Purple podded Peas, Celia is putting a picture up each day for Advent, and I thought what a lovely idea. It has been so long since I have posted regularly that maybe this will get me back in my blog groove! So here we are – day 1 – Winter.

See you tomorow : )

A quick word

jamjar — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 07:51:43 +0000

This is a very brief post, I am off to work soon but I wanted to say a big big thank you to all those who left comments on my last post, your support and kindness is very much appreciated. Things have improved for the time being, I am on extra tablets and am waiting for a referral back to the hostpital.

I also wanted to share with you this picture…..

It is of the banner that is outside our local community hall. The George Lawton Hall. My town is hosting it’s first open art exhibition and has also invited artists from towns that we are twinned with in France and Germany. Many artists studios are open over this weekend and music is performed in the hall. The thing that I am chuffed about, is that the exhibition committee chose my painting to have on the banner and posters. When I arrived on Friday morning to hang my work I managed to actually walk straight past that huge banner without noticing it! I think my mind was running through it’s list of hammer, entry form, pencil, paintings. Here is the painting close up.

It was painted for the 2010 Holmfirth Artweek exhibition in July. Following this exhibition it will be going to live with a very good friend of mine, which is lovely as I will be able to visit it!!

Before I finish, I also wanted to let you know that I now have a few items for sale in my Etsy shop. If you have time, pop over and have a look.

Thank you again for reading my blog and sending your support, I am so grateful. I will be back soon to tell you all about our new residents – the chickens!!!

a spinning world

jamjar — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 02:41:34 +0000

I haven’t posted for quite some time, thing is I have problems with stress, I guess this is somewhat apparent from previous posts, I also have vertigo or to give it its posh name, Menier’s disease. this displays it’s self with deafness, tinnitus, both in my right ear, and vertigo attacks, some of which are mild and pass off fairly quickly (an hour or so) and others can be severe - ‘drop attacks’, where I hit the deck in as controlled manner as possible, but am then completely helpless and need support if only to ease my anxiety at that time. When these attacks happen I cannot see properly as my brain is saying I am falling therefore my eyes are trying to adjust constantly, which results in a flicking movement of the eye. I have complete weakness, trembling (I presume from shock/fear) sweating nausea and sometimes vomiting. I take Betahistine three times a day, but find that when life becomes stressful the attacks still happen despite the medication. Last Thursday evening I had a drop attack in my garden, I was alone but one of my sons was in the house. I managed to ring the house phone (I could barely see the phone ) but it took several go’s before my son realised I was not in the house to answer the phone and that it was me ringing. When he found me I was clinging to a tree for fear that I was going to fall in the garden pond, he found a rug in the summer house and laid it on the ground and I was then able to lie down. He summoned his brother who was out with friends and they tried to lift me to get me to the summer house, but this made me feel much worse, I felt faint and sick. The only solution was for me to crawl on hands and knees through the wet grass and soil to the summer house where again I lay down, by this time I was very distressed, the humiliation of having to crawl and my son’s having to witness that was too much, and I think at this point the vertigo developed into a panic attack as well. A neighbour was called and then an ambulance. The paramedics decided to transport me to A&E. After about three hours the main symptoms had calmed down and after various checks and tests and a chat with a doctor I was allowed to go home. Tonight I feel more myself, but anxious that it will happen again. I have had this problem for many years on and off, but in the last two or three years the attacks are more frequent. The obvious worries are now there – what about my job, money, mortgage. I am a single parent with no family living nearby. I realise this is a vicious circle worrying about these things can only make the situation worse. Somehow I need to relax, chill out take a step back, tonight, that is writing this post. I make no apologies for interrupting my usual arty posts, but this is interrupting my life so much these days, I wanted to explain the absence, and maybe there is someone else out there who has this sort of problem and they will see that they are not alone.

Hopefully, (and I live in hope) normal service will be resumed asap.

time to relax….

jamjar — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:05:49 +0000

Earlier on I was thinking about my blog and what I wanted to say, sentences ran through my mind and before I knew it a whole post was formed in my mind. Sadly however, I can’t remember a thing now!! rather like nipping upstairs and then wondering why I am there and what have I come for. Anyhow, it has been a few weeks since I was last here. I had said in my last post that too many things were bothering me, I guess I am a bit of a worrier, and stuff tends to pile up in my mind and before I know it, I am sinking beneath the weight of it all. The thing is though something eventually gives, and my weak spot these days seems to be vertigo. I have had this for years on and off, but now it has been embellished with tinnitus and deafness in my right ear. Vertigo attacks are not pleasant and can be completely debilating. I know they vary from person to person, in my case they tend to last at least 2 or more hours and tend to come in clusters, and that is what is happening now. My main thing to do is take the tablets (which I do) and RELAX, try not to worry (easier said than done!) and so on. So thinking happy spring like thoughts, here is a show and tell of what I have been creating of late.

Made from wire, tinfoil, paper and glue, she emerged, and she waited patiently to be dressed. I juggled between a pretty check fabric from an old skirt of mine ….

to the charm and simplicity of plain calico with a touch of old lace.

completeing her outfit with a smart bonnet, here she is….

Having wire legs, she is able to sit on the edge of shelves. I really enjoyed making her and just as when I am making papier mache items, I was able to totally focus on what I was doing and therefore relax!! Hooray! So I launched into my next doll, a cloth one this time, I sketched a small drawing of what I had in mind…..

I wanted the doll it’s self to be decorated and not dressed in the conventional sense. So I penciled an outline on some calico (I understand that this is called muslin in some countries) and after cutting out all the pieces, I carefully handstitched the seams with teeny tiny stiches. I could have used my sewing machine, but I was finding a calm in the gentle quiet of stitching and did not want a noisy fast whizz on the machine to interrupt the flow. After turning everything inside out, she was stuffed firmly, this is great for doing whist watching the telly, you dont have to concentrate too much. Then the painting began….

Sorry for the rubbish photo, it was taken late at night with the aid of a table lamp!!

Last night, I finsihed her arms….

This was done while I watching a fascinating programme about the recently discovered Staffordshire Hoard. Can you tell I like making things while I’m watching the telly!! After much sewing, painting and pricking of thumb with very sharp needle, here she is …..

The one difference to the original drawing is that she is wihout hair, maybe the next one will get the gorgeous plant dyed fleece that I bought recently from Etsy. Needless to say there are now two or three more dolls in the pipeline!!

Thank you to all who having been popping in to my blog and emailing to see if I am okay. I am very grateful and appreciate all your comments. xxx

Photos….

jamjar — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:09:23 +0000

Seem to have lost my blogging voice of late, too many things bothering me I think. I will give you some piccis instead.

Hare painted on wooden panel.

Sunshine greeted me this morning, very welcome!

Another painting on wooden panel. More paintings – love these wooden panels!

Things are waking up in the garden!

New inspiration board in the kitchen.

The daffodil bulbs that I bought in St Davids last year, are beginning to emerge!

Abandoned painting – for the time being.

Sometimes it snowed!

But today, the sun is shining -

and the bird in this tree is singing it’s little heart out!

Spring!

Happy New Year!

jamjar — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:31:39 +0000

I don’t think I can remember a more wintery seasonal Christmas holiday than this has been weather wise. Since the 19th December we have had snow on the ground here, apart from a couple of days just before new year when the garden returned to grass and twig, we have seen snow fall upon snow upon snow.

Journeys to work have been interesting and picturesque.

through spectactular scenery and snowy villages.

That was a few days ago, and since then it has snowed

and snowed

It was a cold walk to the local shops today where we found milk and bread had already sold out, children were being pulled along on toboggans with bags of shopping and there was a population explosion of snowmen.

Back home from our treck to the shops and the snow still came down. This evening the snow eventually stopped for the time being.

It looks so magical from here where we are warm and cosy, but do take care if you are out in it.

Happy New Year to all. xxx

conversations with a snowman

jamjar — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 18:12:27 +0000

made by Thomas age 24 years 11 months.