Pollys Peri-wrinkles & Piercings!

Polly's Finally Getting Organised. Or Is She?

2012-01-29T15:05:00.001Z

Recently I blogged on a number of seemingly unrelated topics. The reality is that they are all linked together by the mere fact that my time management skills leave a lot to be desired!

In my last post I wrote about the disastrous effect on my time, energy and basic well being caused by the simple act of using my enamelled bath as a cement mixer! No that wasn't my mistake, as it had been done years before I moved in. The problem had been bugging me for years, resulting in time and money wasted on all sorts of proprietary cleaning products.

What I learned from the whole bath episode is that by thinking smart I can achieve pretty much anything I set my mind to. One whole week later the bath remains white and shinier than it has been at any time in the past. The men in my life have kept it that way, simply by spraying the bath, walls and shower curtain with shower cleaner each time they've used it - that's a miracle in itself! This means that I should hever again have to waste four hours of my life giving myself intense pain radiating from my shoulder to my wrist again!

To take this lesson and learn from it would be the ideal. Sadly the human condition being what it is means that it isn't as likely as I'd like it to be. One example of this is my use of my android cell phone for simple day to day tasks, such as checking my g-mail account. It has revolutionised my life. Beforehand I would start up my trusty desk top computer pretty much twice a day with the intention of just checking...

The result would generally be lost minutes, hours or even days, yes DAYS! The same is true of the borrowed lap-top in the days of being the official secretary for the Offaly DAI (Offaly Dyslexia Group). Once that baby was started it was a rare day that I accomplished much outside of the fascinating realm of the world wide web.

The offer of an upgraded cell phone came in the guise of a call from my network providers back in early December. I had been experiencing some difficulties in service (that I associated with in-built obsolescence) and had planned on visiting the phone store anyway, so the call came at exactly the right time. My criteria for an upgrade was simple 1) it must be inexpensive, 2) have built in broadband usage and 3) if it were possible to get a smart phone it had to have Office! Enter the Samsung Galaxy II...

Put simply this phone has revolutionised my life and I love it! I've got the full office suite which I use regularly to produce documents for the various extra curricular activities, it synchronises with Google, importing all my contacts and accounts and eventually I will be able to configure it to sync with my google calndar too. Sheer bliss...

So, imagine all that and having more time to use too. For me this couldn't have come at a better time. My good friend and colleague who has recently been acting as our manager was taken gravely ill on New Years day. We don't yet know what the outcome will be, but we are all putting on a good show of positivity and offering as much love, support and assistance as possible in the hopes that it might just make life a little easier for her and her family.

Meanwhile the burden of replacing her indomitable energetic management of the department has largely fallen on my shoulders. With the help and support of my colleagues and staff things are just about working out. My learning curve has taken a dramatic and steep ascent overnight, I just hope that I will be able to keep on top of things the way my very good friend and now gravely ill colleague did.

This of course is where a diary is invaluable. Day to day queries will still be scribbled on my desk top planner but at the end of each shift the important things will find their way onto the pages of two diaries.

The office diary is a given, remaining on the desk for general consumption. The other will travel with me and hopefully keep me on track with all my commitments. These include a review with Occupational Health tomorrow morning! Hopefully my diary will have reminded me to ring the Exemptions office beforehand for news of my review...

Thanks for dropping in guys. If you need help in getting yourself organised, why not drop into Flylady next and see how she does it? I'm certainly one of her faithful devotees and swear by the tools freely available to download on her site (especially her great big calendar...)

Polly's Using T-Cut To Clean Her Bath?

2012-01-22T22:56:00.001Z

As you may already be aware, my home is about 70 years old. Originally built as a land commission cottage, it was extended some time during the 1970's.

The intervening years saw a number of people living in this house. The original occupants sold the house to a family whose children I went to school with. They sold it to another family who let it out to other local families most of whom I also know.
What I don't know is who mixed cement in the bath?!!!

Over the years I've tried pretty much every product on the market, none of which really did the trick! On the surface it was clean, but deep down I always knew that there had to be a solution. I even tried filling the tub with biological washing products, which were very disappointing.

Natural products like lemon juice, baking powder, white vinegar and salt all gave reasonable results, but not the ones I Was hoping for. I've even used a cut potato before now...

Bizarrely I was rudely awoken this morning by one of my neighbours calves staring in the window at me. Quite what this has to do with bath cleaning products will become clear, I promise! Indulge me for a moment longer and all will be revealed.

The calf looking in the window was soon joined by one of its friends, who took an unhealthy interest in the bird feeder. Then another came and joined the party, then another and another!

What followed is what led to me finally discovering the secret of bath restoration the hard way. Obviously I wasn't going to ignor the fact that I had cattle traipsing around my garden, so I hopped out of bed and raced around the side of the house brandishing a stick and became an early morning cattle herder.

I was dressed in my pyjamas and a pair of mock crocks complete with lots and lots of mud and cow poo! Pretty obviously I had to freshen up as a matter of urgency so treated myself to a nice hot shower using some Fenjal shower oil I'd been hanging onto for ages.

The reason I'd never actually used it was because it can make the tub lethally slippery - it actually comes with a warning! Now when it comes to cleaning the tub I can get a bit OCD. Not that it's ever really made much difference in the past...

Today was different! First it was Krud Kutter, which is probably the best of the lot to date. Then it was a magical scouring product from Lidl's W40 range. Then I found the formic acid kettle descalant & stain remover. After that the Ecover washing up liquid. Then came the brainwave - Sugar Soap, which actually was remarkably successful.

Still not satisfied I figured that I might be more successful if I used T-Cut. I mean, if you can use it on your car's paint to renew the shine surely it'd be okay to use it on the bathtub!

Of course the major product that I haven't mentioned yet is elbow grease. I was scrubbing forever and ever. And then some more! The good news is that I do actually finally have lovely clean, gleaming white bath now. I'm actually quite thrilled with the result.

Unfortunately I also now have ecrutiating pain in my right arm, hand and particularly in my shoulder!!! All I can say is now that I've finally made that tub shiny & bright I'll be less than impressed if the rest of the family don't scrub it out after their showers or baths...

Polly's Got A New Phone...

2012-01-10T18:51:00.001Z

In the rush to complete Christmas preparations I've not posted for ages, have I?

The last time I was here I related the slightly iffy tale of redeployment as experienced in the HSE. Thankfully I survived, as did everybody else!

Sadly though this alarming trend is pretty much here to stay. Over the festive season the department has been remarkably quiet, leading to an unprecidented number of staff being loaned out around 'the house'.

One of the biggest problems caused by this is the fact that ultimately it leaves our department short staffed. It's all well and good adopting the attitude that we're not busy right now, the problem is that when we did get busy the staff where not available.

Life in our department can accurately be compared with the london transport system. There's nothing for ages and then it all comes at once! Literally...

We've always worked under a different set of rules in the Theatre Department. Unlike staff on the wards, we aren't guaranteed of coffee or lunch breaks. When we are lucky enough to get them they are afforded at irregular intervals, for instance it's quite normal for me to take my lunch at 4pm. In another two hours I clock off.

The irony of this is that the ward staff are entitled to an hours lunch, at regular times, over two sittings. This of course now leads to further redeployments in order to provide nursing cover at these times.

Admittedly it isn't exactly brain surgery, but nevertheless it is surgery. One of our most frequent emergencies is caesarian section, which as we all know is a matter of life and death.

It strikes me that the management think theatre nurses sit around drinking coffee all day. The fact that we seldom stray willingly from the department probably doesn't help with this. Somehow senior management always seem to drop in at those times we do get chance to grab a cuppa!

So that's my gripe for today over and done with. I sincerely hope that we will see an improvement in the New Year, not least because we will be losing two members of staff who will not be replaced. I shall be heading back there tomorrow, Lord only knows what I'll be walking into...

Oh yes, the title of this post is referring to the new smart phone I got before Christas and won't have the time to play with during my breaks!!! By the way, I wrote this post on it, cos I just downloaded the Blogger application. Heaven only knows what this month's bill will be.

Happy New Year everybody and thanks for dropping in...

Polly's Exhaustion On The Other Side of The Fence

2011-11-30T19:15:00.000Z

Rather than publish one great big long post, I'm posting two today - in an effort to make up for the abuse & shameful neglect Polly's Peri-wrinkles & Piercings has suffered over the past year! Actually, it's so that I can blow off a little bit more steam about the adventures I've had through recent life...

When it comes to basic or complicated patient care, I can keep up. Care is care and the basics are the basics after all and patients and relatives always need a sympathetic ear. Listening and observation skills were the mainstay of my training, alongside the ability to record and report, which is interesting in the light of the experience I had last Thursday upon my return to work!

The flush of health and clear skin were put there for my own edification courtesy of this girl's best friend Estee Lauder. I felt rotten going in in the first place and the mask I'd carefully applied at 6am wasn't wasted, my hair wasn't too bad either which is just as well as I found myself redeployed into the MAU - ugh! It wasn't as bad as expected, thankfully the unit was relatively quiet and I had the support of a fantastic student, attendent and clinical manager until 4.30pm which of course is when things went pear shaped...

With one patient to transfer, via CT (that was the easy one) and one foreign gentleman and his translator to discharge it got interesting. I haven't written a discharge summary in over twenty years and couldn't find the appropriate place to record my words! Having failed to locate it I had to ask for help, scanning a couple of other charts hadn't helped at all, so imagine my embarrassment at having to ring & to ask where to record it!! Oh how I blushed...

All I can say is that thanks to the very nice lady I spoke to and a very nice NCHD I was able to lock the doors in the full knowledge that all the beds were empty and ready to be refilled the following day. It's a crazy situation, but we all survived with our respective skins intact and lived to tell the tale - apart from a colleague who had to stay back and wait for me to return to my own department to provide cover till six o'clock. I got back at 5.35pm.

Today I spent some time on the other side of the fence, running from doctors surgery to outpatient clinic and waiting patiently in both. Did you know that's why we're called patients? Because we need to have a ridiculous amount of patience to survive the system! And I did, for today at least...

I'm tired, probably exhausted emotionally and physically having slept for a couple of hours on the sofa in my trusty old (smelly) sleeping bag. I forgot to take my meds last night, until it was too late and if I'd have taken them then there would have been a lot more than four people in front of me in the waiting room. As it was I'm ashamed to say that I was probably quite rude to the queue jumper who would have made five, he was gracious about it and accepted my apology. Morto, as they say in Dublin!

My lovely partner in life snores at the best of times, but last night given the fact that I wasn't sedated to within an inch of my own life was the worst night spent in his company ever. I honestly believe that he was trying to smother himself in his sleep last night, it was the worst example of suspected sleep apnoea ever, it got through the pillow and the ear plugs. Finally, having migrated to the relative peace of the sitting room Iwas rudely woken by a 17 year old unceremoneously pulling the damned ear plug out of my ear at 4.15am to see if I was okay! I was nice, honest.

Two hours later the 14 year old did much the same thing with a chocolate biscuit. I managed to refuse politely. Just...

Polly Plays Fast Forward Through Summer And Back Again To Winter, Flu & Beyond!

2011-11-30T19:03:00.000Z

You know what? It really has been an age since I last posted here on Polly's Peri-wrinkles & Piercings, hasn't it? I won't bore you with the myriad of excuses that I could offer here, rather just offer my apologies and leave it at that...

So, that in itself makes a change, doesn't it? Truth be told I've drafted a couple of posts and have basically lost all interest in either the topic itself or posting it. Life can be like that, can't it? I suppose it's the build up of the small things that one can usually cope with that just bogs one down. It is in my case, starting with an enjoyable outing to a revival of the Muc Fair down in the village.

For those of you whose Oirish isn't that great, a Muc is in fact ós gaeilge for a Pig! Apparently in days of yore it was tradition to have a pig fair on the village green. Now that was a long time ago, far beyond my years, but the Geashill Tidy Towns committee decided to use the opportunity to raise a few coppers towards essential items and maintenance of the village.

Unfortunately I didn't sell too many of my cards, but I did attract a lot of attention from the local children. Sadly it wasn't my fancy 17th century dress that was the star of the show, it was more a case of having carefully chosen my time to reveal my new found skills as a tattoo artist! Yes! You did read that correctly, I've turned my hand to body art!
Actually, I'd bought the tattoos some time back, with the intention of invading the Phoenix Festival dressed as your common-or-garden variety gypsy rose, doing a bit of tarrot and tattooing everybody and anybody daft enough to volunteer themselves. This of course didn't happen and I'd all but forgotten about my fabulous Bombshell Stamps and temporary body ink, until on a whim I decided to bring them with me for the craic (fun!)
I'd a great time. Dressed like an eejit in layers of wool and cotton I survived the initial drizzle that threatened to put a big damper on the Muc Fair, while those that hired beautiful costumes got drenched! The weird thing is that the rain didn't put the punters off, actually the crowd appeared to grow as the rain got heavier, which still strikes me as being a bit strange, but fantastic.

A month or so later the news came through that we came first in the Tidy Towns competition this year, breaking the 39 year run by Clonbullogue and you know what? The Tidy Towns Committee well and truly deserved this long awaited accolade as they've put in so much work this year and every other year. The village is beautiful, even in the middle of winter, unfortunately this shot doesn't really show it off at its best, but you get the idea, don't you? I even managed to sell a couple of framed photos for a fiver each just for their sentimental value. Walled village greens are something of a rarity over here, especially when they're surrounded by listed buildings...

In my previous post you probably read about how I then was struck down with a dose of gastro-enteritis and the effect it had upon my mental health. I should say, the effect my employers had on it, rather than the dose itself really. When suffering with a bout of the old liquorice, it's not a great idea to try and drive into the doctors for fear of soiling oneself and everything around one! Apparently my big boss didn't agree, but that's another story...

Since then I've had a lot of time out. First of all I stood up one morning to inspect the speakers on the pc only to put my stupid shoulder out which resulted in my adhering to the absentee policy to the letter and I do mean the LETTER! I'd a fantastic week off on that one, in agony and dosed up to the eyeballs on pain killers and muscle relaxants, and of course the ubiquitous rubber ball that my mum was able to pick up in the local shop.

Strange girl, I hear you say? Not really, they're truly great for applying just the amount of pressure directly into the centre of the muscle spasm and bringing both intense pain and then relief. Unfortunately this is only a temporary measure, as I can't really wear one in tight fitting undergarments all the time now, can I? Well...

So, I went back to work for a week or so and then came down with the weirdest 'flu I've ever had. Over here we have a tendency to refer to a head cold as the 'flu, but this one was influenza itself; I can assure you! Starting out with a stinking headache (24hrs worth) and a stinking attitude on my part, being open and honest here is probably the best policy as I did have to make a number of humble apologies for that one. The next day, Saturday opened with the flood gates that lie just at the top of the nose and continued until Monday with the coughing, sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, lethargy, fatigue, blah, blah, blah and c.

The problem was that the nasty infectious bit wasn't too nice, but it was a walk in the park compared with the steam roller that hit me on Monday afternoon. The recouperation was far worse than the illness itself and given that it was my second virus since the beginning of September it knocked me for six. Two weeks off work! Followed by a shift down in the Medical Assessments Unit upon my return. OMG, whatever next?

Paperplay Challenges '11 - Week 38 - Autumn Leaves

2011-09-23T18:50:00.000+01:00

These days I rarely get the opportunity to enter a card challenge, which is a shame because I enjoy doing things like that. Sadly between various work and social committments, plus the fact that I'm not as energetic as I think I am I get distracted and sidetracked. That should read as sucked into the great white box on the computer desk!

Anyway, it just so happens that Autumn or Fall is one of my favourite times of the year and I've been lucky enough to be able to take a few days off this week. The result is that while I seem to have done very little around the house or in terms of sewing as planned, my fingers have been very active elsewhere.

Amongst other things I've updated a number of blogs and websites that I'm associated with, caught up with correspondence outstanding, arranged radio interviews and telephone interviews with journalists in a last bid to save our gymnastics club (to put it bluntly we're being evicted!)

I've also attended two meetings with the dyslexia group here in town, a business networking meeting, made a load of cards for friends and generally taken life easy this week. The card went down so well with the young man who ordered it for his wife and earned him a few brownie points for the weekend!

My time had been tentatively booked to clean out and tidy up my 'studio.' At the moment it's looking more and more as though a bomb's hit it, but like I said earlier, I got distracted. Maybe that's why I couldn't find my PTI leaf prints collection of dies. It's bad enough that I actually broke my beloved Cuttlebug a couple of weeks ago, but this is ridiculous - they've vanished into thin air!

That of course led to fussy cutting of the oak leaves, which while it's not an arduous task is really juat a bit daft under the circumstances. For the rest of my card I've used WMS Blessed By You & Victorian and the PTI Leaf Prints stamp sets with Ranger Inks Big & Juicy Ink Pad in Spice on card from the PaperMill Shop, ribbon from my amazing stash of grosgrain and the DoCrafts Scalloped Border Punch...

I'm entering this into this weeks PaperPlay Challenges ('11 - Week 38) Autumn Leaves Challenge, I hope you like it!

Have a great weekend!

Polly

Cranky? Polly Supposes She Could Always Go Out To The Shed And Do Some Crafting Instead...

2011-08-09T20:10:00.000+01:00

Hi! I'm so tempted to say something crass like "I didn't see you there!" But of course I won't so I'm just going to sit here and feel miserable instead...

Doesn't that bode well? What a start to a blog post, I mean, really?! Forgive me folks, but I'm just in that sort of mood. I've got a touch of gastro-enteritis which has lasted a whole week and I'm pretty fed up with the whole thing now. The cramps are subsiding naturally, but my tummy feels bubbly, or at least it did until I took one of the Buscopan tablets my family doctor gave me...

The other thing she gave me was dietary advice, ie light diet with a high carbohydrate content and low protein, fibre and fat. All of those things, at the moment have slightly less than desirable consequences. I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear all about that now, do you?

To make matters worse I had intended visiting my family doctor last Friday. Essentially this is/was for reassurance as much as anything and a private sick certificate which is an essential requirement for my employers. Friday came and Friday went and no visit to the doctors. Monday came and Monday went and no visit to the doctors.

Tuesday came and it's exactly a week since this all flared up and that definitely merits a visit to the doctors surgery. I need that certificate as a matter of urgency at this stage. I'd intended to be back to work at the end of last week, after all things like this usually only go on for a couple of days or so, don't they? As a result, combined with the fact that this thing has actually been pretty mild and there's little enough the doctor can do anyway, I just kept putting the appointment off until I felt a little bit better in my self. Mistake...

Actually, that was a big mistake. I should have sent the cert in for receipt on day 3 in order to qualify for the sick pay scheme which is available at the discretion of my BIG BOSS. On day four and a half (duty wise) my call is transferred to her office and I am given a severe ticking off for being in breech of the absentism policy and as we've had this conversation before (errr, no we haven't!) she's left with no alternative than to withhold my sick pay for this period!

At this stage I could go on, and on, and on some more. But I won't. It would achieve nothing. The only person to suffer from this wrath would be l'il ole me, and anyway I get the last laugh (shhhhh, say nothing...!) The fact is that I haven't worked up enough hours yet to be eligible for the sick pay scheme and this is my only consolation - and if my BIG BOSS is reading this please, please take this as the veritable thumb to nose wave...

The good news is that my family doctor was more than sympathetic towards my situation. She confirmed the presence of rip roaring Borborygmi, although by the time she was treated with an earful of it it had calmed dramatically. Earlier in the week it had been audible from the other side of the room - yes honestly! In response to this she prescribed a drug called Buscopan in the hopes that it might just settle the cramps and silence the rumbling noises emanating from my overactive gut.

Admittedly I'm not quite so happy about the other part of her recommendations for recovery. Having recently acquired a cooker that actually works I've indulged in all sorts of wonders ranging from home made leavened bread and pizza to vegetarian Homity Pie á la the original Cranks Recipe Book. I've revelled in being able to do this and once feeling that bit better tucked in with relish. Sadly the results were all too obvious, but I'm fed up of bland, carbohydrate based foods! And so my doctor has put me back onto the obligatory light diet.

So while I fade away to nothing (fat chance) the lads will be tucking in to calorie laden riches of grilled lamb or pork chops, fried onions, fresh vegetables and maybe some chips or a baked potato lathered in rich, greasy, golden BUTTER!!! Suffice to say that I am not a 'Cranky' Polly, rather a slightly miserable one instead and have confined myself to the realm of my computer desk for the foreseeable future while certain other people cook dinner, though I could always go out to the shed and do some crafting, I suppose...

Polly

Polly's Free Shopping Spree On Amazon...

2011-07-25T16:47:00.002+01:00

Hello again, and welcome back to my blog! For those of you who are not already in the know, I do Shop & Scan. It's not so much that I have aspirations to be a checkout girl in my local supermarket, it's more a case of participation in a giant on-line market research project.

Essentially the idea is that all shopping brought into our home, which has been purchased either by ourselves or on our behalf is scanned using a special barcode reader, information regarding pricing, etc is input and finally the information transmitted via gps to Kantar Worldpanel. Admittedly this is something of a nuisance. Life would be so much easier if I could pack the scanner into my handbag and take it shopping with me, rather than unloading all my shopping, scanning it and eventually putting it away.

Some items are particularly troublesome, for example fresh fruit and vegetables often need to be weighed. Special offers can be a nightmare altogether principally because the original barcodes don't count anymore. A special page in the coding book provides the appropriate codes for these items, and while it may sound as though it's handed to you on a plate it's not always as simple as it may sound. Not all special offers fit snugly into the options provided and bizarre choices have to be made in an effort to fulfil the appropriate criteria.

Worst of all are those items bought on what I like to call 'knock-down'. The original bar codes have been covered over by especially sticky labels which often tear or pull the print of the packaging as they're peeled back. This is a pain in the proverbial, truly it is! In addition to this, if the knock-down products are fresh meat it can be difficult to enter the correct price structure due to the fact that the scanner doesn't recognize that meat can be bought on special offer. The fact that I buy as much meat on special as I can, is obviously beside the point!

All this said, Shop And Scan is probably one of the best paid market research schemes available. Just last week I cashed in the points accrued this year and treated myself to at least three hair treatments with red Henara henna hair dye (it isn't available here in Ireland), a new digital kitchen scales and a heavy duty can crusher (for all those stainless steel food cans) - all from Amazon. Admittedly the postage costs were probably a little higher than I'd have liked, but they were paid for by Shop And Scan too!

In the past I've bought a different brand of henna hair dye, henna red hair shampoo and a new methylated spirits stove for my camping exploits all courtesy of my Shop And Scan activities. This is just on Amazon. I've also opted to be paid in National Book Tokens which I've put towards the cost of the children returning to school for the Autumn term, given as gifts to friends when stuck on short notice invitations, etc.

To be honest, Shop And Scan's a nuisance. It slows down any shopping spree dramatically and not all members of the family are willing to commit themselves to the effort required, or things get put away absent mindedly and then it's simply too much trouble to take them back out again for scanning! This said, it does pay handsomely and it's an interesting way to monitor your purchases. Through Shop And Scan I've got myself more organised in the shopping department and realise now that impulse buying can be a real problem.

This is why I've also converted to shopping on line and having it delivered to my home at a convenient time, thus reducing the whole cost in terms of time and effort dramatically. By my reckoning I am far less likely to pick up a bar of chocolate or an item of clothing, a dvd, etc when someone else is doing it for me and to that end I am probably saving more than just calories and time!

Taking into account petrol costs, wear and tear on the car, my nerves and everything else this form of shopping has given me more than it cost me and I will happily pay the bill for it to be delivered. According to Google Maps it will take me 36mins to drive there and back again, not including parking and the approximate cost of this trip in petrol will be €6.12 at most, assuming I take my preferred route. Add to this a minimum of thirty minutes shopping time, plus ten mins at the checkout and a further ten minutes transfer to and from the boot of the car I think I can safely say that I'm quids in (honestly!)...

Polly Has Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder?

2011-06-27T16:22:00.000+01:00

I'm not quite sure how I came across this little gem, but I do think that it's going to become essential watching for ladies of a certain age. It explains many things beautifully...

Polly's Waltzing With A Mouse?

2011-05-17T08:00:00.003+01:00

After a long rest from blogging I suddenly woke up and realised that it was high time that I sorted this out! This will only be a short post, due to the hour and the fact that I'm also playing with my new(ish) phone which is currently uploading a couple of Foo Fighters albums...

Anyway, I've been feeling rather guilty for all sorts of reasons recently. One of these is due to the fact that I haven't been posting my cards showcasing the lovely art work of Ms Claire Brennan who's stamp company Waltzing Mouse Stamps is just two years old now. Considering Claire's generosity of spirit and lovely personality, I really do feel bad about not showing her stuff off. So, this post is going to do just that!

This month's blog waltz features Claire's stamps in a masculine sort of way. To be honest it's not always easy to make a card for a guy, unless he's very small and hasn't yet grown out of pretty things like ribbons and bows! As it happens I've made a couple of cards for boys recently and while all the images may not be Claire's, the sentiments are hers.

My first card is a First Holy Communion card for a little boy who lives down the road, the image is from Our Daily Bread designs, but the sentiment on the front is stamped out from WMS Celtic Heritage Set and I think you'll agree that the simple script and the monochromatic browns of the image look great! (I'm modest too...)

I decided to age the look of the image by using Antique Linen Distress Ink to create a sort of golden glow around the chalice. In my own little mind this adds to the holiness of the piece, but then, that's fairly typical of me, isn't it?

Next up is a special birthday card for a young man who'll be a whole year old later on this month. I had great fun with this project as Grand-dad gave me a fancy studio print of the tot to include in the card! Of course I decided not to use the real thing, instead I scanned it into my computer and printed out a resized copy, rather than risk damaging the original copy.

I also decided to cut into the front of the card and make a huge big number one with a window! Sounds a bit odd, but it works. On this card I used lots of elements from the Half Pint Heroes set, and the Victorian Alphabet set to spell the wee lad's name out on the front of the card.

And for good measure I got to 'play' with my new toy, the Cricut Expressions personal die-cutting machine that I picked up last week from my good friend Sandy. Incidentally, she's having a sale of her retired stamps, why not pay her a visit and see what's up left for grabs...

I trimmed the card with broad one inch baby blue grosgrain ribbon picked up from my local haberdashiery shop for (excuse the pun) a snip! The poor woman was overloaded with the stuff, so I casually asked how much for the lot? Well, needless to say I jumped at the price quoted, it was a BARGAIN!!!!

By the way, I printed directly onto the ribbon using Archival Black Ink, which is a look I adore, but am too mean to pay the extra for when ordering ribbon. And anyway, one sentiment mightn't suit all occasions! All other inks used are Tim Holtz Distress Inks also from Ranger Industries. As for the other supplies used in these projects the blue design paper is one that's been knocking around for ages, in various shapes and sizes following a scrapbook project that got deserted and the rest of the paper/card is from Paper Mill Direct.

So, I hope you like my double effort at Waltzing with the Mouse and showcasing her amazing designs along with all the other ladies on the WMS Blog Waltz which is taking place today 17th May 2011. For all the details follow this link - a word of warning though, you will have to register to enter the forum!

Well that's it for now folks, I hope you can forgive me my infrequent appearances her on the blog. I promise to make more of an effort from now on, honest...

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards

Happy Mother's Day Polly...

2011-05-17T00:11:00.000+01:00

Mother's Day 2011, what a waste of a day! Well, except for the fact that I was given a lovely box of chocolates, breakfast/brunch in bed and numerous cups of tea, that is... (I'm ashamed to say that I was suffering from a bout of the blues the following day and demolished all, bar the few that I kindly gave to my youngest!)

Actually yesterday was quite a nice day. It was bright and warm enough to be able to open the windows and let in some fresh air for a change and that in itself makes for a nice day. Sadly by the time I actually did get up this had all changed and the rain had saturated the line of washing, but hey! That's nothing new in this neck of the woods now, is it?

I spent most of the day reading. Last winter I'd spent some considerable time tracking down what was the Eason's Book Club book of maybe August or September. Suffice to say that it took me an age to find it, being a new book and of popular acclaim it kept selling out. But, I got there in the end!

The Passage by Justin Cronin has taken up many hours of my time to date. It's one of those books that you just can't put down; well most of the time it is! I actually did put it down for several weeks, months even when I'd got about a third of the way through it. That could be because it's a veritable tome, ie 766 pages of small type-set that pull you into another world whether you like it or not! Anyway, I've finished it. Thanks goodness for that and what a shame, as I'm now like a man without arms and don't know quite what to do with myself...

So, due to the various reasons I'm several weeks late in publishing this and can offer no words of apology other than I've no idea why I didn't finish this post earlier and post it! Sorry...

Is Polly's Bite Worse Than Her Bark?

2011-01-11T17:23:00.000Z

I can't believe how long it is since I last put pen to paper, metaphorically speaking! It seems that since I returned to work I just haven't been blogging, despite my good intentions...

In my last two posts I gave you a run down on how people sometimes be less than understanding, which has always struck me as odd given the nature of my job. To be honest only the innocent would say that compassion and empathy are two of the prerequisites for any job in the health care services. It is may be the ideal that we should be aiming for but in reality one has to question whether or not this is the case. Caring and sharing? No way, José!

Looking back to the events which sparked off my rather petulant outburstings, it was wrong that I should have had to face that attitude from anyone, but hey! She's only human, isn't she? So am I. Months after that episode took place I happened upon the opportunity to have my say on the subject, hence reducing the culprit to a blithering wreck.

It's funny how these things present themselves. I found myself panicking about how much leave I'm entitled to and dropped down to 'the office' to enquire. My erstwhile nemesis was sitting at her desk, thoroughly unprepared for what ensued. I introduced myself politely, shook her by the hand and then just for good measure told her that I was in fact "that nurse who'd had all that time off sick, when really there was nothing wrong with me!" and left it at that...

Needless to say, it was very much a case of me having the last laugh! Obviously I am not the nice person I am presenting myself as because this is one grudge that I hold dear, largely because it hurt me so much. I actually feel a teeny-weeny bit guilty for having behaved in such a manner, but in the main I feel vindicated and much happier than I did. I mean, the poor woman must have been astounded that I would have the gall to do what I did and in front of someone too! I wonder if she explained what was behind it all, or did she even realise what she had so carelessly done in the first place?

Anyway, that was a few weeks ago. My leave entitlement has been decided upon and I am looking forward to a couple of weeks off at the end of this month. Meanwhile I'm writing this on rest days, following three days out sick. My back locked up on me last Wednesday, resulting in numerous telephone calls to various people at work offering my excuses, etc. To be true I have spent a number of days recuperating in bed as a result...

Yesterday I attended Occupational Health whereby the lovely lady doctor gave me the all clear to work! To be honest I am delighted, my cognitive function has been officially assessed and it's good which means that I AM SAFE to work. Little did I know that I would also have two needles stuck in my arm, the first to deposit the annual 'flu vaccine and the second to secure blood to for testing, hepatitis this, that and the other! Have I ever mentioned how much I hate needles?

Afterwards I took Gypsophillus to visit our lovely, friendly vetinarian. She's passing blood in her water again. Ironically the first person I set eyes upon was my Divisional Nurse Manager! This could have been a little awkward, except for the fact that she's a lovely woman whose job it is to be tough and anyway, we're both grown-ups, aren't we? Her dog was sick (poor thing even smelled sick) and my dog was sick, end of. I didn't mention the fact that I am fit for duty, that I'd be back to work on Wednesday, nor did she...

The end all of it is that I got two needles and Gypsophillus got one! Oh yes, and I actually think she got the raw end of the deal as she had her temperature taken - rectally. Funnily enough she snapped at Derek the lovely vetinarian, I can't imagine why, can you?! I'll tell you what's even funnier and that's the fact that this is the first time that she's behaved badly with him.

In the past she's unhappily savaged a number of vetinarians, all of whom thought they knew better than to heed the warnings, she's had to be sedated to have her toe nails clipped and she frequently embarrassed herself in the waiting area! They say that animals know about these things, don't they? Derek and his lovely staff can be found at the Pet Hospital, Kilbride St, Tullamore telephone (057)9351390.

It seems to me that compassion and empathy should also be prerequisites of vetinary medicine. Unlike humans a dogs bit is generally worse than its bark and those that fail to hear it suffer, I think I've been spending too much time in the company of my two lovely ladies of late. Maybe that's why I was such a witch, I mean fancy having the last say...?

Study Confirms Breast-Healthy Lifestyle Worthwhile

2010-10-20T08:55:00.000+01:00

Study Confirms Breast-Healthy Lifestyle Worthwhile

Polly's Annoyance Turned To Amazon...

2010-09-05T20:25:00.000+01:00

I'm so cross that it hurts. Sometimes people can be so thoughtless, oblivious to the fact that their actions/in-actions have an effect on the rest of the world.

This week has been an interesting week all around. Generally speaking it's been a good week, but there's always something which comes along to add a damper to things. My fifteen hours of work have been good, the four and a half hours driving experience which accompanies this hasn't been too bad either! They repaired the access lane at the end of my road on Monday. This made me late for work, but it's made all journeys to and from my house more enjoyable and safer, so it was worth it!

On Wednesday I overheard somebody bad-mouthing me. It was annoying to say the least, but there was a certain element of pleasure involved in the fact that I walked in on the culprit and caught them red-handed, or should I say red-faced. I obviously wasn't expected to walk into the room and the bad-mouthed gossip was more than a little jumpy in her dealings with me. Sometimes fate has a strange way of delivering justice, hasn't it?

At the time I relished the fact that she'd dropped herself well and truly in it. I wanted to argue and to defend myself, but saw that the safest option would be to smile sweetly and say nothing bar thank you for attending to my request immediately and effectively. What I did do was carry the tale of my embarrassment to my superior, laugh about it and go home half an hour earlier, so you could say that I've actually worked 14 1/2 hour this week!

Since then I've been thinking about the incident and have become increasingly angry about it. I've decided that I am going to consult my solicitor and ascertain whether or not what I overheard constitutes slander. Despite promising myself that I wouldn't allow this to upset me, it would seem that I have done exactly what I said I wouldn't do! Afterall, it's bad enough living on a diet of pharmaceuticals and suffering the lifestyle changes inflicted upon my body, without having to listen to people making offensive an untrue statements about me.

My hope is that once I have this recorded her on this post, the chest pain and anxiety will settle down. Somehow I doubt that it will happen, just like that! For one thing I can smell my son's shower gel and shampoo from my bedroom which is just across the hall from the bathroom where he is listening and singing along to likes of Korn, Trivium and Slip Knot. It's not the music or even his singing that's annoying me, rather the appalling sound reproduction afforded by his cell phone...

Even my own favourite tracks would be grating on my nerves at this stage. The weird thing is that if you plug even the cheapest set of headphones or speakers into the same phone, it's unrecognisable. The change in the quality of the sound is incredible... it's time to go down to the sitting room and play some decent music - loudly I think - to drown out the din!

BTW I've been reduced to singing along to John Denver's 'Country Roads' & 'Grandma's Feather Bed' or the sound track to the movie ' Saturday Night Fever' during the four and a half hours driving in an effort to stay happy and arrive at work fresh and ready for anything... sad isn't it?

Anyhow, thanks to being annoyed enough to tell the world about my grievances, I've been inspired to update my Amazon Shoppe to include a few of my family's favourite CD's. The reality of this is that the majority of what's been uploaded is actually lined up on the top shelf in my son's bedroom gathering dust and mould in the grooves as we've slowly replaced many of the original vinyl albums with the up to date versions...

So, Polly's Not Sick?

2010-09-01T12:19:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I left my diary in somebody's office by accident. I returned to retrieve it some two minutes later (enough time to walk up and down the stairs, poke my head into the office & discover that I should also have brought back an original copy of the document I'd just delivered!)

Having found a stranger in the office, which I suppose should be expected after four years absence, I had introduced myself to the lady concerned & asked if I should know her. That may sound a wee bit of an odd question, but she was obviously a part of the furniture and I felt as though I ought to have known her! In any event it turned out that she worked in the A&E Dept normally and was just holding the fort, so I had no need to have known her in the past. Phew, this means that I'm not barking mad after all!

She seems like a nice woman and when asked about my story, I divulged all my darkest secrets. You know, the ones regarding intractible pain, fatigue, memory loss, blah, blah, blah, oooh, and the fact that before I went off sick I was as cross as the proverbial bear...

So, that all went nicely. I photocopied the document and promptly forgot to take my diary with me when I returned to theatre. Nice one! My diary is my lifeline. It's got all sorts of stuff in it, including reports, reminders, my name, and all the stuff that I'm likely to forget - so a lost diary is something of a disaster!

Anyway, as I already told you, I returned to 'the office' , knocked quietly on the door and walked in. I could hear voices coming from the inner office and thought no more of it. All this meant was that I could retrieve the diary easily. Or so I thought...

"...she's the girl that's been off sick, claims to be sick when in fact there's nothing wrong with her..."

I don't know for certain, and I can't be sure, but it's one heck of a coincidence that I've recently returned to work after four years and four months sick leave. It's also a coincidence that I've had to take my employers to task to enable me to do this legally and safely. And it's also a coincidence that I met a woman I didn't know, introduced myself to her and told her about my recent experiences and then forgot my diary and walked in on this conversation. Isn't it?

Thankfully my stint as an axe-wielding psychopath with murderous tendencies is over. My menstrual cycle appears to have released me from yet another potentially catastrophic phase in my existence which is lucky for the woman whom I overheard. I ignored what I'd heard, asked for my diary, swapped an original document for the copy and thanked her sweetly - with a smile.

Later on yesterday evening I took my magic tablets early, in the hope of avoiding the need to take additional mediciations to make me sleep (no such luck). I also took pain relief because my feet and hips were particularly sore. Thankfully the pain in my chest had settled down, although it was on the left side directly above my heart I knew it would pass because I've had it before.

In fact I've had it nearly every day since 2004! It may not always be in the same place, but it's forever present. Medications, rest and adjusting my daily life have helped. But, it's still there, underneath the surface just waiting for a crack in the pharmaceutical armour.

Just for the record, my last working day before my sick leave was 1st February 2006. The symptoms became troublesome in 2004 on a particular date, in a particular place. I was given my diagnosis in February 2005.
And I returned to work on 31st May 2010.

I'm on a rest day today. Working just 15 hours a week has resulted in my insomnia returning, pain returning, an increase in my medication, resting on my rest days - as in staying in bed for most of the day and an increase in the balance in my bank account!

Is it worth it? I don't know. It's nice to feel useful, but is it nice to be in pain and put off taking medications because it's a low grade pain and it might go away? The problem is that it doesn't. I take medication. I feel fatigued and my head is spinning. Who said I wasn't sick, eh?

Polly's Got Guts...

2010-08-11T22:54:00.000+01:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl whose only wish in life was to grow up and become an active member of the healthcare community...

Many years passed and that little girls dreams were fulfilled, as she graduated from one of the UK's finest and most respected schools of nursing. Over the course of twenty years or so, she graduated from a somewhat wet behind the ears new graduate to an experienced theatre practitioner with several national and locally recognized courses under her belt and a promotion to the grade of clinical nurse manager.

Sadly the years took their toll on this little girl's health. The constant, un-remitting stress caused by incidents in both her personal life and her professional life, combined with mothering two young boys and a gruelling on-call schedule caused our heroine to become a chronic insomniac. In time this too extracted its toll as the insomnia converted into symptoms of chronic pain and fatigue which increased daily...

Finally, upon the advice of a sage and senior colleague, our heroine threw in the towel and called in sick. Day by day, week by week, month by month she prayed and hoped that soon she would return to the productive member of nursing staff that she had once been.

Weeks of counselling provided by her employer's Employee Assist provided much needed reassurance and support for this young woman. It was okay to be unwell, it was alright to call in sick, she should give herself a break and accept that her chronic pain was real and set herself realistic goals within her limits. People would understand, and in time they too would accept that our heroine was truly unwell and needed this time to recover. Thankfully her condition wasn't life threatening, only lifestyle threatening.

Finally the day of acceptance dawned. She asked her family doctor for yet another private medical certificate; only this time it was for three months, considerably longer than any of the previous ones. Eventually three months grew to six months, but still she held out some hope that one day she would return to her rightful place as a useful member of the workforce...

Between visits to her family doctor she she whiled her days away, looking into space. The routine was to drop the children off to school in the mornings, often late, then to visit with her mother for the remainder of the school day. Sitting in the kitchen watching daytime television programmes and drinking tea, feeling miserable in a fog of fatigue was the order of the day until a fairy godmother recommended that this be the way of things for some time to come. The advice was to rest, to rest on the good days and on the bad days.

Previous to this rest had resulted in a temporary suspension of the overwhelming fatigue and brain fog, allowing for a burst of energy and overzealous attempts at restoring order to the madness that had become her home. This was to stop. Such crazed behaviour only resulted in post-exertional malaise and set backs. Through unexpected tears she suddenly realised that her fairy godmother was right and that from that day forth she would pace herself in accordance with her physical and mental needs and abilities...

Four years later, having practised this way of life and being successfully placed on the correct medications our heroine finally dipped her toes back into the waters of life as a busy healthcare practitioner. Returning on a recouperative/rehabilitative basis of fifteen hours each week, with the support of her co-workers and family new challenges were faced. Simply remembering wasn't enough, relearning and revisiting skills long dormant were only a part of the battle.

Geographic and procedural changes complicated all of the above. Since she left her post many changes had taken place and the workplace was quite different from how she remembered it. The new wing had finally been commissioned, with many of the old wards closing and the others relocated, the names had changed not once, but twice. New departments had opened where once there had been none and many improvements in service implemented.

Thankfully many of the staff remained the same. Their titles and responsibilities remained intact, but the business of nursing had changed, if only for the better. Now, nursing is a great place to return to after a period of protracted absence for the business of nursing seldom changes, or at least this is the belief adhered to by nursing management.

In a little over nine weeks our heroine has completed a hundred and five hours which equates to less than three weeks work in the days before her absence. In addition to this are the thirty-two hours driving to and from work. Admittedly none of this sounds particularly startling until you take into considering the first few paragraphs of this post and realise that for our heroine to remain in this situation, be taught by those she once taught takes guts!

It takes guts to return in the first instance. It takes guts to return for the second of those shifts. It takes guts to take two weeks annual leave/vacation, face the disorientation that accompanies such a return under normal circumstances. It also takes guts to suck it up and not react when the most senior member of nursing staff chooses to patronise rather than support such a return and it takes guts to continue doing so on a daily basis.

This has been my life for the past four and a half years. It's been difficult and yet it has given me more than I ever dreamt of having, a relationship with each of my two sons and all those important in my life. From being an active member of the healthcare community, to facing the fact that I may never return and finally to actually returning and feeling useful again hasn't been easy.

I am grateful for all of the above because I am happier and better able to face the challenges that each day brings which in turn has made me a nicer person. I still take my medications, I'm still a mother to my two boys, I'm still a daughter to my mother and a partner to my lover. I will never be perfect and I hope never, ever to revisit the place in which I was before my illness took over and forced me to take stock of my life.

Thank you to all of my friends and supporters who have helped me through this difficult time and forgive me for not having posted much recently, but life's been busy and I've needed time off for good behaviour! Speaking of good behaviour, I believe that it's time for bed so I can face the challenges of the new day with vigour and enthusiasm.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Take some time out for yourself and give thanks for all the good things in your life, I have...

Polly Pierce

Maker of Personalised Greeting Cards & Mother of Two!

Polly says "Ah, this is the life...!"

2010-07-11T14:27:00.005+01:00

Hi ya!

Just a quickie to say hello from Sunny Dingle!!! Yes, we do have sun and just a spot or two of spitting drizzle... every now and again!

Just had a lovely brunch including some of Margaret's Oldfarm sausages, lots and lots of tea and hopefully Murphy's ice-cream to follow. Found a wonderful takeaway in town last night and were lucky enough to catch last orders last night, all the way to bleedin' Kerry and what did we have for dinner? An Indian and Donna Kebabs! And it was so funny watching Gypsophillus-the-dog coughing this morning as she ate her breakfast out of one of the left over takeaway containers... (especially considering that she's quite a conoisseur of spicy food these days!)

The Rainbow Hostel is lovely! The staff are friendly and helpful, the rates are certainly affordable, considering the situation and the fact that we've full access to all the facilities, except the beds. The only draw back is that any washing has to be done by hand or submitted to the laundry service provided by the staff. I'm sure the cost is reasonable, but I'm probably too mean to pay for it anyway - we'll see! Ironically, the hostel not only has a cat, but her name is Gypsophillus too! It's inclined to be somewhat confusing when the boys call the cat and I turn around to see how our own girlie got off the lead...

I have to admit that it does seem a little silly to be sitting half in and half out of our eight-man tent, typing away on the laptop in the lovely Kingdom of Kerry rather than going down to the town, shoreline, harbour or Murphy's Ice-Cream Parlour. That said, this is our annual holiday and it's a time for rest and relaxation which comes in all forms, shapes and sizes including sitting in the garden of the Rainbow Hostel using their wifi, reading On Writing by Stephen King (which by the way is very good), The Rough Guide to Ireland, and generally dossing...

DG took himself, LB and G into the convenience store earlier on and brought back his copy of the Sunday Times affording a little bit of peace and quiet for the first time since 6.30am (we woke a little earlier than usual...)

That said, my new watch appears to have a dud battery in it for the second time since it was purchased. Last week I was woken by the sound of the Scouts chatting and playing the maraca at 5.30am. By the time I eventually came to and remarked on their outrageously early energy levels I was unceremoniously told that I was crazy - given the fact that it was actually 8.30am...

Still, isn't that what holidays are all about? Losing track of time and date, just like the Californian lady I was speaking to earlier on this morning! Ah, this is the life...

Polly Promotes Ballycrystal Kennels!

2010-07-02T15:42:00.000+01:00

For those of you who live locally I thought I'd bring your attention to my local kennels. Owned and run by Maria & John McNally, who's youngest son stayed over at LB's sleepover last night Ballycrystal Kennels is a bright and modern facility offering top class accomodation to all breeds of your very best canine friends.

The dogs are housed in purpose built kennels which is large enough to take seventeen occupants. As the McNally's love dogs and have several of their own they are well placed to look after yours, if you are unable to take them on holidays with you. Each is given their own individual pen and is walked in the fields daily by members and friends of the family. A word of caution though, only those with full vaccination certificates are welcome!

If you would like to know more about this great service why not check them out and visit their new website for more details. You'll be surprised at how reasonable their rates are! If you do decide to visit Ballycrystal Kennels don't forget to tell them that Polly sent you!

Pollys Mid-Summer Celebrations...

2010-07-02T15:30:00.000+01:00

Last December my youngest son, LB celebrated his twelfth birthday. Sadly due to the time of year, ie its proximity to Christmas, we've often found that few of his friends are available to celebrate this special event with him. As a result we've settled for a small family celebration on the actual date and a mid-summer celebration with a handful of mates camping out back in our eightman family tent - of course with the children being so much smaller than men, this usually means that more can squeeze into the available space.

This year, as last, the boys played their DVD's, PS2 Games and the latest passion in the Pierce household - Guitar Hero! DG came in from re-tuning the portable TV last night, announcing that he'd never seen so many phones and Ipods plugged into an extension lead in his life. A sign of the times and advancing years...

As usual LB was given a budget to work to and anything over or above this came out of his pocket money, or his Granny's purse. Funnily enough there is probably enough grub in store to feed a whole family for a week, and that's after the kids have devoured their fare share! LB stashed away all the sweets, crisps & bottles of fizzy drinks for fear that his elder brother would find them and gobble them all up before his mates arrived. He also spent much of yesterday helping BJK (aka Granny) make and decorate buns - seemingly the lads prefer these to fancy birthday cakes(?)

So, how did it go? They ran around for what seemed like an eternity last night, playing hide and seek in the twilight and revelling in the absolute freedom that living in the countryside with few neighbours allows. Thankfully we don't have to let out a roar at midnight that our neighbours might be awoken by the continuous laughter and screaming, which is just as well considering that the last lad fell at around 7.30am!

Marshmallows toasted over an open fire for supper, followed by large mugs of steaming cocoa and packets of sweeties for a midnight snack were followed on by a hearty breakfast fry this morning. It's funny how you forget that kids need feeding, especially when they've already eaten you out of house and home, isn't it?

The rain has held off so far, except for the odd splash of refreshing mist which served only to cool our campers in the face of the lovely heat we've been experiencing recently. As usual today has been a case of flagging energy and wanting what they shouldn't have, for example I've decided to sell the trampoline to a friend of mine. So while they competed at expert level on Guitar Hero inside the tent I began to dismantle it. It's funny how all of a sudden they decided that it was imperative they jump on the darned thing, isn't...?

Last night when setting their bonfire not one could find kindling of any type around the two and a half acres of overgrown hedgerows. This morning I found enough to stock a kindling shop and make a tidy profit. Where? In the trampoline, that's where! Foolishly we'd decided to set it up underneath the resident rookery, not realising that Mrs Rook is very particular about where she'll lay her eggs, consequently when nesting time came this year she turfed most of last years nest out into the recepticle beneath.

So why could the boys not find it, heaven knows. Still, at least they'll have some for tonight, you've gotta laugh though, haven't you?

Polly And The British Alpine Goats...?

2010-06-20T15:08:00.000+01:00

Recently a very good friend of mine got back in touch after a break of a couple of years. Well, actually it was me who reappeared after just over four years - I went back to work! Apart from a couple of phone calls a quarter, I had become very reclusive in nature during this enforced break. This was mainly due to the fact that I simply couldn't face my former colleagues during this time...

It's remarkable, the changes that one has to contend with during a period of ill health. From the reality of the situation to the possibility of never returning to a career spanning more than twenty years in a highly specialised field of nursing. Yeah, yeah, big deal!

Okay, so I know this might sound a wee bit flakey, but it's all true. But for the invention of the internet and the friends I've made on-line during this time, the support of my family and friends and the intervention of several healthcare professionals I think I would have gone completely crazy.Anyway, let's return to the opening sentence of this post...

My friend V and I have always shared several common interests, not least our love of traditional farming practices and animal husbandry. We've shared amusing anecdotes with our co-workers regarding our slightly left of centre lives over the years. Sadly the days of organically grown surplus veggies and eggs dwindled along with my health, until the day came when no longer would we enjoy one anothers tales of the countryside.

I'm so pleased to report that V is still there. And so now am I! These days my friend regales us with tales of her latest addition to her livestock; the British Alpine Goat. Seemingly her flock, or should that be herd (?) provides milk for several families locally, including her own. She makes cheese and yoghurt when time and quantities allow and last year won the second best in her category at a prestigeous livestock show...

Sadly the time has come when V's small holding can no longer sustain all of her British Alpine family. Her kids are nearly grown up and it's time for them to move on to pastures greener. This is where you, the reader comes in. If you, or anybody that you know is interested in acquiring one of these beautiful award winning creatures don't hesitate to contact me by direct mail or my comments box. I will pass your details onto my friend and she will get in touch with you directly to discuss the finer details...

Unfortunately I will not be one of the new owners. My fields are not stock-proof and my hedges need to be laid properly before I could consider any such madness! Presently my neighbours cattle reside in the mixed pasture which this year is full of wild clover and looking very healthy indeed. The beauty of this arrangement is that I am in no way responsible for the upkeep of the beasts, they respect the might of the electric fence and also keep the grass in tip-top condition for future occupants.

Meanwhile, I have the immense pleasure of looking out of my bedroom window and admiring some of the cutest heifers on this side of the road! Maybe one day, when the boys are old enough to lend DG a hand and my energy levels are properly restored to their former glory we will spend a few days working on the hedgerows, but until then I consider myself exceptionally lucky to have the best of both worlds...

Don't forget: drop me a line if you're interested in my friends British Alpine Goats!

Thanks for dropping by,

Polly

Vinca Cards

Polly Wishes To Explain...(Part Two!)

2010-06-12T23:05:00.000+01:00

So, this is the second post today - I thought it best to do two or three short posts rather than one extremely long winded one...

You may remember that not only did I win one of the Freebie Friday giveaways over on Garrendenny Lane Interiors, I also won the Frugal Theme Wordpress package complete with a skin pack! For the uninitiated amongst you, this may not seem so special, until I mention that this prize is worth a wacking €170 or thereabouts!

The only problem with this prize is that I am a bonefide wordpress.com user in my own right and the wordpress.org site that I administer was set up by somebody else. This of course means that I am basically an ignoramus regarding the why's and wherefore's of how to use my prize! Luckily I signed up for the Blogging Starter Pack on TechBased Marketing a while ago...

Actually I did this when I won another similar prize a couple of years ago. I signed up with great intentions, but like so many things it was not to be. Laziness and other committments simply got in the way! Anyway, I'm here to suggest that my readers who might like to become bloggers might like to do something similar and for those competent bloggers, maybe you would like to set up a membership site of your own? Whichever you are, Lynette Chandler at TechBased Marketing really can help out by offering you the opportunity to take your blogging to new limits, effortlessly!

In the meantime, I've got to go off and play. I've decided to revamp both my website and this blog, I wonder did you notice the changes which have taken place already? Do let me know what you think about it...

Have a great weekend,

Polly

VINCA Cards

Polly Wishes To Explain...

2010-06-12T22:42:00.000+01:00

Hi there! For some reason I thought I should offer an explanation for my last post here on Polly's Peri-wrinkles and Piercings! So, here goes: you may remember that a couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about the fact that I am simply one lucky, lucky lady?

For those of you who may be wondering what on earth I'm blathering about, I waon a couple of great prizes a couple of weeks ago. The first one was a beautiful cheese knife from Garendenny Lane Interiors Freebie Friday and the second one is something which in a way mystifies me...

Enough of that for now, let's concentrate on Lorna Sixsmith's Freebie Friday first. As usual, Lorna is running her giveaway, which lasts from Friday through to Monday morning with some fabulous prizes on offer. This week, in celebration of the forthcoming Father's Day she is offering a Black & Blum Jimmy Keyring and Bottle Opener which she describes as the perfect gift for the man in your life!

Apparently this little gadget will "magnetically climb your fridge door to store your keys and also opens bottles while holding onto the top afterwards!"

Anyway, I'm sure you'll agree that this is a gadget that will prove to be very useful, so why not head over to Garrendenny Interiors Blog or their Face Book page and leave a comment. It's as simple as that, honest and by the way, if you do both you'll be in with a second chance at winning this practical gadget which normally retails for €11.00...

Polly Says Wanna Learn How To Quickly Put Together A WordPress Membership Site?

2010-06-12T09:40:00.000+01:00

A lot of people have dreams of owning a membership site. It really isn't all that hard with the tools we have now compared to those we had only a few short years ago. But, that's not was scares most people. Most people are put off because they *think* it is very technical and they are also overwhelmed by the many moving parts of membership site.

Talk to those who already own membership sites and they will tell you. In the beginning it was all very intimidating for them too. But once they have the first one set up, the next one becomes easier because they know how to lay it all out and how things connect to each other.

What if you could get this blueprint from them? I'll tell you where to get it - TechBasedTraining.

They have a new training course out that walks you through the various steps of setting up WordPress as a membership site and they have also included a theme that can be used as a schematic to lay out the membership site in a manner that flows well and makes sense to your members. They really understand that part of the game is in a well designed membership experience. And the training helps you achieve that.

The best part, it is very affordable. In this day of over priced training products, this is certainly very refreshing. Don't let the low price fool you though. A lot of thought and work has been put in here so you get a solid training. Use it yourself or purchase a copy for your assistant. Details can be found at TechBasedTraining...

Polly Says Get Digging...

2010-06-08T10:48:00.002+01:00

It's that time again!

So, dig out your pen and ink, stickers, rub-ons, or whatever takes your fancy and start making a Masculine card for Waltzing Mouse Stamps monthly Blog-waltz!

And The Final Frugal Theme Winner Is Polly Pierce...

2010-05-29T11:51:00.000+01:00

In my last post I mentioned that I have been really lucky this week and that I've won two great prizes. Just this morning I opened up my in-box to discover that I'm to be the lucky recipient of a second spectacular prize, which couldn't be more different from the first if it tried...

Funny enough, I must have been one of the last entrants for this weeks promotion, but hey, I was definitely the lucky one. Thanks to my retweeting I won the final Frugal Theme May Twitter contest which consists of a new copy of the Frugal Theme (Personal License) and the Element Skin Pack.

Just to fill you in on the deal, Frugal is a deadly Wordpress Theme. It is so versatile and user friendly it just about beats anything else out there and it's a whole year old now, so to celebrate its amazing success they ran a twitter giveaway for the whole month of May 2010!

Funnily enough, while I am using Blogger as the platform for this blog, I also run a number of other blogs and sites using different platforms, including Wordpress. In fact, I think I may even have considered using the Frugal Theme for one of them...

Anyway, the long and short of all this is that I'm definitely going to be upgrading my website, which is currently pared down to the bare basics due to the fact that I recognized the need to upgrade it as a matter of urgency! Isn't it funny how things turn out? Thanks to the generosity of the creator of the Frugal Theme, I'm going to have such fun playing with my website.

What sets the Frugal Theme aside from most of its contemporaries is the fact that it's so versatile anybody can use it and easily customise it without having to know code. This of course is a godsend to someone like me, let's face it, my knowledge of coding is barely functional and it takes me forever to carry out a task that would take a professional seconds to complete! If you don't believe me, perhaps the best thing is to take a look at this video, which explains everything...

Seeing The Power Of The Frugal Theme from Eric Hamm on Vimeo.

Really, I don't need to say another word, except to thank the Frugal Theme Team for their generosity...

Thanks Guys!

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards

Polly Says "Garrendenny Lane's At It Again..."

2010-05-29T11:14:00.000+01:00

This last week I've been very fortunate, in so far as I've won two great prizes. Funnily enough, despite my intentions of winning craft gear, both of these have come from very different sources...

My thanks to Lorna Sixsmith of Garrendenny Lane Interiors whose random integer generator thingy chose me to become the proud owner of last weeks Freebie Friday prize. Lorcan, my wonderful postman tried to stuff it through the letterbox on Thursday but unfortunately it was just ever so slightly too deep, so he left it in a secret location and sent me a text. Of course I was nowhere near home and had to bide my time and patience until I was able to get my sticky mitts on it, but it was worth it!

My brand new Lene Bjerre cheese knife is just beautiful. The handle is made of Selwyn Pearl inlaid with delicate silver inlays, the photo's don't do it justice. Now all I need is a nice cheese board to compliment the beautiful cheese knife and a dining room in which to display all my formal table wear! (Must keep entering competitions...!)

This brings me nicely to the fact that Lorna has asked me to remind my readers that she's going to be hosting her Freebie Friday every week from now on. This week the prize for one lucky reader is a lovely serviette holder and a packet of pretty Greengate napkins to go with it, I'm sure you'll agree that this would be a lovely addition to anybody's table this summer.

If you fancy your chances head over to the Garrendenny Lane Interiors blog and leave a comment, and just to be extra sure you can also leave a comment on their Facebook Page!

Have a lovely weekend!

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards

Polly Rises To ITICA Challenge...

2010-05-27T12:39:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, over on my other blog 'Vinca'a-In-Tha-Kitchen', thanks to Hey Pesto's Yvonne Carty, I introduced the concept of Ireland's very first National Fish & Chips Day! Yes, you read that right, participating chip ships all over Ireland were selling their very finest fish and chips for half price in celebration of this new event in Ireland's history.

Anyway, as usual in the Pierce household, one thing lead to another with the end result being that I made a jokey bet with Sandie, from Paper Play Challenges that I would make a card to celebrate. What a laugh?! I mean, who in their right mind would be celebrating fish & chip day - for goodness sake...

Well, for one me! I took myself off to my local Italian chippers, Macari located in Tullamore's Market Square and treated myself to the best fish and chips since New Years Davy 2009. Just in case you're wondering why I made a point of emphasising the fact that Macari's is Italian, yesterdays feast was supported by ITICA (The Irish Traditional Italian Chipper Association).

For the sum of €3.75 I enjoyed freshly cut chips and fresh cod cooked in a lovely light and crispy batter which was piping hot and absolutely delicious. In fact the whole family enjoyed an Italian-Irish dinner of fish and chips last night, DG in Luigi's, Monasterevin and the rest of the brood in Macari's at different times throughout the evening. Apparently the promotion has paid off as both outlets were superbly busy...

Later on in the evening, inspired by my full stomach and having ingested so-called brain food, I set about my task. For a while I just sat there and wondered if I should call a halt to the proceedings, after all, it was only a joke. But as time wore on and my other two cards were finished, it slowly began to dawn on me that I've at least a couple of stamp sets with an overall fishy theme running through them.

Sadly I can't recall the name of the first set, although I think it could be a Glitter Girls set for men, the large fish is from one of Anita's See D's Sets and the smaller fish and the air bubbles are from PaperTrey Ink's 'Pond Life'. The image is coloured with Pro-Markers Tim Holtz Distress Inks and Colour Box Chalk Inks, using a sponge dauber to achieve the desired effect.

I wrote the sentiment: 'Celebrate National Fish & Chip Day!' in a black Sakura gel pen, as I didn't really expect to be able to find a suitable rubber stamp at such short notice! All the card and ribbon is from The Paper Mill Shop at Junction One, in Antrim.

All in all I enjoyed the challenge. It certainly was an unusual one and I only wish that I'd have realised what day it was just a little earlier, because as usual for a Wednesday night this challenge lead to burning of the midnight oil, yet again!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my exploits as much as I enjoyed pitting my wits against what can only be described as a bizarre challenge. Suffice to say that my friends and colleagues at this morning's BNI meeting were thought it hysterical when I held my card up as an example of how to put an image together using smaller stamps in a multi-stamp image!

Polly Pierce
Vinca Cards

Polly Plays Along With PaperPlay Challenges & Waltzing Mouse...

2010-05-27T10:59:00.001+01:00

Phew! I've just checked over on Paperplay Challenges and they haven't quite closed the doors on last week's challenge. So it looks as though I might be in with a chance to win one of Claire Brennan's beautiful stamp sets afterall!

The challenge is to create a wedding card using one of Claire's stamp sets. So here is my card made with the 'Celtic Heritage' set, I have used two of the ornate bird images to create one over lapping heart...

The sentiment comes from one of Claire's more recent sets; 'Fancy Phrases' and I think you'll agree that it is fitting for a wedding or any number of romantic occasion cards. All cardstock is from The Paper Mill Shop and the images are stamped in Memento's Tuxedo Black and then coloured with Pro-Markers.

So, fingers crossed that Sandie hasn't locked the door while I've been writing this post. Wish me luck...

Polly Pierce

Polly's Having A Giveaway...

2010-05-22T11:25:00.000+01:00

Sorry to disappoint you, but the title of this post is just ever so slightly misleading, rather than having a giveaway myself I'm showcasing two friends of mine who are having giveaways!

Nice and quietly I've known these ladies for at least a couple of years, through my membership of the Irish Business Women's forum and more recently on Facebook. I suppose it was inevitable that I should become friendly with them, not only because of my own craftiness, but also because each complements the Wedding Industry in some way.

Carol Shaw makes fabulous jewellery by hand, which retails at affordable prices. This of course makes her an ideal referral for the bride to be, the bridesmaids or indeed the mother of the bride. In fact Carol Shaw Jewellery appeals to all ages and pretty much all tastes, as there really is something for nearly everybody on her site.

A perfect example of Carol's work is this Swarovski Crystal pendant, which she is putting up for grabs this weekend. This is an event which is designed to Carol's fabulous jewellery and to increase her fanbase. All you have to do is become one of Carol Shaw Jewellery's fans on Facebook and then send invitations to your girlfriends (or boyfriends) to do likewise...

Lorna Sixsmith, on the other hand is an interior designer and the owner of Garrendenny Lane Interiors. Her online shop is just fabulous, stocking all sorts of lovelies ranging from Designer Guild bed linen to wrought iron wall sconces, many of which would make fab wedding gifts.

This week, and every week from now on Lorna is holding Freebie Friday. One lucky winner will be chosen at random to receive a beautiful Lene Bjerre cheese knife with a Selwyn pearl handle, which comes in an inscribed black faux velvet case. I'm sure you'll agree that this would make a fine addition to anyones formal table wear.

For your chance to win this weeks Friday Freebie head over to Garrendenny Lane Interiors blog and leave a comment. While you're there you should have a good look around her online shop and see what else she's got in stock...

Meanwhile, I'll leave you by wishing you luck with both of these fab giveaways while keeping my fingers crossed that I win them myself!

Polly

Vinca Cards

Need I Say A Word...?

2010-05-18T18:30:00.001+01:00

I can't remember this guy's name but nevertheless it doesn't take away from the message. While some commentators have been cruel in the nature of their comments, this guy hasn't got any arms or any legs, but he does have his chicken drumstick!

.All too often we allow ourselves to get bogged down in the quagmire of human misery, much of which is easily surmounted, if only we could find the energy! Let's all take a little inspiration from someone who's considered to be profoundly physically disabled instead...

Need I say another word?

Polly Says: Come Waltz With Me...

2010-05-17T14:38:00.001+01:00

This is the moment I've been waiting for sooo very patiently. Having checked out the WMS forum this morning for instructions and in the hope that Claire would be opening the blogwaltz early, I busied myself doing a couple of things which I put on the long finger a couple of weeks ago.

So, finally having drawn up the proposals for various schools in the area, whom I hope will be eager to host next years dyslexia workshops, I logged into Facebook for a moment. Surprise! She's already opened the links and I'm behind as usual...

Here goes then! First of all I must apologize for the ghastly photo quality, but I figured that even this is better than forgetting to photograph my cards altogether which is what I normally do.

This card was made for a Mum's birthday using one of my favourite all time stamps from last months stamp release 'Roses In Bloom' by the ever so talented Ms Brennan, hope you like it...

Personally I think it just comes alive with the 3 dimensional touches to the petals and the leaf. It'll never quite replace a bunch of the real thing, but it'll sure last a lot longer!

Much Love,

Polly

Polly Pierce - Vinca Cards

ps Claire, I hope your Mum's on the mend!

Make Fibromyalgia Visible Day Today...

2010-05-12T15:51:00.000+01:00

Polly's At It Again - Rope Ladders and Blog Waltzes...?

2010-05-12T15:36:00.000+01:00

Yes folks, it's fast approaching that time again! Claire from Waltzing Mouse Stamps is running her monthly blog hop again, only in her case it's more of a waltz...

I missed last month due to my committments with Scouting Ireland. I spent the weekend camping in gorgeous weather conditions out on the lovely Charleville Estate near Tullamore, Co Offaly.

Setting off from the den with great intentions and no firm venue for our camp, we started off with just five scouts and two leaders. Having arrived up at the castle and been given an impromptu tour of the place we still had nowhere to camp, because our kindly hosts already had an event on that night. Seems that the spirits aren't too keen on the company of young people during a paranormal investigation!

Eventually we struck gold! The land owner of the estate allowed us to use what is affectionately known as The Shinfield. So called because my partner in crime somehow managed to rip his shin open in this very spot this time last year, resulting in a scar that took well over three months to heal...

Thankfully this years camp took place without any great drama's, and my partner in crime's shin remained intact. The scouts and leaders spent many happy hours setting up camp and gathering wood of all shapes and sizes, stacking most of it in preparation for this years County Challenge in an adjacent field. They even brought some of the smaller stuff back to our camp so that we could use our alter fires to cook on and practice making rope ladders...

Funny thing is that this all started off quite innocently. Within a couple of days it transpired that for the County Challenge I was to take charge of the rope ladder base, whereby I taught the scouts how to prepare and make one. This entailed engraving their names onto the logs that they prepared and it was very much a challenge! Over the course of the following weekend I taught 85 scouts how to do the honours...

I should have some nice pics later on, if I can locate the disc and figure out how to upload them. As some of you already know, it seems that I blew my mother board up so am having to reinstal all my lovely programmes onto my son's pc and the laptop. Of course that wouldn't be much of a problem, only I seem to have mislaid some of the discs in amongst the chaos that I like to refer to as my filing system. (Cough, splutter, blush...)

BLT suffers Polly-blockages...

2010-05-01T15:02:00.000+01:00

Isn't life great? When you have your first child life seems just perfect, if only for a split second! Sadly the reality of things begins to dawn upon you when that same beloved soul begins to climb and to exert their personality upon you in ways you can only imagine.

I remember well the discussion which took place regarding fragile keepsakes and mementos. Apparently my baby was going to be a good baby and we wouldn't need to put these precious items away for posterity, because of this single fact. How little did we know? Blinded by the rapturous love of a tiny bundle, how on earth could anyone be so insensitive as to suggest anything but optimism for this child?

Many years later much of our fragile stash has been damaged or indeed totally destroyed by one or other of our two innocents. There have been times when the devil himself chose to try my patience in the form of the destructive naivety known fondly as my sons. Even today I hold grudges for precious items that are no more, childish and silly I know, but somehow appropriate!

This morning, having blown my own personal computer up a week or so ago I embarked upon a journey of discovery involving the newly acquired BLT 'puter. In a moment of inspiration an unloved and unwanted pc was procured, in exchange for the somewhat excellent babysitting services of my eldest son, thus allowing the other mother the opportunity to venture out into the world of the public house and a pint of guinness! The result was mighty - we've had nothing but trouble since and I almost wish I'd never opened my rather large mouth...

Yes we had a great night out and it was lovely to see Ms C in the social arena. Despite this, I've often asked myself if it was worth it? There have been more rows and incidents of one upmanship than at any time before the introduction of said pc into the household. "Get off, it's mine!" appears to have become the family war cry, and frankly I can do without it!

To add insult to injury I downloaded my Norton 360 internet security programme onto the damned thing and followed this up by adding the family protection package. In all honesty I have to say that I'm impressed. Of course had I thought to activate it before hand much of the trouble would have been over and done with long ago.

I had to hack the admin account on the new pc to do this (parental privilege when the child is under a certain age) and so the whole world went mad. Several weeks on things have settled down and life is back to normal. The temper tantrums have more or less stopped (regarding ownership of the damned pc) and so one was lulled into a false sense of security...

One day earlier this week, I allowed myself to be distracted while picking up mail, surfing and prepping a power-point presentation. The result is that somehow BLT got onto my account, altered the administrative access details and locked me well and truly out of the pc. Indignant? You bet!

Never let it be said that the child has got the better of the adult. Luckily I was able to hack into someone elses account on the same pc this morning and access my Norton account. I can do this on any pc or laptop and adjust the settings on the computer in question, unfortunately for BLT he'd not thought to do anything with the account settings and so he's now well and truly locked out in the cold! He's got zero hours available for use during the week and zero hours during the weekend too! Ahhh, poor thing...

I just can't wait to see his face when he discovers how his poor old Mum's got her own back - the damned thing's gonna turn itself off after 60seconds... I think I've just bought myself some bargaining power. Now all we've to do is wait and see!

Video message from Bear Grylls: so proud of this year's growth in member...

2010-04-26T15:32:00.001+01:00

Phew! After a weekend of deprivation and camping out in the wilds with the 1st Offaly Scouts and other groups from Clara, Ballykilmurray,Cloghan,Portlaoise,Camross and Mountmellick it's highly appropriate that I should find the link to this in my mail box this morning:

I spent the weekend showing children, boys and girls aged eleven to fifteen how to make rope ladders! Our own group did just that the other day when we were on a practice camp in an adjacent field. No, they weren't practising for the challenge weekend, they were just a bunch of kids who wanted to make climbing in and out of their favourite tree more fun. If you look very carefully, you should just be able to see two of them sitting in their chairs in the middle of the tree...

This is the view from the tree looking down admiring their handy work, do bear in mind that I had to climb the rope ladder to take this pic!

Polly's Eureka Moment!

2010-04-10T11:24:00.000+01:00

A few years ago I woke from a fitful sleep to experience one of those rare yureka! moments. At the time I was still working, relatively happily in the operating theatres of a small town in the Midlands of Ireland and the whole thing seemed pretty ridiculous. This was especially as I related the experience to one of our most senior and respected anaesthetic consultants. Surprisingly enough she was enthusiastic when I told her about my dream to make corsets - yes CORSETS!

The thing is that once upon a time, having been little more than mediocre in the sewing department at school, I used to make corsets or at least the equivalent thereof. This is not quite as daft as it sounds, although what follows by way of explanation most probably is...

You see, for a period of eight years or so I used to engage in historical reinactment and living history. Battling for charity with The Sealed Knot is great fun, it's also a fantastic way to meet people, do some good and travel around the country to places that you'd otherwise never have dreamed of visiting. It's also a great way of learning a little bit more about the history of the country in which you live as the school history lessons were little more than a rapidly glossed over potted history of little or no interest to man nor beast! For a wee bit more on the Sealed Knot watch this video

The question has to be asked though, where in all this does the tale of my making corsets come into the grand scheme of things? In case you're not aware The Sealed Knot is a seventeenth century reinactment society, which brings the history of the English Civil War to life. Unfortunately seventeenth century clothing isn't readily available these days which provides two options: 1) You purchase it off someone who is selling it for a premium price on Merchants Row or like me 2) you purchase some inexpensive woollen cloth from your local market and make your own according to the hand drawn patterns you purchased on Merchants Row at your first muster.

Looking at the construction of the garment it soon becomes apparent that this is nothing like the clothing worn in the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. For starters the use of modern textiles is understandably frowned upon considering they were not authentic to the period and are totally inadequate for the type of wear and tear inflicted upon the average suit of clothing - this is true for both ladies and gentlemen. For the beginner it is acceptable however to use modern nylon boning in the construction of ones bodice, largely due to the absence of anything more suitable...

The major similarity between the bodice of a C17th dress and a corset is the fact that one is made of woven wool and the other from cotton or maybe something a little nicer. Otherwise the construction is remarkably similar. Do bear in mind that the 'dress' came in several parts, in so far as the skirt(s) were separate from the top, the centre piece or stomacher which lay beneath the central cording was also separate as were the sleeves which were attached by ties. This allowed for interchangeable sleeves, ventilation in the warmer weather and for those of a lower social standing for the wearer to go without sleeves altogether.

While all of this sounds dreadfully complicated for the modern seamstress, in reality it isn't. One thing that I discovered very quickly was that hand sewing is not only more authentic, it's easier and results in a stronger garment overall. Bear in mind that as with the modern corset, the C17th lady was not in possession of a brassier beneath this constricting garment and any reinacter foolish enough to do so will soon change their mind.

The bodice was worn over a calico shift however, for decency although images of barmaids and prostitutes might lead one to wonder about its very existence, and the purpose of the stomacher was two fold. It held in the stomach as it was highly boned and it concealed the appearance of the shift in those partial to gaining a pound or two from time to time. As you might imagine ladies of this period didn't have ready access to chain stores like Penney's or Tesco's and the ability to purchase disposable clothing for each season as the young misses of today so clothing had to be durable and adjustable.

As for my Eureka! moment, I'm still thinking about making corsets - apparently they sell for a fortune and it could be the path to my salvation moneywise...

Have fun over the weekend and please say a prayer for my poor demented soul!

Polly Pierce

Irish Greeting Cards Made By Hand For All Occasions

St Patrick's Day Scouts - Tullamore

2010-03-17T17:44:00.002Z

Hot off the press are the photo's of the Tullamore Scouts in action at the 2010 St Patrick's Day Parade

View Larger Photos

View photos, print, save and more

http://photosmart.hpphoto.com/FilmStripHome.aspx?JobID=9b915979-4075-42d3-9ee7-807ea99ce3e3&SKU=HP
(If the link above is not clickable, copy and paste it, or type it, directly into your browser.)

Polly's First St Patrick's Day Blog Hop With A Mouse That Waltzes...

2010-03-16T20:52:00.000Z

Just in case you're wondering about the title, tomorrow is St Patrick's Day! Yippee, it's a national holiday here in the Emerald Isle - the children have the day off school and we celebrate by turning out for parades all over the country. Tullamore is celebrating in a very special way this year, with the Tullamore & Ballykillmurray Scout Troops joining forces to march in the parade...

Hopefully we should have a good turn out for tomorrow, I just hope & pray that the weather holds out and blesses us with a little more sunshine and a lot less wind than we had today. Boy, it's been cold here which has come as a little bit of a surprise after the temperate Spring weather of the past few days...

This year the town is filled with Scouting memorabilia, with exhibitions in the Bridge Centre and shop fronts all over the town. It promises to be quite spectacular, combined with the huge effort going into the parade. Teams of scouts have been beavering away (excuse the pun!) for months preparing for this week and so far it's looking pretty good. I can't wait to see the end result tomorrow - must remember to bring my camera.

So what's the big deal and why are we pushing the boat out? Well, this weekend Tullamore will be descended upon by delegates from all over Ireland attending Scouting Ireland's National Council which opens on Saturday. A second parade comprised of Scouts from all over the Slieve Bloom Scout County and the South Eastern Province will welcome our Chief Scout Michael John Shinnick following his arrival on a narrow boat at the Tullamore Heritage Centre on Friday evening. For us scouters this is the big parade, with St Patrick's Day conveniently offering us the chance to practice our marching skills - shhh, don't tell anyone!

For those of you who are not in the know, the Slieve Bloom Scout County comprises counties Offaly, parts of Laois and North Tipperary. It is so called because the geographical area covered by these Scout troops is dominated by the Slieve Bloom Mountains...

Regarding the rest of the title, tomorrow is also a big day in the card maker's world, especially those who have fallen prey to the extraordinary talents of one Ms Claire Brennan, who just happens to reside on these Emerald shores in the county of Antrim. Being that Claire is both patriotic and creative she decided that tomorrow would be the perfect excuse to bring crafty folk from all over the world together and celebrate together.

Why not drop in again tomorrow and find out what this is all about. If you're lucky I might even have some photo's of the parade for you and of course a nice St Patrick's Day card for you too...

Have a good evening, Slán!

Polly Pierce

Hand Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationery From County Offaly

Polly Wishes You A Happy St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-16T20:14:00.004Z

In case you didn't see yesterday's post I'm participating in Claire's blog-hop over at WaltzingMouse Makes...

So what exactly is a blog-hop then? On this occasion it's where a bunch of folk who just happen to love Claire's range of photopolymer stamp designs come together and celebrate our national holiday, aka St Patrick's Day.

apologies for the washed out background I was trying to show off the script on the ribbon!(see below)...

Aside from the fact that we will be showcasing our own fabulous talents in relation to card making and scrapbooking we will also be showing off our fave designer's abundance of creativity.

I first met Claire a couple of years ago on another favourite stamp designer's forum and we've been friendly ever since. After all, it's something of a treat to meet like minded folk who love to craft and make cards, especially when they're on the same turf - so to speak!

Unfortunately, I have a tendency to make up lovely cards, be very creative in the process and then conveniently forget all about photographing or scanning them! Usually I remember during the small wee hours of the morning, by which time it's too late to do anything about it.

The original incarnation of this card was very similar, however the ribbon at the bottom was a little thinner, a little brighter and it was stamped all over with the words St Patrick's Day rather than just in the middle.

The ribbon I chosen for the second card is PTI Rich Avacado saddle stitched twill ribbon which I just love. I think it fits in quite nicely with shading of the shamrock (watercolour pencils) and the slightly larger celtic script. I was unable to use this larger more decorative script with the thinner ribbon, but it was tied with a pretty bow...

Have you noticed how I've incorporated the colours of the Irish national flag...

I hope you've enjoyed my take on St Patrick's Day which was created using Claire's free digi-stamp created for today, this is just one example of how talented our Claire is, for more examples of her lovely stamps check out here store here.

When you've finished exploring Claire's lovely creations why not hop on over and visit with more of her dedicated followers and see what they've been up in celebration of their two favourite Irish people?

Polly Wants Candy...

2010-03-08T14:44:00.001Z

To celebrate the fact that her blog has reached a magnificent 20,000 hits and 90 followers my cyberfriend Sandy decided to offer a wee taster of what's to come in the future. She's put up this delicious blog candy for grabs:

1 x Spellbinders Fleur De Lis Nestabilities

1 x Bo Bunny "Clearly Mixed Up" Acrylic Album

1 x PK "Chocolate Drops" Glittered Skittles

5 x Deep Ivory Gardenia

5 x 2-Tone Baby Pink Roses 25mm

5 x White with Pink Centre Roses 25mm

5 x Ivory Roses 25mm

5 x Lt. Mocha Brown Roses 25mm

10 x 2-Tone Pink Roses 15mm

10 x Ivory Roses 15mm

5 x 2-Tone Old Gold Cherry Blossoms

1 mtr - Ivory Guipure Lace

1mtr - White Cotton Lace

1mtr - Delicate Coffee Scalloped Lace

1mtr - Salmon Scalloped Lace

1mtr - White Scalloped Lace

1mtr - Cream Cotton Lace

0.5mtr - 1" White Ric Rac

She's also adding a small selection of mini tags, pins & charms/spacers from Whiff of Joy, Tabby Crafts and The Hobby House.

Like all sensible sweetie shop owners she's added a few rules, ie the boring bit...

* To try to reduce spammers I will ask you to put your favourite type of embellishment after your name in Mr. Linky.... (e.g. Sandie-Ribbon)
* You must put a post on your blog or a picture link in a prominent place on your own blog, linking back to this post.
* It is not necessary to become a follower of my blog, please do so only if you enjoy my work.
* If Mr. Linky has gone AWOL please try at a later time. It's just impossible to combine comment entries with linked entries so it is ONLY entries via Mr. Linky which will be eligible for the drawing.
* This candy is open until 11.59pm (GMT) on March 31st.
*The winner will be announced on Apr 1st.

Meanwhile, why not head over to Sandie's blog and leave a comment. Maybe you could be the lucky winner of some fabulous craft candy...

Self-taught Scot has designs on world domination as she knits her way to fame - Times Online

2010-03-07T12:43:00.003Z

I don't know quite how I came across this lassie, but I've been following her exploits for the past couple of years. Maybe it's because I've always wanted to be able to knit beautiful garments and dress nicely? Whatever the answer, I log in periodically and catch up...

Only this morning, while languishing in my lovely comfortable, warm bed making use of my recently purchased 14 foot long ethernet lead and a borrowed lap-top computer I noticed that my friend Jean was online. Not being one to miss an opportunity to indulge in a quick chat, especially as my friend lives in France I jumped right in.

Now Jean is an accomplised knitter, often publishing beautiful photo's of her latest creations on her blog. I on the other hand taught myself to knit by means of forgotten memories of childhood disasters and a brilliant little book that I picked up in the late 1980's in Leeds. To date my triumphs have included numerous benny hats and a short cravat style scarf made out of reclaimed arran wool that used to be my favourite jumper. There is no comparison...

Amongst other things the name Ysolda cropped up in our chat. Jean sent me a link to the Times online article that was published a couple of weeks ago about this remarkable lassie. I said that I thought she was definitely going places, Jean said that she thinks she already has...

Self taught Scot has designs on world domination as she knits her way to fame

Times Online

Certainly, Ysolda Teague deserves to go places. Her designs are gorgeous, often based on vintage styles which she somehow carries off so elegantly. Recently she's been on a tour of America promoting her latest pattern book Whisical Little Knits 2, while many of her designs are available on line, there are even a freebie or two. Currently I'm still struggling to make my lovely beret, but I suspect that it might be ready in time for next winter!

Polly Pierce
Handmade Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationery Made In Co Offaly

5 Services Virtual Assistants Should Offer But Don't...

2010-03-03T16:56:00.000Z

The art of doing business on the Internet has come a long way. Businesses large and small are doing more online, they are demanding more useful, exciting websites. There's simply a lot more riding on today's business websites than a collection of text and images. With that comes the increasing need for technically savvy help to manage it all and a smart, forward thinking VA should be sharpening her skills and offering services like these:

Backup – Far too often have I saved myself (and the clients), from hours of work putting things back as they were. You cannot rely on a web host all the time. To save space, web hosts only store backups for a very short period of time. And because restoration is not always part of their service, a host will usually restore the entire site when you may only need to restore one folder. Besides, some hosts are here today gone tomorrow. Or your client may have got tired of them.

Offering a backup and restoration service to your clients makes so much sense and it is often quite profitable for you since you don't have to restore sites everyday nor every month for that matter. Backups can be put on autopilot and you can charge a recurring fee.

Software Update – So many web sites today run on open source software like WordPress, Drupal or Joomla. These are actively developed systems that move forward regularly and sometimes at a quick pace too. Every time you turn around it seems like the software needs to be updated.

Many clients don't bother to update because they may be afraid of the consequences or just don't know how. In the end, they either become victims of hackers or find themselves unable to proceed with their latest program because the software is outdated.

WordPress Hardening – Talking about open source software, WordPress is one of the hottest. There's a great chance at least one of your clients are using to manage their website. But a popular software also means it is a big fat target for hackers who test it daily. Unfortunately, during setup, many designers and even VA's do not take the time to secure it. Much of the default settings remain which make it easy for anyone to exploit.

We're not talking about making a security guarantee to your clients – no software is that iron clad, but there are things that one can do to make WordPress more resistant. Sell that to your clients. This is a great way to earn extra from existing clients and bring in some money when things are slow.

Operating Procedure Wiki – You might already have heard of it. Create systems. Reproducible steps that anyone in the organization can take and run with. It make sense. Systems make your work faster – even if you already know it like the back of your hand, having checklists on hand can help remind you of steps you may miss regularly. Also, training new help becomes easier.

Many clients know this but are just way too busy. What you can do is not only document the knowledge, but set up a search-able, easy to use archive like a Wiki. In the long run it will help you too since you are likely to have more than one client, you may not remember all the steps you have to complete on a task that is not often repeat.

Enhanced Help Desk – You could already be the 'voice' behind your clients' help desk right now. That's great! If you enjoy it and want to win more clients in that area, why not offer an enhanced help desk service? What is that?

Some clients have multiple points of contact that can slow the customer service process down or cause confusion for customers because it may not be clear where to get help. The best thing is to pull everything together into one help center where people can find answers to frequently asked questions and initiate contact. It takes some planning and a bit of email routing and you can be the one to pull this together for your clients.

Take it a step further. Host the help desk software yourself for 'free' as part of the contract with your client. Many clients do not want yet another software for them to maintain. If the software can be part of your agreement, it absolutely makes sense for them. And, they would probably stay longer because if they break the contract with you, that means they have to source and purchase the software and setup. All of which takes time and money – valuable resources that the client may prefer to save.

What do you think? Is there any service here that you can implement right away? Maybe you want to but do not know how to start. After all, these are somewhat technical and you may not consider yourself technically inclined. There's good news. Tech stuff is a lot easier than most make it out to be. You just need the right type of help, like what you can expect over at TechBasedTraining.com. Try it.

Polly Beats Scammers At Their Own Game...

2010-02-20T18:29:00.000Z

Yet again it appears that the scammers are back in action.This is a copy of a message that I received on my Facebook account from a worried friend...

Urgent !!!!IF YOU ARE WITH BANK OF IRELAND AND GET AN EMAIL FROM THIS EMAIL ADDRESS bankofireland@bankofireland.credit.co.ie; DO NOT CLINK ON THE LINK AS IT IS A SCAM. I HAVE CONFIRMED THIS WITH THE BANK. PLEASE PASS THIS ON URGENTLY

Also I received a message from the Gmail team - one of many - warning about suspicsious attachments in messages from, you guessed it, UPS. Yep, that old chestnut is still doing the rounds. Regular readers may remember my Mum's traumatic experience last month, when she opened an attachment supposedly from UPS and released a particularly nasty Trojan horse.

Although the message had been intercepted by her Norton anti-spam programme she had been expecting a parcel from a company who used UPS from time to time and was sure that the message was the genuine article. Needless to say that one slip cost a lot in terms of money and anxiety!

It also seems that Amazon has been targetted by the blighters, so be careful if you've ordered anything from the company and then receive one of their messages. You'd be better advised to log into your account and look for messages there than to take the risk...

Be vigilant and maybe even consider doing what I've done, which is to forward all my e-mail accounts to Gmail. Their anti-spam interception programme is highly recommended by IT professionals and in my experience it certainly seems to be coming up trumps. The level of junk mail in my in-box has been reduced to a minimum of approximately six per day, as opposed to an excess of forty!

River Cottage Community - The great pancake race

2010-02-16T12:56:00.000Z

Last night was the perfect opportunity for our young scouts to get some practice in. Cooking pancakes on trangia stoves and teaching the newer members of the section how to do it has always been a feature of the night before Shrove Tuesday. Sadly last night was different, not least because of the fact that it's been necessary to ban pancakes from camp kitchens, in untrained hands an innocent looking batter can prove to be a dangerous thing...

A little over a year ago, one of our intrepid adventurers was observed to produce breakfast for the whole of his patrol. Stationed at one of our alter-fires, which is lifted off the ground to a sensible height the poor boy stood over an open fire for a little over two hours, fed most of the campers present and welded the left over batter to the poor unfortunate frying pan!

So this year it was the Beaver's who came up trumps by holding a pancake party for charity and raising over €150.00 in the process. Unfortunately their meeting is immediately before ours and the smell of yummy pancakes was just too much to bear...

Maybe next year we should re-instate our pancake production and follow Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's suggestion instead:

River Cottage Community - The great pancake race

I've been tagged back into blogging...! Eek

2010-02-15T16:01:00.000Z

Having given over a whole post to the lovely Lorna Sixsmith of Garrendenny Interiors I now find myself being the proud recipient of a tag! When this first happened a couple of years ago was eek, what the heck...? Nowadays, I don't panic. All I have to do now is put my thinking cap on...

So the idea is that I have to come up with thirteen astounding little known facts that you, the reader doesn't know about me or reveal some things that make me happy so it's going to be interesting to see what I come up with!

Like Lorna, I too love sticky toffee pudding - especially when it's enshrouded with lashings of Lily O'Brien's finest milk chocolate.
Actually I just love Lily O'Brien's chocolates and will happily eat it by the kilo - perhaps that's why I'm a tad over weight...
I pay my dues every week at Uni-slim. I'm actually a Gold Member of Weight Watcher's but was too embarrassed to return to the meetings four and a half stone heavier than when I left...
I spotted the very first sparrow in fourteen years sitting on my bird feeder this morning, which left me feeling truly happy. My Mum who lives three and half miles away seems to have tonnes of them, this is the first one at my house...
About five years ago I realised that if I drink coffee, I will soon be able to smell coffee scented urine. Apparently this is a feature of fibromyalgia - having that urine smell...
Having such a developed sense of smell lead to me once being unofficially on the panel of tasters for Irish Mist. I was thirteen and always got it right...
I drink my beer at room temperature, whenever this is possible. I prefer proper Irish Guinness and proper English Real Ales...
Red wine is my favourite tipple, especially a nice Corbiéres or a Crianza.I buy beautiful Schott Zwiesel wine glasses from The Wine Buff regularly, because I break them all too regularly and can't live without them!
I am fully Garda Vetted and have done the Child Protection Course twice.
I am ambidextrous, due to the fact that I had a horror of breaking my arm as a child and being unable to complete my exams. As a result I taught myself to write with my left hand - I'm not so good with my feet though!
I have un-diagnosed Dyscalculia. I don't see numbers the same way most people do and have always struggled with simple arithmetical problems containing more than three digits. I transpose the digits and come up with some very interesting answers - even when using a calculator. Remember! A computer is only as good as the person using it...
I simply love the science of Mathematics and found my struggle with arithmetic incredibly confusing and frustrating as a child. I can still do my trigonometry and even teach it when necessary - but don't ask me to do your Math homework for you!
The trees which surround our house make a sound like the waves breaking on the shore. When I hear that sound I can be anywhere I'd like to be...

I'm sure that you will all go away satisfied that you now know some of my quirks! Rest assured there are plenty more of them. Meanwhile I'm supposed to tag a few more people. This is where I get to panic as from experience I know quite a few who don't like being tagged and won't join in the fun.

Really this whole thing is much the same as a meme or a blog-hop, both of which have become incredibly popular here in the blogosphere. It's a great opportunity to visit places that you mightn't usually go or to get to know a little bit more about the people you think you know so well, either way it's a bit of fun and it has the added advantage of persuading readers to head your way. So please do join in the fun and tell us more about yourself - little known facts or things that make you happy please:

Sandie- The Crafty Side of Me & PaperPlay Challenges
Ann - Love Making Things
Claire - Waltzingmouse Makes & Waltzingmouse Stamps
Jean - The English Armchair Abroad & Up The Garden Path
George - Culinary Travels

So, I'm half way through my list of pals here on the blogosphere but now I've to go and grab a bite to eat before my busy evening begins. Usually this consists of a couple of hours here, followed by a couple of hours there and frantic rushing in between times! God give me strength is all I'll say!!!

Polly Pierce

Polly Recommends Garendenny...

2010-02-09T12:41:00.002Z

Check out this site I found on StumbleUpon!

2010-01-30T19:00:00.001Z

Discover Favorites Stumblers

Hi,

Love this old fashioned new idea, I just wish that we had something similar in my localality...

London's Unpackaged Grocery Shop: No Packaging Whatsoever ..
good.is/post/london-s-unpackag...

- Pollypierce

View now! >

About StumbleUpon
Discover great web content recommended by your friends and like-minded stumblers just by clicking the Stumble! button - learn more.
If you do not wish to receive emails sent by your friends via StumbleUpon, please click click here.

Polly Crafting On The Web?

2010-01-13T12:08:00.006Z

Once again I've spied some yummy blog candy and I want it! (see below) Not only do I want the candy which becomes available when PartiCra ft Ltd reach a massive 500 followers on their blog, but I want more...

PartiCraft Range of Un-Mounted Stamps

It seems that this company, who set up their blog back in June of last year, are not only on the web but they also employ direct sales techniques by hiring demonstrators who travel far and wide peddling their wares. I know that this really doesn't sound that inspiring, but wait just a moment. consider the fact that much of what is available to crafters' here in Ireland is produced by Design Objectives; consisting mainly of products in the Do-crafts or Papermania ranges. Yep, it's fairly limited, isn't it?

Cosmic Shimmer Range of Embossing Powders

Sure there are some independent craft companies who do stock more a wider range of more interesting stock. Unfortunately, access to them is mainly on the internet and seldom in the flesh. This of course means that craft addicts are restricted to buying stash without the pleasure of inspecting it beforehand.

PartiCraft, like several other mainly American companies have found a niche market. By holding craft parties in your own home or at a local venue; demonstrations of how to use their products and hostess rewards PartiCraft are different. Admittedly, things are on the up in the UK and there is probably a wider audience for their wares, but papercrafting is finally taking off over here and Irish crafters are frustrated with the lack of stash locally available. Maybe, just maybe this is where PartiCraft will triumph...

This Delicious Blog Candy becomes available when PartiCraft Ltd reach 500 followers...

One of the largest direct sales craft companies, American based Stampin Up; has declined numerous invitations to open up its sales force in the Republic, while it happily carries out its business north of the border. To add insult to injury their demonstrators/reps are not allowed to accept orders from an address in the Republic of Ireland either!

Fingers crossed that PartiCraft will have the foresight to cash in on an open market while it's still available. Meanwhile, I still want that blog candy and am offering it to you too! All you have to do is go to their blog, sign up to follow it, place a link on your blog and then e-mail them to let them know what you've done. It couldn't be simpler, could it? There is just one catch and that is that the candy will only be available once they've reached the five hundred followers mark...

Be good!

Polly Pierce

Polly Says Feel Your Boobies...

2010-01-12T12:16:00.005Z

During the past twenty odd years I have seen many things involving the human breast. Ranging from breast reductions in men to radical mastectomies and breast reconstruction using muscle tissues normally located on the patients own back...

I've comforted elderly ladies whose sense of decency prevented them from taking much notice of their own breasts. The resulting fungating tumour's purulent discharges expunging the contents of their mammaries finally forcing them to notice them.

I've celebrated the negative, the results of urgent fresh frozen section examinations while the surgical team waited back in the OR. I've sorted specimens, applied dressings, cut the sutures and provided the necessary equipment for all sorts of breast related surgeries - and I've faced my own mortality.
Strangely it took me weeks to pluck up the courage to consult anyone the pea sized lump in my breast, despite the fact that I was working in an area with a special interest in breast surgery. Those weeks could have been the difference between life and death had it turned out to be anything more sinister than a harmless cyst. I knew this and still could'nt face the reality of having discovered my own breast lump...

At the age of 25 I was lucky. My lump stayed with me for a few years and finally disappeared when I'd fed two children for nearly three years (in total) - quite obviously they had sucked me dry!

Two things I've identified that prevent many women from completing self examination are modesty or embarrassment and fear. Despite strong media campaigns on television, in newspapers and magazines many women still find themselves uncomfortable with idea of breast examination.

In other cases these women are frozen in fear of what may be. It's so easy to stand in judgement; though having experienced this for myself it's easier to understand. This is why I appeal to all my readers to promote breast examinations. Ladies; it's time to feel your boobies! Visit Feel Your Boobies.com to find out more...

No; Polly Does Not Intend Buying A Wedding Dress...

2010-01-08T13:29:00.003Z

Some time ago, long before I disappeared off the face of the blogosphere for Christmas I became a fan of Barnardo's on Facebook ; which means that I regularly receive updates about the charity's activities in the real world. Sometimes this can be depressing, as when they released their new advertising campaign - the adverts really hit home - and sometimes they come out with inspired new ways of raising funds...

Just today I received an update about Barnardo's first ever Sale. Yes, Barnardo's is having a sale. Something about that just doesn't sound quite right, so of course nosey parker here decided to investigate further. I must say that I was surprised when I got to the bottom of things; to discover that Barnardo's is holding a Bridal Sale.

Apparently the charity has Bridal Rooms in Carlow and Dun Laoghaire which stock brand new bridal gowns and accessories that have been donated by some of Ireland's top bridal retailers, wholesalers and designers; retailing at just a fraction of their high street cost...

For more information on this amazing opportunity to save a few bob why not visit their the Barnardo's Bridal Rooms Facebook page and have a sneak peak of the fantastic range of bridal gowns on offer for as little as €120.00 from Monday 11th January?

Ringling Beats Animals? Really!

2009-12-16T14:15:00.001Z

For years I've had a bee in my bonnet about circuses. I love the circus, don't get me wrong, but I don't like to see animals in the circus. Let's face it lions and elephants belong in the wild, not in trailers parked in freezing cold winter conditions of the Northern Hemisphere.

Not very long I spotted a line of penguins all ready to jump into a stand swimming pool opposite our local Tesco's and Aldi stores. While it was cute and it certainly caught my eye, it's just not natural...

Anyway, the reason I'm posting my thoughts on the circus is because of a compelling video posted on Facebook by one of my cyber friends. If ever I had any doubts about animal circuses this video and the site it's displayed on have answered them:

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/share.asp

I used to feel so mean when I deprived my children of the opportunity to marvel at the hilarious antics of the trained animals when the circus came to town. All the other kids were going, so why couldn't mine? Twice we did go to the circus. Twice we loved it. Twice we'd go again! Why? What made these circuses okay in my book of moral standards?

They were proper circuses staffed by family tradition and acrobatics, jokes and clowns, jugglers and trapeze artists, people whose families have passed down the tricks of the trade from one generation to the next. From the very young to the very old, the somewhat glamorous to the faded looks of the older members, the very slim and lithe to the heavily pregnant wife of the main performer. Each and every one of the folk appearing in the shows were doing so willingly.

They were not subjected to hours of torture in order to learn the tricks that the public wish to see. Perhaps the hours of practice required were torturous; but they, the humans chose this route and turned it into an art form all of its own. Just watch the video and have a read through the website and then maybe you too will start to think the way I do along with millions of others...

http://www.ringlingbeatsanimals.com/share.asp

Post Budget Homage to Brian Cowan...

2009-12-16T12:47:00.004Z

Hi there! Long time, no see! I've been missing in action for a few weeks now and for that I apologise. In truth I seem to have been so busy organising stuff for various charity events and groups that my family's involved in that I seem to have lost track of the other important stuff that I do for myself.

Admittedly, I've still been getting a little bit of exercise while surfing the net; sometimes for my on-going projects and just occasionally to let off a little bit of steam. I have however occasionally found something that tickled my fancy, whether this be safety warnings regarding car-jacking or something a little more light hearted. You see, I have been thinking of ye after all...

Anyway, one of the bits and pieces that caught my eye is the poster below. In short I found it on my i-Google desk top where I display the various RSS feeds of my favourite sites and blogs amongst the world clock, currency calculator and on-line time clock that I forget to use with alarming regularity. Nestled amongst these fascinating gadgets are the RTE Breaking News widget and several other similar things; but, right there in the midst of this is Laughing Lion Design.

Laughing Lion Design, owned and run by Jennifer Farley, offers graphic design, illustration, photo manipulation and photography services. Having worked as a designer for ten years, producing websites and graphic design for companies in Ireland, U.S. Australia and the UK Jennifer also works as an instructor, training clients in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Flash – the tools of the web trade.

This of course is where I come in! I enjoy amateur photography, with designs on creating professional quality photo's. Laughing Lion Design is a wealth of information for folk like me, ie those who have the interest, maybe even the means but haven't a clue what to do! Her Photoshop tutorials have proven invaluable.

One of the other reasons I subscribed to Laughing Lion Design is Jennifer's sense of humour which is clearly demonstrated by her artwork on this posts homage to our Taoiseach Brian Cowan in the wake of our most recent budget. Although a parody in nature, Jennifer has managed to produce this cynical piece of work without resorting to the usual unflattering caricatures that we're all so tired of by now...

Polly's Pro-Markers!

2009-11-25T13:26:00.005Z

I'm ba-aaaaaaaack...

Sorry to have been missing for what seems like an age, I just got myself inveigled into all manner of things that turned out to be somewhat time consuming. This of course left little or no time for crafting or blogging! Aye, little or no time...

I have just about managed to make a handful of cards for friends and being uber-organised (or rather not) forgot to either scan or photograph them for posterity. One day I even went as far as to take out the camera and turn it on, only to be informed in a somewhat superior tone that there was no memory card in the damned thing! Oh well.

Actually I'm really quite annoyed with myself over the whole issue of taking pics. There's no point in making beautiful cards for people if I don't show them off, is there? This time I was experimenting with new techniques and everything. There's always tomorrow (pref before midnight though!)

As well as inking up embossing folders with a brayer, resulting in a delicious embossed and coloured background effect I've recently been experimenting with alcohol based markers. I started off with water-colour markers but have more or less deserted them in favour of Pro-markers. Each has its disadvantages and its advantages, but I'm afraid the pro-markers win hands down...

The reason for this is simply due to the ability to shade the colours, which is something you really can't do with the watercolours. Unfortunately, this is really only possible to do if using the watercolours like water colour paints, ie rubbing the colour onto a palette and then diluting with different quanities of water to achieve the right shade. This is laborious and the results are variable, plus shading by layering the colour is guaranteed to destroy the surface of the card and result in pilling.

The result of having discovered that this doesn't happen with alcohol markers, which means that you can colour and shade with less hassle is that my already diminuishing craft budget is disappearing quickly. Made by Letraset, Pro-markers are also expensive; working out at around €3.25 each. Luckily, I've been able to use reward schemes from places like The Art & Hobby Shop to subsidise my newest habit...

Imagine my delight then when I discovered an example of blog candy right here on Blogger!? So, one link led to another and here I am writing about my favourite new toys. The real irony of this is that I was actually visiting Polly Pierce, yes another blogger whose on-line identity is the same as mine. So Paula, aka Polly Pierce sent me over to The Card Kabin whose Passion for Pro-Markers led me directly to The Crafty Cuttings of Wiccababe!

Just check this out, it's a fab prize to celebrate her 20,000 hits. Not content with this, she also has secured fantastic runners up prizes to give away: all consisting of humungeous amounts of the terribly expensive Pro-markers! I like to hide mine away from the children, firmly believing that they can get their own cheap nasty markers and leave mine well alone!

So, I guess by now you realise that I want this prize. Failing that a gift voucher for a store that sells Pro-markers would be good...(';')(nudge, nudge, wink, wink...)

Polly Sends Out Police Message...

2009-11-23T09:37:00.001Z

Warning..!!!!

WARNING FROM POLICE

THIS APPLIES TO BOTH WOMEN AND MEN
BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--
NEW WAY TO DO CARJACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

Heads up everyone! Please, keep this circulating.. You walk
across the car park, unlock your car and get inside. You
start the engine put it into Reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your
space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle
of the rear window. So, you stop and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view.
When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically run you over as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.
So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your
money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are
now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, lock your doors and just drive away.
Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you
read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and
family, especially to women.
A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.

Polly's Better Late Than Never!

2009-10-16T12:02:00.003+01:00

Apparently yesterday was Blog Action Day and the subject was Climate Change. The idea of this is that if all the Bloggers in the world unite on this one issue, the rest of the world, ie readers might just be inspired to make one change for the better which would result in a better world. Okay, so that is the idea in a nutshell. Put very simplistically I know, but hey, I live in my own little world!

Anyway, like I said the day of action was in fact yesterday. Seeing as I missed it, due to early morning starts and flying around the little world in which I live like the proverbial lunatic I decided to make my contribution today. There's never any harm in stretching things like this, it just pushes the message further and for longer. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it, so there...

In 1992 a twelve year old girl called Severn Suzuki addressed a United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Her words were harsh, well rehearsed and carried a very clear message to the world. They are of equal value in today's world as they were back then.

Having piqued my interest I went on a wonder around the inter-world and found some interesting facts about saving the earth. Severn Suzuki is still alive and kicking, living the life that she dreamed about and actively engaged in saving the world she spoke about so eloquently back in 1992. She's not alone.

These days the fight for the world continues with a wealth of useful information out there for the taking. Once upon a time this information was hard got, and in some cases still is, but the message is still out there and is being imparted just as eloquently by another generation of twelve year olds. Suzuki later discovered that actions speak louder than words, in this case they do so just as eloquently...

Below is a list of just a few of the sites I visited this morning when I should have been tidying the house and saving my own personal world from destruction:

More info about Severn Susuki on Squidoo
One minute to save the world
Shrink
My Zero Waste
The Rubbish Diet
SASS Magazine
Green Drinks

These are just a few of the places I visited this morning. While I enjoyed the journey immensely it's time for me to re-enter my own little world and prepare for a weekend of saving the earth in a different way...

All the best, enjoy ploughing your way through all these fascinating sites and think about how you can change too!

Polly Pierce

Making Greeting Cards To Rock Your World

Midlands Craft Club Celebrates In Style...

2009-10-12T13:39:00.004+01:00

Calling Crafty People in the Midlands! Why not come and meet like minded folk who enjoy crafting in Tullamore this Sunday? The Midlands Craft Club is two years old this month and to celebrate their success they are moving to a new venue. From 1pm – 6pm come and meet, chat, scrap, shop and craft in luxurious surroundings at the Tullamore Court Hotel.

Sandra Dunne from PaperPlay Challenges offers excellent tuition on putting together a seasonally themed scrap book page, this month it’ll be a spooky double layout for Halloween. Sneak peaks will be published here this week.

If you do have your own tools available

please bring them along as only limited supplies of spares are available.

Ideally you will need a sharp pair of scissors, a craft knife, craft glue and a cutting mat to protect your table.

No experience is necessary and all are welcome. If you’ve always fancied exploring the craft

scene, now is YOUR opportunity to try it out. For a modest fee, class materials and instructions are supplied, with excellent support from Sandra available at all times. In addition to this you will be making a card from the scraps and Sandra will be doing a quick demo on colouring images using distress inks.

Alternatively, if you would just like to meet people with similar interests and just make use of a space to craft the Midlands Craft Club would still be delighted to welcome you. Annamarie will be there with her Scrapbook Store offering the chance to pick up some gorgeous goodies for your stash.She will also be demo'ing The Slice from Making Memories.

NB. Children under the age of 14yrs must be accompanied by supervising adult participant.

Polly Shows Off Her Favourite Waltzing Mouse

2009-09-27T21:06:00.002+01:00

A friend of mine; Claire Brennan of Waltzing Mouse Makes, recently released her own line of stamps which have taken off like a bomb since her first set back in May. Anyway, Tuesday is a special day for Claire. Not only is she having a huge bumper release this month; ie six stamp sets (wow!) but she is also re-releasing her range of stamps.

This coincides with the opening of her new on-line store; which promises to be interesting not least because of the new range of stamps that she's been torturing her fans with over the past few days. Her release dates are always exciting due to the fact that she's been giving us sneak peaks; which are wonderful. Personally, I'm beginning to feel something like a peeping tom as I seem to be stalking the poor lassie...

Here in the world of Crafting with Polly, ie Vinca Cards I always think that it's nice to be nice. I love to give local businesses and friends of the flesh & blood and the cyber variety a little bit of a write up from time to time. I'll be honest though, there are times when my motivation to do this can be a little clouded by the fact that occasionally these friends are offering some really nice prizes for doing so. That said, this is mainly in terms of my crafting pals and their blog candy!

Well, today is simply one of those days. I can't miss the opportunity to give Claire a fanfare; which I would do anyway as I love her style and find her stamps invaluable, but also to wish her the very best of luck. Now for the ulterior motive which is to show my favourite stamp which has to be printed out in green - those were the conditions, honestly! It doesn't have to be one of Claire's, it can be any stamp which is your fave but it does have to be green, very green...

I don't know whether this card really fits into that category but I can't get it out of my head because this truly is my favourite stamp of all time. It is my all time favourite card which features a combination of the ornate heart from the Celtic Heritage stamp set from Waltzing Mouse Stamps, the most amazing designer backing paper from Die Cuts With A View's Luxury Stack (8"x8") a golden organza ribbon and my favourite paper of all time which is a luxurious metallic bronze type of colour with more than a hint of green in the right light.

Add all this together with Luxury Pearlised Cream card and some fabulous Gold Velum from The PaperMill Shop at Junction #1, Antrim and you've got something pretty special. So much so that I seriously can't get that card out of my mind! The name of the bride and the groom were hand-written in a matching bronze/green Sakura Gel pen along with a traditional wedding message written in Italian. As you can see Vanessa & Norman got married on the 9th September 2009 at Lake Garda in Italy and I have to say that this is the most romantic wedding card that I've ever made. I just hope that this sentiment continues into their lives for years to come and that they will be very happy...

I know that there's not a whole lot of green included in this card, but that which is there really does make this one stand out from the crowd. Regardless, I enjoyed the making and the giving of this card and that's what counts.

Meanwhile, if I'm lucky Claire might include me in the MONSTER COMPETITION for all six (yes, all six!) sets due for release on Tuesday. If anybody reading this fancies entering this competition why not whip up a card and post a link on Claire's blog - you've got until Midnight tonight!

Ciao!

Polly Pierce
Exclusive Hand-Made Cards From Ireland

Polly Learns: Distinctive Folds...

2009-09-21T11:38:00.005+01:00

A friend of mine was recently tidying out her hot-press/airing cupboard. Being pressed for space she took it into her head that she ought to learn how to fold a fitted sheet neatly and googled the subject! This is what she came up with:

Since she found this and posted it on her Facebook page she has been the object of ridicule. In a way I understand why she found it necessary to research the subject; flat sheets can be folded neatly and fitted sheets always make a mess of things. Don't they?

I give Bláithín O'Reilly-Murphy, author of Distinctive Weddings: Tying the Knot without the Rope Burns!10/10 for researching the most annoying subject of subjects known to woman kind; she certainly came up with the answer to this predicament, didn't she? Folding the laundry will never be the same after this and I for one say "Thank You!" (with one eyebrow raised) to her for solving the mystery of how to fold a fitted sheet neatly...

Have Fun!

Polly Pierce
Hand-made Irish Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationery

Pollys Love Of Irish Food...

2009-09-15T11:44:00.004+01:00

Although this post is definitely food related I decided to place it here on this blog to highlight the successes of local businesses and also to draw your attention to National Organic Week 2009. Just this morning as I wrote my posts for Vinca's-In-Tha-Kitchen I heard the tell-tale ping'ing noise which alerts me that something new has dropped into my in-box.

Surprisingly enough it was my copy of this months Glenisk Moosletter. Really this couldn't be more appropriate if it tried. The Cleary's of Newtown, Killeigh have been dedicated to things organic and green for a long time now! They have recently joined the Love Irish Food Campaign which is encouraging consumers to add just one more Irish brand to their shopping each week to help stimulate growth in the Irish economy and safeguard jobs.

What makes its arrival even better is the fact that once again these local people have won another prestigious award for one of their products

"Awards for Glenisk in 2009"
Glenisk Greek Style Yogurt takes Gold at the National Organic Awards

2009 National Organic Awards PresentationGlenisk has won
Best Retail Product at the 2009 National Organic Awards. The awards were presented at an event in Bord Bia, Dublin on 14 September, to mark the beginning of Ireland's National Organic Week.

The winning product was our Greek Style Natural Yogurt, launched at the end of 2008 - this product, which is also available in blueberry flavour, is Glenisk's creamiest most indulgent yogurt yet.

MD Vincent Cleary accepted the award from Trevor Sargent, T.D., Minister for Food & Horticulture at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food.

I'm pretty sure we will all agree that this is a great achievement for anybody's business, but what makes it extra special for me is the fact that these guys are locals.

In addition to this Glenisk is also celebrating the fact that it now available in Northern Ireland.

"Bringing organic dairy foods to Northern Ireland is an important step in our mission to create an Organic Ireland."

All that remains for me to say is congratulations and keep up the good work...

PaperPlay Challenges - Week 34: No Patterned Paper!

2009-09-13T19:42:00.004+01:00

This weeks challenge is to make a card using no patterned paper:

(sorry about the blur...)

I know that the white printed purple background appears to be patterned paper. That's because it is, but the trick is that I made it myself using various stamps from my crazy collection of clear polymer stamps, some puce coloured card from the Papermill Shop and Fresh Snow Pigment Ink from PTI.

The card itself was made for a friend of mine whose wife is very much into her fashion and jewellery. I masked off the heart in this lovely Penny Black stamp and replaced the heart with a perfume bottle, it somehow seemed appropriate!

Add to this the lovely shade of pale pink/mauve coloured dress using Pro-Markers and a Sakura gel pen or two, a pretty white organza ribbon and a black metallic charm in the shape of a heart; what more could a girl ask for? Nothing, except perhaps a great quote from the iconic Mae West: "Too much of a good thing is Wonderful!"

Maybe I'm wrong, but somehow I think this fit the bill on more than one count! What d'ya think?

Polly

Pardon? You Did What Polly?

2009-09-12T22:49:00.006+01:00

Yesterday, I finally embarked upon my ~~keep~~ get-fit regime. This entailed a visit to Tog 24, the purchase of some lovely breathable garments made from bamboo/charcoal fabric, unfortunately all dark grey or black, but hey, they were on promo. So I was happy, enthused (finally) and the sun was shining.

About three or maybe four years ago I purchased a new bicycle. Purple of course. Sadly, its first outing entailed a gruelling trip to a neighbouring village which lies about four miles away. As the children were much younger then I was compelled to follow them as they cycled off into the distance with little or no thought for their tired old Mum trailing behind them. These days I'd probably hurl abuse at them and turn for home...

Anyway the long and short of the above paragraph is that was the very last time I used my brand new sparkling purple bicycle. In the meanwhile both the children have commandeered its services from time to time and it's no longer as shiny or new. Still, it's in pretty good shape, it's mine and it works.

I decided a few days ago, in my infinite wisdom that I am going to walk the Dublin Marathon for charity. So, with just over six weeks to go it really was time to make a move on 'training'. As one of the symptoms of fibromyalgia is a lack of body temperature regulation. I am not only inclined to feel the cold, but also the heat. This of course means that I always have a top layer with me, even in the heat of summer.

At one time, before my diagnosis and the onset of reliable medication which have helped with this annoying and somewhat problematic symtom my family had often laughed at my insistence on wearing thick Aran jumpers/cardigans on the hottest of days. Even now, I tend to layer up for hikes up the mountains, as temperatures can vary depending on the altitude and the terrain.

One of our Scouts once asked me why I insisted upon wearing so many layers if I get sooo hot. My reply? So that when it's cold I'm warm and when it's hot I can strip off, with the added advantage of being able to share my clothing with kids who've just got soaked during a water fight in a mountain river...

To return to the purple bicycle of yesterday evening; I had also purchased a computer which measures distance, kilometres/miles per hour, calories burned and other exciting things like that. Yesterday it was finally installed on the front fork of my bike and put to good use on its inaugural journey.

Apparently I cycled a full four kilometres around the block in just over twenty-two minutes. Admittedly I stopped to catch my breath once or twice, but otherwise I was pretty impressed with my performance. This was especially due to the fact that despite my exertions, I wasn't particulary hot or sweaty - this is a first. So, the breathable fabrics worked and so did my poor muscles! (This gear will come in handy for mountain hiking!)

What did come as a surprise was the fact that once stopped and allowed to recover from the shock of actually exercising I became wheezy. So much so that I unwrapped my standby Salamol inhaler and took a couple of puffs. And then another - thankfully the wheezing stopped.

Today, is my last day of smoking. My first day of continued exercise - not only did I do four and a half hours of strenuous ground clearance in my Mum's garden I also walked the mile to the village for her newspaper. Okay, so it's actually 6/10's of a mile, but I did walk back again and only stopped to talk to the neighbours twice. This time I was in my all cotton gardening gear and got quite hot and sticky.

Apparently, I've turned over a new leaf. I counted my points for breakfast, dinner and tea and earned a whole days points on top of that for use in a well deserved glass or two of red wine.

My only regrets are that I've become so unfit that any of this is necessary and that I couldn't get my flaming chainsaw going after it ran out of petrol - and yes, this was after the fuel tank had been refilled! Still, I probably earned another thousand calories in the process. So now I'm off to sample some more of the nice red wine...

All Tea Towels - Linen Tea Towels & Cotton Teatowels

2009-08-24T10:26:00.001+01:00

A friend of mine put me onto this site earlier this morning. Now for anyone who's into their tea towels, aka BJK this site is a godsend...

All Tea Towels - Linen Tea Towels & Cotton Teatowels

Shared via AddThis

And All Because Me Mammy Said So...

2009-08-22T15:25:00.007+01:00

There aren't many of us who like being told what to do in this life and to be honest I am no different from most in this regard. Yesterday, however; was the exception.I was told in no uncertain terms that I was tired, but then again I am almost always tired...

The past couple of weeks have been so very busy, for various reasons, leaving me tired, pale, bleary eyed and cranky. In short, I have been overdoing it - again! First of all it was the Tullamore Show, then all of a sudden at relatively short notice it was announced that the Uibhe Fhaili Chapter of BNI were launching their brochure on the Wednesday evening prior to the show. Great idea, bad timing.

Mind you, as the launch was being held in public, ie lots of guests as well as our usual members and it was at a public venue, with a slide show and a microphone it did force me to hone my sixty second speech somewhat. The gas thing about it all is that in my haste, I left my hastily printed out copy of my speech on the floor of the front passenger footwell!

It's a good job that I had made a point of practising my speech. I'd got it down to a fine art in all but sixty seconds, it was great. Maybe that's why I was able to jot it down on the back of an out of date school circular and recite it word perfect? Despite having lost my train of thought totally, right in the middle of my sixty seconds I managed to carry it off with aplomb.

The following day the compliments were FLYING! Yes flying. Apparently my speech was the most animated and interesting of all, considering that we now have forty members this was no mean feat. I was very pleased and a little shocked. Possibly this had more to do with the fact that I was still half asleep, having rushed home from my evening engagement to spend an hour or more in the studio creating a special card for a favourite uncle's fiftieth birthday.

To discover at 6.30am that my eyes were sore from lack of sleep came as no surprise. The day was bright and beautiful and boy did my eyes rebel! Thank goodness for prescription sunglasses and strong dark coffee. Strangely enough we had a great Thursday morning meeting, my early arrival had created the wrong impression - nearly everyone was there.

Well, all but one. The guy who'd ordered the special card for his favourite uncle wasn't bloody there! How dare he, I'd stayed up until the small wee hours because I'd forgotten to make the card earlier in the week and then he doesn't turn up in time to collect it - arrrgh. It's kind of ironic really, as he seems to do this nearly every time. You'd think that by now I would've learnt my lesson, wouldn't you?

Just relating a part of this tale leaves me tired, despite the fact that for once I did as I was told. Yesterday was my day off, me mammy said so...

Polly Pierce

Polly's Critter Friendly...

2009-08-12T14:18:00.005+01:00

Don't ask me how, but last night I got very involved in a conversation which lasted until the small wee hours! I nearly died when I saw the time and my other half wasn't too impressed when I woke him up to come to bed. He knows me all too well! The mere fact that I was awake enough to awaken him meant that I'd been

"... on that flaming computer all this time...!"

Anyway, the long and short of it is that I was persuaded to find time out of my busy schedule to enter this little guy into the PaperPlay Challenges blog this week! To be honest it didn't take that much persuasion, as it was late, I was tired and it's a great prize...

For the chance to win some lovely blog candy this
week head on over to Paper Play and see what it's all about. Kerry Colson of An Siopa Bui is this weeks sponsor and has generously offered five Copic Markers (!) of the winner's choice.There are some lovely design team projects and a great selection of what other crafters out there have done too, suffice to say it involves critters!

Speaking of which my choice for this challenge is a hedgehog. The hedgehog is one of my all time great favourites, I just love 'em. Often times I've chastised the many dogs that I've owned over the years for trying to play catch with sleepy winter hedgies and marvelled at how their spines don't seem to bother the dogs mouths that much at all.

The next picture is of a huge hedgehog who frightened the life out of yours truly on Bastille Day 2006. Camping alongside the river Seine, in the centre of Paris with nothing more than a chain link fence between the tow path and us; God only knows what the source of the noise could have been!

Add to this the fact that we'd spent the evening admiring the sights and the traditional firework displays at midnight from the famous the Bateaux-Mouches, we'd been treated to what felt like a half a pint of champagne by our tour guide and were generally slightly worse for wear!

Is it any wonder that I was startled to realise that in the dead of night we had unexpected company; half of Paris was on the prowl!? Gingerly, after a panicked discussion on how best to handle the situation I shone a torch in the direction the noise was coming from and was relieved to discover this little guy.

When he'd finished his midnight snack, I took some other shots of him; standing on his hind legs - just like the one in the card! The poor thing was trying to find his way around our windbreak; which we'd inconsiderately blocked his way. One day I will get around to scrapping that particular experience and breathe a sigh of relief that our visitor that night was friendly...

Great memories or what?!

Polly Pierce
Vinca Cards

Pollys Wedding Crasher!

2009-08-04T11:11:00.008+01:00

Earlier this morning I was checking out my FaceBook page and noticed a great entry by my good friend Bláithín O'Reilly Murphy of Distinctive Weddings. Her latest entry on the blog has certainly come up trumps with some good old common sense and easy tips on how to choose colours for your wedding party. This instantly brought to mind a tale recently told of a wedding party witnessed at an exclusive hotel north of Dublin last week.

The bride who'd arrived in a stretch hummer(?) was spotted mounting the stairs for the obligatory photo shot. Witnessed by some twenty male guests from the balcony above the bride was observed holding her oversized meringue in both arms; the brides-maids were obliged to actually wait upon their bride. Assisting in this enormous feat, was the groom.

What made this event spectacular was the ladies in waiting. Donned in almost fluorescent orange hot pants and matching cropped laced halter-neck top top they made the bride appear demur; the bridal gown was the epitome of taste. To complement the ensemble peplums/trains of turquoise-blue voile flowed elegantly to the floor, having emerged like like a tail from the hot pants derriers!

So taken with the scene observed, my reporter neglected to remark the ladies footwear he did however notice one nice touch, often forgotten these days is the wearing of the mantilla. In this instance the ladies concerned each wore one in a delightful matching turquoise-blue accenting their outfits perfectly.

Sadly due to circumstances the decision taken by my intrepid reporter was not to acquire photographic evidence of such splendour, rather to leave without making any sudden movements and breathe a sigh of relief when he was able to open the throttle and re-enter life on the road.

Apparently, the young lady concerned did not have the opportunity to read the Distinctive Weddings blog!

Polly Pierce
ps.

A friend of mine left the following remark on my Facebook page:

"you're making that up Pauline!! or else your reporter just crashed a film set surely?"

Just to put the record straight this is a real life event witnessed by someone reliable, who chose to smile, just like the poor hotel receptionist and take their leave without drawing attention to themselves. Laugh? I nearly cried...

Happy Birthday Darling!

2009-07-27T23:13:00.005+01:00

So, I slipped up. I've been told off by a number of my loyal fans (aka BJK!) that I haven't been writing my blog posts up recently. I'm not sure if they (she) will approve of this post, as it is my entry for the PaperPlay Challenge Blog this 27th week of the year.

The theme is to produce a card which is suitable for a male recipient, in this case take your pick! The slightly racy stamp hails from Bombshell Stamps. Coloured with a combination of Whispers Watercolour Markers, Sakura Gel pens and the new ink from Colourbox, ie Smooch in Gold Lamé, I think that this definitely hits the spot.

To say that thi is a departure from my usual style is something of an understatement!? Life is for living and taking risks; especially seeing as I decided to stay at home in celebration of The Phoenix Festival, I can probably be forgiven. You see I originally purchased this line of stamps with the express intention of selling temporary tattoos to festival goers...

Ah well...

Polly's Holiday From Hell...?!

2009-07-19T13:08:00.004+01:00

So, after a three week break I am back! Well and truly back to the world of blogging. While I haven't posted here on my Peri-wrinkl'e & Piercing's! I have been busy elsewhere (oh, yes I have!)

As well as being rested and relaxed, as in very, our holiday in the north west of Ireland has done us all the world of good. Not only is my skin, especially that on my knees(?) a lovely shade of light brown, my legs, arms, neck and face is now almost fully recovered from the onslaught of the midgies, horseflies and virtually every other kind of wild life imaginable.

Ah yes, we had a grand time. We survived the rain, floods, attacks, injuries, insults, etc and at the end of it we got home in one piece.

BB looking out at the North Atlantic Ocean from Mallin Head

1. The rain - yes, I had foolishly booked us into a new campsite this year. I did not want to spend all fourteen days beside the Atlantic Ocean, so I booked three nights in a village just west of Gweedore. Less than a week before this Gweedore had experienced heavy down pour, flash foods and all that this entails but lightening doesn't strike in the same place twice. Right?
2. Floods - escaping the beach with moments to spare the heavens opened. Unfortunately they decided not to call time and didn't close. We drove to Dungloe and discovered a nice little takeaway, whose name escapes me, that produced proper fresh, battered fish - shame about the frozen chips which accompanied it! After we enjoyed our finger food DG drove us all back to our luxury accomodation, whereby we sheltered from the rain in the car for roughly half an hour. Eventually there was a slight reduction in the volume descending upon us allowing only the most intrepid to venture hurriedly towards the tent...
3. Attacks - "Oh My God...!" Six inches of brown, brackish water below sea level stood the boys room. It's contents ranging between drenched, damp, barely damp and miraculously dry. Action Mommy sprang into action without another word! Simply taking the brand spanking new spare groundsheet from its bag and spreading it out inside Mommy & Daddy's room, much to the amazement of DG. Now we had a second layer of waterproof protection on which to bed down.Sometime around here words became harsh and unkind as other members of the party began to panic...
4. Injuries - not withstanding the fact that the previous day I had ventured onto the back of a

rather stout mechanised bull and promptly dismounted in an equally un-lady like fashion, or the fact that I'd fallen asleep on the afore mentioned beach in a curled up ball over my ruc sac I just got on with it! No problem was too big or small for Action Mommy. Sadly, this entailed inviting the two boys to
share our sleeping accomodation while theirs dried out.This of course meant that both they and their rubber mats/airbeds, sleeping bags, and themselves all had to squeeze into our room along with Gypsophillus the dog! No problem, after all it is an eight man tent which means that our
room is intended to hold four fully grown adults. Hmmm! This obviously does not take into account the fact that LB sleeps like the proverbial starfish - with his knee in the small of his Mum's back.

5. Insults - not only did this result in broken sleep; my being squashed against the side wall of the tent invited further disastrous downpour INSIDE the nice warm, dry tent! Actually, no this is not what happened. Two things: a) I woke with back pain and stiffness which still is proving problematic nearly three weeks later and b) later that morning LB announced that he'd discovered two nasty looking ticks on his stomach!

All I can say is that despite all this, and a very nearly broken foot courtesy of the mechanical bull this was NOT the holiday from hell! We had a great time and survived all kinds of adversity, proving that we are made of hardy stuff.

My only regret is that at the time of the great flood, which was quickly dealt with I was unable to locate my camera and get some pictures taken. After all, who would believe it? While all of the above is absolutely true and accurate much of this is written in such a way as to obtain maximum dramatic effect, why not drop in another day and find out what we really got up to...?

Polly Van to Camp

2009-06-27T10:56:00.008+01:00

As many of my regular visitors to this blog will already be aware I am hopelessly disorganised. This sad state of affairs extends to many, if not most areas of my life not least blogging! Unlike my cyber friend Amanda from Feelgood Organic Hampers I do not follow through on my good intentions regarding gardening and producing my own food or scheduling blog posts for when I am on holiday!

Holidays you say? No it's not going to be anything exotic, in our house it seldom is. The most exotic holiday I've ever taken was the visit to the troglodyte cave hotel in Guadix, Spain. That of course is another story...

751 metres of Mt Errigal

No, it's camping yet again for us. Although I have managed to commandeer the plans and use them to my advantage much to everyone's disgust. Yesterday I booked us into Sleepy Hollows Campsite, which is a new one for us. It's still in Co Donegal, but it is also a few miles from the beach and only yards from the foot of Mount Errigal which I have determined to surmount during our well deserved rest from routine!(I wonder if this will count towards the mountaineering badge for the boys?)

After three days in the heart of the Donegal gaelteacht, (irish speaking area) where my children will have ample opportunity to practice their native language and gain confidence in using it for everyday things like shopping, we will move a little closer to the Atlantic Ocean. So much so that you can hear the waves lapping onto the shore from your berth nestling behind the sand dunes.

Downings, Co Donegal on a bad day - still no rain though!

My Mum describes Downings as being one of the last places that God created (presumably by then he'd learnt from his previous mistakes) and it's easy to see why. The sea is almost as blue as that of the mediteranean, the sands silver and the sun never ceases to shine - at least we've been lucky on that score. Last year as the rest of Ireland was doused in freezing cold rain the sun was splitting the stones on the north west coast of Donegal!

My only regret is that I still haven't saved enough invest in hiring a campervan. Compared with an average cost of between €20 & €30 per night and an overall investment of perhaps €300 in tents, airbeds, sleeping bags, etc the lap of luxury doesn't come cheap. Let's face it folks, Polly likes her bargain priced holidays!

I'm not exactly sure how I'd adjust to the confines of an RV after so many years of camping under canvas anyway. I dare say the children would be delighted, especially as it would have all mod cons and a telly! They'd be able to charge up their hand held computer gaming consoles and thinking about it, I'd be able to indulge my internet addiction and post while on holidays, listen to music and stand up while cooking or washing up.

There's generally a bathroom/shower area, which of course would do away with the midnight trips to the loo and a built in refridgerator too (strange combination of thoughts there?!) I'd also be able to indulge in my creative whims and use the electricity supply to heat emboss while making cards to send home, read by a good light and in the eventuality of the weather breaking keep warm and dry.

Me thinks I dost protest too much! Some very good friends of ours are heading in the opposite direction in one such vehicle at the same time as us and I really do have to admit that I am just a little bit jealous. I mean, who wouldn't be? Imagine getting up in the morning and piddling in your own loo at a time that suits you, rather than having to make yourself decent and then pluck up the energy to walk to the shower block. Yes, there are many advantages to hiring/owning a camper van and yes, I'd love one! Scratch that: I want one!!!!

Anyway, with all this beauty and my (too many) plans for excursions and mountaineering, it's quite unlikely that you'll be hearing much from me in the next couple of weeks. Then again, if I can get into the community centre beside the camp site I might even spend a couple of bob on logging in and posting some photos...

Camper Van, or no camper van, I still have to locate, prepare and pack for our excursion. So, if you will excuse me, it's time to get moving before we have to head off into town for the last Scouting activity of the summer. We're going bowling, having a sleep over, eating pizza and kayaking with Van Gillesan and the Tullamore Canoe Club at their open day tomorrow... (action packed weekend!)

Polly RelatesThe Tale of Squirrel Nutkin...

2009-06-24T11:45:00.006+01:00

I recently had a conversation about Squirrels. Initially it was the Grey Squirrel and then the convo turned to the by now endangered Red Squirrel, aka Squirrel Nutkin the cute fluffy hero of Beatrix Potter's books. Now the reason this all started was a tale told to me by my own dear DG. To protect the innocent I won't mention any names or details which might just make their identities obvious...

Once upon a time there was a lady, who decided to have a short break in a seaside town with members of her extended family. The weather was fine, the company good and all was well.

Back at home this lady had left her husband in charge of the house. Being a good and considerate husband he did his very best to keep the place spic and span for his wife's return. The weather was hot, so the considerate husband decided to air the house and opened the windows. Then he went out to do some shopping, to replenish the supplies for his wife's return home...

Upon his return he was shocked, nay, horrified to find that his home had been trashed in his absence - by a squirrel. Now anyone who knows a thing or two about squirrels will assume that this was one of the grey variety, who are well known for their untidiness and their destructive tendencies. The place was a mess and the good wife would soon be home.

Hurriedly the considerate husband did his best to repair the damage, tidied up and closed the windows so as to ensure that he had no more unwanted visitors. Again, he went out, this time confident that all was as well as could be expected...

Again the considerate husband returned to his home and was confident that he could finish off the tidy up operation and settle things down before his wife got home from her short break. Alas, this was not to be for the place had been trashed for a second time!!!!!

Now as if this wasn't bad enough, the considerate husband then discovered the culprit, curled up and fast asleep on the sofa...

Laugh, I nearly cried! This is a true story, which happened only last week. Goodness only knows how the considerate husband got the critter out of the house, because grey squirrels, as I already hinted at are vicious brutes and well able to stand up for themselves...

What I do know is that the lady concerned returned from her short break at the seaside to find her poor husband traumatised and her lovely home a mess. Luckily she has got a good sense of humour and can now see the funny side of things...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 4

2009-06-22T12:27:00.000+01:00

With her affinity for strong geometrical patterns combined with celtic symbology, this card is the latest in Claire Brennan's growing repertoire of spectacular creations.

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 4

Made using stamps from her yet to be released Celtic Heritage set, Claire really has struck gold, yet again. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this new set and am waiting anxiously for it to be released.

Hopefully tomorrow is 'R-Day'...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 3 Second post

2009-06-22T12:12:00.000+01:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I'm back again with yet another cheat post! Just take a look at this latest sneak peak from Claire Brennan, aka WalzingMouse, and you'll realise that I'm not really cheating:

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 3 Second post

I mean, who wouldn't want to give a friend a little bit of blog space? Especially when what the friend is doing is so darned gorgeous...

Hopefully release day will be Tuesday, yes folks, that means tomorrow...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 3

2009-06-20T12:04:00.000+01:00

So she's at it again! Now to be fair, not everything that everyone makes is always to my taste. That said, it doesn't mean that I can't admire their talent and the inherent beauty of a piece, even when it doesn't necessarily appeal to me...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 3

In this third sneak peak of her Celtic Heritage Set, Claire has taken some good old fashioned Irish sayings and turned them into a centre piece on their own. I heartily agree with every word and would be delighted to receive a card wishing me such good fortune.

As for the new baby card, you have to agree that this is a Fun card! Claire has given it a bit of a twist (excuse the pun) by wrapping the baby in swaddling clothes formed by a traditional cable knit pattern...

Her release date is hopefully Tuesday of next week. I am so looking forward to it, although all this activity on my bank account probably means that the bank manager is looking forward to seeing me in the near future! LOL - only joking! (let's hope that isn't a prediction!!!!)

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 2

2009-06-20T11:58:00.000+01:00

More from Claire over on Waltzingmouse Makes. She is really driving me mad at the moment, because I am just waiting for release day to come so that I can play for myself!

You may remember my take on her stunning ginger bread men earlier this month. Now they are nice, but this set promises to be stunning and I want it! NOW...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 2

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 1

2009-06-20T11:55:00.000+01:00

Earlier this month I introduced my friend Claire Brennan who has just released her own line of high quality polymer stamps. Her first sets were her ginger bread line, which reflects her love of all things Christmas.

Presently, in the lead up to release no 2 she is tempting us with sneak peaks, this is the first and it really is quite delicious! Check out this talented lady and her incredible work by clicking on the link below...

Waltzingmouse Makes...: Celtic Heritage Day 1

Unto The Prize Dear Polly...

2009-06-18T20:05:00.008+01:00

Ah, ha! So there you are, my dear blogger friend...

Why on a day like today, did you decide that you just had to get in on the act too? I mean, surely something had to act properly today? Didn't it?

Honestly, it's not all bad. I had a great meeting this morning at BNI and surprised myself by being uber organised, despite the fact that I went to bed a mere 2 hours before I was supposed to get up again. Actually, it was despite my resistance, almost a relief to get up. Last night was just so cold and as long as my guard was down, I felt as though I might freeze at any moment...

But it did get better. From the moment the sunlight of the early, and I do mean early morning hit my eyeballs I was warm once more. Not taking any chances I dressed myself in the bright yellow light pouring in the window in a demur if not slightly dowdy outfit comprising of brown cords, brown long sleeved tee-shirt and a shetland wool cardigan, some woolly socks and my fleece lined suede dessert boots.

I was warm and I wanted to stay warm. And so I did. At times I found myself overly warm, but I wasn't about to take any unnecessary chances and remained suitably dressed at all times throughout the course of the day. That is not exactly the truth though, is it?

Having survived a meeting, breakfast in Day's (super-heated - probably to do with clothing!) Hotel, done some paperwork, driven out & then back into town again, had coffee with a friend and her three year old daughter, I found it necessary to remove just the outer layer whilst incarcerated in the school hall. It was hot, stuffy, over packed with hot & stuffy bodies, children, babies and goodness only knows what else.

To my relief I quickly found a comfortable seat, despite being late and proceeded to actually enjoy the show that the kids put on for us tolerant adults. It was actually good, I enjoyed it. That can't be right!

This year, much like every other year the programme was different, actually it was delightful. The children each did their bit, some on solo, some on chorus and others just doing their thing. We had a sad moment as we remembered one of our favourite teachers who has not been well of late, and we celebrated life with a cuppa tea & and slice of shop bought victoria sponge cake which was delicious.

When all was said and done, I then got to investigate the package my friend had given me. In it I discovered some lovely scrapbooking papers, ribbons and lots of lovely stash which she had been about to throw out, until good Christian that I am I stepped in to save the day...

To make things even better, ~~a random integar generator~~ person with very good taste has selected me to receive a prize! Over on PaperPlay Challenges I had actually managed to enter one of their 21 challenges, I say actually because it is no mean feat for me to be organised enough to photograph/scan my own creations. I had to make something, anything but it had to have a twist! I gave it a twist alright, I made a purple and pink father's day card!

As the pic is very small, & I can't seem to make it bigger, click on it for a better view!

Anyway it seems that I won the challenge! What's even better is the fact that I won a great prize donated by AnnaMarie's Dublin based Scrap Book Store .ie. The Pink Paislee latest scrapbooking papers are called Fascinating, and what is even better is the fact that I am the lucky winner!

I know I use the word thrilled quite a bit when I'm pleased about something. Perhaps I even over use the word, but it's true: I really am thrilled. So thanks Sandie from PaperPlay Challenges and thank you to AnnaMarie at The ScrapBook Store...

Maybe I'll be making and photographing more and more of my creations and showing them off, cos if this doesn't give me confidence, nothing will!

"Congratulations, and jubilations, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah..."

I know, I know, self congratulations and all that! But, I just had to share...

2009-06-17T10:29:00.006+01:00

Over on Wedding Dates I came across the following invitation! I think it's an excellent take on so many relationships and just had to share it with you...

Polly Considers Homocide...

2009-06-15T13:55:00.004+01:00

I wonder if there is an actual name for people who murder their granny's? Matricide is the unlawful act of killing ones mother, so I wonder if this would also be the term for killing granny?

No I am not going to kill one, aside from the fact that both my maternal and my paternal grannies are long dead, I simply don't have the urge to. I do have the urge, however to commit a certain act upon one whom I hold dear to my heart...

When you see the beautiful scrapbook layout made by Ann on her I Love Making Things... blog, you will understand. HE murdered my aquilegia's!

Now these weren't just any old Aquilegia's, they were old fashioned Grannies Bonnets as pictured above. As I don't like the modern cultivars, I don't have any. Every year I have waited for the arrival of these little beauties and admired their delicate beauty bobbing up and down in the wind. I love to compare their subtle colours and generally just enjoy them.

In fact, I was doing this with my Mum on Saturday. As I demolished the treat sized pot of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream seated at the garden table, she asked if I could save her some of the seeds of a particular flower that was growing out of a crack in the path. Apparently it was a slightly different shade of blue from any of the ones she has at home...

Poor DG wasn't prepared for the exasperated scream emanating from the lungs of his missus! The look of horror and disappointment when he realised his mistake, having also trashed the comfrey growing alongside the barbecue. Say no more, I took a deep breath, apologized for my reaction and set about saving the odd stick with a flower on it.

Later yesterday evening, I took it upon myself, while dinner was cooking, to visit the whole of our estate and admire DG's handywork. After all I had to make it up to him, my lack of tact at his stuff up with the pretty flower, hadn't I? What a shame then that I immediately let rip with a stream of rather loud expletives. Having rounded the corner of the house I discovered he hadn't been satisfied with having demolished one of the only pretty things in the garden, he'd finished the job off properly and strimmed everything else that was growing in the crack between the path and the wall of the house. Grrr!

The list isn't necessarily inclusive, but it did include some more Acquilegia's, Forget-Me-Knots and feicin Strawberries too! To add insult to injury, I then spotted a rather large tuft of grass growing between the wall of the house, the path and an ugly wheelie bin which had shelted it from DG's exertions!

Still, after a full four hours of strimming, the garden does look a whole lot better than it did before ( it is rather large, btw). Even the roadside verges and banks received his special treatment, the pretty brackens and wild flowers are no more, but then neither are the brambles or docks!

His reward? A torrent of abuse, vibrating hands and a lump forming in the muscle of his forearm! Still, with Ann's lovely scrapbook layout to look at, I might find it within myself to forgive him, after all, apart from the lack of pretty flowers the garden does look soooooooo much better!

Polly is busy, busy, busy...

2009-06-15T12:29:00.011+01:00

Just so that nobody thinks that I've stopped making cards altogether I had a card making blitz yesterday in preparation for Father's Day. Here are some of the cards that I threw together, I'm sure you'll agree that each is quite different from the other...

this is my favourite using Bombshell Stamps 'Homeward Bound' set.

Sometimes when I scan a card into the computer it doesn't look that great as these cards demonstrate. The gentleman on the right has been in my collection for such a long time I can't remember where or when I got him. To date he has been on two outings, but has turned up trumps each time...

The lovely PaperTrey Ink image from their Father Knows Best set is a prime example of the cards not looking their best. The card itself looks a million dollars, with the simplicity of the design, stamp, etc. Unfortunately, the raising of the image to create a 3 dimensional effect has cast an unfortunate shadow, which takes away from the colour of the swirly leaves on the tree!

Maybe this monochromatic gentleman would fit into this weeks PaperPlay challenge; after all, how often do you get bows and bling on a card for a man?

Yes, me thinks it's time I made myself a tent for photographing my cards in good light all the time. These cards are definitely not being shown off to their best advantage!

Finally I made this card with this weeks PaperPlay Challenges blog in mind. It's remit was to make anything you like, but make it a bit different and so I made a masculine Father's Day card using pink and purples as underlying themes! Strange, huh?

I can't help thinking of this stamp as "King Richard"

And that's not all, as later this week I've got to produce a couple of Grand-dad and Great Grand-dad cards for some very special people, just to let them know that someone out there cares for them a great deal...

Marie Curie Cancer Care Update

2009-06-11T19:49:00.003+01:00

Create a Card for Cancer Care 2009

The campaign is now closed and the 109,500 completed cards we have received are now being sent out to Marie Curie shops around the country.

Michelle Carroll, Marie Curie Cancer Care Nursing Ambassador, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the campaign. The sale of the cards you have made will raise a fantastic £109,500 for the charity and can be picked up for just £1 in Marie Curie shops. These funds will provide over 5000 hours of free nursing care to patients with terminal cancer and other illnesses in their own homes.”

Click Here to watch a video with more information on the campaign.

Polly'ternative

2009-06-10T15:30:00.008+01:00

Just every now and again, I take it into my head to do a post relating to the condition Fibromyalgia. This is something which I am all too familiar with, but am at once grateful for the opportunities it has presented me with and resentful of the problems it has caused.

During my travels, whilst investigating this annoying medical condition I encountered Alternative Anna or Silverleaf as she is known on Twitter. Either way, she has been a useful contact for someone approaching a complete change in their lifestyle and career pathways. Checking in every now and again to catch up on what she's been up to has reassured me that this unfortunate condition is indeed not a figment of my imagination rather something real!

On the days when I have no energy and my interest levels have zeroed out Anna is always a source of inspiration. Perhaps this is because like me she just gets on with it as well as she can, and when she can't, she can't! This has been well documented and like I said it has often reassured me that the feelings and the pain I endure is not psychosomatic, imaginary, or anything else but real!

Recently Anna started to put her polymer clay jewellery up for sale on her ETSY shop. This is lovely, and I would probably buy some if I hadn't started doing much the same thing myself. She is also selling the most delightful little knitted hedgehogs, the proceeds of which she is donating to hedgehog rescue charities.

My first sight of these adorable little creatures was on her blog. She had posted a tutorial, which to be honest at first sight didn't impress me terribly. This is probably why I don't knit much; apparently I lack the imagination to envisage the finished product - anyway, I continued to scroll down and found this!

Isn't it just gorgeous? Well it is if you love hedgehogs, so there! This of course could have something to do with the fact that I have a thing about hedgehogs as my photo of the Paris campsite in 2006 will show!

This little guy was our only visitor on Bastille Day and he only called in to complain that we had blocked his run with our windbreak. Thankfully we were able to appease him as he helped himself to our left-overs which had been waiting for me to tidy them up following our rushed evening meal. Sadly our guided tour around Paris and fireworks display from the Seinne took precedence over the washing up...

At this stage in the post you're probably wondering what this has to do with Fibromyalgia. Apart from the fact that our trip to France was taken before my medications had been sorted out, the fact that I was constantly in a lot of pain, suffering with chronic insomnia and surviving on five hours sleep with the aid of a table absolutely nothing!

I am thankful that this routine has since changed for the better. If I take all my medications on time and go to bed at a reasonable hour I now dream and have restorative sleep which allows me to wake at a reasonable hour feeling refreshed.

Sadly, this is not naturally induced and I often find myself in a position whereby it's not possible to stick to this routine and then suffer the consequences, which is where people like Anna come in. They remind me that I'm not okay. Anna makes me realise that I am not alone and that it is okay for someone who looks okay, like I do, to feel crappy the way I do so much of the time.

I sit and look around my home at the end of what used to be my working day and wonder what the hell I've done with my time, but reading Anna's blog reminds me that I'm not okay and it is okay for me to feel like this. Thank You!

Polly Pierce

Polly Plays

2009-05-26T21:17:00.006+01:00

So my excitement was worthwhile. After only a couple of days waiting my package from WalzingMouse arrived, having been despatched on Saturday from the North of Ireland.

To tell the truth, I was beginning to feel a little guilty about not having done anything with the set for two whole days so I set about playing with it this evening. The price I paid for this endeavour was high...

I had set a lovely tender beef stew on the stove to cook slowly while I was playing out in my craft studio. Having been neglected by those left in the house disaster was narrowly averted; the addition of some crushed garlic & ginger, tomato paste and a few spices saved the day. When served with buttered basmati rice it tasted pretty good; thank goodness I caught it when I did!

Back to my card making: as you can see the quality of what I've done is far from perfect, but you get the idea, right? I think it's a valuable lesson learned, use a slightly heavier weight card for my mounting paper rather than expensive lustrous paper which is in short supply. The idea was good, but it didn't quite work, did it - notice the 'bagginess' - although on reflection it could be a shadow as the real thing doesn't look that bad.

The stamp set used is a really Christmassy stamp set, created by my friend Claire Brennan of WalzingMouse Stamps. This is one of her newly released range of high quality polymer stamps which reflects Claire's craziness when it comes to Christmas - she's an addict!

Just to be awkward I decided to do something a bit different. Seeing as my youngest son LB celebrates his birthday just three days before Christmas it seemed kind of appropriate to make him a birthday card. I hope that you like it, and more importantly that he does - even if it is a tad early/late!

Materials used:
plain blue paper} - The Paper Mill Shop
lustrous white paper }
white hammered card }
Joanna Sheen Italian Marbled - Warm Backing Paper Pad
Stazon Ink black
Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye & Old Paper
PTI Perfect Match Palette Hybrid Ink - Dark Chocolate and Fresh Snow Pigment Ink(on ribbon)
Heat It Up embossing powders, copper, black, blue glass and clear
Colourbox Fluid Chalk Ink Blue Iris
Anita's Gem Stone Wheel
Lavender Grosgrain Ribbon - Dovecraft's
Brown Ric-Rac Ribbon - American Crafts
Buttons - Prima

So now that I've shown off my latest creation and pointed out its faults, I am happy to report that the stamps worked like a dream. Like a lot of new stamps it was necessary to condition them, this removes any residue and makes it easier for the ink to adhere to the images and results in a better impression.

After use I wiped the stamps down with moist toilet tissue from Lidl and returned them to their acetate sheet with the in built cling still very much intact, which is great because this isn't always the case! All in all I am delighted with my new stamps and wish Claire every success with her new venture, why not give her a visit and see for yourself...

Polly Pierce

Bear Grylls, our new commander and chief

2009-05-25T23:47:00.001+01:00

facebook
Pauline Price 25 May 15:47	Bear Grylls, our new commander and chief To paulineprice.blog@blogger.com This boys and now girls is the current position on scouting in the UK. Here in Ireland things are slightly different. Our Chief Scout is a gentleman by the name of Michael John Shinnick, who is just that, a gentleman. The appointment of Bear Grylls will undoubtedly raise the profile of Scouting world wide and hopefully attract more youngsters to the movement. As Scouting is recognised as promoting the personal development of young people around the world, and has been for over one hundred years this can only be a good thing... At present, there is a live waiting list of young people who wish to get involved in Scouting. Maybe the appointment of someone with such a high profile as Bear Grylls will encourage adults to get involved also. All I can say is that I hope so. Scouting is not only Fun (note the capital F), it is also rewarding - their adventure is our adventure... Russel Rusky McQuillan puts forward the case in this post far more eloquently than I, so check it out and put on your thinking caps ladies and gentlemen, for now is a time of change and progression. Why not get involved, give something back and you never know, you might EVEN enjoy it... Pauline has shared a link to a note with you. To view the note or to reply to the message, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=634812934&k=SX15366Y4Y5M5ACFUG63SU
	If you do not wish to receive this type of email from Facebook in the future, please click here to unsubscribe. Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

Does Polly Ever Stop?

2009-05-23T16:05:00.004+01:00

Right now I should be out in my studio making up some very special greeting cards which have to be shipped off early next week. As usual though I have been side tracked by something very close to my heart; children.

As a mother of two young boys, who seem to be growing like grass at the moment I seem to get myself involved in all sorts of weird and wonderful activities. Today is no different from usual in that regard; having rushed home from Tullamore and carefully adhered to the speed limit I got home safely without the need to attract the attention of the Gardai. I wish I could've said the same two weeks ago, but that's another story altogether...

I made the mistake of sitting down at the PC, in my favourite and well used computer chair with the express intention of checking out my e-mails and catching up on the gossip over on Facebook before starting work. Unfortunately I then found out that my friend over at the Offaly Dyslexia Group had placed a post this morning asking for help with fund raising. The rest as they say, is history!

From sending frantic e-mails to other friends in other voluntary/charity groups, to writing up posts and pretty much anything else you might like to mention I find myself back here on my Peri-wrinkle's (which by the way are beginning to show!) writing up yet another post begging for your support. Seeing as I am reasonably sensible, I'm now going to direct you to the original post and hope that you will see fit to help out if you can...

Thanks for taking the time to drop by.

Polly Pierce

Claire Reveals All To Polly!

2009-05-21T19:22:00.003+01:00

Despite the slightly saucy title, immediately after I left my last post I dropped right back to Claire Brennan's blog. Not right then, before my very eyes but upon my third time of refreshing the page it did appear!

So, of course I clicked on the link and went through to her new on line store, Walzingmouse Stamps which for the moment is being run from her second blog. This is not a disadvantage, rather the opposite as it allows for eager beavers like myself and Joan to leave encouraging comments and leave evidence of our enthusiasm for the world to see.

Unfortunately, the details of my on-line spending is also there for the world to see, but what the hell - it's for a good cause, ie a stamping friend who just happens to live in the island of Ireland! Not only that, this girl's a genius on the design front. Her first stamps are a good indication of her obsession with a certain season, I think you should drop over there and have a look for yourself!

The reason for my success in my bid to be one of the first to purchase is probably the fact that I am already the proud owner of a PayPal account, which makes it very easy to make transactions, without all the hassle of having to reach as far as your handbag to find the wallet...

All that remains now is for me to wait patiently for them to arrive and then get stamping, stamping, stamping - as if I don't have enough to do! I finished at 1.30am this morning, with six lovely new cards to show off to the world. Once I've completed the transfer from my camera phone, I'll post them here.

Polly
ps I've just found another blog, ie A Passion For Papertrey dedicated to the creative style that Claire and I love, why not visit and see for yourself. Maybe if you're lucky you'll win one of the PTI limited edition Anniversary Sets which is up for grabs as blog candy...