Cath Sheard Art

Tag: Christmas

  • Surgery isn’t all go after all

    Tony’s surgery has been postponed to 13 January as there is someone else whose need is more urgent. To ensure Tony doesn’t wait any longer than is absolutely necessary, they are booking him under a different surgeon at Waikato because it saves a week’s delay. We’re disappointed and upset but, having had Mum in and out of hospital for the last 14 years of her life – mucking up waiting lists in all directions, we know how quickly someone else can take precedence. I hope the person who is getting urgent surgery recoveries quickly and starts 2014 feeling a whole lot better than they currently do.

    I’m also sad that I’m now not spending Christmas and Sandra’s 50th birthday with her – I was so looking forward to it, and to helping her through a difficult bunch of firsts without her Mum. But, as she knows, I’ll be with her in spirit, as always.

  • Surgery confirmed – all systems are go

    Tony’s surgery is confirmed for Monday afternoon; we need to be at Waikato Hospital early Sunday afternoon for scans, pre-op etc. Although it’s awful timing, in the sense that he’ll spend Christmas and probably New Year in hospital, and I have to come home and do the newspaper and look after the animals, we’re so grateful it is being done urgently.

    Last year, when they did the first bypass, he was only in hospital 2 or 3 nights but this time they expect it to be between 7 and 10 days. I suspect this is more major surgery because of what’s gone wrong – whatever that might be. We won’t know for sure till they do the scan Sunday afternoon.

    I’m also grateful that I can stay with Sandra, my best mate of more than 45 years (not that I’m actually that old). It’s her first Christmas and 25 Dec birthday without her Mum so it’ll be great to share it, and the stress, with her. Plus she has wine…

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  • A little Christmas house

    I am a regular follow of Tim Holtz’s blog and have been looking at the Christmas decorations people make with considerable envy, although I admit most of them are way too fiddly for my patience level. The other day I was in @yourlotto in Hawera looking at the KaiserCraft mdf projects and there was a small fairy castle. It’s only about 5″ square and $11 – perfect! Finally, a wee Christmas decoration I felt I could tackle.

    I painted the inside white and then stenciled a pattern in silver onto it using one of Michelle Ward’s stencils. I covered the outside using KaiserCraft “Just Believe” 6.5″ papers, and had plenty left over for making more Christmas cards too. I added some die cuts and a mountain of Kindy Glitz round the tops of the spires to look like snow or icicles. I don’t usually use Kindy Glitz but I loved it for this project.

    The only problem I ran into was that I painted and papered over the tabs that hold it together and then they wouldn’t fit into the slots, so I had to sand them back. Other than that, it’s the first time I have tried one of KaiserCraft’s mdf projects and I’m sold on them.

    My icy fairy castle is now on our mantle piece with a candle in the centre, looking very snowy and festive.

    castle 2 castle 3 castle 4

  • Making Christmas gifts: farm dog painting

    Some of my close friends and family will be getting home-made gifts this year. This is for a good friend whose farm dog likes nothing better than to sleep in an old armchair in the corner of the lounge. Done in acrylics, the matted size is 25 x 21cm. I love the black and white coat of Border Collies; in this case I have captured it in purples, white and a little blue. I took serious liberties with the wall colour behind her, but I’m sure the owner won’t mind!

  • It’s the 25th of December, so…

    Whatever you believe, and however you choose to celebrate, I hope you have a lovely peaceful day. With no children in the house it is hard to get too carried away, but we’ll be phoning family later on to see how their day is going. We’re just pottering round the house and then having a roast chicken for dinner. We’ll swap presents late afternoon and that’s about it really. Because it is a week day, Tony is on ambulance duty as normal, so let’s hope it is uneventful…

    Merry Christmas