A warm welcome to all my visitors,

Thank you for taking the time to come and look at my blog, I really do appreciate it. I would love you to leave me a comment, even if it’s just to say Hi. It means I can come visit you!

All my designs are original, so copyrighted to me. If I have been inspired by someone elses work, I have named them in the post, and where able, I have provided a link.

Please feel free to use my designs for inspiration, I just ask you to credit me, and provide a link back to my blog.

Thanks, Shaz XX

Tuesday 28 June 2011

WOYWW #108


Happy WOYWW to everyone, pop over to the Incredible Julia Dunnitsfor this weeks wander around the workdesks.

This is whats on my desk at the moment- a pair of new blades for my Silhouette, courtesy of E-bay, and two purchases from The Works. A flexible ruler, which I thought 'will come in useful'- I have a houseful of stuff bought under THAT particular mis-apprehension, lol, and the book, Handmade Celtic Cards, by Paula Pascual.


Its a Search Press book with 48 pages, full colour, and some lovely ideas.








As you can see, nice clear illustrations & directions.


















Lots of ideas, using stamping, embossing & peel-offs onto card, acetate & metal or metal foil.
And as it was reduced to 99p, I consider it my bargain of the month!

The reason there is so little to see on my desk this week, is that I intended to spend Sunday crafting, to give me stuff for this week. However, that plan went out the window thanks to Ambrose.You may recall seeing him on my post a couple of weeks ago, looking quite handsome. This is a photo of him taken today.

You see the bald spot over his eye? This actually looks a lot better now than it did on Sunday morning. I had taken my coffee out to sit on the decking, with a cigarette (or two), before getting down to stuff, and he comes walking up the garden, looking like the definite loser in a recent brawl! The swelling above his eye was seriously raw, and looked infected. Looking closer, I saw a tick just below his ear, and I think he must have been trying to scratch it off and had scratched off all the fur, and made it bleed. So a visit to the vets was needed, and fortunately, Pets At Home have a vet on the premises on Sundays. 
So he is now on antibiotics- and we had the choice of tablets or liquid. Given the trouble we have had before trying to get pills down him, and believe me we have tried every known method, and invented a few ourselves, we went for liquid. While not exactly any easier, at least he has to swallow liquid- pills he just keeps in his mouth until you finally release him, then spits them out. We've held his mouth shut and stroked his throat for 10 minutes before now- doesn't work- put pills in food- he just eats around it! The difficulty comes in because he HATES being picked up or held- he loves to be fussed, but is not a lap cat, and really dislikes being handled. So it takes at least two of us to get his medication down him, twice a day, and is really not the ideal start to your day at 5.30am! But as I say, it is doing the trick, because he does look better. The other news is that he is now on a strict diet,lol. Apparently he is overweight- 6 kilos, and he should only be 4. So now he is on dried cat food, a rationed amount daily. I admit, looking at the side of a box of Whiskas pouches last night, ( maybe I should have done this before), it does say that a neutered cat should have no more than two pouches, or 1 1/2 pouches & 50 grms of dried food a day. Ambrose had 2 pouches for breakfast!
 To add insult to injury, it was stiflingly hot here on Sunday night, even with the windows open & fan on, I was so hot I couldn't sleep, so eventually I turned myself around on the bed, and lay down again with my head at the foot of the bed, closer to the fan. I did then drift off to sleep- I know this because I got an extremely sudden awakening. I obviously turned over in my sleep. and because I was facing the opposite direction, -THUD- I landed on the floor! I sat up, somewhat startled, and my Beloved Husband ( who had woken up at the thud) checked I was alright, then howled with laughter at me! And no, there are no pictures of that particular event,lol.



19 comments:

Sarah said...

Book looks great and full of ideas...years ago I remember trying to treat our cat with pills. Well - it took four of us, 2 towels and goggles...hope he perks up soon.
Hope you will call by Friday for the first My Mojo Monthly. Thanks for sharing today.
Sarah at 6.

MaggieC (Silvercrafter) said...

Poor Ambrose. I well remember trying to treat three cats at the same time - they all got cat flue together despite having their jabs. Cheese was our best way of getting tablets into them. You cut a small cube of cheese, warm it in your hand until you can mould it around the pill. Usually you have a totally frantic cat by then, drooling to get the cheese, and they will gobble the cheese before noticing the tablet in the middle. A good liquid to hide stuff in is condensed milk, also very tasty and smells good to them. Failing all that, you need our Steve, who is a brilliant cat wrapper.

Donna Heber said...

Hi Shaz,

I hope Ambrose is feeling better. What a sweet kitty you have. Your Celtic book looks wonderful - lots of new inspiration.

fairyrocks said...

A new idea book, wonderful!!!
A scrappy kat...not so wonderful.
And seriously you didn't see the other combatant, so you never know kit kat might have held his own. Hope everyone is on the mend soon.
Keep smiling and creating

Tertia said...

ROFLMAO! That is something that could very easily happen to me. That book looks awesome!
Happy WOYWW

Kathleen said...

Poor Ambrose hope hope he feels better. the book looks great there's always something beautiful about the complexity of Celtic art, I've three or four books on the subject of creating your own, it's a bit like having a grand piano having one does'nt mean you can play it lol. So I just admire what others do with those fabulous knots.
Kathleen x

Anonymous said...

Awww, poor kitty...or is it poor you? lol Have you tried the kitty burrito technique? The trick is to use the largest possible towel, wrap tight and work fast!

Those Celtic cards looks fascinating, make sure to post when you make some. :-)

I also have one of those flexible ruler thingies. It's one of those things that you don't need real often, but it's great to have when you do need it.

Happy woyww!

Sandy #94

Unknown said...

Poor Ambrose, I think my worst cat experience was when mine slipped off the side and fell in the bath with me - neither of us enjoyed!! Lovely blog - will visit often.

Kim Dellow said...

Oh boy! Poor kitty :( AND Poor You! Eek! Hope you are both doing ok! Kim

okienurse said...

Husbands can be as insensitive as they can be endearing...I know mine would have had a good laugh too! Poor Ambrose. I hate ticks in the worse way. I had Lyme's disease (animals and human share it) and it wasn't a lot of fun! Love your new book. Celtic knot work is so interesting and then to put it on a card... Vickie #39

Angie said...

Great post ...yes I too have things I thought might be useful ...I now think twice ...or even thrice before buying but I too love a bargain.
Poor Ambrose ...so glad he's on the mend....as for weight ...I have some seriously overweight ones and some that are under ...with so many it is hard to moniter.
Word of advice ...if you are going over to 100% dry make sure he drinks plenty ...in the hot weather use a syringe to squirt it in to his mouth if he is a reluctant drinker. Male cats can get crystals in the bladder ...dehydration due to heat and dry food can agrivate it. We have two that we have to watch
and we lost one to it....many cats are fine.xx

ShazInOzCardsCalligraphy said...

No pickies there Shaz of the night time crassssh!!! oh, what a shame but you did have me laughing that is what WOYWW is good for a laugh! and commiserations on Ambrose - cats are very determined creatures aren't they? wont believe you actually care for them and let you give it to him okay... our puss Snooksy died from a tick so glad you caught in time have never had another cat. She found us, not we her.. a funny little thing, was sad when we lost her. ah well know there will be craft next week and agree that was one bargain book well done you! Shaz in oz.x

April said...

Ahhh poor Ambrose... and poor you for falling our of bed :o) your book looks very interesting, great bargain, thanks for sharing.

Elizabeth said...

Hi Shaz, your poor, poor cat - hope he is recovering nicely by now. The Boss has been to the vet's today for her yearly check up and booster - so we are not in her good books. I always wrap her in a towel before giving her any medication, though sometimes I just give in and let the vet take the flack :) I'm sure I've seen that book somewhere recently costing a great deal more than 99p. which reminds me I haven't been to The Works in a long time so will schedule a visit to see what other bargains they might have. Have a great week. Elizabeth x #83

Fiona@Staring at the Sea said...

The book looks great and a real bargain. Hope Ambrose is all healed up very soon:)

Neet said...

Your story of trying to give Ambrose a pill so reminded me of my dear Princess Tabitha. She wasn't a lap cat either so you could not lull her into a false sense of security - rather a battle of wills. Hope you manage to get the anti-biotics down him - we wrapped Tabs in a towel to give medicine - a feat but the best we tried. Oh the tales I could tell. Have you ever read the piece "How to Give a Cat a Pill"? Contact me (email addie on my blog) if you haven't and I will send it on to you.

Hugs
Neet (your book looks interesting, great designs I bet)

fairy thoughts said...

the book looks great, buy poor ambrose, i hope he is better soon and thinner LOL
JANET

Lisa-Jane said...

Hope Ambrose is okay now. That book looks a total bargain and right up your street! Gotta love The Works :-)

Kezzy said...

Poor Ambrose, hope he feels better soon. I can't help with having a laugh over your bed episode soz. I also bought the bendy ruler but not used it yet. Love the book. Kezzy x

An End of an era

An end of an era

I write this with a broken heart, that only time can heal My beautiful, wonderful wifelet Shaz (Silverwolf) passed away peacefully in the ea...