WOYWW 617 - guess whos home?

 Well it has been a busy week since my last post, I did try and do so crafting but it didn't go as well as planned, more due to a lack of direction than anything else, but more on that later.

As the title of the post reads, yesterday/today was a special day, despite a hiccup which I am sure the keen eyed may well spot (I will point it out later) there is a special significance of today's date,  and I will cover that with a story later, for the desk this week I give you all back our beloved Shaz, I brought her home today (yesterday as you are reading this scheduled post) in the urn i chose, its ceramic piece with a fitting title called  "Always Together" and when I look at it I see Shaz as the one on the left, can't explain why xx

In the back left we have some peacock feathers in a case Shaz has had sitting there for forever, joining them is the black and burgundy wedding bouquet, salt lamp in the opposite corner that I bought many moons ago I believe around the time she was diagnosed.
Picture on the right is a very early one of Shaz and her eldest son Ant, that picture has also been on that unit for as long as i can remember.
Front and centre is the cast iron rose I bought for her during her stay in hospital from back in October 2015 (who says you cant take flowers into hospital these days)
The sleeping fairy on the left I believe her Son & Daughter in-law bought for her many moons ago for Christmas, this had been sat on the book case, so I brought it in to keep her company. 
There is also a mini bottle of Sharon's perfume she carried with her in her handbag too, along with a picture from a wedding we attended some years back.
By the way the funny shape thing on the right that kind of looks like an onion (what Shaz called it) is an essential oils diffuser (uses tap water and drops of essential oils to make the room smell nice) bought back in 2017 to help us relax linky they work really well.

So for the keen eyed you may have picked up on the DOB being incorrect, (for those that didn't I bet you just went back and checked 😁
Somehow they put the 11/08/1955 instead of  14/08/1955 (I checked the order and I got the date correct), I have e-mailed them to let them know and I am waiting on a reply, I did not fully unwrap other than to take it out of the very large pacing box to check that it wasn't damaged in shipping from the Netherlands before taking it to the co-op funeral care, still in the box to keep it safe.

I may have to the get the dremal and gold paint out and modify it myself as I can hardly ship it back now with Shaz inside it, although she might quite like the road trip😄.

Too many words, need another picture to break it up. 

Here is one of kind of failed, saved, failed, leave to one side and think about piece I was working on.


The background came out ace until my colour choice was not right ha ha 
the wolf stamp tried to hide the wrong colour choice, then the Lavinia Stamps pebble stencil, I may have gotten carried away with......just a bit, but we live and learn..

Doo feel free to go look at some crafting, some non failed or just better rescued crafting over at Julia's Stamping ground, I do try and comment on peoples blogs, but not as much as I should,  I am struggling for motivation and time, time; where does that go? plus this week I am back at work.

Well let's end on that promised tale, but this is not just any story, this one is our story (feel free to skip over this to the and finally if you are pushed for time) 
 

This ladies and gents is a tale of Chivalry, Suspense, Daring and Romance, but I warn you its a lot of words so if you are comfy lets begin.

 I first met Sharon at her place of work, she the manageress at a Kwik save  supermarket on a rough estate not far from where I lived, I had worked part time at another store, and transferred there to work full time when one came up.
Sharon's eldest son also worked there and over the next almost 3 years we had gotten really close, (Ant and Shaz already were of course but you know what I mean) we went to works do's  had the same taste in music, got drunk and did karaoke, that sort of thing. 

So the main stock delivery for Kwik save would arrive on a Monday morning so Ant and myself would stay until midnight to re-stock the shelves, then Shaz would come back and let us out and re lock up before going back home. 

Shaz didn't drive, so she caught the bus or walked everywhere, when she split from her husband a year before this saga's time-line she lived over 2.5 mile away, this meant catching the bus at midnight in a rough area.


So at midnight, Ant and myself would walk her round to the bus stop to ensure she got on it ok, this went on for a while, but it didn't sit right with me,  you never knew who would be on the bus that time of night, (insert chivalry here) so I offered her a lift home, convinced her even, I hated the thought of anything happening to her on the bus or when she walked the last part at other end.

She agreed and this made me feel a whole lot better, I would drop her off outside her door, and after a few times (insert daring here) I would joke one of these days I will be invited in for a coffee and drive off. Sharon's answer was, maybe or something like that (insert suspense here), 

Random pic warning

This went on for a while, until one fateful Monday night on March 30th 1992 (well the morning of Tuesday 31st, but that's being technical)

It was foggy, really foggy almost eerily so, we pull up out side the house, I was about to say "one of these nights I might get that coffee" when she invited me in, So I found somewhere to park and in I followed her in for that coffee, i follow her though the reception room at the front of the house to the dining room.

So with coffee made Shaz decides she was going to go and take a bath (odd for this time of night but Shaz was not normal either) we had sat in the dining room next to the kitchen, the bathroom was on the end of that and in dining room.

Against the wall was a free standing real fire (insert romance here) I figured I would light the fire so it would be warm when she got out the bath.

Then I hear Shaz squeal then laugh,  her cat comes running out soaking wet, it had managed to fall in the bath,  so I am sat drying it off with a towel I had found when shaz comes out in a silk dressing gown and sits down next to me, we sit and watch the flames for what seemed like forever, at some point she leans on my shoulder.

I remember cassette player playing as she did not have a TV , I forget what was songs where playing now, its not relevant, as all I can hear is Sharon's rhythmic breathing, and how it is slowly changing against a backdrop from the crackle of flames .......

And that kids is where I am leaving it, the rest is for me to know and you to guess at

It is most definitely just one of many wonderful memories that I will cherish forever.
 
Today/tomorrow would have been our actual anniversary that we became an item, it is why it was so very important for me to get her home for today xx


Apologies at the long post peeps, just had to share the story 


An finally....

Thank you all

Sharon's family would like to express our sincerest thank you to everyone that had a hand in making yesterday as special as it was.

Whether you were able to attend in person or in spirit by watching the live stream, knowing you were there in one way or another meant the world to us, we could and did draw strength from each and every one of you.

An extra shout out goes to the company we both spent a combined total of around 40 years between us working at, while its company name has changed as few times over the years its core values has not.

The reason for the shout out is that when I contacted Andrea in HR to let them know of Sharons passing, I mentioned that we will be including Howmet fastenings (formerly Arconic, formerly Linread Northbridge) as part of the route to the crematorium, then I kind of cheekily asked if there was any way they would allow Sharon's work mates come out to see her off.

Now remember we are in a huge pandemic, and most companies have a  portion of staff on furlough!

Without hesitation Andrea was like leave it with me we will make this happen, and they did, even some of those that were on furlough travelled from home to be a part of it.

So when we turned in to the road and I saw just how many colleagues lined both sides of the road it filled me with so much pride and warmth, words can not articulate how huge that was so Andrea, Todd and Paul thank you for making that happen and for each and everyone of our former colleagues xxx 

Picture from 2008 with Shaz (Right), her youngest son Michael (above her) and I am on Michael's left. 

This morning, it was time to open the collections box that stood by the remembrance book, inside it was a little under £100 so I rounded it up and doubled it, when you consider that just 29 friends and family were in attendance that is amazing thank you all.

So £100 went to wolf watch (I removed my email addy from the image below as I get enough spam) x 

 

And £100 went off to Cancer research too x







Note:

Due to the way gift aid works, I had to put this down as a personal donation rather than a collection or they would not benefit from the 25% extra funds they would get from HMRC as a tax incentive, this is something we would always do.

Another cheeky picture...

This one from 2015 when we went out for a meal at christmas with work mates

Any finally ...

It's all about the bird, family and loved ones today x

Today Shaz rejoins the wheel, to be reborn once again, bringing happiness and love to peoples lives once more, we always joked that we somehow managed to get off the wheel in different places hence our age gap, this appears to be history repeating itself again, but we will be reunited once more in another life, in another time.

Today should not be a sad day, it should be a day of remembrance, a day not to be filled with regrets, but instead a day to remember the times we spent with her, the concerts, the crafting, the holidays, the family gatherings, the silly times,  a time to reflect on the joy that was to know shaz.

To remember Sharon's smile, a smile that radiated and made you feel loved, it was magical, and it reached into your very sole.

I have tried the best I can to give shaz the best send of possible under the current circumstances, I know I will be fretting over things I may have forgotten, and Shaz will be shaking her head in dismay, but I honestly can't think of anything else that needs to be done except to not be late, yeah lets not do that as that would be kind of bad.

I fully expect to be in bits today, making the arrangements has been a bit of a welcome distraction for me (I had no idea I was such a control freak), but it has allowed me to fuss over my beloved wifelet for a while longer, that is until she is home with me once again.

Some shout outs:

I am not going to list you all as I am a bloke with a poor memory and don't want to offend anyone x

My family I love you all dearly, and thank you for being there, for rallying round when I needed you, for keeping me fed Rob & Jen I love both dearly for that, meals on wheels rules ha ha  xx

Annie you have no idea how many times the bear has been held tightly (the seams are fine) thank you and for just being there for the chats when I didn't know I needed them, today i have in my pocket an extra rosette to hold, and i will be offering them out to her children to hold too xx

I would like to thank all of the staff at Co-op Funeralcare, especially Emma who has been there for us each step of the way, and for ensuring things like Sharon's hair is dyed and her pillow is sprayed with her sleep spray & for bearing with me as I fussed over the order of service, and Neil for taking the time to walk me the logistics of the day itself including the cars etc

Kate (funeral celebrant), we have chatted back and forth, over todays service, I know you will do Shaz proud today.

My only disappointment is not being able to include all my family due to the restrictions on the amount that can attend the service, It is so unfair that we can't have all the family and friends here, 30 people sounds a lot, but it really, really isn't.

We will celebrate the life of Shaz once this lock down ends, the issue then will be finding somewhere big enough 😁

We had some new lovely cards arrive, they are stunning thank you, as have been arriving over the last few weeks, I also opened the door to find roses on the matt.

So raise a glass or two, eat cake if you have it and remember our Shaz x

Until we are together again my wonderful wifelet, rest in peace xx 

14/08/1955 - 13/02/2021

RIP

now & forever, always & eternity
I will love you
x

The live stream linky and info

 So I have scheduled this to go live at 7pm the eve of my wonderful wifelets funeral service.

Where possible view it on a single device please as it is capped to 400 simultaneous log-ins (we had it increased from the standard 150) so please do not share this out.

Also be aware that if you log in early and there is another service running, or the previous one is running over, be respectful and log back out again, this also is true at the end of our service, another follows on at 11am.

Take a note of this info as I may well remove it on the morning if I remember to prevent us from crashing the system.

Website linky click me

Username Zawe6942

Password 602702

The service will begin at 10:15am so grab your tissues, coffee and cake it you have some ahead of time


For those that are interested in the lead up to the service it will be as follows 

The hearse will arrive at our road at approximately 09:25  director will then get out of the hearse at 09:30 and lead the hearse past our house on foot, pausing so shaz can see the house from the outside for the last time (more on that later), the two limos and other cars will tag in behind at this stage.

From here we will head down to where we worked, arriving at approximately 09:45 where our previous colleges will be stood out to watch sharon off  (so love that they didn't bat an eyelid at this request, Sharon loved her job, we both did) we will be using the works entrance to turn around and head back out again.

From here we will be heading to the Redditch crematorium arriving around 10:10 am, the Director will then pop in and ensure all is ok before leading us ready for the service to begin at 10:15.

Due to social distancing Sharon's awesome glitter coffin can not be carried in by us, instead it will be wheeled in.

Shaz is holding her paper bouquet, and is as ready as she can be, her makeup, hair and outfit are beautiful, she is wearing her favourite necklaces, and bracelets too.


When it comes to the ashes, Shaz is coming back home, to be with me where she belongs, I have picked out a wonderful urn; I understand that this is not for everyone, but I am not ready to completely let go just yet😭 maybe in time, but that time is not going to be any time soon xxx

Here is a pic our our beautiful Shaz xxx

Tomorrow's order of service in case you wanted to print it.
Click me

We can't not have a funny, this one would make Shaz howl..

WOYWW 615 - my YouTube history is just wrong now

 Ok so I have a ways to go when it comes to doing this blog justice, but I am trying, and when I say I am trying I know shaz is grinning and agreeing with me as I type this.

Well as many of you know Shaz and I have a shared facebook account, we only started it in 2009 when we got married as everyone was uploading photos from our wedding, now you may be asking why am i bringing this up? 

Well it's simples 😀

I see all the craft posts, just like Shaz does, and all the new stash that are due out, and quite often I will tell shaz what I think will look cool and say she must have it, well that kind off hasn't stopped. 

Which means I kinda, sort off, did a thing...again 

So above the cutting board we have a bunch of distress inks used on the back ground
Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, Frayed Burlap, Iced Spruce & Blueprint sketch.

The "One day At A Time" stamp just had to be bought

The "Rose Corner Stencil" (can't see a name for it, but it is the new one)

What can I say, the Clock and sentiment, and the stencil had to to be bought, the smaller was more of a free shipping filler but I liked the sentiments.

Well that could only mean one thing, videos, I watched the facebook video for Honey doo Crafts launch for the new stamps (after the fact), then went to Youtube on how to do some of the things I wanted to do with them, and more importantly the type of stock for stamping on Lavinia Stamps (Quality Card Multifarious Smooth and Supreme 20x A5 330gsm). 

I did make a mistake with the stamping towards the end by placing the stamp on the card upside down, when I flipped it round the it took some of the background away.

It was not the reason why I added the spiral stamp, I just felt it needed a little something there.

The spiral stamp is from a set called "Winter Solstice 71" from a company called Non Sequitur which I believe are still going under De-stempelwinkel Linky not a cheap set but a pretty cool one.

For the clock I used a versafine Clair - Nocturne ink, for the stencil more ink from Versafine Clair, this time "Shady lane" for the foliage & "Glamour" for the rose heads.

I also tried my hand at embossing, now I know what your thinking, and you would be right, thats a full on gallop.

Dang it, that is not as easy as it looks ha ha, nor is it easy to mask and use half the stamp when not using the stamp platform. 

That was my second mistake, my first was not to try it on a scrap piece first.

My third mistake was not putting enough embossing ink (is it ink?) on the stamp then you have to go back in and do it again (I digress) well lets just say the bottom part of the text is wonky and leave it at that.
 

Anyway head on over to  the Stamping ground for some more WOYWW goodness, but from some  real crafters, crafters that possibly plan and practice before commiting to the final project? 

Anyways, as is usual in my posts, a snap of us, this one was taken at Download festival  back in 2015 

That just leaves the and finally...

P.S

Check back tomorrow for the live view link for Sharon's funeral, I will be scheduling a post to go live at 7pm with all the details on it.

P.P.S

The funeral is Friday 19th March at 10:15

So I may have done a thing

So after coming back from a visit to see Sharon lunch time, ( needed to take over the flowers her Son and Daughter in-law made) I decided I needed to spend some time in her room.

So after finishing some chores I headed up stairs.

Now lets just be clear, the day before I had selected a few stamps I liked the look of and thought would work well together, but I had no time-frame in mind as to what, when or even if  I was going to do anything with them, it was just a well "it would be nice to see if I could", sort of thing, if that makes sense?

Anyway I had picked out the following Visible Image stamps (and a few others I did not use in the end) 

Ahead Of Our Time (for the spiral)
Immortal Love Set ( for the word "Love"  &  "is Forever")
Heart Inkognito 
Create It!  (for the large crackle)
Believe in unicorns ( for the clouds)

I then went to pick out some inks, yeah that went well, I watched a video on how to create a background (I said I was a noob) and, well, lets just say I tried to use a non water based ink one with water spray, and it did not go so well.

So I swapped to these Distress inks on the left of the picture, all by Sir Tim Holtz
Wilten Violet
Fired Brick (kind of went overboard with it)
Frayed Burlap
Old Paper
Dried Marigold
Tumbled Glass

With the background kind of done, if a little heavy on the Fired brick, I figured what the hell and got to work with the stamping platform, laying the clean stamps on the card where I wanted them, then closing the stamp platform to allow it to pick up the stamp, then adding ink and closed it again.
Pressing down firmly BUT gently at the same time (I have this thing resting on the Tim Holtz glass cutting mat, there would be hell to pay if I broke it (possibly literally).  

Anyway the inks I used for stamping are by Dew Drop

Nautical Blue  (Memento) for most of the back-groundy stuff like the Spiral, the Heart and the Crackle 
Grey Flannel (Memento) for the clouds
Graphite black (Brilliance) for the text   
Ignore the VersaMagic Perfect Plumeria from the image as it was not used.

I didn't think to take any pictures of the back ground creation as I figured it was going in the bin, it was not until I started to use the stamp platform and add some layers to it i decided I was kind of happy with it, for a first attempt, I am quite happy with it.


The text is not as straight as I would have liked, now its not on the image in this shot but I added clouds to cover up a mistake in the centre of the image.

 I basically added a feather but did not like it, used a colour that I thought would work, so I over stamped it in the final shot below using the clouds from the believe in unicorns set.

So I then stuck it to a burgundy piece of card using that proper cool DST tape gun ( how cool is that bad boy?), trimmed it to give a border (Cough er twice as I stuck it down wonky the first time, so I had to do it again) but don't tell anyone, it's our secret  ;) 

Moving on...

I had thought about adding some ribbon or something on the right side of the image, then thought better of it (just learning to walk this game, not ready for marathons just yet) and trimmed it off instead.

Not only that..

I would have to find it, and it is anyone's guess as to how long that may take...

So my first ever card is done excluding the sentiment that goes inside, So I know what you are thinking...

"will there be more ?" 

I think so... in fact I know so  :)

Simply because Shaz has spent over 25 years collecting all the stuff and things she has in here, it would be almost a crime to break it up!


And because if you read the post below I kind of ordered a stamp as I have a project in mind for it.

So that has got to deserve a picture of Shaz looking happy

We can't very well sign off without adding the 
 and finally....

WOYWW - organising stuff and things edition

Another Wednesday which can only mean one thing, its time to visit our Julia at the stamping ground for another "Whats on your work desk Wednesday" So head on over the the Stamping ground for a view of some actual crafting.
 
As the title says, there hasn't been a lot going on, other than loads of organising, but with that said, take a look at the desk this week

Well, I take no credit for any of this little lot, we have more beautiful cards, if you look carefully in the top left hand corner, you will note I found the Sir Tim Holtz stamping platforms and dug out the large and medium one.
At front and centre we have 2 beautiful Bouquets in black and burgundy, the one on the right is Sharon's original bouquet she put together for our wedding 12 years ago now. 

On the left is one that Sharon's Daughter in-law and eldest son  Anthony worked on, this is (with the exception of the ribbon)  is created with all natural materials,  so paper flowers and wooden BBQ skewers etc.

I had this vision of having Sharon cremated holding the wedding bouquet, but with what it was made from I needed a plan B as plan A wasn't happening.


So a request for a duplicate with some minor differences, a flat side so  Shaz can have it lie flat on her chest


What an incredibly amazing job they have done on them too, they even have glitter on the leaves x


I kind of also ordered a stamp too for something I want to work on, I am a noob when it comes to ordering stamps so if this is a clone or copy please let me know. Clicky me
 
I could have looked through all of Sharon's binders but that would have taken forever and lets face it, I am not getting any younger.

So yes, watch this space I hope ..

A cheeky shot of Sharon with one of her Granddaughters (Merlin)

And that just leaves and finally...

The Hublet gets the hang of posting edition WOYWW

Where to start, I think it best if we choose the thank you's as it kind of makes sense to do so, or at the beginning as that may be best? 

Nay I say let us start with a picture and work our way from there :)

So this is an image of get well cards, yes we had some arrive while shaz was in hospital, and because I stayed in there too, I arrived to find them in the letter rack as my brothers and sister went through the house tidying and removing some of the medical equipment etc which I was thankful for none of the equipment was thrown away, it was not an issue to find them honestly xxx
Now this picture is a collection of all of them, including the care package Shaz mentioned in an earlier post.

A Shaz post would not be right without more images, so here is one of the cards (and Cake, there is always cake?)

Special shout out to Annie for the cake, honestly that is 2 slices consumed not one large one and only by moi, and my life is it nice, seriously nice xx

 
Talking of Annie Sharon's Beautiful wedding dress and cape are now with Annie for some of her Memory bears  they managed to drive themselves their all on there own, no lock down rules were broken or dented  to get them there or the aforementioned cake back home to me.....honest guv ;)

So now onto the rest of the thank you's I have read (but not always replied) I would be here forever if I tried, but I have read them all (Sharon was well loved), each and every comment, some made me smile, laugh or cry which was expected so thank you all for each and every one, they have kept me going and are helping in keeping me sane.

Shaz was a member of many private Facebook groups (too many to list), I had no idea she was so involved in some of them (not surprised this is Shaz after all) dang she was/is so respected. the love and respect that poured from them was heartfelt, thank you xxx

Now for the sh!tty sad part, lockdown!!!!!


Due to the human malware crisis we are in, even if you could travel (which most can't) we can only accommodate 30 attendees, now we do still have a small amount of spaces left, so if you are midlands based and would like to attend please get in touch e-mail me here Clicky and provide a link to where you and Shaz have commented on your own blog to weed out the crazies (the cookie kind not the crafty kind ;) if I have a slot it's yours but please note there are currently 4 left and i really want to fill it will crafters as crafting and crafters kept her going when the going was tough x


Time for another picture, this one though is from my desk, or one of them at least, and what I am working on.

Well on the left hand screen I have a folder containing loads of pictures, some I have had to scan in as we kind of pre-date digital cameras. 

You should  recognise blogger on the right hand screen, below it is an Amazon show 5
Front and centre is the project I am working on, a slideshow to music using the pictures we (or others have taken) over the 28 years we have been together.
Screen 4 the little one underneath is a YouTube playlist I am working on of favourite songs we both loved, along with three used in the project. 

As for the funeral it is looking to take place at the Redditch Crematorium on the 19th march at 10:15am and it will be broadcast, once I have that link I will of course share it with you lovely lot. The stream can support between 100-150 simultaneous views so please only watch on one device as i don't want it being taken off-line, so I think it best i figure out a way to get it you rather than simply post it in here, that is unless someone wants to be the one to share it?

Post Covid we will of course crop, and morn Shaz properly, at least one of Sharon's siblings would also like to attend,  of course I will be still attending the crops as you are my extended family too x.

Going to call it there for this one as its dragged on a bit, well done on staying with and reading up to now :)

as a reward a random sweet photo taken back in July 2007 on Crete 

I have this scheduled to go live at 6 am, and if I am up I will do the linky too, if not I will do it later, if you want to see some actual crafting for that you will have to go elsewhere I am afraid, so check in with our own queen of the desk Julia at the stamping ground and take a peek at what is going on. 

And that just leaves the and finally...

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 early hours of Saturday morning (13/02/2021) she was not in any pain, she simply drifted off to sleep never to wake up again. possibly the best outcome we could ever have wished for and a way most i think would want to go.

I had been blessed to have met my soulmate while I was quite young and eventually married her. We both loved each other deeply, we had planned on spending eternity together, but apparently, eternity in our case was just 28 years long.

All those years were always filled with love, laughter, and friendship, we had our hardships like most couples but we never fought with each other, even despite the difficulty we endured over the last few years.

Shaz found an extended family in the crafting community, it was a passion of hers, a talent that I was incredibly proud of her for, she like yourselves could see the finished project even before starting it, in the same way a sculptor can in a bucket of clay. Shaz was also known as the enabler, for her ability to hunt out bargains and test them against brand products and reviews of them. I dare say many a penny or two may have been spent as a result of one of her post by not only Shaz but also yourselves :)

Shaz was never selfish with the knowledge she gained from countless experimentations in the search for results she was looking for, in fact she would often document it and share it online for others to benefit from, techniques learned were always shared.

Looking back, there are very few pictures of my wonderful wifelet not smiling, and of those when she wasn't, it was often substituted with a grimace of sheer bloody determination the glass was half full, it was seldom half empty. I am going to sign of with a few pictures of our Shaz with some of you wonderful crafters who I also like to call my friends too.

You welcomed me into your crafting community, and never once did I feel left on the side-lines despite not being a crafter myself, for that I thank you.

This is possibly my favourite picture of us, and yes its a few years old, but we have always felt the same about each other.

Please raise a glass to our Shaz (preferably a GnT) but what ever your preferred drink is fine, as we remember...

A Wife, Daughter, Mother and Friend, Fountain of knowledge, Enabler, and of course, the love of my life

Rest in peace xx

With love as always

Doug xxxx And a finaly