These are some ATCs I made yesterday. The lily stamp is part of a set that was bought me for Christmas. I have used the other stamps in the set, but hadn't got around to this one. I decided to try the same image with different techniques to see what I could come up with.

Unfortunately the detail is lost in the photography, but in the two bottom, right-hand ATCs I have used paper weaving to add texture to the image. I stamped the image twice, then cut them into strips - one lengthwise, the other depthwise. The pictures were then woven together in such a way that the image could be matched up. The top one is overlaid with just the lily cut out, shaped, chalked and decoupaged to give it some depth. On the bottom ATC, I stamped one in black the other in sienna, cut them up and wove them together in the same way to give a checkerboard effect. All of the are matted and layered with black and gold - hence 'gilding the lily'.

Yesterday I learned of a swap taking place on one of the forums I am a member of and the title for one of the swaps was 'Floral Beauty' - a perfect swap for my lilies to be a part of, and so three have gone off to new homes. I await three new pieces of art by different artists in return - lovely.

Mining Community

I was born in the 1950s, into a small mining community. There was already a village of Blidworth long before the pit was opened there. Once the pit opened, the village began to expand and new housing to accommodate the miners and their families had to be built. The Blidworth that already existed became Old Blidworth, and where the miners live was known as plain 'Blidworth'.

The old village is steeped in history, with a medaeval church called St Mary's of the Purification. It was built long before Henry VIII. There is supposed to be some connection between Blidworth and Robin Hood too. Apparantly the grave of Will Scarlet is in the churchyard somewhere.

I lived in the old part of the village in a rented house that was owned by the colliery. I was the youngest child of six brothers and sisters. The eldest brother being nineteen years older than me. I did have an older sister, but she died when I was a baby and I never knew her - had she lived, she would have been the eldest and twenty-one years my senior. I had two other brothers and also gained a sister.

When my late sister got married, she also married a miner and also went to live in the village. She was very happy when she found out she was expecting a baby, and my Mum found she was expecting me too. Both babies due round about the same time. When the time came for Joyce to have her baby, she was admitted to the local maternity hospital (most women had their children at home in those days, but Joyces had a physical disability).

Joyce had her baby, but the baby was very poorly and was Christened straight away. My Mum took the baby home with her and looked after her, because Joyce was ill also and had to stay in the hospital. It took a lot of time and patience to look after Denise, but she began to thrive eventually, though Joyce didn't seem to be getting any better.

Inevitably the time came for me to arrive, and I was born at home in my Mum and Dad's bed. I was a big, healthy baby and caused no concerns, which was just as well, for Joyce, after tests, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She was moved to another hospital, miles and miles and three bus rides away from Blidworth. My mum went to see her as often as she could.

One day, she was on the bus to Sheffield and she had the terrible feeling that something was wrong - she actually felt she could here Joyce calling for her. When she got there, she could see that her daughter was going to die very soon. Within the hour she had gone - my mother was devistated.

She carried on looking after Denise as well as me, because Denis worked shifts down the mine, and anyway, men didn't bring up children in those days, it was women's work. Eventually he asked my mum to adopt Denise, because he had met someone else and had the opportunity to be happy again. My mum bought us up as though we were twins and I grew up knowing that Denise had been my sister's daughter, but couldn't think of her as anything other than my sister.

It is a long story to have to explain to people who don't know the circumstances, so we never do try to explain. That is why a lot of people we have known for many years don't realise that Denise started life as my niece and I her aunt.