Becca-Lou Creates

Christmas in August

2011-08-26T19:31:00.001+01:00

I recently posted that this year I'm preparing early for Christmas, no my tree isn't up and I certainly haven't started thinking about cards or gifts, I just started a Christmas crafts.

I bought this Christmas tapestry kit early last year. I didn't start it straight away as felt it premature to start in Spring / Summer, but then as Christmas did approach I didn't start as I knew there was too much work to complete before Christmas and didn't want to be doing Christmas crafts in January. I realised I was potentially stuck in a loop of never finding the right time or enough time to complete this.

I took the leap and accepted I was starting Christmas work in July....and thank goodness I did because I certainly hadn't budgeted for the amount of time it finally took to complete this project. Even once I had finished the body of the work there were 10 lines of edging to complete which was no small task in itself, but I'm proud of the outcome. I love the rich bold colours and the thick carpeted texture.

I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with this piece, maybe a cushion? it would also make a good picture. I will have to make my mind up soon or there is a danger I still wont have a completed item before Christmas.

Metal Clay Play

2011-08-24T19:03:00.006+01:00

I treated myself to a spot of metal clay play recently. This is the first time I've had a good play with the materials since my day-course last year.

I bought a few bits straight after the course full of motivation and enthusiasm, well life happened and I never quite got round to it. Whilst the metal clay material is pliable and relatively easy to manipulate into a design its flaw is that it can be over handled and can start to dry and crack quickly.

So I locked the men (big and small) out of the vicinity I set out to play. Having created my ideas in blue-tac I opened the Silver Clay and made a couple of charms for necklaces or charm bracelets, I'm pretty happy with the results. So simple but so effective.

I really love the clean sharp lines on the surface of the metal and how the pattern is given more depth as light is shined on it.

I made some other bits and pieces which I'm still firing and soldering...so watch this space for another metal clay update soon.

If you would like to work with metal clay I set out a little information in a previous post. Do let me know if you have a go and how you get on.

A little Stay-Cation

2011-08-21T18:28:00.004+01:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging recently, its holiday season and like the rest of the country / world we packed our bags and headed for the coast for a week of family-time.

This year we had a stay-cation, we holidayed in Suffolk which is on the east coast of England, north east of London. Its only about a 2.5hr drive from home but it felt like another world, exactly what you need for a holiday.

We packed up practically our entire house (the benefit of driving to your holiday location) and tootled off to the coast for a week of uninterrupted family-time, pure bliss.

(The beach huts on Southwold beach, taken from the pier)

A traditional British summer holiday was had - ice-cream, fish and chips, crazy golf, cider and of course drizzly rain (but this couldn't dampen our spirits....I was as prepared as a girl guide!)

I did manage to find a little time for crafting so will be sharing this work with you very soon.

Crafting: A World Domination

2011-07-29T11:48:00.008+01:00

As I continue my search into how crafting is striving for World Domination I have looked into the use of crochet into today's fashion. Conclusion: It's everywhere

Crochet shorts (or really crochet hot pants)

There were crochet shorts on asos.com. I'm absolutely certain that I could not wear a pair of granny square crochet shorts, well lets be honest these are more crochet hot pants, but good luck to anyone with fabulous enough legs and bottom to wear these.

Having looked at the photos of these shorts they look quite simple to complete, 4 Granny Square corners sown together with a draw string around the top....maybe one day.....hmmm

Crochet Hairbands

There are crochet headbands in beautiful ivory in a delicate design. There are a large number of similar items on etsy.com too

So pretty, wouldnt this make a wonderful wedding garland fpr a casual garden wedding?

Crochet Decorated Handbags
I'm always a little nervous about crochet handbags, or in fact knitted handbags for that matter either. I think this nervousness is about the potential for the yarn to become mis-shaped with use and I like to keep my bags immaculate. When it comes to bags I'm a leather girl.

However, I think that this basket bag from Julien MacDonald might be the perfect solution. It has a base of straw with crochet detail

I love how the light textured straw of the basket base shows through between the crochet loops. Would be a perfect bag for the summer.

So whether you like the idea of strutting your stuff by the beach in crochet hot pants, adorning your glossy locks with a crochet head band or going to the local farmer's market with your crochet shopping bag it looks like there is something for everyone as crochet continues to strive for world domination.

Crafting: A World Domination

2011-07-22T14:00:00.001+01:00

I didn’t realise when I wrote the recent post on the patchwork Glastonbury sign under the title “Crafting: A World Domination” that this would turn into a little feature on my blog, but I have found more and more areas of everyday life where Crafting is making an appearance. I really do think that it is slowly taking over the world.

I don’t know if this is just a current trend linked to the recession and a need to make rather than buy (however, anyone who enters crafting for a “cheap” hobby would be bitterly disappointed, so far I’ve found it anything but cheap but then I do enjoy buying kit so I am my own worse enemy!) or, if there is a natural cycle of common activities, for example handmade and crafting were very popular in the Seventies (I have some fabulous crochet and knitting pattern books I really must share with you soon) so it could be a natural cycle that it has come back into popularity only to die again in a year or so to be resurected in another 30-40 years.

Well, whatever the reason it would appear that Crafting is bidding for world domination.

Today, I want to share with you an unusual embroidery community I recently discovered -

Fine Cell Work

Fine Cell Work is a social enterprise which has brought tapestry and needlework into the UK prison system allowing prisoners to learn new skills and earn money during their rehabilitation. 29 prisons are now running the scheme, and in 2010 there were over 400 stitchers who collectively earned over £70,000*.

Their work is stunning. It ranges from greetings cards to rugs and cushions to quilts. Tapestry kits of their original designs are even available so you can make these yourself.

Its great to see that an activity so traditional as embroidery is able to give some of societies most challenged individuals the focus to work through their demons.

If you are really interested in helping out it would appear that Fine Cell Work are looking for more volunteers across the UK.

* Source: http://www.finecellwork.co.uk/aboutus/

Quilted Play Mat

2011-07-19T11:56:00.002+01:00

I gave you a sneak peak of this play mat last week just as I was off to the post office to send it on to my dear friend for her beautiful new baby.

Now that the present has all been received I want to share it with you in full.

I hope that the little man has many a happy hour playing on this play mat.

I'm rather superstitious when it comes to baby gifts, I never like to start them until the little one has made an appearance, this generally means that its "all stations go" once I receive that happy call / text to let me know that they are with us. I chose the simple design for this play mat so that it was relatively quick to run together on the sewing machine with limited complicated cutting and piecing together. I think it took me a day in total to complete, so quite reasonable really.

It took just part of a jelly roll so I have a plan for the other blue strips, watch out for another quilt coming soon.

Sneak Peak

2011-07-12T18:00:00.000+01:00

Just a quick Sneak Peak of a quilting project I've just finished and popped in the post.

A dear friend of mine has just had a baby boy, I wanted to make him a little present....

I will reveal the whole project in a little while, I don't want to spoil the whole surprise.

Cross Stitch Pattern Share

2011-07-10T14:08:00.000+01:00

Just a quick post to say Thank you to Kate from Kate's Arty Bits Blog.

Kate shared a sneak peak of a lovely garden embroidery she was part way through. I loved the pattern so much I asked her what make it was so I could hunt one down and have a go myself. Very kindly, Kate has posted me her finished pattern and the unused threads from the kit. How lovely. It feels a little like my birthday to receive a treat in the post.

I have a couple of projects on the go at the moment, and as I have shared I have a problem with UFOs, so I am forcing myself to finish these before I start anything new.

This has got me thinking, does anyone know of an embroidery pattern library? I generally only want to complete an embroidery patter once, unlike knitting and crochet patterns where its fairly usual to complete them a few times. This must mean there are patterns lurking in homes around the world unused and unloved. Maybe there is an opportunity to have pattern share scheme?

A central repository where once loved patterns can live and be loaned out to keen embroiderers to complete and then return.

What are your thoughts?

Christmas in July

2011-07-05T16:56:00.000+01:00

As we enter July we are all thinking of summer holidays, BBQs and relaxing in our flower filled gardens whilst our high-street retailers are all considering when is too-soon to bombard us with Christmas Carols, fake snow and sparkly baubles. Is it just me or have you also noticed Christmas is starting in September / October these days?

Personally, I think its shocking we can't seem to enjoy each season for its own merit. I love the Indian summers we have experienced in September recently and then there are the beautiful oranges and browns that autumn offers before the long nights of winter draw in allowing us all to hibernate in our cosy homes with a mug of tea and a packet of biscuits (because there are months until we need to be seen in that swimsuit)

This year I have a little confession....Christmas is making a fairly early appearance in the Becca-Lou household.

Yes we are having a little bit of Christmas in July.

No we do not have any decorations up, nor is the CD player primed to blast out "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" at the mere press of a button.

I have simply realised that projects take a little longer to complete now that the little man is here, so in order to ensure my Christmas tapestry is completed by the big day I have started it a little early. 6 months early to be exact. Its nice to be prepared. And this is a monster of a tapestry so its going to take me a little while to complete.

Have you started any Christmas crafty projects yet or is the rest of the world putting off the thought of Christmas until after the summer? Has anyone else started Christmas in July?

Crafting: A World Domination

2011-07-01T12:18:00.004+01:00

Wow crafting is everywhere.

I see people on the tube with their knitting needles out, in the Dr's surgery doing embroidery and now I've just found this quilted Glastonbury sign which was at the festival last weekend.

Where will crafting go next in its bid for world domination????

FYI - watch this space for a sneak peek of a quilt I'm working on for a special friend.....

Photo Scavenger Hunt: June

2011-06-28T16:51:00.014+01:00

I mentioned previously that I'd discovered Kathy at Postcards from the PP was running a Photo Scavenger Hunt and I was planning to participate this month

Kathy set us quite a challenging list in June and I'm sorry to admit that I haven't fulfilled all my photo finding obligations. Some of the categories were just too hard so I'll admit failure before we start but promise to try harder next month!

Something with your town's name on it

I live in Epsom, Surrey, England.

This category should have been super-duper easy. The TV cameras arrived in early June ready for the famous Epsom Derby (a house race for those of you who don't know).

Epsom is transformed for 2 days a year from a cosy commuter town nestled between the London suburbs and the rolling countryside into a crazy cosmopolitan metropolis*. I trotted into the centre of Epsom on Derby day with my camera ready to snap snap snap. But this year it was as if the recession had hit all the festivities, or I totally missed them.

So the closest I've got to showing you Derby fever Epsom-style is a road sign, how frustrating.

An elephant

This is one of my son's little friends who was found trundling through the garden bushes in search of a waterhole to quench his thirst in the mid-summer sun.

Architectural design

Another Epsom shot. The clock tower in the market square. I love this building.

Cheese

Doh - I meant to take this shot last night, we had Gruyère and leek tart. I even planned the menu for the week so I could take the shot and now its all gone (yes it was really quite tasty). Disappointing. Again I apologise.

Tree branches

A farm animal

Oh the velvety ears look sooooo soft

Something beginning with z...

This is the last box on the Sampler I made for my son's birth, it now hangs in his bedroom

The view right outside my front door

Yes my house is a little strange, we don't step out onto a road. We are hidden away between the houses. It really does feel like I've stepped into my own little world when I close the gate, no one can see me and people regularly can't find me! Mowa-ha-ha-ha

Looking forward to July's challenge.. I think my report card for this month would state "7/12 Rebecca should try harder"

* potential for slight exaggeration here!

CyberMummy 11: What a Fabulous Day

2011-06-26T19:46:00.006+01:00

I got home late last night from the CyberMummy 11 conference slightly tipsy from the delicious free wine, over excited about my new friends and dragging my mountain of freebies in new canvas shopping bags.

What a wonderful day full of great experiences

I met a former Prime Minister's Wife (@SarahBrownUK) who gave a fabulous speech about parenting and how she and Gordon continued to put their children first when they were living at No. 10. She shared some cheeky stories about her little ones which had the audience roaring with laughter. What a thoroughly lovely lady.

The CyberMummy 11 organisers had arranged a great selection of speakers. I learnt about writing from a published author, photography from an accomplished photographer, internet presence from a professional web developer and how to reach a blog-life-balance from a time management expert. I'm planning to put their helpful advice into practice so watch out for some changes to this blog :)

This along with informative and comical speeches from Lord Richard Allen (Facebook Director) and Rachel Johnson (Editor of The Lady) meant that CyberMummy 11 was a truly fabulous day out.

Whilst the talks were great this was shadowed by the inspirational bloggers I met, there really are some fabulous people out there, sharing some amazing life experiences. Keep it up ladies.

The fun has even continued today as I had the joy of delving into the Goodie Bags and wow were they a treat. Luxury Bath treats from Champney, Cars The Movie from Disney, Johnson's Baby Wipes and and and the list goes on, I'll be dishing out some of these treats to friends as there is simply too much for one family.

So all that is left to say is "where do I sign up for CyberMummy 12?"

CyberMummy Here I Come

2011-06-24T19:27:00.004+01:00

Well I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve. But tomorrow I won't be opening presents, drinking champagne or eating too much rich food....no tomorrow is the CyberMummy conference

I'm incredibly excited

I've become a lot more confident about myself since becoming a Mummy. When I might shy away or be almost embarrassed about myself or something I've achieved previously I'm much more "this is me" now and you can take me or leave me. I don't know if this is a result of motherhood in that I simply don't have the time to fret anymore or if this is because the arrival of the little man has put me in a position where I HAVE to make new friends.

None of my close friends live nearby, in fact the closest is about 1hr15mins away so when motherhood loomed I knew I needed a bunch of friends nearby who were going through the same life change. It really was the first time since University (and that was a few years ago) where I've been flung into a situation where the plan is to make friends. And I'm pleased to say I succeeded, I have a lovely group of Mummies nearby.

I wonder if this has increased my confidence or maybe being a Mummy has just made me more interested in other people and everything else is a by-product. Well whatever the reason I'm not complaining.

So to continue my strive to meet like minded and not-so-like minded people and stay in contact I'm looking forward to not only the sessions tomorrow but also the breaks when I can chat chat chat. I've even made some businesscards (although I'd maybe prefer to call these name cards as I certainly don't like to think of my little blog as a business).

They are a bit fun, a bit crafty and quite girlie but I love them. I'm corporate Monday-Friday so my weekends and blog are a time for fun. I've only made a few so hoping to hand these to special people I meet on the day and hope they stay in touch.

I'm off now to check the agenda, organise my travel and pack my bag for the day.... I'll share the conference with you soon

Finally Finishing - My Little House

2011-06-21T20:37:00.004+01:00

I think I've mentioned before that I really struggle to finish projects.

I truly love the excitement of a new project. Getting the right tools out, shopping for the necessary materials, planning my development, these seduce me every time. Once the initial new project excitement wears off I really have to press myself to keep going.

That new project excitement usually lasts right up until the very last stage. This means that I'm usually left with lots of 90% complete projects requiring that one last push to complete. I even leave the projects in view so I see them regularly, and every time I see them I feel a little disappointment in myself for not having the commitment to complete the project. I do find this quite embarrassing, why cant I be more disciplined to commit to finishing what I start, this cant be a particularly good personality trait. This challenge doesn't stay at home either, I suffer at work too but there I have managers and annual pay reviews to spur me on, maybe I need to ask hubby to take up this role at home??? what an idea!

Does anyone else suffer with this? Do you also have an embarrassing pile of UFOs??? (UnFinished Objects?)

I found this little house in a magazine late last year and just had to have a go at it. It's so cute. I diligently completed the detailed stitch work on all 4 sides some time ago and it has been sat in this state for months.

At the weekend I put dinner into cook and had 30 minutes spare, and I got this project finished. It only took 30 minutes to do the final stage but I have been sitting on it for months, pathetic I know. I even made a little internal bag of rice so this is weighted at the bottom.

Now that it is finished I'm really pleased with the result. However, I'm really not sure where to put it right now, T is becoming more and more mobile, and being 9months old EVERYTHING is destined to be tested on his 4 little teeth. Not sure how the stitching would survive the rugged biting and tugging they will be subjected to. Maybe my cute little house will be destined for a cupboard until the biting phase is over.

Do you have any tips for avoiding the growing pile of UFOs? or do I just need to be harsher with myself and not allow the starting of new projects until the previous one is finished? All thoughts gratefully received

Pistachio Cake Recipe

2011-06-15T18:42:00.003+01:00

I think I am something of an anomaly; I enjoy my commute to work. When I was on maternity leave recently I remember talking to my husband and friends about the things I missed from pre-baby days, they were generally shocked when I put my commute above lie-ins and the ability to read the Sunday papers.

My commute is nothing special, and it is longer than most of my colleagues. Door-to-door its about 1hour 15 minutes and consists foot, train and tube, and it's one of my favourite parts of the day. Not many people really understand but I enjoy my commute so much because it is MY time to do with as I will, how many people have the luxury of 2hours a day to indulge ?? Sometimes I read, other times I choose to work, occasionally there is crochet and regularly there is music or podcasts. But my commute home on a Tuesday is reserved for reading Stylist.

Stylist is one of the free magazines given out in London each week. It covers the classic girly articles on fashion and makeup but mixes in some intelligent articles on topical issues which I can regularly relate to. If you aren't lucky enough to live in a city where it is distributed you can read online for free here.

Well one of the pages I'm always keen to read is "Gourmet on the Go" which regularly features scrummy looking food that doesn't require hours of preparation. A few weeks ago this is where I spotted the rather yummy pistachio cake. As promised here is the recipe

Ingredients

200g ground pistachios

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

150g unsalted butter

225g self-raising flour

185g caster sugar

3 eggs

125ml thick yoghurt

Method

- preheat oven to 180 degrees C / gas mark 6

- line 20cm cake tin with baking paper

1. Blend ground pistachios, cardamom, butter, flour and sugar in a food mixer

2. Combine above with the eggs and yoghurt in a mixing bowl

3. Pour mixture into a cake tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cake with foil halfway through cooking then allow to cool on a rack.

Let me know if you make this.

Enjoy

Pistachio Cake

2011-06-12T20:39:00.005+01:00

I was looking for something to bake this weekend, no particular reason, just fancied some cake. I stumbled across a recipe for pistachio cake in a magazine, I've heard of walnut or almond cake but never pistachio so thought I'd give it a try.

The result was a rather vibrant green colour and a strangely gloopy mixture due to yoghurt being included in the ingredients. I don't bake a huge amount but I've never cooked a cake with yoghurt before.

I was a little dubious as to what would emerge from my oven, but when the timer pinged it looked good, in fact it had even split into a cute little smile.

Thoroughly enjoyed testing it for you....lovely.

When all you can do is beg

2011-06-08T14:54:00.003+01:00

There are some things which I am certainly not too proud to do

the photo copying at work

sniffing my baby’s bottom to see if there is anything I need to action

re-cleaning tables in restaurants before we sit down as I know T will attempt to put the whole table in his mouth at some point over dinner. (I like to make sure it has seen antibacterial some point recently)

but most recently I added begging to the list and I don’t care because it came through.

As you know I took a bit of a cyber break when T was born. Just couldn’t fit blogging into my already chaotic world, but now T is 8 months old, I’m back at work and we are into a very good bedtime routine* I have a little more time on my hands and blogging was top of my list.

It was therefore only recently whilst blog-surfing that I discovered the Cyber Mummy conference taking place in London on 25th June, got very excited….went to register and was quickly deflated to discover it was sold out and there was a waiting list. There was nothing for it but to beg, offered to work at the event in exchange for a ticket; handing out badges, stewarding, anything which would mean I can go to a couple of the talks. I want to be a better blogger.

Well, I’ve just heard back from the organisers and

The lady from CyberMummy....she say yes

(insert own cheesy Spanish accent)

(apologies to anyone who wasnt in England in the '80s to experience the Del Monte ads)

I’m so excited.

Looking forward to meeting lots more yummy cyber mummies.

Are you going? Let me know…looking forward to meeting you

* clearly I have jinxed the next few nights by writing this

Here comes the rain

2011-06-06T13:24:00.000+01:00

Hello, I'm British and I'm obsessed with the weather. It's been gloriously sunny here for weeks, it's been absolutely fabulous. But today the rain has come and I'm thrilled for 2 reasons

1. The waterbutt will get refilled, it was getting quite low and I've got quite an array of veg growing

2. I can finally wear my wellies. I bought these months ago and I've not had the chance to give them a test drive.

So bye for now, I'm taking T to the park so I can jump in puddles like a toddler.

The Surrey County Show

2011-06-02T20:11:00.010+01:00

I had the pleasure of attending the Surrey County Show at the weekend. This is a totally British institution where we congregate in the middle of a field to look at livestock and judge who has the best cow, chicken, goat etc. I do find it all strange and fascinating in equal measure.

We walk around with our cider (or ice cream in my case), in our wellies which have never seen a wet field and nod along with judges as they praise the straight back of a sheep, or the stance of a pigmy goat. When, lets be honest we won't look at a sheep again until the event next year. Hands up, I was nodding along with everyone else and loved it, its nice to be a country-bumpkin for the day when you're a city girl through and through

There were some amazing livestock specimens and some of the sheep I could happily have climbed into the pens and had a cuddle, they really did look that fluffy and warm.

There was even the opportunity for a little retail therapy

But then as with all great British days out the clouds rolled in and we all bolted. I'm pleased to say that we managed to get everyone inside the car before the heavens really opened and gave the fields the watering that the farmers wished for more than any gold medal.

So tell me reader, is this a traditionally English affair or do these events happen all over the world?

Ahoy There

2011-06-02T13:02:00.004+01:00

It's been a while but I certainly haven't forgotten you and I hope you haven't forgotten me either.

I've been itching to get back to blogging for a while now. I've taken some time to make sure this is something I'm willing to commit to again and after hours of thought and deliberation the conclusion is - YES.

I'm back and it feels great

I've been up to so much that I want to share with you. There have been...county shows.....baking extravaganzas....crafting....and of course I need to introduce you properly to my little man.

So for now I will wave farewell and I'll see you back here very soon. Watch this space
Bx

Tiny toes

2010-10-17T19:10:00.000+01:00

My little bundle of joy / tornado of trouble arrived on 6th October, a healthy little boy.

I've been wrapped up in enjoying him ever since and at the moment can't imagine having any crafty time soon so will be taking a little break whilst we all get to know each other.

Thanks to all my readers and I'll be back soon

X

Handmade Christmas Challenge

2010-10-03T21:34:00.003+01:00

It feels like the schools have hardly started back after the summer break but the shops are already bursting with wrapping paper, cards and potential presents, and I've already eaten my first batch of mince pies (what can I say I really like them...) this can only mean one thing...

Christmas is nearly here

I can hardly believe it either but I have consulted my diary and its true....in fact in 12 weeks time it will be Boxing Day. The wrapping paper will be in the re-cycling bin, we will be loosening our belts from eating too much and no doubt the BBC will have some old film playing or maybe a repeat of Only Fools and Horses thinking that this is a good use of our licence fee money...grrrrr

So with 12 weeks to go I've accepted the Handmade Christmas Challenge

I'm not promising to make all my presents this year... but I'll certainly be putting some thought into what bits I can make either as decorations for the house or as little treats.

Why don't you join me.....

One Fat Granny Square

2010-09-29T18:47:00.005+01:00

Whilst I do love the simplicity of making Granny Squares....

Letting my fingers do the work whilst I mainly daydream

The huge range of interesting and innovative designs which are available

The colours

The possibility

And never really knowing what the final result will look like

I have to admit that seeing the pile of square growing results in a dramatic mix of emotions for me.

JOY - I love seeing things grow and am a collector at heart so seeing the pile of colourful squares grow is wonderful....the potential....stepping closer to the finishe product

DREAD - I've never been a Completer Finisher....has anyone else been forced to review their role within a team on work away days????

This means I see the ever growing pile as a chore....this colourful little squares will all need stitching together and whilst it is the merging of the squares which actually produces the end product I find it such a dull job that it fills me with dread.

I have found a solution to this character issue, it isnt exactly rocket-science, I have figured out that if I make big squares rather than little ones there is no more stitching together...it seems to simple when its thought through. I love the creative part but hate the stitching....so remove the stitching...yay.

So here is my first big fat Granny Square. I've made this as a cot / pram blanket for bump when he/she arrives.

I guess there is probably a practical maximum size that one of these single squares can get to...might see if a double bed size is possible, maybe not one to complete on the train!

Pom Pom Tastic

2010-09-29T16:17:00.005+01:00

I have about a million ideas flying around my head of projects I'd like to try. This afternoon I thought I'd have a go at one and decided to make a Pom Pom, somthing that every 8 year old will no doubt be able to do in their sleep, but something I haven't done for too many years to mention.

Having searched the internet for a gentle reminder of the techniques I started to create....

Cut out 2 x donuts of cardboard with a little V towards the middle (helps when winding the yarn)

then start to wind the yarn....was shocked at how much yarn was needed and very pleased that I had chosen a cheap acrylic to have a go with. Maybe a smaller template would have been a good place to start, but hey I was thinking BIG when I started this project

still winding yarn.........................................

then snip snip snip around the edge of the yarn. Thought this looked liked it could be a cute character in the muppets...unfortunately I dont have any wobbly eyes to stick on :o(

tie MORE yarn around the middle of the ball inbetween the 2 card donuts, remove card...et voila....pom pom tastic, soooo simple

I've got a couple of ideas I want to use pom poms for, but think will see if I can find a template or at least a ratio for the size of the middle circle vs outer circle in order to make take the right amount of yarn for the perfect pom pom...I know....I'm a geek!!! Will share what (if anything) I find.

When size really does matter....

2010-09-20T15:31:00.008+01:00

Everything in my life seems to be baby related at the moment, I suppose that is fairly understandable seen as I'm 38 weeks pregnant and havent seen my feet for many months now. Unsurprisingly the imminent arrival of a little one has had fingers whizzing and needles clicking all over the country.... to varying degrees of success....

A cute little cardigan from a proud Great-Gran to be

Adorable booties from a beaming Gran to be

And an almost disaster created by Mum to be .... Me.... I found a pattern online for a cute crochet baby hat...I promise I followed the instructions to the letter....I bought the right size yarn, the right size hook and although I know I dont always get my tension exact I wasnt exactly expecting my creation to fit me....

There are only 2 possible reasons for this extra large baby hat

1) some babies are born with an eye-watering head size

2) I did something wrong

In order not to freak myself out too much I'm going with option 2 and am hoping for a cold winter so I can get some use out of my accidental creation which I actually quite like. Maybe I should stick to getting relatives to make treats for the baby...I'll stick to grown up sizes...

Now I know my ABCs wont you sing-a-long with me

2010-09-17T11:22:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since my last update. Life has been crazy, but I'm now 37.5 weeks pregnant and have finally finished work to concentrate on maternity leave and making sure R and I are prepared for the arrival of our first little one.

I finished work last week and have been using my time to finish baby related projects as any day now I could be whisked off to hospital only to return in a whirlwind of our new world.

I'll share my projects with you over the next couple of days but wanted to show you the long overdue finished baby sampler. Well I say finished, I obviously cant add the baby's name (we opted not to find out the sex at the scans) or the birth date, but it is as finished as it can be at this time.

This pattern is from the Historical Sampler Company, whilst I was a little dubious of some of the letters (Ewe for E and Washing for W????) I think the overall effect is really lovely, and hopefully wont be out of date in a year or 2.

I'm looking forward to having this framed and hanging in the nursery, and hope that it will adorn my home for many years to come, I've got images of this hanging on a wall filled with crafty pictures in my perfect cottage kitchen.....well we can all dream....fingers crossed for the next house

Finished Crochet Blanket

2010-08-20T13:52:00.004+01:00

Well after too many months to count and a few design / use changes along the way I have finally finished the project I started on the "A Granny A Day" initiative. I've made a blanket for my baby's pram.

I've still got another 6 weeks baby cooking (assuming no early or late arrivals) so teddy has stepped in to model the blanket in the new pram.

He looks nice and snuggly...

Metal Clay Info

2010-08-17T14:58:00.002+01:00

Thank you for the kind words about my Metal Clay jewellery. I’m rather pleased with these myself but need a lot of practice to make these more professional.

The process really is very easy. Here is a step-by-step guide, although please remember I’ve only done one course on this so this really is the basics.

Materials
There are 2 brands of metal clay - Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and Art Clay Silver (ACS), I understand these are essentially the same, but I’m sure that aficionados will have a preference. Silver, Gold and Bronze is available.

The material is made from the precious metal, an organic binder (a secret recipe I understand) and water. It is these last 2 materials which are removed to leave you with a shiny piece of lovely silver, gold or bronze depending on the metal you are working with.

Stage 1 – shaping
When you open the packet the clay is really just that – clay. It is a grey squidgy material which can be moulded into any shape and size. I advise you have a design practiced in bluetac or another playdough type material as once you start to handle the metal clay it starts to dry out and you need to be quick.

Remember to put any pieces of clay you aren’t using into a air tight container to retain the moisture…this is a precious metal after all and you don’t want to waste a speck.

Stage 2 – drying
The first of the clay materials to be removed is water. Drying your shaped piece on a radiator over night or on a VERY low oven heat will achieve this. The piece will be firm at the end of this and look a little like fired pottery

Stage 3 – firing
The firing process burns off the second of the clay materials – the organic binder. You can fire in a kiln or use a blow torch (the sort you toast the top of crème brulees with is fine).

The piece will go through a number of stages during firing, including bursting into flames which can be a little alarming….but ultimately it will glow a delicate orange and you must keep it at this point for 2.5minutes (critical if you are using a torch, not so critical if you using a kiln as will pop in there for an hour or so).

Due to the removal of the binder pieces shrink approximately 10% during this stage, obviously important to consider if you are making a ring!

Stage 4 – polishing
Once the piece has cooled you will be left with a solid piece of metal which will look white. Now the hard work starts…..get out your wire brush and start to scrub….it is quite amazing as the sparkly silver is revealed…you can then polish with various papers and creams to reach the level of shine you want.

Hope this helps a little. It really is quite quick to have a go at, but the materials aren’t exactly cheap…you are buying silver afterall.

Let me know if you have a go at this and please share the results you achieve.

Metal Clay Class

2010-08-09T21:06:00.007+01:00

Well I've had a great weekend, hope you had a good one too.

The jewellery class on Saturday was a great success, I might actually be hooked. Here are new sparkly pieces which are all my own design....

I worked with Metal Clay which is dried and fired. Then once buffed and polished reveals a solid silver treat.

Firstly I modelled my pieces in polymer clay (like playdough) until I was happy with the design. Below is a polymer and a Metal Clay piece

Then after a little elbow grease (and a trip to the polishing barrel for some pieces which is a magical lazy option) I walked away from the class with some earrings, a ring and of course my leaf and stone set pendant...I am rather pleased with myself. Thoroughly recommend the day...

I still have an awful lot to learn but will be practicing at home as this really doesn't need any specialist equipment....I've got a table, radiator and a creme brulee torch...silver treats here I come

What to do...

2010-08-06T17:52:00.003+01:00

It's that time of the year again.

It's time to decide whether to submit to the Discerning Eye competition. This is open to art in any media from any artist. The pieces are selected from those submitted by art critics and celebrities and are then shown at the Mall Galleries, London in November. All pieces have to be available for sale. It really is a great opportunity to have your work shown.

I submitted a couple of funky cross-stitch pictures last year. I wasnt selected :o(

But what to do this year? Pieces have to be submitted in early September so if I want to come up with something new there isnt too much time. Or I could submit the same pieces as last year as the selectors are totally different.

What to do....what to do....

Another Month ... Another Craft Course

2010-08-04T15:47:00.003+01:00

I do love to learn.

I get itchy feet at work if I'm not learning something new on a regular basis and I thrive on being thrown into situations where I know nothing, I'm just the same with my crafting.

You may have noticed that I'm gradually becoming a Jack of all trades and Master of none. Well that certainly isn't the plan, I do want to become a "Master Crafter" I'm just not too sure in what yet so until I decide am having fun giving everything a go.

This weekend I'm off to a Silver Metal Clay class at the London Jewellery School. I've been to a couple of classes there (see blog posts - Silver Jewellery and Button Jewellery). It's a really lovely environment to learn and I'm excited to try the Metal Clay material. Apparently its like putty which you fire and torch - then voila you end up with solid silver... intriguing.

Hoping I'll be ok in the class as I've been struggling with Carpal Tunner Syndrome in my wrists recently, a common symptom of my current 31 week pregnant state. I've been incredibly lucky in generally so mustn't grumble. Other than my pork-pie feet and sausage fingers we are both doing very well, but I am having difficulty holding an embroidery needle or crochet hook for any length of time ... projects are taking a little longer to complete than planned.

G to S

2010-07-27T14:02:00.000+01:00

I may not have been telling you about it, but I have been (slowly) continuing with my baby sampler.

As I'm now 30 weeks life has had to take a little bit of a slower pace. I've still got quite a few more weeks at work and am stubbornly refusing to give up my social life completely so the thing that has had to give is my craftiness.

With weddings and summer bbqs, weekends have also been a little insane, but I can see the light now and with August setting in I can see a few free weekends lined up and have my projects ready for the making.

In the mean time here is the latest on my sampler...still plenty of time to finish before bump makes an appearance.

Pick-Your-Own vs Grow-Your-Own

2010-07-25T13:32:00.006+01:00

Working for your dinner is certainly back in fashion. Whether it be to own a pig on a farm which you eventually have for dinner, to pick-your-own organic veg from a public farm or to grow-your-own veg in your garden or allotment it is certainly all the rage.

R and I have been partaking in the Pick-Your-Own and Grow-Your-Own recently with various degrees of success. (Haven't attempted to piggy ownership, not sure how I feel about the idea really)

Pick-Your-Own

We tootled off to Garsons in Esher yesterday for some Pick-Your-Own action. I knew they had a large range of veg options but wasnt quite prepared for the rolling acres of cultivated land ripe for picking. We came away with some carrots and peas. Here is R with one of our harvest

Grow-Your-Own

Well I've never pretended to bee particularly green-fingered, in fact there is a joke in my house that anything which is brought in doors I kill whilst Mother Nature has a helping hand in keeping the garden alive which is why things survive a little longer

We have allsorts on the go...

Tomatoes are coming along well, my main concern is that they are all going to ripen soon and we are going to have to eat tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner for weeks on end

Rocket is growing nicely

My potatoes were a comical disappointment.

After planting then watering and feeding for a couple of months I decided that yesterday was the day to dig them up and enjoy a lovely potato salad. I was maybe a little ambitious with the size of bowl I got out collect my harvest, but I was expecting at least 5 decent size potatoes, after all I planted 5 so was expecting the harvest to be at least what I had put in the ground. Here is everything I found.....

No idea what I did wrong, but it is suffice to say I wont be giving up the day-job to become a potato farmer!

Given the apparent success (!) of the grown-your-own R has decided that we need a proper little veg patch, so yesterday afternoon he set about clearing a corner of the garden. We, unfortunately disturbed this little fellow.....you will be pleased to know he has now been re-homed at the other side of the garden and has been heard rustling this morning so hoping he is liking his new environment.

I've been making new friends

2010-07-06T11:55:00.007+01:00

I'm clearly at that life-stage where we are programmed to re-produce as it seems my friends and colleagues are all having babies. I'm now 27 weeks pregnant and loving it, am certainly getting bigger everyday and people are visibly shocked when they see me after a week or so break.

I had the wonderful honour of meeting the newest arrival to my urban family at the weekend. A dear friend's beautiful bouncing baby boy who is now a whopping 3.5 weeks old. He is absolutely adorable and is already incharge of the household, its amazing how they manage that.

I made a couple of treats for this little cutie so he can be the talk of playgroup and make all his friends jealous of his designer one of a kind toys

The tag blanket

You may remember I made 2 of these a little while ago. Well one of them was planned for this little fellow. It really was amazing to see how fascinated he was with it. I knew that babies see contrast rather than colours so made this out of bold black and white fabric. He intently stared at it which really makes me question why the shops are filled with brightly coloured toys rather than simple contracting toys which attract the attention of the littlest ones???

The play mat

This was a slightly bigger project. Essentially a quilt made from medium weight cotton to be slightly more durable than the average bed-spread.

I made this with black and white on one side and brightly colours animals on the other so hopefully will stimulate a little longer than the early baby stages.

Well he certainly seems to be enjoying it.

Looking forward to more play time with my new friend soon

It really is the little things

2010-06-22T16:33:00.000+01:00

If I were to tell you I was a little bit proud of myself I would be lying....I'm literally bursting

I've just completed my first nursery project.

I've read that babies are stimulated by bold colours and also like to suck on satin tags. I spotted a picture of a tag blanket in a magazine and decided to make one, here is the result.

I actually ended up making 2 as a dear friend has just a beautiful bouncing baby boy and thought he might like one too. Love it Love it Love it

All Buttoned Up

2010-06-19T19:51:00.006+01:00

I returned home late last night resembling a Pearly Queen

I hadn't suddenly decided to move to East London and learn Cockney rhyming slang. No. I'd been to a Button Jewellery taster class at the London Jewellery School and had made enough goodies to practically rattle as I walked home.

There is certainly something exciting about being faced with a box brimming with buttons. I don't know if its the feeling as they drip through your fingers, the mirage of colours and shapes or just the chance of uncovering a gem which makes rummaging such fun but the 4 of us in the class were mesmerised before the class had even started.

Our 2.5 hours whizzed by in a flurry of button threading action. I really couldn't believe just how easy it is to make these sweet-shop treats. Am now off to eBay to source some materials...here is what I made....I will be seen modelling them around London and Surrey for a long time to come

2 cute bracelets

some retro button earrings

and here is me modelling my new necklace

Trip to Ikea completed....

2010-06-18T16:15:00.000+01:00

....without a tea candle, packet of napkins or set of glasses gracing my basket and I got no where near the usual £100 spend, I am one chuffed little crafter right now.

I did decimate the fabric department.

There were just so many lovely fabrics.

As previously mentioned we don't know if I'm carrying a she-bump or a he-bump so strictly unisex colours and patterns. Here's a little sample of what I picked up

Let the sewing begin.....

Simply Quackers

2010-06-16T16:10:00.002+01:00

I finished my little ducky today, and am pleased to say it does actually resemble a duck....

there is a beak

there is a yellow body

there are wings

and even a little tail

I don't have a pond in the garden so the the duckie can be seen here hiding in the peonies

Think I've still got a lot of practice before I can attempt the beautiful crochet toys from my earlier post..... Can anyone recommend a good amigurumi book which starts with the basics???

New on my bookshelf

2010-06-14T16:06:00.001+01:00

I've just treated myself to this lovely sewing book - Simple Sewing for Baby by Lotta Jansdotter

I wanted to make a couple of bits for the nursery rather than buying everything and think this book has a good selection of bits'n'bobs and most importantly patterns which don't look too complex. In fact the front cover even claims -

24 Easy Projects for Newborns to Toddlers

I'll be testing to see if this is really true...

I've made a list of the fabric needed to make the bits I 'need' and I'm planning a trip to Ikea's fabric department in the next couple of days to stock up. I'll have to see if I manage to get out of the store without the obligatory tea candles, napkins and glasses which seem to be essential purchases on any trip to Ikea as well as spending over £100, does everyone suffer from this difficulty when passing through the Markethall or is it just me... wish me luck!

E is for...

2010-06-13T19:52:00.000+01:00

another rather strange "is for" picture, but the sheep does look quite cuddly and I'm loving the little heart.

The overall picture is really starting to come together though...loving it...

My week month ahead

2010-06-12T15:58:00.006+01:00

Unless you have been visiting Mars or live on an all female commune (in which case please send me details so I can enquire for vacancies) you will know that the Football World Cup kicked off yesterday evening and is determined to plague our TV screens until 11th July.

I'm not really a sports fan myself, R however, has been counting down for MONTHS (he has even kindly installed a World Cup App on my iPhone so I am never more than a few clicks from the latest score! thanks) ...our holidays and evenings out have had to be arranged around this series of 22 men running around a ball....

I have drawn the line at decorations. R is a grown man and more than capable of showing his support without the need for flags or kits gracing our car and home - I can only imagine what I will be subjected to in 4 years time if bump is a boy.... help

However, in a moment of sheer madness this morning (I blame pregnancy-brain) I agreed to plan our evening meals this week so that we eat food from the countries playing...Oh what have I done????

Monday 14th June

Italy v Paraguay

Easy - Pasta and Garlic Bread

Tuesday 15th June

Brazil v Korea DPR

Slightly more tricky - don't really know the national cuisine of either of these countries, might try to pass off stir fry

Wednesday 16th June

South Africa v Uruguay

Hmm another tricky one - am thinking maybe I pick up some Biltong and grill lots of meat. I've never been to South Africa but have been to Namibia next door so think this might work.

Thursday 17th June

France v Mexico

Fajitas and Nachos (yummy)

Friday 18th June

England v Algeria

Not really sure for England, we don't really have any traditional food (well not anything I can knock up when I get home from the office at 7pm) if its cold weather maybe I'll be organised and start a slow cook cassarole before I head to work, if not maybe a sandwich????

And tonight - well tonight is the England v USA match, I honestly don't think that R will event register what food I put in front of him as his eyes will be 100% trained on the TV. I'd already planned a Moroccan Tagine, well the World Cup is being held in Africa so surely this counts???

Anyone else doing crazy World Cup cooking???? I haven't looked at the matches next week so no idea what delights might be in store for me

Crochet on the Beach

2010-06-11T14:44:00.005+01:00

R and I are just back from our Babymoon.....our last holiday just the 2 of us before I'm no longer able to fly and bump arrives. We had a peaceful week being looked after in Cyprus, the weather was hot, accomodation lovely and the food tasty and plentiful so all in all a great week away.

I of course took some tools with me. Didn't fancy my chances of explaining to airport security as to why I had an embroidery kit with me so left my cross-stitch at home and took my crochet hook determined to get back into hookey-ness.

My focus was of course on bump so started to make a little duck...

I have to stuff this and add on the beak, wings and tail hoping it starts to look a little more like the picture in the instruction book soon or I may have to pass this off as an alien creature rather than a duck to my little one....I'll show you the finished article when stuffed and stitched

D is for.....

2010-06-09T19:41:00.000+01:00

Not entirely sure what I do if bump is a boy. We have opted not to find out the sex in the second scan as wanted a little surprise when bump arrives. This really was the most unisex sampler pattern I could find, oh well in the world of metro-sexual men I'm sure my child wont be scared for life because Mummy embroidered "Dolly" for D on the baby sampler

C is for....

2010-06-06T19:38:00.000+01:00

Cluck, Cluck, Cluck

or maybe this should be Cake considering the volume I've been eating recently...

The cutest crochet toys

2010-06-04T20:05:00.000+01:00

On a recent trip to Amsterdam with the girlies for a dear friend's hen-party I spied this fabulous crocheted toys by Anne-Claire Petit

Arent they just adorable...Think the elephant is my favourite, or the sausage dog. I absolutely loved them and managed to get out of the store without purchasing one (partly because I'd left my wallet in the apartment by accident, doh!)

Think I'd like to have a go making one, it will be a good reason to force me to pick up a crochet hook again.

I haven't had any hook-ey time for a few months now, I honestly haven't been able to face the yarn running through my fingers, its kind of like a reverse craving I guess. Not sure why I couldn't do it, the thought of the yarn just didn't appeal, I've been the same with hot drinks. I was a girl who would have a couple of coffees a day and I've just not fancied one for a while. Well I'm back on hot drinks now (strictly de-caf) so its time to pick up the hook again.

Fingers crossed I can create something which looks as good as these professional toys

B is for...

2010-06-02T19:34:00.001+01:00

Splish....Splash....Splosh....B is for Boot

2 down 24 to go

A is for....

2010-05-31T19:23:00.007+01:00

Thank you for all the kind words.....I've obviously know about the little one for a while know so have been buzzing away getting bits'n'bobs done so I'm pleased to be able to share some of this with you now.

I got a little excited about bump at the Stitch and Craft show in April and bought various kits and patterns which I will share over time as I make them up.

I started with the item which I thought required the most craft-hours...and boy was I right so far. Its a cross-stitch sampler, a classic design from the Historical Sampler Company

Here's the first letter....

It's an interesting choice of picture for A, think I would have gone with a traditional "Apple" but hey looks like my little one will be learning a wide vocab from an early age...

I think I've mentioned before that my Grandma was a big cross-stitcher and I've still got the sampler she made me for my birth so I wanted to do something for my little one. I'm still learning about about the craziness I can expect when bump arrives so am attempting to do all the work now so that only the name, date and framing are left to do.

A little bit of news

2010-05-28T10:51:00.000+01:00

As you’ve probably noticed I’ve taken a step back from blogging in the last couple of weeks I’ve simply not been able to focus my mind away from the huge voice shouting at the back of my head……and I haven’t been ready to share with you until now….

I’m absolutely thrilled to tell you that I’m pregnant….am now 21 weeks and have quite a bump, ooh its so exciting.

My mind has been racing with bloomers, cot quilts, softie toys, nappy bags, crocheted blankets, and lots more things I simply can’t wait to start making but I’ve been holding off until I was a little further along…..I’ve got books, material and all sorts ready to go and have sooo much blogging material stacked up that expect an influx of posts now I'm public online.

I’ve honestly been bursting to tell you and wanting to blog about it for ages but also been cautious to keep quiet until it was the right time, and having just had my second scan, which we both passed with flying colours, now is the right time.

So our new arrival is due at the beginning of October I’m looking forward to a summer of making goodies and remodelling the spare room into some sort of nursery.

So happy to have shared this with you…. Have a great weekend....I'm off to Amsterdam for a good friend's Hen Party (alcohol-free champagne for me)

X

A Fabric Sandwich

2010-05-19T18:30:00.003+01:00

I have finally got back to the Quilt Room in Dorking to get the backing fabric for the quilt I started at New Year.

I clearly looked a little clueless in the store as the lovely assistant spent about an hour explaining the backing fabric I'd need, how to attach it and the array of quilting options (machine and hand) which were available to me.

I left the store with all sorts of quilting pencils, markers, threads and fabrics and am pleased to tell you my quilt is now sandwiched together, pinned to within an inch of its life and partically stitched....might even have it finished in time for winter at this rate

My weekend in pictures

2010-05-09T17:50:00.003+01:00

There has been an invasion in London....yes all over London there are reports of multi-coloured elephants....

Over 250 elephants have been installed on London's streets, parks and shops to campaign for the conservation of the Asian elephant. Brilliant for kids young and old, if you are in London thoroughly recommend hunting some of these fellas down.

You can find out more and a map of where they are here

Elephant trekking is hungry work.....mmmmm cake......

There was a spot of crafting too.....

Hope you had a good weekend

Technology Failure

2010-05-01T13:33:00.005+01:00

I'm a little disgruntled writing to you this Saturday afternoon....I wrote a heart felt post this morning over breakfast on my iPhone Blog App about the link I'm finding between my mood and the craft tools I choose, whilst R was engrossed in the Saturday papers and no doubt the latest wrangling between our potential Prime Ministers.

Was just checking a few bits on the laptop and puff its disappeared...I'd heard that other people had had problems with the iPhone BlogPressLite App but didnt think it would do this to me right now...grrr

It was one of those right place and time blog moments...

Silly how much we rely on these gadgets...I guess I shouldn't be cross, it's a handheld electronic gismo which cost less than £150, in fact I think the App was free, has let me down. But as we move from pen and paper to electronics we just expect things to work all the time and every time.

Retro Grow-Your-Own

2010-04-30T17:35:00.001+01:00

Does anyone else remember the seed sprouters of the '80s?

I have vivid memories of a brown and clear plastic stack of trays on my parents' window-sill which we used to grow sprouts in for salads. Well I managed to find the same sort of thing in the local garden centre.

Loving the quick return on effort, I've never had too much patience with gardening, seeing a return in 2 years simply isnt for me.

These little seeds were planted at the weekend and I've been snacking on them for a few days now

Fun and a healthy snack what more could you want?

Iceland - A surprisingly crafty place

2010-04-29T17:24:00.005+01:00

Ok so I have been back a week, sorry for not posting this sooner, but there is just one more Icelandic discovery I wanted to share with you....

Iceland is a super crafty place

I was really surprised, not only did I discover the superb yarn and fabric shop on the high street but also I stumbled upon the Handknitting Association of Iceland Shop

There were woolie jumpers gallor, never seen so many in one place....

quite amazing and who knew they were a nation of knitters and sew-ers???

They were all quite a distinct design which reminded me of skiing and sitting drinking mulled-wine next to a roaring fire. Could have been tempted but they were pricey....about £100 for an adult jumper so left them all behind

Volcano-tastic

2010-04-22T16:52:00.003+01:00

Thank you for the kind words wishing us a safe trip home, am happy to tell you we slept in our own bed last night. It was a long journey which included severe flight delays and a rather indirect route from Iceland to London which practically took us to Sweden, anyway we are home and by the look of the news we are certainly some of the lucky ones.

Not sure I've ever linked to a news story on this blog so forgive me if you find this a little strange, but I've always been a bit of a geology geek (a slightly regretted missed calling I think) and of course the events of the past week have only fuelled this urge to learn.

I've just read this great (but quite long) article on the Guardian website which explains that the current eruption is merely a baby compared to what has happened on earth before and some of the previous consequences, really quite fascinating if you are interested in this type of stuff.

Iceland volcano: why we were lucky we weren't wiped out

Just wanted to share.

I've got something else I want to share with you from Iceland but will have to wait till the weekend when I have some time to write to you in full.

Oh suits you sir

2010-04-21T09:49:00.003+01:00

Iceland is a very casual country; jeans, jumpers and trainers everywhere, so I'm not sure if I was actually surprised to see this instruction manual as to how to tie a tie on a side wall on the high street.

I've got images in my mind of all the business men in Reykjavik crowding around this every morning before they go to work. Loving the 'tasch

Iceland

2010-04-19T18:10:00.007+01:00

Well what a lot of chaos we are experiencing around the world, who would have thought that a volcano in Iceland would have grounded planes around the world and caused hundreds of thousands of people to be stranded. Well I'm one of them...yes I am currently stranded and ironically I'm stranded in Iceland.....

Yes, I'm in Iceland. It was R's birthday on Wednesday last week and as a treat I thought I'd take us somewhere a little different for a long weekend rather than doing the usual present and nice restaurant. So I booked flights to leave London on Wednesday evening and back on Sunday evening. I even managed to keep the whole thing a secret and only told R where we were off to on the train to the airport on Wednesday evening. The special treat of the holiday was the hotel I had booked for 3 nights from Thursday. Hotel Ranga advertises itself as a luxury hotel in the south of Iceland overlooking a salmon river and a volcano.

Yes you've guessed it the volcano the hotel over looks was the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano which has been spewing ash across Europe since Wednesday morning and closed airspace since Thursday morning. Thankfully the hotel is NE of the volcano so we werent evaculated or covered in ash.

We had an amazing volcano, and I simply cant convey the how strange it was to be enjoying the out door hot tub watching this powerful mountain erupt. Fascinating really.

Here is one of my shots of the volcano, surreal really to be right there and then to see the news reports of the chaos.

Unfortunately the volcano watching is now over and we are back in Reykjavik waiting for a flight home. Anyone who has been here will know that whilst this is a lovely city, there isnt too much to do. So I was very excited to discover some rather fabulous yarn and fabric shops right on the equivalent of London's Oxford St / Manhattan's 5th Ave.

Look how beautifully their goods are displayed...I simply dont see this range of colours, textures and patterns at home....I felt like a kid in a sweet shop

I havent quite got to grips with the exchange rate just yet (185KR = 1GBP is a tricky calculation) but I've worked out enough to understand that the beautifully displayed yarn is quite pricey so I'm hoping to get home before I spend any more time and money in the lovely shops. Fingers crossed for a flight tomorrow

Funky Shrug

2010-04-08T14:05:00.004+01:00

Hope you have all had a great Easter break, filled with lots of yummy chocolate and family time. I’ve had a lovely break from work and as it typically me I get very excited about all the chocolate and then never actually eat it, think I just like to anticipate it and look at the boxes on the mantel piece. I’ve broken into one but still have 3 more to go I expect I’ll crack (!!) this weekend and have a big chocolate covered smile

The major activity this weekend was shopping….as the sun continues to peak out from the cold winter clouds the time has come to ditch the winter woollies and update the wardrobe for spring so off to the shopping centre we went. Not a particularly successful shopping trip, mainly due to the number of people who seemed to have the same idea, urgh….

But I did stumble upon this rather interesting shrug….remind you of anything???

This is made from cotton crocheted granny-squares and I couldn’t help but see the similarity between this and my cross-stitch pictures….freaky resemblance actually.

I could have been tempted purely for entertainment value but the price-tag of £115 put me off slightly … I appreciate the work that will have gone into producing this but seriously £115 for a cotton shrug in a highstreet store you have to be kidding…. if I'm still tempted in a couple of weeks I'm sure I could figure out the pattern

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-29T16:16:00.005+01:00

I find Easter to be one of the strangest of today's holidays. Whilst I understand there are a large number of people who celebrate for the right reasons I shamelessly admit that to me Easter is one of the best annual holidays because it involves chocolate, and whilst my family isn't religious we do exchange cards and gifts on this celebration day.

This year I've made one of my cards instead of buying it.

And whilst it does feel wrong that this religious event has been reduced to Hallmark and Cadbury moments, I will admit that I am eyeing my Easter Eggs with delight and counting down till I can break into the wrapping.

Ladybird lovelies

2010-03-27T10:43:00.000Z

Whilst the tv weatherman is predicting snow over Easter my garden is telling me summer is just around the corner. Hoorahhh!

Just wanted to share this little snap with you think is sums up the great outdoors right now

Mystery Stitching Update

2010-03-23T18:22:00.001Z

So you thought 'pooters, you thought chairs...nope sorry they're Russian Dolls....

well they are almost Russian Dolls. My problem is that I've actually run out of the red yarn....You can only imagine how frustrated I'm feeling, especially as I'm normally really organised and I write the dye number on the spool, not this time. Not really sure why I didnt but this is going to make the sourcing somewhat more challenging.

Wish me luck....am off on the hunt this week. I dont even want to contemplate the situation that I cant get an exact match

Ode to my black fingers

2010-03-22T18:37:00.008Z

I buy houseplants with hopes for

bright petals, perfume smells and so much more

Yet once reaching the threshold between the inside and out

my husband and I begin to doubt

Will it last the night? will it last the day?

it simply doesnt matter how much attention I pay

to the instructions, the water, the sunlight or care

it really doesnt matter where I dare

to place my new purchase within my home

I know too soon I'll be home to a groan

I dont know exactly what i do wrong

it doesnt seem to matter as they never last long

My latest plant lasted less than a day

I really dont know what I should say

If I plant outside they at least have a chance

as Mother Nature does her own little dance

but I think my windows must keep her out

as inside there really is no doubt

that I'm running a service which can kill any plant

my black fingers are getting me down, maybe I can get a green finger transplant?

The Stitch and Craft Show

2010-03-21T19:23:00.006Z

Well I can honestly say that the Stitch and Craft Show was a fabulous way to spend a Saturday. Becki and I had a great time, we arrived at 10am when it opened and were practically ushered out by the stewards at 5pm as it closed, and I have absolutely no idea where the time went in-between.

It was definitely a certain type of lady who attended the event, not entirely sure we fitted into the demographic but definitely made some friends. I love how crafty people can just chit-chat, something we are not used to here in London where we are well trained to have our heads down and not make eye-contact at all costs.

The deomgraphic extended to gender too and It's probably for the best that R did make up an excuse not to join me, I think I counted only a handful of loyal husbands at the event and they didnt exactly look like they were having the time of their life if you know what I'm saying. Bless them, I hope they got to watch the England rugby match yesterdy evening as part of the deal.

Workshops and Classes

In the morning we treated ourselves to a couple of classes. There was alsorts to choose from; crocheted beasties (Becki made a cute caterpillar in this class with crochet and beads), card making, jewellery, embroidery ... something for everyone really.

We both did a quick jewellery workshop and made a braclet with magnetic beads which is really fun to play with

And I had a go at Blackwork or Hardanger embroidery and here is the result. I do need to finish the final 4th daffodill and then I will make this into a pin cushion. Not bad really, but as this is only backstitch I think anyone who had nevery picked up a needle could have done this really easily

The show had a few main themes;

1. Paper crafting and Card making - I haven't tried this and whilst it does look like it would be fun I've got enough trouble fitting in the crafts I'm already passionate about so passed these stands by, maybe next year???

2. Jewellery Making with Beads - oh these are very dangerous stalls. You get drawn in by the thought that these are only small beads and look they are 30p each....hmmm I know all too well how those 30pences add up and all of a sudden you are handing £20 over to the cashier. Well I stayed away this time. I had a small jewellery business as a teenager and made quite a bit of cash selling at craft fairs in Northumberland...I really must tell you all about this at some point.

3. Yarn and Knitting - there were literally mountains of yarn, some very strange multicoloured items and other very expensive rare skeins which were lovely to look through and touch but I think R might give me a cheeky remark if I returned home with yarn, something along the lines of "So, when are we opening the yarn shop?" I would imagine. So no yarn for me

4. Sewing - oh yes this is where I spent the majority of my time (and money). There were peices from across the entire spectrum from sewing machines and rolls of silk to books to cross stitch charts and of course threads.

You've probably noticed that I've moved away from my crochet hook for a little while now, I cant really explain why, I've just been really loving my embroidery so have been focusing on this. I guess my preferences might be changing with the seasons, but this did mean that I focused all my spending in one area....embroidery ...

Sooooo Cute....

I found this wonderful stall with lovely enthusiastic people who were selling really adorable iron on embroidery designs. The company is called Lazy May and I had a really hard job deciding which to buy as I honestly could have come home with all the designs. I bought 3 packs and have found their website so might be indulging a little more

Stocking up on the basics...

I also bought a couple of cross stitch charts for a sampler and for a Christmas cushion, some funky coloured cross-stich material and a large handful of threads

Oh and a few bits I'm not telling you about .... you will have to wait and see how they turn out...will show you the finished article

Stitch and Craft Show

2010-03-19T18:19:00.001Z

Well I'm buzzing like a child on Christmas Eve.....as tomorrow I'm off to the Stitch and Craft Show at London Olympia.

suitable walking shoes - CHECK
list of the things I need - CHECK (my attempt to stop panic buying)
bag big enough to carry all my goodies - CHECK
tickets - CHECK
registration to embroidery class - CHECK

Will tell you all about it over the weekend

It's very very strange but R had a mystery prior appointment in his diary which meant he was obviously upset but wouldn't be able to come to the show with me....ha ha....so I'm looking forward to some lovely girlie time with my great craftie friend Becki....

Hope you have a great weekend too

A stitch in time...

2010-03-16T18:10:00.001Z

As I've mentioned I've been feeling a little under the weather of late and lacking the inspiration or motivation to pick up any type of needle or hook and create something which only a short time ago gave me so much pleasure. So to give me the little push I needed a dear friend treated me to this book of lovey embroidery patterns

There are such wonderful ideas in this book I've made a start on one of the patterns but, being me, I've already got plans to customise the design...

dont worry, it isnt finished yet.

Boeuf bourguignon critique

2010-03-15T08:49:00.002Z

I would have taken a quick photo but by the time the BB came out of the oven I was so hungry there was no chance of getting out the camera before a fork.

But I'm pleased to say the BB was a success, whilst I'm still a little dubious at the 3 hour oven time + browning + simmering (surely there is a quicker method?) it certainly passed the taste test and there is another generous meal for two in the freezer, oh happy days. Thank you Julia Child for sharing your knowledge.

Julie, Julia and Becca

2010-03-14T17:44:00.005Z

If you haven't seen Julie and Julia the film about Julie Powell a 20-something New Yorker who sets her self a challenge to cook her way through the Julia Child cook book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", pop down to the DVD store or rental and get it, it's great. I saw this at the cinema at some point last year and pre-ordered it on DVD so when it arrived last weekend I was thrilled. Such a lovely film, I can really identify with Julie, and Julia's story is inspiring, all this with the occasionally belly laugh and it just goes to prove nudity and violence aren't needed to create a great film.

I was a very lucky lady (after a little hinting) Father Christmas brought me Julia's cook book but I havent had a chance to open it and having re-watched the film this week it was all the inspiration I needed to get out my Le Creuset casserole dish and apron and get cooking.

So with the ingredients arranged I set off on my Julie and Julia journey to cook the ever so famous Boeuf Bourguignon.

I've chopped veg...Oh I was so tempted to do my onion at speed a la Julia in the film but chicken'd out...

...browned bacon and enough beef to feed a small army even though I cut down the recipe significantly...

...and sloshed in the red wine.....

now my little creation is in the oven for an eternity cooking to perfection (oh I can dream). The smell is permeating through the house and even though it is only 6pm (and let's be honest I did pinch a few of the ingredients whilst cooking) I'm starving, and literally counting down till I can dive in....yum yum yum.

And as it would appear there is enough for about 20 people we better hope its tasting as this is all we are eating this week....

Spring has sprung

2010-03-07T18:42:00.000Z

There's a potential this is my favourite time of year (is that a cliche?? Sorry)

I can't keep anything alive inside my house, R and I seem to run a euthanasia clinic for house plants, however I have a little more luck in the garden and my pots are bursting into life

And as the sum has decided to make an appearance it's feasible (although still a little on the chilly side) to spend Sunday's walking in the country and happening upon a pub for a big roast lunch.

Long may it last

Oh I do love...

2010-02-28T17:31:00.009Z

... a really good sort out.

There's nothing like it really, sorting through a chest of drawers or cupboard, throwing things out, tidying up and more importantly discovering those hidden gems you had totally forgotten about.

It is one of these gems I want to share with you.

I customised this denim jacket about 7 years ago. I can remember those Sunday afternoons vividly, sitting in my London flat stitching on bugle and rocaille beads into shapes, which being me, I really didn't plan but I had an image in my mind and produced this flower beaded jacket which I still really love

I haven't really worn this jacket too much as I was always terrified that something would happen to the beads, silly really isn't it. I can't imagine that the jacket cost me very much at the time and the beads certainly wouldn't have cost much but the hours I spent on this means I was worried that some damage might come to it.

But with floral revolution taking place at London Fashion Week recently (see the pictures from the Christopher Kane show below) and the fact that I simply have to wear this more things have got to change

I still can't exactly imagine that I'll be wearing this on every trip to the supermarket but after its re-discovery today I'm certainly planning to show it the outside of my wardrobe and house a little more this spring and summer.

I'm back

2010-02-25T21:29:00.000Z

I'm clearly well on the road to recovery after my little illness, or at least I'm sure that this is what my Dad and husband will say when they read this... as I managed to sneak in a cheeky shopping trip between meetings today.

Well, I was in London's shopping district with a bonus 30 minutes as my meeting finished early, and what is a girl to do with this rare time bonus...yes shop, it would be rude not to.

I just about managed to avoid the tourist laidend high street stores and made a bee-line for John Lewis's haberdashery department.

2 embroidery hoops and some cross stitch fabric were in craft starved hands in no time and I was merrily making my way back to the office.

Count down to the weekend - 1 day :)

Tardy Update

2010-02-22T17:26:00.004Z

Hello.....yes its me....I'm back....

Sorry its seemed like an age since I last posted, to say I've been a little under the weather would be an understatement. Think I've just been run-down and I've literally been coming home from work and going straight to bed - oh yes its a rock'n'roll lifestyle in this house.....

I just havent been able to face concentrating on any of my lovely crafts or even using the laptop in an evening to post a message or see what everyone else has been up to.

But the good news is I'm feeling a little better today and I wanted to show you my finished necklace from the last of my jewellery classes on Thursday. Unfortunately I only managed 30 minutes of the 2.5 hour class so only finished my necklace and didnt get to make a bracelet like I had hoped but I LOVE my necklace soooo much I cant be anything but happy ...

I've thoroughly enjoyed the course and come to realise that there actually isn't too much that you cant do in a garage or kitchen....and I already have my eye on an equipment website ("Thanks" to Sarah at Thimbles and Crumbles for your comment on my earlier post) and the intermediate course at the London Jewellery School where I've just completed the beginners course, or maybe the metal clay course, or maybe the enameling....what is a girl to do???? so many course ..... so little time.....

In the mean time I've got a couple of things on the go, not sure I'm quite up to focusing on anything intrucate just yet but hoping to be back to full speed soon

Jewellery course - class #4

2010-02-13T12:23:00.000Z

Can't believe my jewellery course is coming to an end, there were only 5 classes in the course and as I'm writting to you about the 4th that means there's only 1 more to go. Boooo!

As I told you last week I managed to make a head start on a project of my own design. Oh yes, I now like to believe I have jewellery design skills, step aside Dinny Hall, here I come ;)

So last week I cut out a round shape and left you wondering what I would manipulate this into

I used a special dome mould and hammer set to make this into half ball shape. It was remarkably easy really, the saw to cut out the circles was very versatile so it's easy to create a round shape and it was as simple as bish-bash-bosh to turn a circle into a dome.

It was a little trickier to cut out smaller circles but with the help of some sand paper I eventually manipulated the jaggered flat metal into a smooth edged round dome...

Do you know my plan yet????

So it would seem that the cutting out and shaping was the easy bit as from here on in I needed much more tutor support as whilst my fellow students made beautiful bangles and rings I had my sights on much more complex 3D structure which will be a pendant. Maybe a little ambitious for this "beginners" course but hey it's the best way to learn.

So, out came the soldering tools, the pickle and of course the protective eye wear and off we went.

First I soldered what will become the front of the pendant, before then pickling and cooling and then soldering a loop on the back.

And here is the, almost, finished article....just a bit more sandpapering and polishing to do next week et voilà.

Now those of you who have been reading carefully you will have noticed I cut out quite a few circles but have only used 2. Well my plan had been to put lots of the domes in the middle, but I was sooooo please with just the single inner that I didn't want to add any more so I didn't. I've still got one week left so might use the extra ones in a "here's one I made earlier" type exercise.

Now you may be wondering what that hole is in the back of the pendant shown above. Well, apparently once a dome is nicely soldered and sealed there is a serious rise of explosion if the surface is reheated. As I needed to solder on the loop to hang this I was advised to drill a little hole so the whole thing didn't explode. Not a risk I was willing to take.

I'm really really pleased with this and looking forward to wearing it.

A-Granny-A-Day Update #3

2010-02-07T17:22:00.005Z

I've been feeling a little under the weather this last week, so even though I've been on holiday from work (isnt that just typical !!) I havent done half the crafting I was hoping for. Thankfully R and I were planning a quiet week at home anyway so haven't wasted an expensive holiday abroad, still annoying though....

...so I've been resting for most of the week and not getting on with all the lovely things I had planned...

- I haven't touched my quilt

- I did make it to jewellery class which was good for a couple of hours on Thursday evening

- and I've only managed to make a handful of Granny Squares for my Granny a Day Challenge so here are some of the squares I've put together....

I've been concentrating on crocheting the smaller squares into families of 4 and will then stitch these families together. I'm aiming for 100 little squares and 25 families....still a way to go then

Back to work tomorrow ...

By George she's done it...

2010-02-07T13:51:00.004Z

After spending the morning interrogating and then amending HTML code I have finally done it....

I've got 3 columns, white back ground and my own photo at the top...not exactly ground breaking I know but I'm pleased none the less

phew this blogging lark is more stressful than I thought it would ever be...I'm off for a thoroughly deserved cup of tea now

New Blogger Respect

2010-02-06T19:13:00.003Z

I've developed a large new found respect for all the amazing blogs out there. I don't just mean the interesting, inspiring and thought-provoking content - that's all great but I already knew you were a great bunch

No - I'm talking about the bits we as readers all take for granted...the layout and structure of the blog page.

I've literally spent HOURS today trying to amend the format of my blog. I'm no HTML coder so I've been hunting for a template I could seamingly simply download and use. I had a couple of criteria

1. 3 column

2. clean white or grey background

3. ability to upload own title photo

Either I've been looking in the wrong places (I was searching on google and am fairly IT literate) OR these are impossibly complex criteria as I've really struggled.

You might be able to tell from this page that I've managed to tick off at least 2 of the above, I'm not sure about item 3 as my computer has now decided it needs a break so am off to make dinner whilst it restarts!!

Watch out for potentially more changes and if you have any advice for me I'd really love to hear it

Jewellery course - class #3

2010-02-05T16:25:00.001Z

This week's class was mainly used up finishing last week's ring project. So I started with this

There was no creme brûlée blow torch, instead we used what can only be described as a dentist's drill, thankfully without the high pitched squeal. The drill-like weapon was wrapped in sandpaper and used to polish the inside of the ring, it did a remarkable job. 2 minutes of whizzing and the inside of my ring was like a mirror. Unfortunately the outside was not so easy. Not sure why but the dentist drill couldn't be used on the outside think there was a danger of us accidentally polishing our fingers (and I thought the blow torch last week was dangerous). So old fashioned sandpaper and elbow-grease was the order of the day.

After much sanding I had the following which I was quite proud of. Let's face it, it has all the right ring qualities -
1. It's round
2. It's finger size
(I'm not the fussiest of ladies, I know my limits)

Not content with a plain band (oh no, you can buy those in any shop) I set off on a mission to customise. You might have to trust me here as the picture isn't great, I have battered my silver ring with a hammer to within an inch of it's life, I now has a mottled effect. I'm really quite pleased with project number 2

For those of you with super-duper eye sight you might have spotted a grey/purple area around the middle of this ring, apparently this is called fire-stain and is caused when heating the metal. This gives an unintentional colouring to the ring which I would never be able to replicate if I actually wanted to or know how to stop happening again, oh well I like it and that's all that matters.

So here is a sneak peek at next week's project....

as Rolf Harris would say "do you know what it is yet?"

A Granny-a-Day Update #2

2010-02-02T10:00:00.001Z

Ok so I'm totally failing on the challenge of doing a Granny-a-Day, but I did have a bit of a spurt over the weekend and have 24 mini-Grannies

I'm planning on making 100 of these and then stitching together with some edging...so 24% there...not bad for 2 days work I think....only 76 to go, hmm thats a pretty big number

Birthday Gifts

2010-02-01T19:35:00.000Z

I've just had these new cross-stitch pictures back from the framer for a brief moment before packing them off to Newcastle as I made them with my Mum's Birthday in mind.

I wanted to share the finished article with you -

I used my earlier pieces as inspiration for these as you can clearly see, however, these pieces are considerably smaller and therefore much quick to make, although just to manage expectations there is still many weeks of work in each of these.

I have to say and I really pleased and proud of how they have turned out, I think they are great but guess I am a little biased ...

New Phone Case

2010-01-31T09:35:00.000Z

Following the production of the accidentally camoflauge phone case for R a couple of weeks ago I've finally got round to making a case for my own phone...

I used cotton rather than wool to make this slightly more hard wearing to cope with the battering its going to receive protecting my phone against the dangers of the inside of my hanbag. This is obviously a similar design to the messenger bag I created earlier this year....I'll be very matchy-matchy in the summer.

Busy busy tidying

2010-01-30T09:39:00.003Z

Just had to show you this...my yarn has been in carrier bags and piles in the corner of my living room...have just tidied it all up and I now have a small box with all my lovey cotton and the larger one with all my new wool....yippee...I love being organised.

Silver Jewellery Course - Class #2

2010-01-30T08:38:00.006Z

Developing on the skills learnt last week we progressed to soldering at class on Thursday. I was a little nervous of this and had the beginning of flashdance passing through my head.....

Thankfully Liz (our tutor) didn't turn up the '80s tunes and pull out the face masks. No. What we were going to be doing was much less dangerous.

Like last week we started with a solid peice of silver, all shiny and straight....then having measured our fingers were had to cut this to the right length

Once cut......the silver had to be bent into a ring shape. Boy was this hard work, Liz did this in a matter of seconds on her demonstration peice the rest of us in the class spent about 40 minutes straining with various pillars, mallets and ring sticks until a round shape was achieved.

I was quite happy with this, honestly would have been happy to wear it, but we weren't finished yet....the blow torches and solder came out and off we went...

I was expecting some scary flame to be used but the tool was exactly the same as the blow torch I use on Creme Brulee...not scary at all...

So here is the almost finished article...

Don't worry this isn't finished yet.

The solder needs to be filed and maybe some bits touched up a little, and then of course I need to polish this to make it all shiny again.... so will show you the finished article next week

Calling all Woolly Jumpers

2010-01-27T13:41:00.000Z

Yes, you've guessed it, I've failed once more to find any potentially feltable jumpers in the raft of charity shops which fill one end of my high street. Following my previous attempts at this seemingly simple craft I have a better idea of what I'm looking for, I just can't find anything suitable....there just isn't any of this type of stock, it's all.....well how do I say this??? poor quality....never mind the woolly jumpers, where are the Jimmy Choo sandals and Hermes handbags you always see on tv when someone enters a charity shop? I'm seriously looking and I haven't seen anyone leaving the shops with a large bag and a smug grin....So either
a) the public aren't giving this stuff away, or
b) we just don't own pure wool jumpers any more

We've all seen the news reports and documentaries stating that The Devil Wears Primark i.e. Instead of investing in clothing which will last, we are all buying quick fashion fixes which either don't last, or we see as disposable due to the incredibly low prices (there are additional issues relating to the production of these items which I won't even consider mentioning for fear of being sued...)

Anyway... The point I was attempting to make (in a rather round-a-bout way) is that charity shops seem to be bursting at their poorly stitched seams with acrylic, polyester and any other man-made fabric you care to think of. This surely can't be good for the charity shop either...why buy Primark (or any other cheaper high street brand) which has been worn, stretched, shrunk and mis-shapen for £2-£3 when you can buy a similar brand new item from the other end of the high street for £5-£6...

Oops there I go again..rant over back on topic...

So basically what I'm trying to tell you is that I'm going to give up on my search for pure wool jumpers to felt and undertake Plan B

Yes I actually have a Plan B...

...I'm going to crochet or knit a square in pure wool and pop that in the washing machine in the hope that it felts and shrinks. The only problem is I have no idea how much shrinkage to expect...if I make a square 6" square will this come out 4" square or the size of a postage stamp??? I will have a go and report back

Watch this space...

My Weekend in Pictures

2010-01-24T18:49:00.025Z

So this was my weekend in pictures

:: there was flowers, lots of flowers, my house is brimming with red roses, tulips and lillies....

:: there was sewing...the front of my quilt is really taking shape...

:: there was chocolate brownie....yummy...

:: there was cosiness on the sofa with the latest fashion and home magazines

:: there was crochet..still behind on my granny-a-day challenge, oh well I'm only human and as we are told as kids "it's the taking part that counts"... I did crochet this lovely flower though, inspired by the beautiful flowers filling my house

:: all in all a good weekend

Weekend Craft List

2010-01-22T20:54:00.002Z

I've been so busy this week, work has seriously woken up after the Christmas break and I have an intense 3 month project so might not be posting quite as regularly and I'm not having as much time at home to get on with my projects.

I'm really pleased to have no plans this weekend so am hoping to ...

- really get on with my quilt (and promise some photos)

- catch up with the challenge to create a granny a day....

Have a good one

Silver Jewellery Course - Class #1

2010-01-21T21:39:00.002Z

I'm on my way home from a great evening of learning the first stages of making silver jewellery, and I'm so proud to have my finger adorned with my very own handiwork as I type this to you.

The silver before I started playing with it...it was all pretty and shiny I was tempted to leave it alone....

After blow torching....cooling......acid dunking the pretty silver to within an inch of its life it was apparently soft (felt like hard metal to me....but hey I'm the student...we got to choose a pattern to imprint on the metal...but which pattern to choose?

think it looks quite good really...

Almost there ... if anyone is wondering....yes bending metal is tough

And here it is... my chunky ring, loving it

There were 5 beginners in the class but thankfully Liz, our teacher, was patient and able to give us the attention we each needed. Think we have all gone home pretty chuffed, now I just need to plan an outfit for work tomorrow which will compliment and show off my new piece....

...and of course how to crowbar into conversations my ring and "oh this...you like it? Oh I made this" hee hee hee
All suggestions welcome

Next week we are soldering...

A Granny A Day Update #1

2010-01-18T21:31:00.000Z

I've kept up with the challenge, here are my first 4 squares

I've also started the quilt and as soon as the pile of 2.5" strips of fabric covering my dining room table start to look more like he end product I'll be sure to share it with you.

I've Accepted the Challenge...

2010-01-15T21:00:00.001Z

I was doing my daily blog-surfing today with my new stash of yarn in mind and spotted the "A Granny A Day" challenge posted by Meet Me At Mikes and I simply couldnt resist.

So here we go - I should have a new blanket / cushion cover / or something very soon....

Here is Granny Square #1

Oh how that plan to only do one project at a time is failing...

A very successful lunch break

2010-01-15T12:51:00.001Z

Well like I promised, I popped to the shops at lunch today to get supplies for the project idea which kept me up 'till the early hours this morning. I was pleased to see that the majority of the January sales madness had subsided and I was looking forward to a quick snatch-n-pay visit, I wasn't expecting to join the rugby-scrub surrounding what can only be described as a rather dingy bin marked 'Clearance'. But as soon as I spotted the contents it was elbows sharpened and take no prisoners.....rowan dk cotton and wool was reduced. Not all colours, but I've been wanting to start another granny square pile and I really like the pictures I've seen of mixed colours.

So here is a peak at what I got

What I acually went for is right at the bottom and will be revealled in good time....

Weekend Craft List

2010-01-15T11:20:00.000Z

I have very high hopes for this weekend.....with no plans other than collecting the dry cleaning and stocking up on groceries for the week I should have some spare time to get on with my craftiness.

I've almost finished my second mini cross-stitch picture so

... hi-ho,hi-ho its off to-the-framer we go....

I'm really looking forward to getting these framed and, of course, finished. It always disappoints me when I have finished all my part of the work on a piece that I then have to wait for a framer to do his magic before the finished article is produced. Very excited about getting these new pictures back, I'll show you them when they are finished.

Having finished my bag and my cross-stitch means I can finally start on my quilt.....yippee!!! I had soooo many projects on the go last year that I had decided that I must finish one before starting the next....I had such wonderful intentions to focus only on one project, but I couldn't sleep last night because I was swarmed with ideas...

It happens about once a month I will just not be able to sleep, I'll be tossing and turning in bed annoying R. I eventually have to give-in, get up and sketch out the ideas which have been formulating before I can get to sleep. These are the hours when I get about 90% of my inspiration and ideas, I have most of them stored away to be completed at some point soon, if any of them are half as good as they look in my mind they will be fabulous.

There was one idea I was developing last night which I'm simply desperate to get started..in fact I'm going to get the materials at lunch today so I can start this weekend ... so bang goes my good intentions to just have one thing on the go, I'm starting at least 2 new projects this weekend ...

Messenger Bag

2010-01-13T15:01:00.000Z

It is no secret amongst friends and family that I am quite a shoe and handbag addict.

I can actually remember my very first proper handbag, I was about 6 years old and it was a red leather envelope clutch bag from Miss Selfridge I think (I really must see if I still have that although I would imagine it is somewhat smaller than I remember). I have vivid memories of taking this beautiful red bag on Saturday morning shopping trips although I have absolutely no recollection what I was carrying in it…no doubt change I had dubiously acquired from my parents. I have continued to grow my collection over the years and am lucky lady to own beautiful individual pieces from all over the globe. As if this wasn’t enough for one lady - bags are not my only weakness…I believe I have a slight glitch in my DNA which means I am physically incapable of passing a shoe shop without popping in for a quick look, my Dad actually warned R in his speech at our wedding that this is a genetic illness from which my Mum has also been suffering for many years.

I live by the moto that - a girl can never have all the shoes and handbags she needs for every outfit and occasion!

My love of big bags and towering heels has seen me totter through my twenties always well dressed and stylish, however, since reaching 30 my body has started to battle back. I can no longer do marathon days and nights in my 4” stilettos and my back and neck are physically rejecting my beautiful large leather handbags, however I understand I am not alone in this pain, the American Chiropractic Association has done a study which proves my experience is not isolated, as if we couldn’t have predicted apparently carrying an additional 10% of your body weight on one shoulder and changing your centre of gravity in heels wont do your back any favours. Things need to change…..

I’ve been carefully monitoring the handbag industry for about 20 years as a customer and I believe we are about to see a big movement from…

impractical, and frankly comical, oversized bag

...to the sleek cross-body messenger bag

... infinitely more practical - I am ready to embrace and lead this change, although I’m not about to give up my heels just yet ….

I challenged myself to make a summery messenger bag to brighten up the grey winter and have come up with this rather funky design……I’m loving the bright colours and asymmetrical design….come on sun so I can break this out…

This isn't quite a Mulberry Messenger, but I'm sure it will see me through many summer BBQs all the same

Fashion dissection

2010-01-12T09:30:00.005Z

As the UK has suffered antarctic-like temperatures recently my fellow residents have turned to all things woolly in an attempt to stay warm. We have been layering up the vests, jumpers and coats but I have been most interested in the hats, scarfs and gloves, in fact I have been struggling to focus on my book during my commute* 'cos I've been dissecting everyone's woollies.

I've seen everything recently from the more trendy slouch hats as sported by these ever fashionable ladies

to the less attractive and frankly crazy hats in rainbow colours and somewhat dubious styles.

Now I'm no fashion critic (although I do make a healthy contribution to the fashion industry each year) I have not been ogling these woollen-wonders to comment on the statement they are making....no....I have actually found myself dissecting woollies on people's heads and hands to see how they are made.....

.....knitted or crocheted.....

.....wool or acrylic.....

.....handmade or machine made.....

I reached a particularly low point on the way home last night when I had established a lady's had was made using treble crochet was actually counting the stitches in the round in an attempt to figure out the pattern.

I have to laugh really - where will this obsession with the hook lead me???

----------------

* I've just started reading the Twilight Series so I'm desperately trying to concentrate - loving it

Shop window art

2010-01-08T09:52:00.001Z

I was taking a walk through the shopping centre in Epsom yesterday, as the snow stopped me from getting to work again, when I spotted this in a shop window

It really caught my eye, I love the colour, shapes and symmetry. It just really appealled to me and I wanted to share this little peice of inspiration with you.

Hope you are having a great day

iPhone Case

2010-01-06T09:11:00.002Z

When my mobile phone contract ended recently, there was no question what I would be getting, I have practically been counting down the days till I could get a shiny new iPhone.

However, i wonder if i am alone in my insane attempts to keep any new phone clean and scratch-free. It usually turns into a bit of an obsession, searching all the options on the high-street and online for the perfect case for my loved new gadget.

The problem is it's impossible to find the perfect case as they are all either

too bulky
too girlie
too boring
too loud
etc etc etc....

Well basically I fail everytime and end up with a scratched phone. This time I decided I wouldn't be beaten... I decided to make my own.

I bought this beautiful silk yarn a few weeks ago and thought the colours would make a nice sophisticated mix in a case.

Armed with my crochet hook i quickly wiped up a case which fitted snuggly without adding too much bulk, unfortunately the yarn has worked together into a camoflauge effect, not exactly the sophisticated "girl-about-town" look I was after so back to the yarn shop for me, but R is very pleased with his new phone case!!! And has 'helpfully' suggested some enhancments for the next version like a gap for the screen, he is over estimating my skill level somewhat here!!!!

Here's a sneaky peek at something else I'm working on, hoping it will take more shape soon

The snow has arrived

2010-01-06T08:11:00.001Z

Wow... We'd been warned that the snow was coming and come it did. I've heard reports of 20cm in places, we've only about 6cm but it's enough to cause chaos and all the trains are cancelled

Can't get to work so day at home for me

A lovely but unproductive break

2010-01-03T14:08:00.002Z

This afternoon I've been putting away the Christmas decorations - boxing up the baubles, wrapping the delicates in tissue and quietly munching any of the chocolate decorations which by some strange luck have lasted this long. I've had just over a week off work as I finished on Christmas eve and am due back in the office tomorrow, I had such high hopes for this time;

- I was going to finish my 2 cross-stitch pictures

:: I actually managed to finish one and only make a start on the second

- I hoped to make a good start on another blanket

:: but actually managed only 3 squares I've only got about another 50 to go!!!!!

And I haven't even got the sewing machine out to start the quilt!

I really shouldn't be cross with myself about this progress but I have to admit I am, not because I haven't managed to achieve what I had hoped... No that wouldn't be fair.... I'm cross because once more I set an unrealistic goal. I've hardly been at home for the last 10 days as we've been visiting our nearest and dearest around the country so I've simply not had the time to sit and relax with my sewing or hooking.

I have also noticed a surprising amount of withdrawal symptoms from being away from my craftiness, I've literally been counting down to the afternoon when I knew all the tidying would be done and I could sit with a cup of tea and craft. I think we are all guilty of expecting too much from our time and uttering the classic phrase "if only there were a few more hours in the day......" oh wouldn't that be nice, but as days won't be growing longer than 24 hours anytime soon, and as once more we have failed to win the lottery so I'm back to work tomorrow I'm going to have to accept that I'm limited to evenings and weekend hobbying and progress will be slow :(

Well here's to a crafty and successful 2010, I've got some plans for this blog and my work which i'm looking forward to developing and sharing with you.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quilt Fabric

2010-01-02T19:16:00.003Z

Firstly Happy New Year to all.....Hope you had a good evening I certainly had a great night with some good friends....and best wishes for 2010

So, like a child with a new toy I was desperate to start quilting sooo I took my new quilting book and Christmas vouchers to the lovely local quilting shop this afternoon and had a long mooch round. I've decided to try the pattern below first, think this looks fairly beginner-friendly as there don't look to be too many scary stitches for me to measure and sew wrong. I'd love to have a go at one of the complex ones with lots of triangles but currently appreciate my novice skills so will be a little while before I'm attempting anything more complex than rectangles and squares.

So the the next challenge was to choose the colours. I was litterally in awe of the range of fabrics available. There was every shade and pattern type available from classic spots and stripes to cute teddies and even more modern abstracts in some alarming citrus shades.

I managed to take a brave step away from my comfort-zone of neutrals and purchased a rather patriotic red, white and blue jellyroll and some bright red for for the edging on the top. I'm sure this will brighten up any room.

I didn't choose the binding, stuffing or backing, I clearly had my "Beginner" badge on as the assistant assured me this would be more than enough to keep me busy for a while and I should head back in a few weeks to choose these fabrics.

I'm really excited to get started on this, so I'm looking forward to an evening of sewing bits of fabric together and pressing the seems (everyone tells me this is critical) very very soon.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Post Christmas thoughts

2009-12-30T20:57:00.005Z

Well it has certainly been a good Christmas this year....there have been

:: walks on a crisp Christmas morning on the Downs

:: lunches and laughs with friends
:: 2 Christmases with family (one more to come)
:: and of course Santa came with some little crafty treats for me, so here is little preview into what I'll be working on in the coming months

Crochet

Santa brought me some beautifully soft alpacha and merino mix yarn

:: and a great crochet book to help me continue develop my skills

:: I've already had a quick go at a couple of the patterns already, the one on the left is obviously a classic Granny Square whilst the one on the right is a Croydon Square. My plan is to make another blanket with lots of different squares using my new yarn.

Quilting

R bought me this fabulous quilting book along with a voucher to choose as much fabric as I need to make a quilt for our bed.

I'm really looking forward to getting started. My first quilt looks really cosy in the spare room so I'm excited to see what transformation will unfold with this quilt, but the colour selection is a daunting process...

do I go with something which will go with the current decor??

or take this as an opportunity to redecorate the room??

what should I choose as the acent colour???

should this match the walls ???

match the carpet???

red??? blue??? green??? neutrals???

oh I can see quite a lot of consideration needs to take place before I can get started on my pressie...

Poor R, I bet he thought he was buying a nice simple present which I will enjoy making (absolutely correct) and will keep me quiet whilst the World Cup is on this summer (it certainly will) without considering that this might actually mean re-painting the bedroom and could extend to new carpet and possibly curtains....oh dear!

Knitting

I spent a few days with my Gran in Yorkshire over Christmas. I was sat having a nice cup of tea and flicking through my new crochet book making a pink 3 layered flower (which is now adorning Gran's windowsil) when Gran left me with a rather knowing look .... a few minutes later she returned with this box of knitting needles, there must be over 20 pairs of needles in this ancient chocolate box..... I can been assured that when I get round to starting to knit I will certainly have whatever size the pattern needs, she must have saved me a fortune....thank you

Well I am certainly excited about my craftiness in 2010... planned projects

crocheted blanket using my new book and new yarn

quilt for my bedroom

take up knitting

and of course my silver Jewellery making course in a couple of weeks

who knows what else....

its going to be a good year :o)

Felting Failure

2009-12-22T17:58:00.006Z

I've been quite fascinated by the world of felting wool recently, there are some fantastic blogs out there dedicated to this - Betz White and LucyKate Crafts are some of my favourites at the moment. The items I have seen online and in books have really inspired me to have a go at this seamingly simple craft and art-form.

For those of you who aren't familiar with this craft (and I really wasn't only a month ago) Felting is the result of washing knitted wool in the washing machine on a hot temperature and making it shrink or felt....lets be honest we have all done this accidentally at some point....I'm just wishing now I'd kept the results rather than throwing these away.

So I toddled off to the high street this afternoon in search of a wool sweater in a charity shop. I didn't realise just how little wool there is out there, I know that wool sweaters are always more expensive than man-made fibres but thought there would still be a lot of pure wool out there, maybe people simply don't give wool sweaters to charity shops in winter (that would make sense as it is pretty chilly outside right now).

It took searching through 3 charity shops until I located a 100% lambswool sweater that didn't come with the re-assurance that it wouldn't shrink in the wash ... not exactly what I was searching for in this project.

So I came home with my festive red lambswool sweater and felt really quite naughty putting it in the washing machine at 95degrees in the hope that it comes out teddy-bear size.

Well I either the sweater company did something to make the jumper indestructable or I did something wrong as my should-be-felted sweater is in the same dimensions as it entered the machine a hour earlier. I'm sooooooooo disappointed....

I guess the positives to this little project are that I have donated some money to charity and will donating a festive red lambswool very clean sweater in the next day or so.

Will try again after Christmas

yummy chocolate treats

2009-12-21T21:30:00.001Z

Christmas came a little early in my house as a very dear friend treated me to this crafty book.

There are some great ideas in here for all seasons which I am definitely going to be trying soon but I couldn't resist having a go at the Chocolate Salami - sounds a little dodgy I know, but stick with me here

Apparently Chocolate Salami is made with some of my favourite foods ever -

Chocolate

Amaretto - ummmmm alcoholic liquid marzipan

Amaretti biscuits - yum yum yum

as well as a few other treats

I'd really hate to think how many calories are in this

AND it is Christmas which is not only the season of good will but also the season of good food ... so actually what I am saying to you is that it would have been rude for me not to make and eat this ...

It tastes good too...pretty yummy actually... having consumed quite a bit of this R has very kindly offered to take the remainder into work tomorrow so I may still fit into my clothes in the coming days.

I am really quite concerned at just how easy this was to make, I imagine that the likes of Rocky Road are just as easy (and pretty tasty too) might have to limit myself to one chocolate concoction a month so as not to end up on a very strict diet by summer time

All wrapped up

2009-12-19T10:40:00.003Z

As a sprinkling of snow arrived in southern England in the last couple of days it brough a little Christmas Cheer with it. There is something quite magical about the garden covered in a layer of crisp white loveliness that always make me smile, well once I have the industrial layers of warm clothing on I smile....

The layer of crisp white snow and finding that one of the TV music channels was playing Christmas tunes inspired me to dig out the wrapping paper and red wine and set too with present wrapping. Too much working recently has meant that I have been somewhat ill-prepared this year and after much digging around I discovered I've used up my stash of ribbon so I had to improvise..... its amazing that you can do with a hook and red yarn.....an hour later I had many of the presents wrapped in brown and gold paper decorated with yarn and crocheted tags....well I just hope that the recipients love them as much as I do, just goes to show you don't need to spend a fortune on ribbons and bows....a little time and some yarn is all you need

Many more to go.....but at least I have made a start and not only am I giving the actually gift this year I'm also giving a Christmas decoration in the form of the tag.....

I'm really settling in to this lovely world of crafting.....with the bonus of saving a few pennies its even better

New Cross-Stitch Picture

2009-12-17T19:00:00.000Z

Following the emails I received after the unveiling of my original cross-stitch pictures (which are now hanging in pride of place in my living room) I've been working on some smaller versions.

I knew these took quite a long time to produce, especially this pattern below as this involves so many thread changes, thought I'd give you a sneak preview as I'm almost there.....should be finished by the end of the weekend and then I just need to make one of the other design, always think these look better hung as a co-ordinating pair

Not really train friendly but is quite nice to be busy whilst relaxing and watching TV in an evening