Alternative advent calendar #21

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This post should probably be subtitled 'Things I Would Craft for my Perfect Homemade Christmas if I Had the Damn Time!'.

It's all well and good having Kirstie Allsopp wibbling on about how perfect your Christmas can be with a tissue paper pom pom or pine tree syrup (!) but everyone I know works ridiculous hours and collapse in a heap of exhaustion when they do finally get home.  

Bah humbug.

Alternative advent calendar #10

Last weekend we met up with MoMa and MoPa for lunch and a little Christmas crafting,  I took down some stamps and other bits a bobs for us to use.  After a tentative start MoMa found her style and made these great Christmas wreath cards using Yellow Owl Workshop stamps!

Giving This Pinterest Lark a Try

Tutorial from Purl Bee

I originally found this tutorial on Pinterest, so I'm counting this as one of my Normaloid Defence List projects.  I wanted to go down the neon route because as I've mentioned before on this little blog I love neon but the thread frayed and was generally rubbish, when I moved across to the cotton mix thread the results were much better:

Attempts 1 - 3 above, and attempt 4 below, I'm happy with how they're turning out now and might even have a go at making some for a couple of friends....

Vintage Wedding

I'm going to make something of a shock statement here: I hate weddings.  Being one of those shy retiring types I don't like having to put myself out there and I don't like having to talk to loads of people I don't know, I don't like the pressure of finding something to wear and also don't like being the awkward person who is allergic to milk and therefore a nightmare to cater for.  But then I hadn't been to a wedding where 80% of the people in attendance were from  Newcastle and I didn't need to put myself out there at all because I was called 'pet' a lot and was made to feel completely comfortable.  I hadn't been to wedding where the milk free food was delicious and after dinner I was allowed to change into my jeans (and thus freeing me from the corset that was a slightly too small dress).  I hadn't been to a wedding where the bride looked like a movie star and the groom (sporting a cigar and shades) looked like the Godfather!

Mr and Mrs Lovely, I hope you have a lifetime of happy times and happy memories, I can't wait to see you both again soon xx

World Book Night 2012 - Getting Ready!

I've been getting ready for World Book Night 2012...

New Year Resolutions

2011 was an amazing year I got married, got a promotion at work and met some amazing people.  But it has also been very stressful, and I know that a number of people in my life have, and are currently dealing with some of life's big issues.

So as I look to 2012 I wanted to make changes that were sustainable, positive and enjoyable, not the usual 'lose weight', 'drink less', 'quit smoking' etc.  I aim to live in the moment more, not to always be looking to the next thing and appreciate what I have.

So firstly, draw, draw, draw everything and anything.

Don't take work home with me, I really need to learn how to switch off my work brain!

Keep making, crafting, and baking.  This is a blanket I'm currently working on for my mum:

Wear more colour!  This year I have been wearing a lot of grey and black, I have absolutely no idea why I used to wear a lot of colour, so to get myself back on track £12 got me these fab pair of yellow shoes I've damaged them in the rain already but I think they look better for it.

So I hope you all have a fantastic New Year *raises glass of champagne in your direction*

Alternative Advent Calendar #15

So, the first photo is of a craft project I have actually finished *gasp*, yes no one is as surprised as me, but there you go.  The petrol blue wool was from a car boot sale, £1 for five balls, and the yellow was some left over from another project, so all in £1, ace!

The second photo I'm not proud of, but with some of my friends needs must.

The slow realisation that Christmas is on it's way....

As a kid, and on a family holiday in America my mum and I went to a craft class one evening in San Diego.  We did some rubber stamping, which for a craft-challenged kid was an easy way for me to make cards and things that looked good, back in Blighty I got into the hobby and made Christmas cards etc for everyone.  Then years later when I left home for university the little collection of stamp bits and bobs I had gathered were unceremoniously sold by my mum at a car boot sale.  Gutted.

Well several more years later I am building my little collection back up and what better starting point than Yellow Owl Workshop?  I've bought a number of presents for friends but had to buy this set for myself:

As the title of this blog would suggest Christmas has somewhat snuck up on me so this morning with a mini hangover and not a lot planned I settled down to make some cards for Christmas:

There are several more designs but I want to keep them a secret for the people who might receive them.  Other craft projects on the go: knitted petrol blue scarf, yo-yo placemats for Christmas table (yes, yes that is still on going), and Christmas gift tags.

Watch this space...



Lucky Girl

So this week I turned thirty.  It is an understatement indeed to say I wasn't happy about it, there were tears, there was grumpiness, there was moping about, but equally there were craft projects, there was a Mario Kart themed party and there was cider.

Nice surprises from family:

Last minute but very great Mario Kart themed costumes:

(Back row): Shy Guy, Toad, Bullet Bill

(Front row): Waluigi, Birdo, Princess Peach

Luigi cake:

and then came the tidy up *sigh*:

So after all the moodiness what has turning thirty meant? (Lets bullet point!):

• An excuse to be daft, who doesn't love crafting silly costumes out of paper mache?
• An excuse to eat cake for breakfast
• An opportunity to be spoilt
• I can pretend to be wiser (strokes chin and looks thoughtfully out of the window)
• I can handle my drink better than when I was younger (clearing up after Mario party is a testament to the fact that my friends can too)
• I can own a shopping trolley, I can take it around a car boot sale with me and I don't care, weeeeee!

Big thanks to everyone who made my birthday great x



Holiday projects

As much as I truly loved crafting things for our wedding come the end I dreamt of projects that were totally wedding free.  So here is the beginning of project one of two that I am working on, a yo-yo blanket inspired endeavour (thinking placemats and coasters?) and the beauty of this project is that I can transport it with me whether I choose to roam. 

The fabric as ever is from Fabricworm.

Wedding Day

After a year of planning, our wedding day finally arrived, the weather was good, things were casual, friends and family mingled......

..... the kids had their own dressing up yurt:

..... confetti bags were distributed:

..... we had a Portland Street reunion:

...Squeezes from family:

.... musical interludes from friends:

.... and some overindulgence:



What can I say?  Accept thank you to our family and friends for helping out and making the day as casual and fun as we wanted it to be, thank you to West Town Farm for an amazing location to celebrate, lovely smiley staff, gorgeous food and patience, thank you to our friends who came to the ceremony and lunchtime do, for mingling with strangers and making new friends, for showing our family exactly why we love you, thank you to my lovely bridesmaids for dancing like loons, and twirling for England, thank you to my mum for her tireless scouting of enamelware jugs, cake stands and for creating amazing floral displays, thank you to Colette for bringing to life my perfect wedding dress, thank you to Mary for knitting and crocheting some amazing flowers which just went down a storm, thank you to Lynne for fixing banners, making napkin rings and bringing a smile to the stressful preparations and thank you to my new husband for keeping me sane and for not judging my bourbon biscuit habit too harshly.

Yes actually, I will throw my toys out of the pram, and no I haven't found my shorts yet.

This week I have mostly been grumpy.  Which is wrong so near to getting married, but... the house is a mess, I veg pealed off a chunk of my nail that had just been manicured, we haven't sorted the music for the wedding, we haven't ordered the alcohol, I have to clean said messy house from top to bottom in preparation of impending relative invasion, and (!) I can't find my god damn shorts.  The house has eaten them and it's really annoying me.  So imagine me with the following look on my face:

It's mostly my fault the house is messy, I have unfinished craft projects all over the house:

and the allotment is taking up a lot of our time, with it being so dry my lovely plants are thirsty, the bounty is good though:

and to be fair I have finished the children's colouring-in books:



and Sam has finished the blackberry vodka, which is so so tasty, and therefore very dangerous!

My Lovely Menagerie

Let me tell you about my weekend.  It started with a half day's holiday on Friday, where I met Stoat and because I needed to shop for my niece's birthday present we encountered a 7ft Hagrid:

Stoat got a little over excited about the mega Sylvaninan Family rabbit:

Then on Saturday we embarked on my low key, and very awesome hen do, where in Make Art I made a lovely horse:

Ruthie went for a lovely stegosaurus:

Charlie a very lovely dinosaur:

Sadly I don't have a picture of Anne's lovely flip flop, but together we made quite the lovely menagerie.  There was another hen do at Make Art, they were dressed as superheroes, I feel I got a glimpse through the looking glass that night.  After much gin drinking and discussion about the Queen's tights the night ended.  And today I have gin head, I haven't been able to do much, just nice gentle activities like hand sewing banners for the Bar and Cake Table (note capital letters):

Still a way to go before they're finished but the hair of the dog wine is helping.