Another FO

Following on from the last couple of evenings, last night I decided to make my kit from the steampunk Crafty Creatives kit.

This was to cover a small trinket box in decoupage. To be honest I'd only left it this long because only the Husbeast knew where the huge pot of PVA glue was and I kept forgetting to ask him.

Before I started I used the foil transfer paper on the cardboard cogs to give them a nice metallic finish and then set to it. The Husbeast tried to make me a glue spreader from a piece of milk carton but it was too stiff and didn't work so well. So instead I got mess and used my fingers, which was of course much more fun.

This isn't the greatest example of decoupage ever I'll admit, but I had fun doing it and it looks quite nice unless you look too closely:

I'm going to fill it with some skull beads I bought for someone in Lincoln and give it to then next time I see them. Because what says "I saw this and thought of you" better than a steampunk themed box filled with coloured skull beads?

Some FO's - crafty creatives box 10

I've been very good this month and actually done my Crafty Creatives kit straight away. In fact I've realised I've only done 50% of the kits straight away - 5 of them, and of those 3 involved sewing and were my favourites, that should tell me something I think.

I've been shopping recently buying more sewing stuff and one of the reasons I'm looking forward to having my craft room is that I will be able to have my sewing machine out all of the time on its own space on the desk. This is important because its heavy and whilst I can lift it up and down by myself I don't tend to much. It also means moving the computer out of the way which gets awkward if I want to do something which will take more than a couple of days. So most of the things I've sewn over the last few years have been handsewn, or quick items which only take a day or two at the most.

Anyway back to my Crafty Creatives kit. This months kit was to make a bird mobile. Its a pretty easy kit but I was doing it over a couple of evening's and I was tired and fuzzy brained and had to redo bits of it. Which explain why two of the birds have sequins on the wings and two don't. I was obsessive enough to count each type of sequin out and separate them into four for the four birds, but I then managed to sew them onto only four of the wings, enough for two birds. I liked the way they looked so decided not to unpick them and start again.

I tried to make the sequins look a little like feathers and I like the effect. I debated using beads or glitter on the other two birds wings, the box included both so it would have been easy enough but in the end I decided I liked them plain.

Here it is, the finished object, I'm pretty happy with it. It looks like its hanging slanting but that's just the camera angle. I struggled getting a picture of it because I don't have anywhere to hang it up yet. Its going to go in my craft room but I wasn't going to wait that long to take a photo.

I also managed to make the bug/butterfly out of the jumping clay (badly!):

It looks like something a five year old could have made better I know. I wasn't great with clay at school either so I things like this aren't my forte. Good job I never wanted to be a potter when I grew up!

Finally when we got back home on Monday the Husbeast bought me some tulips, even though ti was his birthday. They are past their best now but still beautiful.

These have made me happy every day I've looked at them, aren't they beautiful.

52 Books - Week 14

I have a few books to blog about and some catching up to do. |I went away last weekend and my trusty old BeBook Reader came away with me. Its not as snazzy as some of the E-Readers out there but I've had it a few years and it suits me fine. I prefer to read a proper book if I'm honest but due to lack of room for more books I'm trying to be good and get some in digital form as well, although I frequently fail and buy hard copies instead.

I made sure for my holidays I had some of my trusty Georgette Heyer books loaded, easy to read and as familiar as old friends they are my fall back option for reading. I know the story's so well that I can dip in and out of them when I have five minutes to spare without having to keep track of the storyline or a complicated cast of characters.

The first one I read was my all time favourite - The Grand Sophy. I first ready this as a child and I wanted to be just like Sophy when I grew up. I'm nothing like her but then I'm also not a rich heiress who's lived all over the world so with hindsight it was probably an unattainable ambition from the start.

Book Title: The Grand Sophy

Author: Georgette Heyer

Enjoyment: 10/10

Would read again: 10/10


Comments: One of my favourites. Sophy is funny, intelligent, meddling and bossy but easy to love as you read about her. This book is perfect for reading time and time again when you need something to cheer you up or take you away from reality.

WHSmiths

Crafty Creatives - April Box

This months theme is blue, which is great because that is one of my favourite colours. There's loads of things in this months box I love:

The artcard:

Isn't it beautiful, it looks like the trees are standing right out on the page.

The kit this month is to make a mobile with blue felt birds on it:

Which should be fun, and if my craft room ever gets sorted it would be nice to hang in there.

There was also some jumping clay in there which I had never heard of. What is nice is that they give you enough materials (including a hanging loop) to make a project out of as well, its like I've got two kits this month:

Then there are some blue papers and some lovely blue checked fabric:

There is a selection of tiny beautiful glass beads, two bluebird pendants, some glitter and seed beads, and some felt balls. I love felt balls, especially ones I haven't had to felt myself:

There is a really cute dinky canvas and some acrylic paints:

And finally here it is all together:

This is probably one of the months where I've looked at the contents of the box and thought of something I could do with everything. Whilst I love how the boxes sometimes unusual contents stretch my imagination, sometimes its nice to get something and feel that immediate rush of creativity that comes from seeing something and knowing what to do with it straight away.

Small Skein Society - No 4

We spend the weekend in Lincoln to celebrate the Husbeast's birthday. We saw so many nice things and there will be a post about it soon.

In the meantime I wanted show you the latest offering from the Yarn Yard's small skein society:

This to me screams spring and is such a happy colour. I don't normally "do" green, I own very little green yarn, clothes, fabric etc. I'm not sure why, its just not a colour I am normally drawn to. 

However this green is beautiful and I love it. I have absolutely no idea what I am going to do with it, it goes with nothing I owe, but I am reluctant to relegate it to socks when its such a happy colour.

If you love the idea of the small skein society, get yourself over to Natalie's website pretty quickly as there are only limited spaces left. 

On the other end of the spectrum I got this beautiful dark blue yarn from Posh Yarn at the weekend. I have been really restrained with my yarn buying recently, however this really called to me. The yarn base is Martha which is a merino, cashmere and nylon yarn and really my favourite base. It is so soft and beautiful to knit with.

If that wasn't enough to make me buy it, then the name was. Dee at Posh Yarn names all the colourways and her names are always inventive. This one is called "Dreams of an insomniac". Well I do suffer from insomnia, and it sometimes leads to the weirdest of dreams when I'm not quite properly asleep. What more justification do I need?

In other news, I have been reading I promise. I've got a few weeks worth of book reviews to catch up on, a crafty creatives box to blog about, some new books and holiday photos. I'm hoping to have a bit more time, and the energy, to put them up over the next few days.

Normal service

I know I'm a bit quiet here at the moment. Work commitments and health things seem to have collided a bit and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I promise normal service will resume soon. In the meantime please go aww at my cute tortoise....

March round up

Recipes blogged this month:

If I could get the Husbeast out of the kitchen long enough I might give something a try. His baking is excellent though and he's converted me to carrot cake after years of thinking I don't like it.

Projects started:

Crochet Squares Blanket

Colourful Crochet Squares Blanket

Penguin











High Speed knitting number two - not post on this yet but it is the same pattern as the one here

Crochet Cowl 1

Crochet Cowl 2








Projects finished:

Penguin

Crochet Cowl 1

Crochet Cowl 2

Colourful Stripy Blanket

Projects frogged/ in the WIP Pile:

15 stitch blanket: this is still in the WIP pile I will finish it eventually honest....








Yarn in this year:

7250g As this includes my monster haul in January there's not much I can do to make this figure better this year. I've bought less than half what I bought last month, possibly even only a quarter.

This converts into 22,845 meters or 14.4 miles

Yarn knitted or crocheted this year:

2875g

9124 meters or 5.67 miles

My yarn knitted is certainly getting closer to my yarn bought, although my purchases for April are stacking up already and its only the third!


Books reviewed:

Week 10: Dr Faustus

Week 11: Mariel of Redwall

Week 12: Loamhedge


Week 13: Kafka on the Shore

I've finished quite a few projects this month which has been quite satisfying. I'm excited to start new blankets although I feel slightly guilty about working on two of them at once, I was trying so hard to finish one before I start the next in the hope of not leaving half finished blankets lying around the house.

I am trying to be good and only work on the grey one unless I need cheering up in which case I am allowed to do a bit on the coloured one. My plans for blankets are growing, my ideas for places to use them are not!