the small studio

Singular

2012-02-10T12:14:00.000Z

Do you ever thread your beads still wondering what you were going to make? To be fair, there were only 2 loose pearls in my weekend purchases (100's of others but still strung) so it only ever going to be a ring or two. This is the one that worked :-) The pearl isn't quite so orange as the photo suggests although it is colourful in it's own, pearly way.

You can see it sits totally proud which is the total opposite to what I usually try to achieve. These wonderful gems deserve it though. Once I can find the time in decent light I'll thread some up ready onto the chosen yarn ready for something a little more substantial which, ironically, will probably less challenging than this little ring.

Tonight's dinner will be an early Valentine treat as we'll have a little guest. He's the little boy who became 'engaged' to my daughter last year, complete with ring, at the tender age of 4. It's just a ploy really: basically an excellent excuse for me to buy (and consume) cake once they've gone to bed whilst enjoying more TED.

♥

70 years young :-)

2012-02-08T17:15:00.000Z

It's Big Frank's birthday. He has managed to not kill himself on any of his motorbikes which we're eternally grateful for because who the hell else is going to show me how to mix concrete/hang a door/drain the washing machine whilst divulging the finer details of local roofing styles/Radio 4/something to do with Pepys? He really is quite special in his own way. I should write some of it down.

We visited briefly. Max draw a rather fabulous linear portrait for him. I settled on a bottle of Port to go with the cheese he also loves. Little Frank simply entertained with her luminous being. To be honest, he's not big on pomp and circumstance so it was about as much as was required.

It's mixed feelings for me though as it's also a personal anniversary of mine and one that doesn't get celebrated. As a result there will be ice cream as consolation tonight and maybe a movie. I'm not complaining.

Happy Birthday Dad, try to make to 80, yeah? Love you xxx

♥

Sky blue

2012-02-07T20:24:00.000Z

It's a biggie! This one took a while as I didn't like the colour. Yes, that actually put me off working on it! More thrifted yarn of course so the shade wasn't down to choice I suppose. It's the biggest brick rock so far at about 8" long and quite a bit heavy! I'm not sure I'd risk this one on the wall *~*

And as you can see, there's a fair bit of the yarn left so I'd better get used to the colour. Too heavy a gauge though for the jewellery that I'm in the middle of planning. I think.

The sun finally came out again today and it's been a glorious relief. Me and the little one walked the dog on the beach in the afternoon as the tide was out and picked up a few more 'brocks'. Sadly, nothing this size but still some lovely rounded shapes. He's such a good boy, traipsing over the hefty shingle with such little feet just so mummy can select some tatty old construction waste! Bless you, son.

♥

Nugget

2012-02-06T15:43:00.000Z

Yes, it's a bit chunky! I couldn't resist using the red cotton I have to contrast against the very bright turquoise of this nugget. I'm not sure what stone it's made from but when it's dyed I believe it's known as faux turquoise, for obvious reasons.

You can see better here how I 'set' them.

I went to buy some new stones yesterday and came away with plenty of new stash that I really didn't intend to buy. Ooops. I'll be selling some of it but the rest I'm going to allow to influence the next set of test pieces. That's how I work, materials first. They tend to dictate how to build something around them and what they need to be turned into something else. Works for me, anyhow :-)

Firstly, it'll be the natural pearls and then the dyed quartz. Or maybe the coral. Too excited!

♥

Paying it forward

2012-02-02T21:00:00.000Z

The big pebbles have been given a temporary reprieve.

Last week I spent a few hours in the delightful company of jeweller, Clarrie Flavell and her amazing dogs (Irish Wolfhounds?). Whilst I was there in came Sarah Wilkie, another jeweller, to use Clarrie's super workshop. We got chatting over cabouchons, as you do, and she sorted through her old stash and gave some to me. How incredibly lovely is that? I'd only just met the girl! Of course I took photo's. And I seem to have wiped them - d'oh!

Needless to say the hooks got smaller that night and I was back onto something I've not done for a good few years now. And I really enjoyed it. There's 3 rings now although this was the first utilising a polished, triangular fossil of coral, I think. Not too unlike the ones I find at the beach here although this is much more colourful of course.

Now I'm feeling the draw of Springfair to visit the stone merchants which starts this weekend!

♥

In the dark

2012-01-27T20:35:00.003Z

I lived in Liverpool for 5 years during my Uni years and I never once realised that Birkenhead could look so pretty.

Now then, will you excuse me whilst I take a little time out for some tlc away from the pc? I forget sometimes that downtime isn't an option, that I'm not a robot and when it hurts, I'm supposed to stop for a while! I'll still be crocheting but I'll be doing it quietly so I should have plenty to share soon. Thank you.

♥

On a roll

2012-01-25T21:12:00.000Z

That's one of the problems I have with crochet: it's addictive! Once you pop and all that. With Clarrie's black version finished I just kept looking at this lovely black brick-rock (brock?) and knew that it was going to be staying with me :-)

You probably can't tell but I've started to hang them on the wall too. A finished piece of art crochet as soon as it's cast off! That's the benefit of using 'brocks'; they're lighter than stones although you still wouldn't want this size falling off onto your toes. There's a green one on the hook now but I'm uncharacteristically busy this evening so it may have to wait another day or two for completion. The yarn is a wonderfully bright green and will be set off against an equally bright orange brick so I'm feeling impatient to see the result!

Busy day tomorrow too, I need some beauty sleep.

♥

WIP

2012-01-23T19:23:00.000Z

Another coat for a big bit of brick. Naturally!

To be honest with you, it's finished. I didn't get a shot of it in time before sundown but I'll show you the result tomorrow hopefully. To say I'm loving these is an understatement. They're fulfilling all manner of creative needs and they fit in with my current time constraints too. And for the eagle eyed, it is the same yarn that I used for the necklace a few posts back. It was a car boot find about 6 or 7 years ago and you can see from the photo just how much of it is left. Good job too as I love the colour and the texture to work with.

This brick stays with me :-)

♥

Please do not...

2012-01-22T21:04:00.000Z

Well, it's Barbara Hepworth. You just wouldn't would you? But yes, sorely tempted! Isn't that a beautiful shade to put the deep wood grain and white finish up against? It might be enough to persuade me to choose a shade of brown for the living room to set against the pink sofa, god knows, I need a change of (albeit internal) scenery!

So then, I had a whistle-stop tour of the Tate Liverpool back in November and these are my highlights. I should note that not all the walls were pink! Just all the pieces I shot turned out to be exhibited that way. A happy coincidence :-) Unfortunately, I don't have the details for the other pieces so you'll have to check out the Tate's archive for any info you need otherwise, you'll just have to sit back and enjoy the visual love!

I couldn't get my automatic to focus on this properly because the dark surface (marble?) reflected the colour so well, the edges couldn't be caught. It's an interesting concept to play with.

But as for black marble, a neighbour once spent a fortune on it for the new kitchen floor and worktop. Only when it was fitted did they discover it reflected the underneath of the floor and wall cupboards. Most disgruntled they were! Back to the art...

Again, apologies for the blurry self portrait below - it was busy and I had to grab the millisecond I had without some stranger poking their nose in! Yes, that's me top leftish. Hello :-)

And to finish on a very non-pink note, the Alice exhibition is on until the end of January so you've got yourself just one week to catch it before it's gone. These stencils were all over Albert Dock promoting the exhibition and this was the best of them I think:

♥

Looking sharp

2012-01-18T20:22:00.000Z

Yeah, pointy bits.

The intention was to draw at some point over the weekend but all I managed was this rather aggressive doodle. Somehow, the little oval(ish) shapes managed to force their way in and saved me from a totally male result. All analyses welcomed ;-) And as for the title, it was hand drawn in poor light with no hardware assistance. Truly sharp, it ain't.

Of course, now all I want to do with it is colour it in.

Whilst we're on the subject of shoddy results look what else I did. Yes, my titanium, rimless frames had broken previously and had been re-soldered. No, I didn't expect them to last forever. What I wasn't expecting was for them to give way whilst I was driving! Thankfully, I was within a mile of my house but even so...*looks to the sky and is thankful*.

♥

Stagtastic

2012-01-17T20:31:00.000Z

Even their logo is wonderful (see below) Stag have been going for decades and they've made some utterly beautiful household furniture for the masses. There's not a great deal of it around to be thrifted but when it turns up you can spot it a mile off.

I've had these bedside tables (there's a pair) for a couple of years now and I still love them as much as ever. But they're so pointy, I just find them a bit of a nightmare right next to the bed when the kids come in for a bounce ;-) Plus, they're worth more to me sold than beside me when I sleep! I'll just have to cope without them :-(

As I type, they're on ebay hoping to find a trendy young something that wants black laminate in the bedroom. You can't see that in this shot but the top has a black formica top. Now you want them, don't you?! It's the proportions that thrill me though, those long tapered legs - totally for their own sake. The craftsmanship is to be admired too. They are so STURDY! Not a wobble between them after how long? Good work chaps! Now then, 12 watchers, 4 days to go, fingers crossed...

♥

Educational space

2012-01-16T14:32:00.000Z

So you get your brand new playdoh out of the pot and it's got white dots in it. First thing I think is "it's mouldy". Second thing I think, "it'll be fine". And it was. Or at least, it hasn't made anyone ill yet.

My 5 year old is currently studying 'Space' in school at the moment. I'm more than a little perturbed by the frequent mention of aliens! We've got a couple of young science books that she's taken in along with her 'Moon in my Room' (brilliant night light and educational toy in one) to make sure teacher knows we like science here and not just little green men ;-)

More astro news later this week I think!

Edit: Watch Stargazing on BBC this week. The night sky made simple for folks like me.

♥

Survivor

2012-01-15T20:16:00.000Z

This covered pebble is actually quite a sizeable chunk of worn down brick and as I said in my previous post, not the original item I intended to cover. Since I lost that under the clutter this amorphic chunk came to me. Perfect shape to fit the nearly finished work although it wasn't until I photographed it that I noticed the teardrop it created. I'd always imagined it sideways on (so like me, that) but either way, Clarrie is jolly nice and will appreciate the work in it regardless.

There's a lot of these bricks on our beach many of which have ACCRINGTON cast into them. My dad told me the story about the old brick works 'up north' but I don't remember it now (getting a reminder is on the list). Odd to say, but I feel such an affinity with them. Maybe it's because when I was a kid my dad used to create similar by chucking a few bricks into the cement mixer at the end of the day to help clean it out. It would always result in a big spitting out of grey soup with the bricks altered into lozenge shapes with rounded edges. A very crude tumbler, if you will! Hugely satisfying to watch and listen to. Mesmerising, actually! The other angle is that this is a self portrait. Here I am, man made. Used to having my edges battered and gradually finding myself hewn by time and experience yet with a need to cover myself in pattern (camouflage) to decorate (or conceal). Bit deep that? Ok, I'll talk yarn...

The black was chosen for contrast and nothing else although the term 'gothic' has already been used to describe the WIP. Here's hoping the finished result inspires something else! This whole covering of stones started a few years ago with semi-precious (bought in Manchester Minerals which is where the 'tumbler' link will take you to) jewellery created for my Etsy shop. I promise to show you some of that in the coming weeks and might even find the time to create something new in that vein :-)

♥

WIP

2012-01-14T20:14:00.000Z

This has been a WIP for over a year now. It was originally designed to work around a specific 'something'. That 'something' is now lost! But I have a replacement which is a little different and I like to think that it's taken until now for me to finish it because this is how it was supposed to be. Now all I need is to to remember which hook I was using. Honestly, I used to be a pro at this, you'd never know!

And yes, there's dog hair on that yarn but I'm sure the new owner won't mind. The sooner it's finished the sooner I get to visit too so I'm on it tonight :-)

♥

Pucciriffic!

2012-01-13T21:40:00.000Z

No, it's not actual Pucci but it's a rather magnificent print anyhow. There's a couple of characters in there I think that Disney might like to note for their next blockbuster (or is that just me)?! And hell, what a colour scheme! Reminds me of a pair of trousers I used to wear relentlessly. Yes. Really, I only stopped because I wore them out!

This is one of the many vintage scarves I've got stashed for my ebay store although this one has been around for about 6 years now and I don't seem to be in a hurry to sell it. Can't imagine why :-) I'd like it on the wall doing something marvellously unusual in a Hermes-window-display style but it'll probably stay hidden now for a while.

It also reminds me of the lack of drawing in my life. This weekend I'm going to put pen/pencil to paper one night for sure. I might whip up a little abstract like this or maybe work on those characters I can see facing the right (it's all in the eyes)! As the children are with me all weekend I could persuade them to join me and we could all create another masterpiece together. But pencils generally don't have wheels so it's difficult to persuade the 3 year old boy to join in ;-)

Happy weekending everyone!

♥

Little and large

2012-01-12T22:26:00.002Z

I guessing that to most of you, this doesn't look so windy? Well, it was! There's no one on the shore line for scale but that are some pretty big waves hitting the Little Orme. This shot (not mine) was taken from almost exactly that spot! Can you see the turrets to the right here? They are the stairways down to the beach from the houses along this road. One of which you can see in the link above but it's moderne glory is best viewed from the front. They've done a lot of work to it since this photo was taken but it wasn't a bad spot, even beforehand ;-)

We were there because me and the lassy were lucky enough to have a few hours to ourselves without the little boy in tow. It called for a girly trip out! We bought shiny stuff. You know how girls are ;-) The weather was blustery to say the least so getting out for a pebble hunt was out of the question but we ate our sandwiches in the safety of the car with the wind whistling past. Pretty glorious actually!

Of course the Little Orme has a relative on the other end of the beach, the Great Orme (did you see that coming?) with it's own tram system and cable cars - to be fair, it is pretty steep!

Llandudno is such a beautiful town and the nicest to visit within easy reach of us. Oriel Mostyn has had a revamp and is an even more inspiring space than it was before although they made us wait AGES for the unveiling last year. There's also an Alice in Wonderland themed walk, a shingle beach, regular Punch and Judy shows, a Victorian pier and a giant pig outside the deli too :-) No wonder I like it so much!

♥

Cheese moon

2012-01-10T18:55:00.000Z

The post title makes me think of Lancashire but I was referring to the quality and tone of the above image of the full moon we had last night. The cloud cover was perfect for Hollywood! Considering I shot this with no tripod I guess it's not so bad and you can see what I was after (I think?). Yes, I shouldn't have cropped it so much. Promise not to p'shop so much next time

:-)

♥

:-D

2012-01-08T22:00:00.000Z

You've gathered by now that I'm a beach combing nerd. I make no apologies. And honestly, when I find little treasures like this chap, you can only forgive me, right? He has a friend too, very proud of his multi coloured/tonal 'fro he is!

Both found on Horton's Nose just a few days between them. We've been there such a lot over the xmas holidays and again today actually. They've both got the pebble bug now so much so that I have to persuade them to not choose too many. We take a couple at a time maybe but on the understanding that they have to come back 'home to their friends' on another trip! There's always something to find although I forgot the camera today. Still getting used to it though and can't seem to make the most of the macro settings just yet. Will keep practising, of course.

I realise this is the second post tonight but my daughter is poorly so my sleep is going to be fractured regardless. The idea of beauty sleep is lost on me these day!

♥

Def Jam

2012-01-08T16:53:00.000Z

Apologies if you've arrived at my blog for the first time after a quick search for hip hop posts. This is about yer actual jam. Damson jam to be exact :-)

Jam making isn't a common January past time in the northern hemisphere I realise but there wasn't enough time immediately after harvesting the lovely little gems so they were shoved into the freezer with the intention of getting them out in time for Christmas. It was to be a 'killing 2 birds' affair with me making space in the freezer for all the goodies required over xmas whilst producing lots of little jars of sweet, fruity goodness for presents. Only, I left it too late. Berk. :-)

Anyhow, we now have a sizeable supply of this very gorgeous jam for our delectation (nom nom). Actually, I did still give quite a lot away but by golly, I'll be looking for smaller jars for next year! My supply won't last nearly long enough ;-)

As I type, you find me still obsessed with Friendly Fires. I've found an incredible performance of Blue cassette on youtube (playing as I type) especially that 2.33 moment when you think it's all over... then they bring it back with a bang! The most popular comment says "The lights add such potency to the music and the lyrics. Like, WOW. I've never been so moved by a band before. I just feel passion and color when I listen to these guys. I could literally burst out into tears of happiness listening to their music, no joke." Yep, no joke, teary eyes here too and isn't being inspired to feel colour a wonderful concept?

This was the first of their tracks in 2011 that I heard and if you're tired of links - go and check it out for the vacuum cleaner/guitar noises if nothing else. Yes, you read it right. He's a great front man and the drumming make me want to be 20 again. Actually, after watching that last one, I am officially in love with Ed (whilst being simultaneously being old enough to be his mother, hmmm?). Is it quite clear just HOW MUCH I really love this band? LOL, it's made me rather desperate to go and see them live even if it means going alone. Just watch it to see why... those guys ROCK! Unfortunately, they've just finished their tour (it's that time of year, huh?) so I find myself waiting...

♥

Peepo!

2012-01-04T21:07:00.001Z

I bought a spanky new Kodak printer today. Contrary to last week's 'I bought a new camera and I'm so excited' post might make you think, I don't often splash out on hardware. Subsequently, this fact should fill me will jolly. However, as I've gone to set it up it's clear that the ruddy 2 pin plug supplied with it simply will not do! I mean, it's a national electrical store, I can't be the first one to buy one, it shows a UK friendly 3 pin plug in the leaflet... how hard can it be? Comet - FAIL!

So, I'll cheer us all up with a bright little bit of craft history. Crocheted back in 2008 (early). I spent FAR too long on this as I wanted it to be stitch perfect. Even the little backing bits of felt are super neat (below).

It was all 'use what you have' stash stuff though, including the cotton lawn. And then what did I do? I gave it away!

To be fair, she loved it, showered me with compliments and sent me lovely stuff in return. So, the next time you're wandering around NZ and you see something like this, it probably is this!

I learned not to bother with this sort-of reverse applique though, I just don't think it worked out for me. And, although it was free formed, I made the 'bezel' shapes individually and then crocheted it all together. That's not how I like to work either, I discovered!

The true freeforms like this one (also from quite a while ago) are much more my style I guess. They're also easy to pick up and put down which begs the question... why aren't I crocheting instead of sitting here? Too many WIP's already, maybe? Talking of which, I was discussing new year resolutions with a knitter today. Her's was to finish all her WIP's before starting anything new. Far too hardcore for me!

♥

Sometimes, blurry is good

2012-01-03T20:51:00.000Z

More glow-sticks-in-the-bath-fun only this time, captured with the upgrade ;-)

♥

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:59:00.000Z

Twilight fans will realise what my fancy dress costume was although the rest of you (ie most of the party I attended) may need to ask someone about the honey eyes and sparkly skin! Sincere best wishes to everyone for a happy and peaceful 2012.

♥

Upgrade, Miss?

2011-12-28T23:03:00.000Z

If only everything in life were so easily rectified: one false move and my camera was gone. A swift purchase later and I've zoomed forward 7 years to a spanky new version of the same camera. Not the latest but it does have the Carl Zeiss lens just like the one I valued so greatly in the last unit. Praise be for simple solutions even when they do come at a cost - it was still a bargain!

The last few days has had me using the new on Santa brought for my daughter and it's been ok. But, it's just not as good as my old one was. Did I just say that I didn't like change? I think I did... *shakes head at old-fogey self*

I'm actually returning the new Kodak because it has a fault on the screen (tiny, but relevant). The explanation being that Santa always includes special details for certain gifts, should there be any problems early on. He's thoughtful like that y'know? My lovely niece has said we can have her 'old' Samsung in the mean time. Not least as I really need a camera pronto so I can get back to work (and blog properly, of course!).

My daughter will love it too. Not least as it's pink. Whatever colour it came in, I couldn't be more grateful of the timing of her generosity. What do I give her in return (she won't take cash I'm guessing)? There's only so far my mince pies will stretch. Hmmm....

Ok, there's 2 cameras waiting out there for me - come to momma! *waits, drumming fingers on desk, loud and fast...*

♥

Global Warming

2011-12-28T20:07:00.000Z

A wholly unintentional, artistically rendered, representation of our planet. Or, coloured peppermint icing rolled out ready to cut. Either is correct!

Got to keep the kids busy somehow, right? There's only so much battery power in those toys recently delivered and there's only so much telly watching even they will tolerate. So we hit the kitchen for some non-cooky fun.

The recipe is as simple as it gets: Mix 1lb of icing sugar (which sounds a lot and looks it when it's sieved but doesn't produce nearly as much as you may think) with 1 already-whisked-to-soft-peaks egg white, bit of lemon juice and peppermint extract, of course. That's it, just keep it moving and eventually, it'll become lovely and malleable. Bit tricky with arthritis but the kids kept having a go to give me a rest :-) I split it into 3 sections before it was totally mixed too to add the colouring to.

When will I learn to wear gloves when using that stuff? It's the professional grade concentrate paste from Wilton and gets everywhere! Or at least, it does when I use it.

We made these peppermint creams to give out as little extra pressies this year. Some of the hearts we even turned into edible decorations for the tree using a straw end to cut out a neat circle. Stupidly, I hadn't realised that they were just icing sugar and flavouring before checking the recipe. No wonder they're so damned nice!

Ordinary pastry cutters were used for the heart shapes and the kids enjoyed making their own shapes with just their hands too. The tiny xmas trees were made with a proper icing cutter though. As it has such fine detail they were looking lovely until I got to the 4th or 5th. It was about then I realised that it's a good idea to dust the cutter before you use it. Pretty obvious now I think about it. As it got stickier I was losing the trunks and tips each time so I chucked it into the washing up and carried on with the hearts.

A light dusting with edible glitter and left to cure for 24 hours. Viola! Sparkly blue/green trees and hearts :-) Warning: go easy with the peppermint as they're much nicer when they give you a warm glow but don't burn your mouth!

♥

No photo's please

2011-12-23T20:00:00.000Z

*thinks happy thoughts here* I do have a nice new favicon - did you see it? Aside from that...

Usually, I'd plonk a nice big image here for your delectation. I can't do that today because I 'lost' my camera. And by lost I don't mean it's mislaid here under some gubbins. It was er, carefully, placed on top of my car as I held up my boot because the stay is still knackered. Surely, if ever there was a reason to have a man around the house, it's for jobs like new boots stays. But this woman is stretched thin, if only metaphorically, and subsequently I didn't have enough hands to cope. Or, it would seem, a sufficient attention span.

Off I drove.

It wasn't until I was unpacking in the kitchen that it dawned on me. Of course, I've driven back. Twice actually. Once in the rain and then in the dark. No joy. Oddly, on the first trip back I totally expected to see it there sat in the empty car park, drowned in the downpour we were having. But nothing. I've promised the kids an exciting trip to the Police Station where we can make a lost property report so there's the upside. There were some cracking shots of the beach on it too, a blow by blow mince pie making reportage and sparkly shots of the peppermint creams we'd been making for little gifts. Bah.

Humbug, even.

I've whinged relentlessly about how old/crap/heavy the camera has been. An old Sony Cyber-shot DSC something or other at least 7 years old I think. Cost £300 on offer back then, but I was so totally amazed at the quality of the macro for an automatic, I couldn't wait to part with my cash. And yes, old and heavy it was, crap too in many ways. But it was my camera. It had been with me through every event, dropped at a few, painted on in the last year (and man, that anti-foul does NOT come off) and I knew it's every twitch. Not having it, of course means that I'm without a camera for most of Christmas and all the opening of pressies, etc. I'm so very sad about that as I'm a clickaholic when it comes to the kids. It also means paying out when I truly can't afford it. And the reason I didn't put it in my pocket? Because there had been soggy pebbles with wet sand in there and I didn't want to give the camera any reason to not love me a little longer. So I forgot about it instead?

Not smart. :-(

Now, if there was a nice man here, I'd expect tomorrow to have some unexpected popping out to the shops for er, cranberries or somesuch which would of course be code for 'buying you a lovely new camera in a hurry'. As it is, I shall have to spend a good deal of my Boxing day in a camera shop trying to find a great deal. Paying for it, along with a new printer and maybe a laptop (the pc is really trying to die - hard) is going to be what keeps me busy in 2012 although I'm going to need these shackles removing Santa 'cos it's getting tough to move! But it's Christmas, t'is the season and all that. And I never know, he might actually think I've been a good girl this year...

As for us here at Fly Towers, we are having our main Christmas day tomorrow (24th) and as I still have a little organising to do I shall leave you now with a heart felt:

MERRY CHRISTMAS GOD JUL

FELIZ NAVIDAD JOYEUX NOEL

a NADOLIG LLAWEN it ti

and I look forward to seeing you in 2012!!!

♥

One night wonder

2011-12-22T11:23:00.002Z

This scarf project was from a few years ago but it never seemed to make it to the blog. Probably because it was such a swift turnaround! I'd seen similar freeform scarfy affairs all over the place and I REALLY needed a start-to-finish project one evening. So I picked up a pretty ball of yarn from the ludicrous sized stash of mine, grabbed a suitably sized hook and just knotted away.

A lovely colourway but not the most glamourous yarn, I'll have to admit. But it was chunky so worked up quickly. No pattern, just let it fall from the hook. It was finished the same evening but it took me a few days to sort out the blocking (ie, no ironing board so had to visit a friend)!

It's caught my eye again while I was tarting my Ravelry profile up a bit. It was a fast and fun make and I should do more as I love the finished article and have limited time to create. Although it's sort of freeform I could easily create a pattern to replicate the randomness. If I get around to it, I'll leave it here for you.

Finished, listed on Etsy, sold within days and now living in NY :-)

♥

How to make friends and influence people

2011-12-21T20:45:00.000Z

This is why Boden has such a glowing reputation. Even though my purchase was made in their xmas sale they still bother to each package the same care and attention.

Personalised tissue paper, matching sticker and products of a quality you don't easily find on the High Street - why wouldn't you want to shop with them? Pricey of course but that's what sales are for, right? :-) I've managed to bag a beautiful velvet coat for my daughter for next winter at much less than half price. It's deep purple with red dots. Not your average colour scheme I'll grant you especially considering that I tend to slavishly follow the school colour way of bottle green, red and grey. Oh, just realised I'll have to make a new scarf to go with it, because I needed a new crochet project, heh! Yes, velvet is not my first choice for a school coat but hey, it'll wash and I'd rather she played in the mud sometimes. *note to self, check washing instructions.

I like to think that my buyers (on ebay) feel a similar way when receiving most of my parcels. Granted I don't use boxes for clothing but I do always wrap in tissue (spotty like this one at the moment) although it's not personalised of course. I'll wait until I'm posting out more than 20 items a week for that impressive step ;-) But I'm having new business cards printed too and always slip one of those in - they're pretty and I like to write a little note on the back, even if it's just a big 'Thank you, enjoy!"

What I'm trying to say is, it's the little things that matter, isn't it?

♥

Lights, camera, action!

2011-12-21T10:00:00.002Z

A few posts back I mentioned that I'd been taking the kids on repeated tours of the town to see the Christmas lights. There's probably a few of you that do that too? My friend Lynda's house was the family favourite with a gazillion lights (approximately) and more than a dash of Newsome style. There was half a promise in that post that suggested I'd take a photo for you to see but it turns out I didn't need to bother as her house had been used in the Urban Outfitters Christmas marketing. It's not often you can say that. If you've already got one of their xmas catalogues, you'll have seen all of this already ;-)

Not content with that, we went inside for a peak too! It was open house last night in aid of St Kentigern's Hospice so me and the kids got there early for some snaps before it got too busy. Let me make something quite clear first: Lynda likes colour. In fact, she's the most colourful person I know. And then some more. Not afraid of bling either, I was expecting quite a display and yep, she delivered!

Firstly, you walk into this! I'm not sure if you can make sense of that image but there is a gang of Santa's hanging from a golden chandelier complete with gold and red baubles to match the garlands. All boxes ticked! Erm, what is the collective term for a group of Santa's? 'Gang' seems a little dark!

And on into the dining room. From this point on my photo's become rubbish as it had to either deal with low light (camera doesn't cope well) or I had to put the main light on basically, blowing the whole ambience. You can't have it all. Not with my old Cyber-shot, anyhow! So, a blanket apology to the Newsome's for not doing any of their hard work justice but I did my best :-)

Lynda referred to the table setting as a fantasy because there's nowhere to actually put any dishes! And do please check out those candle sticks, they were the first things I saw. Chunky loveliness!

And here's the lady herself handing chocolates out to my kids. She had to swap the ones her son, had given them because they were liqueurs. I don't think he knew ;-)

We were pretty impressed with the tree in there and the fireplace decorations were, quite literally, overflowing! I'm not sure if you can see that in this shot but it was a bit too enticing for a 3 year old and we moved past, quickly!

Even the dining chairs were blinged up, after being decorated with more voile/net. Lynda volunteers for the charity I mentioned above and the vintage jewellery that was strewn in this room was all for sale. Clever!

There was another 'tree' in the window (the one that looks red in the front window on the right as you look at it, top photo). It was, I think, just a conical tree covered in lights and netting - cheap and easy to replicate. Note taken. Now, we loved this room but the displays got bigger, brighter and a lot more ballsy!

This is the lovely tree that can be seen in the front window. I didn't take any other shots in this room and I can't for the life of me think why! I've taken this one from low down so the tree looks squat and a bit teeny... it so wasn't! It also wasn't the biggest tree in the house! Have you noticed how many exclamation marks I'm using in this post? The whole visit was one long exclamation, that's why (resisting the urge for another there). For example, walking into this next room...

Major baubleage!

And yes, made all the more glam for the gold backed wallpaper with humming birds (I forgot to ask where it was from but I recognise it. Any ideas anyone? I once painted a room orange and purple. It did not look like this. Or good in any way. Now, do you remember when I said that Lynda liked colour? Y'see what I'm saying? And from this contemporary wonder we go straight into tradition with this tree (if not the interior decorating)...

Better with the flash off but not much. Again, I blame the photographer! I knelt down and appear to have belittled the tree again. It was a behemoth though, way bigger than it appears here. I spoke to Elliot a little here and he pointed out a decoration that he'd bought many years ago. We've been decorating baubles here (a crafty post to follow soon, promise) to be brought out year after year - we need a bit of continuity I think. But not glass ones though ;-)

By now, I was wondering what the kitchen had to offer us. It turns out it was a couple of warm smiles and yet another face that took me back 3 decades (sorry ladies, not implying you're old!). The, always delightful, Judith had been roped in to help with the nibbles and had done a grand job tickling the mince pies I brought (still warm, nom nom) with icing sugar.

Decorating the full height cupboard were all these insider shots of the long weekend in September when Urban Outfitters were shooting. There's a cracking video to watch of the Newsome's on the website. Do please click and learn. Love 'em!

It was in the kitchen that I met their charming son, Elliot. He won over my kids instantly, even the 3 year old boy which is no mean feat. I'm still not sure how he did it. Even the aforementioned chocolates/liqueurs incident came later!

Lynda went off to get ready for the real guests and came down wearing these beauties. Bought for her by Elliot no less. Now, doesn't every mother want a son who can shop like that? And yes, check out her parquet. Sweet.

And as we left the real guests did in fact pass us in the door way. All suitably impressed and wowed, we took a few last shots and went. The only thing we were disappointed with was the fact UO had taken the inflatable dinosaur away with them!

A huge and colourful "THANK YOU!" to Lynda and John for the huge efforts they make for us all to enjoy. Praise be for a little character in our lives (or a lot) willing to stand out regardless of opinion. And also to Judith and Elliot for making it such a lovely experience for us all. Big smiles, xxx

♥

To be used in emergency only

2011-12-20T22:00:00.001Z

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away... Oh wait, that's a different story altogether :-)

In my house the above could be referred to as 'gentle persuasion' but it's bribery by any other name. You could also see it as a beleaguered mum having a bit of fun just for sake of it.

See now, they kids were due home at 7pm, I needed them bathed and in bed by 8pm so... glow sticks in the bath anyone? Erm, YES! It worked a treat! They couldn't get up the stairs fast enough once I'd told them there was a surprise in the bath for them. Max was probably expecting a baby crocodile but he didn't seem disappointed at all. In fact, getting them out was a problem!

I may have mentioned this before but it's worth repeating in case there's any ravers out there and/or parents desperate for a swift bath time on repeat: my sister gave me a tip back in '78 (yes, I just said that): freeze your glo-sticks in their still luminous state, defrost and they'll be back to their bright 'n' breezy selves. Allegedly - I'll let you know. But if it does... Voila, super cheap, easily repeatable and lots of fun. :-)

♥

Pssst, need a greetings card?

2011-12-19T19:00:00.000Z

How about this new online shop where you can choose from 100's of designs! Many can be customised with your own photos (see the cheeky elf to the left) or the name of the recipient. With a style for everyone too from classic, crafty, comedy and others that don't even begin with 'c' there's loads to choose from :-)

There's a category for just about everything too although I think you may JUST have time for Christmas cards if you go there RIGHT NOW!!!

T'is the season for apologies so how about you get the personalised panda out!

Missed the Christmas deadline? How about New Year celebrations instead?

From wrestling to retro, there's an option for everyone!

My favourites are the photo upload cards which are totally personalised with your own images. I printed my own Christmas cards this year with a photo my daughter wearing balloons on her head. It was a static electricity thing ;-)

There's some neat typography too with this bright and zingy one being my particular favourite! Just remember to 'insert name' and 'your favourite thing' otherwise it won't have the desired effect ;-)

Only £2.99 (plus post) sent out to you or your recipient same day if ordered before 2pm! I do love a bargain :-)

♥

Please, please, please...

2011-12-18T17:10:00.001Z

I wrote my comedy 'wish list' last year and this year I've decided to save you from the serious list. Not least as there isn't one. We're all healthy and, relatively, happy. Blessed, compared to many. God knows, I don't need more 'stuff' which is a good thing as I won't be getting much! That won't stop me doing my annual Sales Day run to the shops to grab some bargains for 2012's pressie list. As ever it'll be Chester and Cheshire Oaks so I have to be fast. I've already checked out the opening times of the stores I need and have my itinerary ready to go, go, go! I could argue it's all about great value but honestly, I just like wrestling! What have you asked Santa for? Ok, my eyes will be peeled, just in case he doesn't come up with the goods.

For those of you in the UK, how many cried at the John Lewis ad above? Maybe it's just a parent thing? Either way, it's a joy to hear The Smith's being paid tribute on prime time. Covered by the very pretty Slow Moving Millie which, although lovely, just doesn't reach the painful wonder that Morrisey can take it too. Plus, he's a lot prettier.

If you haven't seen it, do check out the link, it's heart warming! And, who else noticed the Moorcroft in the background? Subliminal middle-classery! ;-)

♥

RIP Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-16T21:32:00.002Z

I don't usually post such tragedy but the world has lost a passionate being and such a loss is worthy of note. One of the worlds most famous aethists, I wonder if he's been surprised by the presence of a God (which he was willing to be).

Our world becomes a dark place when we find ourselves without those who are able to stand up, speak out and remain true. Or to stand with us when we are so moved. I wish there were more like him: brave and brilliant.

♥

Up

2011-12-13T22:53:00.000Z

Dreams, seemingly, do come true as we will be jetting off to Disneyland for Easter 2012! Now, it's not my idea of a good time but the kids are already hyperventilating. In fact, everytime I strap the boy into his car seat he asks, "Disneyland?" like it's just a trip to the shops! We'll be flying there too (none of this boat/train malarkey for us, no siree!) and they're both as excited about making contrails as getting to Disney itself. I'm pretty excited about getting back onto a plane again too, it's been *mumbles here* years.

I was promised a trip to Disneyland as a kid (or did they mean Florida?) but it never happened which I was not pleased about at the time I can tell you! But at 41, I find it a well packaged representation of everything I detest in marketing. Yes, I said "BAH HUMBUG" and loudly too!

But the kids have me each and every day preaching that sermon so at least I can soothe my grumbles with the knowledge that I'm giving them both sides of the argument.

So, if their dreams have come true, how about mine Santa?!

♥

Does size matter?

2011-12-12T22:14:00.000Z

Of course not, it's what you do with it that counts, right? But pondering that puts the wry smile above into perspective!

I'm spending most of my evenings trying to update my flickr and found this whilst tackling the 'july' folder which was tonight's focus. The plan is to get up to date before the end of the year. It's slow going on my pc but with xmas all bought, wrapped and decorated for, I should just do it!

(Miniature self portrait in fine wire, summer '11 - works on many levels but not least with my unmanageable hair!)

♥

KER-CHOW!!!

2011-12-11T15:15:00.001Z

Yes, I know. There was supposed to be no tree this year and, indeed, I've kept this one in the dining room so no one passing has a reason to gawp in. Except at the big bauble & lights wreath I've hung in the window but as I don't have a photo for that I'll move on. White xmas tress are my favourite I think and until I can afford a bigger, fuller affair I'll settle for this slightly leaner version that was thrifted for a meagre £3. Decorations, I already had. En masse!   And although I've barely touched this image in photoshop, the lights are little red berries. Go figure.

This room has never been decorated before so it's been lovely to dress up the whole of the down stairs for a change. There's even a pink flamingo in the kitchen! First year of the pink tree there were actually 2 flamingos in the front window. How kitsch of me *frowns at self here*. And as for tinsel (the one thing about the gaudy season I don't usually like) I've learned to live with it and put it all over the hall. Just for the kids though. Yeah?   ;-)

We've already done several tours of the town checking out the local lights and the winner is most certainly my old friend Lynda (who will not be happy with the term 'old'!) who has decked her house out in true American style.   You may be able to see it from wherever you are, it's that bright. If a photo opportunity arises, I'll catch it ;-)

And a very Happy 3rd Birthday to my beautiful boy today. I can't believe it was so long ago/that long since I first met you in the water Max. I love you so much but apologies for the totally crap cupcakes.

Ker-chow!!! ;-)

♥

Shark!

2011-12-10T22:06:00.001Z

Sadly, I have no excuse to buy one of these but if you know a gadget geek/shark fan/fish fanatic - get one! Or two!!! I can't believe they're so easy to control (have you seen how easy they make the little helicopters look online?) but they've got to be worth the effort.

How cool would a shoal of them look in a big space? But in lieu of that, just watch the video for the bit with the lift and the meanie cat bit at the end :-)

♥

Baubles!

2011-12-08T19:40:00.001Z

I've been collecting these for a while now and I've decided to sell all the lovely old ones. This boxful is part of an auction of 60 glass baubles but there's another auction with only plastic/synthetic ones with about 100 in there including a some gorgeous concave ones and a pink elephant. Naturally!

Really gaudy as you can see but so evocative of my youth ( the 70's in case you were wondering ;-) I've left it a bit late for the best prices I suspect but rather they go now than wait another 11.5 months.

♥

Watch it pour...

2011-12-08T16:44:00.001Z

We're having some wild'n'windy weather here in the UK at the moment with worse to come they say. It's so bad, I haven't been beach combing since last week but I bet there'll be some brilliant finds in the strand once it's calmed down :-) Note to self: sort that missing roof tile out!

Unusually for me, I found myself parking on top of our local precinct yesterday. I knew I was heading that way (easy parking/poorly knees - not mine!) so took the camera to snap the state of the tide as it crashed in. It turned out to be a rubbish vantage point! All except for the cute, primary coloured kiosks (another day, another post that's going to be all about Christmas decorations).

So I went to the aptly named Splash Point (top photo) on the way home. It doesn't look so blustery, does it? I nearly had my feet taken out from under me! It reminded me of this shot taken from the same spot nearly a year ago with equally dreadful weather although the tide was in. I don't have many photo's of me with my kids because I'm usually the photographer. So I'm grateful whenever someone's been good enough to capture us together. Even in gale force winds!

And ladies, if you've noticed the Adele reference then at least go to this version to shake it out! Pretty much on repeat while I work selling killer vintage baubles (next post, I promise) and singing as loudly as I can. I'm guessing some of my overseas friends won't have heard this version so...Enjoy!

♥

Winging it

2011-12-01T13:49:00.001Z

From here. My daughter and I can't decide what to call him so it may be up to Max to give him a name. I'd like to finish 'owl' off, as I did with my daughter's monkey 'Bingo', with a name tag but it'll have to wait I guess.

'He' developed organically which is a psuedo-smart way of saying I had no pattern or drawings and just made decisions as I went along (hence the really bad pun title)! I knew the approximate size I was after and it looks pretty much as I had in my head with the tapering out to the bottom which, incidentally, is where I started and continued in the round. Only, it was more oval than round ;-)

The beak and talons are different shades although they the same on my monitor and although they were from my stash, I must confess to buying the teal body colour for the job at hand. It's not like me and I feel a bit indulgent for doing it but I saw the colour and loved it. I'll let you know what he thinks of it after the 11th.

And for the rest of the evening I'm going to finally be sorting through my 2011 photographs and updating my flickr for the first time properly since 2010. It's going to be a long, weird, night!

♥

Angel making

2011-11-30T17:39:00.001Z

The day has been spent in the delightful company of my lovely 5 year old daughter (for the majority of you reading: big strike in the UK including the schools). We had a wonderful day together and her effervescent company has been a much needed tonic. Starting off alone and early, we combed the beach on Horton's Nose (with the excuse of walking the dog and checking out the amazing building work going on). I had hoped for a full on pebble-run but she insisted on the dunes instead which I couldn't understand. However, once she'd found herself a crook (ie: long enough piece of drift wood) all she wanted was to trawl through them like a shepherd. The nativity rehearsals seem to be having an influence! Talking of which... I had promised her a visit to Abakhan to choose the fabric for her angel costume (due in school tomorrow - I do like a deadline, remember?) so off we went, chaperoned by her little brother. Now, that place is worth a post all to itself for those of you with a crafty bent but I'll save it for another day. Warning though: they've removed the playground for those of you intending to visit the Mostyn Mill with little kids!!!

Back to the costume... I've blagged the design and just worked with what I could find. Typical :-) I bought a ladies slip from the local 99p charity shop and cut it up to utilise the skirt section and the straps ("we don't need the boobies, do we mummy?"). With a single line of machine stitching I created a channel for a little elastic at the top (I chose an inch wide elastic for comfort), added the straps and voila, a bias-cut, white shift that fits a 5 year old!

By this point, it was dark so no more shots tonight ;-) The gold mesh in the top photo was in the bargain section and meters of it cost just £3 odd. I've got lots left I just don't know what for! There was a little faffing at this point, putting it on, pinning, stitching, trying it on again but she was very patient, bless. Soon after I delivered her a unique, and rather lovely if I say so myself, angel costume! And all without feathers, Disney or tartiness. I'll take more photos in the morning before school (hopefully!) The wings will arrive in time for the main shows (ordered online, that should teach me) but for now the gold overlay has a little 'wingy' bit at the back so will more than do for the trial run. She loves it, job done.

And, maybe I should have called this post "Jammin" considering how much fabric is under that presser foot!

♥

Christmas Inspiration

2011-11-28T21:45:00.001Z

It's nearly upon us so there's no hiding now.... December is almost here! I've decided to give my crazy tree a rest this year as my retina's are only just recovered from the last 3 years of usage. Instead, we're having a multi-bauble frenzy in the front window for all to enjoy! Without giving too much away, here's some of the gorgeousness that's been whetting my appetite and to start is that overboard fireplace above. Higgledy piggledy but just so right. It must have taken a day to create and maybe longer to tweak. I'm going for the haphazard look, but a little less er, grand in my aspirations!

This is here in memory of my Nana. It's that time of year when it's easy to start missing people, huh? She would have loved this colour way and it's delicateness. I do a similar display each year with a red glittered twig though so it's way more gaudy if a little smaller.

And this cheeky little 'tree' was more akin to the original design I had in mind for the window this year with all the invisible thread used (check the top of the photo). It physically can't be done because of the space I'm using, sadly. I'm sure I'll find a way in the end but this time, I've adapted the idea. You'll see it soon!

So add all that up and include a dash of this gorgeousness (the clues continue to the end of the post ;-) and you get an idea of what I'll be preparing in the next week or two. Currently, I'm just waiting to finish up my son's amigurumi (the WIP post 2 days back) to concentrate on creating an angel costume for the nativity. Then, I'll be charging on with scissors in one hand and baubles in the other pretending that all is well!

♥

Juggling balls!

2011-11-28T20:58:00.001Z

What do you do when you buy a generic (if relatively expensive) coat for school but don't want it going missing (AGAIN)? You customise it on the outside! The other girls know that this is F's coat without thinking about it now so it never gets picked up by accident and even if an absent minded Nana tried to put it on one of them, she'd see it wasn't hers straight away. 3 crocheted spheres in graduated sizes, sewn onto each waist tie: simple. I'll have to re-sew them as we have to loosen the waist but I don't mind a little bit of extra work for the permanence they have otherwise.

Granted, it's not a subtle solution and it may prove a little too festive once January arrives. But it's in a sort of school/patriotic colourway even if I have used a little artistic licence with the shade of green. But it's the gaudiness that makes them work as the kids see it and recognise it as someone else's coat immediately. She is now the girl with the baubles on her coat. Whether she likes this reference in another few years, we'll have to see. But I bet we don't lose the coat!

The other upside is that they give her hands something to do because she is a total fidget even when she's busy. Bless her, after seeing how happy I am when beach combing she's started to come home every day from school with her pockets full of fallen bits of bracken, odd little bits and pebbles. I love her so much!

As for the other one: we've all been sniffly for a few weeks but he's had Man-flu. Quite honestly, at 2 years of age, his suffering was getting us ALL down. Finally, today he seems to be back to his usual rascally self just in time for a performance at the carol service in the very beautiful, and centuries old, St Mary's Church in Rhuddlan.

Welcome back son, we're very proud and love you too :-)

EDIT: Turns out I didn't need to customise her coat as she took matters into her own hands with a PERMANENT MARKER!!!!!

*rolls eyes*

♥

WIP

2011-11-27T19:42:00.001Z

Granted, it doesn't look like much does it? You shall have to wait in suspense while I finish the details over the next week. It's only now that I realise that I didn't remember to write the pattern down as I went. Impatient, as ever!

I have finished a craft project today though (hurrah)! I can't show it to you yet though as it's going to be posted out tomorrow and I don't want them to see it yet (boo)!

♥

Dinner Ladies

2011-11-26T12:55:00.001Z

I don't need much of an excuse to visit Manchester so off I went yesterday for a day of mooching.

Chester was my first stop off actually: returning to Primark, buying in Paperchase and smelling great in Lush! I'm a little bit in love with their Imogen Rose fragrance so sprayed one wrist with it. On the other I tested the solid perfume version and my verdict? Pay the extra ;-) I can still smell it now...a real up-lifter! If there's any chaps reading, it'd be a lovely gift for the lady in your life and I promise, it doesn't smell like an old ladies bathroom :-)

After a bit of a drag on the M60 I found my way to the Trafford Centre. Mostly, just to see the decorations. And to visit the (not as mini as I remember it being) mini-Paperchase within Selfridges. I behaved like a total tourist and took that shot above of the biggest chandelier/decoration I've ever seen. I'm sure you've got bigger in the US but we don't have much call for such grandeur in North Wales so it's excess is rather impressive. After all, it is Christmas ;-)

They also have a singing Christmas Tree which is so huge my camera could only capture a portrait of it/him. As I didn't have kids with me I didn't feel like I could hang around too long so didn't capture his singing voice!

It's a very 'red' Christmas this year in design land. I'm going multi coloured this year with a baubley window display instead of the usual tree. Yeah, ok. Not a very usual tree but at least it doesn't sing and blink it's eyes! John Lewis always has beautiful decorations although the Liverpool store didn't impress me much this year. I realise now it's the space they have in the Trafford Centre that makes all the difference. Using the same decs (sorry, couldn't take a shot but it's all white and red) they ulitised a massive drop over the escalators and it made all the difference.

And then it was onto dinner, my real reason for the trip. I can highly recommend The Lead Station in Chorlton for anything you might want to eat because it all looked incredible and there's plenty of it! Oddly, I didn't order desert though and dammit, that Creme Brulee looked yummy. Thank you to Farhat for being so organised and to Ali for joining us too. Love you guys!

♥

Hottie!

2011-11-24T10:07:00.001Z

What? There still only seems to be 24 hours in each day? My prayers aren't being answered! This is my busy time with work as an ebay seller so there's a lot at home that doesn't get done until the week before xmas (which is when work calms down again). That said, my gift buying is all but finished. I have only a few little bits and bobs to get and I'm sorted. I know, some of you won't be happy with me for that! But then, I don't have much to buy to be fair so it's never too difficult. Of course, I'd rather make many of the gifts but historically, this doesn't go down too well with my crowd ;-) They'll eat my mince pies though, I don't doubt!

But there are occasions where making something from scratch isn't necessary and a little customising goes a long way. I added this little embroidery to a shop bought mini-hot water bottle for a party my 5 year old is going to on Saturday afternoon (no fair, I want to go to Pizza Hut too!). Add a selection of bath fizzers, pop them into a pretty bag and voila! a personalized gift for not much money and not too much time spent either. Phew.

♥

Christmas Wrapping

2011-11-21T19:29:00.001Z

I'm currently listening to my favourite Christmas (from now on mostly referred to as xmas) song on my new favourite radio station - Smooth Radio Xmas! Of course it's all festive, or at the very least wintery, tracks but the best bit is that there's no advertising or talking. Available online too for those of you not in the UK, so don't be so bah humbug and get into the spirit. Great for the kids :-)

Fittingly*, I spent my morning wrapping a friend's presents. It never ceases to surprise me how much some people hate that job. She buys a LOT too! I did all she had in 2 hours or so, non stop (a bit like the radio only with a good deal more chatting). She paid me with a tin of Celebrations which I've mostly nommed already. Ah, I haven't made up a word for a while now but there it is: nommed. I like it. It's staying. (Ooh, Walking in the Air on now, I'm resisting the urge to sing).

I also bought some fondant icing in preparation for my son's birthday in a couple of weeks. He's getting Lightening McQueen cupcakes not pretty white roses or camellias! We made those a while ago but didn't find the time to post. It's finally beginning to sink in with me that I can't fight the Pixar/Disney pressure and expect to win everytime. My daughter is now 5 and she's very reasonable about such things but as the boy is turning 3, I'll indulge him a bit longer ;-) I promise to include the cupcakes in the blog regardless of where they fall on the 'nailed it/epic fail' scale. Already feeling the pressure!

*Did I forget to mention my favourite festive song? Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses, happy ending, upbeat melody and this!

♥

IZ

2011-11-04T20:35:00.002Z

I'll let the video speak for itself but as this guy has hits numbered in the 10's of millions you may have already seen it. He is/was much loved! I have no idea why I have such a soft spot for Hawaii (other than the obvious - it's beautiful!) but it has seems like such a magical place. Chuck in a few rainbows, an emotive rendition of a beautiful song and it's complete!

♥