oh my hat, it's been a while

Such a lot has happened and is about to happen I don't know where to begin.

Apart from an apology.  Yes, I'm sorry I have been so absent of late.


I had become very lax before, but the major foundation shaking moment would be when my Dad passed away.  He had heart failure, and he knew it was a matter of time, but kept it fairly close to his chest.  He had been particularly ill, then a short stay in hospital while they tried to sort him out as best they could.  He came home and we kept him comfortable.  His friend, from childhood had been in Australia visiting his family and flew back to be with Dad for a while.  He was hardly back to his family again in Australia when we had to phone him and let him know Dad had died.   I am still adrift, and can barely begin to understand how Mum makes it through days and weeks.

All things we do are tinged and coloured by him, what he did and what we think he might do in some situations.

None so much as this upcoming referendum.

I'm sorry to say that this is going to get a little bit political of nature and if you don't want to know the score, look away now :)

Dad was an SNP man most of his days, certainly he kept that quiet until I was about 8 or 9, the year of the previous referendum, where I had nagged incessantly that I wanted to know what it was all about.  Imagine, a child with no clue about politics, but a firm sense of its importance even then.  Then as the years after unfolded and finances became ever so tough, the scenes on tv as police clashed with miner's, people living on coal dust and fresh air... ravenscraig, the shipyards ever dwindling, car manufacturers disappearing....A bitter anger in my Dad, a banker, not someone who got his hands dirty, but a moral, ethical man, who had been described as a bastard, but a fair bastard, adrift and feeling cheated by his Government.  A banker who had a breakdown as the rich grew richer and yuppies extorted the lifeblood out of the country.  Politicians gave them pats on the back and lit another cigar and swigged brandy as their scandals ripped through the front pages, each one more sordid than the last, and the excesses of tory elite finally caught up with the nation and in stepped Blair and his Labour govt to the strains of Things Can Only Get Better.  Except they didn't.

My Dad when he died no longer supported independence, and I never got to ask him why.  I have to say though, he'd have been about my age the last time, and I am just as keen as he was then to see a democracy, just as willing to work with my countrymen to see it through, and happy to pave a future for my children.  I can only hope that this time we are successful.  That by the time my children are my age, and I may well be passed on myself, that they have a bright future.

'He who looks into the future, has a brighter future to look into'

Happy!

Well, I am!


I am no longer limited to a machine that crashes every five seconds or my phone (to which the limit is me and not it, in fairness)


For my birthday, my wonderful other half bought me a 2nd hand lappy and upgraded and refluffed it for my birthday so now I have a screen I can read and a keyboard I can (allegedly) type on! AND ...AND! He kept it all a secret!  Which is amazing in this house! :) 


My first job over the next few nights will be to update you all on the Craft Pimplets and catch up on all those I left behind :(  


I will be active on fora again and just generally much more my internet based bad self!  :)


I can take pics on my camera again too, having a card reader again!  I feel revitalised, and just in time too!  


Thanks to Lisa, I'm now doing a weekly yoga classes as well as having signed up for Roller Derby.  I'm still beading, sewing and taking burlesque classes so I'm doing much better physically as well! :)

Craft Pimping

When I say pimping the craft, I actually mean the good peoples over at CRAFTPIMP, a great little forum for the discerning crafter, whatever your medium.


A while ago there was talk of a blog ring, and it came to pass but with the advent of my lappy dying on me and using this steampowered beast as well as my smartphone to access the web, I missed its launch completely, for which I profusely apologise!


I've missed weeks one and two so will play catch up here as both ladies have awesome talents that I must Must MUST share!

Izzybeads

chookie 

First up is the incredible glass artist, Laney Mead.  Laney has a penchant for creative crittering, as well as beautiful sculptural flowers.  Her critters are cute and hilarious in equal measure, each with her own personal stamp...I say stamp, I mean bumhole :D 

hibiscus and buds

Her flowers are equally as intricate and capture the beauty of nature fabulously ... I have a rose and a matching bud which I was lucky enough to get in a swap which I take out and stroke as well as marvel at the delicate tints as well as twists of glass. How she finds time during her hectic schedule to even get the glass hot far less create such unique, characterful pieces is beyond me!


Laney and her life can be followed on her blog and her glassy goodness can be purchased from her etsy store here and bargains to be had on ebay shop

DizzyKitten

Kayleigh Sexton has an amazing talent with polymer clay and has the uncanny knack of turning that talent to many other mediums! And not just limited to beads or jewellery, take a look at these beautiful items, from wedding cake toppers to journals .. :) 

As well as this talent Kayleigh is also a dab hand with a needle as these little guys will attest! How cute and colourful is this motley crew?! 

You can find Kayleigh at her blog and you can peruse her fantastical creations for sale or commission here at her website.  I suggest a browse is in order! 

stripped

a little misleading but not by much.  I've had a couple of very glamorous weeks at burlesque class with my bosom buddies, Sigrid and Lisa.  The class is in Falkirk, and is taken by the very lovely, gorgeous and extremely funny Dr Sarah ''Gypsy Charms'' Vernon.  And it's fun and exercise in that it reminds me I have muscles somewhere, at least it does a couple of days later! 


So aside for my two and a half hours on a Thursday night, and being back at work, other things are also coming together.  Piper has started to sleep better at night more often than not, and when she does get up very rarely is she requiring me to stay with her!  Winner! :D


And I got the commission on the messenger bag completed!  So I'm feeling pretty damned happy today ... which is just as well, as I'm off the tabs! ;) 


Here's the bag 

And here's a shot of the boa I made (faux fur of course daaaaaaahrlink) and here's a shot of my practice make up! :) 

Oh ok, here's a pic of Piperdoo too ;) 

You may recall

but if you don't here's a link to remind you...


about Sigrid's overnight/weekender bags.  I finally got a photo of one, so here it is, filled with Sigrid's sewing gubbins :) 

I also made some pillows, or rather boudoir cushions today one a beautifully rich satin with a contrasting bow, and the other a black, almost hessian like fabric with it's own little faux chenille style heart motif.

I have been meaning to try faux chenille for a while and decided today was the day. I cut 7 little heart motifs from three varied pieces of cotton fabric in pink/red and a white based spotty pattern. I layered them up and then stitched them onto the backing at 1cm intervals starting at the centre and working out.  Then you snip between the lines of stitching and start to fray the strips.  I meant to tumble dry it to get it even fluffier but the red cotton started to fray far too well!  I still like the shabby chic appeal though.

I wanted to make a luxury appeal cushion too, but only had a small strip of the lovely plummy pink satin, so the idea to make a clashing bow was born.  The next time I would try and ensure that the 'bow' fabric was a good deal looser than the cushion cover itself. Live and learn eh? :)

Like A Bus

that's me and my erratic blogging, wait for long enough and a few posts run in at once!


It's been a funny old week, with the runny bum going around the house.  Luckily Piper doesn't seem to be too badly affected and it has skipped the other half and Stuart in the main, with Ewan and I taking the biggest hits ...


However, yesterday I felt like making something.  I got started with a large wheat bag for my Dad.  He's to heat up his knee before he does his physio exercises.  I made a huge piece of fabric but with a kilo of wheat in it. This meant that he can flatten it out quite evenly before strapping it around his leg.  I hope that once he's done, I can shorten it and it will become a regular sized hottie!  I didn't take photos though :(


I also made a start with the button field bag.   Nancy Dale of NEDbeads mentioned some coffee streusel cake and the idea intrigued me.  I just *had* to find a recipe and get to it.  I used this recipe I found, and it resulted in a lovely light cake contrasted by a really crispy crumble topping.  It was lovely still warm with a cuppa, but it was excellent with some custard as a dessert.  Ideal for a cold winter night. 

Today, I finished the bag, lining it with a contrasting duponi, which was left over from Sigrid's tote bags.  It made a lovely finish to the vintage cotton.  A secret surprise inside! 

I also received the ribbon I ordered earlier in the month for continuing the taggy blanket range. So I'm raring to go!

busy

Always seem to be busy.

I have made little progress on my quilt.  Sigrid has been over so much time has been spent on the bags (now complete - need pics!) and she brought over a jellyroll which she sewed up into a single quilt top.  It was fun, about half way through the roll the strips stopped alternating so there was a fair bit of scrambling to get the quilt to look balanced, but we managed it!

As a result of this visit I decided I'd need to practice my chosen quilting stitch.  Free motion quilting!  I chose some nice chintzy cotton, sandwiched it over a layer of batting and set up the machine according to instructions. The biggest hurdle my brain had was getting over not having to turn the fabric to make curves!  My tension was also out a little between top and bottom which I did eventually sort as can be seen in the final pic, but over all I'm pretty happy!

Lisa was also over last Tuesday and was working on some knitting.  I really must get to grips with cable knit for some soapy ideas I've had! :)  Sigrid made it away with one of Lisa's dies and my cuttle bug as she is doing a hexagonal (honeycomb) quilt by hand! I'd never thought of doing anything so challenging, as I don't love hand sewing, but must admit now I've seen it done the appeal of it!

I have decided that this year my crafting has to take a more diverse and serious role and as a result we've signed up for another fair in February in the town centre on Sunday 12th, just in time for Valentines!  We don't do the Valentines thing here, as we're pragmatic and homely souls, but for those of you who do, the Guide Hall behind the Howgate Centre between 12noon and 3pm will be the place to find some handcrafted indiviual items. 

Also I've put up a facebook challenge. It's a pay it forward thing, so I've promised to send out a hand made item to the first five responders on the post within this year.  I believe there might be a space left, and I'm not bothered if you aren't crafty and can't pay it forward in that way, paying it forward in kindness of another sort is always acceptable! :) 

I'm also going to take part in the craftpimp pinterest challenge, as well as their journal challenge for January though the month is nearly over! :o 

Nicola (Mrs Dawber! Not going to tire of that any time soon, sorry Nic) had this beautiful piece of button art on her pinterest board and I fell for it too.  I decided to make a little boodwahhh pillow in a similar, more simple design and I'm pleased how it turned out though I totally mismanaged the size measurements and had to fill it by hand!

I'm going to do another couple I think in the correct size now I have my blanks and mebbe even squeeze out some bags for little girls in a similar vein! :) 

Must remember to make Dad a long hottie too!   

*sighs*

Well, Christmas and New Year is officially over!  The family are thankful and replete from turkey once more and it's time to recharge after all those last minuted makes for presents etc.  

I hope you all got what you wanted from Santa and that you had a fun filled time :) 

Having done so much before Christmas including my first sale where I sold items other than jewellery, I thought I'd be taking a rest, but had resolved that this year I would start, AND finish my first quilt, as Piper's vintage one has started to come apart as the fabric itself is fraying.  I do want to patch it but I figured if I had the experience of building a quilt from scratch I would be in a better place to understand what's needed to tart up the eiderdown that's as old if not older than I! 

So, I knew I had plenty fabric, just getting up and on with it would be the question.  During the festive holidays Sigrid came over and brought with her her vintage Pfaff sewing machine, fabric to make some tote/weekend bags and surplus fabric which she was generously donating to my sizable stash! I couldn't believe how lucky I am to have a friend like her when she told me that she's happy for me to keep her machine here, so I can use it whenever I need to!  

It was invaluable when stitching this dog collar.  It was done for a swap on Bead Buddies, for Cazz, and more specifically her pooch, Riley. It's woven webbing covered with cotton fabric and the buckle/clips are polypropylene and were a b*tch to make the right path! But so very worth it as Cazz and Riley love it.  Not bad considering she's in no way royalist or olympic loving :) 

I also made this taggy blanket for a friend whose baby has arrived almost ten weeks early.  Luckily both Mum and Baby Evie are doing grand despite the rather scary start!

Part of the fabric Sigrid brought was a fat quarter pack in chintzy pale pinks - immediately I set to work (in between helping with the weekender bags) chopping up the fabric.  I envisaged making a trellis effect with rectangles of patterned fabric surrounded by a plain framework.  I had a brainwave to use a flat sheet for the inbetween bits and the back and have also cut a butterfly appliqué for the plain side for a bit of interest.  

  

  

Today, was the day, I could delay no longer. I made a band the width of the quilt as my first ''block'' and started by piecing a band to each rectangle of pattern fabric.  Ironed it.  Took two completed strip/rectangle combinations, pieced them together.  Ironed it.  Did another combi of two, Ironed them until I had four. Ironed them.  Put two together.  Ironed it. Put the other two together.  Ironed it.  Put it all together.  Ironed it.  Took a long strip, ironed it to the newly pieced section.  Cursed a lot when I spotted my deliberate mistake.   Ironed it.  Ironed it some more.  Ironed it again for luck.   Put it away before I burned it with the iron!

 

I've stopped for today
But I shall try to do a little more tomorrow! :) 

Skin care

I've always been blessed with fairly okay skin, certainly softer and less wrinkled than I deserve after a life of not actually looking after it, but recently I've been plagued with dumb spots and general dullness, so I decided to try an oil based cleansing routine. 

I have an atypical T-Bar skin, dryish on the sides, and a greasy forehead, nose and chin combination that isn't unusual so the idea of plunging oil on my face was one that filled me with trepidation.  I'd definitely recommend it though, only two days in and this 'at-home facial' has left my skin feeling fuller, more taut yet softer and it has a nicer glow while retaining a mostly matt finish!

I decided, for my own edification, as well as anyone else who's watching, to conduct an experiment so after two days I look like this

Please ignore the enormous plook on my forehead, the one at the side of my right eye socket and the scarring of a very recent cold sore on my lower lip.  I'm hoping with this regime it may eradicate this all together!

My daily routine consists of massaging in a small amount of a mix of sweet almond and light olive oils, then steaming with a (very very) hot cloth (as many applications as you feel the need for).  A few hot, 'squeezed out til it's dry' cotton wool pads are then dabbed on all over the skin, with another 'hot as you can stand it' wrung out cloth applied over the face, finished off with a 'cold as you can stand it' cloth - It is recommended that the water is changed out regularly, so I refresh the sink between the first cloth and the cotton wool, and again before the final hot cloth.  It takes about 5-10 minutes all told, and my skin tingles, glows and 'pinks' like a cooling engine for about an hour afterward, and never feels greasy. There are no chemicals, scents (though you could add an essential oil if you liked) and there isn't any requirement for additional toner or moisturiser!

This is day two, and I'm amazed at the results, and have swapped the 'first thing in the morning' for a later in the evening regime.  In the morning I just dampen a cotton wool pad and dab at the sleep and anything else that looks tatty, with the evening getting the full attention.

The idea of blogging about it is twofold, I may actually manage to continue this as planned on a daily basis so it becomes routine, and I may encourage others to try it! 

Normal Service

will resume shortly!  Well, what passes for normal around here.  Still working, getting a bit of hassle back and forth, and reaching the end of my tether!  Piper seems to pick up one thing after another at nursery and after walking down with another couple of messmakers one of whom had a stinking cold (mummy informed me she was fine, she's on antibiotics.... *eyeroll*) she's off nursery again! 

I've been crafting my socks off to try and build up stock for a fair on 10th December, at the Dobbie Hall in Larbert - Sigrid, Lisa and I are trying our hand at getting ourselves out there! Having done this in the past with only jewellery I admit that I was a bit hesitant when Lisa proposed this ... but now, I'm excited, as well as anxious as a very anxious thing suffering from a panic attack!

I made a prototype crayon roll which will be a Santa present for Piper, as the design needs a good tweaking before I'm happy with it.

I have mosaic and button covered photo frames, fridge magnets, pomanders, phone pouches and bags to sell - and was thinking of having a bash at some handscrub as well, but we'll see.  I will also make some tablet, as I am making some for the nursery as well as some for work! Today, I finally popped some crayons out their moulds.  I was indifferent about the results as the crayons I'd used weren't the best quality and as suspected, the pigment separated from the wax ... however, once I'd rubbed my hands with a dab of olive oil and massaged it into the crayons I'm rather pleased with the finished articles! :)

A bientot! :D

Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

"plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"

you can change how a person conducts himself, you can make him delete his facebook profile, and cut himself off from his friends and family, even those who love and cherish him, but you cannot change the past, nor how he conducts himself out of your sight at that point you have to trust him, if you cannot trust him perhaps it isn't a relationship worth pursuing.

The father of my two boys can be the most annoyingly self centred man, who has lived and operated as a bachelor his entire life, but he deserves someone who will take him for who he is, past, present and future as he can also be the sweetest guy when he puts his mind to it.

You may be able to tell him how to run his life, but you will not change me or my approach to life, not here on the internet, not in this world or the next so if you have a problem with the existence of me and mine, you will have to learn to deal with it.  One way would be to stop reading this blog ...

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Well the sun is shining, and the misty foggy conditions have cleared today.  Wish my head felt the same.... Piper's sinuses seem to also be fugged up as her wee cheeks are aflame and she's awfully clingy, so that's a fine excuse to dabble in little crafts whilst sitting on't sofa with the bub.  Stuarty is upstairs watching youtube videos of some bloke named Simon who is playing Minecraft ... I cannot think of anything more boring than listening to this guy drone on whilst he plays the game and you merely watch!  But I'm allowing him as his big brother is away to rugby with their Dad and he's feeling at a loose end.  Doesn't help his friends all seem to go visiting on a Sunday so there's no one to pal around with.  Taede is off to Colin's to take him out in our new car...

Here's a piccy of the vehicle - it's a Citroen C5 with bells and whistles, as well as the more usual car features.  Currently it's showing up all sorts of sensor readings that just can't be true, so Colin and Taede are going to run a proper diagnostic on it.  According to P'Shep at work (who used to apprentice for the local dealer before it shafted him good and proper) it's more likely to be the sensors being faulty ...

I also got Taede to return Lisa's cuttlebug to her, as I've had it a week and not used it to its full potential ... am very tempted to ask Santa for one! I selected buttons for matching pairs of hairclips and have sewn them together ready to attach to the clips ... it's more time consuming than I anticipated, but I did find inspiration in the thread I selected, look out for this colour combo at some point for me!

I received my goodies too, and should really be taking a photo of them but duty calls, Ewan is coming home from rugby early with a sore head - I'm assuming it's a headache and not a head injury ... I think they'd have said on the phone, but you never know!

Last weekend was the festival tournament hosted at their home club.  The team did very well, again, working cohesively and making intelligent play.  Ewan excelled himself too, with many of his plays setting up perfect tries - I was again so very very proud of all the boys (of course Ewan the most but that's just a Mum's job, right? :) )

And it all paid off - they won their gold, at long last and oh so much sweeter to win it on home turf and be presented their medals by Ben Cairns!  Ewan, amongst other boys got his shirt signed, and came away euphoric!  I'll admit to being a little high myself! ;)

posting and running

Just a quickie, been a busy time of late - always something going on even if it is just the kids being ill!  Can't believe it's November already - hope you all had a suitable Samhain/Halloween/All Hallow's Eve ...

I have been very lucky of late in the beady stakes ...



This piece was entered into O:TTBS Monthly Moodboard and I was lucky enough to be picked at random to win this awesome haul ... yup, I'm waiting to mug the postie! ;)



This month's Bead Buddies colours begin with K, Kiwi, Kahki and Kohl ... (which I was brought up to think of as cabbage, so thought it was another green, but it is kohl for your eyes ... The colours reminded me of a kiwi fruit but it wasn't until Bead and Banter with the fab input from Mary Marshall that I was encouraged to make a slice of kiwi!  Several aborted attempts later, I managed to produce this. 

Which led me onto this month's moodboard challenge for O:TTBS - red and green ... now how do you do something in red and green at this time of year and not fall into the Christmas trap?  Answer - you make a watermelon! :)

Hope you have enjoyed a foray into my beady world at the moment, though there are other things I could and should be showing, like this scarf,the bag or these hair clips! :)