Ladybird Beads

Meet Helen White of Helenka White Design

2011-12-11T13:16:00.000Z

Helen White, a fellow jewellery designer that I met via Facebook, makes beautiful jewellery from a variety of media. In what I hope will be a new series of posts (any volunteers to be the next subject?), she answers my questions about her craft, her inspirations and more.

Hi Helen! Thank you for taking part in the blog interview...Where do you live and how did you end up there?

I have been living in Cardiff since 2002 and moved here from Cologne, because my then boyfriend and now husband Paul comes from Cardiff. We originally met briefly in Paihia, New Zealand (North Island), when we were both backpacking, and caught up again in Nelson (South Island of NZ). We have been together ever since. After a short stint in Hamburg and Kiel we decided to move to Cardiff, as we both didn’t like it in the North of Germany and it was easier for me to adapt to the British way of life because I speak English better than Paul speaks German.

Who do you live with?

I live with my husband Paul and our gorgeous rescue cat Bobby, who we love to bits. She rules the roost.

She's very cute! Is jewellery making your full-time job?

It’s supposed to be, but I also freelance as a journalist ( I occasionally write for “Making Jewellery” for example). However, like most people in this profession I can’t live on it full-time in the recent economic climate.

Do you do any other crafts?

No, but I would love to learn how to sew properly and maybe go back to painting and drawing. I used to like art at school and have an MA in Art History. However jewellery making is such a vast field and there are so many materials to work with and techniques to explore that it never really gets boring.

What other hobbies do you have?

I love writing, reading, music and watching movies. But I am more a passive listener and I keep meaning to crack on with my Ukulele. I also have a guitar. It’s just finding the time to teach myself.

Is supporting local trade/handmade artists important to you? Why?

I think it is – because this is where the money matters most. Our economy has suffered a lot from outsourcing to countries with cheap labour and poor human rights records. Also you will stand a better chance to find some unique items you won’t find on the high street and which have been designed with lots of love and care, if you buy handmade from a local artist. Unfortunately some people don’t understand the true value of an item and often just want cheap things. I’d rather buy less, but spend a little more money on something that has value to me and where I know that the artist has made a huge effort and should be supported.

Do you have a favourite place to buy local/handmade?

Not really. I do however follow a lot of crafters on Facebook or Twitter and a lot of them are also my friends. If I see something I like I comment on it, share it and hope I can eventually buy it myself. I recently stumbled across a fabulous metalwork artist called Richard Pell who has a stall in the town centre. I love his animal wall art. I also tend to feature fellow crafters on my own blog as I believe in helping each other. I have to admit right now most of my money goes to my physiotherapy sessions to sort out my chronic shoulder pain.

Ouch, let's hope that get's better soon. Describe your jewellery.

Oh dear. This is a hard one. I hope it’s original (my polymer clay pendants), cute (my animal jewellery) and quirky (my Alice in Wonderland bracelets and necklaces) as well as elegant (my semi-precious stone jewellery). At the moment I haven’t got one particular style as I am still testing materials and learning new techniques and some of the early stuff I made doesn’t really reflect what I want to achieve. However I have now a much better vision of where I want to go and what to concentrate on.

I love your animal jewellery, it's brilliant. Why did you start making jewellery?

I think I started because I wanted a hobby and also because in the run-up to my wedding I wanted to make my own tiara and bridesmaids’ gifts. So I taught myself bead stringing and how to make tiaras.

How long have you been making jewellery?

Roughly since 2006 as a bit of a hobby. But I have started selling only last year when I launched my website in October.

How did you learn your skills? Did you go on any courses or teach yourself?

I mostly teach myself from books or videos (YouTube is a great source) but have attended a weekend course in Precious Metal Clay (PMC) at the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery Making and a weekend course in silver smithing at “In the Studio” in Kegworth. I also have attended a day course in polymer clay cane making at “The Millefiori Studio”, which was a nice introduction to basic polymer clay techniques. In 2006/7 I went on a year-long City&Guilds course in “3D design – Jewellery” at the local college and learnt basic techniques in precious metal work.

PMC is on my list of things to learn! What is your favourite material or technique?

I love working with polymer clay, because it is super versatile, can mimic other materials and is affordable. I follow a lot of polymer clay artists who can create the most amazing works of art with their intricate canes – Carol Simmons is one of them. You might know her from my shared posts on Facebook.

I also like wirework and would love to get back to working with copper and silver to revive my precious metal skills. My friend

Lydia

Niziblian is a jewellery artist whose work I also admire. And I also love Kirsten Miller’s cute polymer clay animal figurines (Quernus Craft). What I love about her work is her sense of humour.

I love Kirsten's work too, my sister was the lucky recipient of her WonderMollusc. Are there any other skills or techniques you would like to learn?

I want to explore polymer clay more – there are so many amazing things you can do with it. I recently bought alcohol inks which I want to use to create dichroic effects.

I still have PMC (Precious Metal Clay) I want to use up, but I don’t think I would invest further in it as it’s very expensive material. I want to learn new wire –wrapping techniques and also go back to silver and copper work, making rings. There are so many techniques to explore. If I could afford to go on another course I would.

What inspires you?

I don’t think it’s a conscious decision – sometimes it’s just playing around with materials – like beads I have and want to arrange in a certain fashion.

Because I love animals, especially cats, I would say they are an inspiration. Especially our Bobby.

Bobby is gorgeous. Which of your designs is your favourite? Why?

Oh that’s a hard one – I like most of my polymer clay pendants, because they require much more preparation and work and thought than say a necklace with beads. I love my snakes, because the colours work well together and they look quite cute and quirky. I wanted them to be rings, but you can’t really wear them as rings, because they are a bit too thick and the sizes are not super accurate. Instead I sell them as pendants. I also like my bats and I think I can thank my little sister for this as she loves bats and is a Goth. For those bats I had to make my own molds. I also made my own molds for my dolphin and kiwis. I want to create more animal pendants and also make more of my own molds, as a few of my designs use a mold I bought. I do like my semi-precious necklaces too, especially my lapis lazuli, labradorite and turquoise necklace, but find my polymer clay pendants more challenging, they are also more unique I think.

Here's one I struggle with! Do you wear your own jewellery exclusively or do you wear other people’s designs?

This is really a dilemma for us jewellery designers – marketing strategists tell you to always wear your own jewellery, but I have some lovely pieces of jewellery I got over the years from my mum , husband and other people and would like to wear those too. And I do appreciate other people’s work.

When my sister was staying over this summer we went to Bath and my husband bought me a cute cat pendant made out of pewter. I love that necklace.

When I do a stall or go out and know I meet people who may be interested in my work I tend to wear at least a pendant. I haven’t worn earrings in ages, which makes it a real pain to get some in. I have to make my own rings, because I have skinny fingers and nothing fits. I love my engagement ring, because it’s a Sapphire, but it has been resized twice and is still too loose – so I shove the wedding ring on top when I wear them – which I also do rarely, because I have my hands often stuck in water (housework) or clay :-)

I can’t wear heavy necklaces only pendants due to my neck pain.

Why did you decide to start selling your work?

I think it’s because friends encouraged me to, plus I realised I needed to diversify as freelance journalism has become so hard to generate an income from.

What was the first piece of jewellery you sold? When?

I honestly can’t remember. It might have been a beaded ring for a friend of mine in 2010 or so.

How do you prefer to sell your jewellery – online or face-to-face?

I am a shy person and prefer to sell online. But I also like to sell to customers who visit me. I can give them the full customer service treatment and advise them on what suits them and show them whatever they like to see from my inventory. I discovered that I am not suited to doing craft fairs though. Mainly, because they tend to be disorganised and oversubscribed with too many jewellery makers.

Do you sell your jewellery in any shops or galleries?

No, this is an avenue I might explore in the future. A friend of mine, Caroline Cj Exley from Curious Cat Design, who creates beautiful leather jewellery, does this and she keeps me up-to-date with how it’s going for her.

I've seen Caroline's work, it's great. Is there a celebrity that you would like to see wearing your jewellery?

Now that’s a good question – here’s a bit of a list – Jo Brand (cause she’s funny and fabulous), Florence Welch, Laura Marling, Kristin Hersh, PJ Harvey, Siouxsie, Fiona Apple, Lykke Li and so many other women whose work I admire. I could sit here all day and make lists of celebs :-) Wouldn’t mind making something for Stewart Lee, Dave Gorman and Tim Minchin either, but I am not sure how much they are in the market for jewellery :-)

What is the most useful piece of advice you’ve been given about selling your jewellery?

This is a hard one because I absorb information from all sorts of sources; the web is great for this. And I made a lot of mistakes when I started out. Lots of advice I try to follow I got from e- books by jewellery artist Rena Klingenberg, which I also sell through my blog.

I think the most useful advice I wish I’d had when I started out would have been: start very small, make a few items and road test them first by selling them at fairs and don’t buy in too many materials. And the second useful piece of advice – choose your events carefully and research craft fairs first by asking the organiser lots of questions. I found that affiliating yourself with a charity close to your heart works best. It doesn’t hurt to part with some of your money when it goes to charity.

Thank you Helen! Good luck with Christmas sales!

You can find out more about Helen and her jewellery here:

Website: www.helenkawhitedesign.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HelenkaWhiteDesign

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Helenka

Blog: http://helenspawsforthought.hkpress.co.uk/

Other: www.hkpress.co.uk

Helen will be posting her gorgeous jewellery right up until the last posting date for Christmas, so head on over for some unusual Christmas gifts.

If you'd like to be featured in a future post, drop me a line below....

Feeling Festive?

2011-11-18T12:13:00.000Z

I'm not particularly, but these new earrings I've been working on might help - they're my first attempt at baking polymer clay in several stages. I'm quite pleased with them, though they did get progressively fiddlier as I went through the process. They have allspice in them which not only colours the clay but also means they smell nice as they bake, and I really like the glittery Fimo I used for the leaves and the 'sauce'.

They'll be on sale tomorrow at the Theydon Bois Christmas Gift Fair, which is the second of a month of weekends when I'm all booked up! You can find all my events here so if you're in the Essex area over the next few weeks pop along and see me - I'm excited that I have a stall at the Epping Christmas Market this year too!

Cormorants at Prince's Wharf

2011-11-07T17:08:00.001Z

Today I've been all the way to Bristol to a meeting at M-shed, a brilliant new museum telling the story of Bristol's people and places. Installed in the old Industrial Museum building which has undergone a fabulous makeover, it has amazing views over Prince's Dock and the Bristol skyline. The displays are intriguing, covering the city's slave trading history, local protest, trade and industry and the galleries take you all the way up to Morph and Aardman Animations, Banksy and triphop, with well thought out interactives and a brilliant floor sized aerial map. Well worth a visit!

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0

The Pumpkin Party

2011-10-30T18:12:00.001Z

Note the cunning use of random planks and bits of tree trunk! Hope the rain (and the wind) holds off...this is where I'll be for the next six hours, with a Halloween soundtrack (Monster Mash, anyone?) and the smell of burgers in the air. How long can I resist?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Boo!

2011-10-29T13:04:00.002+01:00

It's Hallowe'en on Monday so I have a pumpkin-filled weekend ahead of me - this evening we're all off to a local conservation area - Swaines Green - to the annual Scream on the Green event, which promises a fortune teller, a House of Horrors, haunted portraits, and (my favourite) barbecue and tea and coffee. Thing 1 is very excited as we have a devil horn headband for her and glow-in-the-dark nail polish as a very special treat for not driving me mad during half term, and Thing 2 is very excited at her spider hairband. Thing 3 is terrified by a small inflatable skeleton so I'm hoping he sleeps through the whole thing.

Tomorrow is The Pumpkin Party at Parndon Wood Nature Reserve near Harlow, which you can find out more about here - I'll be behind my stall and hopefully sheltered by a gazebo! You can find me, my fabulous new pumpkin earrings and spooky charm bracelets, and a flask of hot Ribena in there somewhere.

The pumpkins at the top of this post will be decorating the stall before coming back home again...my first attempt at carving pumpkins and I'm quite pleased with myself as the ghostie was freehand (although the bat was a stencil). My sister is the Pumpkin Queen and carves the most fabulous designs - this year's pumpkin for the kids was a skeleton head - so I don't think I'll be stealing her crown, but what do you think?

A walk in the woods

2011-10-16T15:16:00.002+01:00

Early autumn, near Theydon Bois! Yesterday was gorgeous so we gathered up the hordes of children, grabbed a picnic in Tesco and headed off to Epping Forest for an autumn walk up to Ambresbury Banks, which was allegedly Boudicca's stronghold. Epping - like all good forests - has excellent legends, like the ghost of Dick Turpin, Dick Turpin's cave, Sixteen String Jack and of course Boudicca, the original wild redheaded queen (the other one has a Hunting Lodge named after her not far away in Chingford).

Tove collected a pocket full of acorns, spotted a squirrel (or a 'weee-ul' as she says) and slid down the banks on her bottom, they all climbed on fallen trees and we admired the autumn carpet as you can see in the picture. We really don't take enough advantage of the Forest, it's so lovely and mostly accessible even with the buggy, so we have no excuse! I might make an autumn bracelet now, am feeling a bit inspired...when I have the Jelly Cube bracelets out of the way for Christmas!

I also managed to fit in a 4-mile walk with a friend yesterday, again through part of the Forest though this time sticking to the road towards North Weald - we were lucky enough to see a beautiful stag and his hinds across the road. I know the Forest is full of deer but they are so shy that it's a real privilege to see them, almost as if they are the wood's secrets.

What did you do on the weekend? I hope it wasn't the last gasps of summer - today was warm down by the Thames but allegedly it's Arctic winds and snow for the rest of the week/

A new challenge!

2011-10-05T11:51:00.000+01:00

Regular readers will know that this year I challenged myself to do the Race for Life 5K back in July, and after that went well I decided to try the 10K next year. I'm still running (although a cold set me back last month so I had to take a week off and it RUINED my run times) but last week I signed up at Walk the Walk to do the Moonwalk London 2012, which is a full marathon of 26.2 miles through the streets of London at night...wish me luck!

If anyone would like to sponsor me, my online fundraising page is here and if everyone who clicks it just gives £1 it will soon build up. My aim is to raise over £200 for breast cancer research. I started my training today with a 6.29 mile walk in just over 1 hour 30 minutes, so I'm on my way.

K x

Havering Handmade Part 1

2011-09-10T08:25:00.001+01:00

A craft stall in a suitcase! This morning I'm on the Central Line heading for Harold Wood station and my first Havering Handmade event. This always looks like a nice friendly event when I see the Facebook posts, so it should be a good morning. It's on 10 - 1 and all the details can be found on FB by searching Havering Handmade...pop down if you're around!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

The Tiger Who Came To Tea

2011-08-24T15:37:00.002+01:00

Yesterday, as the weather was too changeable to risk our planned picnic in the park, my friend (owner of the 3 children on the right of the picture) and I (owner of the one on the table and the blue blur in front) made an impromptu visit to the Judith Kerr retrospective at the Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green.

The Museum of Childhood is one of my favourite places to visit and, over the years since I first went there as a teacher planning a class trip, it has changed from a museum for adults about childhood to a museum for children with a lot of adult interest. I loved it back then, but the altered focus has really made it a worthwhile day out for families. The building is lovely - an excellent history of the site can be found here - and it is fully accessible for people with buggies/wheelchairs, which makes such a difference to a day out. One word of warning, though: the tube station is emphatically not wheelchair/buggy friendly as it has steps to all entrances and no lifts to the platform. If you're using public transport I'd suggest either walking up from Liverpool Street via Shoreditch or taking the bus. There are small mainline stations at Cambridge Heath and Bethnal Green but I'm not sure if they have lifts either. Set aside a good few hours and feel free to leave the kids at home for a really good look round!

There are two 'museum' floors and a ground floor which hosts the cafe (good cake - a Benugo venture) and the shop which is sensibly priced and has a good range of books and toys. For those on a budget there is also a lunchroom for picnics (this may not be available in termtime, however, as the Museum is deservedly popular with schools), or the Museum Gardens next door if the weather is good. The mezzanine floor has moving toys - take a stash of 20p pieces - including railways, Scalextrics, clockwork toys and a robot that seems to be permanently broken, as well as a sensory area, imaginative and small-world play areas, a drop-in art area and enough vintage and modern toys to have everyone from your great-granny downwards mooning over the cases saying 'I had one of those!' Case in point: Triang scooters, Fisher Price playhouses, old handheld arcade games, Sindy dolls and much more. It's right up to date with award winning toys from 2010 too, including the Sylvanian Families motorbike and sidecar set which Daisy and Tove would love to get their paws on!

The first floor houses displays on childhood through history with comparative items to show how design has changed - the Museum is, after all, part of the V&A which has a strong design remit - as well as a fantastic seaside area where children can play on the 'beach' and create their own Punch & Judy show. There is a school area, games tables, kitchen play, construction toys and much more, as well as yet more toys to look at and a soft play area for younger children.

The first floor also houses the temporary exhibition area where the Judith Kerr retrospective can be found. Entitled From The Tiger Who Came to Tea to Mog and Pink Rabbit, it is a wonderful trove of original paintings and drawings by the author (you'll find her in the post about favourite bedtime stories below!) as well as beautifully thought out low-tech interactives throughout the installation. There is also a biographical section about Kerr's own childhood, which inspired the book When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit.

Daisy particularly enjoyed playing with Sophie's kitchen in the Tiger Who Came to Tea area, while I loved the giant tiger at the table who can be seen in the photo at the top of this post. There was also a giant Mog's basket where children could dress up as Mog, a 'school' area with desks, a magnetic 'dream creature' area, and more magnetic play with a wheel of 'thought pictures' and magnetic Mog expressions. There were also photos of the real Mog, and areas focused on particular Mog books - Goodbye Mog, mentioned in an earlier post, and Mog the Forgetful Cat. Eve was thrilled to see Pink Bunny on the wall! Tove particularly liked the magnetic play and spent ages making dream creatures.

The Judith Kerr exhibition is well worth a visit but be quick as it finishes on 4 September! Upcoming events can be found here although even without a major display the Museum of Childhood is a great day out. There are always smaller exhibitions in the entrance area which often have local school input.

Next week, we're braving the Docklands Light Railway (and yes, we'll be trying to get the front seats!) to the Museum of London Docklands for Pirates: The Captain Kidd Story. I worked on this in the early stages but it didn't open until I was on maternity leave so I haven't seen the final exhibition yet. 8 year old Oliver is more interested in this one, and his dad is apparently very jealous indeed!

Running update: I finished the Couch to 5K programme this morning! Regular readers will know that I've been really enjoying running, and when I blogged about it 4 weeks into the programme I was averaging 2.5 miles per workout and was doing 16 minutes of running in each workout - well, today was the third & final week 9 workout and I ran for 40 minutes non-stop (walked 5 minutes to warm up and 2 to cool down as well). My total workout today was 3.99 miles (6.4k!). I'm feeling very proud of myself and the plan is to carry on at this level until it starts feeling 'easy' and then move onto the Bridge to 10K programme (and yes, I've already downloaded the app). I start back at work next week and will be running along the Thames in my lunch hours...that'll get me away from my desk! I'm well on my way to losing my first stone, too.

Cygnets at Connaught Water

2011-08-14T16:04:00.001+01:00

Taken on a walk this afternoon

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Are you sitting comfortably?

2011-08-08T15:23:00.000+01:00

It struck me last night that the other half and I seem to spend a large portion of our evenings these days reading a variety of bedtime stories (rather than, y'know, working on our respective crafts/hobbies). So, as I haven't taken pictures of any new crafty makes recently, I thought I'd share some of our children's favourite evening reads instead. These are the ones that we read over and over and over again to our two girls, and heaven help us when the Boy Child is old enough to choose his own stories to add to the mix.

I always loved being read to as a child and I believe that sharing books from an early age is putting them on the right path to being adult readers. It's a rare night when we don't manage to read them a story or six, and on those occasions we always leave them with a story CD and the books to look at as well.

In no particular order, then, here we go! All credit for the images reproduced in this blog post goes to the authors/illustrators and copyright remains with them.

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler - and the sequels The Gruffalo's Child and Stick Man. The quick witted mouse who almost gets tripped up by his own story is a superb creation. The original Gruffalo story is brilliant for reading aloud as you can have so much fun with the voices, and there is lots of detail in the illustrations to talk about too. The BBC film of the book is just as good, too, with some masterful voice casting. We also like looking out for the tiny gruffaloes that appear in the illustrations of other books by this pair.

2. We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. The rhythm of this story with its repeated 'can't go over it/can't go under it/got to go through it' chorus makes it enormous fun - we've even been known to act it out in the garden. Helen Oxenbury's illustrations are lovely, but my kids' favourite picture is the lonely bear walking home across the sand after he's chased the family all the way home. They say he's sad because he only wanted to play!

3. The Tiger Who Came to Tea by Judith Kerr. Fabulous story about Sophie and her mum who open the door at teatime to find a large and hungry tiger who proceeds to eat everything in the house. Sophie has become Daisy's favourite name for all dolls, pets etc and both she and Tove love to join in the story.

4. More Judith Kerr - the Mog stories. All of them! From Mog the Forgetful Cat all the way through to Goodbye Mog (and I dare anyone not to cry at that one). Mog is an utterly delightful cat who often frustrates her owners and gets things wrong, but ultimately things work out.

5. I really want to eat a child by Sylviane Donnio. Sounds like an odd choice for a bedtime story but this book about a VERY fussy eater never fails to make me smile. I bought it on sale from The Book People and I'm so glad I did!

6. That Pesky Rat by Lauren Child. Don't get me wrong, I like Charlie and Lola as much as the next person but this story of a street rat who only wants someone to love him is my favourite book of hers. My best friend recommended it to me as her son loves it too, and we now have a copy in France for holidays and a copy here for every day. The good thing is that money from the sale of this book goes to a charity which helps street children. I also love Who wants to be a poodle? I don't by the same author, about a lap dog kicking back against the stereotype.

7. Hairy MacLary from Donaldson's Dairy by Lynley Dodd. A rollicking, frollicking tale (to use Dodd's own phrase) about a pack of dogs out on the prowl who get scared off by the wonderfully named Scarface Claw, the toughest tom in town. Excellent illustrations and a wonderful, playful grasp of language and rhythm. Told in a lively rhyme, this book and all its sequels are nightly favourites. We also have the Hairy MacLary collection on CD, read by David Tennant, whose voice is perfect for the stories.

8. The Dudgeon is Coming, also by Lynley Dodd. This is a Chinese Whispers story about how messages change in the telling, with fabulous characters like the Pineapple Pig and the Omnibus Owl. Beautifully illustrated, too - Tove absolutely adores this book.

9. Another of Tove's favourites is Sam Chaffey's Where's my mama? which is the story of a little chick who can't find his mum one morning. A pop-up book which really brings the story to life, there are days when its almost impossible to read this to Tove as she's so busy empathising with the chick! She even gives the pop-up chick a cuddle...perfect for toddlers and again with very detailed pictures. We love the mouse's feet.

10. Mick Inkpen's children's books are always great - the Kipper stories, for example - but at the moment we love Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear. I always tear up at the end, too. It's about a big bear who can't do all the things we can do but who has some very special qualities anyway. We're also loving We are wearing out the naughty step by the same author, perfect for any parent at the end of their tether. This one also touches on the difficulties of single parents trying to have a life outside the home!

11. An all-time classic - Eric Carle's story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Daisy took her 'fat pallar' toy to bed with her for months when she was younger, and all children like to poke their fingers into the holes that the caterpillar has made in the food. Tove is now starting to join in with the words as well, and she loves the butterfly at the end. I like The Bad-tempered Ladybird too, but then I would...

12. Another old one! Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. We all have a favourite wild thing in this story, and mine is the one with the stripy jumper. I've always loved this tale of a naughty boy who becomes King of all the Wild Things, but who eventually realises that even though his mum told him off she still loves him best of all. These days I don't need to see the book to tell the story, but then you don't get Sendak's wonderful pictures!

13. Another monster story! Not Now Bernard by David McKee, which is a gently humorous tale about what happens when parents don't listen to their children! Poor Bernard tries to tell his parents about the monster in the garden but they're too busy to listen....and they're too busy to listen to the monster too.

14. Jill Murphy (who also wrote the Worst Witch stories) created the Large Family and pretty much every parent will identify with them at some point! The current favourite is Five Minutes Peace, where Mrs Large tries to find somewhere in the house for a cup of tea and a read of the paper without being over-run with children. Daisy listened to it the first time and then said 'Mrs Large sounds like you!'. There are several others in the Large Family series - my niece loves elephants and A Piece of Cake in particular.

15. And last but not least - one I haven't got round to buying for the children yet as its sadly out of print (but there are currently copies on Amazon). This was one of our family favourites when my sisters and I were young - David McPhail's The Bear's Toothache. The illustration that stays with me is of the bear sitting in the garden and the word 'OOOOOOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOOooooooOOO' floating through the window to wake up the little boy. Poor old bear!

We're always up for new bedtime stories so if anyone wants to recommend their favourites I'd love to hear about them - do leave a comment below or you can tweet at me by following http://www.twitter.com/LadybirdBeads.

The view from the stall!

2011-08-07T12:09:00.001+01:00

Fox & Firkin Summer Fete, Lewisham High Street. 7 August, 12-6, more details below!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Fabulous Hats in post below..

2011-08-02T13:49:00.000+01:00

..are by Fair Heads Headwear and you can find them here. Thanks to Vintage Child for clearing that up!

Weekend Wonder

2011-08-02T10:33:00.001+01:00

Right, children fed and happily redecorating themselves with felt-tip pens, so I can sit here and share some of the lovely stuff I saw at Wonder Hill Market at the Miller on Saturday. For once I managed to take a camera with me so I can show you stuff instead of just rambling.

It was the first time I'd been to the Miller and it took me ages to get there from London Bridge station (went the long way round via Borough High Street- took about 5 minutes to get back) but it was absolutely worth it, the venue is lovely. When I got there there was a chap stringing bunting around the place (hazardous for taller people but for 5 foot 3ers like me, no problem) and tables were scattered about the ground floor in varying states of undress. Kiki, one of the Wonder Hill team, was dashing about looking rather glam in a white frock and clutching a clipboard - later on she did a sterling job flyering just about everyone within a mile radius, resulting in a good footfall throughout the day. I was a bit worried that there would be too much competition for us in the area, what with the big Vintage Festival going on up at the South Bank, but the combination of flyering and glorious sunshine seemed to work. The market had a really relaxed atmosphere, fitting perfectly with the Sergeant Pepper-style vibe coming off the poster (see previous posts!). I like the idea that people can come in for a drink and buy something unique while they're there.

So, what did I covet? The stall next to mine was Design by Vickle, a fabulous collection of wonderfully tactile cushions, baby blankets and vintage Fuzzy Felt brooches. I particularly loved the Etch-a-Sketch cushion and the panda cushion, neither of which are in this picture! Clearly remembering the camera didn't automatically engage my brain...however, you can see more of Vickle's work in her Folksy shop here.

My mouth watered at the sight of these lovely goodies by Miss Pie. I'm still trying to eat healthily so didn't indulge, but the cake pops looked lush!

One reason for not indulging in gorgeous cakes like these are outfits like the one below - I'd love to have the figure to carry this Vintage Child ensemble off.

I'd also like to have the insouciance to wear fabulous hats at all times! I didn't manage to get the stallholder's name to reference these but hopefully someone reading this can tell me.

I also ran into the lovely Luna Hearts (aka Kirsty Pate, who is a colleague at the Museum of London) and her fantastical accessories. Lovely to see her - she is her own best advert and always has something amazing and handmade on!

I want one of these recycled maple rings by BHMakes, please!

And one (or two!) of these beautiful rings by Hart and Bloom Jewellery.

Finally - more for my when-I'm-thin wishlist - a beautiful Japanese style kimono top or one of their lovely obi belts, exquisitely embroidered by Christ'i. They look so pretty and flattering.

There were many other amazing sellers/makers there including Anikraft, Dora Ann, Tobyboo, Hairy Molly (moustaches on sticks - excellent disguise!), Miss Match-Socks, Sample Remix and FotoBellaFoto and hopefully they'll be there again on 27 August. If you're in the London/Kent/Essex area Wonder Hill market is really easy to get to via public transport (London Bridge and Borough are the closest stations but if you're not laden down with stock it's an easy walk from various others) and it's also close to the famous Borough food market. Check out their Facebook page for more details.

Rather foolishly I managed to forget all the important bits for the jewellery projects I was planning to work on across the day - seed beads and stretch magic - so didn't get anything done, but I can highly recommend the Satay Chicken Wrap from the rather tasty Miller menu, and if you're looking for a night out you could do worse than head to the pub as they have a regular comedy nights and more.

Stall at Wonder Hill @ The Miller

2011-07-30T11:44:00.001+01:00

Testing this mobile blogging thingy...

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

All set up at the Miller!

2011-07-30T11:41:00.001+01:00

The usual colourful chaos, surrounded by lots of other gorgeous goods...the trick is to make more than I spend!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Find me here on 30 July and 27 August!

2011-07-30T07:01:00.000+01:00

Right, I'm off to find the camera so I can get some pics for a blog post next week....

See me here on 7 August!

2011-07-28T18:14:00.002+01:00

What I did on my holidays

2011-07-24T14:44:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm back after my holiday - anyone miss me? I went away with the excellent intention of having a go at mobile blogging using the Android app I'd installed before we left, but for some reason it only works if your blog is linked to a gmail account (which this isn't). I was thwarted also by there being NO wifi in West Wales, as far as I could tell - you get so used to going in and out of wifi zones in the high streets and shopping centres that being without it was quite a shock. Mobile reception was also patchy, so trying to upload photos would have been difficult anyway. I've found a new app and will try it out some time. The lack of instant access to FB, Twitter etc was frustrating at times but was probably good for me...

Regular readers will know that our family week away was spent in Cardigan Bay, a beautiful rural/coastal area with gorgeous beaches and clean seas, in the company of both my sisters, one of my brothers-in-law and my very cute niece Catrin. It was a bit of a nostalgia week as Penbryn was the setting for many of our childhood holidays, and it's also the halfway point (ish) between Northern Ireland where my youngest sister lives and Essex/London where the rest of us are.

So, we drove down from Epping along the M4 in torrential rain, with thick black cloud as far as the eye could see - pretty standard for a Welsh holiday, but still a little dispiriting! - but as we crossed the Severn Bridge we started getting flashes of sun which made the seven-hour drive a little more bearable. The views as we drove through the Brecon Beacons were spectacular as you can see below, which was just as well as I'd insisted we took the slow route through Crickhowell, Brecon and Llandovery rather than the M4 up to Carmarthen.

The flat we'd rented turned out to be in the annexe of a church that we'd driven past many times on our way to the beach and although 9 people made it a bit of a squash (even if 4 of them were quite small) it was lovely to spend some time with my NI sister and her little family. Her daughter Catrin and my No. 2 Daughter Tove are so similar that they could be twins, and there's only 3 months difference in age. Tove is rather more boisterous as she has to compete with her elder sister, but by the end of the week Cat was standing up for herself nicely (much to her mother's horror, I think) and had learned two new words (no and miiiiiiine) which will serve her well.

It continued to rain for the first three days of the holiday but in true family fashion we didn't let that stop us, and we made it to various beaches on most days. New Quay (Cei Newydd) was spotty with rain and a bit breezy but the kids loved blowing bubbles and pottering about on the sand with their buckets and spades, while Arthur took pictures with Dylan's help and Conall stayed home watching the Gaelic Football finals.

Monday was a no-chance-of-it-brightening-up day with 'heavy and persistent' rain (according to the weatherman!) so we headed for Aberystwyth for lunch and The Magic of Life Butterfly House near the Rheidol Power Station visitor centre in the beautiful Cwm Rheidol. The kids were amazed by the enormous butterflies roaming the polytunnel (I was quite chuffed when a few landed on me too).

We also made it, all wrapped up, to Penbryn itself on the Tuesday. Daisy was all for the idea of caves until she saw them and changed her mind! They did have a wonderful time splashing about in the stream that cuts across the beach though.

Fortunately the sun came out after this and we had three good beach days at Llangrannog with its hair-raising approach roads and Penbryn again. I managed to swim on all three days and Conall and Arthur had a lovely time digging enormous holes for the kids to leap in and out of. Catrin and Tove particularly loved them, and the sheer size of the hole was the cause of much dad-envy from other children.

Arthur and I also snuck away for a couple of hours on our last evening for a walk on the beach at Tresaith and a quick drink at the Ship Inn with its amazing views over the Bay. In the bar there is a dolphin-spotting board - there is a family of bottle-nose dolphins which is well-established in Cardigan Bay (I saw one!) - and what looks like an excellent bar menu. We climbed over the rocks to the left of the beach to see the waterfall, and then wandered along the beach to watch the sunset.

I also managed to fit in a few runs (even one in the rain!). One route was through Sarnau village which is very small so that one wasn't much fun, and the other two took me down to the beach carpark at Penbryn and back. The run out on that one was all downhill (almost 3K!) which was hard on the legs (no pain, no gain. Or something like that) but the downside was the very steep climb back up. The upside was the scenery, as the road is so steep that the views across Cardigan Bay are amazing. It was on the way back up that I stopped for a look at the view and saw a dolphin, so it was all worth it.

The other notable wildlife spot was the Red Kites, which were very rare when I was studying in Aberystwyth in the 1990s but now seem common as far south as Penbryn which is a real success story for the Welsh Kite Trust and other organisations. Lots of buzzards, too, and millions of sheep.

We had a lovely time, but I did miss my washing machine (I'm on load number 8 now with at least another 4 to go) and Costa/Starbucks/Caffe Nero for my coffee hits! I do hope we go again next year.

In other news, while I was away Carolyn over at CeeGee Jewellery Design nominated me for The Versatile Blogger award, which was very kind of her....but now I need to think of 7 random things about me to share with you all! So I'm off to do just that. Look out for my Versatile Blogger post in a couple of days....

Race for Life - 13 July 2011

2011-07-14T15:56:00.000+01:00

Well, despite a stinking cold (me), spotty rain and grey skies (everywhere else) the Epping Race for Life happened! I finished my 5K in 38 minutes and 34 seconds, and about 19 minutes of that was actual jogging. I rather enjoyed it, and I raised £120 for Cancer Research too. I'll have to aim for the 10K next year, and I still hope to do the Moonwalk with one or both of my sisters.

Just Daisy's party and her birthday to get out of the way and then it's a well-deserved week in West Wales, followed by Wonder Hill High Market at the Miller on July 30th. I've made the birthday cake, complete with Sylvanian Family meerkats and a giant sparkler, now all I'm waiting for is the kids to arrive....

Wow, thank you!

2011-07-11T11:02:00.000+01:00

It's my big girl's fifth birthday at the end of this week! I can't believe it myself, really, but there we are. I know I'm biased but she really is amazing (just like the other two, obviously) - utterly gorgeous, a talented little artist with a HUGE imagination, generous, loving, bright and happy. She also has a stubborn streak, and if she isn't the world's most co-ordinated child when it comes to dancing (or walking) well, I know where she gets that from and I apologise....

She is in many ways a typical five year old - she loves pink, fairies, princesses, Hello Kitty, Barbie (ugh) and imaginative play; she adores her dollhouse at her Granny and Grandpere's, and spends hours with her Sylvanian Family toys. She also loves climbing trees, making mudpies and helping her Daddy with his Hornby set and with DIY. Go figure!

So in honour of five year old girls everywhere (and to show some support for a new online venture, WowThankYou, which aims to promote designers from the UK) I've made a birthday wishlist of things I know she would love to have if we had the money or the space. I found them using the rather clever gift finder on the site. It's easy to use and there's a wide range of handmade products to choose from thanks to the way that sellers categorise their items when uploading.

So here we go... it's a random mix but I know Daisy would love these!

Buzzing BumbleBees Hairclippies by AdoraBelle

Fairy Cookies by Kathryn's Cakes

Handmade Tutu by Monkeys from Heaven - in pink, of course.

Princess Castle Keepsake Box by Funky Treasure

Flower Bangle by Glitterbugwishes

Daisy Dreams Necklace by Ellansee

A Personalised Name Canvas by Handcrafted by Picto

Large Personalised Girl's Toybox by Presently Thinking Ltd

Handmade Mermaid Rag Doll by Kate Murray Soft Toys

Doll's House by Paperpod

Go Play on Platform Playhouse by the play company

And finally - for me - three of these lovely Personalised Big Hole Charm Beads by CeeGee Jewellery Design, to fit my birthday charm bracelet from my longsuffering other half.

Now what can I find on WowThankYou for his birthday?

Rambling about running

2011-07-09T10:54:00.001+01:00

Some of you may know that recently I started running, in a bid to shift the post-three-babies weight and get back to my relatively slim 2005 self - I have no desire to be a lollipop head and I'm sensible enough to know that my tummy will never return to its smooth and stretchmark-free former existence *sobs quietly*. I do, however, want to be able to walk into H&M, pick up a pair of size 12 trousers and know that they're going to fit without having to try them on. On a slight aside - what is it with shops and their different trouser sizes? H&M, Top Shop and Gap used (pre-babies) to be perfect for me, but I had terrible trouble with Dorothy Perkins (if the waist fitted the hips gaped), Next (though they seem to have changed their fit), and most other places. My sister is the opposite, but then pre-babies I could only be described as 'boyish' whereas she is built more along the 'pocket rocket' lines. Where was I?

Oh yes. Anyway, the running. I'm using the Couch to 5K programme at Cool Running which is designed for people like me who haven't done any exercise for a while (though I recently GPSed the school run and that's a mile each way, and it feels like more when you're late and pushing a double buggy), who want to get fit/lose weight/run 5K etc. It's amazingly sensible, working on building you up gradually from jogging in short 60 second bursts in the first week alternating with 90 seconds of walking, bracketed by 5 minute warm-up/cool-down walks to being able to jog a solid 30 minutes (3 miles) after 9 weeks. I started it in May and signed up for the local Race for Life 5K, which would, in theory, have been 8 weeks into the programme but naturally I damaged my knees and had to take 3 weeks off. I'm back into it now and started week 4 this morning (with 16 minutes of jogging in total). It's surprisingly enjoyable! And it does seem to be making a difference - my jeans are definitely looser round the leg and I'm feeling fitter. Plus the gradual nature of the programme really helps you feel you're getting somewhere - last week the first 3 minute run nearly finished me off, but today the 3 minutes were easy and even the 5 minutes weren't too bad. I'm using Runkeeper and RunningAhead to track my workouts and I'm averaging 2.5 miles in each workout. I particularly like Runkeeper as it emails me 'new personal records' to motivate me, and as I've only been using it for a couple of weeks I get lots of emails and feel very motivated indeed. It doesn't work very well on my phone though, so I have to plot routes manually.

Quite apart from the fact that these runs give me a precious half hour all on my own - the only time I get completely to myself - I'm rather enjoying finding little footpaths through the local forest. I'm trying to do different routes as often as possible so that I don't get bored - today, for example, it was a straight run out and back - but with the help of Google Maps I have discovered a great route that cuts through the forest across the old railway lines to the next village and then back along to road to home, and a shorter version that goes along the side of a couple of ponds. Both of these cover a pretty meadow where I've seen deer and rabbits as well as a host of butterflies and wild flowers. I like tracking the distance using a GPS app on my phone, and as I can't run using music yet as it doesn't work with the run/walk programme I get to hear the birds. It's positively idyllic and the thought of a nice forest run is often the motivation for getting out of bed. I'll try and do them as a walk one day and take some pictures. Probably all the locals already know about the route, but I'm not from round yere....I'll keep you updated occasionally, but the next target for me is the Race for Life which is 4 days away.

Having raved about solo running, I am looking forward to a week away in Wales with my sisters very soon, and I'll be taking my running kit so I can run with my sister - she started with the C25K programme and is now terribly fit. Plus it did wonders for her boobs!

We're off to Cardigan Bay for a week in an apartment found via West Wales Holiday Cottages. The best thing about this is that it's near Penbryn Beach, where we spent all our childhood holidays. I love the area so much I did my teacher training at Aberysywth, and I dream of one day being able to pack up and move there permanently. Though I'd settle for a holiday home...if you don't know Penbryn, it's a National Trust beach with a glorious stretch of sand complete with caves, rock pools and clean, clear water. I'm so looking forward to showing it to my other half and my children, as well as to spending a whole week with two sisters, one brother in law and my beautiful niece.

And now I'm off to pack up my wares for tomorrow's Hackney Homemade market! Have a good weekend, whatever you're doing.

Virtual Shopping - Eco Style

2011-07-06T16:45:00.000+01:00

One thing I've been discovering as I wander about Etsy, Folksy and Facebook is the sheer number of ridiculously talented people doing brilliant things with upcycled materials there are out there. So this week's post (as if I manage to post every week, ha....) is all about some of them. I make no apologies for my choices, but do check out their pages/shops....these are the people who make me wish I was a LOT better paid and had a LOT bigger house to put it all in! They're also all based in the UK.
First up, the fabulous ladies at Make It Sew - I met them at a We Are Handmade event a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with all the great things on their stall - all of which are upcycled from things they've been given or have repurposed. I particularly love their album cover journals like this one below, being an unashamed 70s rock fan!

Up next is the amazing O'Blue Thrashion, who makes funky jewellery and accessories - like this bangle - out of thrashed out skateboards. I like the idea that something that's already given someone so much pleasure can get a whole new life, and I also like the slightly grungy, scratched-up look to the bangle.

These coasters by atticspace made me laugh - that's one thing to do with a jumper that accidentally got boilwashed!

Next up...Pixie Blonde and more repurposed jewellery. This time, knitting needles! The colours of these are quite 80s and you'd have to look twice to see what they are.

Finally, Andrea Davis Jewellery from my nearly-home-town of sunny Monmouth, who remakes beautiful jewellery from vintage pieces as well as designing more modern items. I like the story behind this one. She says about this photo: "A lovely story - a friend of mine, glass artist Cathy Farber gave me the beautiful green beads, given to her by her great aunt Maud. They were part of a necklace made by injured soldiers from the First World War. The little diamantes were mine and came from a friend (Ruby) of my great aunt Mary. I teamed them up with some some new beads, wire & suede ribbon. Cathy liked it so much she is going to buy it for her daughter. I love a happy ending!"

And now a quick mention for me! This isn't upcycled, recycled or repurposed but did come out of a free sample set of pearls from the fabulous Bead Shop Scotland who are possibly my all time favourite suppliers. Given the weird sunny/rainy weather we've been getting, a Rainbow Bracelet seemed appropriate. You can buy it in my Etsy shop or in my WowThankYou shop. If you haven't discovered WowThankYou yet, head over there now. It's a new site focusing on British designer makers and they have a very useful gift finder!

To market we shall go!

2011-06-29T10:14:00.000+01:00

Specifically, Hackney Homemade Market on Sunday 10 July and Wonder Hill Market at the Miller on July 30th and August 27th. I love markets as a customer and we have two good ones in Epping (Monday markets have all sorts of things, and on the first Friday of every month we have a Farmer's Market) as well as the Christmas market that I did a few years ago. Visiting a French market is also one of the highlights of holidays with my parents, too, though I haven't been brave enough so far to explain to the girls what all the bunnies and chickens and ducks on the stalls are destined to become.

So, anyway, I'm quite excited to be heading into London a couple of times in July to take part in these events! Both of them are running quite close to other markets - Chatsworth Road in Hackney and the famous Borough Market for Wonder Hill - which will hopefully drive traffic towards the handmade/vintage events as people already have their market heads on. It's the first time I've 'done' the Hackney event, and although I know the area quite well having lived and worked in Hackney, it's still going to be an adventure doing something outdoors. I've done Wonder Hill once before in it's previous home at the Boogaloo Bar, and it's got a lovely ethos and atmosphere. I love seeing handmade goods at markets!

If you're in London on these dates and you want to come along and say hi, find some gorgeous vintage stuff or collect some unique handmade items, pop along...if not, I'll try and blog about them here, especially if I remember to take the camera to get some pics.

You'll also be able to find me at more events around Essex, Herts and London over the next few months - click here to go to my web page with all the details!

Imminent insanity

2011-05-19T10:51:00.002+01:00

I've just signed up to do the local Race for Life in July and registered my interest in the Moonwalk for next May - spurred on by friends who did it last week, though I should probably be concerned that one of them has said she won't do it again! A few people I know have either had breast cancer or a cancer scare and getting fit seems to be a good way to raise money for further research. Wish me luck....you can sponsor me here if you have a few pennies to spare!

Bookaholics Anonymous

2011-05-16T12:08:00.004+01:00

A couple of weeks ago my MIL had her loft insulated which meant that all the boxes we had stored up there had to come down, including the 16 crates of my books which had been stashed up there ever since the Other Half told me the kids couldn't sleep in the shed. Yesterday I went through them, theoretically to sort out which ones I no longer wanted (the pregnancy ones...not doing that again!) and then the plan was to put them back in the loft until we have enough space for bookcases again!

As I went through the boxes it was like seeing old friends again, and it became increasingly clear that whatever the OH thinks, I don't hoard books as I had read all of them at least twice and it was only because he kept checking on me that I didn't start them all again...is it strange that I got upset, too, because being in boxes wasn't doing them any good? The upshot is that Arthur's old bedroom is now filled with my books on shelves, and there was even some overspill of the larger ones onto the shelves downstairs. Arthur's mum liked the Haunted London one and was quite put out that she hadn't seen any of the ghosts in the places she knew well!

So here are some of the highlights of yesterday's (re)discoveries...

1. Paul Gallico's Mrs Harris books.

2. Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence. The people who made the film should be locked up for crimes against literature.

3. All the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books

4. Giovanni Guareschi's Don Camillo books

5. Robert McCammon's A Boy's Life. I've recommended this to so many people - haven't liked any of his other books but this one is beautiful.

6. Joan Aiken's Dido Twite books - The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is probably the best known one, but they're all wonderful. She was a great writer, her short stories are also recommended.

7. Phil Rickman's books. All of them.

8. Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley novels. The TV series wasn't bad, but the books are great.

9. Lindsey Davies's Falco novels.

10. Neil Blackmore's Soho Blue

I could go on, but won't...Anne Tyler, Stephen King, Martha Grimes, Alexander McCall Smith, Mary Wesley, vast numbers of travel books, London history, wartime history, the complete Spike Milligan diaries....if I disappear for a while look for me behind the paperbacks!

I've just noticed how long it is since I've posted on here - I did try a fortnight ago, honest, but Blogger was broken and wouldn't let me upload anything. I've also been busy with my latest addition - Dylan, who arrived on February 4th and has been keeping me occupied, to say the very least. He weighed in at 8 lb 9 oz after a 3 hour labour and is quite gorgeous. I didn't get to call him Woody, but I did get Arlo in there as a middle name!

Updates....

2011-04-27T08:51:00.005+01:00

Thought I'd better wander on by (hanging my head in shame) and check out just how long it's been since I posted on here - rather embarrassingly it's been 3 months! I do have a small excuse - 10 days after my last rambling I produced an 8 lb 9 oz baby boy and he's been keeping me on my toes - meet Dylan, who is now approaching 12 weeks old and weighed in yesterday 1t 15 lb 2, so mostly what I've been doing is feeding him, clearly!

In other news, I've been sorting out which craft fairs you can find me at this year - the list of them can be found here

New addiction...

2011-01-25T09:24:00.003Z

I've been having enormous fun over the last few days! For some reason I thought I needed something to occupy my mind in the first part of my maternity (apart from the two year old I have at home...) and as I'd bought a couple of Scrabble tile pendants recently they seemed like a fun thing to do....and they've turned out to be addictive. The ladybird tile above is a donation to the Help A Hedgehog Hospital charity auction, and the ones below are available (apart from the Japanese Daisy print).

I've spent every odd moment since Saturday cutting out little bits of paper and sticking them to bits of wood and then c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y glazing them so they're all shiny and (mostly) bubble free. The quantity of amazing pictures you can buy for these little projects is addictive in itself - my favourites so far have been TrueBlood inspired ones and images from The Princess Bride. As a completely useless artist I'm very glad there are clever people out there who can feed my addiction...

I've also been experimenting with using some photos we've taken of the kids and other things to see if they work. Some have been more successful than others, but I think more practice with Photoshop will help....have a look at these and tell me what you think! The one above is unglazed but has good definition, the one below is completed. The seagulls were taken in moody black and white from the Prom at Clacton-on-Sea and I love the expression of the one at the far end...

Happy 2011!

2011-01-16T09:42:00.003Z

Well, my last post asked where 2010 had gone, and now I seem to have lost another 6 weeks or so...December was quite busy with Christmas markets and that whole festive thing, and now I seem to be spending all my time up to my ears in tiny sleepsuits and vests, waiting for the new arrival. The latest addition is due in 3 weeks' time and I think we're almost ready now! I had a moment of panic just after Christmas when I realised I had nothing ready at all, not even a buggy or car seat as we'd got rid of everything after Tove grew out of them. I'm now at the REALLY uncomfortable stage and every time the baby wriggles it feels as if I'm going to pop, but if it could hang on till I finish work this week I'd be quite pleased.

In crafty matters I've been having a bit of a clear-out - part of the nesting process, maybe! I've sorted out a job lot of beads and findings that will never get used, and also a stack of cross stitch kits that are currently listed here on my Facebook page and I'll be putting them up on Ebay next week.

I've also been making new jewellery from sea glass, which I've been collecting for years and have recently taken to scouring Ebay for as well. I love the way it takes on a pretty sheen when you've been wearing it, and that every piece is different so no two pieces of jewellery are ever the same. There are new pendants and keyrings listed here and I have also made pendants and keyrings to be taken to South Africa as unique host gifts for the SHOUT (Sheppey Outreach) project. The organising teacher, Michael Thomas, is the brother-in-law of one of my colleagues and he collected some unusual pieces for me to use. You can read more about the project here.

November already....where's the year gone?

2010-11-30T16:49:00.003Z

Hello! It's been a busy couple of months which is a terrible excuse for not posting more often, I know. Mostly I've been dashing about doing craft fairs in the Essex region, including King Harold Day in Waltham Abbey, the Truly Madly Vintage Christmas Market, our own Epping Handmade Christmas event, and now I'm gearing up for the last couple before Christmas. On December 9th you'll find me at the Museum of London Docklands' Festive Fair from 6pm to 9pm (nearest tube Canary Wharf or Westferry/West India Quay on the DLR) and then on the 12th I'll be at the Much Hadham Christmas Market with Victoria Rose Crafts.

What else? Making things, of course, and failing to take photos of them - pretty snowflake decorations, , Knitwits charm bracelets, many things with Iced Gems and Lovehearts and I've also given in to the people who keep trying to remove my ladybird decorations and started making some brooches which are selling well.

And - of course! - cooking up baby number 3, due in February....today I've been out in the snow with my big girl and am hoping that this winter we'll have a very mild February, as I don't fancy the trek to the hospital on bad roads!

Folksy Friday 2!

2010-09-30T18:31:00.003+01:00

This week's theme is autumn - I love this time of year, the colours are getting gorgeous (if you can see them through the rain!) and the nights are getting longer.

First up, these GORGEOUS coppery Autumn Fairy earrings by Eclectic Creations. You can imagine fairies riding leaves as they fall off the trees so easily...

I love lucite leaves so this is my next pick....the Autumn Leaves bracelet by The Whimsical Wren.

My little girl would look unbelievably cute in this Autumn Fairy dressing up outfit by Ella Bella Fairy!

And you can have autumn indoors too! Red Autumn Leaf window hanging by Dormouse Studio.

Lastly...this Autumn Ring by Kiwi Chick Creations is amazing.

Apologies for posting early....but it must be Friday somewhere in the world!

Folksy Friday!

2010-09-24T07:31:00.004+01:00

My kids are loving the frog living in our back garden at the moment, so I found a collection of Folksy frogs to entertain them! Hope you like these :-)

Alice in Wonderland Royal Frog brooch by charlieandelvis

Francis Frog puppet by Rainbow Valley

Frog baby booties by Funky Shapes

Frog egg cosy by Off The Hook

Princess and the Frog by The Seven Seas

Well, that's my first Folksy Friday blog...and before breakfast, too!

And so did these!

2010-09-22T17:12:00.001+01:00

Loveheart Rings...which vanished off the last post!

2010-09-22T17:09:00.001+01:00

Viva vintage!

2010-09-18T18:30:00.007+01:00

I've just spent the day in the rather elegant surroundings of the Shire Hall in Chelmsford at the Truly Madly Vintage vintage & handmade market, in the company of my usual partners in crime, Shivs of Lillyroses Luxuries and Rose of Victoria Rose Crafts. The event was really successful, bringing more than 300 people through the doors and offering a range of fabulous things from clothes, jewellery and fabrics to gorgeous handmade cakes and tea served in beautiful vintage china. I managed to sell one of my favourite pieces - the Cake Shop stretchy bracelet - and a couple of new items like a Loveheart Ring and Sweetie Jar necklaces. We're back there on 27th November for the Vintage, Handmade and Christmas Market!

Rose, Shivs and I are also organising our own Handmade Christmas Fair in Epping on 13 November, in the Catholic Church Hall, Church Hill, Epping (just off the High Street if you fancy coming along!) - we're open from 1 - 5pm, and if you're a stallholder who fancies joining in drop me a line on kirsty@ladybirdbeads.co.uk and let me know.

We're charging £10 for a small stall and £20 for a large one, and all stall fees after we've paid for the hall will be donated to the Neo-natal ICU at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow. We have a great range of stalls so far, including cupcakes, vintage clothing, jewellery, books, handmade cards, handmade soaps, stained glass and others, and it'll be a great opportunity to stock up on some one-of-a-kind Christmas presents. Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, here are some of the latest items - Iced Gem rings! How '70s...the vintage thing is catching...

August!

2010-08-25T15:10:00.004+01:00

Once again it's pouring with rain so I've been making my own summertime with lovely kitschy acrylic flowers and ladybirds, in the shape of earrings and necklaces. I really like the colour of these yellow daisies, they're so summery! Other things on the beadmat this week have included these tattoo style earrings with agate hearts and skull & crossbones charms, Hello Kitty style necklaces and earrings (thanks to Daisy!) and Loveheart necklaces. I've had these charms for a while, bought from the wonderful Bead Shop Scotland and have finally got round to using them. You may notice that my stuff seems to be getting a bit brighter - I love all the gorgeous colours of beads I keep seeing, and have a great love of slightly mad things, which is hopefully showing through. I've just bought a pasta machine (gotta love Ebay!) and will hopefully be creating my own polymer clay beads very soon...

I've been inspired to get on with these things and take new (and hopefully more professional) photos by an application I've made to sell on Amazon, and also a new venture run by Elise Steedman-Green called Eegee.co.uk, a not-for-profit sales site for handmade goods. They are charging listing fees but not sales commissions, which will hopefully make a difference to us small-timers. The site launches at the beginning of September and I wish Elise the best of luck with her new venture.

On the stitching side (yes, really...) I've been working sporadically on the Fumitory Fairy, and need to get it finished as I have two baby feet pictures to do for colleagues who have recently produced, and then I really need to get my daughter's birth sampler done before she turns 2 - and before no. 3 arrives in February.

Got me thinking...

2010-07-09T09:49:00.002+01:00

The post below about my friend Rhiannon's '30 things to do before I'm 30' has got me thinking, which is never a good sign. My next milestone is - rather terrifyingly - 40, and I'm all too aware that there are an awful lot of things I haven't done with my life so far. Jobwise, I love what I do and I'm really pleased I'm doing something crafty as well, but what else have I missed?

For example, I have ALWAYS wanted to learn to tango. I'd also love to learn silversmithing - either with the actual metal, or these days with artclay (thus opening up copper and bronze as well....ooh!). I'd like a proper cooking lesson, to go in a helicopter, to learn Welsh and/or French, I want to finish (oh, OK, start) the cross stitch version of Seurat's 'Sunday Afternoon', to learn to make a dress...and wear it! I want to go back to West Wales and show my kids where I used to spend my summer holidays and where I went to college. Soooo many things.....

Better start that list now, and then I have 3 years to do it!

Rhi's 30 before 30: 30 things to do before I'm 30

2010-07-09T09:05:00.000+01:00

A really exciting project by a friend of mine....almost inspiring me to make a '40 before 40' list....

Rhi's 30 before 30: 30 things to do before I'm 30: "Thanks for taking an interest in this blog. This is a personal project to do 30 things before I turn 30 on 3 June 2011. These are either th..."

The Gaslight Anthem: Baba O'Riley live @ Brixton Academy 2010

2010-07-02T09:58:00.000+01:00

'Seven Deadly Sins' Teaser

2010-07-02T09:56:00.000+01:00

Here's the LGMC with a teaser....

Where did June go?

2010-07-02T09:24:00.003+01:00

All of a sudden it's July and I haven't managed a post for almost a month. I'd like to say it's because I've been out doing really exciting things but mostly I've been asleep!

On the few evenings I managed to stay awake I did get out and about occasionally though! I had a stall at a local school's Pamper Evening, which meant I avoided another dire England match - I didn't make much money but it meant that people could see what I do and they've invited me back to their Summer Fete next weekend. I'm making piles of pocket money items like worry beads and phone charms as these are what sold the other week. Here's some of my new stock - it'll be available on the website and in my new Faceboook shop soon! Find the new shop here - just click on the 'Shop Now' tab at the top of the page.

I also had a fun packed birthday weekend, including a fabulous night out at Camden Roundhouse where I saw a friend perform with the London Gay Men's Chorus in their Seven Deadly Sins show. You can see a video of it here, and if you ever get the chance to see them then jump at it! I'm trying to embed the video too, but it may be beyond my limited technical capabilities (if it's not copy & paste, I can't do it...I do seem to be able to 'share' it directly from youtube, though, so keep your eyes on this blog). On the day itself we took the girls up to High Beach in Epping Forest and had a picnic in the sunshine, and in the evening we saw The Gaslight Anthem at Brixton Academy, who seem to get better and better with each album!

Right, back to my making for the school fete!

Enchanted Garden Wedding

2010-06-08T17:15:00.003+01:00

How excited am I? Ailsa Heinlein-Thompson Weddings got all inspired by one of my tiaras and designed a wedding concept around it! See it here....

Other than that, my NY resolution to blog weekly has failed miserably but I have had a lovely time in France and am currently engaged in making stock for a Pamper Evening next week in North Weald, supporting St Andrew's Primary School. I'm also eagerly awaiting beads for a statement bracelet (my favourite kind), necklace and earrings in purple, coral and orange for a birthday party at the end of the month. Sadly not for me though!

Helpful stuff for the crafty person!

2010-03-29T11:20:00.003+01:00

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be picked for a Facebook giveaway by the lovely people at Persephone Moon, who wanted testers for their Crafters Bookkeeper range of Excel spreadsheets for the crafty maker/seller. I have to say that as a frequent Excel user in my day job - to balance the budget, track evaluation etc etc - I wasn't expecting to be terribly excited by this and certainly didn't expect to learn anything new.

However, I do admit to being a bit if a random pricer when it comes to my jewellery, occasionally thinking 'I can't charge that!' when I've used one pricing theory (and in consequence wiping out any profits....duh!) so I thought I'd give this a go. And I'm properly impressed! This is a really professional-looking, user-friendly document which comes with a flash tutorial explaining exactly how to use the sheet in layman's terms and with enough tips and assistance to help even the most beginning beginner. The spreadsheet offers two different methods of working out your prices (the hourly method and the times method) and even offers a calculation for wholesale suppliers. Both methods are explained, and there is the option to add photos to the sheet so that you can identify your own inventory products easily (along with random pricing, I'm a random namer...). I'm sure you could do this quite easily yourself if you were really, really comfortable with Excel and it's many amazing properties - but, honestly, at these prices (this sheet is sold on the Etsy site linked above for $5.00 - about £3.50 at today's exchange rate) why would you want to? Highly recommended!

Right, I'm off to put my prices up....only joking...

Mad March!

2010-03-04T19:07:00.002Z

Spring is finally starting to spring here in sunny Epping - I'm loving looking at the daffodil spikes appearing along my route to the station, and Epping's many crocuses (croci?) are starting to bloom along the verges. Although I'm definitely an autumn girl I really love all the gorgeous yellows that seem to pop up about now - it's still cold but there is a feeling that winter might be on its way out. Something is getting me down, though - what is it about dog owners (in this town, at least) that makes them think it's ok to leave piles of crap all over the place? Who thinks 'oh look, there's a bed of daffodils, I'll let my dog foul it?' I'm a firm believer in personal freedom and object to the abuse of council spying powers generally, but if they want to use my council tax to catch the disgusting people who encourage this, then hey - I say yes!

On a crafty front....this time of year also makes the creative mind kick into high gear and so I have ideas for patchwork, the urge to stitch, the need to knit, as well as the beady head to contend with. Work really is the curse of the crafty classes...

I bought some fabulous charms from ebay recently, lucite ones from Hong Kong, and I've been waiting for the inspiration to make the most of them, and here's the end product.

Springtime Riot

2010-02-17T09:19:00.004Z

Once again I've been slow updating this blog - I can only make the excuse that I've spent most of the last week either salsa-ing or sleeping! But inspiration did strike in the shape of this Springtime Riot bracelet, which follows on from the Harvest one posted last autumn. This one came out of seeing the daffodil shoots on my walk to the station - I do love spring blooms and the colours of the lucite flowers in this really made me think of them. As well as the lucite flowers and leaves, there's a host of Czech crystal flowers, hearts and firepolished rounds in pale pinks and frosted colours to give it a bit of a sparkle.

On the subject of the Harvest bracelet, I've entered it into the bracelet competition in February's issue of Making Jewellery magazine - I had a moment of bravery and went for it, so I hope reactions to it are positive. I've also been asked to turn the design into a necklace, which is lovely - I really like seeing what other people see as the potential in my designs. I'll be adding black ribbon, I think, and maybe a leaf clasp to echo the rest of the design.

I may have been a bit premature with the spring flowers though....it snowed after I posted these pics on Facebook!

Lillyrose's Luxuries and I are now looking for a market or two to do in the spring, preferably close to home....any suggestions?

Tiaras!

2010-02-01T21:55:00.002Z

Inspired by a red-themed Valentine's salsa party....

and this one is for all those of us who are away with the fairies!

Merde, il pleut..

2010-01-12T10:08:00.002Z

...which at least removes the niggling worry that we wouldn't be able to make it home tomorrow! Daisy has been missing her daddy hugely this time round and is very excited at the thought of heading for the UK tomorrow.

We finally made it out of the village yesterday to Pontivy for the market and a bit of shopping - Tove has her first big-girl shoes and Daisy has some funky new bouncing boots courtesy of their granny and the 50% off sale, and I have new jeans and a swishy dress for salsa dancing. We didn't make it to the craft shop as we had to get back to Pont Augan - still, its something to look forward to on our next visit.

I have managed to get quite a lot done on the Fumitory Fairy and I've really enjoyed the time spent stitching. The background half-stitching, the fairy's arms, legs, face and hair are complete, and most of the green on the dress and the flowers are finished - the wings, the red details on the fairy and the flowers are left along with the backstitching. I think I'll be taking it on the train with me when I get back to work!

Right, now I need to go and rescue Granny from the kids....

Il est tres froid...

2010-01-05T15:54:00.002Z

Greetings here from sunny Brittany! And it is sunny, but very cold - Mme. Colombelle in the Maison de la Presse in Baud tells us we're going to have some snow on Thursday which will be exciting for Daisy. Yesterday we made the most of the freezing sunshine and headed for the beach at Port Louis, where Daisy tried to convince us to let her paddle! No chance....we're living on delicious spicy turkey soup and fresh bread from the wonderful boulangerie,

I am managing some stitching in the evenings when the girls have been persuaded into bed, which is lovely. I'm working on the Fumitory Fairy from DMC and in my usual backwards fashion I'm getting the half-stitched background out of the way so I can do the interesting bits afterwards.I really must decide what to do with these poor fairies at some point, I have 18 of them under the bed and it seems such a shame. Suggestions most welcome....

Due to a severe damp problem in the back bedroom at home my poor Rose Flower Fairy has had to be stripped from its frame and will have to be professionally cleaned, I think, so I have lots of fairy decisions to make. This was one of the first things I ever did and I know there are lots of mistakes in it, so maybe this is a sign that I should stitch it again....

Watch bracelet

2009-12-23T11:26:00.002Z

Been dying to make something with this charm since I found it on ebay a while ago! So here it is....silver heart charm with turquoise watch face, matt satin and glossy pearls in shades of aquamarine, airforce blue, seafoam and teal (6,8 and 10mm), tiny czech firepolish crystals and a toggle clasp. And you can use it to tell the time!

Nearly Christmas!

2009-12-22T13:37:00.008Z

And what an exciting week it's turning out to be...all this snow in the days leading up to the 25th get us all hopeful that it may actually be a properly white Christmas, although knowing British weather there will be a huge thaw and we'll wake up to stories of flooding once again. Daisy has loved seeing the snow although she's been unwell so hasn't been able to go out and play in it - her daddy is less impressed as it took him almost 5 hours to get home from London last night. Only an inch fell but it caused travel and traffic chaos across the area.

I've been a busy bird in the last couple of weeks, catching up with orders from the jewellery party in November (one necklace took a week to make) and and with last minute requests coming in from the website. I've run out of Ladybugs bracelets! I had a wonderful request to make 3 bracelets with black ladybirds for a lovely lady whose children's father had died recently, and at the funeral a black ladybird with red spots had landed on all 3 of her daughters and then flown away - I was really honoured to be asked to make something so special, and I really hope she likes them. They're pictured above. I've also made some variations on earlier designs for a teenager (blue squares, elsewhere in this post...).

Since getting everything into the last-post-before-Christmas I have managed to actually make some pieces for myself using the beads I had for my birthday back in June. Who knew it would take so long to get round to it??? The pictures are scattered through this post - my favourite at the moment is the turquoise and copper bib-style necklace made with beads from Bijoux Beads but I also love the blue lariat necklace made with beads and findings from Spoilt Rotten Beads. I still have some gorgeous margarita daisies and some pink glass beads left so will get round to them soon.

I have to admit I'm missing stitching though and will be taking a Flower Fairy off to France with me after Christmas so I can get a fix in while I'm away...it seems ages since I've done any (in fact, it may have been last time I was in France back in May) and I hope I haven't lost the knack....

We're almost ready for the big day - my presents are all wrapped up and ready for Santa to deliver on Christmas Day, the stollen is made and will hopefully last at least until Christmas, and the tree is decorated. I finally have icicle lights outside which make me feel festive every time I look at them, and we've visited Santa at the amazing Victorian Grotto at the Museum of London Docklands. It's only a stone's throw from Canary Wharf so if you're in the area do go and see the grotto, it's gorgeous and guaranteed to make even the Grinchiest Scrooge feel festive.

Time, time ticking away!

2009-12-11T09:37:00.005Z

It seems weeks since I've managed to post on here! Oh yes, it has been weeks...almost a month...but what a busy month!

The two markets I did - Festive Fair at Museum of London and the Christmas Market in Epping were really successful for me and for the lovely people I shared stalls with. Rhiannon at Mabinogion Crafts brought along her gorgeous chunky necklaces to the Museum of London, which were a great success. Their USP is that as they're made with rather lush ribbons and wooden beads it's almost impossible to be allergic to them, plus the purples and autumn hues are really on-trend. The lovely ladies from Victoria Rose Crafts and Lilly Roses Luxuries were my partners in crime in Epping and we all had a great day - Shivs brought along her newest make, 11 day old Lilly-Rose, and when breaking for feeds she made sure to bring back tea for the rest of us! After a horrendous week of rain and wind we were really relieved to see some sunshine, but it was pretty cold. You can see me all bundled up in this picture - along with my other half and daughters who'd stopped by to see us. The picture is shamelessly stolen from Rose as my camera failed to work on both days....

The slinky jewellery set sold as separate pieces (and I can get the rings again so will be making more), and I was really pleased that the Swarovski crystal tree earrings all sold, as well as my favourite Ladybugs bracelets. I'm now having a small sale over on my Facebook page and all orders will come free with a pair of Christmas Present earrings. I'm now racing to catch up with orders for Christmas as the website has been really busy.

In between all this craftiness, I did manage a day out in London with a gang of girlfriends - our annual Christmas knees-up, which was lovely. This year we went to see Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre - an amazing show! Check out a video here...

Party!

2009-11-15T11:10:00.003Z

Last Friday was my first jewellery party! Having been coerced into it by two friends (one of whom hosted it) I was quite worried in case no one liked my jewellery but as it turned out I sold several items and took orders for many more - which gave me a great excuse to spend lots of time internet shopping yesterday. It was great to see what people were interested in, too - the Slinky bracelet was snapped up almost immediately and it's a great shame I can't get the components any more as I could have sold several. I have made a set for the market stall though, so hopefully they'll be just as popular. The little worry beads were also popular and I've had to order some more beads for those too, and I'll also be making keyrings for a little boy.

I now feel much more confident about the upcoming Christmas Market (4 December in Epping) and the Festive Fair (3 December at the Museum of London)! Better get making...

In other news...I'm loving salsa dancing on Wednesday nights, and almost feel as if there may be life after children after all! I may hold the record for the most time spent in the beginner's class, but as long as it's fun then who cares?

Finally, a new addition to the webshop is the Baby Bag Charm, seen here...

All behind!

2009-11-04T18:04:00.004Z

Have you ever noticed that a weekend away is lovely but it seems to take forever to catch up on your routine? Here it is, Wednesday already, and I haven't done my weekend laundry or written a blog post...thank heavens for tesco.com or we'd all be starving as well.

It's all worth it though! My best friend and I spent a weekend away in a gorgeous hotel in Hellidon on the Northants/Warwickshire borders - we abandoned our children with their daddies and relaxed in the pool and the jacuzzi, ate great food and put the world to rights while wandering around lakes and Leamington. We could have done without the chest infection (me) and the stomach bug (her) but even being ill isn't so bad if you don't have to look after anyone else!

This week I've had a couple of Christmas orders in so have been working on those - the items I've come up with have a vaguely Victorian Gothic vibe to them which I quite like. These charm hoop necklaces are getting popular, so it was nice to make earrings to go with them for a change.

I've also just written the cheque for market trader's insurance, which makes it all feel terribly official. It's dawning on us all now that our stall is only a month away - will we ever have enough stock? Although Shivs at Lily Rose's Luxuries is probably thinking more about the impending birth of her baby, who is due to make an appearance any time now.

Batty? Possibly....

2009-10-25T16:28:00.007Z

I mentioned last week that I'd had the weirdest request for a charm bracelet ever (or so I thought at the time...) and as it's now been gifted I can post a pic. Bats, shamrocks and a leprechaun makes for a strange combination but does look quite cute!

Again, I've spent the week making gemstone bangles for the Christmas Market, and also managed some Slinky bracelets in purple and silver - shame I'm supposed to sell them really....I've also listed them in my Etsy shop and my Folksy shop, along with some handmade polymer clay Ladybug earrings.

In other news, I read back through this blog(I've been at it for a year now!) and realised that one of the first posts I made was about a completed WIP - my daughter Tove, who was one on Thursday. She's now walking (just), saying a couple of nearly-words and eating everything in sight - I can't believe how time has flown. Here she is....and her big sister Daisy too. The clocks went back last night (hurray for the MIL reminding us yesterday!) and it's getting dark already, winter really is setting in. I love autumn and winter though, a perfect excuse for big casseroles (steak and Guinness, mmm) and jacket potatoes!

So, to bring back memories of summer I'm going to spend the evening making Flower Garden sets! Pretty pink and purple lucite flowers, pale green leaves and toho seed beads, all strung on a chain and suspended from ribbon. I wear my own one quite often and it never fails to get compliments.

Next weekend I'm off to a hotel with my best friend for a child free couple of days - luxury! I'm counting the hours...

Charming!

2009-10-16T19:49:00.004+01:00

A record week in the life of Ladybird Beads, with orders coming in every day from people both known and unknown - I'm feeling hopeful that things are starting to take off and that one day I might be able to make a (small) living out of this...though I'm not holding my breath! I am now registered as self-employed in a very small way, so me and Mr Taxman (oo-ooh Mr Taxma-an....) are squared off, and I'm being ever so good about updating my records as well. Thank heavens for Microsoft Excel, or it wouldn't be so organised.

Anyway, back to the crafty stuff! It's mainly been charm bracelets this week, starting with a request for "a glam/retro one" for one of my sister's staff - the brief was pink, with shoes and handbags, and I think I pulled it off! She liked it, anyway (you can see it here....and the result was a second themed bracelet that I can't put up here yet (though it holds the current 'weirdest theme' record!), and an order from one of the other team members for a charm bracelet with rocking horses, horseshoes and pink beads.

There have also been requests for charm hoop necklaces and matching bracelets, a daisy chain necklace which is coming back for shortening (see, it's a full service here!), an amethyst gemstone chip bracelet, a Mother's Love bracelet and a necklace based on a bracelet/anklet I've made before. It's all go! I also found time for a kilt pin for myself, which I'd had on the list for a while.

Other news? Still going on the i-phone socks which are very relaxing on the Central Line, especially since my tube karma this week has been terrible. No stitching, but when I finish this sock I'll be getting on with my Flower Fairy for a while.

I finally talked my other half into taking me to Hobbycraft last week, and amazingly I only bought two circular needles and a useful tray - clearly taking a fractious 3 year old with me is the way to save money! She's had chicken pox and hasn't been sleeping so well, but fortunately we're past it. Now I'm just waiting for Tove to break out in spots in time for her first birthday next week.

Tonight, though, I've made a lasagne for me and my beloved, he's brought a bottle of wine, and we're going to relax for a change...unless the lure of the bead box gets too much!

What Kirsty did next!

2009-10-09T17:47:00.007+01:00

Well, here we are at the end of another week, and autumn seems to have landed with a vengeance! The lovely crispy sunshine has been replaced by miserable rain, and my fleecy penguin pyjamas have been dragged out of the wardrobe once again. The good side of this, of course, is that its boot season once again - I love pretty flipflops and sandals but you can't beat a good boot. So far I've resurrected my beloved pirate OTKs and the black biker boots from last year, and I'm looking forward to the arrival of some new ones.

Today has been my weekly day off (I love this part-time stuff...) and while I started the day with good intentions about doing some beading/knitting/stitching I just went and had my hair cut instead: a bit of pampering does cheer you up!

I haven't been lazy all week though, I've been making gemstone bangles in tourmaline and amethyst, and have started one in jade...

...as well as making a replacement dangle for a kilt pin, finishing the autumn necklace for a friend's mum, and a mother's bracelet for my own mum's next door neighbour in France.

I also held a giveaway on my Facebook page a couple of weeks ago and have posted off a Sugar & Spice set to a little girl called Madeleine in South London. Keep an eye out for the next one by becoming a fan...

When I put it like that it looks like I've done lots this week!

Finally, I'm really excited about the bags that Rose over at Victoria Rose Crafts made for me this week! Go over and see her at her blog, she makes some gorgeous stuff. You'll find her at the Epping Craft Collective stall at the Christmas Market on 4 December, along with me and Lily Roses's Luxuries - stop by and see us if you're in the area!

Still wearing the Harvest bracelet!

2009-09-29T19:14:00.002+01:00

Which was the only bright spot in a really, really rubbish day today - everything that could go wrong did go wrong and nothing that I had planned to do got done. I did get to see the Isle of Dogs from the 34th floor of the Citi building as well as the trading floor (where there was a man with braces!) though.

Forgot to mention yesterday that I met Rose from Victoria Rose Crafts on Saturday with her gorgeous daughter Rianna - Rose is making some pretty bags for me, and we met up to swap materials. Daisy and Rianna had a lovely time with wooden spoons. Drop in on her blog and check out her makes, they're amazing.

Tourmaline and carnelian chips arrived today in the post so I think I'll make some bangles up!

Autumn inspiration

2009-09-28T18:14:00.003+01:00

Last night I finished a 'Harvest' bracelet which had been germinating on the beadmat for a few weeks as various bits arrived from Hong Kong and the US (hurray for Etsy suppliers) and I'm so pleased with the way its turned out. The idea for it came from some berry beads that I saw on Ebay and some lucite leaves that were already in my stash. The berries and leaves made me think of hedgerows, and when I found some gorgeous green glass apples and copper acorns on Etsy the whole thing came together. It's the most expensive piece I've ever made but I LOVE it. A lot. The finished piece is almost like a garland, and it feels great on - and it makes a lovely noise!

I built my outfit around it today and several people commented so it was worth it....what do you think? The second picture is a colour mix for an autumn necklace for a friend's mother, and the final one shows the mix on a chain with carnelian chips, which will eventually be strung on ribbon with fieldmice charms and gold findings.

Busy busy!

2009-09-15T08:10:00.003+01:00

Christmas is suddenly sneaking up on me with the prospect of sharing a stall at the Epping Christmas market with LilyRosesLuxuries and Victoria Rose Papercraft, so I'm starting to make things in larger quantities than normal...it doesn't seem too far away now, which in one way is exciting. I've also been asked to do a Christmas shopping event in South London by someone who has seen me on Facebook, so hopefully this Christmas will be a good one.

Not getting much stitching done, but I have managed to finish an iphone sock on the tube in hot pink/orange/purple sock yarn, and here are a few of this week's makes. The Allsorts necklace is a one-off, but the Glacier clusters are for the stall, as are the earrings.

I'm also planning on making a few party necklaces and some gemstone chip bracelets in amethyst and candy jade, some phone charms and more earrings...there just isn't enough time in the day!

In Memory...

2009-09-11T09:15:00.003+01:00

...I heard yesterday that an old teacher, mentor and friend had died after a fall. Although he had been suffering from Parkinsons Disease for several years and no longer knew what was around him, it's still a sad day and I feel like someone has turned a light out in the world. From Facebook conversations with people who knew him, there are going to be hundreds of us who feel the same way - he made going to school fun and he will live on in the hearts of all of us who were in his classes at Raglan Junior School.

I'll remember the ghost stories, singing 'Green and Yellow', the laughter and the inspirational teaching, the family holidays, the experimental winemaking (much later, of course!), the goldfish, the help and support he gave me over my PGCE course and the faith he had in me, the terrible jokes and the enthusiasm he always showed in the classroom. He was an amazing man and I miss him, my prayers are with his family. Rest in Peace, Mr D. Your grandchildren, children and wife have lost someone irreplaceable....as have we all.

The sooner we find a cure for this terrible disease the better - too many people are needlessly suffering.

Christmas @ Ladybird Beads

2009-09-11T08:35:00.004+01:00

The nights are drawing in and someone told me how many days it was until Christmas (I blanked it out....) so I thought I'd start creating pretty stocking fillers and Secret Santa gifts to sell. I've been making bracelets but matching necklaces/earrings can be made on request! I've also been having fun with Fimo, making beads to turn into phone charms and earrings to give away as freebies for customers. My eyes have now been opened to the wonders of polymer clay, and I have some glitter effect red & white to play with next. Watch this space...Daisy also likes what she calls 'Mummy's playdough' and made her own ladybird and worm (which started life as a bug...)

The bracelets below were inspired by tree decorations and the way they reflect the Christmas lights and what tree would be complete without an angel?

Daisy started nursery last week, she's getting so grown up! I had expected her to bring home the usual pictures and junk models but so far all she's given me is a cold....ballet starts again this weekend and I know she's looking forward to wearing her tutu and being a 'princess' again. I love watching her dance, and she gets so excited that every so often she runs over and gives me a random kiss!

Hurray! I finished it...

2009-09-01T21:07:00.004+01:00

Finally finished and packed off with my sister to hand over to my mum and dad this week...believe it or not there is a beautifully stitched Celtic ribbonwork border all round the outside of this....which I somehow managed to offset by an inch and a half so it had to be hidden. I didn't notice till I got to the framers, but fortunately he didn't laugh too much while I was in the shop! Never done that before.

I've also had almost 500 visitors to my website which is very exciting! Just started listing Christmas items like these cute Swarovski crystal tree earrings and glass gift box earrings. A free handmade gift will be sent to anyone ordering from the Christmas page at http://www.ladybirdbeads.co.uk/ChristmasatLadybirdBeads.html so please come see me!

First website order!

2009-08-11T16:11:00.003+01:00

I'm quite excited this week as I've had my first order through ladybirdbeads.co.uk - a pretty pastel anklet and a Mother's Love bracelet that I sent winging off to France this morning. True to form, I was sooooo excited that I forgot to take pictures of them before I sent them off, though there are examples of both in previous posts...I have taken pictures of the gemstone charm bracelets I've been making though, so here they are. The pink one is candy jade with lots of different heart charms, and the purple one is amethyst. I'm currently working on an onyx version and will post pics of that when it's done.

I've also just joined flickr and have been looking at these amazing photochrom images of Wales from the late nineteenth century - I love seeing how places change over the years and some of these images take me right back to holidays at the seaside, as well as to my uni days in Aberystwyth. See them and more here http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3751657243/

The beads have taken over the wooooooorrrrldddd!

2009-08-07T10:40:00.002+01:00

My poor stitching is suffering as I've been kept really busy since coming back from holiday with jewellery orders! I make a solemn promise to it here and now that as soon as this batch is out of the way I'll spend some time on it and take it to the framers so that it's ready in time for my parents' Ruby Wedding in September.

It's not all beads though, I have been knitting iphone socks for friends recently on the tube, which is a great excuse to buy all the gorgeous sock yarn there is these days!

Progress report

2009-07-26T09:06:00.001+01:00

After a week away with no beads I've managed to complete half the Ruby Sampler border...the end is in sight!

New website...

2009-07-17T06:41:00.003+01:00

...launched last night. After many things disappeared into the ether and much swearing on my part, http://www.ladybirdbeads.co.uk popped into cyberspace. It's shiny!

All kinds of everything!

2009-07-12T08:22:00.002+01:00

Now that I'm back in work I have the joy of the hour-long commute on the Central Line three days a week and the only way to do this and stay sane is to have something to do (stuck in a tunnel? Excellent, I can finish this colour/row/square). I've even occasionally missed my stop and had to double back...so this week I've been knitting i-pod/i-phone socks for various friends and hopefully (eventually) for sale. I'm trying to work out a way to add beads...

The jewellery sales are also coming along well so my evenings have been taken up with that, but I really REALLY need to get on with my Ruby Wedding sampler since it needs to be finished and framed by September. I think I'll take it on holiday with me and leave the beads at home.

Yesterday I spent an amazing half-day at Spoilt Rotten Beads in Haddenham, Cambs (link halfway down the right of this page) on one of their beaded jewellery courses. Kelly, the tutor, was patient and helpful and even made wire-wrapped loops easy. The course was held in their gorgeous shop which sells exquisite handmade jewellery as well as beads and findings, so there was plenty of opportunity to shop...and oh, how I shopped. I had to stop on the way home and buy a new storage box...beautiful ladybirds, acid-etched beads, Indian glass beads, semi-precious stones and shells, unusual spacers and findings...I can't recommend them enough.

I suppose I need to think about Christmas cards too...there are just not enough hours in the day...oh to win the Lottery so I can give up work and spend all day at the craft box!

Twitter

2009-07-06T14:52:00.003+01:00

I've just succumbed to the lure of Twitter...the link to my tweeting (twittering?) is on the right hand side of this page if anyone fancies following me! While you're there, have a look at the rather fabulous beading link I've added as well - Spoilt Rotten Beads. The stuff in their shop is totally hoardable and I am SO looking forward to my beaded jewellery making course there this coming weekend. And to spending my birthday money in the shop afterwards (rubs hands together in glee).

I've also been busy making anklets and bracelets recently - here's a couple of my favourites. They're all for sale in my brand new shiny Folksy shop or via Facebook.

I got an award!

2009-06-30T16:09:00.003+01:00

Many thanks to Emma at Fairyqueen's Jewels for nominating me for this award!!

I must pass this award on as the rules say - comment on this blog; cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog; nominate 5 to 10 blogs you feel show great attitude and gratitude; link to your nominees within your blog post; comment on their blogs to let them know they received the award; link back to the person who gave you the award to show your appreciation.

I nominate....

http://fairyqueensjewels.blogspot.com/

http://fallenangeljewellerydesigns.blogspot.com/

http://cushie66.blogspot.com/

http://olivercharlespearson.blogspot.com/

http://crazystitching.blogspot.com/

Ladybird Beads Facebook Giveaway

2009-06-25T16:56:00.002+01:00

It's my birthday tomorrow so I thought I'd break with tradition and give someone else a present...so, at some point tomorrow morning (Friday 26 June) one of my FB fans will win a lovely sparkly present! If you're not a fan already click the link on the right hand side of this page, and if you are a fan spread the word and good luck!

Happy Birthday to me...etc.

Inspiration...

2009-06-22T20:33:00.003+01:00

...often comes from the strangest place. This weekend I spent a day with my sister who wanted to be Wonderwoman from a very early age (I think she is already, of course, certainly she's Wonderauntie). A conversation with her led me to a search for particular beads on ebay which I'll be turning into cuffs when they arrive. Everyone has days when they need a bit of wonder!

I'm currently looking forward to my birthday present from my other half, who has bought me a jewellery making course at Spoilt Rotten Beads. Check them out here, they have some gorgeous things http://www.spoiltrottenbeads.co.uk/

The Ruby Wedding sampler is coming along well - the lettering is done and I'm now working the ribbonwork border. I've also found some carved wooden lovespoon charms at Polstitches Designs which I hope I'll be able to work in somewhere. They can be bought here http://www.polstitchesdesigns.co.uk/lovespoons.htm along with beautiful hand-dyed fabrics and threads.

Some new finishes to show as well! The Ladybug bracelet has been popular, I keep trying to make one for myself but then end up selling them. I've made two of the Rainbow Fluorite cuffs as well - I love using memory wire as the finished bangles look so effective. By far the most popular piece, though, has been the Mother's Love bracelets - I think I've made about 8 so far and I keep running out of the letter I so I might need to start buying in bulk! The final two pictures are the She Sells Sea Shells bracelet, made of Tibetan silver and dyed pink shell coins, and a Raspberries and Cream set made with matt glass beads that I fell in love with.

Day 2 and a new bracelet

2009-06-17T09:41:00.003+01:00

The garnet bracelet has taken a couple of days to complete - 120+ garnet chips, all sorts of star charms and beads, and one small ladybird. Very heavy but seriously luxe, I love making these gemstone bracelets as they feel so good on your wrist!

On the sampler, I completed the lettering on the top (after frogging the green) and made a start on my parents' names at the bottom. I admit I'm doing the easy bits first as the Celtic ribbonwork border will take a while...

New start!

2009-06-16T16:38:00.003+01:00

I've finally started the Ruby Wedding sampler for my parents - have stashed Maggie in a box with a promise to come back to her soon. The design is a really simple one, based on the ring cushion I did for my sister's wedding a couple of years ago. I'm working it on 28 count evenweave in shades of red - using DMC's variegated cotton (shade 115) for the main part of it and then picking out two of the shades for the border. The love spoons are based on a pattern from a mag years and years ago and I'm just using the outline rather than stitching the insides.

As you can see, I've started the lettering in the top in green (DMC 520 for those who want to know) and about 3 o clock this morning I decided it was wrong and that I'd unpick it and use 115 all the way through. We'll see how it turns out. The anniversary is in early September so I'd better stop playing with beads for a while (though I did sell another two bracelets today, as well as making my first Etsy sale last Friday) and get on with some stitching!

Exciting week!

2009-06-12T13:41:00.001+01:00

I'm really pleased that Ladybird Beads has got off to such a great start - I made my first sale on Etsy this morning and have also had great success with the Facebook page. By far the most successful items have been the charm bracelets and the Mother's Love bracelets; I've had four orders for these already and feedback has been really positive. #

I also won two tickets this morning for the Hyde Park Calling concert just after my birthday! I never win anything so this is really exciting for me - plus it's Bruce Springsteen, who is my idol. Thanks to Absolute Radio for those...

Ladybird Beads is open for business!

2009-06-06T08:54:00.005+01:00

I've decided to be brave and start selling the jewellery that's been featured on this page recently! Firstly to make more space and secondly so that I can justify spending stacks of money on sparkly beads....currently I'm only set up on Facebook but I hope to start on Etsy and/or Ebay in the near future. If you're on Facebook please check out the Ladybird Beads page, and if you're not but would like to buy sparkly things then please message me via this site!

A stitchy finish...and more!

2009-06-04T08:42:00.003+01:00

Have found a little bit of the stitchy bug in the last week or so and managed to make a card for a friend's 40th birthday. It's a Margaret Sherry design from one of the mags and I think it's come out OK! I started it in France last week - I did take poor Maggie with me but was struck down by tonsillitis the day I arrived and couldn't face all the cording, so she is STILL unfinished.

I've also been playing with the beads again and recreated the mother's bracelet from the last post as I wasn't happy with it - and then I was so happy with it I made one with my babies' names on as well. The final pic is an anklet called 'Summertime Blues', 4 strands of seed beads and irregular shell beads plaited together with an extender chain, finished with a heart-shaped shell charm.

Shiny things!

2009-05-15T08:08:00.005+01:00

More jewellery finishes - poor Maggie is still unfinished, I think I'll take her to France with me next week where there will be no other crafty distractions!

Below is an asymmetric necklace, worry beads (or golf counters), a 'Big Sister' bracelet for my neighbour's daughter, and the mother's bracelet for when the new baby eventually arrives, a bracelet with miracle beads and large lucite flowers, a heavy charm necklace that was originally going to be a bracelet, a matched set with lucite flowers and leaves, Toho seed bead stalks and Czech glass stalks, a Bollywood Bracelet (I don't know why, that was just what sprang to mind when it was finished. It's made with some sparkly beads that I had in a mix, if anyone can tell me what they are I'd be really pleased), and lastly a foiled blue glass bracelet and earrings.

Slowly but surely!

2009-05-08T10:07:00.003+01:00

Finally braved the cording on Maggie last night (I've been too terrified of ruining the whole thing to try it!) and it isn't so bad - but it is slow going. Now I've started it might get quicker, but I'm so looking forward to finishing this! It's been on the frame since March 2006, and since then I've had two babies, finished all sorts of other things and taken up at least two new crafts.

On the other craft front - have been playing with charms and beads to make bracelets, and also finished an ambitious asymmetrical three-stranded necklace - photos to follow!

Updates and new finishes

2009-04-27T11:04:00.003+01:00

Finally finished the backstitching and French knots on Maggie the Messmaker last night, and am now left with 'only' a daunting amount of cording to go. I've never done cording before and it looks fiddly, as you have to lay the cord (after making it) on the picture and then tack it down in swirls and squiggles. I'll start with the smaller areas first and work up to the big bits! Here she is in all her backstitched glory...I really like the lacy detail on the tablecloth. The cording will show the detail on the sewing machine, scissors and tablecloth, and will also form trails of yarn from the sewing box in the top right hand corner.

I've also been at the bead box again, which is growing ever larger in the corner - there are so many gorgeous ones out there, and so many lovely books for inspiration....below is a necklace and bracelet set with pink freshwater pearls, a lampwork focal bead and seed beads for a friend; a bracelet made from lampwork rose pillow beads inspired by a picture in a magazine; a more deliacte bracelet with tanzanite/pink bluebells and glass leaves from the current Beads & Beyond magazine; chunky charm bracelet with red crackle glass rounds, Tibetan silver leaves and flower charms and a Czech glass ladybird; and a turquoise ribbon & thong necklace with dangle made from a lampwork tube bead, a random round and some glass cube seeds.

Getting organised!

2009-04-14T12:12:00.002+01:00

No more progress on Maggie but I have taken advantage of the long weekend to have a really good sort out of my stash of magazines and charts that I've been saving. I Freecycled* a HUGE pile of magazines and have been scanning all my loose charts into the computer, which has got rid of 5 huge files. The plan now is to scan anything I may want to do from future magazines as soon as I get them...let's see how long that lasts!

One plus of all this activity is that I've been really harsh with my stash of charts - scanning page by page is quite time consuming so I've forced myself to be realistic about what I'll actually do. I still have 6Gb of files though...

* anyone else having a clearout of stash may like to do the same! All crafty stuff seems to go within minutes, and mine was collected within the hour. Lots of charities also keep an eye on the Freecycle network so you could donate your unwanted stash to a worthy cause. See http://uk.freecycle.org/ for details of groups in your area.

Progress report!

2009-04-07T08:28:00.001+01:00

In the last couple of weeks I've managed to get down to some work on Maggie at last. I've almost finished the basic black backstitching, then there are some details to add in three or four different colours, and then finally the cording which I've never done before. It can't be that difficult, surely! I'm looking forward to posting completed pics, as the end is surely in sight now...

I've also completed the design for my parent's Ruby Wedding sampler, and I'm being stern with myself - I can't start it till I've finished Maggie. I'm also working on the Fumitory Fairy from DMC, as my 'portable' project.

I have so many projects on the go, I really ought to organise myself....but then it wouldn't be so much fun!

Mother's Day gift

2009-03-08T14:00:00.003Z

This pin is themed specifically for my mum! The charms are a Welsh dragon, a Welsh lovespooon, a Green Man, a daisy (my daughter), and Celtic knots. The red stones are garnets as she was born in January, and then I added some glass beads to chunk it out a bit. I did try and fit in a sheep and a Snorkmaiden (for my other daughter, named after the author of the Moomin stories) but that seemed a bit OTT. The ladybird spacers (in between the garnets on the right hand side) mean me....in case she forgets who made it! Next up is one for me, with lots of different ladybirds.

Crafty afternoon!

2009-03-03T19:09:00.003Z

My lovely other half took Daisy off to his mum's this afternoon and it's amazing how much you can get done without the 'assistance' of a toddler! As well as the ironing I made bara brith - fruit teabread - and microwave fudge, finished the penguin bag and experimented with a kilt pin brooch kit I bought on ebay a couple of months ago. I didn't take a photo of the fudge but here's everything else...

Useful websites

2009-03-02T18:07:00.003Z

I was having a trawl through cyberspace today in search of design paper and discovered two amazing sites where different grids can be downloaded for free, along with some other useful stitchy tools:

http://stitchpoint.com/eng/tool/grid/_intro_graphpaper.php - under the tools link at the bottom of the page you can also find a fabric calculator and quite the best alphabet generator I've come across.

http://www.cyberstitchers.com/StitchingTools/GridPaper/index.asp?processForm=0 - not only can you download different grids, but you can also upload your own image behind the 'paper' so you can see how it looks. How clever is that???

This week - as well as thinking about sampler design - I'm playing with kilt pins and beads. Will post pic of whatever I come up with. Ribbon scarf is 30cm long so far, and the weather today was positively springlike. Still, winter always comes round again...

No stitching today but...

2009-02-23T17:59:00.002Z

...I have spent the afternoon making gingerbread teddies and date and banana loaf with my daughter. She has decorated the teddies with jelly tots and smarties, stuck on with lemon glace icing. Both recipes were from Cooking With Daisy, by Josie Klafkowska - a fab book written in memory of her little girl who died suddenly, so not only do you get great food, you raise money for charity too. Buy it here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Daisy-Josie-Klafkowska/dp/1847241603/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235412107&sr=1-1!

Have also started a new wrap in Louisa Harding Kimono Ribbon, a really nice pink/purple/black colourway - I'm making it wide and long so that I can have it as a scarf or a wrap, even if I don't manage to finish it till next winter....

Good finishing week

2009-02-16T21:21:00.004Z

Managed to start and finish 3 baby pics in the last week, so am feeling all pinked out! One is for my new niece, and the others are to add to my mum's Rogues Gallery. Framed them myself today and am quite pleased with the way they've come out. Pics below! The larger sampler is on evenweave and the smaller ones on 14-count aida, and the difference between the shoe pictures is amazing. I've never done the same chart on different fabrics before so it was quite revealing.

My clever sister pointed out today that it's our parents' Ruby Wedding this year - not till September but at least I have plenty of time to work something out. I've found a Historical Sampler Co. kit I like (have done similar ones twice already) and also an Anchor one, but I may design something Welsh for them instead. Will see how inspiration strikes!

Guard This Keep - finished!

2009-02-09T12:42:00.003Z

Am really pleased with the way this has turned out as - I may have mentioned this - I hate rayon & metallic threads and most of this design was made up of them. I may have to re-think my attitude towards them! The pic doesn't really do it justice as it's all shiny and sparkly. Hopefully my mum will love it, I'll be sending it out to her next week. Ynys Haf, the name of their house, means 'Island of Summer' and as far as I know it's a sort of Welsh Avalon.

Before getting back to poor neglected Maggie, I've started on some mini birth records for mum as well as she likes to keep track of her grandchildren. I've chosen the baby shoes design for Tove (meant for a Christening) from a back issue of Cross Stitcher, and also the baby feet design from another of the mags for Catrin, my niece. I'm doing the shoes one for Catrin's mum as well. Will add pics when complete!

Guard this Keep update

2009-01-28T19:59:00.002Z

Two weeks into 'Guard this Keep' and I've finished the border, the castle and trees and the lettering at the top - very pleased with myself as the border and lettering is all in Kreinik braid and rayon threads. Just got to do the dragon and the name of my parents' house (all charted and ready to go - Craft Creations do brilliant graph paper in different counts for designing) so hopefully I'll get it all finished in time to send it to France very soon.

Think I might have to put Maggie off again while I do a birth sampler - I'm going to be an aunty next week for the first time, very exciting. I hate when people don't know what they're having, it means I can't get a head start...

Greetings fom Brittany!

2009-01-14T10:04:00.000Z

Writing from my parents' house in France - it's much warmer here than in the UK, although there was snow on the drive down from Calais on Monday. The lagoon next to the canal across the road is frozen and looks like frosted green glass - on a walk yesterday we saw hundreds of gulls floating on the river and being spooked by a buzzard which then wheeled off into the sky, coots chasing each other in the fields and cormorants perched in an old tree. My OH has been taking pictures so I'll post some when we get back to the UK.

I am managing to get some stitching done too, while Granny cuddles Tove and Daisy plays with all the 'holiday' toys! I started 'Guard this Keep' (Dragon Dreams chart) yesterday - requested by my mum to go in her hallway. It's on lurex-flecked aida and uses 4 or 5 different rayon threads which are too slippery for me. I stocked up on that miracle product Thread Heaven - that helps a bit, and I read somewhere that dampening the threads before use also helps. Any more tips would be appreciated. The design calls for Kreinik braids as well as the rayon so this could take a while!

Last week I made some progress on Maggie's BS - will post pics of everything soon....

Phone sock

2009-01-07T11:50:00.002Z

This is the phone sock, version one - it seems a bit big so I might re-do it on smaller needles and tighten the top. The sheep button is from the same shop as the penguin one below. Would like to point out that the colours aren't quite this garish in real life, but our camera is a bit funny with reds and pinks.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T15:45:00.002Z

Haven't made any resolutions but if I had...it would be to finish my WIPs. Instead I've spent Christmas knitting a scarf for my mum's birthday (another UFO) and yesterday I started knitting a mobile phone case for my new phone as I can't find a silicone one for it. I adapted a pattern for an ipod case that I've done a couple of times already and am using a Lorna's Laces sock yarn in 'Iris Garden', a pretty pink self-patterned yarn that's coming up lovely. Will add photos when I'm done.

Some lovely people added to my stash with presents at Xmas - a wolf and a Lickle Ted as well as a small DMC kit with the new scented threads - and an even lovelier person gave me a superstitcher.com voucher which I'd managed to spend by Boxing Day on a Bothy Threads kit and a penguin & chicks kit. Will I ever find time to do them all? No.... Do I care? No.....

The road to hell...

2008-12-18T12:56:00.002Z

...is paved with good intentions. Haven't managed to pick up a needle in a week, let alone iron back the penguin or make the bag charm. Will try again when the latest baby growth spurt is over!

Pick up a penguin...

2008-12-12T09:33:00.003Z

Finished the penguin bag last night! There were four stitched penguins in the corners but after stitching the top right-hand one two squares too far over I decided I didn't like him anyway and replaced him with a button I found in my stash. Just need to iron vilene onto the back and then he's usable.

I'm also going to add a bag charm - which involved rediscovering eBay and all the wonderful things there are out there! I probably didn't need 25 silver penguin charms, and I definitely didn't need the ladybird beads, the daisy beads and the mobile dangles but I'm sure they'll come in useful....honest.

Started another Margaret Sherry free kit last night as well - a cat in a hammock - but now that Tove is sleeping for longer I'm going to try and get Maggie finished.

Penguin bag

2008-12-05T12:59:00.002Z

Have almost completed the baby penguin at the centre of the bag's aida panel, and having decided that I need some kind of border I'm thinking about what. The options are - plain stitching, small penguins in the corners or something else, maybe a 'wave' effect or fish or something watery. I'd hate to do the border and then decide it looks wrong so am thinking carefully...

Inquisitive Kitten

2008-11-27T20:48:00.005Z

This freebie from Cross Stitcher has been in the stash for about 2 years I think - one of the few cover kits I've kept rather than passing on via the forum or to friends. Quite fiddly to do as the fabric was too small for a hoop and I'm too lazy to tack it onto another piece of fabric :-). Not sure what I'll do with it yet as I'm not doing cards this year. Head start on 2009 maybe!

Have started the large bag today - decided on a cute baby penguin from the David & Charles Polar Bears and Penguins book. Will need to add a border, maybe snowflakes or something like that.

Latest finish - Love Bug

2008-11-26T11:08:00.003Z

Completed the Love Bug bag and backed the stitching with interfacing so anything in it doesn't catch on the stitching. Haven't started the bigger bag as I'm waiting for inspiration for a design (perhaps a knitting motif for my mum or a cat for the MIL? Or a penguin for me :-) ) so I've been occupying what time I can find with cover kits. Currently working on a Margaret Sherry one from Cross Stitcher a couple of years ago called Inquisitive Kitten, of a ginger kitten hanging on a wreath.

Love Bug update

2008-11-16T14:11:00.001Z

Haven't got much done in the last week as Tove has been putting on a growth spurt - every time I picked up my stitching she demanded food! I have managed to finish the stitching on the Love Bug bag, only the back stitch to go. Trying to decide whether to do the same design on the bigger bag or whether to look for something else that will fit the larger panel better.

Been shopping

2008-11-06T20:50:00.002Z

Hit the stash sites this week and treated myself to the 'Love Bug' ready-to-stitch bag from Wimble Bees and the Humphrey's Corner 'Angel Sampler' from sewandso. as well as some fraycheck and an emery for my needles (what a great thing!). Everything arrived today so I've made a start on the bag instead of a free kit.

I think the bag may get appropriated by my elder daughter so I may have to get the big version as well....any excuse :-)

Cul-Purr-It - finished!

2008-11-06T12:06:00.005Z

Finished Cul-Purr-It last night, BS took most of the day. Here's the completed pic and a close-up of the face.

Think I'll do a couple of little cover kits as 'portable' projects next, easily pick-up-and-put-downable. I give most of these away ot various people as I know I'll never do them, but I do keep the Margaret Sherry ones and some Christmassy ones.

Back!

2008-11-03T11:34:00.003Z

Finally managed to pick up my stitching after 12 days - nothing ambitious like the BS on Maggie, just finishing the 'ground' on Cul-Purr-It and starting the white infill on the cat, but I have missed it! Think Maggie will be on hold again until we settle back into a routine - my plan to finish her before the baby came went out of the window when she arrived 5 days early.

Someone wise once said that man makes plans so God can laugh....