Sunday Afternoons

Every now and then I get to have a crafty Sunday afternoon and if I am lucky I might even have company, this Sunday was one of those Sundays. DD is a Brownie (which she loves) and we were emailed last week about the Braiswick Handicraft Show, which we are encouraged to encourage our DD's to take part in. We have been sent a list of crafts that they can attempt. Now I am being honest here, by saying that if I got to enter I think I would have an entry for everything, but DD is a little more reserved so she picked out two. Posy of three paper flowers and a necklace of handmade beads. After a trip The Range for supplies, we sat down together. DD chose to do the necklace first, we had talked through a couple of options, like paper beads, but DD chose Fimo (good choice). She picked her colours red, white & blue to go with the theme of the jubilee and got to work.

First she rolled out the Fimo.

Then she measured, marked & cut to get the beads roughly the same size.

She rolled to get the bead shape.

Then she skewered them, this puts the hole through the middle & also helps them in the oven. Mummy puts them in the oven for required time.

Once cooled, DD then threads them on some elastic in her chosen pattern.

Hey presto! We have a finished necklace, ready for the handicraft show. Next task the posy of paper flowers.

What was I doing I hear you ask, well I was making this very yummy Rhubarb Bakewell Tart, recipe courtesy of The Caked Crusader. I have never used rhubarb before in a recipe, but I will definitely be making this again, it is very yummy. So there we have it my crafty sunday afternoon, very productive I think.

Can you see the potential?

Over the last couple of months I have been dabbling with crochet. I am finding it much easier than knitting & it is much easier to play around with as well as very easy to undo if you go wrong. I have completed a couple of hats for DD & her dollies & also made a flower brooch for her new denim jacket.

As yet I have not managed to complete a take out coffee cozy, which is what I am really wanting for me, I just can't seem to get the shape right. I have lots of odd flowers & granny squares but nothing to actually put together.

So I am challenging myself to make myself a crochet bag & finish it. A lot to ask I know, but a challenge is a challenge. I have fallen in love with the variegated wools that you can buy, you know the stuff that changes colour. So I have treated myself to a couple of balls & I have started with some circles.
I love the colours, they are very girly. Can you see the potential? This was last nights effort, so if I can average four circles a night, I might actually have a bag by next month. We shall see, wish me luck.

Squeezing in a crop

Last weekend was a busy one for me, Saturday was crop day and then on Sunday we made the trip to Stratford Upon Avon for a family wedding. We had planned to go to Stratford on the Saturday and make the most of the long weekend, but the weather has been so awful that we decided against it, which was good for me as it meant that I got to go to the Eclectic Keepsakes Crop. It has been ages since I last went and it was so good to catch up with the ladies there.

I usually plan some layouts out in advance but I didn't do that this time, so I wasn't as productive as I could have been, I also spend a lot of time chatting. I love catching up with the ladies and I will admit to having some favourites. I also love looking at other people's stash, a lovely lady called Eileen has an amazing stash, I actually think that she could name any piece of paper you put in front of her. She also make gorgeous layouts. She has given me some washi tape to use on a layout, she is convinced that I will love it. I need some convincing but I plan to have a go.

This is my first layout that I managed to complete. I took the photo of DD on the morning of her birthday,  hence the big smiley face.

Here's a close up of the tape measure running a long the bottom of the photo, I stamped round the eight and then added some bling. Makes a change to a stamped number, I am really liking all the tape measures that are around at the moment.

The class this month was by Ann Freeman, I usually love Ann's layouts at first sight, but this time I was a little troubled by what I saw. There were paint and ink splatters and also large painted letters, all of which is totally out of my comfort zone! Ann as always was cheerful and VERY patient. I did brave the splatters but didn't push the boat out & paint the title. As I am sure I have mentioned before I am what I call an anal scrapper, I do straight lines and don't tend to use loads of embellishments. I guess we all have our own styles. I do like my finished layout, so much that I have attempted more ink splatters.

Unfortunately my ink splatters are not as subtle as Ann's, but I am liking how it takes some of the whiteness away from the background, it is not so stark.

I managed to take some photos at the wedding and I plan to take some more at the wedding party this weekend, so hopefully you will see them on some layouts soon. Who knows there might even be some washi tape and ink splatters.