Lessons Learned!

A pile of grannies!

My stitching group put a call out for unwanted crafting materials so we could make things to raise money for local causes. These granny squares above are the start of something I'm making with some of the donated yarn. I think I've made a final decision, and it's going to be a cushion.

Felt creations

These cute little cosies were made by son's girlfriend, Grace, at college, where they were also selling their crafts for charity. Being a beginner at sewing, these 2 were rejected from the stall so she put a couple of ££s in the pot and brought them home for me! I think they're very sweet, and not bad for a beginner; I've seen a lot worse for sale on craft stalls! Grace made me laugh when she told me how she and a fellow beginner kept pulling the thread completely off the needle when they were sewing, and how her friend didn't realise and kept on sewing - with no thread. I remember doing the same when I started sewing and it made me think about why I don't still do it. So, the next time I sewed I concentrated on what I was doing, and realised that I automatically held the thread between my 2 middle fingers as soon as it popped through the fabric. It made me realise how much detail I'd have to go into if I decided to teach workshops, especially if there are complete beginners present.

Some supplies I picked up at a flea market when OH and I went out for the day for my birthday.

The subject of how we learnt to knit came up at the stitching group the other week. Some said they learnt in school, with a rhyme about a rabbit and a hole that I'd never heard before. I remember sewing in school, but not knitting (my great aunt Kate taught me). As the conversation moved on to other skills learnt at school, it was clear there was quite a difference between us, with members coming from different corners of the country. One had been instructed in how to lay a fire and use a twin-tub, which surprised the rest of us!!

We held a wedding party last week for people who didn't/couldn't come to Florida for the wedding itself. The groom's mother did the food while I made the cakes. I made a big cake to display the cake topper from Disney World, and cup cakes for the guests. This is my solution to the dilemma of how to transport 70 cup cakes in a car for a 30min journey. The big cake and 3 'boxes' of cupcakes went in the boot (trunk) while the three of us in the car each held a tray with 2 boxes. Maybe I was being ultra careful, but I learnt my lesson when transporting only a quarter of this number to the Hen Party, without boxes.

Bye for now
Teresa x

P.S. My camera seems to make purple look blue. The blue in the granny squares and the felt cosies is actually a lovely deep purple.

Win, Win, Work!

Goodness, it's taken me ages to get back here and post - it was much easier when I could put a quick something together in my lunchtime at work.

 I'd love to show you some photos from our performances of Anything Goes but I'm afraid cameras weren't allowed at the show, and I couldn't bring any costumes home to photograph because they were all hired! However, I can say that the run went really well, I enjoyed doing it (although, for some strange reason, not quite as much as last year), and we had a really good review in the local paper. We have one more performance of the title number, tonight at the Mayor's Show, and then we move on to the next project.

Above is my stall at the craft fair I mentioned last time.  Within the first 5 minutes of the doors opening I sold my first item!  It was a small pink baby quilt and more than covered my costs for the day.  Which was good because I didn't sell anything else after that!  Advice for selling at craft fairs often mentions having a 'story' behind a product to make it more interesting and meaningful - I found the opposite (where the customer has a story for buying the item) is also rewarding.  The granddaughter of the lady who bought the quilt was having a baby girl soon and the baby was going to be the first girl born into their family in nearly 50 years.  I felt quite honoured that they chose to buy my quilt for a child that was obviously very special for them.

I've had a couple of lucky wins lately!! First is this sweet little book that was reviewed and given away by Ali of the wonderful Very Berry Handmade.  I'm dying to have a go at one of these tiny little characters but I don't know where to start - there are so many to choose from.

Ali also sells bundles of lovely Liberty fabrics and I was thrilled to find a little package of pretty scraps in with the book.

My other lucky win was a packet of multi-coloured buttons from Craftseller magazine, that will be a very handy alternative to my stash of mainly browns and whites.

I'm having a stall at another craft fair this weekend and have managed to finish a quilt for a baby boy, this time.  You never know ......!

And I mustn't forget the lovely Marivel of Cristali Designs who very kindly awarded me a Liebster Award.  I think I'm supposed to say something about myself so, here goes:

My favourite colour is orange
I love to read, sew, sing, knit, crochet etc.
My middle name is Mary (so is my daughter's, it's also the first name of 2 aunties and was both my grandmothers')
I also like to watch The Mentalist, Marivel!
Oh, and I've got a new job - probably (more details to come).

Bye for now
Teresa x

Hello friends, I hope you've all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a happy, healthy and prosperous 2013.  

The decorations are still up for now.

 We've spent lots of time with family and friends - eating, drinking and making merry.

The mince pies have been devoured.

The stollen is half gone and going down well despite the sloppy homemade marzipan inside.

The handmade present has been given and much appreciated (a laptop bag). I shortened the zip overhang and recovered the end before gift wrapping it (in case you're thinking it's a bit long).

I used a zip insertion method I haven't used before.  It turned out quite well but I will make a few modifications if I do it again.  

Progress since last time:

I had to clean off the kitchen table for the season and everything was put away in the shed, so recent progress has been limited to some fiddling and experimenting.  Hopefully, there'll be something to show for it next time. 

I've just been emailed my Ladies Group financial records after being persuaded to become the Treasurer/Joint Leader so I'm signing off now to try and get my head around it all.

(Thank you so much for the help and advice regarding my Blogger and photo issues,  I'll keep it all in mind.  The other day I accidentally found out how to reduce the size of photos while still on my camera so that will help)

Bye for now 

Teresa x

A Couple of Connected Hitches!

No, I'm not refering to a new type of knot!  Blogger told me recently I had reached my 1Gb photo limit in Picassa and that I would have to pay to increase it.  It put me in a bit of a quandry for a while; did I continue without photos, pay for more space or give up this blog (none of which appealled to me)!  There was one other option - delete some older, unused photos and hope the free limit is increased again soon, or I will have to seriously consider paying for more space.  So that is what I've done for now!

A few days later, I was taking pics of the map boxes when I dropped my camera.  The lens was out at the time and it bent and broke, so although the power still turned on, I was unable to use it anymore!

So, there I was, back with the same dilemma but for a different reason.  It did, however, solve a problem for OH.  The problem of what to get me for Christmas!!  A couple of days later he came home with an updated version of my broken camera and normal service was resumed. Well........ he couldn't wait until the big day when my need was so urgent.

Now, I'm able to show you the random items I've finished recently that you haven't seen yet. Top pic is a selection of felt and fabric brooches.  Next are the map boxes mentioned last time.  They are actually sets of 3 tucked inside each other, with the largest being about 4" square.  The odd yellow one is made from handmade paper a friend brought from abroad and didn't want any more.

This is the little bag made from a pair of child's jeans with a belt handle.  The purple crocheted/knitted bag had two previous incarnations as scarves but never really worked like that, so this is it's final re-form.

Finally, here's a big pile of potential given to me by my auntie (next-door-but-one) who used to make soft furnishings, and has lots more where this came from.  I had a great time going through it all and sorting it into piles. It took much longer that it should have as my mind whirred with what I could make.

Progress since last time:

More map boxes cut and glued
Purple bag finished
Christmas present started.

There'll be only one handmade gift made this Christmas (unless someone buys something I've already  made) and I'm not going to reveal it until after it's been received (I won't make that mistake again!)

Bye for now
Teresa x

Boring Beige!

 

My mother gave me these buttons to try on my knitted cardigan.  There are 5 different designs here but I like the idea of the buttons not all being the same and it seems to be a bit of trend these days, whether the difference is in the design or the colour.

 

There is only one of this design with a sailing ship design that looks like a coin and it's my favourite of the lot.  Prepare yourself now for the sight of the finished cardigan.  I told you I didn't much like it but I'm willing to reveal all if you're prepared to make allowances for my really bad photography skills.

It's not just the lighting that's poor (although it is quite close to the actual colour) but looking at this pic now I've realised that the cardigan would have looked a lot better if I hadn't put it against a colour that was exactly the same as itself!!  Duh! Maybe if  I'd worn it with something bright it would have been an improvement but, as it's a little on the large side for me, I don't think I'd have been doing myself any favours.  I can't see myself wearing it anytime soon so, as far as I can see, my only options are to ask my mother if she'd like it or to put it away until I'm about 80 years old (when it may suit me and may even fit me!!).

What's this - my newly finished scarf trying it's best to brighten up the cardy?  What a struggle though; it's rather having the opposite effect and making the scarf look more muted than it really is.  Lesson learned!  Put more time and thought into my photographs!

This zipped pouch is actually quite nice in reality but the dullness seems to have spread here too.  Who's idea was it to photograph a yellow pouch against a yellow wall with bananas in the background, for goodness sake?!!  I'm sheepishly raising my index finger in the air in answer.  Actually, it wasn't a conscious decision, which is wherein the problem lies.

Look inside!  There's a surprise stripy lining.  I'm pleased with the way this turned out.  I decided to cover the ends of the zip before making up the pouch and it went together quite well.  I'll try a few more like this to ensure it wasn't a fluke!

A bit of non-stitchy stuff now.  DD is off on holiday to Florida with her boyfriend, and my sister and her family, on Sunday.  As it's her 26th birthday while she's away we're going out for a meal together on Saturday evening.  DS won't be joining us but there's a good reason for this - he'll be cooking the meal as he's covering for the chef's holiday again.  It's become clearer to me since he last stood in there how much trust they are putting in him. The establishment is 2nd in the county for good ratings on Trip Adviser!!

Now for the round up since last time.  I realise I've said it all already but I'll stick to the same format as previous posts as a summary:

Knitted cardigan - buttons added (even though I jumped the gun and said I'd finished it previously)

Knitted purple scarf - finished apart from darning in ends (this was the third incarnation of this scarf)

Yellow zipped pouch - finished, made from recycled materials apart from the checked fabric

Teensy weensy pin-cushion - to be stuffed

In planning stage - 2 more zipped pouches and one tote bag.

Bye for now
Teresa x

Doing my Bit for the P.O.!

Due to the fact that I was camera-less last week, I should have twice as much to show today. Wrong!!  The photos of the zipped bag I made for DS's girlfriend were lost somewhere during the changeover, but you'll just have to believe me when I say it was very pretty!

I've been on a sending/receiving spree and made good use of the postal service this week!

This is the lovely Tuscan themed block I received from Jo of Bear Paw for The Tag Square Bee for February.  I've been very punctual about getting my blocks sent out so far but this month I am delayed due to a serious shortage (complete lack) of black fabric. 

 I've been better organised for the Scrap Swap organised by Ali of Very Berry Handmade which had to be sent by 28th Feb.  This is the little parcel of goodies that is winging it's way to Jenny of Gingerbread House, if it's not arrived already!

 It's not diffucult to find recycled/rescued fabric to add to my stash but old reels of thread are another matter.  I've, very rarely, picked up the odd reel in charity shops but Ali (see above) came up trumps with her recommendation for the site Rag Rescue, which is where I got these beauties!  I was a bit worried that, if they were very old, they would be weak and unusable but they seem to be fine and they're exactly the sort of colours I use quite often.

 Brightly coloured buttons are also not easy to come by so I supplemented my collection with a couple of 'lots' from ebay. (Wonder how that rogue purple got into the yellows?)

I finally got the red thread, from my auntie, that I needed to finish this cushion and, would you believe it, the reel was so big it wouldn't fit on my little domestic machine!  So, instead of satin-stitching the little linen hearts on, I blanket-stitched by hand.  Here it is reclining on a kitchen chair................

.............and here posing on a comfy chair.

Here's the obligatory close-up - pores and all!!

Next week I will have swapped my car (and some money!) for a newer one.  OH tells me I need a car that is more economical on longer journeys so it'll have a slightly bigger engine.  Don't ask me anything about cars because they don't interest me one bit.  So long as they get me from A to B I'm satisifed, although I did want a green one (it's blue!!).  I'll show you next time.

Bye for now

Teresa x

Picture-less Post!

Hello everyone, just popping in because I can't keep away, even though I have no photos to pretty up the post.  I hope you had a lovely Valentine's Day!  My OH said he'll do some of my ironing for me for V Day!!  What more could a girl ask for!?  I've mentioned to him in the past that I think V Day is too commercialised, which he interpreted as "I don't want anything"!  To be fair though, I only got him a little box of heart-shaped chocs and it will be good to get some of the ironing out of the way!

My DS, on the other hand, went the whole hog, as you do when you're 22!  Roses, chocolates and a meal.  All that having just come back from a weekend away for his girlfriend's birthday.  And that is why I have no photos!! 

Confused? Well let me explain.  DS's girlfriend had a camera for her birthday but it had no memory card.  They wanted to take photos on their weekend away and lo and behold my memory card fitted her camera.  My first instinct was to say 'no' which I did.   How could I blog without any photos?  Then I felt really selfish and mean.  She said she would manage with her phone camera, then I felt even meaner! Their first break alone together and I was going to deny them any decent photographic memories of the occasion!  Their need was greater than mine.

Now, if I did have a camera over the weekend I would have shown pics of the zipped pouch I made for her birthday, the pile of goodies I dug out of my stash for the scrap swap at VeryBerryHandmade and I may have taken some photos outside on Saturday, which was a rare day of glorious sunshine.

You won't have to wait very long to see the craft goodies;  the glorious sunshine, however, is another matter and not in my control.

Oooh - I've just noticed my Stat Counter is nearly at 5,000 - that will be something to celebrate!!

Bye for now
Teresa

Simple Mindedness!

It's been quite a while since I gave an update on my simple/mindful/thoughtful (whatever you like to call it) living efforts. A lot of what I do comes naturally now and I make the mistake of assuming people think the way I do. I can't believe how many people still accept plastic bags at the checkouts. At work, (in collaboration with our environmentalist and H&S guy) I took a compost bin for the kitchen for everyone to put food waste and teabags into. I doubt very much whether half the people here will use it regularly :-( but some is better than none. I also reminded the QS department that there's a supply of plastic bags they can use when they go to the supermarket at lunchtime instead of getting a new one each several times a week! My OH thinks I'm preaching but I see it as an opportunity to make a difference, and no one has ever taken offence. It's also company policy to try to be environmentally aware and do our bit.

I stop ordering an organic box delivery at this time of year because we get quite a lot of produce from our garden, given to us by friends and relatives, and growing wild in the countryside. I could order items from the delivery scheme separately but it works out a lot more expensive so I try to buy organic at the supermarket instead.

This little bag from Onya contains 5 net drawstring veg/fruit bags and I bought them especially to use instead of using the plastic ones provided (I've had only favourable comments at the checkout when I have used them). The only problem is that most organic produce comes already wrapped - I suppose that's so it doesn't get mixed up with the regular produce. It's a little annoying as not all shops use recylable packaging for organic produce.

On a more general note, I've been recording my spending for over a year and can now start to compare similar months. In comparing June 2009 and June 2010, Total spending is £340 down and grocery shopping is £5.33 per week down on average, which doesn't seem much but when price rises are taken into account, is probably quite a bit more. I'm unlikely to be able to reduce this much more while I'm still working and the 20% VAT coming in next year is going to make an impact.
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There's much more I could add to this but I don't want to get too long and rambling. Suffice to say, I'm still recycling, reusing and reducing as much as I can in all areas. But still have a long way to go.

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Now that's enough seriousness for one day!!! I tried to be helpful and put in a few photos to break things up a bit for you. I hope you've managed to get this far to get a little info on them.

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It's Hot Air Balloon season at the moment and with the good weather we've had there's at least one up every weekend. It's early morning or dusk that the conditions are suitable for them so this one was spotted last Saturday morning. Actually we usually hear them first, firing up the gas to get altitude . I'd just had a shower, heard it from the bathroom window, grabbed my camera and headed out the front door wrapped in a towel (not where neighbours could see me!) As I held up the camera the people in the balloon shouted 'hello' and waved. I was back indoors before you could say 'smile please'. I don't think they were talking to me though because a lady walked by walking a dog seconds later. Phew!! My OH took this photo for me!!!

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I made another recipe from Fuel for Body and Soul's blog last night to use up the rest of the puff pastry. They are Potato and Chick Pea Rolls. Mine are more like parcels though because, as I said yesterday, I couldn't get Filo pastry. I ate the messy one with roasted vegetables and peas and froze the rest.

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I've come up with a little strategy for hopefully making my evenings/weekends more relaxed so I'll share that next time. Only started it yesterday so don't know how effective it will be yet.

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Bye for now

Teresa x

Sunny Saturday

As Saturday was such a lovely sunny day I had my camera close at hand for any opportunities that might arise.

It's surprising how long a spider's web will last if left undisturbed. They look so flimsy. This impressive specimen has been filling our window for a couple of weeks and I wondered how well it would photograph. Unfortuately Mr Spider was not in residence at the time.

I thought this random collection of items on a window-sill might make an unusual photo. It's just made up of odd items gathered on days out with the family. We've had some of them quite a while and while most of them are perfectly worthless I'm reluctant to throw them away. There are fossils and stones, coins and a Z shaped scrap of wood.

While I was outside later showing my father holiday photos on my camera we saw this hot air balloon fly over at quite a great height.............

..............followed not long after by this one.

The area where we live is quite popular for these flights to take off and land so we see them quite a lot. There have been more recently as the good weather conditions have been more suitable and I expect they have a back-log of bookings from the 'summer that never was'!

Back soon

Bye for now

Teresa x

Books and Bags

I've already slipped up on one of my aims for a simple life as you can see from the books below that I've recenly bought. In my defence, they were all second hand from Amazon and are mostly to help me with another of the aims (to use less chemicals/packaging). I think you can get a bigger picture by clicking on it, then you can see that one is about uses for vinegar, one about bicarb and one is Better Basics for the Home which according to Amazon "offers over 800 simple and practical alternatives to common household toxins, covering everything from skin care to gardening. And the good news is that adopting her suggestions and formulas isn't hard at all."

I'm looking forward to reading all these but I have had a scan through the 4th book here which is Vegetarian Cooking Without. I decided to become vegetarian about a year ago and also needed to find some recipes that had no sugar in the ingredients, especially cakes and desserts. I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes.

I managed to fit in time to make the drawstring bags for my sister and niece which I gave to them this week - a little late I must admit. They were very simple and turned out quite well. Some of the fabric was new, some left over from another project and some thrifted. Inside each I put some natural, handmade soaps and a face-cloth that I knitted. My sister looked a bit bemused by the face-cloth and I had to tell her what it was for which was quite funny.

As it's Father's Day on Sunday and my dad is diabetic, I'm thinking of trying out one of the recipes in the Vegetarian Cooking Without book for him. I'll post the results soon if they're any good.

I'm afraid the thought of Christmas presents popped into my head the other day, quite unprompted. I was looking at patchwork table runners and thought they'd be a good idea for some relatives. The first step will be to look at their dining rooms/kitchens to decide on a colour scheme. I know I'll have to start soon if I want to get them done by December and doing the same for them all will hopefully get them done quicker.

I nearly forgot to mention - These photos were taken with my new camera so I hope they are a lot better than previous ones. Still got lots of practicing to do though.

Bye for now

Teresa x

Annual Music Festival

What a brilliant weekend's weather we had for our local annual Music Festival. As usual the village was buzzing with people going from one venue to the next and music could be heard wherever we went. Almost every public building in the village was occupied with a concert, gig, workshop or performance of some kind including the hotel, 2 pubs, school, castle, golf club, church and chapel. It was an impressive work of organisation and much praise should go to the organising committee and volunteers who worked hard all week to make sure all ran smoothly.

Needless to say that each year, this particular weekend is a complete write-off as regards doing anything at home is concerned. But I wouldn't miss it for the world. We have been blessed with fantastic weather every year so far and we have always had a fantastic time.

Above is the Tredegar Orpheus Male Voice Choir performing on Sunday afternoon at the castle. An ideal setting for such an occasion, completed by a picnic.

Also on Sunday we went to the see the Abba tribute band http://www.myspace.com/originalabbagold perform at the hotel. They were brilliant and everyone had great fun dancing and singing along, with many good sports dressed in 70's costume.

I was back at work today and need to catch up on some sleep and housework (and sewing) but would do exactly the same next year!!

My new camera arrived today so hopefully the quality of my pictures will improve. It's a Fuji FinePix F60 fd. I read some good reviews for it and took the plunge and ordered it even though I don't know much about cameras. It came within 1 working day from http://www.ukdigitalcameras.co.uk which was quite impressive.

Bye for now
Teresa x

I'm Still Here!!

Happy New Year! I'm still here, hovering somewhere in the background. I didn't want a whole year to go by before I added another post so here's a quick update.

Thank you to anyone who has read so far and for the comments of encouragement. I am determined to get to grips with this one day. I thought Father Christmas had granted my wish for a camera but it turned out to be an iPod, which was a great present but won't get me any photos on here anytime soon. I will be holding out for my birthday in March now unless I win one in a competition before then.

As for what I have accomplished on the crafting front since the last time; well I've made a knitting needle case, a sewing needle case, a quilted patchwork bag for my daughter, a felt pin cushion, a chef's hat for a friend's son and a crocheted bath mat out of t-shirts. Quite a variety when I look at it together like that. Alongside this I have been attending my quilting club for which I have made a table mat and coaster set for the Christmas challenge, a couple of blocks towards a quilt and continued with my hexagons for another quilt. These last 2 projects are going to be very slow and ongoing.

That list doesn't sound much for 8 months does it? There must be some more that I can't remember at the moment!!! Either that or I don't have as much free time as I thought.

I'm going on a skiing holiday in March with a group of 14 and am in the process of knitting a hat each for them. I've done 5 so far and they only take a couple of evenings each so should get done in time. (BTW - I will not actually be skiing. I went once and had a bit of a 'baptism of fire' which put me off somewhat I don't feel as though I'm missing out though and will enjoy the holiday regardless as I'm not the only one who isn't skiing).

Teresa x

Well, it's been about 3 months since I created this blog and it's just taken me half an hour to work out how to get back into it. I think it would have been a good idea to keep a note of my blog name/log-in details etc!

I think the next step will be to get myself a camera. I know from the blogs I visit that it's the photos that grab my interest more than anything, although I do read the text too. And as I'm planning to try and find time to do more needlecrafting this would be a waste of time without photos of the results to show (don't hold your breath though). I'm hoping that this is going to give me the incentive to get on with some of the ideas that are bursting out of my head. It'll be slow progress though since I work full-time, belong to various other clubs etc and try to fit some exercise into the week too.

My dream would be to be at home full-time, crafting, cooking and trying to live as environmentally friendly as possible.

Till the next time (probably another 3 months time at this rate). 'I wonder if anyone will read this. How will I know if they do? I'm rubbish at this!!'