Felt Good!

You probably know that I've made a resolution this year to get my crafty arse into gear and make time each week do a little bit of making. I've also decided to up my game and actually learn some new skills. 

So last Saturday I signed myself up to do a morning workshop in felt making!

We were given free reign of the Merino wool basket, choosing which colours we wanted to use. I of course went for the 'Scarlett' red, hot pink and a bit of white:

We laid all our wool out on a bamboo mat and using the 'Wet Felting' technique added water and soap and rolled the whole thing up....

....much rolling later and very sore arm muscles I had made a piece of felt:

So what to make with my piece of handmade felt?...

Voilà!  A handmade felt rose brooch!

I'm quite pleased with the results of my first attempt at the craft, I'm also now totally hooked and am waiting a delivery of some merino wool so I can get making some more! Move over Kirstie Allsopp ;o) 

Have you tried felt making?

Big Love

P.s Ive been trying to leave comments on all your blogs but some blogs its not letting me get into the comments :o( Am going to try and get round it using Google Chrome but if I have missed commenting on your blog its not intentional - love you all xx

Me Again!

Howdy all!  Sorry for my absence in blogland recently. I would love to report that it is due to me having been flown on an impromptu holiday in Hawaii after winning the euro millions but alas I would be lying. It is due to work being revoltingly hectic and having a little boy covered in chicken pox!  Hawaii is sounding amazing to me right now ;o)

So one of my aims this year is to get my craft on - making sure that I find a little time each week to try my hand at making things.

So this week I've made myself two little Kokeshi dolls:

Now I'm very pleased with the results but I must come clean,  this was actually a little craft kit bought for me at Christmas by someone being extremely cheeky...

....the Kokeshi doll kit is actually from the Early Learning Centre aimed at ages 3 plus!! So I've mastered the art of using wool instead of cotton and a huge plastic needle to thread said wool through a large pre cut holes.  I'm going up in the world of crafting *wink*.

A short and sweet post from me today, I will be doing the rounds catching up with you all.

Big Love

I just couldnt help myself...

Do you ever have the urge to do something that you know you shouldn't? Well I was a bit cheeky at my last charity shop visit but it was so much fun...

Whilst perusing the book shelves I saw out of the corner of my eye an immaculately dressed woman in her 60s looking through the non fiction self help titles.  All of a sudden I heard  a sharp intake of breath and then a cut glass accent exclaim "How awful!  Lydia this book is titled 'How to Kill Your Husband!' Who could write such a book honestly? How disgusting".  Well I couldn't help myself, bold as brass I walked over to where she had laid the book, picking it up and announcing "Brilliant, I've been looking for this book for ages". I took the book and sashayed to the till.

I don't even need to say what the ladies faces were like, they will probably be monitoring the local news in my area for any suspicious happenings!

Further to my cheekiness I couldn't help but leave it on the bedside table.  I'm sure hubby wont be wanting me to cook many meals from now on..

I'll be doing the rounds to catch up with you all my lovelies and I need to say a massive thank you for all the beautiful comments on my last post, it was really touching (if only i had you girls with me at school!)

Big Love



P.S The book is actually a novel so no husbands will be harmed in the writing of this post ;o)

Frankly my dear, I dont give a damn

We all have items in our homes that hold memories be they good or bad or a bit of both.  They may have been gifts (to ourselves or received from others) or could have been items once belonging to someone dear to us.


Whilst clearing out my wardrobe I came across one of my memory items - a pair of polka dot shoes....

These shoes have a bitter sweet memory which goes a little something like this...


I was bullied at school for being the 'fat girl'. There were three of us in my year, all girls carrying a little bit of extra weight that lead us to be subjected to hurtful name calling. I was so shy, I wished everyday that I could blend into the background but my extra weight meant that I stood out from the rest of my peers. My school reports each year said that I was "too quiet in class, needed to speak up more and get involved in class discussions", not a chance!


I decided to get involved with the drama scene at my school, a group of 'outsiders' who didn't care what I looked like and excepted me for who I was. I adored acting as it meant I could get away from being the fat girl and pretend for that time that I was someone else. Once on stage I had so much confidence, in my mind people not looking at 'me' they were looking at the character I was playing. Through my drama classes I developed my love affair with costume and vintage styling.


As soon as the door slammed on my secondary school years and I headed to college I realised that I was never going to be one to follow the crowd, if I was going to be noticed for being bigger than the other girls then I was going to be noticed regardless of what I was wearing or who I was hanging out with.  I fully got to embrace my individuality when I arrived at Uni. No one cared if I was wearing an out of shape men's jumper from Oxfam or if I wanted to wear red lippy at 9 am on a Monday morning.  My friends all had indie posters hanging on their dorm walls, I had Elvis. We would hit a nightclub, them in their boob tubes and tiny skirts, me in something random from a charity shop - they liked me for me and for the first time I couldn't give a damn what anyone else thought.

So what about they shoes? Well I bought these Irregular choice shoes in a discount store, there was no way my meagre bank balance could stretch to the full price of these.  The first outing for my new shoes would be my first in head to toe 50s rockabilly styling.  Being quite tall these big heels gave me some serious height. Walking into the pub that evening I can confirm that I turned heads - mainly because the patrons had never seen a big boobed and butted girl dressed like me before. Yes I got loads of comments and digs "Are you in fancy dress?" was asked and continues to be asked when I go for a night out in my town, but you know what I felt amazing. Truly comfortable in my own skin.


From then on there was no going back ;o)  I love these shoes and what they represent.  I still have self conscious moments, I still revert back to the shy girl of my past, I still carry my curves but I also have the ability to say "This is Me".

 This is why blogland is such an amazing place, we all are excepted for who we are, regardless of our backgrounds, what we are into, where we live or what we look like and I have made some wonderful friends in you all.

 I'll finish off with a quote from the fabulous Helen Hartman in her latest blog post, as I think she sums up a little new year thought beautifully, "Be Bold Enough to Be YOURSELF. Embrace the flaws you know you aren’t going to change and let go of the things that have held you back, starting with the resolutions you know you wont be keeping" Check out Helen's blog Here:
 
Have a fabulous New Year all :o)


Big Love

Sssh... Santa works for Royal mail!

So Christmas is over for another year, I hope you all had a fabulous one, mine was lovely and it all went far too quickly!

I have now to do a little post of thanks as usual blogland has been super kind to me and I've had a couple of lovely parcels.

Beautiful Kylie of Lucy Violet Vintage sent me a fabulous little bundle all beautifully wrapped:

Inside I had a kitschtastic Skegness trinket jar, floral pomander, 'Love Notes' sweets (aka love hearts over here in blighty), a fabulous vintage cotton in shade 'Scarlett' *beam*. 

 

 Kylie also sent a gorgeous handmade floral pot holder, made from scrumptious vintage fabrics and also embroidered with a 'S':

Its all beautiful thank you Kylie :o)

I also received my charity swap parcel from my swap buddy Rachel. The swap was kindly organised by Lakota, in which up to 5 items were to be sent, one of which had to be from a charity shop, a Christmas decoration and something handmade.

I couldn't wait to open this parcel. Along with the cutest polka dot heart decoration I received a Lush 'Secret Santa' gift box which has soap and a bath ballistic inside, a little cherry necklace and a gem of a book: 'Sew and Save'.

 

+

Love it all thanks Rachel.

To top of the Christmas kindness I also received a little cutie from Susan of Tea Dairy fame:

Such a sweet little decoration, thanks Susan. It was put up on the blue Finley-proof Christmas tree we had up this year in a bid to keep him from stripping the main tree bare.

Although some decorations were subjected to the taste test...

Big love to you all, and wishing you a very happy new year.

Merry Christmas to one and all :o)

Hello my lovelies.  Sorry I haven't been around much the last two weeks, with the winter bugs, work and Christmas organising its been a bit hectic. New years resolution is to make sure I catch up with all your blogs and get my blogging mojo back :o)

So I had to pop in to wish you all a very happy Christmas and of course a fabulous new year.  I hope you all get everything you have been hankering after wrapped up under the Christmas tree:

May we all be luck to get a 'Hoover'.

For those families who have everything how about a 'Daisy'...



Best not to cheat at Monopoly this Christmas with the Jones family



 Santa also thinks about the smokers at this time of year:

What a great guy!

Big Love you all

Bit of Craft

Its been a while since I've shown you a craft make of mine on here - manly because i haven't had time to scratch my butt let alone get my craft on.

Well I finally got the mod podge back out to make a couple of Cath Kidston print decs for the tree. I admit I am loving CK's bird print on the Christmas collection but alas not that keen on the price tag.

So I bought myself some wooden tree shapes at a craft shop and painted them white:

And with a packet of Cath Kidston bird print napkins and some mod podge I have myself a couple more tree decorations:

Now I just need to get the Christmas tree up!

Anyone else not got the decorations and tree up yet?


Love to you all