A mixture of textiles

There has been a mix of crafts in the Gallery household this week. Wool, fabric and chocolate have featured quite heavily in what has been a fairly productive week, considering I am still working as well (tho not so much of that left!)

The chocolate was in the form of left over Easter eggs. Yes, I am aware it is almost June, but we still have several chocolate eggs left over, hogging cupboard and fridge space. I don't mind a bit of chocolate myself, and nor do I deprive my daughter of it, but I'm just not too keen on her having too much. So in my domestic goddess mode, I decided to break up one of her eggs this week, and melt it down. Much fun was had turning the melted chocolate into chocolate crispie cakes, adding some dried berries, jelly tots and sprinkles. And I do believe Caoimhe was just as happy selecting which ones we were taking up to Grandma's to share out!

Wool wise saw the completion of some crocheted bunting, which will eventually go up in Caoimhe's bedroom. It has taken me several weeks to complete this, as it was very much a pick up-put down project. I am quite pleased with the results though:

As for the fabric, well I found myself in the possession of a quantity of material, thanks to my mum. I am a complete novice when it comes to sewing more than a hem or a button, but I just had to get the sewing machine out and have a go at making something. I had a trawl around the interweb for a bit of inspiration, and decided to start small with a mobile phone sock. I was pretty pleased with myself when I finished it!

front , with a little pocket :)

back view 

I think my husband quite liked it too, since he has asked me to make him one too! An excuse to go and find some nice material, if nothing else!

Just time now to mention Handmade Monday. There are some lovely blogs linked over there, all craft related in some way shape or form, so take a look!

Til next time!

Versatile Blogger award!

Many thanks to Sharon at Chasing Art for the following award:

I love reading her blog and seeing all the lovely cards she makes, desperately wishing I could stamp as well as she can! Never gonna happen I fear, as me and stamping don't get on all that well!

Of course there are conditions attached to receiving this award (is that not true of everything??)

* Make a post linking back to the person who gave you the award.

* Share 7 random things about yourself

* Award 7 recently discovered bloggers with this award and contact them to let them know they have won.

 

So here goes:

 

1. I am that annoying person who sings along to their ipod in public. (oh god I really have to stop doing that!)

 

2. My favourite ever crisp has to be onion rings, and I don't care how badly they smell.

 

3. I haven't had real bacon for the best part of my adult life. And I don't actually miss it.

 

4. If I was programme controller at Sky/Virgin/the Beeb/ITV I would ban all talent shows/celeb ridden dancing on ice/strictly come dancing cack/celeb *documentary* follow-my-life type shows and the only quiz show allowed would be QI.

 

5. I think Matthew Wright is a bigoted chauvinistic gobsh**e...but I love the Wright Stuff and I still watch it at every opportunity. (Besides I love it when he slags of Jezza Kyle and hangs up on stupid people!)

 

6. I can't listen to Chiquitita without laughing.

 

7. I have seen Fever Pitch so many times I probably don't need to watch it at all any more and I can recite the script almost word for word.

 

My recently discovered blogger list:

 

Alison at My Belovedly Life

 

Naomi at Mrs B's Blog

 

Jan at Handcrafted by Picto

 

Carolee at Carolee Crafts

 

Maria at Maria's blog

 

Ros at RosMadeMe

 

Amy at bits and blobs

 

Definitely all worth a visit!

 

 

A bit of messy play

First off, a quick mention for Handmade Monday , an event where you can share your crafty blogs with other like minded crafty bloggy type people. Please have a look, there are some lovely blogs linked over there!

It's been a busy weekend here and very little crafting has been done, apart from the completion of a baby blanket (at long last!) I'm actually getting a little bit fed up of knitting and crocheting baby items, even though I haven't done loads. So much so that I am still tackling a cabled cardie I started about 3 weeks ago. I normally rattle off cable really quickly because I love doing it, but I have been distracted with doing other things,so I think I might need to have a bit of a rest. Instead I have now finished the crocheted baby blanket I've been making since records began...really, there is nothing worse than endless, repetitive trebles, row upon row upon row.... unless it's row upon row of garter stitch! But Friday night saw it's completion. Hurrah!
Another cardie was completed a few weeks ago, in a lovely variegated wool I have had in my stash for quite a long time. I did promise a photo several blogs ago but I have only just got round to uploading it to my puter (I'm, such a slacker!)

In other news, we had a fab afternoon of messy play last week. An hour, some paint, a paper plate, some googly eyes and an egg carton later we produced this:



Much fun was had, and it was nice to come up with a use for at least some of the stash of egg boxes I have (that I keep forgetting to take back to the market!) They make good palettes for poster paint as well, incidentally.

Til next time :)

Having a bit of a play, and accepting a challenge...

Apparently there is something called Handmade Monday. It's a bit of a *link party*, where people can link their blogs (about handmade stuff of course!) and click links to other like minded bloggers too. Thought I might give it a try, it can't hurt, right? Thought I would share the details with you in case you might be interested :)
This explains it much better than I have done, of course!
About Handmade Monday
And here is the link to the weekly blog post:
Handmade Monday

I hope you find some of the links interesting reading. In the absence of my daughter (aren't childminders great!) I am about to settle down with a brew and a good read!

But before I go, I wanted to share my little bit of experimentation. My mum (in her wisdom) has sent her sewing machine to live with me. I am not a seamstress. I never will be. My poor old gran spent far too many afternoons trying to teach me to sew, and failing miserably. I can sew on a button, and I can fix a hem (or a decapitated mouse as those of you who follow me on facebook already know) but that really is the extent of my sewing prowess. But like a child in a sweet shop I just had to get stuck in. Armed with a denim skirt that Caoimhe has grown out of, and one which she had managed to get a permanent and irremovable stain on so is no good for Tilly to grow into, a couple of lengths of ribbon and some stick on sparkle, I came up with this little bag:

Ok, so it's not going to concern Kippling but Caoimhe certainly likes it and that's all that matters! My hubby was suitably impressed as well, although he is a bit on the biased side!  In any event, fun was had. and isn't that what it's all about?

Til next time!

My Old Man's Birthday - done!

Last week was the culmination of all the weeks of mental prep that went into making my dad's 65th birthday cake. I have to admit, I did leave it a tad on the late side. Though in my defence, I couldn't really do much until the end of the week unless we wanted stale or mouldy cake! But as I was anxiously staring at the oven door on Thursday afternoon, desperately hoping that this time it wasn't going to sink like the Titanic there was a little bit of panic beginning to creep in.

In the end the sponge cakes were fine. If anyone needs to know, to make a victoria cake of 26cm width it takes an 8 egg mixture. I still swear by Hugh F-W's recipe of weight for weight, but using 4 eggs per sandwich used about 10oz of flour/fat/sugar. I made the mixture in 2 batches of 4 eggs. The main reason being in case I ballsed it all up, if you have 2 sandwich tins of 26cm and feel brave, then, hell, go for the 8!

The icing of the cake was a bit of a challenge too. I knew what I wanted to acheive but did have to change my plans when the fondant didn't want to do what I wanted it to do, ie lie straight on the sides. Of course the observant amongst you will immediately recognise my problem. I was icing a sandwich cake, not a fruit on, and of course they naturally don't have rod straight sides. But a bit of imagination but that one right. It wasn't flawless, and I'm sure that mr Goldman isn't exactly quaking in his boots, but I was quite happy with the results:

As for the card, well of course I had to make that as well. But I was much less organised (no, really!) and I don't really have a lot of *manly* stuff in my craft stash (will have to address that) so I resorted to the leftover watch parts and some more masculine style paper. I haven't asked dad what he thought of the card yet!

That's it for me on the cake front for a while I think. Caoimhe keeps telling everyone that I am making her birthday cake for her, but we have 5 months to go before that. She'll forget, won't she? Surely??

An award!

Thanks to my good friend Sharon  for this lovely award :) not so sure my blog reaches the lofty heights of 'stylish' but thanks for thinking of me!

As expected, there are rules attached to receiving the award. Here they are:

Rule 1 : thank the person who gave you the award, and link their blog in your post.(done!)
Rule 2 : tell 7 things about yourself
Rule 3 : Pass the award on to 15 deserved bloggers.

So here's rule 2, 7 things about myself. Hmm easier said than done, but here goes:
1: I know that Bill Shankley was not wrong. He might have managed the Scousers, but he got football.
2: I am the clumsiest, messiest girl in existence apparently. My mum isn't wrong there, either.
3: I could live without chocolate, but I'd rather not.
4: I make a mean sweetcorn soup.(my husband says so, and he can't be wrong all the time, can he?)
5: I can still do a crab, and I am nearly 40!
6: I never turn down a cup of tea.
7: I have a girly streak, but it is kept well hidden!

Now for rule 3:
This will be bent a little, as I don't think I actually read 15 blogs! Please feel free to point me in the direction of some good blogs!

Sharon : http://chasingart.blogspot.com/

Paul : http://clockworkzeppelin.wordpress.com/

Arseblog : http://arseblog.com/

Goonerholic : http://goonerholic.com/

Liz: http://iampisspot.wordpress.com/

Feverpitch : http://feverpitchfc.blogspot.com/

Naomi: http://www.blogbymrsb.blogspot.com/

She wore a yellow ribbon : http://www.fansonline.net/arsenal/

I know, I know, not 15, but I did say so, didn't I? They are the only blogs I read with any kind of regularity. Well worth a read. (Especially my very funny cousin, Liz's...completely random and puts a smile on my face everytime!)

Enjoy.