the pox is upon us...

smallfry2 is down with chickenpox
smallfry1 will surely fall soon...

the sum total of the mite's dietary requirements of the past three days...

...toast in the shape of Nice Things

...covered with bonne maman strawberry jam



(I prefer the blackcurrant myself, but there is no accounting for taste, especially when pox ridden I suppose)


...and strawberry jelly


One of the reasons I quite like to make jelly is these beautiful vintage moulds - one of Ms Reva's best birthday gifts of last year, from Maaya, doyenne of the car boot sale....we have one really large rabbit mould too, makes enough jelly for at least 6 ravenous jelly-fiends



I took the opportunity while having an unexpected couple of days home from the office on pox-watch to photograph some china bowls I scored down in the oxfam shop recently, pretty huh?


and to play with the focus/depth of field (is that what you call it?) stuff on my camera...I'd quite like to paint this...

Publish Post

awh shucks...

an award, for me, from imagingermonkey...what a treat. To be thought creative and inspiring...what a truly nice thing. Works both ways as I love the things imagingermonkey makes (and she has promised to make one for smallfry2's third birthday in April - way hay!!!)

The Award originally came from
Arte Y Pico's Blog
The Award rules are:
* Post the award on your own blog.(Post who gave it to you)
*Indicate its original link and link to that site. (Arte Y Pico from Uruguay)
*Give the award to 5 other blogs that you enjoy, find creative and inspire you.

so, 5 that I find creative and inspiring...hmm, make that 5 thousand and I might be able to choose. I am amazed on a daily basis by the creativity out there in the blog'o'craft'o'sphere...I suppose if I have to limit it to 5 I will choose...

All the MN crafters (slight cheat but I'm pretty sure no one is looking...)
Angharad
SaltandChocolate
flossieteacakes
kleas

but really, it's for everyone, every blog I read and every crafter I communicate with - I find you all inspiring!

The DustMotes Mobile for Elsie Marley's mobile swap is finally finished and posted off to my swap partner in the US - check out the flickr group to see some wonderful creations



meanwhile, in another (yet another, yes I know, I am a lucky lucky gal) good mail day these three photos arrived from the aforementioned Kleas as part of the scentofwater photoswap I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Kristin put them on cards so I could send them to people but I can tell you now no-one is getting their mitts on these, I love 'em way too much. They'll be up on the wall of my new "artroom" (as Smallfry1 calls it - love that!) as soon as I get them framed...there is a flickr group for this swap too - great images there
I just love that image - the colours, the composition, the empty space on the wall...it's perfect

love these too, wonderful colours, so evocative

...oh, hurrah for the day I found the blog'o'craft'o'sphere, that's all I say...

simplicity - dried

simplicity - dried, originally uploaded by overmilkwood.

finally, I've decided on the photo for the scentofwater photoswap. I've kept these flowers since the birth of smallfry#2, they came in a bouquet I received back then. I dried them and they live on a dresser in my bedroom in front of an old mirror we rescued from a skip. I see them every day but rarely see them. I hope my swap partner likes this picture as much as I do...

reasons to be cheerful, parts 1, 2, 3...

reasons to be cheerful, part 1:: I've been nominated for this award


by Helen over at Angharad (thanks Helen!). I am delighted (and amazed that people I don't know actually read my witterings) Now I have to list 7 weird things about myself (hmm, where to start?)

Ok, here goes...

1. I have no musical memory and can listen to the same CD all night long, each time being surprised and excited afresh by the tracks I like...(I only need a collection of about 3 CDs to ensure all my tastes are covered and I am never bored!)
2. I love to see people eating apples. It makes me happy. I love to think about people eating apples. That makes me happy too. I do quite like to eat apples myself. They make me happy.
3. I never really realised point 2 above until now (I mean I knew I liked apples but...)
4. I have no half moons on any of my finger nails. This doesn't make me so happy but I try not to dwell on it.
5. When I was small I once woke up in our holiday home in Ireland with my arms covered in slugs which must have crept (eh, slithered - ugh!) in the window while I slept. I made the mistake of sharing this story with Ms. Beva once upon a time (you know how it goes... "eat up your dinner and I'll tell you about my idyllic childhood...") and now I am accosted wherever I go by 5 year olds clamouring for a retelling and asking ever more detailed (and impertinent!) questions - I do believe the child is famous in her year group as a result of my slug hell.
6. I have tiny ear lobes and there is something very particular about the left one that I am not yet prepared to disclose in a public forum.
7. I like to eat the inside of raw broccoli stalks. Peel off all the hard green stuff and the interior is really sweet and tasty. You should try it - if you like it too maybe I am not so weird.

In turn I nominate JuanitaTortilla, MeridianAriel, DomesticAli and Imagingermonkey for amazing services rendered to the blogosphere. Take it away ladies...

rtbc, part 2:: I arrived home from a fairly exhausting morning with Ms Bester at a cold and manic toddler group session to find the following goodies had arrived in the post..

part 2 (a)
from the aforementioned JuanitaTortilla, some gorgeous earrings I had ordered from her etsy shop earlier in the week


accompanied by a matching bracelet about which I had no prior knowledge



(thank you again you lovely creature!)

part 2 (b)
from MeridianAriel, a very beautiful bracelet from her etsy shop



which came in a handmade pouch with mother of pearl button and was accompanied by a colourful range of teas


a gift which is both topical (for me) and very thoughtful (thank you I can't wait to try them - in fact I am putting the kettle on right now)

part 2 (c)
from a large and not particularly wonderful British high street store, some shoes I had ordered


in which I doubt I'll be able to walk but will do very nicely thank you for a special occasion I have planned which will also feature (along with the pretty jewels I am gathering), this little number...

can't wait!

(now don't tell me the shoes don't go, it'll be dark and I'll be hobbling - that'll be the last thing on my mind and everyone else will be so surprised to see me in a slinky dress and heels that they won't notice any such minor details!)

rtbc, part 3:: while getting into various unholy contortions attempting to take photographs of myself in the now finished Cloud Slouching (based on Ms Bernard'sLe Slouch- now see, that's what it is supposed to look like - I've given up and am now calling mine Cloud Stretching and wearing it about the town)


without having the patience to work out how the self timer on the new camera works I managed to shoot some random images which I really like.... I think i will give up looking through the viewfinder from now on...




(and finally, Ms Bester, eating an apple (now I know why I love that girl!) and wondering what the hell her unhinged mother is up to now with that tiny hat and the big black camera)


(ps another rtbc (part 4) - all those great tea suggestions that came after yesterday's post - I am looking forward to trying each and every one - thank you!)

important dates, that WIP and some project365s...

Realising I needed a new diary a week or so into the new year I went on a quest. Nothing could I find in my price range (post kicking my heels up in Switzerland induced poverty!) apart from this little horror...

makes your heart shudder, huh? ...but beggars can't be choosers

so, after a bit of humming and aahing, some cutting and stitching (and a number of nice cups of tea, at least the household budget can always run to that) , the unpleasant little brute has been transformed into this...

now I'll be the first to admit the stitching isn't all perfect, and I hadn't really thought it out properly before I made it so there are some rough edges but you'd have to say it's a darn sight better than that mock-leather-monstrosity...
(next time I cover a notebook in fabric, and I think there will be a next time as I do like it, I may just read a pattern or two first!)

meanwhile, the le slouch was progressing nicely until I tried it on last night. Hmm, I think it had somehow slipped my mind that I have a rather large, nay, an enormous head...

(see my head poking up through the top there? that's a mere two rows from the end my friends)

so it looks more like a beanie on my noggin...a very pretty moss stitch beanie but not the desired effect AT ALL. So I'll be ripping that one back tonight (unless I can come up with a foolproof way to shrink my head!)

Meanwhile I've been busy project365'ing* and here are some (personal) highlights from the weekend...

Saturday - a trip to Tate Modern to see the Louise Borgeois exhibition (it closes on January 20th and I urge anyone in London who hasn't seen it yet to go, it's simply incredible, and thought provoking and and and...)

this made me laugh, step - what step? you step over that little baby and you are on the tracks!

nice curves huh?

paint, windowsill, what more can I say


"London's famous St Paul's Cathedral"


Millenium Bridge

beautiful trees oustide Tate, remind me of this painting
(bad reproduction, sorry)

great to see two women artist's names up there on the TATE where we are so used to seeing men...you'll often find a solitary female artist's name in amongst the men's but it sent shivers of pleasure up my spine to see this...it's a first!

Sunday, at home

* I know it's supposed to be one a day but I'm enthusiastic ok?!

Xmas goodies, slouching clouds etc...

Before I get embarassingly out of step with real time (and before I forget, again) here are the crafting goodies that came from under the tree for me...(all but one from my lovely sister)

plus, some very pretty stitch markers, one of which you can see in this little WIP I started up last night...(solo knitting in a pub while waiting for a friend - wasn't I brave though?!)


want to look closer?


I got a red one too. And a blue one. Believe it or not there was a yellow in there as well. Very pleased I am with those.

The WIP is a Le Slouch which I am trying in Rowan Pure Wool Aran in a pretty grey they call cloud. I'm calling it "cloud slouching"...

Recent Project365's


the two of the tree are kind of cheating as I took them on the same day, just before I went and bought the cloud yarn, looking at them now it's pretty obvious that tree totally influenced my choice of colour...

...exhibitions etc

I appear to be in a period of hibernation on the crafting side. Too tired after all the christmas handmade extravaganza (although I do have some plans up my sleeves so I won't despair, yet)

Today I ambled out of work to grab a sandwich before my next meeting and as I left Pret A Manger I noticed something. A place I always knew was there, a place I used to frequent regularly in the olden days when I was an artsy gal about town (pre kids and mortgages and real jobs in other words), a place I hadn't darkened the door of in years. And today, even with a Very Important Meeting about to start within the next ten minutes (and a crayfish and rocket sarnie to be gobbled beforehand), I went in. I went in and I walked about and I looked. I just looked. For ten minutes. And it felt so good.

the place was this

and the things I looked at were this and this

and over the weekend I plan to go to this or I will have missed it, and that would not do at all

I couldn't do a post without some pictures so here you go

[yes those are silver stars on the hyacinths...don't ask]

the only new year's resolution I will publicly admit is to somehow learn to use my lovely camera on something other than auto mode...

to this end I'll be taking photojojo's advice (the photos above are a rather tentative start to my project365 - now I have to work out what I am supposed to do with them next, if anything...)