Crafty Round Up

As promised, here are a few images, projects and ideas that have been inspiring me/breaking me out in a sweat…

So simple and so effective chunky baby blankets…

Gorgeous tutorial, scrummy colours (for some reason vaguely reminiscent of ice cream but maybe that’s just pregnant munchies seeing pudding in all places…)

 

Do you ever have that moment where you have just read about something or someone and then suddenly everywhere you turn that’s all you can see? I’m having that at the moment with Charley Harper.

It started out as a needlepoint recommendation on Apartment Therapy

Which turned into a ‘wanna make this for my mum’ type manhunt…

 

Then suddenly he’s everywhere I turn…I jaunced myself to the Design Museum on Friday to see Mariscal and Supercontemporary (my love of maps of London knows no bounds) and positively salivated upon seeing this which I fear may have to be added to the list of ‘too good for the children that I know and therefore on my own Christmas list instead’:

  

The Mariscal exhibition, which I did not go specifically to see, was so much fun! There were three animated dioramas which were so silly and fun and silly and giggly and… well… fun! You can view them here. (The video is RUBBISH but you get the idea better than a still image! Hopefully they will upload one with better sound shortly.)

Then I got all excited about needlepoint generally and got some bits and bobs at the local car boot…

Must do something with that doily… inspiration here to plunder

And then I got all excited about mini needlepoint projects in embroidery hoops…

from this gorgeous shop

from this gorgeous shop 

from this gorgeous shop

Oh blimey. It’s probably just as well that I’ve got maternity leave coming up – I’m feeling a crafting flurry kicking in in time for Christmas pressies…

Oh glorious crafty-land…

I am always agog at the inspiration, talents, imaginations and output of all the clever people the world over who create, design and develop their various skills to beautify the world around them… I’ll be posting a crafty round up of little wonders when I’m not running for the train…

In the meantime, I’ve been busy myself but not sure it’s as talented or as evocatively photographed as the rest of crafty land…

:: stitching while I can still reach my sewing machine ::

:: continuing to grace car boot sales and buying rather more than I sell ::

:: baking up a storm for my sister’s British themed leaving party as she prepares to cross the Atlantic ::

And finally, talking of inspiring, talented, clever creative people, I thought I would share with you a fraction of the crafty-output from my mother, to whom I am beholden for my dexterity… She has jumped on her soon-to-be title of Granny (I’m carrying her first grandchild so the excitement is as yet undiluted by the reality of upchuck and never ending babysitting requests / 3am phone calls about colic and mastitis) and refurbished/recovered and generally spruced up the Moses basket that I graced nearly 30 years ago. The rocking base if from Freecycle and with a bit of elbow grease, they are now inseparable!!

As well as taking up her needles in search of all things tiny and soft…

My output is as yet not even close to hers, in skill, volume or the oh so important ‘cute factor’…

Unravelled

That’s it.

I’ve resisted for so long.

I’ve been cautious to avoid situations that would lead to over-exposure.

Then I was taken to Stitch n Bitch.

And I turned a rather billious shade of green.

And then I caught the bug.

 

I got taught how to cast on…

And then I was off…

And there was no stopping me.

And I took the plunge and started to attack the birthday present (from the wonderfully thoughtful godmother) with aplomb.

And I haven’t slept or washed in days… (that bit’s not actually true….)

And all I do now is frequent charity shop wool baskets and get RSI in my right wrist (to match the chronic seemingly unstoppable preggers-related lower back pain) and lust over Ravelry and break my keyboard with the drool.

Making & Baking

 

Drawing and colouring in for the nephew’s 2nd birthday.

PS It’s a Jumping Rope. Not a Skipping Rope. So sue me.

Lemon Fluff Cake with yoghurt and frozen berries.

Blueberry and cherry clafoutis to celebrate a good friend beginning a new career as a Secondary Physics Teacher.

Using up some old silk flowers to create a headpiece for a summer garden wedding (pics of the event itself to come – incredible detail in a gorgeous setting…). Can’t work out if I look achingly cool or a bit ridiculous. Could really go either way…

I also fear that I’m getting a pregnancy wattle, if this image is anything to go by… Perhaps the pizza in the oven for dinner is not the best idea…

Catering for a small family army

Mum, Dad and little sis to say to see a fabulous friend on the National Theatre stage in a fabulous show!

Dinner of the sis’ favourite foods: prosciutto e melone to start, Spanish chicken and chorizo stew for main and then the dessert…

To continue the continental summery theme, I thought I would christen the wedding ramekins that were still in their box and make this Spanish Orange Creme Caramel… The caramel was a bust to start with and, after vigorously stirring in error, had to throw it out and start again.

Not to worry, got it right second time (not without boiling hot sugar caramel burn to thumb but y’know, no pain…) and poured custard mix into the bain marie. Into the oven and onto the washing up. Whereupon I found the sugar that should have been added to the custard.

Hmmm…

Needless to say, the custards did not set, the semi-cooked orange omelettes have gone down the sink and I am still trying to dig rock hard caramel from the bottom of porcelain ramekins. Any suggestions for Ask Aggie style fixes to this conundrum, do get in touch!

I had made chocolate cherry cupcakes for the next day’s picnic (her fave pudding combination) but after the disastrous above, I pulled these out the cupboard and all was well. Domestic goddess aura fades slightly… but not wholly tarnished….

The Great British Family

The sis has been after me for a union jack cushion for months and months. Sadly I’m a meanie (and work in the Arts) and so my budget didn’t quite stretch to this little tapestry beauty at over £250! I put my scraps and stitching to good use in time for her birthday this week, not least of all as she has taken it upon herself to leave the country in two months’ time for the sake of a boy.

It must be love! Particularly if he is happy to have these slightly girly examples in his bachelor pad!

The story behind the one below is a long and silly one involving home movies, an 18month old sis in rubber ring and a bellowy, bossy older sis trying to enforce the ‘You’re not allowed to jump into the pool until your toes are over the edge of the tiles’ rule… using the time-honoured method of SHOUTING IN FACE.

Needless to say, the still-chilled-out little sis just stood there taking the shouting, which is not dissimilar to how we operate now.

God I love her and God I’m going to miss her.

That boy had better be worth it.

Stitching for friends

Antique red velvet ribbon handstitched on cotton ticking with star buttons…

For a gorgeous friend who I fear I have known now for 18 years. Which makes me feel quite old…

A Pistachio and Grey Colourscheme

This dress has suddenly inspired me to get creative and trawl the internet for a cool and crisp winter wedding…

Shoes would have to be these with this extraordinary hairpiece to rival the skirt!

For the reception, the jewel-covered cake inspired by Sylvia Weinstock would be pride of place and I have visions of taking over an old-world dilapidation like Wilton’s Music Hall for the grey/green hues to blend into the stonework…Men in silver and grey Kenneth Cole and paper products from Hello Lucky…

Yum yum…

Bump at 22 weeks

The bump continues to grow apace and I’m doing my best with the bits I have (god love Duro dresses – thanks to the gorgeous Erin, I have about five in my wardrobe and have been wearing them on rotation) My autumn wardrobe is traditionally some variation of a-line skirt, little jumper/cardigan and knee high boots. As the days when I could get into those skirts are long gone, I’m intrigued to see what I come up with this year!

It’s a funny one, pregnancy. I had this idea in my head that it was pretty much just wearing an increasingly larger backpack on your belly for 9 months with little other variation to your life or wellbeing.

Oh how wrong can you be??

At 22 weeks, my lower backache has come into play approximately 2 months before the books say it will, which bodes well for the rest of the year! I look like an old woman whenever I shift from horizontal to vertical or vice versa. Getting into bed has never been so sexy, let me tell you!

Hair – flat as a pancake (more so than usual)

Nails – NOT blossoming but in fact cracking and splitting like nothing on earth

Me – clumsy and absent minded (more so than usual)

But – it is now kicking and squirming. The first pummel was felt during the recent Harry Potter film, then during a conversation about Ebay – so The Boy is very proud. If it doesn’t start wiggling when I’m next in a vintage shop, I’m going to start asking questions about progeny…

A Londoner Tours London

A welcome opportunity to be a tourist in the Big Smoke when an old friend from the US dropped by early this month…

 

Moving…

Get pregnant, realise that you have already filled your current home to the brim, realise that in a few months’ time you will be far too enormous to do anything about it, realise that there is a gorgeous house available two streets away… get boxed up and moving in record speed.

Thanks so much to the stalwart friends who came and contributed elbow grease to the cause. They were handsomely repaid in curry that evening, but even so!

 

We are currently wandering the house with the ‘how are we so lucky’ look on our faces… The reason – our rent has increased – and now we can’t go out as much!!

Jolly Holidays

 

Beach at Brean

Pier at Clevedon…

…covered in plaques, memorials, dedications and promises

 

Antiques at Honiton

Animals at Longleat

Heaven in Somerset