• crafts

    Day 19

    Hooray, today there was some progress with the handmade Christmas ornament. I have made a prototype which turned out well and I should be able to start making the real ones this week. I found some great fabric in Brighton on Saturday. Perhaps I’ll post a little preview tomorrow. I’ve seen a couple of posters on the tube for a Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park over Christmas. They have a German market, ice skating, an observation wheel and lots more. I definitely want to go!

  • crafts - swaps

    Day 18

    Not quite the craftiness I was planning but better than nothing. I fully intended to make a start with the handmade ornament swap today. Instead I got stuck doing a whole load of other things. We visited our local farmers market in Palmers Green this morning. It was small but there were a variety of stalls and we picked up some delicious pastries as well as some local flour, milled at home on the Isle of Wight. This afternoon I finished some swapbot swaps; handmade Christmas cards and Christmas ATCs. I must remember to head off early to the Post…

  • shopping

    Day 17

    Well we braved the wind and rain and headed down to Brighton this morning. We walked down to the sea front and along the pier, had some dodgy food at ha ha bar and canteen (seriously, don’t go there), visited the wonderful Museum and Art Gallery and spent my pennies in the shops in the North Laines. I have some wonderful finds! I particularly loved Appendage on Kensington Gardens where I saw lots of lovely things by Poppy Treffry which I shall be saving up for. I picked up some great vintage embroidered handkerchiefs, a kitsch picture, vintage cribbage board,…

  • crafts - shopping

    Day 16

    It’s been a long, tiring, not very satisfying, week. We’re hoping to go to Brighton tomorrow but if the weather is going to be as cold and wet as predicted we will be staying local and heading off to the Muswell Hill Craft Fair instead!

  • Christmas

    Day 15

    Pay Day today, which I celebrated by doing lots of internet shopping from work. I don’t usually have the time to browse the web but I have so much work on at the moment that I had a proper lunch break for a change. I bought some Christmas presents and some wonderful little jingle bells from ebay. I have a prototype design for some Christmas decorations which I need to try out over the weekend. I also picked up a copy of Country Living which I have already read. I think I need to find a magazine swap so I…

  • Uncategorized

    Day 14

    Partners have been assigned for the Holiday Ornament Swap and I am beginning to panic that my design will be rubbish. I’ve been checking out my groups websites and they look like a creative bunch. My mum wasn’t much help, so I’ll be bulk buying Christmas mags for some inspiration during my lunch break tomorrow – thank goodness it’s payday! I am loving this snowflake generator. Very Christmassy.

  • crafts - vintage

    Day 13

    I am writing this blog post from work today for a change. I spent lunchtime walking around the shops and picked up some chocolate vintage buttons from Hotel Chocolate! The packaging is lovely and contains a collection of 18 antique buttons, highlighting “the great skill and artistry that was put into the humble button”. What a lovely gift for a button collector or crafter!

  • holidays

    Day 12

    Mmm, tonight I am drinking beer from our recent holiday in Bruges so here are some pics from a tour we took of the De Halve Mann Brewery in Bruges

  • Cooking - Family History - gardening

    Day 11

    Today we tidied up the garden in preparation for winter. It was pretty warm all weekend but it must get colder soon. We made and ate chocolate brownies. I finished packing up some swaps to take to the Post Office tomorrow. I throughly depressed myself by watching My Boy Jack, which was all about Rudyard Kiplings son who died in the First World War. It reminded me of my great uncle who died. He was Private Alfred Mansel Young, South Wales Borderers. Died Monday 24h July 1916, age 21, and has no known grave. He is standing at the back…