Attack of the 50's B Movie Craft Swap

A swap that is all about B Movies, all the terrible 50’s B Movies filled with monsters , aliens, vampires, 50 foot women, badly designed tin foil robots, irradiated critters of all sizes. I have a great love of crappy horror and sci-fi films and I’m sure I’m not the only crafter out there who doesn’t love huge amounts of cheese in their movie viewing habits. So if you craft and love Dracula, Gort, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and pie tin spaceships then this is the swap for you!

Here is how it works:

1. SIGN UP by Friday, June 5th! Email me at meridianariel@hotmail.com with the following information:
-Name
-Mailing Address
-Website or Blog Address
-your favourite B movie (or favourite sort of B movie horror, aliens, radioactive, etc.
*Swap partners will be chosen randomly by me, after the signup closes Monday. I will email you you're partner’s details Monday night, Tuesday morning at the latest.

2. Your parcel should contain:
*Candy (or chocolate) to eat while watching B Movies

*Handmade crafts with the 50’s B Movie theme.. (For example a cuddly werewolf toy, a notebook decorated in flying saucers, creepy alien cards, a crocheted alien, vampire jewellery, and a brain shaped candle for the mad scientist etc…) The swap can be as simple or as extravagant as you wish, just make sure that the things you send are something you would be happy to receive yourself.

*craft supplies

You don’t need to spend the Earth (pardon the pun I couldn’t help myself) but make sure you and your partner spend roughly the same amount. I would say spend around £20 ($30 ish)


3. Mail your package by the end of the first week of July!

4. Take a picture of your swap parcel once you receive it. Upload your images to the Attack of the 50’s B Movie Swap account.

an idea for a swap

just putting out the feelers to see if anyone would be interested in doing a "B-Movie" themed swap?? monsters, aliens, spaceships, mutant bugs etc... I thought it could turn into a rather fun swap... if there is sufficient interest I will do a proper write up and design a button etc.

let me know if you think its a good idea.

gardening, baking, playing

H doing very important planting

Yesterday H and I did some baking and gardening, what else is a boy to do at half term? He helped make some banana coconut and pecan muffins, and had been practicing his barista skills with M making coffee. We haven't really got much done, but that doesn't matter he has helped to plant a little plant in the garden, and played at being dragons, monsters, Jedi knights and Darth Vader, most of this didn't involve me as he was twirling around the garden having a merry time for himself.

liliac in the garden

About five minutes ago H went off with his grandma to go to his swimming lesson so I have the house to myself for an hour or two before M comes home, I'm not feeling particularly motivated to craft, or bake or clean, but then again I rarely ever feel the desire to clean, Martha I am not nor will I ever be. Instead I'm watching an episode of Veronica Mars that I downloaded and mulling over some ideas for working on the fairy tale I still haven't finished writing (honest one day it will be done) and thinking about all the comments that were left after my last blog post. Thank you so much everyone who shared their thoughts and themselves with me, it means agreat deal to me, and I will attempt to email you all back individually, but as you should all know by now I'm very slow at writing emails.

banana, coconut, and pecan muffin

p.s. I'll write up a recipe for the muffins if anyone requests it.. they did turn out very nice and got rid of half of the bananas in the fruit bowl that were turning a nice shade of brown.

through a scanner faintly

This week I have got no crafting done what so ever, I barely cracked a book open. The hamster wheel is spinning but the hamster has left the building. I have instead of crafting done a small amount of writing, and when not watching episodes of Veronica Mars, I have been thinking a lot about who I am, and what people think of me.

Friday night I went to dinner at a friends house, four skinny birds and me the fat hen, if you like your poultry analogies. I’m well aware of the fact and though I find it depressing that I’m the fat one I also find it more so that I feel as if I’m a lost cause, I’m the only friend that doesn’t work, two of the group are teachers, one works in an office and Heather runs the comic shop. Me I don’t do anything much or anything that is particularly worthwhile, I start things but never finish them, I’m over qualified or vastly under qualified for nearly everything.

I’m a stay at home mother, but I am far from a domestic diva or Suzie Homemaker, aside from a flare for cooking. M says I should get a job or volunteer more for H’s school, but to be honest M is much more outgoing and happy go lucky than I am, he can easily talk to anyone where I really struggle at times to talk with people that I haven’t anything remotely in common with, aside from being parents. I loath having to pick H up from school, standing there at the class room door waiting for the kids to be left free, I talk to Heather and maybe two other mothers the rest ignore me and keep to their own cliques. I hated that when I was in school and I hate it still, I’m not an “in with the in crowd” sort.

That rules out any more volunteering for school, I will bake cakes and I will help out at craft nights, as long as I don’t have to do the sticking and gluing table because there is nothing that annoys me more than gobs of glue dribbled everywhere. M got very cross with me for my refusing to help the school out on a walk up to the church in town, its not my bag, I don’t believe in church I believe in belief, anything more organized just leads to trouble. I am American and schools in the States have nothing to do with religion aside from the small mention in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Work…I don’t know what I would do I’m not qualified for much, I only did a few years of university/college before burning out and coming to England to be with M, instead of having M move to California. I have worked retail so that bit isn’t a problem, I have done cash office and been a manager for Target in California, I worked for a few years at IKEA at Giltbrook until I fell pregnant at the same time they refused me working in the actual cash office. They were for reasons known only to IKEA getting rid of all the managers that actually gave a damn about the cashiers and changing the job title so that they could give a pat on the back to the people they liked, not the ones that could actually do the job. Bitter? Moi?


Craft…I have always been artistic, and for the past two years I have been getting back the artsy side of me that I misplaced when I moved to England. I have taught myself to knit (badly), beading, stamping, card making, vintage book staining and painting, and lately I have been learning to sew with my dinky little sewing machine. Crafting has lead me to blogging and meeting with some very talented and brilliant crafters, and to the knowledge that I’m a scanner.

Scanner…I never heard the term until last summer when I did the Fairy Tale Swap and partnered with Selena (Apron thrift Girl) who is a fantastic writer blogger and crafter who also happens to have a scanner personality. A scanner is someone who isn’t one thing, we aren’t this or that, we can become intently focused on one thing until it is mastered then may never do that again, having switched on to doing something entirely different. A Jack or rather Jane of all trades, that’s me(one of my lovely skinny blonde even told me so), I’m an expert in nothing, yet I will turn my hand to anything that I’m intensely fascinated by or in love with. Then a few months, weeks or days down the line I will drop it and move onto the next thing whatever that might be.

I have always admired those people who know what they want and have the drive to be the best at one thing, I have no special one thing that I am, I’m not a photographer, a writer, a doctor, a mechanic or anything special in particular I lack that drive to be that one thing and be the best at it. I wear a lot of hats but they never seem to stay perched atop my head for very long. And I never know what the next thing is going to be, aside from getting my arse in the kitchen and finding something to make for tea.

For more information about scanners have a look at the link below.

http://www.getmotivation.com/articlelib/articles/barbara_sher_scanner.html

Let's Play

“Let’s Play”
Let’s Play rules: IT’S HARDER THAN IT LOOKS! COPY, ERASE MY ANSWERS, ENTER YOURS, POST IT ON YOUR BLOG, FACEBOOK, ETC. USE THE 1ST LETTER OF YOUR LAST NAME TO ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS. THEY HAVE TO BE REAL PLACES, NAMES, AND THINGS. NOTHING MADE UP! TRY TO USE DIFFERENT ANSWERS IF THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU HAD THE SAME 1ST INITIAL.

Have Fun!!

1. What is your last name? Lowe
2. A 4 Letter Word? Lame
3. A Boy’s Name? Logan
4. A Girl’s name? Lily
5. An Occupation? Librarian
6. A Color? Luscious Lavender
7. Something you wear? Lint
8. A Beverage? Latte
9. A Food? lettuce
10. Something found in the bathroom? Lemon Lime (technically its "citrus") Lotion
11. A place? Lincoln
12. A Reason for being late? Lethargy
13. Things you shout? Lummox

Tag. You’re it.

Peanutbutter's Quilt

don't laugh! ...well OK you can laugh if you want to...the stitching is wonky.. in fact I'm pretty sure everything is wonky but H picked everything out to make a quilt for Peanutbutter. As the quilt is slightly less scruffy than Peanutbutter himself I think its turned out OK... its made from scraps of fabric, the tan is left over from the curtains in the living room, the gingham is from Laura Ashley's and Hannah sent me the little bit of owl fabric.

The Boy says its just perfect and that Peanutbutter loves his brand new quilt. I don't think I will be joining in any doll quilt swap anytime in the near future.. my baby sewing machine is just too small to quilt it and I can't cut straight to save my life (even with the new rotary cutter I bought, though luckily I haven't cut myself with it yet) and as H kept "helping" well if you have kids you can imagine. I can understand the principals its just the skills I am sorely lacking in.

every zombie needs....

somebody to love...and eat the brains of...

my very first zombie plushie. His name is Bob and he likes brains, the colour pink, and long walks through zombie infested streets.

he also makes an excellent pincushion... Zombie Bob is only tiny, he easily fits in the palm of my hand. Not a bad attempt at a softie, seeing as I have only made a small owl before this. He didn't turn out exactly as I doodled and imagined him but still cute enough, for a zombie.

Carrot and Coconut Cupcakes

Carrot and Coconut Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups caster (white)sugar
1 cup melted butter (or vegetable oil may be used)
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups finely shredded carrot
1 ¼ cups sweetened desiccated coconut

FROSTING
1 package cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan or muffin tin (or use paper muffin cup liners, I had run out).

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar, add melted butter (or oil), eggs, carrot, coconut, and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon until well blended.

Stir in carrots, coconut,

Pour into 9x13 inch pan and bake for about 45 minutes. Or scoop into muffin tins filling 3/4Th's full.

Allow to cool; when cool, ice the cake.

To make the frosting: Cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the icing sugar a little at a time and beat until creamy.



Cooks notes: I haven’t actually eaten carrot cake of any sort since I had H. It may have had something to do with my weekly treat while pregnant was a Starbucks frappichino, with a pastrami panini and a slice of carrot passion cake (or whatever it was called) ... it was the one thing I lived for while pregnant.. and it didn't matter what I ate as due the the Hyperemisis nothing stayed down for very long anyway. M says this is one of the best carrot cakes he has had, which I'm quite pleased with, it may have something to do with the amount of sugar, and the sweetened desiccated coconut (its softer than plain dessicated coconut). I made the recipe with butter because I have never been a big fan of oily cakes but for the dairy intolerant you can easily substitute oil for the butter used, and it can be served with a water based icing or plain.

Acid Toadstools and a Magical Mystery Tour

you knew I meant fabric right?

I made this little toadstool fabric lavender and rice warm bag, and matching pincushion for Katy. Now Katy's birthday was quite awhile ago, and I really meant to send her something but no matter what I made it just never seemed quite imperfectly perfect enough to give as a gift. I here worriedly this morning waiting for Katy to open my bag of goodies. I even had back up lavender and rice bags to substitute if she didn't like this one. Luckily she did so that was a big relief.

In addition to the pincushion and warm bag I gave Katy a bracelet made with onyx, and green jade, with a cute little apple toggle clasp. I stamped her name on a small jute bag, and made a card which I forgot to take photographic evidence of because I'm a total dork. But it doesn't matter as we had a fab day out. Katy drove and I navigated us to a lovely little quilt shop in Darley Dale, followed by lunch at Caudwell's mill and then a mooch round Scarthin Books in Cromford and a cup of tea. It was a fun outing and next time I promise to be more organized and get a few more local crafter's in the mix and convoy ourselves around Derbyshire's pretty (and crafty) places. Chatsworth anyone?

green apple bracelet

tattoo lavender and rice warmbag

Sewn using the smallest piece of tattoo fabric cut from the edge of the half yard of fabric I bought on Bainbridge Island, WA. I was too cowardly to cut a larger piece just yet so practiced with a small piece and made this small lavender rice warm bag, a perfect little warmer for your hands or small aches and pains. I plan to make another with the fabulous tattoo fabric, I think I may be in love with it its so cool, and far less painful that a real tattoo, unless I manage to sew my fingers together. Which is always a possibility with me.


I started the bag with the intent that I would make it for Katy, in the umpteenth time I have attempted to make a present for Katy and it ending up being not quite right. I'm probably my own worst enemy in that regard, and imperfect perfectionist, if such a thing even exists it most definitely is me.

M thinks this is one of the best ones I have done, I mumbled that its off center as it was on the edge of the fabric, he said he liked the stars along the edge. Which I guess I do too, I may be popping it in my etsy shop a little later and see if anyone is interested in it. I suppose I best go get something useful done in the mean time, like putting the kettle on, a very useful thing.

Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter ( room temperature)
1 cup caster/white granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (a good pinch)
2 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (sliced and sprinkled with a tablespoon sugar)
2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 375° F (180° C ish)

Grease 18 regular-size muffin cups (or 12 large size muffins) or line muffin tins with paper cases.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.

Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt. With a spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter.

Fold in the remainder of the flour, and then the remainder of the milk.

Gently fold strawberries into the batter and spoon into muffin cups.

Bake 20 minutes, or until golden brown and springy to touch.


cooks notes: I made these last Saturday to use up some strawberries that were of the use them or compost them state. We had Flame staying with us so I thought muffins would be a nice morning treat. Any excuse really, you know me and my baking. M said they were the nicest ones he has had and H didn't want to stop eating them so I must have done something right.

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Sorry I'm behind on updates, I will be posting a few more things soon.. as well as a giveaway when I have managed to actually sell something in my etsy shop *tilts head meaningfully to the right* to pay for a giveaway.

Ali forgot to poison the tea

"Ali forgot to poison the tea"

I finished this card earlier today, made from a vintage book illustration from a girls annual from the 1950's, rustically hand stamped (that translates as crapily hand stamped by me). I started the card a few days ago when I realized I forgot a friend's birthday, well I knew it was near mine but with the jet lag and unpacking I forgot to send her a present. I'm supposed to meet her tomorrow for a coffee and will give her the card and a little present before M takes me to see the new Wolverine flick and out to dinner for my birthday.

What else is new? well seeing as I got a huge phone bill for the time I was away visiting my parents I have knocked down the price of jewellery and art in my etsy shop and added the vintage doily scarf. In the hopes that a few things will sell and I will not get glowered at for texting, emailing, and twittering from my phone. I shall be adding and making more items for the shop soon, but not tomorrow, its my birthday so I won't be doing anything but enjoying the day...

Idaho and Seattle April 09

Seattle Space Needle

Random photos taken from our trip, these are only a few of what was taken, M hasn't finished editing them all yet. Most of the photos this time were taken of H and various dogs, but especially the latest addition of little Frankie to the pack. My dad found Frankie abandoned in the snow a few months ago. She was tiny and half frozen, had he not have brought her in warmed her and fed her by the fire she would not have made it through the night. If the snow and freezing temperatures didn't get her than most likely the predators would have. lynx, wolves, eagles, owls, coyotes, and other predators roam the woods, and deer and moose which can kill smaller animals.

Frankie

Frankie and H soon bonded and were inseparable most of the trip, when we weren't gallivanting about town to Starbucks, coffee huts, Old Navy and the cinema. The only crafting I got on the trip was knitting a headband to match a red shirt that I had brought with me. Little did I know that H would decide it was a Headband of Power and that it was actually meant to be for him and him alone...hmmm still not so sure about that but the daffodil tutu shot is priceless.

H with Headband of Power and Daffodil tutu

H on the top of the Space Needle (I was not present, i was in Barns and Nobles looking at books and journals)

Coffee Shack in Sand Point, they are everywhere I just adore the coffee junkie culture everywhere.

a little coffee hut in Cle Elum

The little coffee shop in Cle Elum we didn't stop at having been slightly jittery from the coffee at Denny's already.. this picture was taken on the first day as we were driving across Washington to get to Idaho. It was miserable and freezing and our anniversary too.

me

H and Frankie

Nico the pug being patriotic

things to do with doilies when you're dead

linen scarf with vintage doilie

well obviously not really dead because one would assume it would be very hard to sew what with the rigamortis and all....ahem..anyway...

I have had this idea bumbling around in my head for ages, since I found a vintage doily at the little junk shop at Cromford Mill, that I would make something with it. I wasn't entirely sure what it would be I thought about maybe a little tote bag, but then the idea for a scarf started forming in my wee little brain. I wasn't sure exactly how to start and dithered around before deciding today would be the day.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, though I don't know what to do with it, keep it or give it away as a present or sell it, though I'm worried it wouldn't really sell as I'm not remotely the best seamstress. The buttons are vintage mother of pearl from Vintage Violet's Buttons, a fantastic Folksy shop run by the lovely Megan. The scarf needs photographing around someones neck (not mine) and possibly a better ironing job than I did in my hurry to get it photographed in the fading light.

craft goodies from the States and some lavender sachets

little lavender sachets

First before I get into the pile of crafty things I brought back from the states I would like to show off two little lavender sachets I made yesterday morning. The little owl is my favourite made with linen mix fabric, with onxy bead eyes, and "Owl" stamped on the back with my lovely alphabet stamps.I adore my abc stamp set

metal embroidery hoops

I don't know if you followed my twitter feed or not while I was away, it did tell more than drinking vast quantities of coffee, honest. While in Idaho we went to a few yard and estate sales, at the first one we visited in the "free" box by the door I found two metal embroidery hoops. They were in excellent conditio, I would have happily paid for them, but as they were free that was even better.

fabrics from Bear Paw

Near Fred Meyer's grocery store there was a quilt shop, Bear Paw Quilting and Bernina, I only got to go in for half an hour but I had a fab time. I don't quilt, I'm sure Katy or Leah will say I should add "yet" to that statement, but I had fun looking at fabrics and bought two fat quarters one with little numbers and a retro-y one with children and toys (I know I'm bad at descriptions today). There were some really fantastic fabrics and quilt patterns, and classes too, I may have the chance to visit my parents in summer and it would be fun to take a class or just buy a few more pieces of fabric.

vintage button assortment

My mother found these vintage buttons at a few yard sales she visit last summer and kept them for me. I don't know what I will be making with them but they are very pretty, the mother of pearl ones I found in Wiggits antiques in Coeur d Alene and as they were only small and cheap I treated myself to them, before going to get an iced latte, from Starbucks naturally. I also visited a Michael's crafts and bought some lowercase alphabet stamps that were on sale and some embroidery floss, I attempted to do some embrodiery while at my parents house but it didn't work out.

pretty little fabrics

My last stop for craft things was to Esther's Fabrics on Bainbridge Island, Wa. We met up with Selena of Apron Thrift Girl on the Island after meeting her and her husband for lunch the day before in the University District of Seattle. Selena lives on the island and we met for coffee and pastries at the lovely Blackbird Bakery and She showed us around the little town and then took me to Esther's Fabrics for a nose around all the pretty fabrics, I was spoiled for choice, especially with the cute selection of japanese fabrics.

Alexander Henry Tattoo fabric

After heming and hawing for an indeterminate time I bought a small selection of pretty fabrics to play with, under the guise of them being an birthday present. I have ideas for the tattoo fabric, a very belated birthday present for a friend because what I made for her just wasn't quite right, the rest I don't know butI'm happy just looking at them.

vintage copy of the Wizard of Oz

One last item, Selena gave me this fantastic abused vintage copy of the Wizard of Oz, its great I never read the book so I'm going to read it then take it apart for my art as its in very poor condition which is exactly what I have been serching for for months. You just can't find a copy around here anywhere. I read the first few pages aloud to H on the ferry back to Seattle so I will see if he wants me to read him any more. Though if he likes it I will probably have trouble taking it apart for my art. Selena also found a art neveau book in Polish that should though would look pretty painted on. I'll be dragging my paints out in the next week I think, though I still have pleny of pages from a vintage copy of Alice in Wonderland to work with first.

random chapter

back home and back dated crafts

tea towel drawn by H and hand stamped with a little help

Were back from our holiday to visit my parents in Idaho, jet lagged all to hell and H currently having a major hissy fit as there is cheese on his sandwich...? We had a great time, though not enough of it and I will blog pictures later on in the week when I have stolen them from M, and can be bothered to sort them out. For now I will show you a few things I made the week before going away and didn't have a chance to blog.

lavender and rice warm bags hand stamped with Pappy and Grammy

H helped sew the lavender and rice bags, picked out the fabrics himself, and filled them with the aforementioned dried lavender and rice, then together we stamped the ribbon with "PAPPY" and "GRAMMY" least they forget, as well as getting him to draw a picture to trace onto a simple cotton tea towel from ikea, and then stamped it with my alphabet stamps and fabric ink.

a slightly better picture of the warmbag for my Mother

A few days before heading to the airport was my friend Flamesparrow's birthday, so in an effort to cheer her up I sent her a parcel of books, with a homemade card (which I think is one of the best I have ever done) and a small faceted onyx bracelet. The parcel didn't arrive until we were at our airport hotel so i never blogged about them either. I suppose I could have set the posts to post at certain dates then things would have been secret until my creations were in the hands of who there were meant for but the week before going away was chaotic to say the least.

onyx bracelet for flame

I know in my last post I promised a giveaway, but you will have to give me a few days as I have nothing made to actually giveaway. I did buy some crafty treats, fabric and stamps while away so I do have supplies to make some lovely things, and hopefully inspiration to get them made as well. And I have a lot of writing to do to, somebody kick me up the backside please, in a day or two though when I'm not so lethargic and jetlagged.

Flamesparrow's birthday card

On Holiday

apples, antiques and a coffee stop
after the mountains before a long stretch of nothing much

Off on our trip to visit my parents in Idaho, hotel by the airport tonight then a very long flight, followed by a hotel in seattle, walking up at stupid o' clock and having breakfast at Denny's followed by copious amounts of coffee. After fueling up its a 5 1/2 hour drive accross Washington state to get to my parents house in North Idaho. As this is my 350th blogpost I will do a give away when we return in a few weeks time.

if you wish to follow me on twitter I will be tweeting on my phone while we travel and the durration of the holiday, connection willing. you can find me here:

http://twitter.com/meridianariel

or just read the twitterfeed over there -------------->

you can email me too.. at meridianariel @ hotmail . com but I can't guarantee I will get a chance to reply to everything but I will try, but I will answer any direct tweets if you send them to me!

see you soon Mother and Daddy!

p.s. sorry I couldn't get hold of any packets of Oaties!

Time for Tea...

gorgeous wonderful coffee loveliness

...or coffee really, you know what I'm like. This morning I received a huge parcel of coffee themed loveliness from my Time for Tea swap partner Kathryn. Thank you Kathryn everything is so lovely, I'm going to light the candle in a bit, and have all ready stolen several chocolate covered coffee beans before taking a picture of the swap goodies. She sent me a fabulous latte cup, the aforementioned chocolate covered coffee beans, a candle with coffee beans in it, a metal bookmark with a coffee pot charm, a phone dangle with a coffee bean charm, cupcake stickers, and some lovely card stock that I can't wait to play around with...but I'm going to have to as we are down at the airport hotel tomorrow night and fly Wednesday afternoon so no crafty time for me, its holiday time.

tea card

What did I send to Kathryn I hear you ask well... that is a good question because I forgot to photograph everything but the tea card I made, and the tea time tag that I was so worried wouldn't be good enough for the swap. Yes I know I'm a ditz. I love how the card turned out through, with its vintage music paper, stained with black tea, and drawn with ink, pencil, and stamped with my lovely alphabet stamps. And as you will see I used the stamps on the tea tag as well! Big thanks to Vonnie for organizing the swap!

tea time tag

Right I have packing to do!

p.s. Katy I'm not addicted to fabric but I am having fun with it, you will know I am addicted when I come visit your house and steal fabrics out of your hoard! :P

M's Birthday

awesome coffee postcard

Yesterday was M's birthday so along with a amazon order of a book, a CD, and a box set (that still hasn't arrived *waves fist at the fluffy haired postie* I made the above card, well post card actually as I used the last card to make a birthday card for Flamesparrow (which I cannot post on here until she receives it as she will snoop). The card was made with a vintage music sheet hand stained with black tea, I drew a the coffee cup with pencil and my favourite ink pen, and stamped Awesome Coffee with my new alphabet stamp set and cherry red fabric ink (the only kind I have) then I used my little sewing machine to sew the music sheet to the recycled fiber postcard ( from a packet sold at Paperchase).



It was very important to H that we make something handmade for M, he said that it had to be a warmbag because that is what I make best, so he had a rummage though my small box of fabrics and dragged out some raspberry gingham from Laura Ashley (we have some cushions that were made with the same fabric that sometimes live in the lounge and sometimes migrate into H's room). I cut the fabric and sewed three sides then H helped to turn the fabric right side then fill it with high quality lavender and rice, then we used the ABC stamps to mark ML on a piece of natural coloured sewing tape. H then helped to sew the bag closed, pressing the pedal and listening carefully.

H was over the moon with excitement to give M the warm bag yesterday morning, and he made sure M took the bag with him to work today in case it is cold at the studio, bless. Instead of a cake H and I made some very decadent brownie cupcakes ( a slightly richer recipe than the one found on my blog here if anyone wants it I can write up the recipe and blog it for you) . I have some sewing to attempt to do now (doubtful) and I need to get at least one suitcase down from the attic before the day ends, as well as taking care of H who is home from school due to a rather chunky sounding cough.

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and I must have a shout out to Gill of Hollingdale Designs who made the beautiful button ends of Kerry's black Glitter (Midnight Meridian ~wink~ ) knitting needles in the previous post.

PennyDog Knitting Needles

black glitter knitting needles (the wool is Noro Kureyon)

Look what Mr. Fluffy Haired Postie brought for me on Tuesday! Fantastically fabulous black glitter resin knitting needles handmade by the incredibly talented (and published) Kerry of PennyDog Jewellery . I will admit that I may have badgered her quite a bit that she needed to get black glitter for her resin knitting needles, I won't take all the credit or blame though as Dria and a few others also annoyed her as well.

I wasn't expecting them as a gift, even though she said she would send me something for the balls of yarn I sent her for display purposes. Its the loveliest thing about being a crafty blogger, how lovely everyone is in the blogging/crafting community, its enough to make one cry, or at least make me cry that there are so many like minded and helpful people out there. It is truly a wondrous thing.

Kerry do these knitting needles have a name? Black Glitter or something more emo or goth glam?

I can't wait to start knitting with them, I'm not sure what my knitting is only very simple, but I do need to knit a rock cover for the Knitted Nature knit Graffiti Challenge on Crafteroo.