I Take It Back!

Well, I have to eat my words regarding my comments about charity shops. Look what I picked up today!

It's three ft high, it's wooden, it's shabby chic - it's the birdcage I've always wanted! Have put a nice green trail-y plant in it and it's currently living by the front door. What fun!

Where has all the good stuff gone?

I think the Phantom Charity Shop Thief has been round all my favourite places recently because I've been having such trouble trying to find marvellous treasures. Too many people know about the "chazzas" now. I managed two green bowls and a shabby chic apron for £1.50, which was something. Mind you, another thing is that I am beginning to wonder where to put all my impulsive buys. There's always a splendiferous idea of recycling and remaking behind them, but finding time to do it is beyond the realms of reality at the moment.

I have sent some of my Little Women dolls to a lovely shop called Cakewalk in Ilkley and am hoping that they will sell. Do look up the website on http://www.cakewalkvintage.co.uk/ Emma's ethos of the shop is a lovely one and she's really into recycling.

It will soon be Valentine's Day and my art jars, altered books and cards have been selling quite well at the Artlandish shop. I haven't got any pictures of those things right now but I do have a Valentine's Potato!

I also made an advent calendar a couple of years ago with hearts all over it. Might be an idea to hang up for Val's Day - perhaps someone will fill it with choccies for me!

Trying to catch up with Life in 2010!

Oh dear, haven't blogged for ages! Had a great Christmas and a nice quite New Year. Now I'm ready for whatever 2010 throws at me. (I think...) Here are a few random photos until I get my head round being organised:My living room is pale green with powdery blue and deep yellow highlights - much nicer than it sounds and very spring-like. I found the above table runner and ceramic letters at Next and also matching teatowels which I made into chair seat covers.

Keeping this theme I was chuffed to find a half-price Le Creuset frying pan in pale blue, which also matches the kitchen. Ben's Christmas present to me was to build a new cupboard and buy a stool, so I have my little sitting area now. So happy with it. This cute little rocking horse is Jasmine's Christmas pressie from us. After falling off a few times she can now get on and off it and appears to love it. What fun!

Here's the girl herself with Daddy. Not quite sure why he seems about to poke her in the eye, but I suppose she has to learn the hard way in this family!

Winter at the Discovery Centre, Cleethorpes Boating Lake. This is where Artlandish, the community arts group I work for, is now based. It's just a little way from my house so it's really handy and also a lovely walk through the lakeside park.

That's all for now, folks. Let's hope it doesn't take months before I get on the blog again x

The Winter Collection

This blogging lark is not as easy as I'd thought! I've just been too busy to keep it up. However ... here at last are a few items I've made for Jasmine for the Winter Collection. She is nearly a year old! I can't believe how time has flown since her arrival. She's doing so much now, such a real little person rather than a baby.

This is a little jacket and hat in Autumnal colours with one huge button. So cosy. I actually went out and bought the wool instead of my usual recycling efforts.

This little blouse, skirt and bolero set were all made from a charity shop purchase of a Next skirt. No waste at this house!

One 50p pillow made this mock-Monsoon pinafore dress. Sadly, that's all I've managed so far. If I ever get another quiet day I'll be tackling more. At the moment I'm trying to make sure I have enough items for the Christmas Art Market at the Ropewalk in Barton in December. I've started early Crimbo shopping too, so I may be ready in time!

Turkish Delight

We had a great time in Turkey, staying in Icmeler near Marmaris. Had a fabulous Turkish bath which included a sauna, jacuzzi, oil rub and foam bath and a wonderful massage with scented oils. I could do with one every week!

One thing that particularly interested me happened on a coach tour of villages. - there was a stop-off at a carpet co-operative. Many girls in Turkey, as a newly-developing country, don't get much of a chance at a career of any sort. The government have put together a system which not only promotes the sustainability of their carpet weaving industry, but gives young women training in the weaving and dyeing process. The photo below shows one of the students making a carpet. It was fascinating to watch how it's done. The girls worked so fast and yet we were told they were very slow compared to the professionals.

The process of making a carpet can take months if it's made from wool and years if it's silk, which is an incredibly fine medium to work with. The girls have to produce one good carpet and after that they are supplied with their own loom and materials to work in their own homes. This is great to give some form of empowerment for the women, however it can be shortlived as the damage to their hands does limit what they can do in the end. It does seem to be a good thing all in all, though.

Below are just a few of the hundreds of carpets at the co-operative. Some are pretty, some dull and some quite spectacular.

There was a tent where the dyeing was carried out - all the containers held natural seeds, dried berries and so on to create pure colours.

This is a dye vat with some deep magenta wool - gorgeous!

Although the majority of the products were carpets, there were fantastic creations like this hanging. It's probably not a decoration but a thing to harness a camel with, or some such! I'm a bit ignorant on these matters. They weren't for sale but I would have loooooved to have brought one home...

No Time, No Time!

Just so busy at the moment that I haven't had time to blog. I thought I would sneak one in before I go on hol to Turkey. Maybe I'll get some inspiration there to write a longer one. I've not even had time to make Jasmine's Autumn/Winter Collection, but I did manage to make her Christmas Elf coat and hat.

I also have to add this photo of the little lady herself and her daddy, Ben, which I took when he came to pick her up after babysitting. As ABC said, that's the Look of Love...

Remembrance of Pumpkins Past

The Great Pumpkin has been picked! As with the others, it was ready to be removed from its bed as the roots were going. Pumpkin pie was on the menu - turned out I only needed a bit, so there's a whole lotta pumpkin hanging around in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Pie in kit form

Out of oven, onto plate ...

... and into tummy!