Kitkat's Katchat

My Blog is Moving

2011-12-01T14:14:00.004Z

As most of you are probably aware, my blog is moving home. I have moved to my own website and can now be found here.

I have been posting on both blogs for the past month so there's plenty to look at, including a few new posts :) I hope you all call round and visit. You can also follow using either your rss reader or through networked blogs. I also have my shop over on my new site so why not come over for a browse.

Final Bits & Bobs Before Craft Fair

2011-11-22T22:45:00.005Z

I've been having a final splurge of creating before the Craft Fair Saturday. I've made a couple more pairs of earrings and made a second rack for my earrings to be displayed on. If any of you are in the St Albans area this Saturday (26th November 2011) between 11am - 3pm, Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs will be at the Creative Arts Christmas Craft Fair at Verulam School in St Albans.

Here's the flyer the School have sent advertising the event :) Wish me luck. Its my first ever Craft Fair so I'm a little nervous, but also very excited.

I've also been busy with my website and now have a section to display and eventually sell my artwork and email using my domain name. If you want to reach me I can be emailed at kat@woodledoodledandydesigns.co.uk :)

Also don't forget, my blog is moving home. My new home will be here and I've already started blogging from here ready for the move on the 1st December 2011. I really hope that you will all come and find me at my new home, and maybe even leave me a message or several :) You can follow me using networked blogs or by adding the link from my RSS feed to your Reader. Hope to see you all soon :)

All Go

2011-11-10T19:29:00.004Z

Its been a busy few days at Woodle Doodle Dandy Towers :) I've made my first sales from my new site \o/ and I've been making more earrings. I'm guessing earrings will be my biggest sellers at the craft fair but I know I need to get down to making some more necklaces and bracelets too.

I'm also really chuffed. My new business cards from Moo turned up at the weekend. I absolutely love them and have already given a few out. I also got my new order of elasticated thread and jump rings from Beads Unlimited in the post today. I've had a splitting headache all day today so that has really perked me up.

I'm finally extra excited as the new Support Handmade However its Made site is up and looking fab. Shirley at Diddybears has done an amazing job. Everything looks so tempting. I've already done a tiny bit of shopping via it and hope to do some more at the weekend. There's a great mix of items on show, everything from lovely toiletries, gorgeous candles, beautiful homeware, great jewellery and loads more.

I've uploaded my latest creations to my shop but just in case you haven't had a chance to look, here's a little taster :)

More Makery :)

2011-11-02T21:14:00.009Z

I've been slowly working through my stash of broken jewellery and disassembling them. I've also been having a brutal look at some of my older jewellery that I made. I've had a bit of a cull and taken those pieces apart too. I'm quite chuffed with the amount of jump rings I've salvaged. It may sound a bit odd but I find the whole process of taking dead jewellery to pieces and sorting the parts really relaxing. Also by sorting them by colour I've got inspired by some nice colour combinations. I made these earrings last night and I'm so happy with how they look.

All the earrings have also been added to my shop so if you fancy snapping any of them up, just pop on over to here.

Finally for those of you who are reading this from my blogspot account, don't forget I'll be moving over to my new site permanently from the 1st December 2011. My new site address is here.

Feeling Creative \o/

2011-10-30T18:58:00.004Z

After all the goings on on Folksy its been a relief to get back to making jewellery again. I've been going through the stash I got from Oxfam earlier in the month and taking the broken jewellery apart and sorting out what findings I can salvage. So far I have managed to get some really nice copper jump rings and loads of pretty beads and spacers. Here's what I got in the jar.

It only cost £4.99 so I was chuffed to bits :) I've so sorted a lot of the beads and made a pair of earrings. I used some blue beads I got given a while ago and added them to some spacers I got in amongst the latest haul. I'm really happy with how they've come out and have just listed them in my shop.

Finally, a note to all my followers, I have decided to move over to my new blog permenantly on 1st December 2011. For the next month I will post all posts on both sites but from the 1st December I will only be posting at my new address on my site. The address for anyone wanting to make the move over now is here.

Busy, busy, busy!

2011-10-26T22:57:00.003+01:00

I've been busy beavering away on my new website and listing stock. I have also made the decision to close my shop on Folksy as my heart just hasn't been in it since they made all the changes to their definition of handmade. Also, the thought of making a sale and giving even a tiny part to them as commission was also leaving a nasty taste in my mouth.

I'm loving the freedom of having my own site. It took me a few days to get my head around the fact I could list whatever I liked :) I'm also considering moving my blog over to the site. What you you folks think? I hope you would all come and visit and follow me in my new home :) If I know you're coming I'll bung the kettle on and even rustle up some cyber-biscuits ;)

I've also been enjoying getting to know the other ladies (and gentleman) from Shhim. Mrs Diddybears has done an absolutely fab job on the site and is currently working on a Christmas showcase! I can't wait. I do owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Not just for all the hard work she has done with the Shhim site (which is currently doing in her own time and for no fees!) but also for being the catalysis in getting my arse in gear with the website. I think its one of the best things I've done and its really inspired me to get creating. Thank you Mrs D and also the other Shhim ladies :)

If you need a little bit of cuteness you should pop on over to her shop and check out her Diddybears. They are utterly adorable. Everyone is different and they come with their own birth certificate. My favourite bit is the description on the about page :)

I can haz new shop!

2011-10-15T13:54:00.003+01:00

I finally took the plunge and got myself a website with shop. Its a bit of a gamble as I've always sold my jewellery through other sites like Folksy and Dawanda but I think after the nonsense on Folksy I felt it was time. I'm going to keep my Folksy shop till my listings run out and haven't decided what to do with my Dawanda shop yet. Dawanda have always been supportive so I don't want to abandon my shop there but I have to be honest, I get a fraction of the traffic I did on my Folksy shop and pricing in Euros is a little awkward.

You can find me here so please do take a look. Any feedback would be very welcome. If you have a shop/website you would like me to promote just leave me a comment with your details.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-12T22:39:00.003+01:00

While reading through Bust Magazines Blog I saw this cheeky little reminder for getting the ladies to check their boobs. Such an important message and done in a way that made me chuckle, so I thought I had to share it ;)

Preparing for my First Proper Craft Fair

2011-10-09T17:53:00.005+01:00

I've been creating more stock for my stall and now have 9 little cat brooches. I'm really chuffed with them and hope people like them. Here's them all together :)

I've also been shopping for cheap picture frames today and picked up a couple from my local Pound shop. The plan is to remove the glass and cover the backing in black fabric and then use them to display me earrings. I'm planning on getting some bowls to put my brooches and bracelets in and then hanging my necklaces up somehow. I also need to pick up a cheap mirror as I've learnt from past experience that people like to see what items will look like on.

I'm so looking forward to doing the fair and it would be even better if I sold enough to cover the stall cost. I figure either way it will still be great experience and a great opportunity to give out some business cards and SHHIM flyers :)

My Two Penneth

2011-10-07T22:35:00.004+01:00

Oh dear Folksy :( I am so disappointed in you. Everything was so good and you've kind of ruined it. At the beginning of last month Folksy decided, in its wisdom, to get picky and introduced us to the wonderful term 'assembled'. Apparently jewellery items which are made up of mass produced items such as charms do not measure up the Folksy vision. Other items were also swept up in the assembled put down and included candles made using vintage cups and glasses and cards made from mass produced embellishments. Apparently these items are not creative enough!

In some sense I was lucky that most of the bits in my shop 'measure up' but unfortunately the damage has been done. The snootiness in the forums, the arse about face way they announced the changes, the fact that they aren't refunding listing fees for items accepted less than a week earlier and bad feeling, inconsistent message and uncertainty they have created amongst loyal shop owners has thoroughly got up my nose. On top of this, the bit that pisses me off the most is how patronising this all is to buyers. What is really wrong with using charms or embellishments bought elsewhere. How is this different to using fabric brought elsewhere, using a sewing machine or buying mass produced wool.

I would also like to add that skill is most definitely needed in order to make and sell the items they are now classing as assembled. I've had a go over the years at making cards and I suck. Its really bloody fiddly and your work has to be off such a high standard to make any money from selling them. The card market, like the handmade jewellery market, is also chock-a-block with competition. You are also competing with the convenience and prices of the high street. Keeping your prices affordable often requires making use of some mass produced components.

Anyway, I've said my piece. I'm going to need to hold fire from ditching my shop altogether as I have a ton of business cards printed and a craft fair next month. Once the dreaded Christmas is out of the way though I intend to let my shop die out and focus my attentions on my Dawanda shop.

If any of you lovely folk would like to lend your support, Diddybears has set up a site offering free advertising to any Folksy shop owner effected or outraged by the changes. Its such a generous thing to offer and is well worth a look. As their slogan goes - Supporting Handmade However Its Made. Amen!

Cats & Pots

2011-10-02T19:20:00.009+01:00

I've just got back from a nice hour down the plot. The weather has been glorious, better than the summer! We got a visit from the black and white allotment cat and she was extremely purry and excited. She was especially lucky as I had a cat stick in my bag for just such an occasion =).

I've also been making lots in preparation for the craft fair I have a stall at, at the end of November. I've been making more brooches and have been lots of these little cat brooches. I'm really chuffed with the design and how they are coming out. I'm also going to make some keyrings too, so watch out for those.

As my giveaway hasn't been whipping up very much enthusiasm I'm also going to throw in one of my new cat brooches. I will leave it up to the winner to select the colour scheme as I have masses of different colours of felt, so I should be able to accommodate. To enter just follow the instructions on the previous post :)

Finally, my Boyfriend has also had a successful time with his crafting. He works in ceramics and had his first open studios last weekend. It went so well and he sold loads, far more than he was expecting. I feel extremely proud :). He's also set up his own blog so if you want to follow his tales as a potter then pop on over to his blog :)

Giveaway Time \o/

2011-09-24T19:31:00.004+01:00

To celebrate reaching the milestone of 100 twitter followers and 60 blog followers, I have decided to thank everyone with a Halloween themed giveaway :)

I'm giving away these two pairs of Halloweeny earrings and this cute bat tile necklace. The bat tile and Jack Skellington Earrings were handmade from fimo clay and the silver bone earrings are made from some cute bone charms I picked up a while ago and hung from silver plated earring wires. As I'm feeling extra excited I'm going to throw in some Halloween sweeties too :)

How to enter:
1. Follow my blog and leave me a comment telling me

For additional entries you can:
2. Visit my Folksy Shop and leave me a comment telling me your favourite item
3. Follow me on Twitter and leave me a comment telling me your twitter name
4. Like my shop on facebook and leave me a comment telling me who you are on facebook

The giveaway will close midnight of Tuesday 4th of October 2011. The giveaway is open Worldwide. I will send the winning person a message on the Wednesday and announce the winner here so keep your eyes peeled. Have fun :)

Something Different...

2011-09-18T17:04:00.004+01:00

I've been playing around on youtube today so I thought I'd share some of what I've been listening to...

Alanis Morrisette - That I Would be Good

Patti Smith - Smells Like Teen Spirit

Sade - By You Side

Apologies for the advertising before Patti Smith - couldn't find a decent live recording and I love her cover of this Nirvana song so I thought the ad wasn't too offensive.

Latest Doings

2011-09-17T18:24:00.005+01:00

I've been pretty busy lately. I've been trying to come up with some new designs for my stall at the Craft Fair I'm doing in November. I've also been busy down the plot. I want to get as much clear and in use as possible. So far we've dug up our onions and they are nice and dried out. I used my first one Thursday night in my dinner and it was very tasty :)

We've also dug up our first row of potatoes and they are scrummy. They're a good size, seem to dig up pretty clean (so less scrubbing \o/) and cook up nicely. They're quite floury and make very tasty mash. We keep the skins on when making mash so I was chuffed that they cleaned up with minimal scrubbing. I wish I could remember what breed they were as I'd be very happy having more of the same.

The courgettes are almost at the end of their life but we have had some amazing harvests from them. I'm also very pleased to say that we've only had to compost one. The rest were all eaten up by either us or our neighbour (who makes very tasty cake as payment).

The squashes are looking amazing. We only planted 2 that a friend gave us and they've taken up so much room. Very handy as they are extremely low maintenance and easy to grow. They look a little like the courgettes and have already got some squashes coming on them. I've never grown squash before so this is going to be an experience. I'll have to track down some recipes so they don't get wasted.

Finally, I've got in all the onions and shallots I bought in Wilkinsons and just have the garlic to put in. I'll probably do that tomorrow, providing the weather stays fine. The sweetcorns are also ready to harvest \o/.

On the making front, I've been experimenting with felt and making brooches. So far I've made a pretty flower one and a cute pumpkin. I'm thinking of making more halloweeny ones as I've got a ton of zombie green and pumpkin orange felt to use up :)

Also I've reached 60 followers of my blog and 105 twitter followers so I'm planning another giveaway to celebrate. I want to make something new for it so watch this space. Something is on the horizon but haven't quite decided what :)

More Makery :)

2011-09-04T20:57:00.004+01:00

I've finally got back to crafting \o/ I got some great owl charms from ebay which have already made their way into my Folksy shop in the form of some cute earrings :> I've also been using some of the blue glass beads I got from Oxfam and combined them with some silver ball beads I picked up second hand ages ago. I'm very chuffed with the results and it feels great to be making again.

I've also signed up for a Chr*****s craft fair that's running on the last week of November so I need to get my crafty arse in gear and get stuff ready for that. I've been playing around with some ideas for brooches and have so far made my first successful flower brooch. Its made from odd scraps of fabric and beads and some cool wool I picked up in Cancer Research shop in Hemel. I forgot to take any pics so will get some done next time I play with the camera.

After my unwelcome, non-cultivation notice from the council, I've also been down the plot loads. I got some great bargains in Wilkonsons last week - they had bags of 50 mixed onions for £2. I also got some shallots and garlic, also for the same price. I've also picked up some spring bulbs from the Pound shop too and they were on offer - 2 for £1. I'm hoping to get as many of them in over the next few weekends so I can keep up the growing over the autumn and winter.

Beading for Breast Cancer

2011-08-27T23:24:00.007+01:00

Following from my last post, I thought I better get some pics up of my creations :) I've also loved looking through the pics of what other people have created so thought I'd share some of my favourites here too.

Bead Soup Pink Jade Jewellery Set

Bead Soup Challenge Necklace

Bead Soup Pretty in Pink Herringbone Wrapped Bracelet

Bead Soup Party Necklace

Bead Soup Challenge Necklace

Rose Quartz swarovski bracelet

The proceeds of all sales will be going to Breast Cancer Research.

Bead Soup

2011-08-23T21:04:00.004+01:00

I've been feeling a little uninspired of late and have barely touched my beads or other crafty bits and bobs :( I think the meh weather has something to do with it. Plus I got a non-cultivation notice from our local council saying that we had failed to cultivate the minimum of 50% of our plot!!! I was not impressed and have emailed them to tell them exactly what we have grown so far and what we have happening on our plot. I was a tad cheesed off to put things mildly.

Anyway, I have signed up to the Bead Soup beading challenge on Folksy in aid of Breast Cancer Research. About 30 of us have signed up and we were each allocated a partner by the organiser, Putting on the Charms. We then picked out 10 pink beads and 2 feature beads and sent them on to our partner. The challenge was to make one or more jewellery items to sell and raise money for Breast Cancer Research. Here are the beads I received from my partner :)

They were sent to me by Shabby Cottage Corner and were made from the beautiful and vibrant, pink Jade. The goal is to make our items ready for a grand revealing on Friday 26th August.

I've created a necklace and earrings all ready to post piccies of on Friday. I was going to post a pic or two here but then decided it would more fun to hold off a few more days till Friday :) I can't wait to see what others have created. I'm hoping it will get my inspiration nicely fired up again ready for the dreaded winter holiday that can not be named ;)

Space Painting

2011-08-10T20:48:00.001+01:00

I saw this via outsapop.com and thought it was so amazing I had to share it. I only wish I could produce art like this and at this speed :)

\o/ Fame at Last \o/

2011-08-03T21:01:00.002+01:00

Just a quick post to share my excitement about finding out that my Recycled Business Card Holder is the featured project on Cut Out & Keep :)

She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worth Dying for

2011-07-27T20:00:00.002+01:00

I saw this via Treehugger and thought it was too beautiful and moving to keep to myself.

Holy Marrows Batman!

2011-07-24T21:11:00.007+01:00

After all the wet weather it was lovely to have some nice weather again before going back to the day job. I got down the plot today after 2 weeks break and the courgettes had gone a little mad. There were about 4 marrows and a few other courgettes. I picked them all and left a few on the communal table by the gates of the plot as we are never going to eat all of them. Here's our harvest.

We also got some marigolds given to us and they are flowering too. They were a lovely surprise as we weren't even sure they had come up. I'd been cautiously been holding back on weeding the patch were we put them and was very pleased I did as they look stunning. They're like little Sunflowers :)

I also managed to get in a good forage of the local charity shops and vintage emporium on Friday and got some real treasures. I picked up a book on Marc Chagall, which I'd been after for ages, a CD of the Theatre of Hate Live, 2 strings of beads (one of which feels like pearls) and a dog collar with loads of cool charms on it.

Heres the beads. The blue ones are glass and have a really nice finish to them which looks a little like petrol.

Finally, I was very sad to hear that Amy Winehouse had died. I think she's the 3rd female singer I like to have left us this year (Ari Up from the Slits and Polystyrene from X-ray Spex). Well, she has left a great legacy of great lyrics and catchy songs.

Back from Cornwall

2011-07-19T19:17:00.008+01:00

We arrived back yesterday night after a wonderful week camping in Bodmin in Cornwall. We stayed at South Penquite Farm, which is where we stayed last time and had a lovely time. The site is a working farm with lots of eco friendly features, like the solar heated showers. The weather was a bit iffy and wet for some of the week but we had a wonderful and relaxing time in spite of it :)

We paid a return visit to Restormal Castle in Lostwithniel on the first full day and then visited Looe in the afternoon. The castle was amazing and it was so nice to see it in the sunshine.

The next day we went to the Lost Gardens of Heligan just outside St Austell. The Gardens are absolutely enormous and it took us a whole day to explore and we still didn't get to see everything. We picked a great day to visit too as it scorching hot and the trees and gardens made for some cool shady spots.

The Jungle

The Fruit & Veg Gardens

We then went to St Ives the following day and had a good day checking out the latest collections at the Tate Gallery and then going onto the Barbara Hepworth Gallery. I wasn't overly taken with anything at the Tate but loved Barbara Hepworths' work. I wasn't familiar with her before the day so it was really interesting.

We also visited Bodmin town for a spot of shopping and visited Boscastle on our last full day. The weather was a bit of the blowy side so we had a wander round the Museum of Witchcraft. It was fasinating and well worth a visit.

Boscastle

Nice Smells

2011-07-10T20:09:00.004+01:00

I've been down the plot today and harvested some courgettes, some more raspberries and some oregano. As the courgettes are probably going to start coming thick and fast I've already stuck two in a Vegi Goulash, that's doing its thing in the oven as I type :) Its smells yum!

I have also been getting to grips with the scanner and have uploaded a couple more pics to my art shop. I've now got the original of the pencil sketch I did of Ari Up from the Slits and another abstract. I've also learnt some new tips from my bf so I can edit the pics in Gimp so that they're okay for Folksy. Folksy like pics to be square and I was having some problems cropping my pics square so I have now learnt how to add a boarder so that Folksy can crop them without loosing any of the pic.

I've also been beevering away making more jewellery. I wanted to make my neice something for her birthday, so I made some pretty earrings which incorporate some Carnelian beads I'd bought for the occasion :) Carnelian and Ruby are apparently her two birthstones and Ruby is a little out of my budget so I went with Carnelian. Like a twit though, I didn't take any pics before sending them! Doh. I also made a ruby red heart pendant. I have a few other goodies to send but I had to wait till one arrived in the post before sending so that will go in the post tomorrow.

Update from the Plot

2011-07-03T19:00:00.010+01:00

I've just got back from a couple of hours down the plot and it was lovely. I'm completely knackered and stung both arms on stinging nettles but it was worth it. There was loads growing and I was able to harvest a lettuce and loads of raspberries :)

By request of my mum here are some pics from the plot :)

Raspberries

Lettuce

Something had been having a good nibble of one of our lettuces so I figured we'd better getting eating them too.

Sweetcorn

Only about half the sweetcorn I planted survived and they are all looking a bit small, but I'm sure they'll be fine. I might try planting them in regular pots next year instead of peat pots to see if that's were the problem is.

Potatoes

Onions

And courgettes

We also have tomatoes and chillis growing at home so it won't be long before we're nomming loads of tasty dinners :)

All Go in Katland

2011-06-29T17:50:00.004+01:00

I've been really busy just lately, not just with crafting and gardening, but also in the day job. I have however, had time though to set myself up a new art shop on Folksy as I'm hoping to put some of my art work up there. So far I've made a profile, banner and listed one pic. If you want to take a peak its here at Woodle Doodle Dandy Art.

This is the first picture I decided to list:

I'd been thinking of selling my art for a while and then after a rush of blood to the head last week I took the plunge. I figured there was next to nothing to loose, only 20p listing fee with folksy. Its a bit scarier than selling jewellery though as my art has always been much more personal. I've had an account on Deviant Art though for long time now and have good feedback so I figured it was worth a try :)

I've also been reading loads and finished 'We are all made of glue' by Marina Lewycka. She also wrote 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian' and 'Two Caravans', which I loved and 'We are all made of Glue' was every bit as good. I'm now reading some more Sherlock Holmes and have finished 'The Scarlet Study' and I'm now reading 'The Sign of Four'. Wonderful reading! I'm going to be sorry when I run out of Sherlock books to read so I'm trying to pace myself so I don't run out too quick :)

Green Fingers

2011-06-19T19:19:00.002+01:00

Its been a tad on the wet side the last few weekends so today we got down the plot early. It was a bit on the overgrown side but, thanks to all the rain, the weeds just slipped out with barely any effort. The courgettes have already started flowering and there's a teeny weeny courgette coming. Obviously if we blink it will be a marrow! That seems to be how courgettes grow.

The onions are also looking good so they should be ready in a few weeks. Also the herbs have grown tons and the oregano seems to have completely taken over one corner. We use tons so that's fine. We've had a few casualties though. The garlic didn't appear at all and we may have lost a few sweetcorn. The lettuces are looking good though :)

Also the tomatoes and chillies I've been growing at home are looking really good too so it won't be long before they are providing us with some meals. We've already been eating some of the raspberries and they were delicious. They were nice and ripe so that they just dissolved in your mouth when you eat them.

Its been a particularly good year for the pound shop produce. I think everything came to us from either the pound shop or the 99p shop so its been a very cheap bit of gardening :)

Rainbows

2011-06-11T17:07:00.007+01:00

I've been feeling extra creative of late and have made some more bits for my shop. This time I've been making more colourful stuff and thought I'd share it with you all on here too :)

Rainbow Bracelet & Necklace

Rainbow Swirl Earrings

Blue Cats Eye Earrings

Green & Silver Ball Earrings

Purple Fimo Pendant

The wire earrings with the silver and green metallic beads were made with some wire I ordered the other day from Beadtime and they were my first attempt and making wire jewellery. I'm really pleased with how they came out and I've got about 15m of the wire, so plenty to play with :)

I've also got some brass finding from them too so I can have some fun with them too.

Best of all, I found a copy of Grub on a Grant today in Oxfam Bookshop. This was one of my favourite and most used cookbooks ever and I lost it a few years ago. It was on 99p, so smiles all round for me today :)

I won \o/

2011-06-08T20:38:00.003+01:00

I won my first ever giveaway last week \o/ It was a giveaway Carly was hosting on her blog Chic Steals and it was to wins a really beautiful recycled glass pendant made by artist and jewellery designer, Stina Jimerson. Its double sided and has green glass on one side and brown on the other. It arrived in the post yesterday so I can't wait to wear it.

To check out her shop click here. Some very nice stuff indeed. Also much of her stock is made using recycled materials so even better :)

Ammonites

2011-06-03T22:24:00.003+01:00

I've been having a lot of fun with fimo of late and have been making some jewellery pieces inspired by ammonite fossils. So far I've made a necklace, earrings and brooch.

I'm quite pleased with results :) I gave them a slight dusting of gold glitter so that they sparkle ever so slightly in the light and their backs are painted with bronze acrylic, which seems to work really well.

And we have a winner! \o/

2011-05-31T20:39:00.004+01:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my little giveaway :) If you met more one of the conditions listed I have given you more entries. I also had an entry via The Hive so I have also included that entry. This made 7 entries in total.
1. Lisa Marie (for following blog)
2. Lisa Marie (for saying favourite item in my shop)
3. Cara (for following blog)
4. Lil Piranha (for following blog)
5. Lil Piranha (for liking on f/book)
6. Lil Piranha (for saying favourite item in my shop)
7. Quentin (for following blog)

With the help of Random Number Generator I have picked a winner! Drum Roll Please

Number 4 is Lil Piranha so I will be contacting them to get address and I'll get posting out their new earrings and keyring.

Thank you again for everyone who took part. I will try and do another giveaway very soon.

Latest Makings

2011-05-22T21:29:00.008+01:00

The weathers been really sunny and warm so I've been down the plot quite a bit. I also have been continuing on the decluttering/reorganising spree and have reorganised my beads so that they are now sorted by colour, not type. I saw the tip on another blog I follow (sorry can't remember which one) and thought it was a cool idea.

It took a little while to do but it was well worth it. Its a really good way of seeing what works well together and it has also help get me inspired.

Here are my latest creations (also in my Folksy shop :) ) All the items are made from recycled beads.

Icicle Necklace

Lavender Necklace

Buddleja Bracelet & Earrings

Rock Pool Necklace

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway. You have until midnight Sunday 29th May (1 week) to enter :)

Giveaway Time \o/

2011-05-18T19:32:00.003+01:00

Its giveaway time again \o/ To celebrate all this glorious weather I'm offering one lucky follower the chance to win this set of rainbow cupcake earrings and pretty, flower keyring.

To enter you need to do the following: -

Follow this blog and leave a comment to say that you are following.

For additional entries you can: -

1. Follow Woodley Do on Twitter and comment to let me know your twitter name

2. Like Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs on Facebook and comment here to let me know

3. Visit Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs on Folksy and let me know your favourite item by commenting here :)

This giveaway is open internationally. The closing date for entries is midnight Sunday 29th May 2011. Good Luck :)

Clearance Sale at Woodle Doodle Dandy :)

2011-05-16T20:15:00.003+01:00

I'm having my first ever sale at Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs. I want to clear some space and get making some new stuff. I've been really inspired by the weather so will probably have some new spring/summery stock in very soon.

To take a look at the wonderful bargains pop on over to Woodle Doodle Dandy at Folksy.

Also, watch this space - there's going to be a giveaway very soon too :)

Feeling Green (in a good way) :)

2011-05-06T21:07:00.006+01:00

I've been feeling so chuffed this evening - our local Green Party candidate won a place in yesterdays elections and now has a place on the council \o/ I've voted Green for as long as I could vote (nearly 20 years) and it used to niggle me when people used to say 'its a wasted vote' and 'why bother'. It may have taken a little time but it definitely wasn't a waste. Well done to St Albans Green Party for all their hard work :)

I'm also feeling extra happy as I got my yearly butterfly fix today. I went to see the latest developments at Butterfly World and got to see some of the most beautiful butterflies. I always think there's something really magical about butterflies. They are all so beautiful and delicate. I took tons of pics so here's a few of my favourites.

I could have kicked myself on the way back - I'd seen that there was an Atlas moth about but looked all over for him/her and saw no sign of it. If you're not familiar with them, I think they're the biggest butterfly - about the size of a horse (well, maybe a slight exaggeration!) - After leaving with no sightings I found out it was on the ceiling the whole time. I should have looked up! Doh!

Finally, on the subject of butterflies, I also finished another painting. I'm not totally satisfied with it - the butterflies feel a bit flat :/. I may go back and tweak it later but here it is in its current form.

Beautiful Timelapse

2011-04-29T19:45:00.004+01:00

I saw this via Treehugger and thought it was so beautiful I had to share it. Its a timelapse showing the Milky Way in all its glory and was taken by the photographer Terje Sorgjerd and was recorded on El Teide, Spains' highest mountain.

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Spring has Sprung :)

2011-04-23T15:40:00.005+01:00

The weather has been absolutely glorious just recently. Its been lovely. I've been down the plot loads and that's coming along well. We have onions, courgettes and potatoes already in and tomatoes, lettuce and sweetcorn started on the window sill. We also have chilli peppers and hopefully some more catnip for the allotment cats :)

I've also been reading The New Messies Manual by Sandra Felton and thats been getting me really inspired to get things organised and decluttered.

I've also been whizzing through Joanne Harris novels - I've read Chocolat, Lollipop Shoes, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange and Gentlemen and Players. I'm currently reading Coastliners and I'm about half way through. I'm really enjoying her style of writing so I'm looking forward to tracking down some more. I've already spotted another in the library :)

I've also finally been feeling a bit more creative \o/ I've been making jewellery like there's no tomorrow and painting. I picked up some cheap canvases from one of the pound shops in Hemel last week and have already used one. I've put some of the new jewellery up in my folksy shop and have some new stuff on the way :) Heres some pics of what I've been working on recently.

Zentangles

2011-04-11T19:20:00.006+01:00

As promised, here are a few of the zentangles I did the other night while trying to get inspired :)

Still not feeling terrifically inspired but they were fun to do.

Feeling Swirly

2011-04-09T21:30:00.004+01:00

I've been suffering a touch of crafters block the last month or so, so I've been playing around with Polyvore and zentangling .

I've always loved spirals and swirls and they feature regularly in my art and crafty creations. Here's the little collection I put together in polyvore to inspire me.

Swirls & Twirls by kathakana featuring murano glass jewelry

I'll also post some pics of my zentangles in a day or two so you can see what I've been coming up with. I've been producing them as ATC (Artist Trading Cards) so they're pretty small at just 3.5" x 2.5", but that makes them very easy to produce and I've already done a few this evening.

I've also been down the plot a lot over the last few weeks and have got tons done. I've been mostly digging and weeding. I also planted some onions and courgettes and have tomatoes, chillies and lettuce started on the window sills. Its also been really warm and sunny the last few days so I've also been making the most of that too.

Such a Girl...

2011-03-31T23:57:00.005+01:00

I've had an evening of utter girliness tonight and it has been spent mostly watching cats do silly things, lions behave like kittens and looking at pics of cute kittehs and lolcats.

In the spirit of generosity, I thought 'I know, I need to share these little kittehs while the blogoverse' :)

I hope you enjoy the vids and links: -
From I can haz Cheezburger:

Kitteh Yoga

One of my favourite girly, fluffy kitteh blogs
The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee

For hysterically true tales of owning a mad cat there can only be Simons Cat

And some handy tips to assist you in finding out if your cat is plotting to killing you

And the short vid that had me weeping quietly to myself and almost wanting my own pet lion. Its the story of a couple who brought a lion cub from Harrods because they were unhappy about the way it was being kept. They eventually released him back into the wild and then went back a year later to pay him one last visit. My first thoughts were, this is not going to end well. I was wrong and seeing them reunited was so moving. I hope you all enjoy it as much as me.

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-26T19:12:00.002Z

Show your support for Earth Hour by switching off your lights between 8.30pm - 9.30pm tonight. To learn more about Earth Hour visit the official site here.

Magic & Alchemy

2011-03-20T19:12:00.006Z

Yesterday was very exciting - my bf was having his first Raku firing and I got to be there to see the results. It was absolutely fascinating seeing the red hot, glowing pots come out of the kiln and seeing them cool. Seeing the colours develop as they cools was magical. I took tons of pics, although, very annoyingly I managed to delete some of the last ones before I'd uploaded them - Doh!

Here's some of the pics from the afternoon :)

A Good Week for Woodle Doodle Dandy!

2011-03-16T16:08:00.003Z

I've had my shop, Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs, with Folksy now since Christmas and on Friday I got the nicest surprise ever - I made my first sale!! \o/ \o/ \o/

This was what I sold ->

I was still smiling to myself last night when I checked in with Folksy and found another nice surprise. I had a lovely message from one of the other sellers telling me that she had picked one of my necklaces for a treasury for her blog :) To check it out click here :)

Beads, Beads and a bit of Daniel Craig

2011-03-09T19:47:00.007Z

Its been a good week for cakery and beads. On Monday we went out for the day to Oxford to visit the Pitt Rivers Museum and I had a great time exploring all the cool collections. Unlike a lot of museums where things are organised by their origin or the era they come from, everything here was organised by what it was. There were tons of cabinets full of jewellery from all over the world and all through time. I also enjoyed looking at the weapons and all there ornate and decorative handles. The work that must have gone in to making some of them was amazing and very inspiring.
Heres some pics of some of my favourite bits

I also saw in the news that it was International Womens Day yesterday and loved the video made by Sam Taylor Wood highlighting the inequality that still exists in the world for women. I thought I'd share it with you all here.

Free Beads

2011-02-28T19:04:00.003Z

Look what I got in the post today :)

They were a free sample I got from Wholeport.com . Now I just have to decide what to make from them. I think I'll definitely be checking out the shop for more beads and jewellery findings as they seem to do a nice mix of quirky bits and bobs. I especially like the cat charm.

Busy week in Katsville

2011-02-16T19:50:00.002Z

Last night I went out to see Mark Thomas live at our local theatre. He was utterly amazing. I think to say he was a comedian would do him a disservice - he's kind of like v witty, v human and engaging human rights activist. Last night he was talking about his recent trip to the West Bank and how he walked along the wall that divides the West Bank from Israel. I've been a fan for years but never had the chance to see him till now and I would definitely recommend it.

Completely different and much lighter note, I've finished making all my geeky crafts for the Geeky Swap on Cut Out & Keep so I should be posting those off by the end of the week :) I love making things for others. I think its probably my biggest source of inspiration. Hopefully Kiddo will love the bits I've made her as much as I've loved making them :)

I'm also reading loads at the moment. I finished Gentlemen and Players and I'm now reading another of Joanne Harris'. I'm reading Chocolat. I've seen the film a few times so wasn't going to read it, but after reading Gentlemen and Players I got really into her style of writing. I'm loving Chocolat and I'm already near the end.

It's been a bit of the wet and soggy side the last few weekends so I haven't got the down the plot for a couple of weeks. I have been starting some seeds off at home though. I have chili and onions on the window sill.

Geeky

2011-02-06T21:44:00.003Z

I've signed up for my first swap in absolutely ages so tonight I've been making all things geeky (as thats the theme of the swap) :) My partner for this swap is Kiddo and we've been partners in a couple of swaps so I'm really having fun. So far I've made 3 items and I have another couple on the go. I even used polyvore to help get me inspired. This is the set I made based on the geeky things she said she liked.

Geeky Swap by kathakana featuring green tops

Looking out for our planet

2011-02-05T16:32:00.002Z

I spotted this on my reader today via Treehugger

Its a beautiful and v v short animation to remind us why we need to be kind to our planet.

Spring has almost sprung :)

2011-01-28T22:27:00.003Z

I've been enjoying all the extra sunlight the last week and I've been doing a fair bit down the allotment. I've been mostly digging, pruning and clearing ready for our mass delivery of poo tomorrow morning. We're also getting some seed potatoes delivered so we need to be down the plot bright and early tomorrow.
I'm also planning on waving goodbye to my vinyl collection this weekend. After a scour of the web I've found there is a second hand record shop in Letchworth that takes vinyl so I've dropped them a quick email and we're planning a trip this weekend. It will be a bit of a wrench saying goodbye to my record collection but I haven't had anything to play them on in donkeys years so I'd rather someone had them who could play them and enjoy them.
I've also been playing with all my new beads but haven't made anything wearable yet. I'm just experimenting with some old wire and the new round nosed pliers I got from beads unlimited. I'm getting the hang of looping the wire so I'm hoping to make myself a bracelet with my new goodies so watch this space.
I've also been reading loads just lately. I've finished Nick Hornbys' Juliet, Naked. I read it in less than a week and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very likeable characters and very funny in places. I'm now reading Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris. Its also really good so I'm already about a third of the way through it.

I've Died and Gone to Beading Heaven :)

2011-01-20T21:43:00.008Z

All the goodies I won in the competition on CO&K arrived today at work and I'm so excited. I normally get most of my jewellery making stuff second hand and have learnt most of what I know about making jewellery from taking apart old or broken jewellery so having some brand new and proper jewellery making things is about as exciting as it gets! Its even come with instructions on some items I can make with my new stuff. Here's some piccies of my new stash :)

Now I'm off to play :)

I haz a win \o/

2011-01-15T22:51:00.005Z

I got an email yesterday to say I had won joint first prize in a beading competition on Cut Out & Keep. I'm not totally sure what the prize is but I'm just so chuffed to have won something :) My winning entry was my tutorial for a crocheted wire bracelet (piccy of one I made for myself below).

I've mailed back with my address so hopefully a prize will be winging its way to me. I can't wait!

I've also had a fun and cheap day today visiting some of the charity shops in the Fleetsville area. They're a bit of a stroll but usually well worth the walk. Today I picked up a new work bag for £1.99, some more beads and chain for £2 and a book by Joanne Harris. I'm pretty chuffed with the bag. Its just the right size for work and has lots of handy compartments for my phone, purse and other assorted stuff I carry round with me.

On Friday I was also able to pick up some more seeds for the plot. I've picked up some cherry tomatoes, sweetcorn, lavender and courgettes. They should go nicely with the ones I fished out of the shed last week. I found tons of squash and pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, parsnips and onions (red and white). I just need to get my arse in gear now and do some digging and weeding so they are ready to go in when the time comes. Fingers crossed it will stay dry.

Crocheted cuffs

2011-01-11T16:51:00.004Z

I've been having fun and getting back into crocheting again. I've been having a go at making some crocheted cuffs and have been using some of the inchies I made before Christmas and using them as details on the cuffs. Its also giving me an opportunity to use some of the buttons I made last year too. Heres the first one I made. I'm pretty chuffed with the results :)

I've also been reading a lot too and I'm currently reading Maya by Jostien Gaardner. I read Sophies World last year and wasn't majorly impressed considering the hype it got but then read the Solitaire Mystery and loved it. I also read Through the Glass Darkly by him just before Christmas and that wasn't all that but Maya seems far more along the lines of the Solitaire Mystery and I'm enjoying this one far more. I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops.

I've also been down the plot at the weekend. I mainly wanted to pick up the seeds we had stored in the shed and just assess any snow damage. I was pleasantly surprised. All the weeds seem to have been pretty much killed off so there's a lot of tidying to do. Most of the veg and herbs we had growing over the winter seem to have survived. Even the Strawberries weren't too bad. They'd got a bit water logged because we'd left them in a tray but once I tipped the smelly water off they looked okay. I can't wait for a few dry weekends so we can get down and do some digging and planting. Roll on Spring :)

Owls, owls and more owls.....

2011-01-05T21:01:00.004Z

I've gone a bit owl crazy of late and have been making little tiny owls like theres no tomorrow. It all started when I was searching from some inspiration the other night in one of my Sew magazines. I saw these cute owl buttons and liked the simple design so I set about making myself a very simple pattern.
I've now made 4 owls and I'm on my fifth! Heres a pic of the little brood on my craft desk :)

Here's my tutorial that I uploaded to Cut Out and Keep.

See Cute Tiny Owl and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

I'm also really chuffed with myself as I won a £5 voucher from Beads Unlimited for one of my tweets over Christmas \o/. I've already got a little wish list so I can't wait to put in my order.

Latest Makery

2010-12-29T15:41:00.009Z

I've been on a bit of creative roll this Christmas holiday and have made quite a few new bits of jewellery. I've been having a play around with some pink wire I picked up from Hexton earlier in the year and have made been making my own head pins and eye pins. I'm pretty chuffed with results.

Also, while scouring the charity shops for bargains before Christmas I also spotted this cute Miffy pencil case for 25p. Its absolutely perfect for my crochet hooks and assorted paraphernalia and so unbelievably cute :)

Merry Saturday :)

2010-12-25T17:06:00.003Z

Having a nice chilled out Saturday with all the bits I like about Christmas with none of the stressy bits \o/ Got a new game for my DS so have been playing that this morning along with napping. Its Lego Harry Potter - I'm a bit of an addict when it comes to the Lego games and have already finished Lego Star Wars, Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Batman so Harry Potter was just the ticket for today :)
I also got a cool Miffy Calender and lovely vegi cookbook. The cookbooks giving me some ideas for what to grow down the plot this year. I definitely want to give Squashes a go this year as they look simple and taste yummy.
I hope you like my silly festive e-card - its my one and only Christmas decoration and it was made by me last week from pipe cleaners, felt, embroidery floss, some beads and some white ribbon. They were all bits I had around the flat already and I didn't follow any tutorial, I just got inspired by the Mistletoe on the market and thought I could make some of that.

Beaded Allotment :)

2010-12-24T16:02:00.004Z

I've been itching to get down my plot and start work on it but the weathers been far too cold. I started trying to sketch out a plan for next year but abandoned in for a beaded, felt allotment plot :) It took me a couple of days and I used up odd scraps of fabric and stray beads I had laying around along with embroidery thread. I'm pretty chuffed with how it came out.
I have even put in a little, ginger allotment cat at the front of my shed :)

Brrrr

2010-12-21T16:30:00.002Z

Went down the allotment today to empty the compost and it looked so pretty. It was totally deserted and the snow was so thick. I took a few pics and spotted little paw prints across our plot. Obviously allotment cat has been visiting in our absence :)

Mouse Fingers

2010-12-19T16:45:00.006Z

Its been absolutely freezing here so I've spent most of today on the computer surfing the web and playing games. As a result I have a bad case of mouse fingers. This is a term my bf came up with to describe what you get when you've been spodding too long and your mouse hand gets really cold.
So you too can share in this condition I thought I'd share with you my top 5 online games :)

5. Flight of the Hamsters - this is a cartoon network game where you use your mouse key to glide the hamsters as far as possible using the hamsterballs, skateboards, springs and speed arrows. Its a bit of luck with a fun amount of skill thrown in. Also highly addictive and once you get the hang of it you can get some really big scores. So far today I've got 805.

4. Samorost 2 - very quirky game where you have to solve the puzzle. Its a bit of an odd one to explain as its so different but I love the beautiful animations.

3. Cats - this is a game from Orisinal and another beautiful and quirky game where you use your mouse to hover over the cats so that they either sit or walk, depending on what the cat in the highlighted bar is doing. You clock up points for how long you can get all the cats doing whatever they need to be doing. Its simple but highly addictive.

2. The Fancy Pants Adventures: World 2 - in this one you use the arrow keys and space bar to guide Fancy Pants around his world kicking a snail shell around to get it into its goal. Its another slightly quirky one and a lot of fun :)

1. Nethack - one of my most favourite games ever. Its a role play adventure game where you move your character around the dungeons of doom in search of the magic amulet. You get to choose between a variety of characters, I personally love being either a wizard or a priest. Its extremely simple graphics but a massively complex game which is so playable and addictive. Its been around since the 80s and I've been playing it since Uni (over 10 years ago). To find out more about the different strategies check out this very thorough wiki. If you like a bit of geeky fun check it out :)

wheeze wheeze

2010-12-14T17:31:00.014Z

Still off work at the moment but thankfully I'm feeling a lot better today than I have for quite a bit. Still wheezing like I've got a 60 a day habit but otherwise feeling a lot healthier \o/
I forgot to put in my last post that I was down in Norwich last weekend visiting parents and dropping off Christmas pressies. In spite of feeling a bit rough I really enjoyed it and had a good time on Sunday pottering round the shops with my boyfriend. We had the most amazing chocolate cake in a place called Marmalade in the Arcade and I picked up a few new crystals from Head in the Clouds. We also discovered that Head in the Clouds has its own website. It was a favourite shop growing up and its where I used to pick up my hair dye, floaty skirts, jewellery and other niknaks and stickers. The best thing of all is that it hasn't changed a bit since I was a child so lots of happy memories :)
We also had a walk back through some of the back streets and got to see some great graffiti.
My mum also got me Audrey Niffenegers 'Her Fearful Symmetry' so I've had my nose stick in that since Sunday. Its already looking very good so I can't see it taking long to read.

cough cough

2010-12-13T16:53:00.002Z

I still have a nasty chest infection so I've been off work for a bit. I've been using the time creatively though and have been making more inchies for Christmas cards and finishing off the last bits and bobs of Christmas pressies. Today I'm baking some fimo as I've made a friend of mine a fimo angel. Its her birthday tomorrow and she loves angels so I'm hoping it will come out okay.
I've also been making some fimo butterfly necklaces. I've made the pendant part so I just need to get myself some chain to hang them from. Here's the first one which I'm keeping for myself :)

Stuff!

2010-12-04T20:26:00.006Z

I've got the chestiest cough at the moment and its driving me absolutely potty! To try and distract myself I've been having a bit of a sort out of the stray junk that just accumulates on the shelve, drawers, pots and corners of the flat. Its odd stuff like paperclips, rolls of tape (so far 14 rolls of tape!), note pads, postits, scraps of paper, bits of string, shoe laces, envelopes, old jiffy bags, you name it!
I've cleared one box out which I'm going to use for 'stuff to donate to the scrap bank'. I've put a ton of paper in the recycling bin. I've also collected the useful leaflets, timetables, menus, etc. together and put them in a little A5 folder of plastic pockets. All the pads are now in one central place too along with the safety pins, treasury tags and paperclips. The Borrowers would have a field day if they visited our flat.
In celebration of my tidying I thought I'd share with you some words of wisdom from the late George Carlin. Such a funny man and he hits the nail on the head when he talks about stuff. Enjoy :)

What a cool video

2010-12-02T22:25:00.002Z

Through the wonders of Reddit I spotted this. Thought I'd share it as it was cool.

More fimo fun :)

2010-11-28T22:14:00.008Z

I've been busy with fimo again. This time I've been making keyrings. I've been using the stamps I picked up a couple of weeks ago in one of the charity shops and using them with fimo to make some pretty flower charms. I'm really pleased with how they've been coming out.
I used to find having no local craft shop a real drag but I think I've learnt that if you keep your eyes peeled you can find crafting items all over the place. My favourites are the local charity shops and car boot sales. You can pick up beads, jewellery findings, fabric, wool and all sorts of crafty goodies. I particularly like these as I like recycling. I also like knowing that the bits I've picked up aren't in abundance so the bits I make will be one of a kind.
I'm also pretty lucky in St Albans as we have a good market. I get most of my felt and ribbon from either St Albans or Watford market. I also buy a lot online and love beads unlimited and ebay.
In other news I'm also reading a couple of books at the mo - Robert Winstons 'The Human Mind' and Jane Austens' 'Emma'. I've been slowly plodding through Robert Winstons' book for a while now but its a good read. I started reading Emma last weekend and I'm really enjoying the story and I'm whizzing through it.

Crafty Non-Christmas

2010-11-20T20:41:00.012Z

I have been merrily crafting away Christmas pressies like theres no tomorrow :) I don't celebrate Christmas but always get pressies for family and they still buy for us, we just don't enter into the whole Christmas day b*****ks (sorry couldn't think of a better way to express that :/) The whole spending and commercial madness that goes on every year does the complete opposite to making me excited. It also seems so wasteful for a day that started life as a religious festival and I'm not religious at all. I always get a few raised eyebrows each year and a few worried looks when I say I don't celebrate Christmas, but not celebrating it is so liberating and relaxing. I'd definitely recommend it :)
As well as crafting pressies, I've also been making the odd extra bits for the shop. I've been making brooches today which I'm really chuffed with. Here's some piccies of the results. I was going to put some pics up of the pressies I've made so far and then I thought - Doh! - family maybe looking - kinda spoils the fun of unwrapping things if you saw it several weeks ago online.

Budget Crafting :)

2010-11-13T17:41:00.005Z

Today I visited my first ever Scrap Bank. Wow, what a find - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. If you have never been to one before, they are places where you can pick up materials for crafting at little or no cost. The idea is that people/companies/schools/etc donate any left over craft materials or general waste that can potentially be repurposed and crafted into something new. I can see that these places are not everyone's cup of tea as you need to be prepared to forage, but as far as I'm concerned it was like visiting Aladins' Cave. I came away with a small stash of fabric scraps and offcuts, some buttons, 3 rolls of stickyback plastic, some broken jewellery and some sticky back foam sheets, a tiny ball of orange wool and some broken Christmas decorations. I really like the heavy duty, laminated fabric with daisies on. I thought I could make a few purses/wallets from that. Also the little scraps of fabric and broken Christmas ornaments will be great for inchies. The best bit of all was that it didn't cost me a penny. Most of these places work by having you sign up a yearly subcription and then you can go along whenever you wish. The place we went to today charges £20 a year and I was lucky as my bf is a member through work. I'll definitely be back. Just the thing as I love turning old stuff into something new.

Maybe I should have been a Surgeon :)

2010-11-07T13:32:00.003Z

I've been stitching like there's no tomorrow. I've made loads more inchie xmas cards, some more stuff for my folksy shop and a craft roll for myself :) I have been meaning to make one for ages and finally got round to it last night. Its made from a pair of old jeans with some scraps of felt for the pockets and an old hair bobble. I can fit loads in it and when its done up its about the size of a pencil case. I'm really chuffed with it :)
I've also been out and about a bit this weekend. Yesterday I went over to Stevenage to visit my boyfriends new studio. He's really into pottery and has now got himself a studio so he can make pots and stuff any time he likes. It was a great size and I got to see his wheel and latest creations. Its really exciting.
Afterwards we went to Hexton and had a yummy lunch in the Lavender Tea Rooms and a potter round the craft market. I picked up some more cool ribbon, some cool silver beads and some coloured wire. I want to have play around with the wire and try and make some wire wrapped jewellery. I've seen some really pretty stuff on flickr and would like to have a go myself.

And the winner is.....

2010-11-01T18:21:00.008Z

A big thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway :) I have employed the use of Random.org to generate a winner so drum roll please.....

And the winner is:

Comment number 14 = Kiddo :)

I will notify the winner so thank you again to everyone who entered. I really enjoyed seeing everyone's comments. Its also helped me a lot too as its given me more ideas for things to make for my shop as I have a better idea what people like. Hopefully I will be able to hold another one of these in the not too distant future - it was lots of fun :)

One More Day to Halloween

2010-10-30T16:07:00.003+01:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing this. Its been going round my head all day :)
Also, I thought it would be a cool way to say to everyone that you have one more day to enter my giveaway. Good Luck and Happy Halloween :)

Folksy Kat & RIP Ari Up

2010-10-28T17:00:00.007+01:00

I've been a bit on the fluey side this week :( This hasn't stopped me creating though and I have been merrily making inchies. I'm making them on a festive theme to use in Christmas cards. I loved making them for the swap earlier in the year so I thought I'd make some more for myself. If you're not familiar with them they are roughly an inch square (hence the name) and can be made from any material and are tiny pieces of art. For the swap we were sewing them but I've seen loads on flickr since which are made from paper and other craft materials so I think its pretty much anything goes. I've been sewing my latest ones and so far have made 7 cards from them :) I'm aiming to do a minimum of 1 a day.
I've also been busy setting myself up in business over on Folksy.com. Woodle Doodle Dandy Designs is now up in business so please go over and take a peak :) I'm thinking of eventually swapping over completely at some point in the future. Dawanda is a great site and there are some beautiful handmade items on there, I was just struggling with getting my head around pricing everything in Euros. On Folksy its all in £s so I'm getting along with that much easier. Also being UK based I'm guessing that the customers will also be UK based and this may help to increase sales.
I've also been doing a bit more crochet and I'm mid way through a crocheted scarf. Its the biggest thing I've attempted but I'm really enjoying it. I'm thinking of making it as a Christmas pressie so I'll have to see how it turns out. The plan is that I make quite a few of my pressies this year. That way I keep costs down but with the added bonus (I hope) that my pressies will be original and more personal.
Also on a sadder note, I spotted that Ari Up from the punk band the Slits had died. If you don't know them, they were an all girl band fronted by Ari. She was just 14 when they got signed up and they did more for equality in the music scene that the Spice Girls could have ever dreamed and they were doing it a good couple of decades earlier. The pic above is a sketch I did a couple of months ago of Ari so I thought I'd post it with this.

Free Stuff!! \o/

2010-10-17T16:12:00.017+01:00

I love entering giveaways so I thought I'd join in with the fun and host my own. \o/ For the occasion I have made this pretty blue and silver, bone charm bracelet and earrings set. I hope you all like them. The closing date for entries will be Sunday 31st October at Midnight (GMT).

Open Worldwide :)

How to enter: -

1. Follow my blog and leave a comment to say who you are and that you are following

Additional enteries can be made by:-

1. Visiting my shop and commenting on your favourite item.

2. 'Like' my shop on facebook and leave me a comment with your fb name here.

3. Follow my shop on Twitter and leave me a comment here with a link to your profile.

4. Tweet about this and comment with a link.

Scavenger Kat's Treasure Trove :)

2010-10-10T18:30:00.004+01:00

I had an amazing find this weekend. I found these two big, yoghurt pots of broken jewellery. Both were going for a fiver each. I wasn't sure when I first how much I'd be able to use but once I got them both home and emptied out on my desk I was beaming from ear to ear :D
I've already made one pair of star earrings from an old broken necklace I had and from some broken earrings and broken chain in my new stash. They're up in my shop if you want to take a look.

Latest Makery

2010-10-09T18:19:00.005+01:00

After having a bit of a shift around of furniture and bits I've made myself a new making area in the living room. The shelf next to it now has all my craft books and I have my own little desk. I also picked myself up a cheap lamp for a tenner so I have some decent light to work by. Its great and has got me inspired to finish up some of my half finished bits and bobs.
The bits I've finished include my cowel scarf (which I started over a year ago!), my little crocheted purse, a crocheted coaster and a few bats pendants for my shop :)

Meet Crazy Crochet Lady

2010-10-05T23:47:00.004+01:00

I'm getting seriously into crocheting at the moment. So much so that I've purchased myself some more supplies. Check out my new crochet hooks that came in the post today. They came from a German Company via Amazon. I'm so chuffed and can't wait to give them a try. I also picked myself a cool crochet book from my library so I'm considering taking the next step and actually following a pattern. Most of the bits I've made up till now have just been playing around with bits of wool and making it up as I go along. This book I've borrowed has lots of small projects like bags and belts so I'm hoping that there will be something in there that I can have a go at :)
I've also been making some more pendants in time for Halloween. They're in a mix of different colours with little bats on them (of course). I shall get posting pics of them too when I've got some new ribbon to hang them on. If you want a sneaky peak then you should be able to see them in the flickr slideshow on the right side of my main blog page.

All things wooly

2010-09-26T12:49:00.003+01:00

Finally after about 18 months I have got round to finishing a scarf I was knitting for myself. I'm really chuffed with how it came out, especially as I'm a bit crap at knitting. I, unfortunately haven't inherited my mums knitting skills and I just look awkward, but I get there in the end \o/. I've also been inspired by Violetta's cowl scarf so I think I'm going to do the same and put some big buttons on it. I also hate it when scarves unravel themselves and you keep having to rewind it so this should fix that problem \o/.
I'm also crocheting more and have finally got round to using some wool I picked up from a craft fair last year. I'm making a small purse so will post pics when I've finished that.

Alone but not lonely

2010-09-25T23:39:00.001+01:00

I spotted this via Reddit and thought I'd share it. I thought it was something we all need to be reminded off from time to time.

Odds & Ends

2010-09-18T23:58:00.003+01:00

Earlier this year I voted in a competition to choose the best Garden Centre in the Country. It felt a little liked I'd fast tracked my way to pension day as most of the folk filling in the forms were a tad older than me. I voted for Burstons as they sell yummy cake, have an excellent selection of information leaflets (one of which saved our Cyclamen) and the staff are always helpful and seem to know a thing or two about gardening (always helpful :) ). A couple of days a go I got a thank you letter from Burstons and some vouchers :) so armed with my vouchers we paid them a visit today and picked ourselves up a few bits and bobs for the plot. We now have a Budleia which I've wanted for ages, so tomorrow I'm going to head down the plot and attempt to plant it. I want to put it near the shed so it grows across the shelter out the front. The plan is that as it grows it will hang down and make the area smell nice and we'll have lots of butterfly visitors :) We also picked up an odd looking plant for the balcony. The leaves are corkscrew like and long and we figured it looked pretty cool and was coming home with us. We also picked up some feed for our Orchid and some more composty stuff so it could be repotted. The best bit was, with our voucher, we only spent just over a tenner :)
I've also been making a few other bits of jewellery to put in the shop. I got some really cool wool a while back from one of the charity shops in Borehamwood. I've been playing around with it recently and have made a necklace. I'm really chuffed with how its come out. I've also been playing with some fringed wool and having a bit of a crochet.

I Love.....

2010-09-13T21:38:00.004+01:00

I've been sent an invite by Violetta of Violet Elephant to play 'I love'. The idea is simple, you just list 10 things you love. I think I can manage that :)

1. My bf, family & friend :) :)
2. Harribo - the sour ones are my absolute favourite
3. Lush smellies
4. Cake & puddings in general - favourites: - Battenberg, Bakewell Tarts, Syrup sponge, Jam Roly-poly
5. Cats
6. Making stuff and all things arty
7. The internet - if you want to find it it will be there, you might just have to look for it
8. Bats
9. Butterflies
10. napping

Makings & Tidying

2010-09-08T20:35:00.005+01:00

I've been having a bit of a creative spurt recently and have been working on some more jewellery ideas for the shop. I've been using some stamps I picked up last year and using them with fimo to make some new pendants. I've used pearl effect fimo and then coated the cooked pendants with a smear of water colour paint, a coat of glitter glue and a coat of varnish. I'm pretty pleased with how they are looking so far. I plan to hang them on ribbon and managed to pick up a mix of colours today from TKMax.
I've also been doing a second round of clearing the wardrobe and ironing pile. So far I've gathered a binbag full of stuff. I want to get my wardrobe back to a basic level so I've got space to pick up the odd nice thing if I see it. I've also been trying to simplify things. I've been partly inspired by the Uniform Project where one dress was worn everyday for a year. The clever bit was how the dress looked different every day. Sheena, the original blog author, uses all manner of accessories to create a different look. This is a bit too fashiony and girly for me but it did get me thinking. I don't need thousands of clothes, just a few basic bits. I've got a ton of jewellery and other bits and bobs. It would also save me a whole ton of ironing, which I hate with a passion. This can only be good :)
In other news, I've finally got round to finishing 'Two Caravans' - that was such a brilliant read. Every bit as good as 'A History of Tractors in Ukrainian'. I've now started my new Sean Stewart book. He's probably my favourite author and I'd been putting off getting Cathy's book for ages as it was a change of direction for him and I wasn't sure if I'd like it. Its written for teens and so far I'm really enjoying it. I decided not to write it off just because it was written for a different age group, Before I Die was too and that was amazing. Exceptionally moving but brilliant.

Button Moon

2010-08-30T22:20:00.003+01:00

I've been playing round with the idea of getting a stall at a local Craft Fair. This has got me thinking about what else I can sell and also how I can best display my stock. As a result I've been making buttons from Fimo to add to my stock of bits and bobs. I've also been creating a clothes line from wire, card and felt with the idea that I can thread ribbon across it and hang cut outs of clothes with my earrings attached. I've even bought some tiny clothes pegs and have the washing line posts drying. I'll post some pics when I've got something working.
I was also thinking of buying some cheap mug trees to hang necklaces from. I'd also need a cheap mirror and a couple of chairs. Hmmmmm... this is going to need some thought but it might be doable. I also found some really cool DIY displays off this jewellery business blog. The displays are essentially low, off centre cones which you can display necklaces and bracelets on. Its a really idea and very low cost. It also wouldn't take a huge amount of skill to make :)

More making & doing

2010-08-22T16:58:00.004+01:00

I've just been checking my bank account and its fairly safe to say that its looking barer than Old Mother Hubbards Cupboard! I think I must have been spending more than normal so next month is definitely going to have to be a quiet one on the spending front.
I'm guessing that a large chunk of my cash going on lunch when I'm working and coffees when I'm out. With this in mind I think I'm going to need to dust down the lunch boxes and start bring my own lunch in. Same with coffees - if I want nice coffee then I'm going to need to bring it in with me.
On the positive side though I've been extra creative this month and have made quite a few new bits for the shop. I've mostly been using up some of my stash of beads and making earrings and a necklace from some wooden beads that I've picked up at car boot sales recently. I prefer making my jewellery by recycling, it makes me feel a bit greener and also keeps the cost of materials quite low and means I'm able to get some more unusual bits and bobs. I picked up some wine glass charms a few months back as they had some really pretty, little leaves hanging from them and they were only 10p. I've already made one pair of earrings from them and there is likely to be another pair in the pipeline too :)
I've also found out about a craft fair running in my area and they are looking for local artists and artisans to hire stalls. I'm certainly going to giving this a bit of thought. I just need to come up with a way for displaying my jewellery.

Omnomnom

2010-08-19T20:21:00.003+01:00

One of the best bits in Janet Street Porters 'Life's too f**king short' is a recipe for the most amazing pasta sauce known to man or animal! Even better there is next to no preparing and its so cheap and takes about 30 mins.

All you need is a punnet of cherry tomatoes, some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme in my case). Chuck your cherry tomatoes in an oven proof dish with a good drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on a few fresh herbs. Bung it in the oven at about 200C for 20 - 30 mins till the tomatoes are a bit burnt and serve on pasta. We also add a little sprinkle of grated cheese. Its so tasty. In fact its so tasty I keep meaning to take a pic but when its on the table I just want to eat it :)

I can haz award?

2010-08-14T20:01:00.009+01:00

I'm feeling particularly chuffed with myself today as my blog has received its first ever award :) :) Thank you Violetta for this - you've made my day!

The conditions of the award are:
Display award on blog :)

Link back to the person who gave you the award - Violet Elephant

List 15 other bloggers and pass the award onto them. Okay, here goes :)

1. Chic Steals
2. Bumpo's Place
3. The Closet Crafter
4. Crafty Loos
5. Lovely Godely
6. Minnie Burton Craft
7. Sew I Thought
8. Sleepy Robot 13
9. Sweets & Hearts
10. The World of Twiggy Peasticks
11. Trixie's Ethical Aesthetic
12. Kiddo's Shenanigans
13. Sugar Coated Chaos
14. World of Loulou
15. Christina RTC

Decluttering

2010-08-08T13:15:00.003+01:00

I've been a bit of a lazy blogger of late so I'm long overdue a post :/ I've been attempted to have a good clear out of some of the crap I've accumulated over the years and have been starting on the wardrobe and ironing basket as I have more clothes than I was ever going to wear, and more importantly iron! I managed to bag up 3 big carrier bags for my favourite charity shops and have another bag that I'm attempting to ebay. My ironing basket is now visible again and I've even inspired my boyfriend to think about doing the same.
Next job is to get back to selling my old CDs. Most of the older stuff I don't listen to and haven't for years. And then the vinyl. I've got an enormous box of vinyl records which really needs to go. I haven't owned a record player in years but I've been hoarding them all the same.
I've also been reading quite a bit lately and have about 3 on the go at the moment. I'm reading Janet Street Porters - Lifes to f**king short. This has been surprising good for my head and has really got me inspired. She covers everything from beauty products to cooking and looking after your home and relationships. You can probably guess by the cover that theres no beating round the bush, she gets straight to the point but its a really good read. I'm also reading Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka, who wrote A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian. I'm really enjoying this too and also have an Edgar Allan Poe book on the go via my DS. I think that will keep me busy for a while :)
I'm heading off down the plot for a bit of planting and cat stroking :)

Buzz buzz buzz

2010-07-23T20:34:00.004+01:00

The plot is buzzing with life at the mo so we've been spending extra time down there. We've left the leeks to go to seed and the flowers look really beautiful. The bees seem to be appreciating them too :) Our raspberries are also producing tons of fruit this year so we've been nomming lots of raspberries straight off the plot. They make a very tasty snack when you're down the plot working.
The onions are looking good. Even the new ones I planted the other week from spare onion sets that some kind plot owner left out are also coming up. Hopefully that will keep us in onions for a bit. The sweetcorn is also coming along nicely too but that will be a while before they are ready to eat. We're also giving Spinach a go too this year so we're looking around for some yummy recipes to use this in. I'm thinking of giving Saag aloo a go :P Also the Sunflowers are all flowering and they look amazing. I love the way they all turn themselves to face the sun. Theres also something really happy about sunflowers too which I love.
The plot is also teaming with life too. As well as tons of bees I also spotted loads of ladybirds, grasshoppers and butterflies. I even saw some Small Tortoiseshells which has made me smile :) They were laying loads of eggs on the stinging nettles at the end of our plot so we made ourselves a little unpopular with our neighbour by not trimming it down but it was well worth the hassle. They look lovely.
I've also been working hard on 3 crafty swaps. I've sent of the earrings I made Tara for the Earring swap. Hopefully they should reach her in a week or two. I've also nearly finished making stuff for Kiddo for the Tiny Swap. I'm really chuffed with how the bits I've made have come out so I want to get on and finish that one this weekend. I'm also gradually getting bits done for the Spooky swap. So far I've made 4 things and the goal is 7 so thats going well too.
I've also made my friend a birthday pressy too :)
I've also picked myself up a second hand copy of the new Professor Layton game so I've been glued to that too :) Within a week I'd clocked up about 10 hours on it! I was chuffed with my purchase of this though as I was able to pay for it with the voucher I'd got from Computer Exchange when I traded in a few games last month.

Back from Berlin

2010-07-03T23:26:00.005+01:00

We just got back last night from the most amazing holiday. My first time ever abroad (well further afield than Ireland) and I loved it. As you have probably guested from the title, we went to Berlin. A beautiful city with so much to see, a week was no where near long enough but we had a nice relaxing potter around and managed to see a fair few of the sites.
Purely by chance and good luck we found that Berlin has a Dali Gallery devoted entirely to Salvador Dali and his work. While there wasn't any of his big oil paintings there, there was still loads to see. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven :) We also became very well acquainted with Ampelmann, the German equivalent to the man in the traffic light. He's apparently only found in the former East German side of Berlin and is very cool. He is so popular that he even has his own shop (which can also be found online here). I thoroughly enjoyed doing the whole touristy bit and have come home with my own Ampelmann t-shirt :)
I'm planning on put together all my soveniers in some form of scrapbook or something similar. I think I need to recover from the journey home though. zzzzz
I also need to get going on the swaps that I've signed up to. I'm taking part in the second round of the tiny swap, the spooky swap and earrings swap :) I'll have to get my crafty act together and come up with some things. I've already got some ideas of what to make Kiddo for the tiny swap.
I'm also in the process of making something for a friends birthday :) I won't say anymore though as I know she's probably reading this ;)

The Cutest News Story Ever!

2010-06-26T15:43:00.004+01:00

I heard about this yesterday and had to share it.

This is the story of Oscar the cat who lost its back paws in an accident and has had new prosthetic paws fitted by Surrey based Orthopaedic Surgeon, Noel Fitzpatrick. To read the full story click here.

Vintage Shopping

2010-06-24T19:47:00.004+01:00

I've got some annual leave this week and next so I've been having a nice chilled out day in the charity shops and vintage emporium. The Vintage Emporium is great - only discovered it recently through boyfriend and its like Aladins' Cave. It enormous and stretches on for miles! Well, maybe a slight exaggeration but you get the idea :) I bought a few bits - some beads to feed my addiction, a pretty necklace for my neice's bday and lovely brown maxi dress with a massive, stretchy, sequined band at the top. I'm going to take some pics in a bit to add to this. I'm really chuffed with it. I was originally going for another dress I saw, another maxi dress but black with a white embroidered design up the side but when I tried it on it was not a pretty sight - :( It had two side splits and when I put it on the splits seemed to create arrows pointing to my belly! Not really where I wanted the eye drawn to! The other dress I got is much better as its all sparkley round the top \o/
I've also been making some more jewellery for my shop. I made a monochrome beaded necklace and a brown, wooden beaded necklace. Both were made from beads that I picked up when we went to Hexton.
I also finished the top I was making. I hasn't turned out how I was hoping so I'm going to take it in a bit so its more flattering . A piccie is on its way though. The gold around the top though looks great against the yellow.

Sewing a Bit of Sunshine

2010-06-19T17:45:00.003+01:00

I have been playing around with some fabric I bought ages ago. Its a really pretty shade of yellow and I got it from the remnants basket for about a pound. I've made a design for a simple vest top and even made myself a pattern. This is virtually unheard of for me - I usually dive in scissors first and then think about how its all going to go together.
So far so good. I've hemmed around the neckline and around the sleeves. I just need to hem the bottom and makes some straps. I've also got some cool gold ribbon that I picked up ages ago for about 20p that I want to use on the front to create a band horizontally across it. Hopefully it will come out okay. I've used a tape measure and everything so I can't say I didn't think this one through. :) I'll post some pics when its all done. I may even post a pic of me wearing it :)
I'm also going to make sure I finish this sewing project. I have got a bad habit of starting things and then putting them down when something new comes along. I've still got a shocking pink infinity dress and a tartan pair of trousers half finished in my fabric pile. I plan to get to those next so I can clear a few things off my making list.
I've also made a few new bits of jewellery for the shop. I made a necklace out of some of the beads I bought in Hexton last month and a necklace I made a few months back.
I was working this morning so to treat myself I had a little potter round the charity shops in Watford. There wasn't a great deal on offer today (which was probably good for my purse) but I did pick up a lovely strapless mint coloured dress for £3, a zip for 10p to go with some fabric I bought to make a skirt from, a mini electric whisk for frothing milk for 50p and some wine glass charms for 20p. Not bad for a days work :) The electric whisk will get a bit of a soak in some sterilising fluid and then hopefully it will be ready to go. I'm looking forward to my fist DIY latte.
I've also nearly finished The Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood - I've never seen the film and I picked up the book from Oxfam Bookshops 50p shelf about a week ago. I've had my nose stuck in it ever since. Its a brilliant read. I've got The Count of Monte Cristo lined up as my next read as I've already started that on my DS.

Teeny weeny.....

2010-06-11T19:33:00.005+01:00

I've just put on my cool, new lollipop necklace from Violetta :) I got it as part of the tiny swap she was running on CO&K :) Its one of the best swaps I've done - I loved every second of the making and enjoyed the getting even more! My stash includes a cupcake purse, a lovely green buttoned cuff, 2 rings, a pin cushion, a tiny friend in a matchbox :) tiny buttons, tiny ball of wool and knitting needles in a tiny shoulder bag! I'm now fully equipped should the Borrowers take up residence in our flat.
For Violetta I made a tiny elephant, a ladybird magnet, dice earrings, purple sealife earrings, wire bracelet and tiny cards.
Also this week I got my business cards for my online shop :) They look really cool and I've got about 250 so I'll have plenty to leave about and put in with my swaps.
My new glasses also turned up in the post Tuesday. I got them from glasses crafter - a website that sells prescription glasses online. I was so chuffed with them - they cost just £40 which is a fraction of the cost I would have paid in one of the high street options. My prescriptions really strong and I have special lightweight lens so they don't press too hard on my nose. They used to give me headaches as a child and the special lightweight glasses in rimless frames normally cost me around £350 so I'm a very happy bunny. These are the ones I got.
Finally, I've been baking rolls again - this time a variation on the date and walnut rolls, rosemary and sea salt. They were yummy. I also made my first loaf and that came out surprisingly well too.

Mad Hatters and Red Queens

2010-06-06T20:01:00.005+01:00

I spent yesterday dressed as Alice for an Alice in Wonderland themed Tea Party and can safely say that I have consumed somewhere near my own body weight in cake. There was so much cake! I bought biscuits but I think everyone else bought cakes. They were yummy though and I still felt stuffed until about 4 in the afternoon today. The party was at fellow CO&Ker Aimees' and for the occasion I made myself some Alice themed jewellery and an Alice band for my hair.
The Cheshire cat earrings were made from fimo and were extremely fiddly to make but I was really chuffed with how they came out. The oversized charm bracelet was made from odds and sods I had around the flat. The pocket watch was made from the old outside of a real pocket watch which I bought for about 50p ages ago at a charity shop. It had no innards though as my bf had tried to get it working and then couldn't get it back in its case so I had to make a clock face to go inside out of fimo.
Today has been spent mostly napping and catching z's. It was really warm so I didn't go out until quite late and bought myself a maxi dress for the summer from New Look. A bit naughty as I've been trying to save up for a holiday later this year but its really comfy and cool. Its shocking pink and strapless :)

The Sun has got his hat on \o/

2010-06-02T17:33:00.003+01:00

Its been really summery today so I've been out and about getting my 10,000 lux, which is apparently what causes you to feel happy on sunny days. I had a good potter about the charity shops in Borehamwood yesterday and had some great finds. I bought a pretty, strappy summer dress for about £4 and some chinese balls (the ones which chime when you move them round in your hand). I also got a ball of some really cool purple wool - its really light and almost looks like something out of an art deco pic as its made up of two thin strands with little dots of colour every inch or so. Its really unusual and looks like it could have a lot of potential for making cool jewellery with. I also got a really pretty beaded bracelet for 99p which appears to be made from pearls and rose quartz.
Last night I also found a really cool tutorial on Mooky Chick on how to make 1940s hair dos. I had no idea how simple they are to do. The secret is apparently using foam rollers. I've had a play around with some foam strip that I had collected from some packaging ages ago. It was great fun :) I was also watching a whole load of tutorials on you tube on how to do 1940s make up. I don't know how I ended up looking at any of this stuff but it was amazingly interesting.
I've also been invited to a Alice and Wonderland themed tea party. This should be cool. I'll have to have a poke around the wardrobe and see what I can wear. I don't know if I have anything wonderlandish but I'll see what I can do :)

What a Scorcher!

2010-05-23T15:53:00.003+01:00

Its been really summery this week and its been a baking hot weekend. Yesterday we went to one of our favourite haunts - the Lavender Tea Rooms in Hexton. Its a not really doable if you don't drive so we don't go very often but when we go its wonderful. Its a really old fashioned Tea Room in the Village Hall. One side is Tea Rooms and the other side is Craft Market so as you can imagine, I'm in seventh heaven :). We stuffed ourselves silly on cake and tea and then had a little potter round the Craft Market. I managed to get myself 3 bags of mixed beads, some wool and some bits for putting in my hair for £5.50.
Yesterday afternoon I spent a good couple of hours sorting out my new beads and tidying my big box that I keep all my jewellery making stuff in.
I have also been making stuff for a new swap that I've signed up to. I've signed up to a Tiny swap so I'm making 7 tiny items for my swap partner, Violetta. I've already made 5 so I was on a roll last night.
I've also been making some new bits for my shop. I've been making Snake Pendants and Face Earrings from Fimo and using googly eyes. There a bit silly but the best things usually are.
I've also been reading tons. I've finished Bill Brysons' A Short History of Nearly Everything and now I'm reading Robert Winstons' Human Instinct. I'm enjoying reading something scientific for a change and have already been looking at the shelves to find what to read next.

Sweeties \o/

2010-05-09T16:03:00.004+01:00

I got my sweeties on Friday from Rhibi in Australia for the Sweetie swap we've been participating in on CO&K. So far they're all yummy, especially the raspberry and white chocolate bar which has unfortunately now disappeared :P
I've also been crafting away for the Newbie/Vet Swap which I'm participating in as a Vet. So far I've made a few bits and I've been really enjoying feeling a bit more creative. I've also retaken a lot of my product shots for my shop so feel free to check out the preview on the side bar. I think they're a really improvement so I'm pretty pleased with myself.
I'm reading another Bill Bryson book now as well as I'd finished A Walk in the Woods. I'm now reading a Short History of Nearly Everything (I think thats what its called). It's absolutely amazing. I'm already about half way through it and have been reading about the planet and the progress science has made in understanding the universe and our own planet. It's fascinating and really inspiring.
I was hoping to get down the plot today but the sky looks really grey and miserable. I was hoping it would clear up but its not looking overly hopeful right now and its already a quarter past four. I wanted to get down and continue weeding and plant out the pansies. At the moment they are spread around the herbs and onions in their pots where I would like to plant them. We also wanted to plant out the Sunflowers and they're on the windowsill at the moment and have grown loads since last week.

Cat Therapy

2010-05-03T21:51:00.003+01:00

I love Bank Holiday weekends. They seem to go on forever :) In spite of the rain we had a little party this weekend for my bf's bday. We started at 1pm and finished about 1.30am, so it was a bit of a late one.
Today we went down the allotment and I did loads of weeding. My legs were killing me by the end but it was great. I took the Pansies down too and have put them in position so I can plant them out when we go down next weekend. We also got visited by both allotment cats too which was the best bit. We can't keep a cat where we live so we love topping up our cat stroking time down the plot. The ginger tabby is called Hastings and we've been seeing her since we took over the plot about 3 years ago. The black and white one is new and only been visiting for about 6 months. We think he's quite young as he's quite kitteny still. It was stalking mice and Hastings and even my bf's leg at one point.
The oregano has grown loads since I was last down. So too have the leeks and onions and I was weeding between the onions today. Our bulbs still haven't flowered yet but the dafs look pretty close. Our parsnips are also really big now and probably pretty close to harvesting :)
I've also joined up with two new swaps this week. I've joined the Newbie/Veteran swap as a Vet this time so I'm working on that. I'm also working on a Journal Swap too. I just need to send out my T-shirt refashion as thats practically done. I'm enjoying all the extra crafting. It keeps me inspired which I like.

Got my creative mojo working overtime

2010-04-24T23:11:00.005+01:00

I've been feeling really arty and crafty lately which has been really nice. I've done a few smallish paintings and been working on the t-shirt refashion swap that I'm running. I've just got the finishing touches of that to do and then its ready to send out. I've also been making a fair bit of jewellery :)
This is one of my recent paintings and my current favourite.

I think my extra creativeness has come from the really nasty cold I've had this week. I haven't been able to go into work and I think I've had a temperature yesterday and part of today so my brains been extra strange. I also think boredom is an excellent motivator. I absolutely hate colds and flu and I'll do pretty much anything to take my mind off it so I think that's what's happened.
I've also been having fun trawling through you tube and have been watching loads of Steven Wright. If you're not familiar with him he's an exceptionally surreal American Comedian. I've loved him for years and remember first seeing him on telly donkeys years ago, probably late 80s early 90s.
I've also been reading some Bill Bryson which has also been making me chuckle :D. I'm reading A Walk in the Woods and it has had me chuckling most nights. I can't believe I hadn't read anything by him till now. My bf's a big fan and so is one of my best friends but I'd never quite got round to reading anything till now.

Oooops

2010-04-19T14:10:00.005+01:00

I think I've turned into a girl :/ I keep buying clothes and I've worn skirts twice this week. I'm going to blame it on the sunshine. For some unknown reason this seems to happen most years. Its not like Spring and Summer are a new invention but every year I have a little panic about not having any clothes for the summer and go a little crazy.
I need to tighten my belt (in every sense) as I've overspent this month and had to transfer some savings. I've also still got another week to go before pay day :/
In my defence I did go to Camden twice this month. I challenge anyone to go there and not come home with some naughty purchase. I got the most amazing wrap skirt. Its shocking pink (one of my favourite colours) with black net over the top. Its wonderful and long and so comfy. I'm a little dubious of wearing it to work though as I have this little paranoia about wrap skirts as they don't just come undone. One minute you're dressed and the next minute you're not! I might be shocking pink too if that happens :/
My repotted Pansies are mostly doing okay. I few of them have gone a bit on the straggley side but on the whole they should be okay. Mr Cyclamen on the other hand doesn't look too healthy. I think he's getting too much sun in the spot he's in and has gone a bit frazzled looking. I'm going to try watering him a bit more and see if that perks him up. Fingers crossed.

Spring has Sprung (fingers crossed)

2010-04-11T17:50:00.005+01:00

I've just come (well a couple of hours ago) from our allotment and spring is definitely looking like its here \o/. The raspberries have lots of fresh shoots and don't look like giant, dead sticks and the lavender looks like lavender again, rather than a pile of dried twigs and our neighbour had daffodils and tulips flowering. Our bulbs appear to be a bit more laid back and don't even appear to have buds yet but that's fine. They'll be flowering soon. Unfortunately the weeds are also back but, well, ho hum you can't have it all. Also weeds are only weeds because they are growing somewhere you don't want them to grow. They're also incredibly tough and often quite beautiful so I shouldn't be too hard on them.

I've also been making more jewellery bits and bobs. I'm making some sweet inspired bits for Rhibi, who I'm partnered with in the 2nd round of the sweetie swap. We've set a limit on ourselves as we are both on pretty tight budgets so I bought a fivers worth of goodies yesterday and thought I'd make some other bits and bobs to add to it. I didn't seem to have my mojo for the first round which is a bit of a shame but hopefully Rhi will like what I've made. I've made jelly snake (except made from fimo) pendant and earrings and a lollipop pendant and a rainbow beaded bracelet.

Good posture, zentangles and pretty flowers :)

2010-04-09T23:25:00.008+01:00

Finally got my posh new chair from sit kneel chairs yesterday \o/. Its very posh with purple seat and kneeling pad.
The idea is that rather than slouch in your chair you sit on the top pad with your knees resting on the bottom. It forces you too sit more upright and with a much better posture. The tough bit now is getting used to it. Yesterday I was sat on it for a couple of hours but ended up with a bit of a backache. I don't think you realise how bad your posture is until you try and change it but my back will get used to its new chair. And its a nice bright purpley colour so you can't really go too far wrong :)
I've also been keeping up the zentangling so by request here are a couple of my attempts.

Not exactly ready for the Tate but I've been having fun doing them :)
Also I have bought myself some more seeds for the trough that we keep out on the balcony. This year I have gone with labelia, sweet peas and morning glories. They are all pinky, purpley, bluey colours so they should all look pretty together and the sweet peas and morning glories should climb up the railings and look extra nice :)
Hopefully it will look as nice as last year and we'll have something pretty to look at when we sit out on the balcony.

Room to grow

2010-04-03T22:24:00.005+01:00

Yay for me! I finally got round to repotting the Winter Pansies I started off before Christmas. I had them growing in a pot inside a sealed sandwich bag and had been meaning to repot them for months. Sorry plants for the wait but I finally did it tonight. While I was at it I also repotted my Iris bulbs and my Cyclamen. The Iris's had got some aphids climbing all over them so I had to give them a good clean under the tap to get all visitors off. They are all hopefully feeling happier now and have some room to grow.
Now I just need to get my arse in gear and get down the allotment a bit more often and get some new stuff growing there. Thankfully we were quite productive in the Autumn so theres plenty growing (in amongst the weeds) so we shouldn't get any nasty letters from the council just yet.
I've also been making and have made myself a business card holder. It was a little project I came up with last year when I was doing the Recycle swap and I'd been meaning to make one for myself so I finally did that too. I also made a how-to and have uploaded that to Cut Out & Keep so hopefully that will be on there by the morning :) All in all a quite productive evening.
Just one last thing. I've been following Trish from CO&K and she recently posted something about Zentangles on her blog and since then I have been zentangling away like a mad women. That's not too hard considering I was a mad women to begin with, but nevertheless they are pretty cool. If you want to know more just check out below.

Hi My names Kat and I'm a Haribo addict ....

2010-03-28T19:41:00.006+01:00

My waistline seems to expanded over the last few months so after some soul searching I've decided to own up to my addiction. I think I need to kick my habit and go cold turkey as I found to my cost today that an open packet is an empty packet :/ Goodbye sour cherry yumminess _o/
I've been charity shopping today and I've had an amazing find :) I found this beautiful, crinkly, magenta skirt. It was £4.75 in Scope and it fits really well and has a kind of pointy, fairy-like hemline. I also picked up a nice pair of jeans with my favourite shade of sugary pink trim. They were also a bargain at £4.50.

I finally got down to my allotment plot today. It has recovered well from the flooding and the leeks we planted last year are really big and the parsnips are really coming along well too. My bf also pointed out a few rows of onions which have just started coming up. We were really chuffed as we've not been good recently at getting ourselves down to the plot. The best bit is that tons of crocus' have come up this year. They aren't flowering yet but there's plenty of leaves and buds. Fingers crossed that they'll be few to see next time.

Lights off

2010-03-22T23:41:00.003Z

On Saturday 27th March at 8.30pm the WWF will be asking people to switch off all lights to demand action on Climate Change. To find out more check out the website.

Kitkat's Katchat

My Blog is Moving

Final Bits & Bobs Before Craft Fair

All Go

More Makery :)

Feeling Creative \o/

Busy, busy, busy!

I can haz new shop!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Preparing for my First Proper Craft Fair

My Two Penneth

Cats & Pots

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Something Different...

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Bead Soup

Space Painting

\o/ Fame at Last \o/

She's Alive... Beautiful... Finite... Hurting... Worth Dying for

Holy Marrows Batman!

Back from Cornwall

Nice Smells

Update from the Plot

All Go in Katland

Green Fingers

Rainbows

I won \o/

Ammonites

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Zentangles

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Earth Hour 2011

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Brrrr

Mouse Fingers

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Stuff!

What a cool video

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Crafty Non-Christmas

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Maybe I should have been a Surgeon :)

And the winner is.....

One More Day to Halloween

Folksy Kat & RIP Ari Up

Free Stuff!! \o/

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cough cough