Holy Marrows Batman!

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.

Nice Smells

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.

Green Fingers

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

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 :)

Clearance Sale at Woodle Doodle Dandy :)

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 :)

Free Beads

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.

I haz a win \o/

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.

More fimo fun :)

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

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 :)

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 :)

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.

Folksy Kat & RIP Ari Up

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.

Scavenger Kat's Treasure Trove :)

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.

Odds & Ends

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.

More making & doing

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

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 :)

Decluttering

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 :)

Sewing a Bit of Sunshine

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.....

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.

The Sun has got his hat on \o/

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 :)