A beautifully sunny day, perfect for sitting out in the garden and working on a little project.
26th March 2012 – “Sunshine and stitching”
Archive for March, 2012
Project 365 – Day 86
Posted in Project 365, tagged cross stitch, project 365 on March 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Cross stitch corner #1
Posted in Pins and needles, tagged cross stitch, CrossStitcher magazine on March 26, 2012 | 2 Comments »
It was inevitable really because I do seem to have an insatiable need to learn new crafts, but I have picked up a new hobby: cross stitch. My interest was piqued last year when a friend sent me a minature cross stitch kit, I enjoyed it a lot but didn’t have the time to look into it further when I’d completed the kit.
A year on and I’ve definitely caught the bug. When I visited Stitch & Craft a couple of weeks ago I was fascinated by the variety of cross stitch patterns that were available, and did buy a pattern which I’ll be attempting soon. I also ended up getting a subscription to CrossStitcher magazine, and on my way home picked up a copy of the March issue too.
The March issue of CrossStitcher has got loads of vintage style patterns in it and I was particularly taken with these vegetable ones. I thought that, as they’re small, they’d make a good starter project for me before I attempt the larger pattern I bought at the show.
I started off quite well really although I didn’t have all the right colours. I had to make do with the selection of threads I had in the house so there were a lot of substitutions and trying to match colours as closely as possible by eye. I finished the first one this afternoon and I’m really proud of it. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good!
I think I’ll tackle the tomato one next, and as an added bonus these little cross stitch patterns have given me another idea…
Project 365 – Day 85
Posted in Project 365, tagged project 365, tulip turkestanica on March 25, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I planted loads of new bulbs last autumn and the fruits of my labour really are beautiful to behold.
25th March 2012 – “Tulip turkestanica”
Project 365 – Day 84
Posted in Project 365, tagged lampshades, paradise by way of kensal green, project 365, the paradise on March 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I love these old lampshades at The Paradise.
24th March 2012 – “Let there be light”
Kensal Flea – photos
Posted in Publicity & Articles, tagged helen hancock, kensal flea, local sugar, lucy letherland, mistah on March 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
It’s been a very long day but I thought I would come and share some photos before I turn in for the night. Today I had a stall at Kensal Flea (I was last there in June) and it was, once again, a fun and successful day.
First up we have the obligatory photos of my own stall. Not the best photographs in the world as the light was quite dim in this room!
I seem to have a different sized (and shaped) table each time I go to market, and today was no exception. It was a good pitch though, lots of room to spread out, so I was able to display my various trinket boxes much more easily than usual.
Enough about me, on to the highlights…
These miniature cakes by Local Sugar caught my eye because they were slightly different from the usual cakes you see around these days. I really liked the small size (let’s face it, most cupcakes these days are huge and a bit tricky to eat without covering your entire face in frosting), and I loved the way they were packaged in egg cartons.
The stall next to me was chock full of interesting bits and bobs designed by Lucy Letherland and Helen Hancocks. Both ladies have a distinct style and I love the quirkiness of it all (despite them clearly being cat-lovers rather than dog-lovers 
).
Not really a stall, but my second favourite thing today were the micro pigs. Teeny pigs! I did overhear a woman saying “they’re not very small” but clearly that woman had never seen a proper pig, because these were only about the size of a Jack Russell (and when they’re fully grown they’re smaller than a labrador)…
Last, but certainly not least, we have my absolute star pick of the day. Illustrations by Mistah. I absolutely loved his work, in particular NdoubleUsix and Kensal Rising which are gorgeous prints featuring local landmarks. Cleverly and skillfully done, these prints really made my jaw drop. I couldn’t resist buying a shopping bag featuring the Kensal Rising design and I really hope that there are (or will be) bags with the NdoubleUsix design on because I desperately want one!
So those were, for me at least, the highlights of the day. There was of course a grand array of other stalls ranging from vintage fashion to furniture to jewellery and hats. You had to be there to see it all, and if you missed this one then you’ll have to try and visit the next!
Many thanks to Juliet Kinsman for organising yet another fabulous day.
Project 365 – Day 83
Posted in Project 365, tagged garden lighting, lantern, project 365 on March 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
23rd March 2012 – “Patterns of light”
Weekword: Panoply
Posted in Weekword, tagged panoply, timballoo, weekword on March 23, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Jen over at Timballoo chose this week’s word. Thanks Jen…
So, what does panoply mean? There are a few different definitions (click here if you want to see what they all are), but the most commonly used meaning is that of an impressive array. For instance, er (ok, let’s steal the example from dictionary.com!), the dazzling panoply of the maharaja’s procession. Or, I suppose, the dazzling panoply of Imelda Marcos’ shoes…
I’ve been thinking all day and trying to work out what to write about … could I think of anything that would fit this week’s word? Yes actually. I’ve been thinking about the Chelsea Flower Show a lot this week and you could definitely use the word panoply there. Lots. The incredible panoply of flowers in the Pavillion, the diverse panoply of show gardens, the tempting panoply of sundries available for purchase…
That’s it for me and the word panoply. I wish I could have thought of something a bit more creative for this word but I have to admit I got a bit stuck!
Project 365 – Day 82
Posted in Project 365, tagged cross stitch, project 365 on March 22, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Turns out that cross-stitch is a good way to go cross-eyed.
22nd March 2012 – “Cross-stitch? Cross-eyed…”
Project 365 – Day 81
Posted in Project 365, tagged amplexus, frogs, nature, project 365, wildlife on March 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Frogs in amplexus, they’re on their way to some water where they’ll spawn. The male doesn’t want the female going off with some other male so he clings on to her til they reach the water, and gets a free ride in the process (cheeky devil!).
21st March 2012 – “Sorry, was I interrupting?”
Hello…
Posted in General craftiness, tagged notecards, rubber stamps, typewriter on March 21, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
No Wednesday Wishlist today as it would have been dreadfully dull (still wishing for better teeth…), but I have been preparing some new things ready for Kensal Flea this Saturday.
Sets of blank notecards, with a hand-stamped design on the front. These come to you courtesy of the killer toothache which kept me at home from work on Monday. If you’d like a set then pop along to Kensal Flea on Saturday where you can purchase them, or receive a set as a free gift when you spend over £15.
