Valentines Ring Giveaway

Another ring! This time of my own design. I'm giving this away. Leave a comment below before Tues 3rd Feb, and I'll pick a winner on the 4th and hopefully get this to you before Valentines day. Wherever you are in the world



The ring is a crocheted heart, edged in gold blanket stitch, with a red bead sewn in



I cut a cardboard heart to size and blanket stitched the whole thing to that. Then glued on an adjustable ring back.



I'm still pretty new to making things, so I don't know how long-lasting a construction this is. But, hey, it's free, right?



It's perfect for wearing whilst you pen those love letters.....




PS. I tried to improve my photos this time. A tricky process involving my desk lamp and a piece of paper sellotaped to the desk. I really must read those photography books I got out of the library!

Cheap Thrills

Crocheted Cocktail Ring, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

The washing machine broke on Friday - £110 (which the lovely repair man assures us will keep it going for another 5 years, fingers crossed for that!). It should hopefully be back with us tonight.

The car went in for scheduled repairs on Monday, another £92.

So last night I glammed it up for no pence!

I was re-reading Craft:04 in the bath and saw the instructions for a crochet cocktail ring. Ingredients: thin elastic, beads and a small crochet hook. All things I had to hand already, so I settled down on the sofa and had made this within the half hour. I left off the last row of beads because I used larger pearly numbers and by the time I'd reached the second row of beads, it 'looked done'.

I know I should be holding a cocktail, that's a large glass of apple and blackcurrant squash. These are hard times after all!

PS. The beads were reclaimed from broken jewellery. So it really was cheap

PPS. My hands look awful! I've been handwashing clothes...

Memories of a Shellfish Masacare

Memories of a Shellfish Masacare, originally uploaded by Paul Salkeld.

My latest favourite Flickr group!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/transportpatterns/pool/

Crayon Roll

Crayon Roll, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

E is 3 years old
Today I've thrown a party for 6 kids, there has been jelly, ice cream and balloons aplenty.
And party bags at home time.

These, (I finished something!) are the crayon rolls I made for the girls to take home. I've seen similar things around the crafty blogosphere, but in the end I worked this out myself based on what materials I had and the size of the crayons. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Off to bed. Kids parties are tiring for grown ups too!

No Pictures!

Two Quick Updates:

1.My laptop died. Properly died.

I think I've eyed up a suitable (and exciting!) replacement, but it might be a couple of weeks before it's actually mine. Stay tuned for THAT announcement.

In the meantime, I do have internet access using my work computer, but it's temperamental about letting me play with photos. Something to do with the fact that it really should be used for work purposes. Or something. Shocking.
I might be able to get photos uploaded another way in the meantime. I'm working on it.

2. I broke my 'not doing excessive overtime in 2009' rule. ha. See those New Year's Resolutions? Not doing so well. I've done loads of extra work this week and I'm completely exhausted. E has run rings around me today. But it's the weekend, and with the exception of a three years olds birthday party to attend tomorrow (!), I'm looking forward to a lie-in and some time to catch up with my sewing project. Fingers crossed.

Hope your weekend is restful and fun!

oh no, more shopping

E and I walked into town yesterday, I had some Christmas vouchers to spend.

The walk takes about an hour, and we were meeting friends in two hours, so I detoured into the charity shops on the way.

I know there are issues to be addressed with the amount of stuff in this house. I know. But oh my friends, what would YOU do if you saw this for £1.50


As a little aside here, this is a plea to charity shop workers. PLEASE! No Sellotape! I know things have to be held together. May I respectfully suggest two rubber bands in cross shape. Many thanks for your time.



So many wonderful distractions in this box. And all with that thick card/vintage paper feel. I think it's from the seventies.



I was loving the graphics on the snakes and ladders board




A look at the booklet reveals it's even more wonderful than I originally thought. A snakes and ladders lesson in morals. Perfect.

Self Denial leads to the prize? Then, man, am I in trouble. Clearly self-denial is something I don't do

Tiddlywinks.


This got removed seconds later by E and Daddy who practiced in the living room, while I snapped the other goodies.


Wooden dominos and draughts sets (the boards pictured are double sided: draughts board and nine mens morris are on the reverse)



Word games


Bingo / Lotto


Ludo and Steeplechase



It also has the original die in the spears plastic cup. So, you'd have bought it, right?

Having fallen off the wagon, I also found this book


which I'm telling myself is for E, but... the colours! the inspiration! I love it







And this for me.



Line drawings of different flowers. Maybe good for embroidery?


And a Ladybird Little Red Riding Hood, with scary illustrations my little thrill-seeker will love when she's a bit older!


Some fairy tales are DARK! Hope she loves Andrew Lang Fairy Books as much as me



We got into town. Finally. I didn't spend my vouchers in the end, but I did buy these cute silicone muffin cases from habitat. A rare splash out treat for me, but silicone = reusable. So that's a good thing right?


OK then... back to the clearing out

Bless This House

Bless This House tiny cup, originally uploaded by ninethreeo.

Today was the day of the first post-Christmas jumble sales. Starting with the one just up the road from me.
I told myself I wasn't going. I'm in the middle of a big clearout. I didn't need to go.
Start time came. Start time went.
"I'm not going", I said to S

I stood in the kitchen doorway

"All the good stuff will be gone by now anyway", I said

He looked at me.

"I'm going", I said. I grabbed my keys and left.

Although I was 20 minutes late, it was really quiet, hardly anyone there. I spent less than three pounds, but I got a nice lot of stuff. I'll try to take some pictures at the weekend in better light, until then, here's a shot of a tiny cup I found, just an inch tall.

Bless This House. And all the stuff in it.

Knitted Gloves

Finally, I make something. Although it's a bit poor because it was originally intended as practice for the magic loop method of knitting, but it's made by me, and it's in use, so here it is.

I made this up as I went along, then decided it was going to be fingerless mittens, added an off-centre cable band, and knit til I ran out of yarn.

Don't look too close at the cabling, because I was practicing magic loop, not concentrating on the number of rows between cables. Or indeed, how many stitches I was cabling.

Despite their flaws, they are VERY cosy, and when the temperature plummeted here last night I wore them in bed!

With busy busy days (toddlers and day jobs) finding time for making stuff is scarce round here, but this was, *is*, my New Year's Resolution and so last night I managed nearly an hour on another project. Tricky stuff (for me). Sewing. On the machine. Hopefully back with some pics soon.

Tableau by E

So after I failed to get out of early this morning (after the weekend's decluttering went on late into the night) and E played quietly in her room, I was relieved.

And later, delighted, when I went into her room after breakfast and found this:

On closer inspection she has found her sunloungers and chairs (vintage Fisher Price) and lined them up very carefully (manual dexterity!), organising the matryoshkas from large to small (sorting and grouping!) in a relaxed, reclining fashion

It really made my day!

A good start

I am being so very very good.
This weekend I have donated 4 big bags and three pieces of furniture to the charity shop, and freecycle. There are two more boxes, and two more bags ready to go tomorrow. And a box of crafty stuff for E's nursery.

I'm still planning on gathering some stuff for another giveaway.

I'm tired. and also exhilirated for finally starting to shift some stuff.

Giveaway Winner

I'm just taking the very briefest of pauses from a MAMMOTH craft room clear out (yay for me sticking to my resolutions) to randomly choose a winner for my giveaway.
Four entries! I know I'm only fledgling so I'm very pleased.

The winner, as chosen by Random.Org, is Kitschen Pink

But thanks to all for entering. I'm really culling in the craft room today so I might be back later with my SECOND giveaway. Hot on the heels. I'll try to sort out some nice stuff!

New Year's Day!

Today we went to the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley for a New Year's Day Steam Train Ride

We took the 12.30




It was so so cold out so the steam looked fantastic, curling around the old train




We left Butterley Station on our round trip




E made a train-and-carriage of her own with the tickets




The inside of the train was wonderful






So was the view outside





Everything was so frosty and silvery, it looked magical mingling with the steam from the train





We stopped at Swanwick Junction, where they have a museum and other things to do


including Brittain Pit Farm:

(a farm built on the site of an old pit)


where they have rabbits, ducks, geese, and a goat in a coat


Then it was time to go back up the line to Butterley













Hope you had a wonderful first day of the year!