Pippa's Arty Life

I've moved

2009-03-31T23:27:00.001+01:00

Come on over to my new blog

Well, it's the same blog really, just a different name :o)

I'm moving!

2009-03-23T13:56:00.004Z

Thanks for your feedback. I'm doing it! No, I'm not moving house again (thankfully!), I'm moving over to a new blog. Well, it's the same blog really - it just has a different name.

Come on over - I've got the kettle on!

click here for the link to Pippa's Long Stockings

And, because I can't blog without a picture, here's some more tape I got in the post. Cool, huh?

thoughts please!

2009-03-20T12:44:00.002Z

Hooray! It's the first day of SPRING! And here in my garden, it's lovely and sunny.

Now here's where I want your thoughts, people. I wanted to play around with blog templates but didn't want to mess up this one and lose everything SO I created a new blog and had a play: pippaslongstockings.blogspot.com

My question is, should I move on over to the new blog and settle there (which means a new URL) Or should I stay here and just revamp this one? I would still keep this one open so that previous posts were still here and all that jazz. Thoughts thoughts thoughts?

flickr fave

2009-03-18T12:45:00.003Z

I am really enjoying the photographs of this guy on Flickr. Have a look.

These photos were taken in a village that I know very well. Previously, I wouldn't have thought there was anything interesting to take photos of there, but he has proven me wrong! I love how he can even make a pile of bricks look interesting. Check him out.

I wasn't expecting this

2009-03-17T16:37:00.004Z

Look what I got in the post this morning

It's fun packing tape! For me! No, not completely random: a little while ago, I did a blog post about cool packing tape. I never actually thought that one of my lovely readers would surprise me with some! Thank you so much Sa! These are so cool!

Pink with white daisies, white with pink daisies, and full-on flower power. These are going to look amazing on a scrapbook page. Now I'm even more excited about finishing the wedding invitations: more scrapping fun! HOORAY!

goodbye miss pink

2009-03-13T11:44:00.002Z

Believe it or not, this made me a bit sad. She was my favourite sock monkey and I was secretly hoping that no-one would buy her (although at the same time desperate for money).

I'm going to have to make some more sock creatures. After I've finished the wedding invitations though.

scrapping and aprons

2009-03-11T20:10:00.007Z

It is definitely a favourite :o) But 'Ready' is still my all-time favourite (that one where I had to cover up a word!).

I do really love this one. This is one of Mr Pippa's favourite wedding photos (courtesy of Affirmation Photography). I did this page a couple of months ago, I was just waiting to find the right stamp to finish it. I never did find the stamp I wanted, so I used my own handwriting instead and I'm really pleased! Finally, I am actually pleased with my handwriting on a page - not just satisfied, but ACTUALLY PLEASED!

I really miss scrapping. I'm still working on the wedding invitations. They are THE best I have ever made though, so it'll be worth it. Oh and I am SO BEHIND on my photo-a-day it's laughable. But I have had a really rough few weeks, so I think I'm allowed. And, it's a photo-a-day, not an exam. To be honest, I may not have even missed a day - I may have just forgotten to upload them. Hmmm, I'll look into that.

Also, VERY exciting: I won a place on this class!

Sew Easy Aprons with Martha Bonneau

(photo from the class website)

Aren't they SO cute?! When I was little, I had a skirt just like that one on the right (but it had a back to it, obviously) and I called it "my three skirts". The best thing about this class is... it's online! I don't have to travel to America; I could probably do it in my jammies if I wanted to. It's not too late to sign up...

I'm going to put my jammies on (it's 9pm here and, in my book, that's late enough for jammies).

want to know what my name means?

2009-03-11T11:24:00.001Z

This photo really made me laugh.

what's in your handbag?

2009-03-09T15:01:00.003Z

The handbag in question is that red sequin thing in the background. It's falling apart, but I love it. Cost? I think it was about £4 and I got it a few years ago, so it has served me well. It's so pretty, but so unpractical: one massive pocket I often lose a limb in, not at all waterproof, and the strap is so long that I practically have to reach down to the ground to get anything out.

Contents:

9 pens (5 clicky tops, 4 lidded: all black and all but one are ball-point)
1 mechanical pencil
3 receipts
10 tissues (all unused)
mini packet of tissues
travel packet of Wet Ones
sweet wrapper
broken watch (it works, but the strap keeps breaking. I really should take it back)
packet thingy of Wrigley's Extra Ice
3 hair bobbles
large claw clip
2 small claw clips
compact mirror
chocolate £100 note... from Christmas
purse
small Moleskine notebook
pink pocket Bible
wire bound notebook
packet of Fox's glacier fruits (I'm not a huge fan - Mr Pippa got them. I have no idea why I was still carrying them around in my bag)
2 bottles of perfume
Burt's Bees lip balm
travel bottle of antibac hand gel
pink filofax
camera (I used Mr Pippa's camera to take these pictures)
250ml bottle cocoa butter moisturiser (WHY do I carry such a massive bottle?! I often grab moisturiser on the way out of the house and then it ends up in my bag. The other day I found two of these bottles in my bag.)

And now, how many hair pins/kirby grips do you think I had? Go on, have a guess. I'll tell you after a few guesses.

So that's my bag. Conclusion: I need a more organised bag! Perhaps I'll start looking out for one for my birthday. Have you found the perfect bag? Where can I find it?

So, what does my bag say about me? And what does your bag say about you? If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged and tell me about the contents of your bag.

+edited 12th March

I had 17 kirby grips. The thing is, I only ever wear one in my hair, so why so many?! Perhaps I'm scared of not having any on the one day I need one, so I drop a couple into my bag before leaving the house. Perhaps.

did I tell you I've been making wedding invitations?

2009-03-06T20:57:00.003Z

I'm pretty sure I did. This month, I will be doing a LOT more of that. In fact, all other crafts have been put on hold until the invites are done. Oh yes. But that's not to say I won't have things to show you.

The couple really wanted me to put something on the cards to say that I made them, so I made these little stickers. Cute, huh?

On Monday, I will be showing you the contents of my handbag! Although, I have a BSL exam on Monday, so maybe it will be Tuesday (did you know I sign? Yes I do. So does Mr Pippa!). It's not completely random: I was tagged by Kara to do this and I don't normally bother with tags, but I liked the sound of this one. I think you can tell a lot about a person from what they have in their handbag. Tune in after the weekend to find out...

May your weekend be FILLED with sunshine and smiles and lovely things! HOORAY!

Ps I'm feeling a bit better. Did you know I was feeling really rubbish? I was. But I'm a bit better now :o)

sneaky peeky

2009-03-03T22:38:00.001Z

I'm laughing at myself for writing 'sneak peak' - what would that even be? A cunning mountain top??

happy st david's day :o)

2009-03-01T20:40:00.002Z

Today, I have photographed daffodils (the national flower of Wales) and made a point of speaking to a Welsh person*. Happy Welsh day everyone!

*Yes, that Welsh person is Mr Pippa :o)

really cool tape

2009-02-28T12:21:00.007Z

Sticky tape, packing tape, parcel tape, call it what you will - I've been looking at some really cool stuff.

I love tape. I don't know why, but I do. I've been looking for some fun tape to use in crafty projects but haven't come across any in 'real life' - only on the internet. BUT, the ones I've been looking at on the internet are really cool.

this keyboard tape from here

this cloud tape from here (I really really want some of this tape)

Oooo pretty damask tape from here

this tape reminds me of The IT Crowd credits (see them here)

how cute is this?! I wonder if the little story repeats itself or whether it's one massively long story. I like to think the latter.

I like the hearts. I think the bottom one looks quite fun too - it reminds me a bit of the illustrations from The Mighty Boosh.

you know I love polka dots :o)

I LOVE this one! Not only are the picnic illustrations wonderful and the colours are oh-so-pretty, but there's a Playmobil lady standing beside it! Brilliant!

FABRIC tape?! This probably isn't a new invention but I've never used fabric tape before. This is gorgeous. These last few tapes were all from here. Yes, that's right, none of them sold in the UK. [insert huge sad face here]

Do any of you know where I could get these in the UK? {especially that lovely cloud tape} Let me know if you do. That would make me very happy.

[if you're interested in more tape, Reuben Miller does a tape review here and also toxel.com show off some cool designs here]

it's a canvas!

2009-02-26T19:07:00.002Z

I am really pleased with this. It's 'scrapbooky', but it's on a CANVAS. Exciting or what?!

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,

but I have not love,

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers,

and fathom all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have a faith that can move mountains,

but I have not love, I am nothing.

If I give away all I have,

and if I deliver up my body to be burned,

but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,

but rejoices with the truth.

Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never ends.

As for prophecies, they will pass away;

as for tongues, they will cease;

as for knowledge, it will pass away.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

but when the perfect comes, the imperfect disappears.

When I was a child I spoke like a child,

I though like a child, I reasoned like a child.

When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

For now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror;

then we shall see face to face.

Now I know in part;

then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.

But the greatest of these is love.

Dress-making patterns, paper, ribbon, sheet music and paint. I don't really think I can call this a painting because a minimal amount of paint was used. For now, I'm just calling it a canvas. Right now, it's propped up in front of the TV. I'm sure it will find a better home in due course.

I'm having a bad few weeks: constant helmet headaches, sore throat, feeling as though I've been trampled on by a horse... I'm a lot slower at the moment - having to scrape all of my concentration together just to eat some cereal. And to make it worse, I have a huge to-do list. Urgh. I have so many creative ideas but I have to put them on hold until I've got on top of life again. But my favourite scrapbook page is still on my easel and this canvas is on display, so at least I can look at these and smile, because I've made some cool things this month.

sneak peek {not your average scrapbook page}

2009-02-24T13:15:00.003Z

ready

2009-02-20T12:33:00.005Z

This is my absolute favourite.

Here's a tip for you: if you're planning on using a page of text in your work, read it scrupulously. I was really pleased with this cute little frame I covered in a dictionary page. It wasn't until I looked at this photo that I realised I hadn't checked this page well enough before using it.

Incredibly unfortunate. Can you see it? If not, GREAT! I did, of course cover the word with an additional glittery heart. I really didn't want another heart on there - I thought it looked BEAUTIFUL the way it was. But it wasn't to be. So here's the frame, with 'that word' covered up:

We laughed quite a bit at this. Have a wonderful weekend :o)

sneak peek

2009-02-18T13:38:00.017Z

This is my favourite page ever.

when are polka dots not fun?

2009-02-17T12:47:00.003Z

That was a rhetorical question but, just in case you're unsure, I will answer it for you: polka dots are always fun.

[Warning: private joke alert]

Believe it or not, those two phrases caused a lot of amusement that day.

Stepped out of my comfort zone for this one. Oooo FREEHAND cutting. PAINT. Printing with bubble wrap?! And yes, I am trying the handwriting again. The next page I'm going to show you is a lot more 'me' and definitely my favourite page EVER out of all of my scrapbook pages. It's a good one. I think you'll like it. ALSO, I've just realised that there's a page that I did weeks ago which I still haven't shown you and that is also one of my faves so far. But it's not as good as the one I finished today (which is my best ever).

In case you're wondering, the last bit of handwriting is written using the IPA and it says: YEAH BABY! Oh IPA, I I love thee. I wish I could do my Linguistics degree all over again. But that would be pointless.

Well, I'm off to do some dusting. FUN. (Note the sarcasm there) Although, if there's ice on your windscreen, you de-ice it, so should dusting be called 'de-dusting'?

is every new page a new favourite?

2009-02-16T11:58:00.007Z

It certainly seems that way! I feel as though I keep saying, "this is my new favourite". Well this really is my new favourite.

I'd quite like to get my flower girl to write on this piece of journaling paper. That would be nice.

And here's the really cool bit...

A letter from our flower girl, hidden in the little blue envelope (I mean the letter is hidden in the envelope, not the flower girl!).

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. I spent my weekend with excellent friends and lots of cake.

Mr Pippa bought two bunches of flowers for me yesterday. I was VERY cross when I saw the price tag: £7. I think he knew what my reaction would be, so I'm sure he thoroughly enjoyed telling me to turn the price tag over: £1.75! That's more like it. Well done Mr Pippa :o)

have a lovely weekend

2009-02-14T10:58:00.001Z

I have a thing for putting things in colour order

2009-02-13T16:10:00.004Z

This is my wardrobe. I think you already knew about my colour-ordering obsession though.

I've changed my mind about that sneak peak I showed you - it's completely not finished. So instead, here's a sneak peak of a different page. This one might even be my favourite so far.

Hope you're having a nice Friday :o)

sale now on

2009-02-10T11:57:00.003Z

I'm having a little sale in my Folksy shop until 20th Feb. Anything you fancy?

I was going to show you this scrapbook page, but I've decided that it's not finished, so I might show it to you tomorrow.

Also, I think I've just made the best scrapbook page I will ever make. I love it. I've got it on display on my easel. I'll show you that later. Right now, I'm trying to catch up with life (it got put on hold while we had snow!).

Cheerio for now.

shop update

2009-02-07T21:06:00.001Z

There are more badges in the shop, and more on the way.

Fancy browsing the badges, past and present? Here they are.

his creation will live on

2009-02-06T22:29:00.004Z

photos taken by Mathmos

Hans Beck, the creator of Playmobil died today at age 79. His creation will certainly live on in our household.

that scrapbook page with my handwriting

2009-02-06T11:30:00.002Z

You know what? I don't think my handwriting looks too bad here.

I did this page a few weeks ago but the original sticky label was a disaster (I used the wrong pen and it smudged). This is a new favourite page of mine.

Ooo look! It's another badge! Nothing quite like a handmade scrapbook embellishment :o)

What do you think? You see that bit of vellum attached with brads? I thought that was a rub-on. I completely destroyed a different bit of vellum by rubbing it - insisting that it was a rub-on. No, it's just vellum. And I'll know that for next time.

reverse appliqué

2009-02-03T00:56:00.004Z

The tonsillitis has gone! Did I even tell you that I had it? Twice in a month is a bit rough, don't you think? But it's a new month and what better way to begin February than with snow! The garden looks as though it's made from cotton wool.

Another incredibly simple page. I just really wanted to try out this reverse appliqué thingy. I saw it on Scrap in Style TV. (I don't have TV, which is why I watch scrapbooking things online.)

I cut the heart shape out of the top layer of paper (yes, I even cut the photo!) and adhered that to a pink sheet of card to get that pink heart.

Then I threaded some cotton around the heart (I made the holes first - who is that neat?!) and backstitched the title. Sewing paper is soooo therapeutic. I think I'm going to do it more often. I used a stamp for the 'joy' and I have decided that my handwriting is no good on scrapbook pages. It's fine in a letter, but as soon as it's on a scrapbook page, it just looks... stupid. I've got another layout I did a couple of weeks ago which contains my odd handwriting, I'll show it to you later. Just thought I'd warn you in case you thought, "What?! She knows her handwriting looks stupid on scrapbook pages, so why has she done it again??". I don't understand it.

I was really stuck for embellishments on this page. I don't have anything in this colour scheme. I may still add to it later. I made this little sticker thing in the end. It's alright. But I still think it's a bit too plain.

I was going to go with this colour scheme to begin with but I'm glad I didn't. The bright pink just has more pop to it.

Well, that's all for now. I will leave you with a little quote about snow:

"Never wake a sleeping woman. There are only two occasions you are allowed to wake a woman: one, to tell her that a celebrity has died, and two, to tell her it's snowing".

- Mark Driscoll

do elegant badges even exist?

2009-01-28T11:36:00.007Z

Yes, they do. I'll get back to that in a bit. I've got tonsillitis for the second time this month and the sixth time in a year. 'Feeling rough' doesn't come close. But I'm still going to do a blog post. It's not like I have anything else to do.

Here is a lovely but incredibly plain scrapbook page:

It sat on that easel for over a week, waiting for that finishing touch. And then it seemed obvious...

...a badge!

It's still quite a plain page, but I'm okay with it, as it does have three photos. This wedding scrapbook of mine is slowly getting there.

I needed a name for these badges. 'Swirly badges' didn't really fit. So I decided to call this set 'the elephant range'. No hang on, that wasn't it either...

The Elegant Range are now available in my Folksy shop, while stocks last.

I would happily pin these to a ballgown. But then, you saw what I did with my last ballgown!

I'm going to go and eat some more jelly.

some custom orders

2009-01-26T12:31:00.004Z

I had a custom order for some superhero badges recently. And by some wonderful coincidence, my husband was about to throw out some old comics (and by 'throw out', I mean add to my ever-growing stash of magazines that I'm planning on recycling in a fun way). The two requested characters were Batman and Gambit.

Can you see Batman's belt in the background there? I used a Batman advert for the background paper. Subtle, but cool.

For those of you who don't know, Gambit is a member of the X-Men. He has a thing for playing cards. It was Mr Pippa's genius idea to use a playing card in the packaging (thanks!). Frustratingly, Gambit changes his costume AND his hair. Everyone knows that the first rule of being a superhero is to choose a costume and stick with it. Otherwise, how will anyone recognise you?! We managed to find him in one of the comics, but I think his costume looks much cooler over here.

I also had a Folksy order for some badges. You may not be excited by that, but I was quite pleased with the little free gift I made for this order:

It's the Bible... in Welsh. Cool huh?

And, if you're interested, check out this post by fellow crafter Kitschen Sink - it made me smile.

that necklace I was telling you about

2009-01-24T16:42:00.002Z

I made this before Christmas, but never really found the time to tell you about it.

I really like it. I might make one for my Folksy shop.

No, my top isn't wonky - neither is the necklace - I was just sitting wonkily. (Interesting fact: my web browser has picked me up on the spelling of wonky but NOT wonkily, which I thought was a made-up word.)

Coming up this week: more badges, more scrapbooking and maybe something else. I'm not sure what the something else might be yet, but you never know.

Hope you're having a splendid weekend.

scanned or photographed?

2009-01-22T19:14:00.002Z

photographed:

scanned:

I was hanging around in a waiting room yesterday, so used the time to draw. In the future, should I show my drawings scanned or shall I photograph them? I know which one I prefer, but how about you?

badges AND scrapbooking

2009-01-21T10:53:00.004Z

This page actually started with the yellow measuring tape ribbon. I had wanted to use it for a while. Quite a simple page compared to my others, but I like it.

I moaned about Heidi Swapp chipboard letters a while ago (I don't get out much). And I didn't learn my lesson. It quite clearly says 'self adhesive' on the packet. These letters were as sticky as a sticker which had a spell cast on it to never stick to anything ever again. Lots of double sided tape used here. Don't bother with Heidi. Her products may be beautiful, but she's a big liar.

And as for that wiggly ribbon! Now THAT was a faff to stick down. I think stitching it would have been a better plan.

I think I kind of ruined this page by writing on it though. Or maybe my handwriting should have been bigger - that might have looked a bit better. Ah well. I still like it.

And what is this exciting embellishment on top of those flowers? It's a badge from Pippa's Long Stockings! Yes, the badges have now made it to a scrapbooking page. In fact, I've used two different badges on two other pages. What do you think?

The badges are in the shop. And if you're ordering them for your crafting then they will have a sticky fixer on the back instead of a pin.

I'm really quite excited about these!

hats and ribbon

2009-01-19T14:33:00.006Z

No, I did not make this hat - the lovely people at Monsoon/Accessorize made this hat. But I did thread the ribbon through it and, since doing that, I've had quite a few nice comments on it. In fact, there was a girl in Staples who stared at it for quite a while before asking me where I got it. So this is why I'm sharing it with you.

See - I wasn't lying the other day when I said I was wearing pink and green. So, have a hat you want to liven up a bit? Thread some ribbon through it. Simple but effective.

[WARNING: Bad quality photo coming up]

Or maybe your hat doesn't have a weave which is open enough to thread ribbon through? How about some little felt broaches? These are so simple to make. I taught my eight-year-old cousin how to make them and we made three for her hat. Just cut a couple of circles out of felt, put a button on the front and a safety pin on the back and sew them together. Easy! We were a bit more ambitious with the one on the right - flower shapes and two buttons!

I might make one for my coat.

I'm sorry about the photo. She was jumping about all over the place and the room was dark and it was before we got our good camera and I had to use the flash... you get the idea.

More scrapbook pages and badges to be posted in the next few days.

How do you feel about unfinished scrapbook pages? Should I show you a page even if it's waiting for the finishing touches? Or shall I wait until a page is done (and not tease with sneak peaks)?

(I must add that we did not choose the wallpaper in our hall and we did not choose the headachey shade of yellow either. We have a different shade of yellow waiting to go on the walls. Just need to get on and do it really. Maybe then I wouldn't feel the need for sunglasses every time I go into the hall.)

a bit more scrapbooking (but not mine)

2009-01-18T00:06:00.002Z

(original photo can seen here)

I've never done a scrapbooking class before, but this one is free! So I'm going to do it. Shimelle is hosting/teaching it, and it's online so you don't even have to leave the house! It's here if you're interested.

Get back to your weekend now.

scrapbooking {his speech}

2009-01-17T16:35:00.003Z

Remember the sneak peak I teased you with? Well here's the full page.

It reads:

"Your speech consisted of a list you wrote during our meal! But you still managed to get the most laughs."

In fact, he actually got applause at one of his jokes - it was that funny.

This page was even more thrifty than the last one. I raided my scraps box for all of the layers of paper. The green paper with the heart is an envelope. I didn't even need to cut the heart - the window was there already. Nice, eh? It was junk mail though, so I can't get more. I think it's quite a cool way to recycle junk mail though. If only all junk mail were that versatile. And then there's the orange arrow post-it note. I have so so many post-its. It's nice to finally be able to use it for something else.

On Monday, I shall show you something else. It's to do with ribbon and hats. Nothing majorly exciting, but it is remarkably cheap and simple, but I've had loads of compliments on it, so I'll share it with you then. And next week, I shall show you the necklace I made. I'm very, very pleased with it.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend.

cutting the cake

2009-01-15T11:48:00.006Z

This is a new favourite scrapbook page of mine - I'm really loving this colour scheme at the moment. In fact, today I am wearing pink and green. If you've followed my little blog for a while then you'll know that we never actually had a piece of our wedding cake - neither of us had time on the day and then a couple of months later we were burgled. Yes, they took the cake. The uncut, beautiful top layer of our wedding cake was stolen {insert joke here about the cake being stollen}. But just because we didn't get to have any, it doesn't mean that we don't have nice memories of it - it looked great! And everyone else said it tasted amazing.

Anyway, back to the scrapbooking. This turned into quite a thrifty page really. The pink polka dot paper was some used wrapping paper; the corrugated card was a Starbucks sleeve; the green polka dot card was some packaging on a MM product - hooray for recycling. All of my hoarding is paying off at last.

I did originally plan to use buttons {see below} but I had to stop myself. Otherwise, I would have buttons on every page. I love buttons.

I also played around with things this way around {see below} but I prefer the way I went with.

I always photograph my scrapbook pages before sticking them down. When I think I've decided how I want it, I photograph it and then completely mess it up and rearrange it. Then I compare it to the photo and sometimes I find something which works better. Not that you needed to know any of that. I just like to share how I work.

What do you think? I know, I showed you a sneak peak of a completely different scrapbook page, but I haven't finished that one yet. I'll finish it today. I promise.

sneak peak

2009-01-13T23:23:00.002Z

I'm all about the sneak peaks right now. I did this one today. Well, it's 1am so technically I did this yesterday. More later...

a custom order

2009-01-13T13:33:00.002Z

Cool huh? I like them. My first custom order on Folksy :o)

photo blog

2009-01-12T13:25:00.002Z

For those of you interested in seeing my daily photos, I've decided to set up another blog which will just have those pictures: Pippa's 365. Or you can just see them on Flickr.

I'm off to do some more scrapbooking :o)

something a bit different

2009-01-11T15:13:00.004Z

I've actually got three scrapbook pages to show you, but I'll show you one at a time. This was actually the last of the three pages I did and, as you can see, it's quite different from my other scrapbooking layouts. What do you think?

I really wanted this page to look more fun than the others; I wanted it to reflect the mood of the photos. Yes, we are saying our vows and, yes, we are all laughing. It was a funny moment.

I did try out these foam letters but I just wasn't feeling it.

I think what I'm most pleased about with this page is that I was able to use loads of really cheap materials: scraps of paper, paint chips and kids' stickers. Hooray! I knew I'd find a fun use for those kids' stickers eventually. Also, you know I love the colour ordering.

more of this later...

2009-01-09T13:48:00.004Z

My photo-a-day thing has been going well. By that I mean that it's been happening, which was my only criterion. There have been a couple of days where I realised quite late at night that I hadn't taken a photo for that day, so I ended up just taking photos of whatever was in front of me. Today I actually left the house (it doesn't happen often) and got some great shots of some frozen cobwebs on the neighbour's car (so I really didn't go far!). This is my favourite for today.

The photos haven't been taking up all of my time: the worst bout of tonsillitis ever robbed me of almost a week, but I'm on the mend now. I do have some crafty things to show you though. I've been scrapbooking again! Hooray! My wedding scrapbook now consists of 6 pages instead of a measly 3. Here's a sneak peak at one of my latest pages. It's a bit different...

More of that later.

In other news, I have created a Whittard of Chelsea group on Flickr. Own anything from Whittard? Take some photos (or draw some pictures!) and add them to my group :o)

Come back again soon - life is returning to normal now.

a new Flickr fave

2009-01-06T16:48:00.004Z

Having a really rough week but still wanted to blog so thought I'd introduce you to a new Flickrer. Check out his pictures and maybe leave a comment - he'd like that.

a new hope

2009-01-01T17:19:00.002Z

Happy new year! 2009 sees the beginning of my 365 photo challenge. I've got three for you today, but I doubt I'll put all of my photos on here, so if you want to see them all as the days go by, Flickr is where they'll be.

Until today, I had never seen Star Wars. So, as Mr Pippa is a huge fan, I decided that this would be the year I would watch all of them (I would have done it last year, but his first disc is missing so we had to borrow it). "A New Hope" - what a great title. Sums up how I'm feeling about this year in general.

welsh badges

2008-12-31T13:15:00.001Z

Here are some badges I did for a custom order before Christmas. I love maps.

I am certain that 2009 will bring with it more badges - I have some very cool ideas I'm working on. I have decided I will take up the 365 photography challenge and Mr Pippa may join me, which will be nice. I might introduce you to his Flickr page sometime soon. I'm really feeling the need to get scrapbooking again and that jewellery-making craving isn't going away either. Hmmm, what else am I hoping to achieve in 2009? I'd like to draw more and do some more mixed media art work. I wonder what else I'll do - this time last year I had never thought I'd be able to make sock creatures, or that is would be sock creatures which would lead to me opening a shop!

Thank you for checking out my blog. Thanks to those of you who visit every so often and to those who visit regularly. The biggest thanks go to those of you who leave nice comments for me - you make blogging more fun :o)

Cheerio for now, see you in 2009.

I'm not used to this camera yet

2008-12-27T22:00:00.000Z

While sewing on the ears on this spotty monkey, I just had to take a photo.

I love how every sock animal has a different personality. These two were Christmas orders. Unfortunately, the only pictures I managed to get of them before hurriedly posting them in time for Christmas were these awful out-of-focus shots.

Please forgive me: it was a new camera and I had it on the wrong setting. Fortunately, these monkeys didn't travel too far so I will be able to get some good photographs of them eventually.

Merry Christmas, fellow bloggers! I was planning on doing a little post over Christmas but it was busier than I expected and I'm now beginning the slow recovery back to my 'normal'. But I did enjoy Christmas. Here's a glimpse of what mine looked like (I'm getting the hang of the new camera now)...

traveling monkeys

2008-12-18T12:35:00.000Z

I had a lot of fun wrapping these monkeys ready for their travels. You know how much I love colour co-ordination, so I was especially pleased with the matching tissue paper.

Curled up and tucked in tight.

And ready to go...

That Folksy order brightened up a very bad week. Hooray for Folksy!

I am finally feeling festive (yes it has taken this long) and am actually looking forward to Christmas. Although, I'm also looking forward to January, when life gets back to normal. Also, I've been thinking about doing 365 days of photos. I'm sure you've seen other people doing it on Flickr and the like. I fancy doing it. All it involves is taking a picture of your life each day. I'm not sure that my pictures will be particularly arty, but I like the idea of capturing the mundane things in life: the things which normally go unphotographed.

Well, that's all for now. I'm going to photograph my new necklace - I'm so pleased with it!

I'm getting there

2008-12-15T12:40:00.003Z

Again, I just wanted to say hello. I'm getting there. Blogging and creating will be completely back to normal after Christmas. For now, I'm just trying to keep on top of life. But I do have some exciting things to show you: not only has the sewing machine been out, but so has the scrapbooking and jewellery-making things. Right now, I'm wrapping some Folksy orders! So much happening!

I'll be back soon...

pb+j cupcakes

2008-12-08T11:39:00.008Z

So to you Brits, these would be called Peanut Butter and Jam Cupcakes. Elsewhere, you might call them Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes. Either way, they are absolutely amazing... if you like peanut butter and strawberry jam.

They don't look that impressive, but they taste amazing. I cut off a bit of cake on the top and put the jam in that way. It doesn't even matter that they look messy because then they get covered in peanut butter icing. Mmmmmmm.

Mr Pippa made these cakes - I just told him what to do. They are absolutely yummy and they didn't last long with our weekend visitors. We will definitely be making some more of these.

I'm not properly back to blogging just yet. In fact, the tonsillitis has gone and has been replaced with the flu. I'm going back to bed to dream about PB&J cupcakes.

Ps I don't have a clue what's going on with the font size these days. I'll sort it another day. My eyes are watering too much to focus properly anyway. Achoo!

thank you for your patience...your call is important to us...you are being held in a queue...

2008-12-04T00:18:00.004Z

Thank you all for your lovely comments. I've now had 6 sales on Folksy! Very exciting indeed. Unfortunately, I've been really busy. So of course, I've been feeling more rough than usual and I don't even know that I'll be able to catch-up with myself until after Christmas! I'll definitely have something to show you soon though. I'm working on two sock monkeys (custom orders), so they are on the way. Thank you for checking back and being patient with me. Your lovely comments mean so much to me :o)

my first folksy sale

2008-11-19T14:55:00.003Z

My first Folksy sale was that of two Narnia badges. Hooray!

The only envelope I had was a scribbled on used one, so I covered it in newspaper and - hey presto - a funky new envelope! I think I might cover all of my envelopes like this.

And as a little free gift, I included a little London map badge. I really enjoyed putting it all together. What do you think?

warm and snuggly

2008-11-12T22:38:00.005Z

Another one in the shop.

the secret is out

2008-11-12T20:23:00.007Z

So, what is it that I have been working on? Why have I been so reluctant to show you? Well, after the whole 'people-reading-my-mind' thing, I wanted to keep this quiet until I had actually finished them and put them in my shop. And what are they? Neck-warmers! I made one for myself back in March. Back then, I was calling it a snood. Some people would call it a cowl. But most people are confused, so I've decided to go with the unambiguous title of neck-warmer. And what is so different about these neck warmers? I've laced them up with ribbon!

Well? What do you think? I'm really quite excited. I'm excited because no-one else does this. It was my completely original idea (which all stemmed from me not being able to crochet properly) and I am very pleased with it indeed.

This is my 150th post by the way. Fancy that.

featured artist

2008-11-09T16:50:00.002Z

I will have some exciting new creations to show you this week, but for now, have a look at the Chronic Artists' Blog (where should that apostrophe be?) here. I feel very honoured to be their featured artist :o)

the badgers are in the shop

2008-11-05T14:56:00.007Z

No hang on that's badges, not badgers. There are no badgers here.

I was incredibly excited about putting my badges in my Folksy shop. The last time I had checked, there were no badges for sale on Folksy. Was I going to be the first to list badges on Folksy?? No. I waited too long. As if that didn't dampen my spirits enough, I was also really excited about selling badges of the London tube map. I thought it was a brilliant idea of mine and I've been meaning to make them for months (I even had a little collection of tube maps to use). Amongst the many badges now for sale on Folksy, there are badges made from tube maps. 'Gutted' doesn't even cut it. For a split second I actually thought that someone had copied my idea, but then I realised that I had only showed the blogging world yesterday, so that's impossible. I even began thinking that this seller had read my mind. No, we just had the same idea. Bummer.

I can't really sell these on Folksy now that I see someone else is selling them (you have no idea how disappointed I am). So that will mean another giveaway, I think!

I had got over that sadness when I saw that someone else was making badges out of comic books (remember a while ago I bought some comic annuals with the intention of making them into badges and envelopes). I'm just not quick enough! This is why I'm keeping my crocheted things a secret. Not that these people copied me at all - more that I was too slow and they read my mind.

Anyway! As you may have noticed, I've been playing around with packaging...

And I've been making more badges from a map of central London (I'm pretty sure no-one else is doing that!).

I've also been making badges from a vintage map of France. I like them.

These are now available in my Folksy shop. What do you think?

back to badges

2008-11-04T12:46:00.004Z

Ooo I've been having lots of fun with badges lately. I would show you all of them but I don't want to overwhelm you, so here are just a few.

London Underground maps, a map of London, a map of france, a Playmobil catalogue and a page from a vintage children's book (it's a Narnia book, if you're interested). I will be putting these in my shop, but I just have to play around with packaging first.

Soon, I'll have some finished crocheted pieces to show you. At the moment, they're just waiting for a magical finishing touch. I'm really quite excited about them. Watch this space...

number 11: the giraffe

2008-10-31T11:51:00.004Z

Hello. I am Miss Giraffe and I love to read - plays, novels, dictionaries - just give me a book and I'm happy. Although, I do draw the line at 'celebrity' biographies. My ultimate dream would be to live in a library. But for now, a bookshelf is a very lovely place to be indeed. I don't say much (probably because I have no voice-box), but I'm a great listener and I love being around people.

Like her creator, Miss Giraffe falls asleep very easily.

I think she's lovely. It took me two days solid to make her, which is why I might not sell her. I went overboard with taking photos of her, as you'll see on Flickr. She's just so friendly! Now, does she look like a giraffe in leopard print or does she just look like a giraffe? As you know, I didn't even think these socks were leopard print when I fist saw them. In fact my very thought was, "those socks would make a great giraffe!" So tell me, what do you think?

I'm off to put another layer on. Have a lovely weekend.

number 10

2008-10-29T13:15:00.004Z

I'm off the wall, I am! Forget smashing pumpkins - I once smashed a watermelon on my head! Well, I didn't smash it exactly, it was more of a squeeze. Oh hang on, that was a watery lemon. Well, even so, I'd do anything for a laugh! I once lost an eye doing a somersault - it wasn't even my eye!

Number 10 is different, as you can see. You can call him funny-looking if you like - he loves his unique looks.

The day I made number 10, I hadn't seen daylight for a few days and I wanted to do something different, but not overly taxing, with a sock creature. And this is what I came up with. It's only just occurred to me that number 10 doesn't look too out of place what with Halloween just around the corner.

He'll be in my shop soon. What do you think?

number 9

2008-10-27T20:10:00.004Z

I changed the design of this one (notice the skinny arms and the longer tail?), so from now on I'll call this style "skinny monkey". I think she is so cool. And, for a while, she was my favourite. But now she has gone to her new home where I am sure she will be very happy. She was for a newborn baby, so a big no-no to button eyes. I really like her. What do you think?

I've got a few things on the go at the moment, but they are all waiting to be finished. It's not that I've been lazy - I'm just waiting until I can find the magical ingredient. I might show you a sneak peak soon. As for sock creatures, I have two more very cool ones to show you and then I'm going to stop and wait for actual orders. Have you seen a pair of socks from the selection that you like? Would you like to make an order for Christmas? Just get in touch and I would be more than happy to keep the sewing machine out :o) At the moment, they are taking over the studio! When the sun decides to show its face, I might photograph the growing family of sock creatures - they look quite settled.

number 8

2008-10-25T14:42:00.005+01:00

"Hi! I used to be in the circus and I can do the splits and lift my leg up to my head. I like jumping about and doing cartwheels. I used to be in the circus, you know! Will you be my friend?"

Did you know (you may have guessed from the title) that this is sock creature number 8? I found that naming the sock creatures was getting more difficult and were looking like this: 'medium sized pink stripey sock monkey with black button eyes' - it's just so long! I'll call them by their number from now on. I've got two more to show you, but I don't want them to steal her thunder, so I'll show them to you after the weekend. I'm quite pleased with them - they're a bit different and I think that they are very cool.

playmobil and housey envelopes

2008-10-21T13:38:00.004+01:00

As promised, some creations from last week. I'm amazed at the response I got from those leopard print socks - perhaps I should just buy a load of those and sell them? Anyway...

Who doesn't love Playmobil? I love Playmobil. I thought that the Playmobil catalogue would make some happy little envelopes.

happy little envelopes

I quite liked the envelopes I made from home decor magazines too.

I thought it would be nice to make the Playmobil envelopes smaller. I think they're cute.

I had an old theatre programme so made an envelope from that. This Bombay Dreams envelope is super sturdy!

Have an envelopey day :o)

bits and bobs

2008-10-20T17:23:00.007+01:00

I actually got these little treats a week ago, but I've had so many other things to show you.

I found these very exciting socks! Yes, I know, I have a sock-buying addiction and it's becoming a problem. But these ones will make a great sock creature!

Which animal did you think of first when you saw these socks? Was it a giraffe? That's certainly what I thought of first. Mr Pippa was the one who pointed out (after I had started to get excited about making a sock giraffe) that it is actually leopard print. I'm still going to make a giraffe.

And as for the purple ones, I think they will just turn into an abstract sock monster.

My other treats were from the Charity Shop (or 'thrift store' to our US friends) - I'm cheap to keep! I got some maps and some comic annuals. I think these will be turned into badges and envelopes.

I love maps. Anyone getting rid of any out-of-date maps? Send them my way!

And from the junk shop, I picked up some vintage sheet music.

I couldn't help thinking of Sian's old blog (Spin a Song of Sixpence) when I saw this :o)

And then, of course, I had to model all of my goodies in my new super-green bag.

Tomorrow, I will actually have some creations to show you. Sa asked for a photograph of the inside of the yummy oreo cupcakes. Here you go. What better way is there to distract yourself from the incredibly wet weather than with cake and tea? Until tomorrow...

oreo cupcakes

2008-10-18T12:13:00.005+01:00

Just thought I'd share with you what Mr Pippa and I made yesterday - he did the tiring work like whisking and mixing and I gave him the directions (these weak arms aren't up to whisking just yet!). Cookies and cream cupcakes with mini oreo cookies on top. Mmmmmm. I actually have about 3 recipes for these. Obviously, we will have to try all three (we are cake monsters) and once we've picked a favourite then I'll share the recipe with you. I'm looking forward to having one of these with a great big cup of tea later. Hope you're having a lovely weekend :o)

the super green shopping bag

2008-10-16T17:18:00.005+01:00

I was minding my own business in Asda last night when a woman came up to me to admire my bag! She couldn't stop stroking it and was very impressed to hear that it was made entirely out of plastic carrier bags. I was very pleased indeed :o)

It worked very well on its trial run last night - spacious, light, stretchy, comfortable handles, completely unique and oh-so-funky. We have completely emptied our plastic bag stash now - that's about 50 less bags for the landfill. Could be more than 50 bags actually. Hooray for recycling!

+edited 17th Oct. As you'll remember if you saw my previous post, I crocheted this bag out of plarn (plastic yarn). My crochet skills aren't wonderful yet (thank you so much for teaching me, Sian!) so I made 5 separate panels and crocheted them together. From your responses (thank you so much), I think I will make another bag! Although, I'll need a little break from plarn first. I feel the socks calling me...

go on, have a nosey

2008-10-13T11:54:00.002+01:00

I uploaded some pictures of my finished studio onto Flickr today. I'm so pleased we've got it sorted. It's the only room in the house which is completely sorted, but at least we've got one room done! Have a nosey if you like :o)

chilling out

2008-10-11T19:45:00.000+01:00

Hey man! I'm a chilled out sort of a guy. I like lying on the grass and looking up at the sky. I like the sea too; I like boats. There's so much rushing about these days - you've got to relax man. Yeah? Yeah. Cool.

Now available in my Folksy shop.

and the winner is...

2008-10-10T13:25:00.004+01:00

Thank you so much for your lovely comments. Here's how I chose the winner...

All of the names in the bowl and then I just had to pick one. I decided to film the momentous occasion.

That's right, Sian is the winner! No, it was not rigged - you saw it on film! Thank you for your little poem, Sian. I'm going to write it out and put it on my wall :o)

After pulling Sian's name out, I decided that I'd have two winners. So off I went again...

...a bit quicker this time because my 'low battery' light was flashing. And where did the rushing get me? Nowhere. I couldn't open the folded bit of paper! Anyway, Lori, you are also a winner, so leave me a comment with your email address and I'll get some goodies to you.

Stay tuned this weekend... the blue monkey now has some eyes! Oh and I bought some more socks.

Yes, I know, I have a dangerous sock addiction. I just can't get enough of them! At least now I am actually making things out of the yummy socks. Before that, I just had drawers and drawers full of socks. Mmmm socks...

1st birthday giveaway

2008-10-06T10:00:00.001+01:00

Nope, it's not Eeyore's birthday today. Today, this blog is one year old. Hooray! Anyone for cake?

It's been an interesting year to say the least. It's been an incredibly hard year, but it's also been a blessed year. And this blog has been one of the biggest blessings.

It was originally my good friend Sian who inspired me to start blogging after seeing her crafty blog Spin a Song of Sixpence. Previously when I would make something, I would have no-one to show it to; it was no big deal if I didn't finish it because no-one would notice. Getting a blog not only made me finish projects (a few projects I would have given up on because I didn't like them to begin with include my snood, my handbag drawing, my crocheting with plarn) because showing you a load of half-finished projects would be a rubbish blog! Also, I tried out so many new things.

Firsts for me while blogging:

My first scrapbooking mini album
My first scrapbook page
My first sock monkey
My first badges
My first crocheting
My first Moleskine
My first sale
My first shop

and now I have my first giveaway!

What a way to celebrate - free stuff! If you'd like to win some goodies, just leave a comment on this post. The closing date is midnight this Thursday. I'll collect all of the names, put them in a hat and then draw one at random. I'll announce the winner this Friday, 10th October. What do you think? As for what you will win, this book is up for grabs:

And I'm sure I'll find some other bits and pieces to throw in. So, just leave a comment on this post - tell me why you visit my blog. That would be nice.

Thank you to everyone who has ever left a comment - your lovely comments brighten my days and mean so much to me. Thank you to my regular readers and to my passing visitors. This has become a lovely happy place; thank you for making it so. Here's to the next year! Cheers!

yummy socks

2008-10-03T14:01:00.002+01:00

Mmmm socks.

I went a bit wild with photographing socks the other day. I thought I'd photograph them to give people the option of ordering sock monkeys before they're made (perhaps in time for Christmas?). I just love all of the socks. Did you know that I love socks? I really do. Preferably really colourful and really soft. I love socks.

On the topic of sock monkeys, I saw this blog post from Kimberly Shaw yesterday. And this post today. It's so odd to see someone else with one of my creations on their blog. It's wonderful. It made my day :o)

recycled envelopes

2008-10-02T15:43:00.009+01:00

More recycling! What a green blog this has been lately!

I've been recycling envelopes and magazines - that's right, 2 in 1 recycling :o)

The first couple of envelopes I'll show you were made by opening out a used envelope and sticking a magazine page over the top of the addressed side. Then cut off the excess and glue it all back together. This makes a good sturdy envelope.

On this one below, I used a page from a Playmobil catalogue. I like this one.

The next few envelopes were made from those boring envelopes you get with your bills. They were a bit more ripped so I chopped them up and made 'freestyle envelopes' - no template, just do it! I think it worked fairly well. I lined these with magazine pages. These are quite sturdy too. Although because they're irregular sizes, they're best used for letters instead of greetings cards.

The last lot of envelopes were just made from magazines. I made my own envelope templates by taking apart an envelope, drawing around it onto a piece of card (this card was from a cereal box - yet MORE recycling!) and cutting out the card. With the template, you can make all the envelopes you want.

These little envelopes above were made from pages of a catalogue and are a bit flimsy, but still quite cute. The envelope below was made from a page from Empire magazine and it's much thicker (although, obviously not as thick and the lined envelopes).

So you see, recycling IS fun! I've put some more pictures of the envelopes onto Flickr if you'd like to see them. My plastic crocheted bag is slowly coming along, although I'm running out of plastic bags so it's the perfect time to raid our friends' cupboards so that we can recycle their plastic bags. I'll update you when it's taken shape a bit more.

Something special is happening on Monday, so be sure to check back then.

How green have you been lately?

fun with badges

2008-10-01T18:05:00.003+01:00

I've been making badges! Hooray! I actually have quite a lot to show you but I don't want to overwhelm you so I'll post again tomorrow. Today it's badges :o)

In this badge (above), I liked how the badge had captured the words 'happy surprises', 'precious Magnolia' and 'one of the finest'. I like this a lot. The paper was from an antique gardening book.

I love maps.

And sheet music.

My glass-top desk isn't great for taking photographs on so I put a sheet of newspaper down and then saw the 'recycle' bit - how apt! Hooray for recycling! Anyone got any maps they don't want? Send them this way :o)

crochet with plarn

2008-09-27T13:49:00.002+01:00

This week, I took a little break from making sock monkeys. I've been feeling rubbish - in more ways than one! I have been crocheting with plarn (plastic carrier bags turned into yarn). If you'd like to know how to make plarn, have a look at this super easy YouTube video. It's easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

I thought it would be funky to make a plastic shopping bag out of recycled plastic shopping bags. However, I now realise that it would have been much quicker if only I had known how to crochet granny squares. Ah well, maybe next time. I'll let you know when I've finished making this bag. I bought lots of socks ready to be made into monkeys, so I'll show you those too. I'll report after the weekend. Cheerio for now.

bon voyage!

2008-09-21T23:08:00.005+01:00

Cheerio little fella. In the morning, he flies off on his travels to America - what a long journey! He's really looking forward to meeting his new friend, the incredibly talented watercolour artist, Kimberly Shaw (you may remember she sent me a stunning card a wee while ago). My first international sale!

I was so excited a week ago - starting up my shop, my first international shop, some lovely comments on my blog... it was all going wonderfully. I had loads of crafty things on the go and millions of sock creatures in the making. Okay so not millions, but a few! And then everything went downhill. Two reasons: doctors and estate agents. I'm not sure who are worse sometimes. As anyone with ME will know, finding a nice, helpful doctor who actually knows what they're talking about is like finding a cure for cancer in McDonalds. My whole week was taken up with listening to the advice of the "specialist" (who cunningly disguises the fact that she's not a doctor by calling herself a "specialist") tell me to ditch the routine which has meant that I've been able to do more and create more than I've been able to do in over two years, in favour of "re-training your body". I'm following her advice because she is the specialist. So far, I feel terrible: more pain than usual, more exhausted than usual and generally more 'hung-over' than usual. I'm looking forward to when she realises that it was a stupid idea of hers and then I can go back to my nice lovely routine again. I do have things that I want to do! And as for the estate agent, well we all know that getting a bond back from an estate agent is like getting blood from a stone. We'll just squeeze harder.

Sorry for the lull. Just you wait, I'm going to have some very cool things to show you. Watch this space...

+Edited. I followed the advice of the specialist to the letter. She realised that it was stupid and I was able to go back to my old routine. Hooray! Oh how I wish they would just listen in the first place!

shop is now open

2008-09-14T13:17:00.004+01:00

That's right folks! My shop is now open. I haven't finished listing everything, so it's a little bare at the moment [insert a joke about a 'little bear' here] but it is slowly taking shape. Here's what it looks like at the moment:

I have another sock monkey to show you, but I've run out of embroidery silk so he's blind at the moment and very very shy. So I'll photograph him once he's got some eyes. I'll give you a sneak peak for now [runs off, takes a photograph and then uploads it]. Here he is:

I have quite a few monkey friends in production a the moment, I just need to get my act into gear. I did quite a bit of reading yesterday so today I'm not much good: stumbling about with my sunglasses on indoors to protect my achey eyes from the harsh sunlight, which just makes them worse. I'm surprised my eyes haven't turned white with lack of sunlight!

Cheerio for now.

I love your blog

2008-09-11T08:45:00.003+01:00

What an award to get! Thank you, Sian for awarding it to me with such lovely words. Thank you.

The rules for those receiving an award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on their blog

2. Link the person you received the award from

3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4. Put links of those blogs on yours

5. Leave a message on the blogs nominated.

(I know that most of the people I've nominated don't really do 'tagging' and the like, so don't feel obliged to pass it on.)

My nominations are, in alphabetical order:

andrea joseph - absolutely amazing. She leaves me speechless.

an open [sketch]book - cool sketches and funky artwork

biscuit monster - cool things, funky textile talent and quirkiness which always makes me smile (the banner alone does that)

lovely paper - beautiful and inventive collage

pikaland - inspiration and eye candy

this chicken - funky illustration and design

velo-gubbed legs - author of The State of Me which I blogged about: I feel as though this woman completely understands me even though she has never met me.

wagonised - she, like Andrea, takes my breath away with her drawings

I'm also discovering new blogs, so look out for added links down the side.

The unpacking is going well and I'm hoping to show you pictures of our living room/studio very soon. However, I've been slower than usual because I'm still recovering from the move and catching up on boring house-moving things (like chasing up the thieving estate agent for our deposit). Boring, but tiring. I'll be back to my creative self soon.

my first sale!

2008-09-05T19:53:00.007+01:00

I've had my first sale! Hurrah!

I wasn't sure what to do about packaging - it's not something I've ever done before; it's not like I could look at other people's Etsy packaging for ideas (it wasn't until after I posted this that I found the 'Etsy Packaging' group on Flickr!). I was satisfied with what I did. That was until today when I got a call from my first customer saying just how much they absolutely LOVED the packaging! Now I am very pleased indeed. Don't you just love feedback like that?!

I gave the monkey a tag with care instructions on it and, of course, my shop name :o)

... and tucked him into his tissue-paper bed.

I wrapped the box and lid in Chinese newspaper, which I think looks very cool.

Tied it up with string...

...and added a thank you tag (which was made from an old London tube ticket) with some stickers to jazz it up a bit.

What do you think? I'm trying to recycle more, which is why I used newspaper and a tube ticket.

There's something very exciting about wrapping something you've made; something that someone has bought. I think I'll enjoy having a shop :o)

I am still working on setting up my Etsy shop (technical problems), but if you'd like to buy anything I've shown on my blog, just get in touch and maybe we can arrange something. Cheerio for now friends!

+edited: for Sian, here's the link to the Etsy Packaging group on Flickr and also the Nice Package group and the Crafty Packages group. Enjoy!

icy spine

2008-09-03T22:17:00.005+01:00

I am back online! I'm still catching up with bits and bobs, so for now I will show you a picture of a bit of ice. It fell from the freezer while it was defrosting and we thought it looked like a spine, so Mr Pippa took a photo of it.

Could this be the strangest blog post I've ever posted? Possibly.

just a little post

2008-08-27T20:35:00.003+01:00

...to say that I won't be online for about a week. Moving house is tiring work! Cheerio for now.

cinderella goes to the ball

2008-08-24T19:44:00.006+01:00

So as I explained earlier, I had a party to go to but didn't have anything to wear. So I took an old dress (which I have loved, but have worn far too much) and updated it. I was hoping to completely transform it but I didn't manage that. Here is the dress before alteration (yes, I do have arms, I just didn't want them in the picture).

Magical ingredients:

an old lace headband

some purple ribbon

I also managed to get some netting. And here is what I ended up with...

Apologies for the poor quality photograph but it was the end of the night before I realised that I hadn't photographed my dress and the light wasn't great. After wearing it for an evening, I was actually much more pleased with my alterations.

Not bad for someone who can't sew, huh? Although to be honest it was mostly ripping involved. I'm happy.

Now I must continue with the packing.

the state of me

2008-08-22T13:10:00.003+01:00

I got this book last Monday and finished it today. For 11 days, I had a friend who completely understood what it was like to live with M.E.

I will share an excerpt:

I’m always measuring out my energy behind the scenes, but people don’t see it. They see you at a party and think you’re fine, they don’t see you resting all day to be able to go, and being wrecked all the next day because you went. They don’t see you leaning on walls at bus stops because you can’t stand for more than five minutes. They don’t see how tired your arm gets after beating an egg. They don’t know you almost always have poison in your calves when you wake up. They don’t see you weeping because you’re so tired of it all. Last week, a nun with bulbous eyes called me a lazy girl because I was sitting down on the bus.

It's as though she's describing my life. If only there was a second book so that I could have my friend back.

Onto arty things: I've finished altering my ball gown. I'm not happy with it at all but I have nothing else to wear. I was hoping to have completely transformed it but it didn't really work out that way. Of course, I will still show you photographs. I'll upload them on Sunday.

Other than the dress, I haven't been able to do much in the way of arty things because my energy has been consumed with packing. Only a few more days and we will be in our new house! I'm getting quite good at moving house now.

teacups

2008-08-17T19:42:00.003+01:00

Who doesn't love getting fun post? Even the envelope of this looked exciting! I got a card from Kimberly Shaw. I love her watercolour teacups. I really don't want to open this card but I don't want to give it to anyone else either! It's just too nice. At the moment it's sitting on my mantlepiece looking pretty. But not for long because...

We're moving! We are moving house yet again. It will be our second move in 10 months, my third move in 1 year and, more frighteningly, my 10th move in 6 years! We're doing the actual moving-in next week. Oh yes. So that means packing like mad until then and then there will be unpacking at the other end. Oh how dull. And tiring :o(

Today I have been packing away my arty bits in the studio. We won't have a studio in the new place (not enough space), so we'll see how that all works out. While packing I found a load of blank canvases, so I will definitely be having a big painting session in the near future. In the meantime, when I am not packing, I shall continue with the sketching (as I don't need anything but my sketchbook and a pen) and making sock monkeys for my shop (which I still cannot open because Etsy now only let you open a shop if you have a credit card so I'm thinking of an alternative). I will try to post as often as I can.

Next weekend (just before we move house) we have a big fancy ball to go to. I felt a bit like Cinderella with nothing to wear except rags. Well okay so I do have a lovely two-piece ball gown, but I have completely worn it to death; (sometimes the whole dress, other times just the top with a different skirt - just to vary things a bit) everyone has seen it before and it's a bit tatty. In fact whenever there would be a fancy 'do' and the girls would talk about what they were wearing, someone would usually say to me, "So will you be wearing your pink dress?". I can't really wear it anymore, but there's no point in throwing it out; so I am updating it. Out with the lace and the ribbon and the netting: Cinderella shall go to the ball! And of course, I will show you pictures of the whole process. I'm not even sure how it will end up looking as I really cannot sew! We shall see...

sock monkey hugs

2008-08-12T14:11:00.008+01:00

Hello. My name is Doreen Pink and I am a sock monkey. I like baking and cuddling (but not at the same time because that gets messy). I love friends and family. I am quite shy.

I was about to open a shop on Etsy yesterday, but it turns out that I need a credit card! As I have never owned a credit card, I will be looking into an alternative. Perhaps it's best that the shop-opening is delayed; I have time to be a creating machine so that I have plenty to sell when it does finally open. That will be a smiley day.

I have returned

2008-08-11T13:02:00.006+01:00

16 comments on my last post! That must be some kind of record for my blog. Thank you to all of you who took the time to write me a cheery little comment - you have no idea how happy they make me. I had a good little break; I took some time out to think about this little blog of mine and the Etsy shop I will be opening. I didn't actually do that much, but I spent some quality time with Mr Pippa while he was off work, caught up with friends and read lots, which was nice.

This is the little notebook I decided to make into a drawing diary. I would have really liked to have used a Moleskine sketchbook but that will have to wait. Instead, I searched through my notebooks and found this one: never used, handy size and pretty cover. Not a Moleskine, but it's a start.

Today I will share with you the first sketch. Just a quick sketch, but I like it.

I do have more things to share with you, but that's all for now. Cheerio!

let the blogging break commence

2008-07-25T15:25:00.006+01:00

I think there must be quite a few bloggers taking a blogging break over the summer. Mr Pippa has some time off work, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to take a break and have a go at something else. Not that sketching is new to me, but I just haven't been doing it lately. So when I return I will have lots of drawings to share with you. Well...that's what I'm aiming for anyway.

I'm one of these indecisive souls who can never decide what to draw: whatever I pick never seems to be the 'right' thing. At first, I used the EDM challenges; even then I would find myself wasting time trying to choose a challenge from the long list. Which is why I did this (below). I put challenges 1-100 into a grid; printed them off; chopped them up; put them in a matchbox and...

...voila! I will use this little box of challenges. The rules are thus: whatever challenge is taken from the box (and I must pick one at random, possibly with my eyes closed), that's the one I have to do. Whether I'm in the mood or not. Those are the rules.

If you would like to print off the challenges and make a 'challenge box' like mine, I've uploaded them as an image onto Flickr. Go on. You know you want to.

coolest wallpaper ever?

2008-07-24T11:08:00.004+01:00

No, it's not a poster, it's actual wallpaper. How cool is that?! I'd quite like to frame this sample.

That's all for today. Have a nice one :o)

hooray for lovely friends

2008-07-23T00:33:00.006+01:00

As I explained not long ago, I had to stop making the sock creatures because I had completely run out of stuffing. Look what arrived in the post yesterday afternoon...

...not only the biggest bag of stuffing I have ever seen in my life, but also some googley eyes and some bells and some black felt! Thank you so much Sian! What a wonderful, kind, generous friend you are. If only the world had a few more people like you in it. Thank you :o)

I've been struggling to create anything the past couple of days. I am so so tired. I feel as though I have bulldog clips on my eyes. I've been wanting to make something special for my mum but trying to squeeze creativity from this exhausted brain is like trying to get blood from a stone right now. As I don't really have anything crafty to show you, I will share with you the books I read this month...

I wonder which books I will end up reading next month.

I am going to put the sewing machine on and get back to making monkeys. Thank you, Sian. I'll have that Etsy shop up and running in no time!

I cut up magazines for fun

2008-07-20T22:14:00.007+01:00

Mr Pippa and I love pretty house magazines and often dream of how we will decorate our house. Previously, we kept cut-up bits of magazine in a folder but that was just no fun. So I made an ideas book. We call it our 'dream house book' and we like to flick through it whilst drinking tea and dreaming. We like to dream.

the last of the sock creatures

2008-07-18T22:41:00.008+01:00

Hello. My name is Gilbert Green and I am a sock monkey. Although I appear to be a solemn character, I enjoy a good satirical comedy as much as the next fellow. I enjoy good wine, good cheese and a good book. I am an excellent listener and enjoy company. My favourite colour is blue. Which is annoying.

No, this is not the last sock creature I will ever make; I have plenty more socks waiting to come alive. But alas, I have now completely run out of stuffing and I don't know when I'll be able to get more. Woe is me! I am hoping to get all of the creatures onto Etsy eventually, but I'm in for a busy few weeks so it will probably be nearer the end of August. I can't believe I'm actually going to have an Etsy shop! I have absolutely NO IDEA what to call it though. I thought of Pippa's Long Stockings (a play on Pippi Longstocking, of course) but I'm not sure. Any ideas? I'm absolutely rubbish when it comes to thinking of names (hence my very dull, but self explanatory blog title!). Argh! Too much pressure! What are your thoughts?

+edit+ I just realised that I never told you how I made these little creatures. I used a pattern similar to the one available on Biscuit Monster (a new fave blog of mine). Although, mine aren't nearly as professional as hers. She actually knows what she's doing!

more sock creatures

2008-07-16T16:48:00.010+01:00

I can't believe it's been a week and a half since I last blogged; I haven't even been away anywhere exciting. We've been having a bit of a spring clean and general sort-out so I haven't been able to be as creative as usual. Also, I've run out of stuffing so I'm having a forced break from making sock creatures. Which is a shame. But before I ran out, I was able to make a few friends for the original sock creature.

A sock frog! Well, that's what I was aiming for. I'm not sure whether or not anyone would be able to guess what it was. I think he looks as though he needs something extra. I might have a go at giving him a little belly. We'll see.

What a friendly bunch. Aren't they cute?

anyone fancy a cuppa?

2008-07-04T11:32:00.009+01:00

I thought I'd show you the pictures I took yesterday of my newly painted cup and saucer in action. We ran out of milk though, so I decided to have peppermint tea instead. It was very enjoyable indeed.

I wanted to show you that the underside of the saucer is also painted - here it is! I'm not a huge fan of ginger biscuits but recently I have really been craving them. I had a craft day with the lovely Sian on Tuesday and what did she offer me as soon as I stepped through the door? A cup of tea and some ginger biscuits! Hurrah for Sian!

Time for a brew, me thinks...

it's all about the polka dots

2008-07-03T13:55:00.007+01:00

This weekend, I did a spot of ceramic painting (can you see the pun in there?). I wanted to experiment with creating polka dots... and it worked! "How did you do it?", I hear you cry. Well, here's how...

Choose what it is you want to paint. I think white is the best background colour to have. But I'm sure cream would look good too. I chose a plain cup and saucer from Ikea.

Get some circular stickers and stick them on. These stickers aren't anything fancy. I think I got them from the Post Office (I've had them a while).

Pick the colour you want. I chose light blue (as you can see), so that meant mixing the colour first. I use water soluble ceramic paint so that if I make a mistake, I can wash it all off and start again (which I did!). It also means that I only need to use water to thin it. Don't wait for the paint to dry - peel the stickers off as soon as possible, otherwise they end up peeling the paint off.

The paint has to dry for at least 24 hours before it is baked in the oven. Once it's been fired, let it cool and then it's done!

Hurrah!

patient endurance

2008-06-30T18:02:00.004+01:00

Art journal page for today.

I've got a few things on the go at the moment. It's quite amusing really: today I had my art journal on my computer desk with paint and pencils, I had my sewing machine out on my art desk with socks and thread all over the place, a painted item drying at the back of my art desk (which you'll see later this week), some crocheting at the side of my art desk, and I had papers all over the floor. I even did some sticking in the hall because I had run out of space! I kept alternating between activities. Quite fun really. What a day full of variety I have had!

my love/hate relationship with butterflies

2008-06-28T15:05:00.011+01:00

I did something a bit different yesterday. What do you think? I really like it. It makes me smile :o)

The idea wasn't mine at ALL, so I can't take the credit. I saw much larger 'versions' of this a couple of years ago and I've seen a few people in the blogging world have a go at it, so I thought I would too! I really like it.

Want to know something weird about me (perhaps it could be to make up for never taking part in memes)? I love butterflies (no, that's not the weird thing) - I have clothes with butterflies on, I have jewellery with butterflies, I have bags covered in butterflies, we even had a butterfly theme at our wedding. I think they are beautiful. And so very jolly. But REAL butterflies? No. Don't ever take me to a butterfly house. They are just too fury. They make my skin crawl. I can't stand moths either; butterflies are basically just pretty moths. So that was it. That was the weird thing: I love butterfly things but hate butterflies. I know, I know: I'm a big oddball!

By the way, thank you all for your lovely lovely comments: they keep me going. I'm going to make more sock creatures and I shall put them up for sale! How exciting!

edited: I got my inspiration for this piece here.

another world premier...

2008-06-24T16:54:00.006+01:00

This is the first sock monkey I have ever made. Ever. I started it yesterday evening and finished it today. I haven't forgotten about the ears. I haven't decided yet if he needs ears. What do you think?

I had played with the idea of making a sock monkey for a while (I had even saved some pairs of new socks for this very purpose) but I didn't. So the other week when my friend Matthew forced a bag of sock monkey making things (that's not easy to say!) into my arms, it was the push I needed.

I really enjoyed making this happy chappy. I'll definitely get the sewing machine out for the next one because this took WAY too long. It reminded me of when I was about 9 years old and I went through a phase of making beanbag frogs (with a LOT of help from my mum, of course!). I made them in various colours and sizes. I wonder what happened to them.

To those of you who have tagged me to do a meme recently: sorry! I just keep forgetting and then when I do them, it just ends up being quite a dull blog post. So don't take it to heart, it's nothing personal. I don't know what it is about them but I just clam up and end up just putting one-word answers (which would be very boring, would it not?).

I love lovely comments.

2008-06-21T17:11:00.005+01:00

Ok so this picture is a bit small, but you can view the comment here. I always love to get nice comments (who doesn't?). But I think that, as I rarely leave the house, they mean more to me than they might to someone else. So you can imagine how happy I was when I read this...

Yes, there were tears! I'm so soppy. It got me thinking. Maybe I should have a shop. But, what would I sell? What do you think, friends?

I'm melting

2008-06-20T17:03:00.011+01:00

I've been a rubbish blogger lately. I went away for a week at the beginning of the month and I am still paying for it now. I've been spending most days in bed and the days I haven't been in bed, I have been sitting and staring at the wall like a mannequin. I'm completely exhausted and also I am wondering if I really was trampled on by a horse last night. Is it possible for one to sleep through that sort of thing? Very achey indeed. But I've been wanting to do SOMETHING creative for a while. So, I got out my unused birthday toy (a mini quilting iron) and began melting! I melted beeswax onto an older painting I did (pics at the end of this post) which gave it the finishing touch I had wanted. Also, I did an art journal page using melted crayons. Very fun indeed. Have you ever melted crayons before?

I LOVE the smooth finish of the crayon once it had solidified (which doesn't take long). So tactile. So stroke-able. Yes, that's right: strokeable.

Next weekend, Donna Downey will be doing some classes here in the UK. I was planning to go. It was looking as though we would have the money and I could have met (and been taught by) one of my scrapbooking/crafting gurus. Alas no. The money we thought we would have, we do not have. Not even slightly. How many times does DONNA DOWNEY come and do classes in the UK?? (It's a rhetorical question, but you may not know the answer, which is NOT OFTEN!). Oh Donna. One day... Maybe I'll convince Mr Pippa to take me to her event in South Carolina next year :o)

Anyway! I will post again soon. I will. Promise.

adding the finishing touches

2008-06-13T21:06:00.006+01:00

I've added the finishing touches to one of my wedding scrapbook pages. I was very excited to use my Heidi Swapp chipboard letters and I think they look lovely.

I have one problem with these adhesive chipboard letters: they don't stick. Quite a big problem really. Adhesive letters that don't adhere! They're not even tacky. In fact, I don't even think that they were sticky in a previous life. I thought that it might have just been these letters but, after checking a different packet of Heidi Swapp adhesive chipboard letters, I found exactly the same problem! What's going on, Heidi?

Also, even if they were sticky, the adhesive backing tears right off...

...see? Not cool. But once I got over having to cut up my double sided sticky tape into little pieces and stick the letters down myself, I was quite pleased with the end result.

using up your scraps

2008-06-11T14:41:00.008+01:00

Well, I am back from my little break. It turned out to be a very exhausting break: lots of travelling and meeting up with people. So, since being back, I have been mainly sleeping. The weather is so gorgeous at the moment that I'd quite like to fall asleep on a blanket in the park. Something you must understand about us Britons is that when the weather is nice (which isn't that often), we simply MUST make the most of it.

Before I went away, I made some paper flowers. I have so many scrap bits of paper. I HATE having to throw things away, so I was very pleased to be able to make these. So very easy and so very cheap! Brilliant!

Get your scrap bits of paper. Choose three circular objects to draw around: I used a button and two different sized rolls of tape.

Draw around the circles and cut them out. (Or, if you're really fancy, use different sized circular punches.)

Arrange your circles into 'flowers' like these and then fasten. I used brads on some of them and eyelets (any excuse to use my lovely Crop-A-Dile) on others. Hey presto! Your flowers are done!

On some of the flowers, I distressed them with a nail file...

With the distressed look, I think it worked best on the papers with a white core (see below).

I used some of these flowers on a scrapbook page. I really like them.