Halloween in a Hurry

In September, I bought this adorable card for Halloween with the intention to use it as an inspiration for a quilted wall hanging. Where did October go? How is it already November? Christmas is almost here and I'm at least one holiday (almost two holidays if you count Thanksgiving) behind! Should I give up the Halloween idea already? I guess it's my fault for working on the Euro-Santa Christmas quilt all summer. Next year I have to plan my projects better and not start anything new. That should become my new mantra. I must not start anything new. I must not start anything new. Oh, but Valentines day is coming up. What's the use in finishing something so early for Halloween now? I won't be able to display it for almost a year. And I did see the most adorable red rose fabric in my stash the other day...

Does anyone else have issues focusing on one project at a time?

Paris - Marie Clair Craft Fair

Okay so I did a crazy thing this weekend and crafts made me do it. I got up at 5:30am and took Eurostar to Paris for the day just so I could visit the Marie Clair Craft Fair. Marie Clair Idées is a French craft mag that is absolutely packed with wonderful ideas even if you don’t speak French. It is always a wonderful day when the magazine lands on my doorstep.
The fair was in La Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris which is a giant glass building in the middle of a public park. The booths were packed with craft suppliers, people selling patterns, book sellers, and crafters selling their wares. It had taken me a year since the last fair to forget, but I quickly remembered that these French ladies must be starved for craft because the moment my tennis shoe (quel horreur!) hit the carpet, I was jostled to one side, pushed to the other, squeezed past, and generally man handled or should I say madam handled out of the way so the French could get to the front of the stalls. I do love the French, but gosh, they do like to push. Even getting on and off the Metro. In London, everyone stands aside to let the travelers off the carriage before the next set of passengers enter the carriage. In Paris, stand aside and you’ve missed the train.
I suppose I can understand why the French are so starved for craft when I arrived at my most favorite ever shop in Paris, Bouchera, to find it was fermé.

Mais pourquoi fermé? I asked a retired couple on the street corner. They shrugged. They didn’t care one of the best fabric stores in Paris that used to sell off cuts of Chanel fabric was gone. Where was I going to get my fix?
I tried to eat my way through my disappointment by heading down the street to Brioche Dore (the pic above is not B. Dore, just a really cool idea for a table settingin one of the Paris shop windows), but not even the 8 Euro meal deal (toasted ham and cheese panini, Orangina, hot chocolate, and huge slice of coconut flan) could make me as happy as Bouchera once did. It’s like the passing of a great friend.
Back to craft happiness, I wasn't able to take any photos of the crafts at the stalls because I was too scared. I'd seen the stall owners yell at others, so wasn't about to take the risk. I was on a sailor kick while at the fair, (not literally) so I seemed to have bought bits of red white and blue seaside fabric, sailor teddy button, sailory ribbon, and a seaside embroidery book. I think I need a holiday near the sea. Hmmm… another day trip sounds good.

Spectro

When I arrived home from work today, I had a wonderful surprise waiting for me! My Uncle Brian had sent me one of his oil paintings named Spectro. Not only was I surprised to receive the painting, but the style of this one is in contrast to his usual lush, detailed paintings of enchanting women. Influenced by the vibrant colors and the rugged beauty of Africa, he’s working on a new theme this season. He’s also experimenting with a pointillism technique. Having never taken an art class, he is completely self taught. I’m lucky enough to now have four of the paintings in my flat. I love that everything on my walls has been made by one of my family. I can’t wait to see what he paints next.

Extremely Crafty Ideas Issue 2 Hot off the Press!

Last weekend I went chocolate cup mad! I love the photo of this one. It's made the cover of the second issue of Extremely Crafty Ideas. Head over to http://www.extremelycrafty.co.uk/ and read it hot off the press! Inside the cup are licorice allsorts. Aren't they wonderful?

Licorice allsorts are a famous English candy (known over here as sweets) and were first produced by Basset & Co, now owned by Cadbury’s. They are a mixture of coconut flavourings, licorice, fruit flavours, and fruity jelly. Legend has it that in 1899, Basset’s sales representative, Charlie Thompson dropped a platter of candies he was showing his client. All of the candies mixed together. The client tried some of the mixture and loved it! Basset’s soon after began mass producing these and even made their company mascot, Bertie Basset, in the form of a man made out of licorice allsorts in 1929.

My favourite ones are the yellow coconut circles with the licorice in the middle. How about you?

New York Cupcakes!

When I was in NY last month, I found the delightful Cupcake Cafe. I was surprised where it was located - in a relatively downtrodden area with people hanging around on street corners, trash, etc. but in the middle of it all, there is a haven for scrumptious buttercream cupcakes. Wow, was the cream thick and rich.

I was amazed at all of the beautiful colorful flowers they were able to make out of buttercream.

Rows and rows of cupcakes and cakes.

they sure are heavy to carry too!

This week has been a made week of craft fairs. Today I went to the Country Living Fair in London which was as wonderful as usual. This weekend, I'm off to the Marie Clair craft fair in Paris, so will have lots of photos to post. Au revoir!

Doe A Deer, A Female Deer...

There’s nothing better than a night out over a few beers and some songs with two hundred nuns. At the Sound of Music Sing-A-Long in the Prince of Wales Theater off Leicester Square, you can do just that on a Friday night. Make sure to bring your habit. Most of the crowd will. Some others dress as fair maidens, there’s usually a Hitler or two, and some German army officers. The crowd sings a long to the Julie Andrews cult classic. Don’t worry if you don’t know the words. They’re projected on the screen. One of the best cheap nights out in London.

Posted Stitches

Inspired by Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood’s posted stitches, I’ve begun a posted stitches project of my own with my mother. She sewed this wedding ring quilted wall hanging with loads of different pink pastel fabrics in Michigan and I’m going to finish the top stitching by hand in London. What a wonderful idea Jennifer – Overseas Quilt Pals instead of Pen Pals! Do you have a special Quilt Pal?

Victoria & Albert Museum

These were some of the magnificent sculptures at the V&A today.

Making Garbage Look Great!

I have just sat down with a hot cup of Ribena and a chorizo and Brie sandwich on a baguette. Part English, part French and part Spanish – I love living in Europe. Ribena is a blackcurrant drink which is especially good when mixed with fizzy lemonade. Blackcurrant is a common flavor for candy (or as they say sweets) over here. Everyone fights over the black fruit pastilles.

I’m also munching on a couple of Belgian Jules Destrooper butter crisps. They look like golden buttery waffles that have been flattened. They’re crisp to bite and sweet to taste. Scrumptious. They’re sold in a lovely oblong navy and white box with a description of the biscuits in twelve different languages, for example – natuurboterwafels, galettes au beurre, butter crisps, and my favorite – butterwaffeln. I took some photos of them with the chocolate cups, so you can see what they look like.

As soon as I finish, I’m going to begin working on the richly carved wooden photo frame that I found in the rubbish (garbage) down the street. Well, it wasn’t exactly in the rubbish. Someone had leaned it against their black iron railing with some other things they were throwing out. I’m going to sand it down, paint it white and frame a piece of the most beautiful wrapping paper I’ve ever seen. Let’s hope the result doesn’t look as if I’ve got a present hanging on my wall.

The paper I found in an ancient little card shop in Cambridge. It’s printed in Denmark and made by a company called Caspari. The background is golden and it’s covered by rich lavender and fuchsia orchids. You’ve seen the before photos. If the rain holds off, hopefully, I’ll have some have some after photos soon.

Delicious Chocolate Cups

In the hectic days (and nights) or work, more work, and more work, I have committed myself to doing one fun thing a day. For the past few nights, I've been experimenting with melted chocolate and made some wonderful chocolate cups. I was thinking Gordon Ramsay. This morning, I experimented with different types of fillings such as strawberry & banana Innocent Smoothie, Advocaat, french vanilla ice cream, sprinkles, fruit, licorice...The possibilities are endless. These would be great for dinner parties or pot luck dinners. Oh, you'd be the princess of the pot luck if you brought these chocolately wonder cups!

Tip - firm dark chocolate can withstand heavy fillings whereas milk chocolate (especially at warm temperatures) tends to melt and break quite easily.

In one of the upcoming issues of Extremely Crafty Ideas, I'll feature all of my creations, recipes, and more tips!

Ahoy there!

Here are a couple of pirates I found swashbuckling around in my garden!


Pattern coming soon. . .

Santas in September - Continued

Here's the other couple of santas.

An Early Christmas Gift

My mother was such a sweetheart ot help me finish all of the tote bags that I thought I had to make something for her. I've only just started it. I think I will make it into a small wall hanging, but wanted to share it to see what people though. Would your mom like it?

Christmas in October

Do you want to create a hand made Christmas? I do, so I start early every year. I want my projects ready to hang on 1 December so I can enjoy them the whole season long.

After touring around Europe this summer, I was so delighted at all of the different versions of Santa Claus I just had to design a quilt.

There’s Pere Noel from France, Kris Kringle from New Amsterdam, Father Christmas from England, Grandfather Frost from Russia
Sinter Klaas from Holland
I was intrigued when I heard about all of the traditions in the different countries – some children hide candy in their shoes, others play practical jokes at Christmas time, and others fear being whipped if they’re naughty by one of santa’s helpers. So I did a bit of research about each Santa and found loads of delightful stories.

When I show-and-telled my project to my sewing group and I had requests from fifteen of the twenty gals for the pattern, I had to make it. I’ve loved seeing how so many of them have made my quilt their own by adding embellishments and fancy stitching.

So I thought I would offer this to the sewers out there who want to make a one of a kind quilted wall hanging. It will be available for purchase soon (when I figure out how to add this to my web page) and includes the applique patterns for all six santas, easy to follow instructions, and fun facts about the santas from around the world.

Go on an European Christmas tour without ever leaving your sewing room!

Doilies Gone Mad!

Having just been cut open and stitched together twice hasn’t stopped my mother from stitching up an explosion of color!

Are these dog toys?

I was not amused.

After spending hours stuffing and hand stitching these cute bears to give as a freebie with a matching bag, (I would’ve loved these as a child!) I had one man approach my stall and ask whether they were dog toys. No, I should think not! Has this town gone dog mad? He had no soul.

A teddy a bag.

The teddy bear bag pattern will be featured in one of the upcoming issues of Extremely Crafty Ideas.

Hand made or die?

Another reason to buy handmade – at least you know you haven’t used lead paint on your children’s toys! Or put chemicals in their milk.

Being new to blogging, I just realized I never included all of the photos of my crafty projects. Here are some of my doggie bags:

I'll add the teddy bear photos tomorrow!

Crafty Virgins at the Fair

My competition.

Back at the fair, I had plenty of time to contemplate the other craft stall holders. Almost all of the other stalls were selling mass produced goods made overseas and all of the products could be sold in home parties. So many of them were those pyramid schemes – one for Memory Books, one for board games, another for wickless candles (they seemed to be the only ones who were doing any business! Why do people come to a craft fair to buy mass produced candles?! Go to Michaels. Why pay more for a candle that doesn’t even have a wick?) Besides myself, the only people selling anything handmade was the stall next to me. By noon, they’d made $12. I’d made -$1.25 (I bought a pop.)

I thought their craft stall was brilliant – hand cut wood Halloween lawn ornaments. Their stall was gorgeous – bales of hay their husbands and children had helped set up. The two ladies were wearing matching black outfits with "Trick or Treat" emblazoned across their chests in orange rhinestones. Eerie Halloween music played from behind their table and yet only two sales – a bat for $7 and a trio of candy corn for $5.

Like myself, having never set up stall at a craft show before, they too were Craft Stall Virgins. We didn’t know we were competing with stall owners who brought tents, walls with shelves, and five tables. We didn’t know we were going to get the worst position at the end of the fair near a building site (see background behind my table). We didn’t know we were competing with mass produced rubbish from overseas. Why come to a craft fair for that?

By noon in the hot Michigan sun, we were all sweltering. They gave up at 12:05. Hubby #1 threw the pick up truck in reverse while Hubby #2 removed the police wooden barricade. I’d like to say craft show participants had to run out of the way, but we were the last booths and no one had dared walk that far, so no one was close to being run over. Their cheerleader twins and their boyfriends helped throw the wooden pumpkin lawn ornaments and Frankensteins into the back and they sped away for a "beer in the backyard".

I wanted to yell "Goodbye! At least you’d made $12! But I only waved."

And I was left alone. The last booth in a long line, now an empty gap away from all of the others.

My rescuer, Heather, helped me pick up the lead weighted table and move it close to her booth. I gritted my teeth and began my sales pitch.

"Go Green with a tote bag!"

"Say no to plastic!"

"Buy handmade! Sewn in a living room down the street!"

"Made with the strongest upholstery fabric so it won’t tear or rip. Guaranteed!"

Countless people told me how lovely my bags were, but they’d just bought a reusable shopping bag from Meijer… Target…Kmart. . .Kroger (hello, Kroger is out of business) for $1. How much were mine? I’m sorry people, but I just cannot compete with $1. These are the same people who would say they’re against child labor! Who do they think is going to make something for $1?

Craft may be dead in Plymouth, but I’m so glad there’s a revival internet community.

We need a craft fair revolt!

p.s. - I'm pleased to say that in a rush of pedestrian traffic starting at 3 p.m. (is there a magic fair selling hour?), I finally had a flurry of sales which continued the rest of the evening! Hurray!

Operation Hand Made

The crafty ideas had been brewing in my head even before my mother and I went to stay at the hospital. I had signed up to have a craft stall for one day at the Plymouth Fall Festival. My mom was supposed to be in the hospital for three days maximum, so I thought that would leave us plenty of time to prepare. I hadn’t planned on ten days.

I had a stack of half finished bags, some earrings, and bears whose bodies needed sewing. Plus the day after we returned home, I had to start working from home again – modified London hours – 5:30 a.m. Thank God for telephones and the internet which have allowed me to work from home.

I had signed up for the stall because I had visions of my mom and I leisurely sewing together preparing our handmade goods. Yeah right. By the time she got out of hospital, I only had four days to prepare. Not two weeks. After working a full London day, I was appliquing, hand stitching teddy bears, and sewing. Seeing as I was struggling, my mother (only just out of hospital) took control of the sewing machine (didn’t I say she was strong like an ox) and left me in her dust of her old Singer. We finished everything Friday night.

Saturday morning 8 a.m., my stall was ready for the annual sunrise pancake crowd. I waited. . .

and waited. . .

and waited. . .

You Know You're Working Too Much When. . .

You look forward to a ten day stay at the hospital as a vacation.

My crafter extraordinaire mother had to have back surgery. She had the first operation which resulted in more pain than before the surgery. The doctors then discovered my mother had a major blood clot resting on her spine, so they had to do a second surgery. I knew she must have been in terrible pain when she didn’t object. My mother is strong like an ox and would deny ever being sick, so for her to agree with no objection, I knew it must have been worse than she was letting on.

Hospitals are no place for sick people. After the second op, she caught pneumonia from one of the nurses. Why does the hospital let sick people look after other sick people? Surely hospital staff must have sick days?

Hospitals are also no place to get any rest. Who can sleep through the night with assistants coming in every hour to check vitals. Why this is necessary when she has one of those red lights taped on her finger that feeds vitals to a monitor, I have no idea.

I know about this every hour wake up routine because I stayed with my mom – night and day - the whole ten days in her room. I became quite used to the pull out sofa couch and left it permanently made as a bed. For the first day, my mother had to lay flat on her back for 24 hours (and that’s after having back surgery – how excruciating!) because the doctor had nicked her spinal sack and spinal fluid leaked. Well, the nurses hardly ever came in to give her ice cubes. If I hadn’t have been there, I don’t know how she would have had anything to drink.

The only time I left her room was to eat (I could not possibly eat another Taco Bell Nachos Bell Grande for the rest of the year. . .well, maybe in November.) and use the internet. This is the waterfall next to the public computer where I surfed.

Taking time out from my normal work life made me realize I really missed working on the crafty projects my mother and I used to do together and that I have the very best teacher (a retired tailor) from whom to learn to sew, so I’d better get started.

Sew long for now and don’t get sick!