Supermarket sweep...

A techy-crafty make this week, in time for a toddler's birthday!

I decided to make shopping list cards for Sam's little mate because she has the IKEA kitchen and a stack of plushie food to go with it. I figured these could also be used when in a real supermarket to keep the little dudes quiet for 10 seconds longer than the 10 seconds they usually last before making embarrassing comments about other shoppers..."Why is that man fat mummy?"..."That lady has wrinkles, she must be super old"...That sort of thing.

First I photographed the food individually on a bright window sill with my SLR -camera phone just didn't cut it and I needed a sharp image. Then I used the trusted www.fotoflexer.com to make up a collage with 9 images and transparent borders. The text was added using the 'everyday casual' font (their fonts are ace, worth checking it out for this alone!).

Printing was done in Boots with their plug in machine-thingy. Then I finished off by glueing some card on to stiffen, and Fablon-ed the front Blue Peter style (I would have got them laminated but the lady in the shop only had a wicked hot one that would melt photo's). The idea is that they can cross off veggies with a dry-wipe marker and be cleaned off with a babywipe.

I also indulged my teachery side (been dormant since July) and rustled up some work sheets with ticky boxes and suggested activities to make the most of the images. You can find your own copies here. I honestly had tons of fun playing around with this idea, and might even start making my own pictoral shopping lists just to sparkle up Monday's! x

Bloomin' Lovely

Zoomed around town today -really breezy and bright for what seems like the first time in ages and great to get out. I saw these fantastic floral window displays in the White Stuff...Makes you want to get the glue gun out and give it a go...Watch this space!

I also looked up. Sounds daft I know, but there's a whole other street up there that doesn't get seen by people, head down looking at their phones. I love this shop sign -the shop is empty and if anyone does move in, i'd really hate for them to cover up the faded lettering what a shop once was. Look at me all nostalgic. What do you see when you look up? x

Talkin' about my education...

So I'm a first class lemon, and drove my car through the carwash without removing the aerial...No problem I hear you say...Not when you've buggered the antenna base, requiring Haynes manual study and a spares website...And resulting in no radio until it's fixed.

Not all is lost -Some while ago, my Uncle Mick, who has always attempted to steer my musical tastes away from tacky pop, and for which I thank him greatly, had a clear out and gave me a big bag of cassettes...yep, my car has a tape player. So turning my act of automobile stupidity into a positive, I've picked a selection, and I'm going old school. It's for my own good!x

Honey I shrunk the biscuits!

Tee hee... Found these mini gems in a new shop 'Blott' in Cambridge. Possibly pointless but very pleasing all the same. Check out www.blottshop.com for mini marvels. x

A cushy little number

Morning! Yesterday was another crafty Thursday at Hannah's -she powered through blind making like there was no tomorrow, and I didn't even touch the machine (it's a power/control thing I'm working on...)

Anyhow, finished this cushion that I've been working on in crochet -the basics are:

Half treble crochet a centre strip about 2/3's the circumference of your cushion pad, and work 6 rows.

Then work alternating colours around the centre strip to create the striped effect, remembering to work three stitched into each corner strip to manage the turn.

Keep going until you have reached the width of your cushion. If your fabric doesn't quite warp around the cushion, then add a couple of rows to one end.

To sew up, fold up like an envelope with some overlap at the end. Pin in place, and work the two sides together with three rows of double crochet along each side. For the flap across the middle work another three rows DC, leaving two buttonhole gaps evenly spaced. Finally add buttons. Done!

Three things...

Three things found this week that made me happy. Simple (yes I am, as are they) but providing some brightness in January...Read in a magazine about 'mindfullness' which is a tad knit-your-own-yoghurt for me, but actually is like playing grown up eye-spy. I looked out for three things that were red to be more aware of what was around me. Going to practise a bit more, take my camera and see what I can find. Have a go! x

An army of cats...

Cats seem to be featuring highly at the moment...and I don't even have a cat? What does it say when most of the lovely people I follow on instagram have cats? And when I get etsy commissions to make cats?...Probably 'get a cat'....can't I have a ferret instead? x

A Wintery Weekend...

We spent last weekend back home, enjoying the snow. Why not? Nostalgic and possibly a tad rose tinted (my feet were bloomin' freezing) but not a panic buy or crazy driving experience in sight. x

Fabulous Feedback!

Thank you to those who have e-mailed feedback on our blind instruction sheet -it's always so quiet in blog-land and when people take the time to talk it makes it all the more worthwhile! The comments are super helpful and rest assured, tweaks are being made. Lovely x

Blind leading the blind!

So Hannah and I set about another project (as if wrestling FOUR kids under 5 on a freezing day wasn't enough)...To whip up blinds for her playroom. Her mum (ace lady of fine ideas) thought this one through -how to make blinds without cords that can cause horrid accidents when kids get involved. We've all seen the stories.

These are basically 'pop-up' blinds using buttons and tabs, with a self-extending pole at the top. This means that they are pretty safe from prying fingers, and can be whipped down and bunged in the washing machine when spills happen/random child explosions. We've all cleaned that mess up.

It took the day, a good deal of head scratching, but we got a good result.

To that end, I've written out the instructions in (hopefully) a user friendly format, as a bit of a tester to start putting these ideas on etsy. If you'd like to sample them, and provide some feedback, I'd be mightily grateful. Just e-mail me at jencrumpuk@yahoo.com and I'll send you over a copy.

Thanks for dropping by!x

I love fotoflexer.com!

This is ace -totally free (can't afford Photoshop yet, need to stop spending money on wool) and depsite being probably limited for the super techie savvy, does the trick for me nicely. Go have a play! x

Stalling...

Tried out some ideas for selling the workbasket -not the basket itself, just the contents!! It's only when you ulay half of your stuff out on a table that you realise that some of it has to go! Next job, is going through my unfinished project pile, which maybe even more shameful...

Where are you selling this year? Being brave and taking the plunge? Or...How many unfinished projects do you have stashed away? Tell me about it -It's cold out here and I love a chat x

Battling Britain (with pegs and pipe cleaners)...

Aimee (awesome farmers wifey) taught me how to make these this afternoon...She needed a peg related craft for WI and had found this on a trip to Duxford (aka plane mecca)...Read on for spiffing spitfire destructions (I'm going to try this with Sam on Wednesday) x

January Days...

They're not so bad...It's getting colder (finally) with the chance of snow that makes this whole winter thing a bit more worthwhile.

Some of this week sucked -grumpy baby, manic cleaning (trying to sell the house with two small children in it is a challenge) and trying to get some work done too. But then Thursday hit and suddenly there I realised the good stuff. A walk in the woods when the sun actually shined, a coffee and fab piece of cherry and almond cake with the little lady, and making Sam eat green beans by arranging his lunch into a pair of snails sat on 'grass'.

So yep, it's a grey January, we're all a tad broke, stuck for the best part indoors and my floor will always be covered in crumbs. But that's not all that matters. x

Dark Hearted Loveliness...

I found this bundle of loveliness on etsy...so Valentines isn't all yucky fluffiness x

Be Mine Valentine...

Just when you thought you uld put away the fabric scraps after Christmas decoration making... Valentines Day gives us girlies the green light to propose...even though I'm married I might just ask hubbie again (he better say yes...).

But why buy a card that ends up being blown off the shelf (i'm sure there's another dodgy parallel there) when you could rustle up a heart from scraps, making something pretty out of the bits left behind (ok, I've gone really Mills and Boon now)?!






Read more for how to make!

Kids have the best stuff!

I think kids have some great things, and if you look a little closer the colours and patterns are way better that what we adults have to make do with... pin-stripe suit? Pah, I'll have a funky tree pattern any day. x

A Word A Day...

There are lots of 'one a day' for the new year challenges floating about. I like the way that Facebook can summarise stuff, but then...it's techie. I like ink and paper too. So... I have a big piece of the white stuff on my fridge, a fine line ink pen at the handy and at the end of the day will add a word from my collection.

(Then if I get really techie I can merge them together and watch them grow...nerd.)x

Blowing Away the Cobwebs...

So happy 2013 -we started the year with a walk on Studland Beach, which after several days of being locked in with rain, was long overdue and did the trick! Hope you like the photos, one of my many New Year's Revolutions is to work on the camera-snappery...x