DingsInsainity

Not Again

2012-01-22T09:15:00.001-08:00

Oh no! I did it again! I let a whole month pass without blogging :(

In my defense I did move house 1 week before Christmas.

This is what has been happening...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T01:32:00.000-08:00

Mumma's Making Vegan Gumbo

2011-11-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

Last night I made my first ever Gumbo (vegan gumbo at that!)

I had always shied away from making Gumbo as it is normally made with meat and seafood (and I'm a vegetarian.)

However, my veggie friend made a fantastic vegetarian one and I thought I would give it a bash, I must admit I did not follow a recipe, I looked at a few for inspiration and then made it up as I went along.

Recipe...

First mix equal amounts of vegetable/olive oil and flour together over a medium to high heat to make a brown rue. (I probably used about 1/3 of a cup of each.)
Next chop in large chucks/slices 2 red onions, 2 cloves of garlic and 3 sticks of celery. Fry these off in the rue for around 7 minutes.
Whilst the onion, garlic and celery are frying prepare 4 cups of veggie stock (1 stock cube per 2 cups of hot water) and chop 1 green bell pepper, 4 spring onions, 1 pack of okra.
After the 7 minutes, add the stock and then all these spices...
... 3 bay leaves, 2+ tablespoons of cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, Cajun mix (chili powder, oregano, dried garlic, dried onion, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried chilies), oregano, thyme, sage, black pepper, dried chilies, 4 tablespoons of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, 1 chopped green chili.
Then add the remainder of the chopped veg and add some sweetcorn (optional) and add 3 chopped vegetarian/vegan sausages of your choice.
Then add enough brown rice to feed 2-4 people.
Let it cook for 30 minutes to an hour.
Add more spices to taste if you feel it needs it.

Take out the bay leaves and enjoy :)

My Halloween Weekend...

2011-11-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

... Looked like this!

Friday evening was spent at a Celebrity face mask themed birthday pub crawl!

I was Nigella Lawson :)

I was up until 2am Friday night, then up at 6am Saturday morning caring, baking and sewing for our Halloween Party Saturday night (I made my costume and parts of OH's) I finally finished my patchwork dress in my lunch break at work on Saturday :)

Happy Halloween :)

Some more Autumn firsts

2011-10-21T03:03:00.001-07:00

This week has seen some more Autumn firsts for me.

On Tuesday I had my first Hot Cider of the year, I was so excited. All of last winter I drank Hot Cider in my local and I've been waiting all year for it to make a come back!

Yesterday I made my first Pumpkin Pie of the year. However, it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.

I used this slightly adjusted vegan recipe...

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Ingredients:

750g of roasted pumpkin blended into puree
150g cup muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 soy milk with a teaspoon of vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons cornflour
4 Tablespoons water

Mix the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice together in a large bowl.
Heat the vanilla soy milk in a small saucepan over low heat.
Dissolve the cornstarch or arrowroot powder in a small amount of cold water.
Add the dissolved cornstarch to the heated soy milk. Bring to a boil for one minute, then remove from heat. The soy milk should resemble vanilla pudding.
Stir the thickened vanilla soy milk into the pumpkin mixture.
Set the vegan pumpkin pie filling aside and make the crust, or use a prepared crust and skip to the “Baking the Pumpkin Pie” instructions below.

Pumpkin Pie Crust

Ingredients:

125g flour
75g non-dairy margarine (I used Pure)
3 Tablespoons water

Pour the flour into a medium bowl.
Cut the margarine into the flour using two dinner knives or forks, until all the margarine is small, flour-coated chunks.
Add the water to the flour and mix thoroughly, forming a ball of dough.
Spray a pie pan with non-stick cooking spray, or coat it lightly with margarine.
Roll out the dough into a circle and place it in the pie pan, or simply press the dough into the pie pan. Make sure the crust is an even thickness throughout, and covers the entire pan.

Bake the Pumpkin Pie

Preheat the oven 220 degrees.
Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the crust. Bake the pie at 220 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees. Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes, or until the pumpkin is firm.
Let the pie cool for about two hours before serving.

This wasn't the best Pumpkin Pie I've ever made, so I'm on the hunt for a better one, let me know if you have a good one, I'd love to try it out.

For the original recipe I adapted slightly please see here

In 6 Weeks...

2011-10-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I can't believe 6 weeks has past since I last blogged, and as always I have to look back through my photos to remember what on earth I have been up to...

1) I've made lots of risottos...

2.) Dog came back from being missing for 2 Weeks :)

3.) I did lots of baking...

4.) I saw a life size remote control Dalek!

5.) My fruit bowl has seen many a squash...

6.) Minni has just been Minni...

7.) I've made some scrummy food...

8.) We've seen a lot of this guy (a cat, who's name we don't know, but I call Fwiend. He lives on OH's street and has no tail)

9.) I drank Tequila...

10.) We saw some chickens...

The first crumble of the year and my first Herman!

2011-09-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today, we had 2 of our dearest friends over to drink lots of wine and eat lots of food!

I rustled up a vegetable pie and some roast potatoes after a series of disasters.

I had original planned to make a lentil roast (much like a nut roast minus the nuts) but I realised I had no loaf tin to bake it in :( then I discovered the lentils needed to boil for 45 minutes before I could use them.

Lastly something horrible happened to the first batch of pastry that Mike made, luckily I whizzed up another batch was all fine!

Also today was the day I made my first crumble of the year, a blackberry (from the blackberries I picked the other day) and raspberry.

I hoping the fact that it was all gobbled up before I could take any photos means they all enjoyed it.

Sarah brought me a Herman Cake to look after, I had never heard of a Herman cake before, but it sounded like such a lovely thing to do, it comes with daily instructions, I have to feed him, stir him and even talk to him :)

I'm off to eat the cheeky scraps left of the crumble, have any of you ever had a Herman cake?

It's officially Autumn!

2011-09-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

The 1st of September is here and some may say I'm crazy, but in my eyes, that makes it officially Autumn and what a dent we made in the first day of Autumn.

I made these gluten free and vegan cupcakes...

Mum made soup and we went blackberry picking ready for my first crumble of the year on Sunday. I also gained a fruit bowl (thanks Mum).

She gave me some of her homemade jam too :)

I also had my whole knitting technique re-written, we discovered my Great Nannie had taught me to knit by looping anti-clockwise instead of clockwise, leaving me with a twisted stitch. I was taught to hold my tension in such a way that once I've grasped it I should be able to knit like fury. I was like learning to knit all over again.

I almost forgot the squashes I have gotten this week, ready for my favorite time of year (yes, how did you guess, Autumn.) Anyone that knows me well, knows I have an absolute obsession for squashes of all shapes and sizes, I love finding new ones, my net challenge is to grow some.

Paquito and Gem Squash!

My 1st of September was finished off with this scrumptious vegan dinner...

Dan Dan Noodles with Spicy Tofu

Kitchen Porn

2011-09-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

Kitchen Porn is a phrase often used by me and those close to me. It quite literally is me cooing over china or cooking wear I can't afford.

I was in Jarrolds yesterday and fell in love with this set from Portmeirion...

I am smitten :)

On the subejct of kitchen porn, whilst in Jarrolds, I fell upon something I have been lusting after for quite some time, I joked and said "this is what I'm saving up for"

Le Creuset Casserole Dish

I have wanted this gorgeous purple casserole dish by Le Creuset for quite some time now but at £145 a pop I think I shall have to keep on wishing.

Meat Free Monday

2011-08-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

All of your 5-a-Day vegetable curry!

Rain, candles and Great British Bake Off

2011-08-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today I have had a really lovely day with Mum! We went to Taverham Garden center and resisted the urge to buy Christmas fabric.

I really fancied soup due to all the rain today, it feels ever so autumnal, much to my delight their soup of the day was vegetable :)

I may have been able to battle temptation with fabric but when it came to Yankee Candles I was far weaker and bought Mountain Lodge and Kitchen Spice ready for the autumn months (which I can't wait for now)

After running around doing errands in the rain I curled up in my PJs and watched The Great British Bake Off, I do love that programme, there is always some really interesting concoctions and its so inspiring!

I'm off to make this for the boy...

Spinach, Pea and Ricotta Tart

Football

2011-08-24T10:09:00.000-07:00

Its that time of year again where women all over the country become football widows!

However, last night instead of being left behind in favor of the sport I was taken along to a game, and I hate to admit it, but I quite enjoyed myself. Despite the appalling score the atmosphere is awesome :)

Smile

2011-08-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a long while,
So here's some pictures that make me smile...

Pull's Ferry" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4015/4301735262_ec84b40591.jpg" width=500 height=359>

Fye Bridge, Norwich" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2793/4318807251_d399820388.jpg" width=500 height=334>

otsu" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2554/3994054738_3ea5a638a9.jpg" width=377 height=500>

Sometimes goodbye is a second chance!

2011-02-01T12:26:00.000-08:00

Given that the last month has been very much a fresh start for me, I thought I would give this blog the same treatment.

The lyrics that entitle this entry is very indicative of how I feel currently.

Looking back through photos on my phone since my last entry has prompted me to depict the last 3 months of my life

"The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."

~Ivy Baker

We did not change as we grew older; we just became more clearly ourselves. ~Lynn Hall

In the past month...

2010-11-27T03:31:00.000-08:00

... quite a lot has happened.

I gained a new cat Called Dog

Perfect End to a Holiday

2010-09-26T23:22:00.000-07:00

I've had such a lovely week off and I really don't want it to end.

So today I've made the most of the rainy weather and stayed in baking, cooking, knitting and watching 3 discs of Gilmore Girls.

This week has been autumnal...

Its been full of these two ladies...

and to finish off the lovely week off I made a huge breakfast...

Savoury Muffins

Sweetcorn and Chilli Muffins

Curry with Pea Muffins

Pizza Style Muffins.

Home-made Rosti

I also made a huge roast this evening complete with apple crumble, but sadly we gobbled it all up before I could even think about taking photos.

Knitting Update

2010-09-25T01:36:00.000-07:00

These week I have been mainly knitting squares!

I've not done as much as I hoped so today I am going to spend the day knitting!

Today was mostly spent...

2010-09-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

...Colouring my hair...

...This colour!

Another bad picture but the colour was inspired by this beautiful lady.

Fabric Shopping Fun

2010-09-16T08:54:00.000-07:00

It's taken me far too long to blog about my lovely day fabric shopping with Mum yesterday.

I got really well stocked up for my Autumn/Halloween crafting...

Apologies for the poor photo quality!

I also got a few Yankee Candles :)

Red Polka Dot Love

2010-09-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

This year I have absolutely fallen in love with red and polka dots. This season I have the red dress below for work (I am secretly toying with whether to buy the blue one too) and I recently missed out on a red and a blue polka dot mac on Fashion Union which were reduced to £7 each (I was going to have both colours, so gutted!)

So in search for these macs I missed out on or a suitable replacement I came across some gorgeous other red polka dot items and decided to dedicate this post to all things red polka dot.

I found loaddddsss of kitchen things that come in red polka dot and I want them all.

I have a bit of a red theme in my kitchen already, so I am now making it my mission to add lots of these things to my kitchen hehe...

Autumn

2010-09-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but notice how early the leafs are turning yellow.

As much as I hate the cold I have to admit I truly love Autumn,

in fact I think it might be my favourite season :)

Instead of just letting the season pass me by I decided to take photos of the trees outside my flat everyday to see how their colour changes over time.

I took these Thursday!

and these ones I took Friday!

Hiatus

2010-09-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

So it's been exactly 4 months since I blogged.

Its been a tough few months.

With the help of Mum I have come to realise its time to reunite with my blog.

I read this on Crafty Helen and thought 'yes that's exactly what I need to do'

"So, I need to face up to my short-comings

(and boy have I got plenty)

and not spend so much time beating myself up

for having failed to reach my unreasonable expectations"

Click!

So here's to a fresh start and knitting squares!

Moo Cards

2010-05-07T23:51:00.000-07:00

My free Moo Cards came today WOO HOO

I am so over the moon with how well they came out but the light is not good tonight so I am not so happy with the photos I have taken of them (will take some better one another night)

Yesterday...

2010-05-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

...was such a lovely day. For once I had a Bank Holiday off work and I actually relaxed.

I watched every episode of Sophie Dahl's new TV show whilst the rain beat down outside.
I had been longing for a day at home wrapped up in a big jumper while it rained and finally I got it.

Once the rain had cleared up a bit, I ventured out to buy food.

Along my way I saw something beautiful...

...and something funny...

I also found an amazing book, just the sort of faith restorer I needed to remind me I am not just a stressed girl in a suit. It's called "The Thrift Book: How to Live Well and Spend Less" by India Knight and (I've not gotten too far through it yet) it's fantastic.

Meat Free Monday

2010-05-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

This week's Meat Free Monday dinner was inspired by Miss Sophie Dahl and her new TV Series.

I decided to try her Lentil Cottage Pie and even Mikey (massive meat eater and massive lentil hater) really liked it.

Doesn't look too appetising but it gives that lovely cosy feeling Cottage Pie should!

Lunch with LazyGiraffe

2010-05-01T23:56:00.000-07:00

Today was a lovely day (despite work being manic) I met up with LazyGiraffe (Deepa) and went to this gorgeous place just opposite work called Origin 8.

I had a delicious Smoked Salmon and Cous Cous salad and bought some Garlic Stuffed Olives to take home (which Mikey loves) and a White and Dark Chocolate Mousse type Pudding which I ate on the train home.

I then finally (after what feels like weeks) cooked a "proper" BIG yummy meal of Free Range Chicken Smothered in Buffalo Wings Sauce with French Fries, Crunchy Salad and Creamy Coleslaw.

Ohhhh I almost forgot, and first thing this morning (yes 5am) I ordered my Moo Cards :D I thought I had missed the deadline for the free ones but luckily I had not.

CHEESE

2010-04-27T04:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a rather cheesy day for me...

...I started off by making cheese muffins

I then made a breadcrummy Macaroni (but Penne) Cheese bake for lunch...

...and had no cheese left for dinner time!

I am a bit of a cheese fiend so please do send me any good cheesy recipes you have :D

Meat Free Monday (Finally on a Monday)

2010-04-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

Today Meat Free Monday was all about this...

Egg Mayonnaise Sandwiches, Quorn Enchiladas, Cheese and Onion Quiche (which was shop bought and horrible) and Green and Black's (which was far from horrible)

Pippy

2010-04-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today I lost a lifelong friend and the best cat I've ever know. He'd been in life 17 years (longer than my little brother) and nothing I write will quite cover how I feel or what he meant to my family and I. So instead I am going to post photos and leave a link to the post my Mum wrote.

These are, by far, not the best pictures I have taken of him but they are the ones I could find!

Meat Free Monday but on Tuesday

2010-04-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

I treated myself to a Marks and Spencer's Saag Aloo and Onion Bhajees for lunch...

...it was sooooooo good!

For dinner we just had a Mediterranean Finger Food Feast...

...and that was really good too!

Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with King Prawns in a Creamy Parsley Sauce

2010-04-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post, I was so proud of my dinner I wanted to share...

Meat Free Monday

2010-04-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

This week's Meat Free Monday consisted of...

Breakfast

Natural Yogurt with Mixed Dried Fruit

Lunch

Tomato, Garlic Herb and Cream Cheese Vegetable Brown Rice Risotto

Dinner
Vegetable Pie

Lingerie Loves

2010-04-09T19:35:00.001-07:00

I was Window Shopping on Figleaves as I can't actually buy anything so instead I thought I would share with you some of the styles I liked:

I recently discovered Monsoon is doing Lingerie and I am surprised but I quite like it

Elle Macpherson

Chantelle

Lepel

Freya

Easter Breakfast

2010-04-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

I decided seen as I actually had Easter Bank Holiday Monday off I would whip up some yumminess for Mikey and I

Here's what I made...

Bacon with French Toast (eggy bread) and a bowl of Egg Mayonnaise (because I am obsessed with it at the moment)
The stickiest and tastiest Chocolate Cake ever (It was all gone within 2 hours)

Homemade Crossless Hot Cross Buns

And no Mum that does not mean they are just Teacakes (although you may be right)!

Aprils Goals

2010-04-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

Last month I achieved nearly none of the goals I set so I'm going to roll some over to April and add a few more and hopefully I might get them done this time.

Here we go:

Eat Seasonally
I want to try at least 3 of the recipes I didn't get to last month
I also want to try these 3 new ones for April:

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake
Oven-baked Risotto Carbonara
Spanish Chicken with Butter Beans, Chorizo and Tomatoes

The main new foods in season this month are Cockles, Crab, Lettuce and Spinach (so I'm going to try and incorporate those)

Finish decorating my toilet

Finish tidying the whole flat!

I think I'll keep it short and sweet (and then more achievable) this month and we'll see how many I do by the end of the month.

March Just Flew By

2010-03-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I can not believe how quickly March came and went, it literally disappeared before my eyes. I haven't even begun to do half the things I wanted to but I have tried not to dwell on that seen as its been a very stressful month.

My goals for March were:

I managed to eat the ones in red!

Eating seasonally: So the foods in season in March, that I would probably eat, consist of:

Carrots, Cauliflower, Kale, Leeks, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Rhubarb, Parsnips, Spring Onions and Spring Green Cabbage.
Bananas, Blood Oranges, Kiwis, Pineapple, Mango and Apricot.
Rabbit, Turkey and Spring Lamb (not sure about Rabbit to be honest).
Sole, Eel, Hake, Lobster, Mussels, Salmon, Scallops, Shrimp, Mackerel, Crab and Sardine.

I found a few recipes that are seasonal to March that I am hoping to try this month:

La Potee (French Farmhouse Soup with Bacon, Sausage and Beans)
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Mussels with Garlic Stuffing
Chinese Stir-fried Prawns with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cashews
Chicken Baked with 30 Cloves of Garlic
Spanish Pork Stew with Potatoes and Chorizo
Penne with Leeks and Bacon
Pile-it high Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie
Salmon Coulibiac
Traditional Lancashire Hotpot

Go on 1 date night - Funds just did not permit this one.

Plant some herbs - I nearly did this but didn't want to kill them.

Finally decorate my toilet room - I made a start on this so I'm crossing it off

I am going to roll some of these over to April!!!

Meat Free Monday Just Not on Monday

2010-03-26T12:14:00.000-07:00

Seen as I seem to eat Meat-Free Meals a lot but almost always not on the right day (Monday) I decided to do a brief post showing some of the Vegetarian meals I have has this week:

Vegetable Tikka Masala

Vegetable and Cheesy Potatoe Pie

Vegetable Stir Fry in Sweet Soy and Roasted Red Chilli Sauce

Hina Matsuri

2010-03-03T14:46:00.000-08:00

Today is Hina Matsuri, the Japanese "Dolls Festival" or "Girls Festival". Its a day to celebrate girls. Thanks to Etsy's post about it today on their blog I remembered learning about this day at school. Just wanted to honour the day by sharing a few pretty pictures.

Goals for March

2010-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to make some goals for March, despite it still being cold out it is the beginning of Spring and all!

These goals consist of...

Eating seasonally: So the foods in season in March, that I would probably eat, consist of:

Carrots, Cauliflower, Kale, Leeks, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Rhubarb, Parsnips, Spring Onions and Spring Green Cabbage.
Bananas, Blood Oranges, Kiwis, Pineapple, Mango and Apricot.
Rabbit, Turkey and Spring Lamb (not sure about Rabbit to be honest).
Sole, Eel, Hake, Lobster, Mussels, Salmon, Scallops, Shrimp, Mackerel, Crab and Sardine.

I found a few recipes that are seasonal to March that I am hoping to try this month:

La Potee (French Farmhouse Soup with Bacon, Sausage and Beans)
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Mussels with Garlic Stuffing
Chinese Stir-fried Prawns with Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Cashews
Chicken Baked with 30 Cloves of Garlic
Spanish Pork Stew with Potatoes and Chorizo
Penne with Leeks and Bacon
Pile-it high Orange and Rhubarb Meringue Pie
Salmon Coulibiac
Traditional Lancashire Hotpot

My other goals for March are:

Go on 1 date night

Plant some herbs

Finally decorate my toilet room

We will see at the end of the month if I managed to do them!

Austria

2010-02-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

Just a short one today!

I came across this beautiful place in Austria.

Rogner Bad Blumau

And now I want to go there!

Bid a Farewell to Calvin Klein

2010-02-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today is a very sad day for me, it is my last day working for Calvin Klein, a job I have pushed my absolute heart and sole (and sometimes wages) into.

I have had some fantastic experiences in the past year and worked with some wonderful people.

Luckily it is also an exciting day as I am leaving Calvin Klein to go onto a new challenge and position with L K Bennett, so in as a farewell to Calvin Klein I am just going to share some of my favourite designs which have inspired me so much into designing my own Lingerie.

BIRTHDAY :D

2010-02-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday :D

I am having a wonderful day. Went out with some friends and Mikey last night to party with lots of champagne then today I got breakfast cooked for me and Mum came round with Cadbury's Caramel Eggs, Cappuccinos and lovely presents.

My friend got me one of my favourite books...

Thanks Sean!

And Mum got me...

Liz Earl Goodies :D

An awesome kitty sewing kit :D

We then decided to go fabric shopping and I found some beautiful fabrics that inspired me so much, here they are...

Eastern Miniatures by Freedom Fabric

I want to make a tea dress out of this one!

Just Desserts by Diane Knott

Chick-a-dee Chick-a-doo by Robert Kaufman

There were a few others but I could not find them, but Mum bought me this one:

Polly goes to Paris by Henry Glass and I found on the net it also come in black...

No birthday is complete without some super cute new tricks from Minni

I had to include this picture of Minni attacking the camera when I tried to take a picture of her playing in the sink (she's such a diva hehe)

Meat Free Monday: Tofu Stir Fry

2010-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Yay Meat Free Monday was a success this week.

I made Tofu Stir Fry :D

That's all tonight I'm afraid as I'm off out to celebrate my birthday (which is tomorrow)

Italian Feast (Meat Free Sunday Instead on Monday)

2010-02-07T10:21:00.000-08:00

Right now I am slumped on the sofa feeling so full its untrue.

I spent the better half of today cooking up and Italian Feast.

I made Pappa al Pompadoro Soup...

With Mozzarella Salad

I also made Spinach and Cheese Ravioli...

And some Gnocchi in Cheese Sauce...

The cooking today also meant that I got to use the food processor my Mum gave me for the first time...

There are so many times in my childhood I can remember watching my Mum cook and a lot of these times this food processor featured so I get very nostalgic with it.

That's all for now, Meat Free Monday Tomorrow!!

Also thinking of having a giveaway, what do you guys think??

Midnight Bake Up

2010-02-07T04:32:00.000-08:00

So last night at midnight I put down my knitting and decided to do some some baking.

Some baking turned into a bit more baking.

A bit more baking turned into loads of baking.

There is a mountain of chocolate chip cookies too but I couldn't get a good photo of them :(

I'm off to cook Italian now, more later!

Red Indian Kittens, Rostis and Recipes Galore

2010-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Today started with me being awoken to discover Minni had turned herself into a red indian.

She was so eager to eat when Mikey was feeding her this morning that she stuck her whole face in the bowl leaving her with a gravy stripe down her face, all she needed to be part of a native american tribe was some brightly coloured feathers.

Other than knitting ALL day, the only other interesting thing I have done today is made my first ever rosti.

Mucho Progresso

2010-02-05T09:39:00.002-08:00

On Monday night I broke my toe (or a least I think its broken) and have been off work since Tuesday and have gotten a lot done!

My knitting has come this far...

This top makes me look really wide haha

So with my 3 day weekend off work I had anyway I should get it finished and hopefully get some other things done too.

As promised I will show you the progress of my felted chick. I would have posted these pictures earlier except I could not find the body due to Minni running off with it when I wasn't looking and hiding it. It seems she has a penchant for fleece and felted items, she loves them more than catnip, she even (I think) broke my felting needle :( so from now on any felting related items shall be locked away from playing paws.

Dominknitrix

2010-02-05T09:38:00.000-08:00

This post is mainly dedicated to this book...

...which my Mum bought for me the Christmas before last and sadly I still haven't gotten around to knitting any of the patterns out of it, so I have made a promise to myself that the next knitting project I start will be from this book.

Whilst searching for the picture I came across a few other knitting books I would love to own...

That one could be interesting hehe!

Not much else to share today as I have been frantically knitting, but I did cook a massive Vegetable Pie...

... and Minni spent all evening looking like she was playing dead while she was asleep

Craft Swap Pressies

2010-01-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

Friday my craft swap presents came from DaintyDaisies I was so excited (but have been so busy working all weekend that have only just gotten around to blogging)

Inside were 3 gorgeously wrapped parcels

And Inside those 3 gorgeously wrapped parcels were this beautiful things

That is all for now, I have 3 Birthday presents, some Valentines presents and some Chinese New Years presents to make so I should really crack on!

Featured Artist : Moonstr

2010-01-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

As promised (even if it is a little late) I have reintroduced my Featured Artist Posts and I shall be starting with a wonderful artist named Anna or Moonstr, who created the lovely banner for My Etsy Shop.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself?
I'm a secretary by day and paint flinger by night, I'm 36 going on 15.
I prob day dream way too much. i get my hair done for trade with my art.
I've had a few gallery shows. one coming up in Seattle I'm excited about.
I just did a lil aceo with my menstruation blood and I'm still working on it.
Ive made a lil sculpture out of finger nails. I have 2 kitties and a bf of 12 years.

2. What first made you want to become an artist/designer?
I think it was when i was 2-3 and got my first crayons. I have been drawing ever since. use to get yelled at to stop drawing in church. Then protested at 5 that I would rather
be drawing instead of being in church. My dad was not happy about that. 9 I drew a nude
of a woman and my dad asked if I was a lesbian. My family has never really supported
me when it came to art.
After adolescence, I was in many bands, I came up with art for stickers and t-shirts,
I did zines, had an art show in a cafe where one piece got stolen.
then had a bf told me why don't you just put on music and paint all the time.
So i have ever since. I paint more for me.

3. Could describe your creative process?
Its either sketched out a bit with pencil, or i just jump into it.
So constructed, or chaos:)
I have to be in the mood, the min it feels like work, I stop, I never want my art
to feel like work. With sewing i don't measure anything.

4. What handmade possession do you most cherish?
The very first doll I made i still have her:) 3 legged one eyed alien mama.
also all my journals and art journals and so many art pieces I have gotten
off of Etsy love them all:) and my doll collection and aceo collection.

5. How do you promote your work?
I don't really promote myself. i find it tiresome, and needy, and spammy.
only thing I do is be funny and snarky in the Etsy forums, chat rooms also, and I'm on
Flickr~there are some really cool Etsy based groups on Flickr.also Myspace, Indiepublic, Artbistro. but really im on Etsy soooo much more than anything else.

6. What advice would you give to artists who are new to Etsy/selling art?
Make what you love, put your heart and passion into it. patience is key
and keep at it. List often, renew when you can. Ask questions, be part of the community.
lurk in the forums and you learn lots of things. and never spam. so many people are
turned off by spam, including me. I state that in my announcements that if you spam
me in any way i will not buy from you.
7. In 10 years I would like to be...
Hmm good question. I just wanna be happy.

Early Birthday Presents and Sparkling Kitchens...

2010-01-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

... Is what fantastic Thursdays are made of.

Despite first thing, whilst half way through the washing up with Mikey, our sink breaking today was a really great day.

Thankfully the sink is now fixed.

My Mum visited today and we went to a lovely wool shop just round the corner from mine called Norfolk Yarn where I got an early birthday present loaddddsss of amazingly coloured fleece for felting with

Thanks Mum!

Once getting home I was determined to have my kitchen spotless and I mean spotless like its never been before and I thought it only fair to share my success with photos (how sad am I)
Only those who have seen some of the states my kitchen has been in will realise how much of a big deal this is and how proud my mother will be haha.

You can finally see my kitchen table, which we ate on I will add!

I really need/want to resurface this table am still looking for inspiration, please feel free to share some ideas I would love to hear what you guys think.

Meat Free Monday

2010-01-25T13:15:00.000-08:00

This week Meat Free Monday was much more successful :D

I have had nibbley food throughout the day as I have had a MASSIVE migraine (which is annoying not only due to the horrendous pain but because I can't do anything but lay down when I have one)

Thankfully coffee and chocolate helped enormously, so much so I was able to make a trip to the fabric stall on the market and the post office

I found this little bargain on the fabric stall

This week for Meat Free Monday I cooked Vegetable Fajitas

Today I also got my Craft Swap present for Skunkboy Creations Craft Swap packaged up and sent off to the lovely DanityDaisies.

Here is a picture of the package all wrapped up, will blog about what I made once Michelle has recieved it, I want it to be a suprise:

Think I might wrap it up now seen as whilst writing this blog I have been making spicy pepper soup, peanut butter fudge and baked potato skin crisps, will upload photos in the morning!

Oh I nearly forgot a couple of cute photos of Minni I've been meaning to share.

Wolfmother and Willy Pasta

2010-01-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a Wolfmother gig and am writing this with my ears still ringing.

Such an awesome gig though, couldn't take any photos though as I am so short :(

I want hair like Andrew Stockdale!

Just on a funny note I wanted to share with you the comical pasta I bought for Christmas and finally got around to cooking today

Yes if you hadn't guessed that is willy shaped pasta haha!

I am so zonked so before my post turns to tired nonsense I am going to grab the cat and cuddle up with 500 days of summer, I'll let you know how the film was tomorrow and hopefully have some studio update photos for you too!

Studio Inspiration and Curry Hunt

2010-01-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

Seen as I have 4 days off now after a long day at work (a whole weekend off work shocker) I am determined to get my studio finally finished, tidy and usable.

I have searching through Etsy Open Studio Flickr Group for some inspiration

There were so many beautiful spaces on there it was so hard to chose so I settled for 2 that were a similar size to my space:

Credit

Also today I had an accidental Meat Free day consisting of muffins, spicy noodles and I finally cooked the Potato and Pea Curry except it was Potato and Parsnip Curry, it was nice but I like curries with a bit more heat and flavour so am now on a hunt for some kick ass curry recipes, please please please tell me about any you know!

Another thing, I finally put a new piece up in my shop, its a new, very odd style for me but I'll see how it fairs, check it out:

Check It Out!

Toilet Roll Inspiration

2010-01-19T16:02:00.001-08:00

Every time I walk into my toilet I see this

And I have a bag with abut 3 times as many of these in it too and I really want to make something with them, so in true 21st century style I went on a google, flickr and weheartit research rampage and this is what I found:

An awesome artist called Yuken Teruya.

Also...

That's right Manga Toilet Paper :D

Over the past few days Minni has decided she has some favourite new places

In the bath

Her little box which she likes to eat!

Meat Free Monday

2010-01-18T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today was my first Meat Free Monday (that was actually on a Monday), unfortunately it was a disappointing one.

I had...

Humous on toast for breakfast

Egg and tomato sandwiches for Lunch

Snacked on baked crisps (which were lovely) a little Milka chocolate (one with strawberry yogurt filling and one with caramel filling, soooooo good) and half a blueberry muffin

For dinner I order veggie chow mein from the Chinese and it was a massive let down, it seems with that Chinese takeaway you take away the chicken and you take away the chow mein flavour. I knew I should have order the Quorn in Schezwan Sauce.

What I wanted to cook for dinner (a probably will later in the week) was a Pea and Potato Curry recipe I found on From Scratch A blog from one of the Red Velvet Art girls.

I have to admit I have a new addiction in the form of www.apartmenttherapy.com
Whilst flicking through its lovely entries I discovered this fantastic chart which should help me get my 5 a day!

Valentines Inspiration

2010-01-16T15:53:00.001-08:00

This lovely entry at There's Something Hiding in Here got me thinking about Valentines Day.

I have never been very into Valentines Day but this year it falls on Chinese New Year (which I am much more into) so I thought I might do something, even if it is small.

Looking though Flickr and WeHeartIt gave me lots of inspiration for Valentines Day themed cooking and also Crafting

Introducing Minni: The Cutest Kitten Ever

2010-01-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Finally, last night, I got my beautiful bundle of joy that I have been waiting so patiently for and she is perfect.

So without further ado, here she is:

So darn cute!!

I have been doing quite a bit of cooking again, I'm just going to some it up with a few pictures

Lamb Steak and Accidental Red Rice

Apple Pie that was clearly so good there was only 1 slice left before I could even take a picture, and as for the Chocolate Biscuits I made too they were ALL gone before I could take a photo :D

8 Days Late, But Hey.

2010-01-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

I finally took down my Christmas Tree YAY!

I'm hoping that despite it being 8 days after the 12th day of Christmas that I won't be burdened with loads of bad luck.

Actually I know it won't, as tomorrow I am getting are little girl kitten Minni eeeeeek.

Not much to say today as too cosumed with excited and tidying so I leave you with some gorgeous photos found on weheartit.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2009-12-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

My goodness it has come round quickly and this week has flown by as I've been so busy and unfortunately really rather unwell :(

Monday I spent the day with my Mum and we had lunch at Captain America's, which is this lovely little (one off and not a chain) American Style Dinner Restaurant

I had a tasty Chilli Burger YUM YUM YUM!

The evening brought friends, more decorations, getting pretty and partying :)

This picture makes me giggle :P

Today I spent a lovely Christmas Eve at my parents (sadly with no pictures) but there was lots of chocolate and goodies, good coffee (the type with Baileys in it hehe) and a fantastic Chinese Takeaway to finish. I hope they like their presents!

The snow has pretty much all disappeared now so it was a white Christmas just a touch early.

After a lot of thought and diligence and a small amount of shouting to Amazon on the phone this morning I did manage to get all the presents I planned to buy but sadly, yet not surprisingly, I have not finished the jumper, damn being ill, but it can be a New Year present!

The Last Sunday Before Christmas

2009-12-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

Well the last Sunday before Christmas has been a lovely one for me.
It began by finally having coffee again after having none most of the week (yes it was hell) followed by taking the scenic route into the city

Can see bigger versions of these pictures on my Flickr!

Along the way I saw this amazing piece of garden art work

I also passed this place, which I have always wanted to find out more about but it seems to be one of Norwich's better kept secrets

This Week Has Mostly Consisted Of...

2009-12-18T14:50:00.001-08:00

...Eating much less of this

and eating a whole lot more of this

My favourite girl in the whole wide world came home, for Christmas, from Portsmouth

Another Favourite girl returned home from Univerisity in Brighton

Funny Russian hats were found...

...and knitting has been wound

...lots of partying and silliness with the broom

and then it snowed :D

Panda Crazy

2009-12-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Upon stumbling across this wonderful post on such a fantastic blog I felt the need to have a scout about on the good old internet for Panda Crazy things.

One of the main reasons I felt the need to research panda food more than anything is due to a kebab take away which my friends and I frequent regularly is called Panda Pizza (it is one of my favourite places purely because it is still open at 3:30-4am when the other half finishes work at the club about 100 meters away)

Sadly I have no photo to share with you of the famous Panda Pizza, so instead I am dedicating this post to my, very, useless research into other panda food (of which panda sushi I got most excited about)

Enjoy :)

Fantatstic Giveaway

2009-12-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

I entered this fantastic Giveway courtesy of Twiddletails.

Here is what is an offer to win, amazing prize, go over and check it out.

An update on knitting and drawing later :) be sure to check back!

Old Mother Hubbard...

2009-12-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

... Rooted through her cupboard,

To discover all she had were pasta, eggs and lentils
She thought and she thought, even asked some continentals,
But still had no clue what to cook,
Until, she discovered a recipe in somewhere very different to a book,
It was from the middle east,
She cooked up a lentily feast!

Apologies for the poor poem, was a whim with inspiration from my Mother.
Here is what I made:

And here is the very simple recipe.
With a few progress photos.

Oh yes I made peanut butter fudge too :)

For those of you who follow me on Twitter you will have read about my drawing stint yesterday, It is not finished yet but I though I would show you guys some rough photos:

Apologies for the poor quality, should have colour finished and a nice neat scan up tomorrow.

Seen as we are talking about cooking again today I thought I would share with you the pizza I made the other night as I was very proud of it :)

It was so tasty it was half eaten before I had a chance to take a photo hehe.

After all this I think I am ready for a nice hot bath then some hot chocolate and peanut butter fudge whilst watching Christmas with the Kranks and thinking about Open Dinners.

Gingerbread Latte; The Taste of Christmas

2009-12-09T09:16:00.000-08:00

Yes today I finally got to try the Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks

And even better, the lovely happy American Barista gave it to me for free Bingo :)

Thought I would include a picture of this little guy who accompanied me this morning with his Mummy round the shops and for coffee.

Think I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon/evening sorting out the studio and working on Christmas presents so I have some new work to show you guys!

Weekend Christmas Treeing at Mum's

2009-12-07T05:00:00.000-08:00

This picture pretty much sums up the evening :)

Haven't really got anything interesting to say this time unfortunately, I think it is due to having a God awful cough making me feel rough, how about you guys tell me how your weekends were?
In the meantime I'm going on a hunt for my revival of Featured Artist, so get commenting and your shops/blogs shall be my first look.

How Does Tidying Always Lead to More Mess??

2009-12-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

For some reason, without fail, every time I re-do a room or "sort out" a room it always gets a whole lot messier before it gets any tidying, why is this? Do you guys have the same?

I am trying to turn my spare room into a new studio and this is the result of today's "tidying" and "sorting"

Hopefully it will look a little more like a studio and not a junk room in a few days, I will post updates for you guys to see :)

I also made Potatoe and Sweet Potatoe Pie for dinner tonight...

The stages of Pie :)

To end on, the funniest poached eggs on toast I think I've ever made hehe :)

"Soup Soup A Tasty Soup Soup..."

2009-11-09T23:43:00.000-08:00

"... a spicy carrot and coriander"

Well no I did that last week and its frozen now hehe.
Was a very mundane day yesterday, didn't do a lot, the other half was ill still and I was full of cold.

I did make this though

Broccoli an Cheese Soup :)

I also started knitting some mittens, a little later than I should have me thinks.

What did you guys all do yesterday?

Lasagne Night Fail

2009-11-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

So after much cooking and slaving (after a day at work I will add) Lasagne Night last night was what can only be described as an epic fail.

Nobody came, everyone was very very ill (including the other half) and I made made enough lasagne to keep a family of four alive for a week.

All I can say is thank god for freezers :)

Just a little of what they missed!

On a happier note, I am thinking of bringing back Thursday featured artist, what do you guys think? Leave some comments to let me know...

Long Live The Camera

2009-11-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

I've had rather productive week with cooking again this week, making soup and 2 pumpkin pies :)

However, I have had a rather unproductive week with tidying and crafting :(

Today I went to see my old home thought, hadn't been in ages has changed a bit and always feel huge and incredibly tidy (which I'm sure my Mum will be pleased to hear) I am glad she has made my old room into a Studio I am very jealous of and want!!

For any of you following me on DailyBooth.com I did promise an explaination of why the photo of the shorts is so funny. I bring you the explaination in the form of a video:

New Finds

2009-11-06T21:02:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to get back into the creative mindset and out of the boring one I've been discovering loads of new things.

By far my 2 favourite latest finds are...

An online Vlog on Youtube which follows a chap called Charles Trippy and his fiance Alli and they're 2 dogs with a video entry everyday. Check it out:

Internet Killed Television

My other favourite find is DailyBooth.com

Which is a networking site where instead of posting blog entries you post photographs and people follow each other just like on Twitter.

Have fun checking those out, follow me on DailyBooth.com so I can follow some of you guys :)

Wake Me Up When September Ends...

2009-09-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

... Or should I say when it starts.
Neglect again not just here, Etsy, Folksy, Twitter.

September seems to always be the month of change, so much has changed since I last posted:

I moved house, from my parents to my first flat (well actually that happened last month but heyyy)
I will be starting my degree in Graphic Communication on Monday
I no longer live with any pets :(

New pieces I have also been slack on so shall post when I have something actually worthwhile to show :)

New Work

2009-05-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

The custom pillow I've been working on, so far:

And some things I made quickly the other day:

Don't forget to enter the giveaway on yesterday's post :)

Giveaway

2009-05-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Apologies AGAIN for neglect again, been an extremely busy child!
But to make up for it I am having a Giveaway which is being featured on the Etsy Chatters Blog

http://etsychatters.blogspot.com/2009/05/lets-meet-dingsinsainity.html

The giveaway is simple all you need to do is:

1) leave me some love on the link above!

2) Write about in on your blog!

For your chance to win a print of your choice from my Etsy shop!

Simple :)

Some new work to show you too... after dinner though...

Handm@de Cambridge

2009-04-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

Just a few snaps of the lovely day I had at Handm@ade Cambridge to show you:

A Lady of Leisure

2009-02-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

Today I spent my day as a lady of leisure, which is not something I should get used to seen as I in fact work full time haha.

Despite it being my day off, it did not start leisurely, I woke up at 7 and could not sleep any longer. However, i did then have a leisurely hour on Etsy, seeing how everyone all over the world is doing and a leisurely breakfast.

I then headed for the city to meet one of my closest friends at work (even on my day off I am in that place) for coffee and then onto meet another of my closest friends for lunch. We had Chinese and it was soooo tasty!

The best part about my day was being able to walk round all the interesting parts of the city thinking about the wonderful things in life I would love to do, something I rarely have the time to do anymore.

I spent a long time in Borders too, and treated myself to a specialist magazine (one of those really expensive ones, that you always wonder why they are such a high price)

Tonight I have been working on leaflets for a charity event I am helping with so haven't got any work to show yet

Although I was creating postcard sets ready for St Patrick's day late last night

Optimism Restored

2009-02-23T11:48:00.000-08:00

Today was a very dragging day at work, as the were virtually no customers to serve, rendering my day boring as sin.

However since I have got home a reverted to my etsy/art side of the day things have very much picked up. I had a lovely email from a fellow Etsian to say she had featured me in her treasury, check it out:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=41683

Also I have been investigating selling my work in an actual bricks and mortar shop, very exciting stuff.

I am also currently preparing for my very first craft fair, which is on the 4th of April in Cambridge. It is an event called Handm@de Cambridge and you can check out the event's blog here:

http://handmadecambridge.blogspot.com/

It feels very nice to have settled down from the hoo haa of sorting out a new job back into my old routine at my messy desk, with a cat "helping"

Off to create new pieces now!

Neglect

2009-02-22T13:26:00.000-08:00

I know I know, I have said before, I shall stop taking unexpected blog brakes, but I shall this time, now I have sorted everything out with the new job and may actually spend some time at home on my day off, I can put things back to they're rightful ways with my Etsy shop, blog and my studio haha.

Today I went out shopping for supplies with my Mum. I didn't really but anything interesting, but I did get some cotton canvas which I have been wanting to print my art prints onto as I have read great things about it and it made the prints look fabulous, I think I shall revert over to this medium, if not entirely, it will definitely be available for all prints.

We also had coffee in such a strange, quaint, slightly cheap and nasty coffee shop

I got to visit the lovely little dolls house shop too and go into a partly old fashioned sweet shop and get some lovely sweets.

A new piece in my shop tonight too, a piece I painted a while ago but have only just listed:

Look Into My Eye Print

And The Winner Is...

2009-01-31T21:48:00.000-08:00

Today, being the last day in January, is the day I reveal the winner for my Caption Competition which started at the beginning of the month.

Excuse the lame picture!

And the winner is...

StunningAnnaK :)

Her prize is a gift voucher to spend on anything in my Etsy Shop!

New Job and New Art

2009-01-30T19:39:00.000-08:00

So today I started my new job and I think I'm going to like it, It is very nice to have a proper lunch brake again haha.

Also I have listed a new piece in my etsy shop, I created the piece months ago but have only just got around to listing it:

Now avaliable in my Etsy shop :)

Seeing Red

2009-01-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

I have taken another unplanned blog vaction, many apologies, this time it was purely due to work levels.

While I have been away I have managed to blag myself a nice new day job with Calvin Klein :)

Also whilst away I have been working on a colour project and have been drowning in the colour red:

Right now I am working on creating some new business cards and making very long lists of things I need to do before my first craft fair :)

Going Home

2009-01-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Over the past few weeks I have really grown to see the truth behind "the longer you spend away from home, the better it feels when you go back."

It was so nice to go home, after having not been there for a while, tonight and have my Mum's lovely cooking again.

Today has been a good day all round, good luck seems to be finding me as apposed to bad luck for a change.

As I have no more work as of yet to share with you yet (still getting back into the swing of things since Christmas) I shall leave you with a book recommendation, any Marien Keys books I keep getting lost in my current one :) and a found picture:

Where I want to be, as it is too cold!

Swarms

2009-01-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't really know what to talk about today apart from this really interesting but freaky as hell program about swarms/plagues I watched, there were so many of everything it was worrying but fascinating, the worst I think was the millions of field mice falling out of a bran, it gave me the shivers. However, by far, the best part about this program was that it was narrated by David Tennant :D

Tonight I have been working on this:

Not much else to say, how were all your weekends?

Public Transport

2009-01-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

Despite having a lovely day today the main focus of my entry is moaning.

Since when has it been acceptable for you to pay to get on a bus to then then have someone (who I will hasten to add does not have to pay to get on said bus) taking up 3/4 of the seat squashing you and leaning on you.

This happened to me today and it made me so frigging angry, not only did I pay an extortionate amount of money to be on a bus I did not really want to be on, but I had to put up with the free rider leaning on me, grrrr.

On a happy note I had good pie this evening and its a new year.

No photos to share today as have been at work all day but be sure to scroll down and enter my Caption Competition.

Blast From the Past

2009-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

For some complete unknown reason, today I had been thinking about 2 of the biggest toy crazes in the past 10 years.

Hands up who remembers Tamgotchi and Furby?

For fear of sounding extremely sad no matter how old I get they are still so cool, as cool as I thought they were back in 1997.

There is something so very odd about the way things you found fantastic in childhood never ever become sad if you wanted them as a child. Other people's nostalgic toy crazes often are the saddest of sad but yours will eternally be cool.

I was hoping to have some new work or at least some progress photos to share with you by now but my time and energy seem to be being sucked away by the never ending flu.

Instead I shall leave you with my eternally cool toy crazes from 1997 and 1998:

Why don't you tell me what your toy crazes were when you were a kid?

To a Rory Year

2009-01-01T12:51:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and Year, apologies for the unexpected leave of absence but today is a new year a new stream of posts will ensue.

I opted for the photoless Christmas this year so not much to share, why don't you all tell me about yours???

In the spirit of new year I am still finalising what my New Years Resolutions will be, what have you guys opted for???

A final though I would like to leave you with, look at this photo I found:

Being it New Year and all, I have decided to open up a caption competition for this picture, the best one shall win a prize :)
Just leave your caption in a comment and I shall judge at the end of the month

Happy New Year :)

Festive Mestive

2008-12-19T13:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a rather messy day, I spent most of it wrapping the presents I had already bought, making gift bags which one thoroughly enjoyed :)

I also started making my presents for my Secret Santa meal on Monday night!

Gift Bags :)

Tags :)

Such a small fraction of today's productivity, but the camera can not span far enough to encompass the mess I made hehe.

Featured Seller: Marmalady

2008-12-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

This week I wanted to feature a fellow UK seller and I couldn't think of anyone better than the lovely Marmalady, whom I frequently talk to on a friday night :)

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
I am from the UK -- the Peak District of Derbyshire which is about halfway up the country as you look at a map.I am 56, married for 31 years, with 2 grown-up children. Neither are married yet so no grandchildren on the horizon for quite a while!

2. What made you start creating and selling yummy treats?
Baking / cooking. I have been cooking "forever". Growing up in a family of 4 kids, money was always short -- so Mum always made all our own bread, cakes , jam etc -- and we were all expected to help -- the boys as well as the girls. By the time I was 10 or 11 I could cook a sunday dinner for the family with very little help or supervision.
Selling my baking came about when I was at home with a toddler & baby. A friend was involved with a co-operative market stall selling cakes and so I joined too. At first I only made small quantities but as the kids grew and I had more time, the amounts I was able to make for sale grew too. I continued selling through this market untill a couple of years ago when it folded and I branched out into having my own stall at various Farmers Markets -- I am out at a Market most weeks. For several years now I have also been supplying a local shop with cakes & marmalades every few weeks. So my Etsy shop is just a continuation of what I am doing most days anyway and it is easy to fit in baking my Etsy orders along with my market / shop baking.
3. How do you promote your work?

On Etsy I am active in the forums. I also have flickr, facebook, (neglected) blog, twitter Off-line I give out contact & market details at all the markets I attend.

4. In ten years I'd like to be...

Retired! but probably still crafting for my other shop, Marmaladytoo.etsy.com

Check out some of her yummy items:

http://www.marmalady.etsy.com/

Order Restored

2008-12-17T21:16:00.000-08:00

Today I had as near to normal non working day, something I have missed dearly these past few weeks.

I started on the custom toe socks, after spending a good 20 minuets possibly more winding each ball of wool.

Last night I remebered a book I have about an artist called Julie Arkell and while looking through it today I was slighlty envious of these photos:

Now that's a studio!

Toe Socks

2008-12-16T20:18:00.000-08:00

First of all I would like to say sorry for the lack of activity on here this past couple of days, been very tired and been a bit of a difficult time.

However, I thought today I would create a mosaic from flickr images (as I had forgotten that thing existed, I forgot how much I love it too!) and the mosaic consists of toe socks.

The reason I have gone toe socks mad, is because I am currently embarking on a custom pair for a customer

Folksy :D

2008-12-13T12:38:00.001-08:00

My find for today was a lovely site called Folksy. I had heard a lot about it but hadn't really investigated it until it was in a small article in a magazine right next to Etsy.
I LOVE IT, its great, it is basically UK Etsy, check out my shop on there, the prices are in £s :)

http://www.dingsinsainity.folksy.com/

Apologies for no post yesterday, was a difficult day, energy and time sapping!

A new piece ready to go in both my Etsy shop and my Folksy shop, have a sneak peak:

"Pingoid"

Christmas Tree Number Three

2008-12-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

I know, I know second post of the day but after good wine, a lovely homemade made chinese meal and good coffee I thought today was such a nice day (despite an unshakable headache and the current circumstances) that I just had to post a normal entry as well as a Featured Seller post.

So after lunch I headed to the post office and the library for a few errands and then off to Staples to take a cable back and got refunded more than I thought (I bought it in a bundle I'm not a thief hehe) and I almost went out the house like this (I put my hat on and didn't realise it hadn't flopped haha):

Then once home we put up our final tree, a 6.5 foot white sparkly one for the dinning room. getting it down from the eves of the garage triggered lots of screaming and giggling as we eventually just had to bash at it with a broom and let it fall down.

It was then a rather marathon job to get the tree up and decorated:

Yes, I had to climb underneath the Christmas tree!

Here it is all finished:

It has the prettiest lights but they don't show up :(