Weekly Challenge and Chat Thread 2008, part 2

[Gingermonkey]

Ooops - we've filled the thread, best start a new one, eh?!

thank god nursery is open tommrow and I will have a few hours to catch up on here and do soem crafts becuse I'm ready to tear my hair out.. I have briefly blogged the bracelets i made last night with the few oddments of beads i have left before I order any more.

pics here for the curious

will catch up on everything in the morning.. happy crafting everyone... DH is grumblign at me for being on computer...

well I am back from very snowy trip to southwold - wow, what a beautiful aprt of country - not far from where you grew up GM (am I right? english geography very weak point for me, outside of london that is) - easter egg hunts in snow, huge snowpeople built, wood burning fires (love that smell), great food, great drink, great blustery walks on beaches, freshly caught fish, drinks in fishermen pubs etc etc etc... I could barely drag myself back at all!!!

no crafting, bad time of the month is making me just want hot baths and bed!

have discovered new addiction though...vintage china, bought loads at table sale in Southwold and am now trawling ebay for the stuff - will have to throw a huge tea party and invite you all over to make use of it all, I think I bought three pretty tea pots in last four days...am I losing my mind? (don't answer that please)

gm, wiring is fine and dandy , dh is a dab hand at DIY, we now have under cupboard lighting in our kitchen, and all the rewiring that's been done so far is plastered. only down side is i have had to deep clean the house from top to bottom twice, the plaster dust was everywhere, i've mopped the hall and kitchen 5 times and it still doesn't look or feel clean.

ds has been poorly and has a rash, not sure if he's going to be ok for nursery tomorrow, will see how he is in the morning. both dc's suffering from tiredness, with the grandparents here they've had 3 late nights and been bouncing off the walls with all the chocolate.

the closest i've got to crafting for days is to sign the contract for a magazine editorial

but my mum brought me a few thrifty bits, i now have a great big trunk that used to belong to my great grandma, ds saw it and said 'oooh, treasure chest!', plus my grandma's coffee pot and cup set, of course, dh is moaning about where it's all going to go!

Hello chaps - not much crafting going on here - the dds are home from school for the Easter holidays so I am pretty busy keeping four kids entertained for the next couple of weeks! We have been given a load of teddy bears by my brother that he acquired (not dodgily!) and they are setting up their own enterprise project to sell them on ebay, so much of yesterday was spent researching names, drawing up logos and pricing up packaging. We have yet to open a shop though and we need to photograph all the bears, so there is a lot to do! Once it is up and running I will put a link on my blog (every bit of advertising helps!)

On the crafting front - I decided to make a little amigurumi frog - it came out really well but 2/3rds of the way through I ran out of yarn - so I (HAHAHA) frogged it - sorry didn't see that one coming until I typed it!! However I am now hooked (Oh blimey another pun) so I will have to try and make another if I can find enough green yarn! I also tried to get some little black eyes but they didn't have any in my local craft shop (only big ones with irises) and I daren't buy any online after my last brush with disaster !

We have a busy day ahead too - ds1 has an appointment with the orthoptist (his final one to check if he has a squint - fairly sure he will get signed off now! Then need to put ds2 through the whole process ), then this afternoon dd1 is being presented with a prize and having her picture taken for the paper, because she won a competition designed for adults, lol! So I can see we won't get much crafting done today.

NBG - NOT FAIR!!! I love southwold (go and make me all homesick, why don't you?!) I spent every summer in Walberswick most days, which is the other side of the river. We'd get a 'ferry' (an old man in a rowing boat - honestly!) to take us across and buy some crab from the fish man and back across again on the ferry. We'd also go crab fishing (there was a big annual contest in Walberswick - the national crab fishing contest!). Dad would bring us some bacon rinds, and a special crab fishing kit - a piece of fishing line on a twig and a hook. Pkus a bucket, of course. My childhood was like something out of an Enid Blyton book . Oooh, and if you ever go back down there - go to Thorpe Ness. It's just down the road, and the boating lake will make you think you are in Swallows and Amazons

AND NBG - EMAIL ME and I'll post the lights out to you. Don't talk to me about thrifting china - I am turning into a nightmare, but fortunately I am doing it all in the Grandma's house, so it's all for free! I got some gorgeous (DH says they are horrid) posy bowl things - little china trinket pots, with lots of flowers on the top. Really pretty. I think they are Royal Doulton. Royal something anyway. And my mum is bringing up a tea set, as well as an old mixing bowl (the beige ones that grandma's always had), and some more patterned pyrex (because I love that 1950s stuff). I have no idea where it's going!

I have finished off 12 sets of bunting, and put them in little cello bags with a label. I like how they've turned out. Now I have to do the hearts, but it's hard work with the school hols, and DD is poorly so I am being nurse too.

I have a dilemma. Wednesdays are my 'day off' PILs have LOs from 1pm - 6pm and I don't have to go to work at night. I reaaaaally need to catch some zzzzzzs, but I'm also dying to get going on some jewellery. I have a hankering at going charity shop treasure hunting too.
So what to do?
a) drop kids off and shop
b) drop kids off and sleep
c) drop kids off and craft
d) drop kids off and Mumsnet
e) all of the above
f) drop the kids off and run far far far away (they're being little buggers at the moment)
Note there is not a g) clean the house!!! Did all that yesterday except the kitchen which DH is under pain of death to sort out tonight lazy arse git!!

hmmm, tough one. I'd rule out sleep, heck - you can sleep when you're dead ha ha ha. The shopping involves spending money, and crafting doesn't. Will you get into trouble for shopping? If not - I'd go shop!!!
Now, I am planning on some crafting today, as it's my day off of DS (DD still laid on sofa feeling poorly - but she's 8 so can effectively look after herself, can't she? ).

I found a tenner and various shrapnel in a coat pocket yesterday (my coat!!) so I feel that's free money!! I'm just thinking of getting some bits from charity shops - maximum gain/minimum outlay.
hmmmm drop, shop, nap, craft, eat, nap, craft, eat?

Oh I'm not a lazt sleep obsessed slob btw - I work nights!!!

GM - I've already been sneakily looking at property around there online...it's beautiful, first place outside of London I'd consider moving to. My friends were telling me about your Walberswick, sounds fab. We are definitely going back in Summer, it's my new "favourite part of England accessible by car from London". My pals have a lovely 4 century old house in Stoven for a year...was idyllic...huge gardens, tennis courts (covered in snow, we made two snowmen either side of the net having a game!), all the things you have no hope of ever getting in London unless you are a m/billionaire...countrysie but easy access to proper coast - I loved it. DH thought the fact there is a train to London was good

ps Chrisnow - don't spend the day mumsnetting - you'll only regret it thrift and craft and drink tea, that's my vote

ok i have finally finished that tagged meme from GM.. have finally had a moment of quiet peace in the house. of course the house is a tip and i'm goign to go get some coffee with frizbe now... and then go get booked in for a facial and manicure/pedicure for later this week or early next. I best go get some crafting done then before DS arrives back home. still trying to catch up with everyones activities.

Message withdrawn

JG - I hate you. Southwold and Aldeburgh now are stupid money - Walberswick and Thorpe Ness are much cheaper still. One day I'll get my East Anglian house (although DH is having NONE OF IT - fool.)

(you do realise if you were to move down there I would suddenly become your best friend and turn up most weekends )

Chris - free money, get shopping - and get away from the computer!!!

oh dear, I have just bought more stuff online. OOps
I'd sit down & make something but I am woefully short of findings due to very bad planning. However I seem to have bought lots of things online but no findings - oh dear.

Ok shopping it is. ooh I must live near Southwold too (never heard of it tho mind you I'm only a recently colonised Essex Girl!!)

Silly whizzz!

Chrissnow - Southwold etc are on the suffolk coast near Sizewell. You'd follow the A12 (I think) towards Thetford to get to them. Where in Essex are you?

I'm in Braintree. I know I'm near(ish) Colchester so I figured I was close to Southwold. We keep saying we should go to Suffolk for a little trip! Bring on the good weather!

we go to aldeburgh sometimes, friends parents have a cottage near there. ds loved going body sliding on that pebbley beach!

dior, guess where we are going for our summer holiday this year??, we're having fil's house for a week in sunny... clacton!

Gingermonkey - I meant to say - the plane in the Corn Exchange in Leeds - it used to be suspended from the ceiling inside - is it not there now? (a beautiful wooden bi-plane, a real one it was )

I was putting pics in my scrapbook last night (I have just started a new one!) and going through a pile of old mags, when what should I find but a huge advert for LucyKate's cross stitch designs! (I remember the owl one was on it, can't remember the rest and have thrown the mag out now - I meant to go back and check!)

Oh and my big news, that I forgot to say earlier - a new bridal shop is opening up in the next town in May, and I got in contact with the owner to see if she would be interested in embroidered bags - she said yes and ring cushions too! So hopefully I will get a few embroidery commissions out of that

whizzz- I'm about as bad as you.. i ordered some lovely little toggles, i think they are silver plate not sure.. but forgot i needed to order some more findings, and beads.. I was going to make some necklaces and definitly need beads for that... grumble...

have just spent half an hour in the cruddy charity shops in town.. nothing much there aside from a 70's pattern for plaid bell bottom trousers.. no i did not get it becuse all I have sewn is 2 felt flowers...ad besides i could never get away with plaid on my fat ass...

I've just popped on from making buggy blankets and duvet covers to show you all the bunny I received from Australia today.

I joined LucyLocketRecycledHerPocket Bubby-Hop-Bunny-Swap.

And the beautiful gift that I received is here on my blog

Chrissnow - yes, you should take a trip. The Suffolk countryside is gorgeous. (I know I'm a bit biased coming from Ipswich and spending all my childhood in the fields around Sproughton). Mind you, people generally go 'hmm, Essex...yuk' but I think Essex is seriously underrated. Colchester is a lovely town (apart from the squaddies on a night out). And I had many a night out in Chelmsford, at the (not so lovely) Dukes nightclub (oh, I am going all misty eyed remembering my teen years now!) We used to go to Colchester for a day out somewhere posh (me and my friends) ha ha ha.
LK - I used to hate the pebbles on the beach, which is why Walbserswick rocks - it's got sandy dunes a plenty! (I should work for the Suffolk Tourist Board, the way I rave on about it all the time!) I tried (again, unsuccessfully) to get DH to consider moving to Suffolk, he says if we get some money (where from I am not quite sure) we can go to London (somewhere round your neck of the woods - JG) but not suffolk. He doesn't like it much, says East Anglia is full of Country Bumpkins (yes, but he married one, didn't he? ). I keep using the 'but when my mum and dad get old, who will look after them?' approach, but even that's not working.

dizzy - she's gorgeous! Mine has been received by my partner...and I have seen a pic of the one that's on his way from Canada (he speaks French, he's from Quebec). I am very excited!!!!

Fellow jewellery makers - a tip that I hadn't thought of until it was pointed out on another forum. If you are selling your stuff ensure that all findings comply with the EU Nickel Directive. Most findings sold within the uK should state that they are low nickel or nickel free or that they comply with the directive - but it's worth checking