Bluestocking: the one where Boiled gets to the bar first!

[Boiledbeetle]

The things I do to get to the bar first!

Follow on thread from

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/5207342-bluestocking-do-androids-dream-of-electric-hair

Start by making a Christmas decoration for the tree.

Just wanted to say that I loved the pix by @inkymoose on page 35. I'd love this jumper (not sure about the leggings) & the 'feminist' onesie. There must be a market for them.

Ah, now there's an idea. Should be easy enough to roll it out, use a festive cookie cutter, put a hole in it for a ribbon (which I also have a stock of) & then englitter it (got a load of vintage glitter, too).

Thinking about it, sadly I have no tree - but why should I let that stop me?

Start by making a tree 😁

Thank you! I could become a moose entrepreneur and sales moose! Moose manufacturing. I suppose the label would be loose moose.

Gosh I feel exhausted already.

Make a Christmas stocking shape, a blue one!

I used to live near Blackpool when I was not as tall as I am now. Marton, and Marton Mere I think, was just an area known for greenhouses, not as a nature reserve or a caravan site.

Someone in my year at secondary school lived there: they had a market garden. I remember our Chemistry teacher, Mr Smith, was brought some tomatoes (can’t remember why) and mentioning (complaining) afterwards that they were all small ie not good. The girl said they were special superior ones, perhaps what we’d now think of as cherry or baby tomatoes.

Odd what you retain from school. That’s all I can remember from Chemistry.

Cake, I had a quick look in the cookie cutter cupboard & I can do a star, a bird, hearts of various sizes, a Scottie dog, a horse & various woodland animals including a hedgehog (they were a set from IKEA I think). There were others I couldn't see at the back. I think there's a gingerbread man & a teddy which might be more Chhristmassy. But no trees or stockings.

Just imagine this is real. And made of clay. There! I've done it!

I'm so proud. I might tear up a little 🤧

You should definitely make that.

I like the idea of making some little blue stockings for my tree. I have felt.

I'm quite taken with the idea myself.

I see your clay and your Lino printing kit, @ifIwerenotanandroid, and raise you kits for two bags, supplies for decoupatch, and a bookbinding kit.

Shopping for craft supplies/kits, and actually doing them are two completely separate hobbies.

Come on Bluestockingers, don't waste those crafting items. Get making and show off your talents.

Oh, I know. I recently started making certain things on the grounds that they'd use up some of my stash. What's happened, of course, is that I'm adding to my stash using this project as an excuse. In fact, evri are delivering something else this very evening. I can't wait to open the parcel, inspect the contents & put them away for later... maybe much later. They were pretty & a bargain & I found & bought them online from my armchair. That's the sort of hobby I enjoy.

I had to look up 'decoupatch'. Interesting. I've got some plain, tiny boxes that were probably made for that. No idea where they, of course. I've also managed to lose two large biscuit tins of beads & sequins - how?

But Woley's too busy knitting & I've been crocheting. It's easy to prioritise crafts that can be picked up & put down at will & don't involve liquids or knives or an entire table.

And even with the crochet, my mind's been on other things for quite a while so whereas I'd been learning new techniques & designing my own things, I switched to one or two favourite patterns which I can do without thinking about it & I make them over & over again in different yarns, to see how they work out & to experiment in using the yarns for the best effect. I've made so many that I donate a lot nowadays. The local cat's home has had some stylish blankets! Shawls & blankets have gone to human charities, too.

Who, me? Nah, can't help you with that. Sequins? What sequins?

Here's a felt tree decoration I made a few years ago. Lockdown Christmas.
I don't think it's going to set the world alight!

Fuzzy that's lovely 😍

I reckon you could sell those, it's so sweet.

Meanwhile, in case anyone's stuck for presents, here are a couple of Christmas gift ideas I've just stumbled across: (1) replace your keys with ducks (2) an inflatable, life-size Panzerfaust - no home should be without one.

https://duckeys.com/products/enhance-your-keyboard-stylish-and-unique-duckey-keycap

https://tankmuseumshop.org/products/inflatable-world-war-two-panzerfaust

Oh, I should've remembered! La gazza ladra.

I thought that was an actual inflatable tank! Life sized and suspiciously detailed for the bargain price of £9.99, next best thing to a real one. I'm a little disappointed now.

I think the British Army had actual life sized inflatable tanks that they used during ww2. I'm a little hazy on the details so I'm going to assume they used them to float across the channel on D-day. Or filled them with helium so they could float up and shoot down zeppelins. Or filled them with just enough helium so they be light enough to not ruin the King's lawn.

Per the Imperial War Museum website

"The D-Day Deception Plan was codenamed Operation ‘Fortitude’ and was part of a larger overall deception strategy – Operation ‘Bodyguard’. ‘Fortitude’ consisted of two parts: ‘Fortitude North’ was meant to fool the Germans into thinking that the Allies would launch an attack on Norway, and ‘Fortitude South’ was designed to convince the Germans that an invasion would occur north-east of Normandy in the Pas de Calais.

Real tanks were replaced by dummy tanks when they were moved from their holding areas. The inflatable decoys made the Germans think the Allies had more tanks than they actually did and helped mask that final preparations were being made for the invasion."

Show us those blankies!

They've gone.