Me on a Monday

Dark photo. Dark feelings.  Waiting for a light to be shone.

Late! WOMWDW

I cheated.  I took this picture on Tuesday.  Then I forgot to blog it until now!  But here it is,  what was on my desk.  Cards!  Is it any surprise that I am working on my cards now,  mere days before Christmas?   Oh dear....

There's also a pair of lovely dies that I haven't used yet and Christmas creeps ever closer!!!!  The cool thing about one of the dies (marianne's 3d bow die) is that it is assembled with a brad.  I stopped using brads and I have a drawer full of them,  so this new die is helping me use my old supplies!  I love when that happens.

Chocolate Boxes

No one from my husband's office reads this, right?  So here is what he is giving to a few people in his office.  I made as many as I could before I was teetering on the edge of RSI and sanity... 12.  I would have loved to have made one for everyone in the office, but that number is in triple digits now.  Sorry folks.

I found this on Pinterest and I already posted the first one I made.  These are a train - themed set for the train simulator guys.  I also changed the type of punch I used to do the edges.  A narrower design works better.

I am now going to start using Bazzill card stock  for the box sides and not the white card. I won't need to ink the accordion folds if I do that, which will save a lot of time.

It's a learning process.  Glad you are joining me on my journey.

What's on My Work desk Wednesday

I'm finally getting round to posting one of these!  I do believe there is someone I'm supposed to tag in this entry but I can't  remember the name or URL and I'm  actually  posting this from under the duvet.

On my work desk this week, I have a SIPIDI  (see it, pin it, do it) which is also a first for me!  I have done things I've seen on Pinterest before though, so I guess maybe not.  But this time it will get a tag. :)

Anyhoo, the SIPIDI in question is a box card.  The box part is four pieces of accordion folded card lovingly merged together.  In these examples, there's no embellishment and all I did besides cut, score and stick was inking the edges of just about everything with Distress Inks and punch out a border for inside the box card.  If you want to add a ribbon to this project, I recommend sticking it down under the paper layers.  It looks nice.

I am filling these with chocolate. :)

Tunisian Knit Stitch

I saw a pattern in Simply Crochet that I just had to try.  The first step is to do a massive 210 rows of Tunisian Knit Stitch!

I haven't counted this yet.  No point until it's much longer.  The fabric made with Tunisian tends to roll as you work it so I put my beautiful glass bead stitch markers to work weighting down the bottom edge. 

I love these stitch markers.  I got them from Etsy and I think the shop is called Chickenstitches. 

I am also working with a new kind of yarn.  It's Women's Institute 4 ply microfibre acrylic.  It feels silky and it is very colourful as you can see.  I prefer to work in a variegated yarn like this when I'm learning new stitches.  It helps me to more easily see the anatomy of the fabric as it is being created.

The Second Sock

I started work on the second sock as soon as I.finishes the first one.  This one seems to be going a lot quicker.  I finished the cuff in two sittings and I'm making great strides on the ankle section already.  Hooray!

The Sock... finally!

The Sock that started out life as a ball of variegated sock yarn, got crocheted into a sock, lost, found, ripped apart and knitted is finally complete!

What?  Another one?  I have to make another one?

Nooooooooo!

Me on a Monday

Mondays are grocery days for me.  I have been to Tesco and found what might possibly be my treat drink of the year: peanut hottie.  Cute package too.  And speaking of package, I had a Card Of Doom waiting for me at home.  I ordered a bunch of fairly boring but still eagerly awaited paper bits from Craft Creations.  According to the tracking report they had been on the truck since 11pm Friday.  Why it didn't arrive Saturday is a bit of a mystery but it just had to come while I was out.  It directs me to our local post office and then says "after 5."  Who here knows of a Post Office that's open after 5? Anybody? No? Didn't think so.

Monday blues it is then.  I will cheer myself up with a peanut hottie. :) 

November cardmaking

I've been helping my daughter make her Christmas cards for her class but I hadn't made a start on mine yet..  until now.  I'm using the scraps from my crafting session with her to make a few cards and cut down on waste.  I'm using up the last of some card blanks I bought several years ago too.  They're 5x7 which is fun to work with.  Usually I'm an A6 girl.

The mistake square, Mk. II.

Mein enemy, Parallax distortion, strikes again.   This square came out great! Not lopsided as it looks in the photo.

I sequestered myself in my room one day and looked at my previous square and reverse - engineered the pattern for it.  Yesterday I set about making the square according to the pattern, making alterations as I went.  I have now finished the square.  Here it is, and now I will go back yet again to the pattern to make sure everything is fine and voila! I have designed my own original Crochet Square.   So happy! 

I call it the Loom Flower Ruffle Square.
This is me posting the design to myself as a matter of public record!  Hooray!

I doubt I'll ever become a crochet designer full time but at least I can say I did it once.

Perhaps I will sell the pattern on Etsy or something.

Deep in the makeup brush forest...

This is usually a crafty blog but today in my craft room I dug up some of the makeup brushes that were hiding away in my makeup stash.  I took them all downstairs to commune with my newer brushes and when they were all acquainted, they had a bath.  Now they are standing tall and getting some air.

For makeup geeks I will mention where this collection of brushes hails from:

I have most recently bought quite a few of the Real Techniques brushes because they perform well and also they were designed by makeup artists from Pixiwoo. I adore Pixiwoo so I thought they deserved my support.  I love these brushes and they are mostly to blame for why my others haven't seen the light of day since about three halloweens ago.

In the back row where all the naughty brushes go, I have remnants of two sets of Body Shop brushes from two distinct phases of packaging.  One is wooden handled and one is plastic and quite wide - bottomed which makes them hard to store.

I also have Benefit brushes from at least three re-brandings ago, an Urban Decay brush from way before they went all gangsta glam, and a couple of brushes from Pout.  Remember them?  They hit the headlines in the early 2000s when Kylie used their lip gloss in the shade Pop My Bubble? ...no? Maybe I imagined it. Anyway, they had a cheeky little boutique in Covent Garden and I kinda want to go look them up all of a sudden.

I have done The Right Thing and had a purge of old makeup.  My nostalgic side did not want to part with a lot of it but hygiene dictates.  Now I can take a good look at what's left and try out this new Cut Crease thing that's everywhere at the moment.

Back to craft tomorrow!

Blazing Zentangle Trails...

This is the first time I made my Zentangle exceed the boundary I drew.  Laugh all you like, this did emerge from my meditative drawing place. 

What, you don't get it?  Good.  Nothing to see here... just another Zentangle...

Glitter Pot Haul!

I was looking online for a large Woodware tag punch and The Glitter Pot had it cheaper than Amazon.  I was thinking about buying another tag punch too, with a different kind of top so I got that too.  The Monstera punch was half price and will be useful so I got that too.  I checked out the clearance section too and got a couple of sets of Magnolia stamps and a little do crafts set and some sidekick plates.  I've been so riveted to the lounge this week that I've only just now brought them up to the craft room to put away. 

Another Zentangle tile

This one has got to be my favourite Zentangle tile of all time... which actually doesn't mean a lot right now.  This one makes me think of Tim Burton and is a bit creepy.  Do you have a Tim Burton film running across your mind's eye now?  I challenge you to channel the imagery.  Blog it and post me a link in the comments.   I do intend to get to round to looking at my comments and other blogs soon.  Tomorrow morning, in fact.

Zentangle Tile Number 3

Every time I Zentangle, I refer to my book to learn a few new patterns or a Zentangle concept.  This one was definitely a "Few new patterns" one.  I tend to choose my patterns differently now.

I Lied! My Real 1st Tile.

Ok, I messed up.  It turns out I didn't get a photo of my first tile when I wrote that entry.  This one was my first tile.

Sorry.

My first Zentangle tile

I've taken some pictures of my Zentangle efforts just in case nothing new is emerging at the moment.  The problem with finishing up odds and ends is that the projects are not that much different from the way they were previously and it can get a bit boring for blog readers.  So here's something new.

It's here!

I got my prize from The Weird Scissors blog!  It's one of the projects they featured earlier in the month.  So cute!!!

I've photographed more of my work,  so I'm hoping to make the second half of the month a clean sweep.  Until tomorrow,  feast your eyes on this lovely bit of Halloween cute that I got from France. :) and for more of the same,  check out http://theweirdscissors.blogspot.fr ... lots of great stuff on there!!

Making excuses

I didn't make it a perfect 31 day October.   I must call in sick.  Migraine has struck me down and this one lasted 3 days.

I'll be back into it when my health allows.

Tatting- a selection.

Tatting is one of the most recent things I've picked up.  I saw a friend doing it at the crafty cafe and I knew I had to give it a try.  This is a small selection of things I've pinned out so they keep their shape.  They are experiments.  Some turned out great, some didn't. 

And so it continues.

Granny Rows in Blue

Today I attended the crafty cafe at The Vintage Dove as I always do.  This past week I have been finishing off bits and pieces. The kitty cat blanket is done and now the back of a pillow for my girl's room is well on its way to being completed.  I stayed at the crafty cafe for an hour longer than everyone else and I must go now!  If you read yesterday's post you'll know I have a website to rebuild too.  It will be nice to have this finished though.

Hey, thanks, Bex!!!

This photo has nothing to do with the title.   Just thought I'd let you know.

I'm just making some notes because I decided to blow apart my website and start fresh.  So there's nothing there at the moment.  All I have are place fillers and a notebook full of to-do's.  Joy.

But let's get to the title.  It appears that by leaving a comment on The Weird Scissors blog (also part of blogtoberfest 2014) I have won something!!!!  As I'm not sure whether the prize was mentioned or what it was if it was mentioned, I have a surprise coming my way from France!  Woo-hoo!!!

So I'd like to thank Bex and everyone at The Weird Scissors for... whatever it may be!

Quote of the Day...

This quote gave me pause today for many reasons.  I don't want to taint what thoughts may enter your minds by cluttering them with mine.  You're Welcome.

Yarny Experiment

Last weekend I bought some flower looms.  You wind the yarn around it, make a few stitches and twist the handle and a flower pops off.  It's old tech... The brand name ones were called knit - wit.

Anyway, I made one of the square flowers as the base of a crochet square and this happened.

A series of accidents that I just couldn't give up on has given way to a textured square that in all likelihood I have no hope of repeating.  Maybe I will come close in future.  I'll certainly be trying again.

The Owl Pencil Case

Here's a little story for you:

Once upon a time, in Tesco, I came upon the cutest owl pencil case.   I picked it up and stroked it and cooed about just how cute it was... and put it down.  You see, I had no use for it.

Fast forward to several months later. I had just taken up Zentangle, a sort of meditative doodling type thing, and needed somewhere to store and carry my pens and pencils.  Off I went to Tesco, because it was time for the weekly shop, but also on the off chance that the owl pencil case would still be there. 

And it was!

And they all lived happily ever after.

Brusho Backgrounds

Hmm.  Interesting.

I recently bought a set of Brusho crystal colours.  You dilute them and make them into paint, or just drop the crystals onto paper and then spray with water, and there are numerous other things you can do. 

In the case of this particular one,  I had misted a whole sheet of A4 card and it rolled up.  I laughed it off and got another piece of card. 

Round two.  Only misted the middle of the paper this time.   I dropped some red and green.  I got it nice and wet and then took the other wet card stock and put it on top.  When I pulled the cards apart this is what I got.  I love it!  There will be more.

The C Word

Yeah.  I'm doing it.  Yes,  I'm aware it's October and I'm breaking my own rule.  But here it is.  I fell upon a good quick xmas card idea and I can do it assembly line style,  it's flat, and won't break the bank.

When I actually do this, the tree will be green... :)

What's on my.... nope, can't do it!

Forgive me.  I was going to do "What's on my Workdesk Wednesday" but I just haven't had the time to get up there and make it look presentable.  I know it's supposed to be spontaneous and all that, but I am completely planning to cheat.  There, I said it.  I am going to prepare for WOMWW.   But this is not the week.

Instead, I am showing you another little crafty thing that I do when I'm making other small things.  Because one needs small boxes in which to put small things.  A 6x6 square of paper makes a lid, and about 1/4 shaved off of each dimension will give you the base.  Simple folds and a few cuts, a little cheaty blob of glue stick, and presto!  Masu boxes.  They're great for little sweets or jewellery pieces.  Got a wedding coming up?  Forget netting for the sugared almonds, make a Masu!  But maybe not with glue.

Hey, that rhymed!  

New Family Members!

We were planning on getting a cat or pair of cats from the shelter this coming weekend, but on Sunday afternoon I saw a message from a friend's daughter on Facebook saying she had three kittens to give away.

After much thought and discussion, we decided to take two of her three kittens.  I did a swift pet shopping spree and went up to London to collect the kittens.  They settled in well and have just been to the vet.  We got a bit of a surprise there... I thought we got two girls but one of them is a boy!

So here's Tiggy and Lady Whitefoot.  They're practically inseparable.

Loom band flowers

I'm trying to put different crafts on this blog during October, or at least different techniques.  This is one that I have dipped into because it is quick, cheap and fun. 

I watched a lot of loom band tutorials on YouTube, the best of which I think came from YarnJourney.  Check out her channel if you want a slightly more grown-up twist on loom bands.  These flowers are hers.  If you get the right colours of bands, you can make some pretty effective bits and pieces.

Tags!

So at Wendy's this weekend I made tags.  The ones on the left are for my son.  The ones on the right are for my daughter.  The four in the middle just are...  because, hey, extra tags.

They are made fro quite thin card, inked with Distress stain and over stamped with Distress ink and that stamp again, much like my Shabby chic samples.  I spritzer these with fine mist and allowed the ink to dissipate and the result is something that can be written on.  They are for labelling the kids' drawers so they know which clothing items go in which drawer.

Here's hoping they improve the laundry situation. :)

Shellicious

I have been buying Simply Crochet since it started nearly two years ago.  Each issue has some sort of bunting motif in it.  I tried out these shells as soon as I could get my yarn together.  I loved making them and plan to make more soon, but first I must separate out the patterns!

The pattern was written once for all three sizes of shell so the instructions are confusing, as if you don't have to do a stitch it says to do it 0 times.  That messes with my head so I am in the process of writing out separate instructions for each size. 

It will be worth it, right?

The Sock Saga

Socks.

I think it's cool to have something to wear that you knitted or crocheted yourself, but I'm an odd size and I'm getting tired of scarves.  Socks seemed a good idea, so I actually crocheted a pair a few years ago. 
I was at a knitting and Stitching show one year at Ally Pally and found this really cool variegated sock yarn.  I started to crochet socks with it and found that it was highly likely I wasn't going to have enough for a whole pair.  Crochet takes up about three times more yarn than knitting does, so I decided to learn how to knit socks.

Knitting is a very slow process for me so this sock is taking ages to grow.  Here's the last known photo of the sock.  It's not much bigger now, but I have been spreading myself quite thin lately.

Kitty Cat Crochet

I'm sure I have posted this pattern before.  I have made this cat blanket in another colourway for a friend's cat.  Now that we are planning to get a cat of our own from a cat rescue, I decided it was time to make one for myself to welcome our cat.  I made two just in case we fell in love with a pair of cats. :)

The pattern came from the Art of Crochet partwork collection.  I really learned a lot from that partwork and I enjoyed making the throw square by square.  If you want to go back and review this, most of it is in this blog with the tag crochet.

I'm supposed to embroider the cat faces on but I might not.  I'll have to give it some thought.  What do you think?

Let's go!

Well, I remembered.   That's one thing.  Now... what kind of craftiness can I share with you today?  Let's have a look through my pics and see what posts.

Ah yes,  My lovely colour and pattern swatches for my Shabby Chic Notebook Class.   These background pieces were made with Distress Stains, Distress Inks and the En Francais Background stamp from Stampin Up.

This is quite appropriate because I will be teaching this class tomorrow morning.  I love when papercraft extends beyond cards and scrapbook pages.  Making your very own set of stationery is a special thing indeed.  Taking the time for the "old fashioned" communication styles is even more special than that!

I'll leave you with that thought.

Check the sidebar and the footer for Blogtoberfest links. :)  See you tomorrow!  (I hope...)

...But can she do it?

I'm checking to see if my Blogger app still works on my phone because... wait for it...

I'm going to do Blogtoberfest!  My autocorrect is going nuts just thinking about it!

I'm setting an alarm every day to make sure I do it. 

First... can I post pictures? Testing...

Miss Moo's Invitations

It's that time of year again when I drop everything and make birthday party invitations for my Moo.  She helped this time for the second year running.  She chose the background paper, stamps and ribbon for my basic design.

We used a Stampin Up punch and stamp for the greeting, ribbon from my jumbled collection including some from Meiflower, fancy card blanks from who knows where (sorry) and the patterned card featured in my Farnborough Show Haul video.  It's from those pads you can buy at The Range where some of them are embossed, glittered,  flocked etc and the rest are double sided.  Inky edges added the final touch.

The only thing that remains is to attach the information inside and put them in their envelopes ready for delivery tomorrow!

Sorry I've been away.   As I was making a vine of this it struck me that maybe I should blog it. :)

I've been blognapped!!!

Hey there everyone!!

Miss me?

Did you wonder what may have happened?

Well, I'll tell you.  Instagram happened.  Vine happened.  Pinterest happened.  YouTube happened.  Twitter and Facebook also continued to happen.

Oops.

Also, my Android app that I use to update this blog became frustratingly unreliable.

I'll try again, I promise!  But until then, here are my online details lately:

Twitter, Pinterest, Vine and Instagram:   @hapaxstudios

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/happyaccidentstudios
(if you know me and you haven't done so already, I'd sure appreciate a "Like."  I hear amazing things happen when you get to 100.  I'm not far off it at time of posting.)

YouTube:  www.youtube.com/hapaxstudios

Website:  www.happyaccidentstudios.co.uk

I will be back.  You have been warned.