Spring Manifesto

Following in the steps of julochka, I thought it might be wise to do a spring manifesto to get me out of the rut feeling that has stepped in this week.

- keep sewing the quilt
- listen to new music
- eat more fruit and veg
- get up on time in the mornings
- learn embroidery
- make more of free time
- cook something new as much as possible
- read more books
- go beyond your comfort zone
- buy new shoes

The iPad 2 and I

Sorry about that little absence there. I spent all day Friday out and about waiting for the iPad2 release, and all of yesterday (well, not really. Some of it at least) looking for an app that would let be blog from it. For free. Yet apparently such an app does not exist. Blogger, get your asses in gear and make one please.

This is she, for it is a girl. She just needs a name. 'Lizzi's iPad' just doesn't cut it for me!

And this was me at the front of the queue waiting:

Whilst obviously being at the front was good, I had Pip come and act security because their were quite a few obnoxious people trying to get me to buy them an iPad. Erm no.

So, she is pretty awesome and I am having great fun learning how to use it. 

One small niggle though. There is a small fault on the casing around the edge. There is a little (like 1mm) dent in it from manufacture. It is tiny, it took me 2 days to notice it. Do I try for an exchange, is it worth the wait for a tiny, tiny little flaw that once I get a case will be unnoticeable? 

I'm a little annoyed with apple quality control as I am not the only person to report issues with the casing and I doubt that I would be able to get a replacement any time soon. Bah. I need to think on what to do. It doesn't affect anything. It's just annoying that the QC was poor.

I'm off now to sync some music so I can start sewing my quilt again.

x

Creating a Crafting Space

 

In a shared house, a space to create in is hard to find. Except when your conservatory was a little used junk room filled with the stuff that had no other home. No one else was likely to use it/clean it/make it a livable space so I dove in. I turned it from a moldy mess into the above, and now, into a place to sew.

I had to take a lot of the decoration down as over the winter the windows got damp, so it is a little bare at the moment. Maybe it will change, maybe it won't.

 

 As you can see, random stuff remains, as well as the hoover as it has no other home. But that is OK as I tend to have to hoover in here a lot... I placed the table this way as the sun blinds you in any other direction!

 

Outdoor table with general crafting type things on it. Yup. GLITTER and PVA. Essential supplies!

 

The sewing space. I don't know what I will do when I go back to using this as my computer desk when we move. Cry and go to IKEA I guess. iPod for music (ha, just typed iPad by mistake; it's on my mind!)

 

Project box for projects on the go, with another underneath for fabric storage. Behind this are my less used knitting supplies.

 

And a larger view of the space. The green box under the chair contain my mum's party supplies, the pink box contains fabric scraps from the quilt and other bits.

So there you go. An introduction to my crafting space. It's not brilliant but it is easily collapsable for moving and changing. I wish I had some way of decorating the walls though!

Spring Shine

 

Just want to emphasise how much I am loving the weather so far this week. I'm sure more rain and cold is to come, but for now, I will accept with grace the sunshine and sit and sip my coffee outdoors in my (now broken) deckchair.

Spring has Sprung?

 

It has been glorious today. I mean beautiful blue skies, sunshine pouring down over the streets of Canterbury. When March weather is like this you feel lucky.

The sun is like a balm right now. It is taking away the winter gloom from my heart, reminding me that rain and cloud is not all there is; better things are to come.

I hope that Spring arrives for all in need of it soon!

The Quilt Day One

 

The First Block of the quilt. Terrified to begin cutting it out, but once I started I didn't stop until I ran out of the blue. I had hoped there would be enough, but I ran out 3 blocks before I wanted too. Alas.

I doubled the fabric to cut the multiple parts out. this is me building my four corner blocks. They have more red than the rest of the outer quilt.

The end of the quilt time produced 19 blocks ready to me pieced together and stitched up. That can come later in the week as I need to pop out and get some decent thread in the right colours.

I am a tad daunted by how big it is going to me once I have finished. This is only 5 squares and it takes up a lot of room. I have no idea where I am going to be able to lay the whole project out before sewing the blocks together...

 

Ticking off things done, circling things to be done,  listing things needed. A plan inspires confidence in an endeavour.

I'm off to lay down. 5 or so hours stood up is quite some time...

Leap of Faith

The Final (for now) Plan a photo by Lost Star on Flickr.

I'm scared of doing this.
I don't know if it will work.
Are the colours all-right?
Will they blend?
Too much blue?
Too much red?

I need to learn to trust myself. It's OK if it goes wrong. Really truly.

I need to jump in. Take a leap of faith.

Playing Along Quilt: The Practice Session

Staycation day one. AKA Saturday. The Weekend. That blessed time where there be no work.


Last night we went out a-feasting for the vernal equinox. Pizza and ice cream was had, alongside some of the worst service imaginable, even for a chain restaurant. Pizza hut has unlimited refills on drinks. Yeah, as long as the waiter shows up at your table. They didn't turn down our table after the main course and the toilets were filthy to the extent we had to ask them to sort it out. Which they didn't do. Yeah. Pizza hut Canterbury on a Friday night, you have been named and shamed.

So, that brings us to today (after a trip to ASDA, some rum and the reading the results of surveys such as this to the group). We went shopping, brought some herb seeds to plant, (thyme and rosemary (the hardy herbs right?)) and some food to turn into a home-made Chinese meal. In the process I spilt burning hot lemon sauce all over the palm of my hand. Note to myself and anyone potentially making lemon chicken from scratch. Do NOT do this. It is painful, although luckily not bad enough to blister.

Other interesting (to me) things from the day! I finally started my quilt. Well lets be clear, I started it by practicing how to build up a log cabin block. But I did get some more thoughts together on putting the first square of the actual quilt together; potentially tomorrow if all goes well. As you can see from the picture it came together quite nicely and I quite like the way it flows together. I'm not yet 100% as to whether I will keep colours blocked together (so all blue on one level, all polka dots on the next) or whether I will mix and match a little more. I figure I will see how it flows. Overall though, blues to the outer edges of the quilt, reds more central.

I had some difficulty with the rotary blade (although only cutting myself once I think was a success) in that when you went against the fabric direction it was much harder to cut. There might be something I am doing wrong. Does anyone have any advice for someone starting out with a rotary blade? Also, the mat smells very bizarre when cutting into it!

This square will be turned into a pot rest for the teapot as the material matches its cover. I intend to back and quilt this too later on in the quilting process.

And yes, that IS sunny skies that you see. It has been glorious here today. Hope it stays for the rest of the week.

Have a great evening.
xx

Census 2011

 

The census arrived today. Have filled my parts in and was left with some issues.
1. Why can't I choose European as my identification?
2. Is England really a country? Shouldn't that be United Kingdom of Great Britain?
3. The employment questions are infuriatingly vague. It shows nothing about how whilst I have a degree and a masters and a job, that the job is a placeholder until I can ride the recession and find a better one, at more than minimum wage. I mean honestly, they will only see someone with a degree with a full time job, but that is nothing like the case.

Pffft. You could learn more about people by looking at a social network site.

Pin-Board

 

I have pretty much always had a pin-board for the last 10 years of so. They have been of varying sizes and styles, this being the most recent incarnation of it. 

Some things stay the same (the good luck card that mum put in my lunch many years ago, the turkish lucky eye, and the babygrow thermometer which incidently doesn't really work anymore), and some things change (like the photos, the film packet and the postcards).

Whilst often it is an inspiration board, the one I put together today is that plus some feel good factor thrown in by some colour to brighten things up whilst we move towards spring.

In other pin-board news, I have a pinterest account. I have some codes to share too if anyone is interested after taking a look.

Have a great Sunday night folks.

That Friday Feeling

 

The endless week is over. 

I'm in bed, under the duvet, chin propped on pillows, ready to read.

I'm achy. I'm exhausted. Mentally and physically.

I need to reboot.

This weekend is for me. 

Everthing else can fuck off.*

*except Pip. Because he gives me cuddles.

A Long Week

 

It has been one of those weeks this week. You know, the one where the days drag on forever, and Friday night seems so far away? Yeah. It's definitely been one of those weeks. Junk food has been required to get through it. Along with large quantities of reality removing fiction.

The end of the week however comes closer, with only 8 hours left to work tomorrow. 

This means that my iPad2 is another week closer, although I fear I feel bound to save up enough for a house deposit money first (it will have to be paid out before I get the current one back, when of course a place is found to move to) before buying it, although I could do both and be OK. Mostly. I've been saving for months already though for the iPad (since last August) and finally have enoughl waiting more feels like a nightmare. Alas, being grown up = being responsible.

Anyway. I'm going back to my ice cream now.

Snail Mail

Anyone else love to send and receive snail mail?

 

I have a couple of moo swaps in progress. Anyone else want to play?

Whitstable on Film

 

Whitstable, Kent taken on expired film in a concord 806.

Found Film

Shots found on the film in my concord when I purchased it.

World Book Day

It's world book day today so, like everyday that you should, grab a book! :D Visit: http://www.worldbookday.com/