Shopping and – er – shopping.

Today we went to the Stitch and Creative Crafts show at Sandown – free, courtesy of a kind person who had won tickets and couldn’t use them, so passed them on to me.

I know from past experience that there is relatively little stitch in the Stitch and Creative Crafts show, apart from cross stitch, and this year there didn’t seem to be much of that. However there did seem to be more knitting yarn than previously.

So, having walked half way round resolutely saying that I didn’t need any more knitting yarn …

Who could resist? – despite looking blue in the photo, it is purple, which, I have on very good authority, is Babybel’s favourite colour.

Er – no, it’s not for Babybel. [Purple is her gran’s favourite colour as well.]

 

For some reason, this side of the lovely packaging reflected the flash more, but you can just about see the pattern – although it is unlikely I’ll be wearing it with a skirt quite that short.

Some other yarns from the same pleasant lady here.

 

 

 

Of course that wasn’t all I bought. The one thing you can get at S&CC is stuff for paper crafts, and although I don’t do things like card making or scrapbooking, I do like some of the goodies that go with them. Like this lot. [Plus a pompom maker]. Those paints were all very cheap, which is why there are so many of them.

 

And of course, some books – plus a tip on a good pub near Skipton from the man from Yorkshire Books. [Devonshire Arms in Cracoe, if you're interested.]

I haven’t had a chance to look at the Mixed Media one properly yet, but the Ruth Lee one is great – especially when college work this term is centred on 3D pieces.

So tonight I shall snuggle down with my new books, my [old, but nearly finished] knitting, and my cold…

Why I hate on-line shopping a - rant

• Last night, after a conversation with Babybel’s daddy  – correction, after a phone conversation with Babybel and her daddy – I decide to go on line and order a toddler bed, and all the extras. Daddy suggests IKEA on line. Now, we must be the only people in the country never to have bought anything from IKEA. I did once go to their website to try to find kitchen flooring. Their search engine showed me lots of things that weren’t flooring and some flooring that specifically wasn't for kitchens. [We went to B&Q instead.] Which is why I start by looking at Boots on line – but their mattresses are more expensive. So IKEA it is – until I spot that they don’t deliver mattresses. Unfortunately we are not up to driving into Southampton, staggering round an aircraft hangar and loading a mattress into the car – that’s why we want it delivered … so

 

• back to Boots – bed ordered. Mattress ordered. Sheets ordered. Mattress protector ordered. Go to pay. Site crashes. Start again – fortunately they haven’t lost the order. Eventually order goes through – and I spot that they are giving me £20 in Advantage points – which makes them cheaper than IKEA. Good result but lots of frustration.

 

• Need a duvet – go to La Redoute. ‘The home of stress-free shopping.’ Yeh, right. Order child's duvet. Can’t find any child-duvet-sized duvet covers in the catalogue but their search engine comes up with some [a miracle for LR’s search engine]. Order duvet and 2 covers. Go to pay. Get a somewhat idiosyncratically capitalised message to say the site is experiencing problems, please try later. Try again. Order has disappeared. Find everything again. Go to pay. Get that message again. Give up.

 

• This afternoon, decide to have another go. Site is slow but in the end I'm successful. Breath sigh of relief – with any luck Babybel will have both a bed and bedding.

 

• Flushed with success I decide to order Cheese Major’s Christmas-and-birthday present [he did insist on being born on Dec. 21st] from John Lewis. Can’t be any problems there, surely? All goes smoothly – and the thing I want is reduced because a competitor is running a special offer – got to love JL! Then I come to pay. JL use one of these ‘verified by Visa’ type things – except it’s not Visa. And it rejects the card because the name on it is incorrect. No it isn’t! While I'm shouting at the computer, what appears to be a conformation of the order pops up in part of the window – obscured by up and down scrolly things and left to right scrolly things. [Don’t JL know that those things are a bugger if you use a screen reader? Not that I do but I had a student who did.] So I'm left wondering if the order has gone through or not. Fortunately an acknowledgement from JL pops into my inbox while I'm still cursing, so I do appear to have successfully ordered a bread maker.

 

• Despite all this I decide to put into an order to Lakeland. And it goes through without a hitch. Well done, Lakeland.

 

Here’s something else that’s a bit of a disaster.

It used to look like this

 

 

 

 

but unfortunately I mucked about with it so it now looks like this 

 

 

 

although some bits aren’t too bad.

Once upon a time …

I could do a day’s work, call in at the supermarket on the way home, and cook for 4 before collapsing.

These days an hour’s shopping in Winchester and an hour in Sainsbury's afterwards and I’m knackered. And as W. is fond of saying ‘We could still be working’. 

The shopping was all the worse because I couldn’t get half the things I needed – obviously no-one has birthdays in November or December – or if they do they have their presents wrapped in Christmas paper. After 40 years of December birthdays [brother, husband, son] I know to get cards when I see them – but I had forgotten the need to wrap Babybel’s presents. [She’s two on Thursday!]

And is it just me, or does there seem to be even more tacky Christmas tat this year? Wall to wall instantly disposable naff rubbish everywhere.

On a more positive note, there was an article in my newspaper at the weekend, saying that those of us born in 1948 had the best of it – we were the first to be born under the National Health Service, we got [means tested] grants and no tuition fees at University [the first time round], we were the right age to enjoy the 60s [that’s the 1960s, although I intend to enjoy my 60s as well], we could retire at 60 and we have final salary pensions.

Not all of those apply to me, but it confirms what I’ve always felt – my generation had the best of it. Mind you we also had Thatcher, and as there are so many of us the NHS is finding it hard to cope!

On a different topic – when I decided to make a sketch book for CT, I realised that all those papers I’d roller printed when I was working through Margaret Peot’s book were perfect for it – loops and globs of string. So here’s a page made from one of those papers, with an only slightly doctored photo of aforementioned strings. And a bit of yellow paint that’s come through from the other side.

PS I thought I posted this yesterday – but apparently not. Who understands the ways of Blogger and Live Writer?

Still, saves me having to think of something intelligent to say about day 2 of the degree till tomorrow …

Thanks again

for all the interesting ideas involving wooden stamps – if I ever get time to play I shall have fun.

Today has just been exercising and shopping – although the shopping was interesting. I had a £5 Hobbycraft voucher – so I had to go and spend £25 in Hobbycraft to use the voucher, didn’t I? I stocked up on stuff I think I will be using when the degree starts, some balloons for Babybel’s birthday in November, and some adhesive fun foam to try making roller stamps like those in the current ‘Cloth Paper Scissors’ - which I was able to buy in my little local  dammit shop at a very reasonable price. Not sure if they stock ‘Quilting Arts’ but my sub to that hasn't expired yet.

As it happens, B&Q, that other Mecca for mixed media fans, is between here and Hobbycraft – and it’s Diamond Card day today – so I bought some paint rollers for the next chapter of Margaret Peot’s book, which could be subtitled ‘cruelty to paint rollers’. I also managed to find some liming wax, much used by Maggie Grey  et al, but which I've never managed to find before. It’s a biggish pot and it wasn’t cheap even with 10% off. Now I will just have to find the books which tell you what to do with it …

Speaking of degrees, I had an otherwise very nice e-mail from the tutor [who has taught me before] in which she describes me as a ‘challenging’ student. Me – challenging? I’m sure A would confirm that I am a quiet little mouse in class … Just like her.

My memory being what it is, I can’t remember which flower images I’ve shown you – but I'm trying to spin them out a bit longer as I can’t think of a different topic. I think I posted the original of this when I made a daisy book cover – but this has been got at, as you probably realise. Not a free program unfortunately, but Corel Painter Photo Essentials which came bundled with Paint Shop Pro. This is the ‘Seurat’ effect. I would love the full program but I think that will have to wait until W. has got over the fees for the degree…

This and that

First, thanks to Layers upon Layers for the link to Recycle Runway, which has lots of ideas for creative embroiderers who don’t like to throw anything away. I love the decorations made from Coke cans – it’s a pity we don’t drink Coke, or any other canned drink, come to that.

And how about this – although I wouldn’t like to sit down in it! Wensleydale has a lot of nails – I’m sure he wouldn’t miss a few.

As this seems to be turning into a links post, how about this wind powered knitting machine via Craft?

I’ve spent the afternoon stewarding for the Contemporary Textiles course at college. We were quite busy and a lot of nice things were said about the work. There are also displays by C&G Embroidery, Patchwork and Creative Sketchbooks, BTEC Photography and the life drawing class. Pretty impressive all round.

I spent a little time [and money] with the traders – Art Van Go  and Winifred Cottage. Who could resist?

The odd shape in this image is one of our Bauhaus knock-off chairs, in case you are wondering. The lovely paper bag under all the goodies is from Art Van go, guaranteed printable.

Thank you for the comments suggesting that I am perfectly normal. So to prove it today’s texture photo is – a mouldy satsuma.

 

 

 

 

It reminds me of these,  which I spotted at Mottisfont yesterday – also soft and green and plushy. Hand dyed velvet or French knots in a chenille thread – or velvet stitch perhaps, if I was feeling very patient.