Avast Matey!! Phantomssiren - swap spoiler alert!

Okay, Phantomssiren, if you're reading this, go no further!

Right, has she gone? Then I'll begin! Okay, I'm quite excited about the stuff that I've done so far! The swap is a Pirates of the Caribbean swap. Phantomssiren said that she likes Tai Dalma, so I've made a Tia shrine - I had great fun with this! Now to make a decision, where do I hinge it? Do I make it hinge at the side so that it stands up on it's own, or do I make it hinge at the bottom, so it can hang on the wall? What do you think? She also likes Cutler Beckett and says she would kill for anything with the East Trading Company on it, so I spent last night watching POTC 2 so that I could see the logo (couldn't find it anywhere on the net). I sketched it out and then produced a stamp carving from it. *No fingers were harmed in the making of this stamp*, although my table recieved some minor injuries! I have a few more things in progress too, one of which is a snood for Karan (aka ZaftigMomma)! I received a great hair towel from her today, along with a matching bathmitt and some yarn for my Rapunzel scarf.

Knackered!

Phew, just got home from school after a marathon day - 9 - 7.30. Exams start next week and most of my students are apparently oblivious - I'm usually fast approaching freak-out this close to any exam. Some of them are well on track with their sketch books and exam piece prep, but there are alot who have done hardly anything! I'm hoping that they're going to pull a miracle out of the bag and come in next week with everything done.
I'm on track with my POTC swap stuff - and my End of HP swap package was posted on Monday. I'm really hoping she likes it all! I've got a couple of other things to do in the OWS 21 swap and I'm up for picking again at the moment - I love the wait to see what I'll get picked for - it's very addictive :-) I have just picked ZatfigMomma (again) for some body scrub - I have to make a batch for myself anyway, I'm just about out. I love this stuff - it exfoliates and moisturises and it leaves you smelling devine and feeling gorgeously soft skinned! I have friends who say that it ensures them of a night of passion after they've used it! *lol*

Oo yes, I listed some new glass in my eBay shop last night. Here's some examples:

Keeping a stiff upper lip!

As from Friday, the BF is looking for work again! Life never seems to go smoothly for us. I'm not going to going on about it too much, but I'm sure I will mention it again until he finds something. I think we're both in denial at the moment. We went into town yesterday as he had a contact lens appointment, and spent a nice day wandering round the charity shops (didn't really buy much though) but we did have a swift, no actually, it was a long leisurely one in a pub garden. The sun was shining, and the beer and wine were chilled to perfection and it was lovely just to escape for a bit!

This will mean more insomnia for me though! Still, I can be productive even when I can't sleep! I finished my anthropologie inspired capelet, which is not so much of a capelet any more as it reaches just below my waist! *lol* I really love it! There's quite a few modifications to the original pattern though - it's longer, it's knit side out, I put a plaited tie at the neck instead of a button and I added a couple of rows of stocking stitch under the ribbing to make it curl a little!

Dentist today!

Help! I hate the dentist - it's just a check-up, but it'll still be nearly £20 for a poke round (literally). I just keep my eyes shut and hope she doesn't find anything *lol*

Cherry Blossom and Bleeding Hearts

Aren't they gorgeous!

Another glorious day!

I have been sitting in the sun all day in a sundress! The weather has been gorgeous! In an effort to destash slightly and to give myself a portable garden project (I finished Roxybadoxy's beanie), I have embarked upon an anthropologie inspired capelet based on this tutorial here http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=62184.0
I have loads of little scraps of blue yarn which I've been trying to use up, so I decided to attempt to use them all in one go on a moderately sized project. I used large needles and scraps of DK yarn - two strands together, changing colour as each strand runs out. This is giving me a gorgeous varigated effect which I really like - I've used this technique before and I love how it turns out! I think I like the reverse side though, so I'll probably sew it inside out :-)
I need something to take my mind off work tomorrow - I have two jobs, one which is great and one which sucks. I'm at the sucky job tomorrow. Well, it's not really the job that sucks, it's the boss and I think he's got it in for me. Till I win the lottery, I have to stick with it I guess, unless I find something else.

A sunny spinny day

Today has been glorious again! I spent the day spinning - after an unsuccessul attempt to spin some fibre with my drop spindle (I think the stuff I was trying the spin was too coarse and bobbly to learn with, but it was free from Freecycle, so maybe I should get some softer stuff.) I crocheted Roxybadoxy's head hugger hat - then had to frog alot of it because it was big on me! After that I got my poi out for the first time this year and had a spin with those! Then I remembered my hula hoop I had bought over the winter - I had one as a kid and thought I'd pick it up quickly, but after what seemed like an hour, I had only managed to keep it up for about half a dozen spins. How frustrating *lol* I'm detemined to do it - it seemed so easy as a kid! Keilo and Pippin have been enjoying the sun in the garden too!

Glass mosaic!

Hogwarts Robes

So this is what I have been doing for the past two days! I'm not quite finished yet, but it's pretty much finished. I'm in two minds as to whether to hem it or not. That's really the only thing left to do and really, as my swap partner is taller than me, I think I might leave it so she can hem it to her preferred length. Also, every item of clothing I've ever sewn has ended up slightly crooked, so I'm abit afraid of cocking it up at the last minute *lol* I'm quite pleased with the way the robes have ended up, it's probably the biggest project I've ever done on my lil Brother!

I really hope she likes them! I haven't even posted them yet and I'm experiencing swap anxiety! *lol* I think it's because this project is outside my usual crafting comfort zone - I'm okay with smaller sewing projects, but bigger projects and clothing terrify me. It would have been easier with a dressmakers dummy, I must get one someday! I have a Slytherin patch to sew on it it still.

They kind of remind me of my graduation robes! Swooshing about in them earlier brought back some memories! My Graduation Ball was the night before the Graduation Ceremony (yeah, I know, what great timing eh?), so I'd had about 2 hours sleep and had an almighty hangover all through the ceremony! *lol* Ah yes, fond memories of a mispent youth :-)

It's life Jim....

Look, I have seedlings sprouting and the first of the cherry blossom!

Spring is here!

The weather has been beautiful here! At one point I went into the garden to water my freshly planted seeds and the thermometer said 45 degrees! Okay, it had been in the sun most of the day, but it's April! It sometimes doesn't get that hot in the summer! I took Joe up to the woods the day before yesterday which he loved, although he found the remains of a rabbit I think - he came running up to me with a rabbits foot hanging out of the corner of his mouth *eew!* We went down to the lakes yesterday and then along the canal - I love this time of year, when everything starts to burst into life. I can't wait for the cherry tree in the garden to blossom, the greengage tree has already started - it's full of white blossom, I can see it from my window here, there's a tiny blue tit perched right at the top of the tree trilling away! The cats haven't noticed yet!
The photos above I took with my new phone! Did I mention I'd got a new phone? I love it! I haven't had a new one for about 6 years as the old one worked fine, but the BF bought me this one when he bought himself a new one (his had broken) and this one has a camera on it :-) I've never had a phone with a camera on it - it's great fun and so pretty! And this one will actually fit into my pocket - it's a little clam type thingy with a blue cover and a little purple flower on it. The display is in colour!
Right, back to work, I'm making robes still! I spent most of yesterday cutting, and pinning. I managed to get half the sewing done and hopefully will get it finished today!

Yeast!

I'm having a bit of a yeast problem at the moment! No, it's nothing personal - I dragged the breadmaker out of the cupboard the other day to make some scrummy bread (yeah, I love bread) I fancied trying a carrot and carroway recipe, but the damn bread wouldn't rise! I tried again using a regular tried and tested recipe (garlic and herb!), but the same thing has happened! I am forced to admit that the yeast that has been sitting in the cupboard for a while...well, yes, it has been a while actually.... may have gone past it's best. Can that happen? Does yeast go off? I think that is what has happened. Nothing is so frustrating than smelling bread baking and then not be able to eat it! Oh well, looks like Joe's in luck again! I'll get some new yeast and give that a whirl!

Japanese Books!

I got some fabulous Japanese craft books in the post from hyakuYenKnitter! I'm looking forward to trying to deciper the instructions! I love that the crafts look so culturally different! The little felt toys are great, the amigurami's look soo Japanese, I've never seen anything like the sandals from old clothing crafts and the beading book is lovely, though bizarrely, the name of each project is in English! I also got a pair of silk knot jewellery books from my sister for Easter (no eggs, phew!), a Chinese knotting one and a Celtic knotting one. Of course, that forced a trip to Hobbycraft for silk cord, and I've already tried out one of the Celtic knots! I also treated myself to a small resin kit, so I'm looking forward to experimenting with that!

Bank Holiday Weekend

This is the Easter Bank Holiday - the first of the year and in Great British tradition, we have spent yesterday and today in the garden :-) It really needed it - the garden was a mess! The BF fixed the gate which had been mashed in the gales and I mowed all the lawns - front, back and side! It seemed to take forever, but after that I was on a roll and did some weeding and trimmed the edges of the lawn. Then I discovered my new favourite garden toy! The BF has been hiding a small axe from me! Yippee! Chop chop! Our house was the show home for the estate and so the developers stuck loads of cherry laurels in the garden, which, by the time we moved in were about house high, thick and dense. The garden got no sunlight at all and the grass was virtually dead. We have spent the last few years chopping down and removing said trees to allow everything else a chance. We even discovered a beautiful cherry tree (which is just about to burst into blossom). The only thing is that the developers didn't put enough topsoil into the garden so there is hardcore just below the surface and therefore it has been impossible to dig out the roots of most of these laurels. We've had to chop the trees down and use that stump rot stuff to try to stop them growing. They are permanently putting out new runners though, so I've been chopping them off - hee hee! Great fun. Also, the neighbours put up the Berlin wall last summer, a massive fence which is so ugly. I nailed some garden twine up and have just planted some climbers along the fence so hopefully we'll have something nicer to look at this summer. Honeysuckle, passionflower and jasmine along the fence, and then I planted a couple of pots on the patio, containing sweetpeas and some wallflowers which Bilblio sent me for my Birthday last year, which I should be able to train up aswell.
Joe, Keilo and Pippin seem to be missing Rankin - they have been looking for her for the last couple of days and have been a little clingier than usual - she was their cat mummy I guess.
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the BF is doing the local Easter Egg Run - all the local bikers ride round town distributing Easter Eggs to needy kids. He's one of the marshalls this year, which he'll love! He gets to stop his bike in the middle of the road on the route to stop traffic whilst the bikes go through. Mum and Dad are having a BBQ at their house (first of the year) so hopefully the weather will stay nice. I'm going to walk down with Joe and the BF will meet me there when he's finished posing on his bike! The BF's Mum has already left an Easter Egg for each of us - I guess the diet will go out of the window this weekend! *lol*
I've been hard at work crafting for the OWS 21, and also for the Harry Potter swap. My partner wants a set of robes - I'm finding it hard to fulfil this wish. The only pattern I could find was from the USA and was a childrens pattern, so I ordered it and I guess I'm going to have to make them bigger. I'm having trouble finding some suitable material though. My town has lots of sari shops but lacks regular fabric shops. I still have a little time though, so I might pull it off yet!

Goodbye Rankin

I came home from work today to find my eldest cat Rankin asleep forever in the garden. She was 17 years old, but seemed to have been around for much longer. She was a real character and we'll miss her very much. She suddenly became very old in the last week or so, and had been struggling for the last couple of days. Breathing had become an effort it seemed and I'm not sure how much she had slept in the last day. I was reluctant to go to work today, but my unfeeling boss is not the sort to be symathetic for pet children. I said my goodbyes to her before I went to work though which is a great comfort, and I made sure that she had a few morsels of tuna for breakfast, which she ate, despite being off her food. I think she had been waiting for us to go - cats seem to want to go on their own terms, on their own, and I feel like she had been holding on for us. I came home from work to find her lying in the grass in the sunshine and she seemed very peaceful, like she had finally been able to go to sleep. I only hope that when my time comes, that I will pass away so peacefully, in such lovely surroundings. We cried, and buried her in the garden in her favourite bed blanket. Life will seem quite odd without her and the others all miss her. Goodbye Rankin.