Making things

Getting Christmas crafty – no 1 peg doll fairies.

14th December 2016 by Jax Blunt Leave a Comment

So, last night I had plans – how did it all pan out?

Well, we did some of it 🙂

I started the day with my physio mandated exercises. Then I did a bit of crying when my shoulder went into spasm 🙁 I’d been gentle, honest, but obviously not gentle enough.

Pulled myself together and somehow motivated the small people to get themselves ready to walk to home education soft play, (a walkable home education activity!) under 10 minutes by myself, and nearer 15 with a Tigerboy in tow. It was a grey miserable day out there, though if you check instagram (over there in the sidebar) you’ll see that we did spot some flowers on our way. Vibernum, if I recall correctly, and very strongly scented. Which was nice.

For a little while we were the only family at soft play, and then another little girl arrived. She’s someone that Smallest has really hit it off with, so they had a lovely session basically running and shouting with a very involved Pokemon based game. And why not.

Home for lunch, and then I gradually assembled craft equipment. Tim needed to pop out for salt for the water softener to the local hardware shop, and I asked him to check if they had dolly pegs (I am sure I have some, *somewhere*) and it turned out that they do, so peg doll fairies (or clothes pin fairies, depending 😉 ) were a go.

The starting out heap looked a bit like this.

Obviously I then had to pause to gather the bits I’d forgotten….

The printed instruction sheet, in case you’re wondering, comes from the 30 Christmas Ornaments (affiliate) by Maggy Woodley of Red Ted Art as mentioned yesterday. Each craft is set out with a materials list and easy to follow instructions with pictures, on a printable page as you can see. This one is from the School Age section (which I think *ought* to read primary school age, given there’s also an older kids to balance out the preschool section) and was perfect for Smallest, who is a very careful child when she’s working. Spot that concentration 😉

Of course, it would have helped if she’d listened a *little* more closely, as she wouldn’t have very carefully taken out the second piece of cardboard from the pom pom maker that I’d given her, and she wouldn’t then have had to do it all over again 😉

She didn’t seem to mind. We painted the faces, hair and bodices on first, then while that dried did the pom pom skirts, from some fab material I bought years ago for a dress up outfit. My tip here would be to keep to light material – we tried another out of ribbon and it was far too heavy and not nearly as effectively.

Pom poms from material are a lot quicker to make than pom poms from wool, although there is a moment of absolute terror as you’re cutting round and trying to tie the wool/ thread round the middle. I did it though – I think that bit was a bit too hard for Smallest, but she is only 7.

And our final results?

I really rather like them. What do you think? And which one is mine?

I made time to run down to poundland for some cheap tights as well – tomorrow’s target craft is Austrian Angels.

Finished up the day with Stick Man (Amazon affiliate) for tonight’s #picturebookadvent – one of Tigerboy’s all time favourite. Incidentally – he was invited to take part in the craft, but apparently gaming is far more interesting. Sigh. Might have to have a think about that.

So, what have you all been up to?

Opening a creative circle

27th September 2015 by Jax Blunt 20 Comments

I have written stories for as long as I can remember.

I’ve never joined a writer’s group.

I’ve started drawing and painting and general art. But I’m not sure about the local art club.

And there’s knitting and sewing and crochet and spinning, costume to make and felt to, well, felt.

Creativity is something that gives me great pleasure, but I have a habit of losing focus.

At the back of my mind is this idea that if I could create a creative community around myself I could give and receive support and direction. Perhaps I could take a story from first idea to novel. Maybe I could illustrate a picture book.

(There was a self taught artist who has only been painting for two years shared on instagram’s own account today. There is no limit to where we can reach if we let our dreams lift us. )

So I have this idea that we could build a creative circle. Share our goals. Set challenges. (I have some ideas) Offer encouragement, gentle constructive criticism and support. Anyone fancy joining in? Please comment if so. And feel free to share. You don’t need to have a blog to join, just some way of sharing your work, be it photos or whatever really.

Hoping there are a few of you that think this sounds like a good idea!

Getting back to my yarny roots.

29th April 2015 by Jax Blunt 6 Comments

I learnt to crochet when I was around 9 I think. My (first) step mum’s mum taught me. She had a soda stream as well – I loved visiting her, and was heartbroken when she disappeared from my life.

(I assume that was the marriage fell apart. I lost my step siblings too. Not a huge heap of fun. )

Anyway, crochet. I’ve always been able to. I’m way better at it than I am at knitting. I even designed my own doll dress pattern a while ago (I should probably test that pattern properly and re shoot the pic)

But a couple of years ago, I’m not sure when, I just sort of stopped. I’ve done a few little toys here and there, but nothing major. Then Smallest started agitating for slippers. And I went on Garnstudio. Before I knew it there was a pinterest board and a yarn order and so it began.

It feels kind of good, getting back into it.

Linen on the line and the lawn

1st July 2014 by Jax Blunt 3 Comments

I’ve processed 4 loads of laundry today. Clothing, bedding, towels, linens. I had so much I even laid some of it to dry on the grass.

Gradually the linens are ones I’ve made. The first ones are tragic. I didn’t know about folding twice to prevent fraying. There are holes in nearly all the seams, but I’m gradually mending them to a state of acceptability.

Since then I’ve graduated to linen bodices, waist coats, pourpoints and hose, along with biggins and aprons that I cut and sew actually in event. My triumph this year was the hose that I cut and started at home on my day off

The fabric is gorgeous, so stretchy. And the cod piece is rather more subtle than the one it replaces 😉

They could still do with some extra points (right the way down behind the flap apparently) but they were passed and worn although slightly unbelievably I didn’t get a picture of them in action. I will rectify this at some point.

I have discovered, doing all of this, that there is a peculiar satisfaction in clothing your family in clothes you’ve made for them yourself. There’s something special about turning out something usable with your hands. The rough little biggin (Tigerboy coif equivalent) that I cut Wythenshawe my snips and sewed at the table lifts my heart every time I see him wearing it.

It seems kentwell changes you in more ways than you could ever expect. I used to hate sewing.

Ravensburger Prehistoric Expedition Science Kit

12th March 2014 by Jax Blunt 4 Comments

Buy at Amazon

When we were offered the Ravensburger Prehistoric Expedition Science Kit for review, I glanced at the covering release, thought Small would enjoy it a bit, and expected something with a fossil kit in maybe an A4 sized box.

Then it arrived. And it’s huge. And it has loads of activities in it – we’ve had several days worth out so far, and we’re nowhere near done. And that’s without doing anything related to triops, which Small remembers doing once, years ago, and not liking, so apparently we’re not doing that again. (I’ll have to try to find someone to give that part of the kit too, because it is really rather splendid.)

So instead, we’ve done making plaster of paris to do an archaeoptyrix cast, built a dinosaur skeleton, and we’re halfway through making a meganeura? (No, I’ve no idea either.)

We’ve examined the ammonite with the supplied magnifying glass, and there’s still plenty of plaster of paris to do the rest of the moulds, and Small and I have a *plan* for the fossil block. (Coming to a youtube channel near you, one day soon. Ish.) Tip with regard to the plaster of paris. Go steady on the water, make sure you really stir it thoroughly. We ended up with thick bits that weren’t quite stirred in, and it took much, much longer than the advised 24 hours to dry thoroughly. Granted this was while it was raining outside like it had forgotten how to do anything different, so everywhere just felt damp.

Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of science kits over the last ten years or so of home education. And quite a lot of dinosaur related stuff too. And I have to say that I think this one is really well put together, and excellent value for money. If you’ve a dinosaur mad offspring or two to entertain, and maybe a holiday coming up, I’d seriously consider this. Particulary if you do have a large space to keep a triops tank with a light rigged over it. (There are 5 I think triops related activities, so not doing them does detract a bit. But the tank/bowl is going on for A3 size, so you are going to need a big space to keep it, and here it would just have turned into a toddler paddling pool.)

Score out of 10? I’d give this kit a 9. And that’s high praise.