Pops and Popsicle

To my pleasant surprise I recently found myself the unintentional winner of a batch of 'cake pops'. I had to be educated as to what these were, (it's a cupcake decoration) but once enlightened was only to delighted to accept them from Angel's Kitchen. Cupcakes. Harder than I thought. Had visitors + small children a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd just *whip up a batch or two* while cleaning the house from top to bottom. Silly me. Took a lot longer than I thought to do the most rudimentary decoration. (If you have now read the story of 'Mrs Mouse's Cupcakes' it is not a million miles away from what happens to me when I entertain rare guests, I try to do everything at once with disastrous results).

And although in the end they looked vaguely passable, upon sampling them later - when said guests had departed - I discovered that they were somewhat dense and dare I say, a little heavy? Oh dear...could have done with those highly edible cake poppers.

I should stick to needle felting and leave the cake baking to the grown ups. Popsicle is another commission just crossed off my order list.

I have had some really lovely blog reviews of my book, my head is swollen beyond redemption I fear. So many, many thanks to my friends

Anne of Frayed at the Edge

Janet of The Empty Nest

Aaron Paquette
(one of my oldest blog-buddies - not in age, but in length of time!)

A proper bookshop

Above the door are ancient carved dragons. Peering down the narrow corridor, shelves of books beckon you down...

...and down. The entrance is just on the right. Mind your head as you go in, if you are tall.

Inside, a warm, bookish sanctuary, with a tempting little corridor leading off. Shall we look?

The front room, with leather comfy chair and heater. Browsers and dippers are very welcome here. As are buyers, of course

But don't settle, there is more to explore - back through the wood panelled passageway, to the tallest bookshelf you ever saw -

'Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.'
(Arnold Lobel).

Further on and further in.

This is a shrine to books and book lovers. This is a warm, welcoming haven, with sofas and higgledy-piggledy piles of interest to lure you to 'bide a wee while' and immerse yourself in papery Heaven. Do take a seat.

Oh happy day, that such places still - just about - exist. A proper bookshop.

Cornell Books Ltd, The Wheatsheaf, 132 High Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5JR.

*The Wheatsheaf used to be a pub dating back to the 1500's and can be seen from the front here.*

No idle hands

Until I invent the ever-replenishing household pot, there is no time for idle hands, despite having picked up an old man's cough. (Not literally from an old man that is, just sounding like one). My chest has been rattling and whistling like a dried seed pod in a north wind, but it's quietening down now. Life at the moment is mercifully uneventful. Apart from the pleasure of seeing this -

- sell out of stock on Amazon UK on the first day of sale. More coming soon - thank you world!

Thoroughly Modern Milly

Some designs take a long time to hatch - I've been meaning to work out a mole design for two years, but what with my book jobs and things, I've only just got round to it. Luckily I had made a little sketch at the time - in *shock horror* the back of a picture book...

I absolutely do not condone drawing in books, but this was an old battered ex-library copy which I picked up from a charity shop after a trip to the dentists, two bus rides away from the village. Happily my bus home stopped right outside a pub, so I popped in for a pint while I was waiting for it and read my book. It is an old favourite and I hadn't got a copy. It's the most beautiful story for children, dealing with bereavement and not at all mawkish or pro-religion of any kind.

Here, Mole is passing on the gift of making paper chain moles, which Badger in turn taught him. And finding myself with pencil but without sketch book, I drew a mole of my own on the endpaper and called her Milly.

In real life, moles are not at all the sweetly shy characters they are often portrayed as; they are quite fierce and territorial. It's rare to see one alive or dead, but I did find the skull of one last year. It is tiny.

See how sharp the teeth are? All the better for killing worms with.

The dark patches are, I am afraid, dried skin and flesh.

So Milly, although only 6 inches tall, is practically life sized.

And like so many of my little people, she will soon be making the long trip across the pond to someone in America. But I get to keep her for a few weeks longer - which is nice.

Simple Stamping

I've been meaning to have a dabble with fabric printing for ages ('Printing by Hand' being a much neglected Christmas present from two years ago) and have finally been galvanised into action by a great find in a charity shop - and only £1!

In mint condition, they are beautifully simple shapes which offer a huge range of possibilities and combinations. I had meant to cut my own blocks, but here was the perfect excuse to have a little indulgent play. I cut up my last length of tea stained cotton into test samples.

I was a bit stuck for fabric paints - all I had were an old set which someone gave me years ago, most of which were dried up, and some odd jars found back in 2007 in the legendary Burford skip. I managed to make a 1970's shade of orange.

And started stamping. I don't have the kind of mind that does measurements very well, but I improvised with my own system of cocktail sticks.

Which worked for me.

What fun! Good music lined up on the stereogramme, tea in a Matt Grimmitt mug. Fat ginger cat in the background.

A larger block took quite a while to stamp. No wonder the real stuff is so expensive.

I was childishly pleased with the results, simple and rustic as they were and pegged them up proudly.

A few days later I had another go - finding out the hard way that neglecting to check each time for stray blobs results in a bodge.

Unlike needle felting, which can usually be saved, there is no going back with fabric printing and you have to concentrate all the time.

However, with no black or white to tone down my rather limited and garish palette, printing is at a temporary halt while I save my pennies for some new Speedball inks. Which gives me time to think about what I'm going to do with it.

Music to print to

Midlake - The Trials Of Van Occupanther

Midlake - The Courage of Others

Espers - Espers 11

Threads & Stitches

Such lovely kindness! After I left a rather pathetic little comment on Chrissie's blogpost about the Threads of Feeling exhibition at the London Foundling Museum, she sent me the gorgeous booklet which accompanies it. Is that not generosity personified?

It's beautifully presented and so interesting. I find the subject of childhood poverty and abandonment particularly hard to deal with, so I don't think I'd have been capable of going to the exhibition itself, but from a textile angle, it's a treasure trove. Do read Chrissie's account of her visit, and if you don't already know it, discover a really great blog. (And I am not just saying that because she gave me a book, though it is the quickest way to my heart).

I am gradually whipping my long neglected sewing skills back into shape - two Goosies are waddling off to new homes in the USA and across the UK.

Once I'd finally got the pattern sorted out and stuffed what felt like half a sheep's worth of wool into them, I had the final pleasure of using sumptuous pure silk thread to embellish the seams.

Decoration - more enjoyable than construction? Discuss.

Dolores

Dolores. Likes knitting, port and lemon and smart shoes that don't quite fit her right.




Sits all day clicking her needles and watching the world go by. Has a mean streak.





And a rather disgruntled look on her face.





Is off to America to live with Janet, where she will eat cake and watch Red Cardinals and Humming Birds. Lucky, lucky Dolores!

Yes, I have finally updated my Etsy shop with a few things - it's good to be back in the saddle at last!