52 books in 52 weeks - part one

I'm giving myself another challenge this year and it is to read 52 books in 52 weeks. I do read a lot so it is something I think I can achieve. I do have weeks where I don't read anything at all and weeks where I will read a book a day (I'm a fast reader!) March and April will be slow book reading months as I will be panicking about attending BCTF and hopefully the weeks afterwards I will be busy with orders :) I still think I can read 52 within the year though - fingers crossed!

I will probably end up at the start of each month listing the books I have read in the previous month but I may do this once a quarter instead - depends on how I am feeling! I do have a board set up on Pinterest that will be updated as soon as I have finished a book so you can see how I am getting on with the challenge on a book by book basis! I'm not very good at reviewing books (although I have to write a review of the book I'm reading at the moment for Waterstones!) so I will probably only say a few words about each book and leave it at that.

The first three books of 2013 are my favourite books ever. I first read them when I was in my first year at university (a friends dad was an English teacher and was reading them with his kids) and I have read them every year since* I love them and no matter how many times I read them I still find I love them. The first one can be hard to get into but read 100 pages and you will be hooked!

Again, 1984 is one of my favourite books although when I read it this time it didn't seem quite as harrowing as the first few times I read it. It could be that as I was reading it, our current government and it's leaders sprung to mind a few times! We are not quite at Big Brother ruling us yet but some things really struck a cord with what is going on now in the UK!

I saw this book when it first came out but didn't buy it until Matt saw it in a charity shop recently :) It's another young adults/older kids book and I loved it! Very well written with a good plot line that draws you in - the main character is fully believable too which sometimes doesn't happen in this kind of book.

I buy a lot of books from my local Post Office as they sell books for a local charity for 50p (paperbacks) or £1 (hardbacks) and it's great to browse the shelves as you are standing in the queue! I like thrillers and say that they make up about 50% of the books on our shelves. This one was good, easy to read and the plot was very twisty turny. When you thought you'd got a grip on the plot something would happen and you'd realise you'd got it wrong! It didn't happen enough though to put you off finding out what happens at the end as can happen in some thrillers.

So, they are the books I've read in January and I'm already halfway through my next book :) I found this challenge over on The Sewing Directory so if you too want to join in then leave a comment over there!

6/52 - only 46 more books to read! Do you have any book recommendations? I have thousands of books (literally!) but I am always looking for more!


*except for last year when I was only allowed to read books that I hadn't read before. I missed reading them though so that is why they were the first books of 2013!

Robots in the craft room :)

Matt bought me a Spidercamp Bunny of Purity for Christmas and when he bought that he also bought some robots :)

They are sold with the proviso that you guess how many robots you will get for $1.39. Spidercamp thinks about 19 but we actually got 22 :) As soon as I saw them I knew what I was going to do with them - a robot garland (well two actually)

I asked the girls to colour some of them in but after a while they got bored so I continued where they left off.

I hung one up in the craft room to take these photographs but I think I may have to give one to each girl instead of keeping one myself!

Sunday Snippets

Sledging fun on a Monday off from school

Snow bunny - we cheated and used a jelly mould!

I decided I needed to tidy my craft room!

A custom button heart for a lovely customer :)

I came to the conclusion that I have too many notebooks - all but 4 are blank!

If you tilt your head you can see the heart shaped holes in Anya's bagel.

Keeping busy at ballet

Multitasking while watching Nanny McPhee

My first piece of craftivism

I wrote about #imapiece the other day and here is my finished piece. It's not perfect as this is the first embroidered piece I have done with words (I'm normally a straight stitch kind of girl!) but I think it works.

It reads 'Live simply so that others can simply live' The quote really appealed to me and I knew as soon as I saw it that it would be the one that went on my piece. It needed something to make the words jump out and as I was out and about with my sewing box, the only thing I had was sequins. Not sure they work with the simple quote or not - maybe buttons or ribbon would be better?

I may keep this one for myself and make another to send off for the installation. If I do I will embroider the words onto a piece of white fabric and then attach it to the patterned fabric as the wording kind of gets lost! Also if I get chance then I will send one to my MP - if not then he will get a photograph of the work with an explanation of why it is important to me.

Have you made one of these? Ever used crafting for good? I have a few ideas of things I can do in my neighbourhood using craft and it's quite exciting - maybe only to me though!

Wordless Wednesday

Whoot - snow day :)

I'm not a huge fan of the snow but school is cancelled today so the girls and I are off out in it to play! Well, I will be assisting them by helping with the sledges but won't be partaking* myself :)

This is the view from our front window. Behind the big bush in the middle is our regular sledging spot in the park - not too far to come home for hot chocolate when we are tired and cold!

I do have work to do later and a trip to the post office is needed but this is why I love where I live as everything is within walking distance :) I will be calling into the bakery to get some bread and if needed then Spar is also up there. I can walk for 10 minutes in the other direction and be at another Post Office, a butcher, another bakery (not as good as the one nearer!) and a greengrocers.

If you have a snow day then enjoy!

*Not 'cos I'm a wuss (I love sledging!) but because I'm still in pain from the pleurisy :( Seems to be easing a bit now which is good so I might be able to avoid another trip to the doctors!

#imapiece

I found out about Craftivism a good few months ago by watching a video called Stitched Stories (really worth a look - you won't regret watching) and by subscribing to the blog I found out about #imapiece

So what is #imapiece? It's basically a campaign by a group of well known crafters (you included!) along with Save the Children to help raise awareness of world hunger and injustice.

Picture from @craftteaviv

Basically, you create a jigsaw piece (to be included in a large collective piece of work) with a slogan on. Dead easy! All the information you need (plus helpful slogans) is HERE and I think it is a very worthwhile project to be involved in.

You can even shop on Folksy and get a jigsaw kit sent to you :) I have only just cut out the fabric for my piece today but I know what slogan I am going to use and once I have found my special embroidery pen I will be off (despite my embroidery skills being a bit rubbish!)

If you don't have any spare time or inclination to join in with this project then can I ask you to spare one minute to sign the petition. Thanks!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - spot the ice man :)

Can you see his eyes, mouth and hair? You may have to look at the original photo to see the detail.

Tie chickens, not Thai chicken!

Yeah, good one Lynsey :)

As you may have guessed from the title, my long made (August 2011!) tie chickens have finally made it into my shops! They have been to fairs with me, and several have sold so you are seeing the last few available. They all have appropriate 1970's style names as they are indeed made from 1970's ties :)

Randy

Kenneth

Here is Clive

Duncan

Rodney

Simon

Trevor

Trevor and Simon have twins as the ties they were made from were huge - I believe the term is kipper ties :)

I'm on the look out for some gaudy ties so I can add to the tie chicken collection :)

A trip out in the snow

So I got it into my head that today would be the day I visited the clog makers near Hebden Bridge to buy some yummy orange clogs I have been coveting for a while. However, someone was in such a rush to get out on the school run and then onto Hebden that I forgot to check when said clog makers was open...... Yep, you guessed it, it closes on a Monday! Ah well, at least I know where it is for next time!

I did have to drive through this though to get there - lots of snow and it was laying quite heavily on the roads. For that reason I didn't stop at the charity shops of Hebden but did at the ones in Todmorden.

This was all I managed to find in Tod - 4 home magazines at 30p each for me to chop up and put in my inspiration book. If indeed there are any inspiring pictures in there that is! Luckily I had to run some errands back in Burnley so I got to go to two charity shops en route!

These bowls were 50p (for the pair) from my favourite shop Emmaus. Emmaus has had a change round and now has an extra room :)

I also grabbed this skirt that I had seen before Christmas. I liked it then but when I went back it had gone. Imagine my delight when I spotted it on the sale rail this morning! It needs taking up but I can do that :)

So all in all a good day out!