Craftyguidelets – Page 2

Dear September

Where did our time go September? 30 days and it was all over!

You gave me glorious weather (mostly!) and lots of time in the garden appreciating the wonderful flowers still blooming their socks off. Considering that from February to April it looked like a muddy mess, now it’s landscaped and lovely.

My little Leprechaun turned Imp now has her Brownie Gardener badge for the hard work she put in sowing seeds, thinning out, weeding, watering and finally clearing away. Hopefully she’ll help again next Spring, and her grandparents want to hire her for her skills with a seed packet.

I achieved things, September. This pretty dress for Rainbow Craftyguidelet, some cards, some bunting, and even a tutorial for the book bags I made for the Craftyguidelets’ music lessons. Sales have been picking up with Craftyguider following a bit of promo work, and the big push to Christmas starts now. The Christmas shop is now open. I just need to fill it up a bit more!My Guiding life has started again. Guides and Rainbows are back, and once again I am juggling admin, trying to get as many girls as possible off the waiting lists and into units where they can join the fun, and trying to encourage more volunteers to come forward and help this to happen.I have also started Trefoil Guild which is like the WI for Guiding types. It was so lovely just going to a meeting for grown ups, not being asked to do anything, not being responsible for anything, not feeling guilty for not doing more. I just enjoyed the talk on the fabulous work of Guide Dogs and the puppy walkers. Finally something just for me to enjoy!WI planning has started again for our Handmade Christmas Craft Fair on 16th November. I need to get a shifty on for my stall!

But then just like that it was over September. 30 days of full on busyness and then phwoomp! October happened.

Autumn is here and I’ll be joining in with Miss Beatrix’s #BashSAD challenge to banish the blues of the shorter days. I’m also attempting to complete a whole month of the Fat Mum Slim #fmsphotoaday challenge on Instagram. My house is finally gaining some order after a summer of neglect, the kids are settled at school. Let’s do this October!

What was that? Half term at the end of the month? *sticks fingers in ears and pretends not to hear*

What are you up to this month?

My Autumn Garden

Last Spring, eldest Craftyguidelet planted lots of annual seeds for her Brownie Gardener badge. She cared for them, watered them, thinned them out, transplanted them, weeded and produced a fabulous display throughout the summer. This weekend, to finish her badge, it was time to pull all the spent flowers up to prepare the beds for winter.

She attacked the task with enthusiasm (once I’d dragged her away from a game involving every single toy she owns by the look of the playroom). After clearing a section of her allocated bed, she found this beauty hidden away.It made me think about all the other plants in my garden that were still flowering their socks off. This Fuschia is called Baby Blue Eyes. I bought some for eldest Craftyguidelet’s grandparents when she was born as she had the biggest blue eyes.The Craftyguidelets grew sunflowers from school as well as some 8ft tall monsters.This is my favourite plant in the garden at the moment. I first came across Stipa tenuissima when I studied at gardening college (an RHS evening course equivalent to a gardening A level). It is so touchy feely. I’ve got 2 clumps in my garden near the paths so I can run my fingers through it when I walk past.This Brunnera shows that you don’t need flowers to create an impact.And this Heuchera combines flowers and beautiful leaves.So go out and appreciate all that Autumn has to offer.

Simplicity 2828 – WIP Finish

2 years ago (or was it 3?) when Craftyguider was still starting up, I made a duffel bag for eldest Craftyguidelet’s PE kit at school. One of the mums at school saw it and asked if I could make one for her daughter. She wanted something in a dark fabric that would be quite hard wearing, so off I popped to the local habby and found this.
I love this navy corduroy with the embroidered flowers on it. I bought some for the bag and got a bit extra to make a dress for youngest Craftyguidelet.
I was taken by Simplicity 2828. I don’t think I’ll be making the fluffy hat somehow, but the pinafore was spot on. The Project Runway patterns enable you to pick different design elements to personalise your own creation. I didn’t want any of the ruffles or bows so I just did the basic square neckline dress. Earlier this year I got on and cut out all the pieces for an age 5 girl so that youngest Craftyguidelet could grow into it. She is now 5 and a half and tall for her age so perhaps she won’t have that long in it. My fault for stalling all this time! Note to self: don’t trace patterns or cut fabric until you are ready to make the whole dress!
Et voila! I love how it has turned out, and luckily little Craftyguidelet loves it too. It even goes over her plaster cast at the moment which is a big plus.
She was so pleased with it that she brought me a mini curlywurly from the chocolate drawer. What? You don’t have a chocolate drawer in your house? You are missing out!

So about 3 years after I planned to start the dress, it is now finished. Have you got any long term WIPs in your basket?

Book Bag Tutorial

The Craftyguidelets are very lucky to go to a school where they can have piano lessons during the school day. Eldest started last year, and youngest has her first lesson today.

During the summer holidays, eldest Craftyguidelet reminded me that I had promised to make her a bag to put her piano books in last year. This prompted youngest Craftyguidelet to ask for one too. As we were standing in the fabric department in John Lewis, I was cornered. I am naturally weak when it comes to resisting the purchase of fabric anyway, so I bought some lightweight black denim for the main body of the book bags. Eldest Craftyguidelet chose the nice Tim Holtz music fabric, and youngest Craftyguidelet chose the owls.

I was going to make book bags with a velcro fastening flap like their normal school book bags, but instead we compromised on a simple tote bag style (these bags were made the night before their lessons so I was going for the easy option!). My finished bag measures 41cm long x 30cm tall (excluding handles) so check the dimension of your books and adjust accordingly before putting scissors to fabric.

To make a bag you need:

* 1 piece of fabric 42cm x 46cm cut from main fabric
* 2 pieces of fabric 16cm x 46cm cut from accent fabric
* 2 pieces of webbing 45cm long

I’ve used a 1cm seam allowance unless stated otherwise.

1. With right sides together, attach one piece of the accent fabric to each end of the main fabric, matching the 46cm sides. If your fabric design has a top and bottom, ensure the bottom of the pattern is next to your seam line or your owls will be standing on their heads!Neaten edges and press the seams flat.

2. Prepare the hem for the top and bottom edges by ironing a small fold and then a larger fold to make an enclosed hem. I used 1cm and then 3cm.

3. Position the handle 14cm from each edge under the fold you have just ironed. Fold the hem back over the handle and stitch the hem closed close to the edge.

4. Fold the handles up and sew in a cross pattern to secure. Repeat for the other handle.OCD and perfectionist crafters look away now.It was late at night when I did this so my cross isn’t sewn to my usual high standards!

5. Fold the fabric wrong sides together (yes, wrong sides!), matching the hems. Stitch the side seams. Trim the seam allowances slightly.

6. Turn inside out and stitch again to make a French seam, making sure you enclose the raw edges fully.

7. Turn right side out and press.8. Marvel at the lovely bag you have just made in hardly any time at all!

You can use my tutorial to make bags for your own personal use only. Please do not reproduce the tutorial in any way without permission.

Dear August…

Oh August. Our relationship started so well. You gave me time to start blogging again, I started creating, I got things done.
My nephew came to stay and then later on there was the celebration of his Christening.
Husband’s birthday came and went, and the Craftyguidelets’ vision of a sailing themed birthday cake was realised.
The Craftyguidelets and I found 38 Books About Town book benches in 3 different areas of London, did some sightseeing, fell in love with the impressionists in the National Gallery, and completed the summer reading challenge at the library. Oh August, you kept us busy.

But towards the end it went wrong. A trying extended-family holiday culminated in little Craftyguidelet breaking her arm and spending 2 nights in hospital. How could you let that happen August? My little girl looked so tiny on that big bed as they wheeled her away for surgery under general anaesthetic.
You brought me flowers – hydrangeas to remind me of our lovely holiday in Cornwall and roses from husband for our wedding anniversary.
But it’s too late August. The pain of the hospital stay and seeing my poor little girl’s deformed arm, and now the huge cast that she has to carry around is too much.

It’s over August. I’ve decided to give September a go. The Craftyguidelets will be back at school and my volunteering with Guiding, the WI and school starts up again. I’ll need to be busy preparing Craftyguider for Christmas, as well as starting my own preparations. I’m also joining the Trefoil Guild and hoping to start my Voyage Award.

So long, and perhaps I’ll see you around some time in the future.

Craftyguider x

Books About Town Trails

As a family, we love trails. Mr Craftyguider loves orienteering and the Craftyguidelets and I have done a couple of string courses. Going round a museum captures the interest of a child more if they have a series of exhibits to find. We are also geocachers and spend time lurking around trying to look nonchalant whilst one member of the party digs out a hidden tupperware box to log our find without being spotted.

This summer we are looking for brightly painted benches in the shape of books on the Books About Town trails in London.
There are 50 benches to find on 4 trails. We started with the Brick Lane bench near the Museum of London on the City Trail.
There is also a quiz to download so for some of the benches you need to look a bit harder at the detail to answer the questions.
The backs of some of the benches are as stunning as the fronts. This is from the Great Expectations bench on the Riverside trail.

The bench I really wanted to spot was the Dr Seuss bench which is near More London outside the London Assembly building.
The Craftyguidelets loved the Axel Scheffler and Julia Donaldson bench.
I love the bench, but we took ages to spot it. The list of benches says it’s in the Hay’s Galleria near London Bridge station. We walked round, underneath, around, through, and eventually found it a few metres down the riverbank and not in the Galleria at all.
The Mary Poppins bench was a bit damaged. It was the first bench of many where we had to ask an unsuspecting tourist to move so we could photograph it from all angles! Luckily everyone was OK about it, especially when two cute Craftyguidelets were looking hopefully at them.
We have now found all the benches on the Riverside trail and 5 on the City Trail.
New events are being added to the website all the time including a competition to design your own Shakespeare bench to win prizes.
The book trail runs until 15th September, after which the benches are being auctioned off in aid of the National Literacy Trust. Could someone get one for me please? With the exception of the Fever Pitch bench though. As a Spurs fan, I have to draw the line!
16 benches done over 2 trips to London. Can we do the other 34 by the closing date?

Museum of London – Review

With the Craftyguidelets learning about the Great Fire of London in KS1 and Stone Age to Bronze Age in KS2 next term, we planned a day trip to the Museum of London near St Paul’s Cathedral to do a bit of ‘research’.

The museum is right in the heart of the history it is curating. Parts of the London Wall are ‘displayed’ through windows on the upper level. I’ve no idea why the man in the picture appears to be taking a selfie lying down in the shade of the wall!

We were met at the door by a member of staff who asked us about our visit. She showed us to the various activity sheets for children which you can also download before you leave home. We picked up the War, Plague and Fire one for youngest Craftguidelet. As there was nothing for eldest to have, the staff member got her some leaflets with pictures from the gallery, and also lent her a clipboard and A4 paper to draw pictures and take notes on. She also met up with us later in the day and showed a genuine interest in what the Craftyguidelets had done. It’s great when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Photography is permitted in the museum but flashes aren’t so forgive the dodgy pics!
The galleries inside take you on a chronological journey through the history of London, starting in the ‘London before London’ gallery. This took us from the Stone Age through to Bronze Age with displays of artefacts discovered in the London area.
This Bronze age helmet is supposed to demonstrate the ferocity and virility of the owner. Not your normal head gear for a night on the pull any more!
The Roman area had this mock up of a Roman house. I love the mosaic floor.

Moving on through Medieval London and past a 100 year old model of the old St Paul’s cathedral, we arrived in the War, Plague and Fire gallery. There was a quite disturbing film presentation of the spread of the Black Death which we moved on from, and then on to the Great Fire of London.
It was great to show 5 year old Craftyguidelet examples of houses and how people lived in 1666 when the fire happened, as a background to what she will be learning about in the classroom. The museum is also in the area where the fire took hold, which also gave her another perspective.
These fabulous dresses were in a recreation of the Pleasure Gardens. I was a bit confused by the film dramatisation that was projected as part of the experience though.

After travelling through the Victorian shop recreations, we carried on moving through history to modern London.
This is a bronze lift from Selfridges from 1928. I love the grandness of it.
The Suffragettes were also featured with a large display, including this embroidery from Holloway Prison.
This was from a display of equipment from a bakery demolished in 1966 to make way for a new development. Being a Master Baker and Confectioner’s daughter, I am drawn to bakery memorabilia.
Probably the most thrilling part for me was the story of the development of the Olympic cauldron from the 2012 London games. The actual petal for Great Britain was displayed. I didn’t realise there were 3 cauldrons made – one for the Olympics, one for the Paralympics and one for testing. The scale and the detail were staggering.

We really enjoyed our day out at the museum. It held everyone’s interest throughout our visit, and there are probably details we missed to go back and see another time. Entrance is free but we did leave a donation in the box.

This review is based on my own opinion of our family day out. I received no incentives to go or to write a review.

Summer School

Summer Reading Challenge 2014

This year, the Craftyguidelets have been given homework to do during the school holidays. School work for a 5yr old and her 7yr old sister in the holidays? Shouldn’t they be enjoying themselves?

It’s not boring study though. Their new teachers have given them a blank A4 book to fill in with whatever they want. There is a sheet glued in the front giving ideas, but it could be anything they want to do.

The Craftyguidelets like ticking things off so we are using some of the suggestions, and we have already worked on a diary for our holiday in Cornwall. I have started a new smashbook, and they are using this idea to illustrate their diary with photos, entry tickets, leaflets and owl feathers, as well as drawings.

Also on the list are ideas based on their topics when they go back. 5yr old Craftyguidelet has the Great Fire of London, which will mean a trip to the Monument and St Pauls, stopping off at the Museum of London to see their War, Plague and Fire gallery. While we are there, we’ll visit the London Before London gallery for 7yr old Craftyguidelet’s Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age topic. For me, we’ll have collected lots of Show and Tell material for next term to avoid the last minute scramble at 8.29am for something topic related.

From: Books About Town

Another activity we’ll be trying is the Books About Town trails. Each trail has around 15 book benches to find, and there are 4 trails to choose from. I’ll be searching for the Dr Seuss bench on the Riverside Trail.

Eldest will be learning about Claude Monet next term. This will give me the opportunity to share my favourite painting with her – La Gare St Lazare – at the National Gallery. I used to go to the Impressionist gallery a lot when I was younger and am looking forward to rediscovering it.

There are also suggestions for nature walks, creative writing and art projects, to go with our plans for the library’s Summer Reading Challenge, loom bands, gardening, lego, Minion Rush, Brownie badge work, Rainbows summer treasure box, music, drama workshops, play dates, fancy dress catwalk shows, baking, playing and craft days.

Less than a month to go until the holidays end. Best get a move on!