Christmas is coming...

from Claire x

Walk the Line

So I've just realised that I'd not posted this Zentangle as I've been internet free for some time (and missing reading all the blogs I follow!)

So here she is... Walk the Line


I had fun trying out some tangles that usually use curves using straight lines only :D

So onto the next one!

Eyes Wide Shut

This was a challenge I enjoyed. I was pleased with the string I drew with my eyes closed, even though some of it was a bit rough (towards the top left).


And this is what I came up with...



Now onto the next challenge!

Non-Dominatrix (or Leftie as I fondly call my attempt!)

Hee hee...to be five again :D


I found this to be physically challenging...my left hand just wouldn't do what I was telling it to do!

Using the other hand wakes your brain up properly - it's a trick we trainers use so that our audience is more prepared to learn. The best learning happens when the brain is fully engaged.

Check out the Non-Dominatrix Challenge and see everyone's shaky attempts :D

Simplicity

So I've been out of the picture for a long time. Life has been conspiring against all my good intentions and I've been too busy (ok... too worried) to take the time for myself to do 'stuff'. I haven't crocheted in weeks - all my hooking stuff is packed in boxes and in storage as I've been homeless for the last month. If I'd have been in my right mind I'd have avoided packing it all up!

I've been tangling all through my visa ordeal the last few months and I can say it really did help me stay calm and positive throughout. In the last week I've started to Tangle more. I've started a pattern book and spent time looking up new tangles online. Which is where I came across this fantastic Weekly Zentangle Challenge on I am the Diva's Blog. I'm VERY late to the game (13 weeks behind!) so I've got some catching up to do :D

Well I've started with the first challenge...Simplicity. My brain got in the way and my first attempt was less than simplistic! But I think I nailed it with this one...



Now I'm off to have a look at everyone else's offerings and whip up an entry for the current week's challenge!

Wow...How did it get to be 17th January already?

The clock struck midnight as I was on a train from Delhi to Mumbai...not the ideal way to celebrate the start of a new year. Everyone says that I'll spend the rest of the year travelling. Not so sure that's true - last year I celebrated at a party and I did not spend the rest of the year partying!

source

Nevertheless, 2011 has not been so good to me so far, and I've really not been in the mood to be creative. The only reason I'm writing this entry today is I'm feeling under the weather (due to 'safe to drink...there's nothing wrong with it!' yellow water) and I thought (rightly) that it'd perk me up a bit...

So I thought that I'd try to get my life in order a bit and set a few goals. I've not managed to come up with many so far (being ill has made my head go squishy!) so this may be an ongoing task...

2011 Goals
1. Write out monthly goals
2. Start speaking Hindi
3. Set up a financial plan and start saving
4. Make craft work for me
5. Read books/reports about success - 1 a month

So here we go...

January 2011 Goals
(well...last 2 weeks of Jan goals!)

1. Try out two new recipes and blog about them (on my other blog...the one about food)
2. Do at least 1 zentangle a week
3. Set up a tangle pattern book
4. Read at least 2 books, 1 of which should be related to success
5. Make and market Valentines day cards
6. Finish a chapter in my Hindi book

Gosh...looks like I'm going to be busy!

Happy 2011 everyone :D

Merry Christmas 2010

Granny Square Projects

Having a few days of holiday is doing me wonders :D
I've been chilling, walking, crafting and cooking...

Here's a quick peek at two new crocheted projects that I've made in the last 24 hours :D
Granny Square Bracelet:


Granny Square Coffee Cosy:

It's snowing in Mumbai... Fake snow that is!

I've really not done a good job at making time for craft, or updating this blog... I guess life got in the way as it does sometimes.
So last weekend I sat and made some snowflakes - 5, 6 and 7 pointed - and strung them up to add to my Christmas decorations.

Here's a few (rubbish quality) pictures:

Loverly Blooms

You may have seen the flowery head band that I made last week... well after writing my blog I made another one, this time a little smaller and I wore it as a brooch to work on Monday. I had a lot of nice comments from people, which prompted me to be brave (I've never worn any type of hair adornments in my life!) and wear my headband to work too - it was a hit! :D

I've also had a query from Karisse about how I made the headband, so now I've a little time to myself, I thought I'd let you all in on the secret. I've found the wonderful Art of Crochet by Theresa on You Tube.


The flower I user to make the headband is the Loopy Flower.

I just changed colour for the last round to make two tome flowers, and for the brooch, I made 8 SC in the chain loop in Round 1 and reduced the number of repeats in the rest of the rounds from 4 repeats to 3 to make 6 petals rather than 8!

Now I'm wondering if I can modify the pattern in some way to make a third layer of petals...That's a problem to think about later today!

Have a great weekend all... and please do check out Karisse's fantastic blog :D

Everything's coming up Flowery...

So I finished another three SunRise Granny Squares yesterday, then I made this beauty :D

It's my new flowery headband, as modelled by the delightful Coco! (No other willing models around)

It's not fixed, which means that I can always detach it and use it as a brooch too - just need to get a pin.


I'm really taken with this. I think I'll have to make a few more in different colours!
Off to start my hooking for the day...and rescue my headband!

Granny Square-tastic!

Last time I mentioned Granny Squares... Well I've been doing a little bit each day and so I thought I'd share a few pics of what I've made so far.


I found a video on You Tube about how to make SunRise Granny Squares and so I got started. I'm planning to make a blanket of some kind with these and as I've only completed six, I've got a long way to go. Also there might be quite a variation in colour throughout, as I'm not sure I'll be able to match the colours I've been using so far.


Besides the crocheting, life has been continuing along. The weather in Mumbai seems a bit screwed up - It's meant to be moving towards winter, but it's really hot still. And to add to that, there was the biggest downpour on Monday evening; a proper storm with thunder and lightening resulting in my car becoming a paddling pool again!

Last night I had a bit of a scare as my dog was really unwell and had to be rushed to the vets. She ended up having two injections and has medicine to take three times a day for the next few days. After a good night's sleep she seems much better; she woke me up by sitting on me (all 27 kilograms of her) and licking my face (yeeeuucccchhhh - not a nice way to start the day!).

I have a busy crocheting weekend ahead, as next week is going to be crazy busy at work. I'm attending a workshop from Monday to Wednesday about accelerated learning techniques and at the same time have to complete material for a 4 hour training module that will start from the following week. I don't think I'll have any time for anything besides eat - work - sleep (and walk Coco) next week.


So I'd better make a move as I need some more green yarn so I can make a yellow and green SunRise Granny Squares...

Busy, busy, busy

I've been really quite busy lately. Not too busy for craft, journaling, zentangling or cooking, but I've been a bit behind in blogging about it all.

So back last month when I started hooking, I found these cute, Roly Poly Bunnies... only when I started I could tell this wasn't coming out quite right. So I keep putting off making the rest of it. I currently have a bit of a misshapen lump rather than a cute bunny head and body. And I'm a little confused about how to make the ears, so I'm waiting for a while until I get better at this sort of thing!


My next adventure was into Granny Hearts as I found a fab tutorial on The Royal Sister's blog. The one I made came out really well and added to my coaster collection. I really like the idea of creating a banner out of these, but I'm a bit impatient you see, and tend to hop, skip and jump through projects.


I then came back to Hawaiian Flowers and made another really bright flower... just got to work out what to do with them now!


When I journal, I often follow prompts and a couple of weeks back I'd journalled about what I wanted to learn in the near future. One of the things I'd listed was Knitting, but I thought it'd be some time before I got round to it. Obviously the fates thought otherwise, and as part of the pre-work for a workshop I'm due to attend soon, I was asked to spend about an hour trying to learn something new and share a few words about the experience on the workshop's community website. (My words were: Confused, Trial-and-Error with lot's of error!, Beaming :D)
This is what I've knitted so far and it's on the way to becoming a new pink collar for Coco!


Finally, this time last week (Sunday evening) I sat and made two more cute notebooks / mini-journals, as two of my fab ladies had birthdays this week. I'm really pleased with them, and they were well received :D


This week has mostly been spent working too hard and spending much of my very limited free-time cooking, reading, journaling and playing with Coco-doggie. Yesterday I got the hook and yarn back out and I've gone back to the Granny Square, but a different version. More news about that another time, coz I'm itching to get back to the hook!

Catch you next time...

My Third Zentangle

Not a great pic...

Cadent, Keeko, Crescent Moon, Floorz

So I went to Goa and when I came back this had happened...

...Yes, I'd been given an award for my blog from a lovely little world. A big thank you goes to 'A Lovely Little World'- you made me feel special and brought a huge, beaming smile to my face :D

To accept the Versatile Blogger Award the rules are:
1. Thank and link back to who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass it along to 7 blogs you've recently discovered and enjoy
4. Leave your recipients a note, telling them about the award.

Ok then... I guess it's time to pass it forward.
I'd like to pass this award on to these 7 bloggers - they all inspire me in so many different ways...

Run With Scissors
A Quirky Girl's Thoughts
The Loulogue
I am the diva
The girl and boy
My Hobbie Lobbie
secretly loves pink


7 Things...
1. I'm English but I'm living in Mumbai
2. I've recently been inspired by sooooo many good blogs and have taken up journalling, crochet, knitting, zentanglling, and blogging of course!
3. I can cook a great pav bhaji
4. I'm learning Hindi
5. I'm a bookaholic - friends were astounded on the train journey home recently when I finished 'The Memory Keeper's Daughter' in one go!
6. By day (and night too sometimes) I'm a trainer in a big company
7. I have a crazy, chocolate brown labrador, Coco, who is pawing at me to play as I type...


So back to Saturday and more crafty stuff...

Flowers are Blooming and Birds are Pooping

Yesterday I finished this beauty... haven't had a lot of time to crochet this week... must get back to it!


Finished this as was unable to watch Ice Age 3, as some random people held a big (and late) Navratri bash just outside my window and made so much noise I couldn't hear the TV!

Also a bird pooped on me yesterday - I'm hoping for some good luck now :D

My Second Zentangle

With a little bit of Striping, Shattuck and Hollibaugh

My First Zentangle

Using three different variations of the 'Bales' tangle

Nice New Notebook

So I've been in quite a crafty mood this week. I've been crocheting, cooking, doodling, journalling and I've also discovered Zentangles.

Source

Zentangles are like organised doodling, except it only uses patterns so anyone can do it - no excuse of "I can't draw". And because you focus so much on what you're doing, it's actually good for relieving stress and lowering blood pressure. Kind of like doodling meditation!

If you want to learn more about Zentangles then check out the Zentangle website and blog.


So I'm really keen to get tangling, the only problem is - I don't have any notebooks with plain paper! So I decided to make one for myself... and that's the subject of today's blog :D

Easy-Peasy Lemon-Squeezy Notebook

Stuff you'll need:
I used some sheets of different coloured paper I had lying around, an empty cardboard box, scissors, glue-stick, measuring tape (I've lost my ruler!), a pencil, a needle, some yarn and some shiny stickers.


How to make the cute Notebook:
1. I cut the paper first into long strips the size I wanted.
2. I then folded them in half to make my notebook pages.
3. Then I cut the cardboard for the cover. It's a little bit bigger than the paper all the way round.
4. Next I used some more of the coloured paper to cover the cardboard using the gluestick to stick it down.
5. Using the needle and yarn I attached the pages to the cover, making sure the yarn is tied firmly.


6. Finally I decorated it with stickers!


Now I have to bring myself to use it... easier said than done. I find it really difficult to use nice stationery; I tend to hoard it for something special (I know - I'm crazy!).


I guess there's gonna be some Zentangle based posts coming soon... Happy crafting :D

Source

What a week! LML :D

Sunny Sunday walks with my Coco doggie

Monday showers

Mid-week bling!

Work in progress - more Hawaiian Flowers

Saturday Morning shock - Gigantor the Kitchen Lizard visits for breakfast!