It's nearly Chwreathmas

Went to the Power of Making exhibition at the V&A Museum on Sunday.  This exhibition has been on for some months now and as per usual I'm late in jumping on the bandwagon.

Loved it.  It really took crafting to another dimension.

Get a load of this life size "crochetdermy" bear:

This fabulous dress made entirely of pins:

A giant gorilla made of hundreds of wire clothes hangers:

To quote the blurb in the programme "Making is the most powerful way that we solve problems, express ideas and shape our world.  What and how we make defines who we are, and communicates who we want to be."

Mmmmmm.  Quite who I "want to be" with this make, I dread to think......

Yes, dear readers, it's that time of year again when I show you my plastic bag Xmas wreath fashioned from a  wire clothes hanger and strips of plastic bags (the transparent ones you find in the supermarket for fruit and veg).  I know, I know, it's too exciting for words, isn't it?

Last year, it looked like this:

This year, I thought I'd spruce it up a bit and add a couple of glittery penguins and a pink flocked reindeer:

Mr J and P thinks that I've "really gone and done it this time".

At first, instead of the pink flocked reindeer, I had the pair of purple feathery wings that I showed you in this post.  I'm happy, though, with the pink flocked  reindeer.  On the negative side, it does bang against the door when it's windy causing me to remark on more than one occasion "Who the devil is that at the door!".  Mr J and P has also complained that he's been woken up more than once by the knocking reindeer.

The offending "knocking" reindeer in close-up

My, how we suffer for our Christmas creativity.

Bye everyone. Have a good one. xxxxxxxx

Clutter Clearout

Hold the front page!

Decluttering Debacle at J and P Towers!

Little Miss J and P spent three days, last week, emptying her room of STUFF.  I'm trying to convince myself that this is a good move.

When I asked in a small tremulous voice "What the heck are you doing?", she replied "Mum, I'm having a clutter clearout."  When I asked, incredulously, "Why?" (clutter clearouts are few and far between at J and P Towers), she replied "Seriously, mum, I'm not a hoarder like you!".  Well, that told me.

Mr J and P and myself have been observing this daily de-clutter with horror and something resembling fear at the teetering PILES OF STUFF that have been DUMPED on the landing outside her room (and ours) making the landing and stairs a danger zone. 

I thought that decluttering was meant to be carthartic and liberating.  Quite frankly, dear readers, this exercise has been a complete nightmare for me. 

I've ended up going through the piles and dividing them into more piles than you can shake a proverbial stick at.  At one point we had:

1.  a pile for the charity shop

2.  a pile for recycling

3.  a pile for the bin

4.  a pile for a possible car boot sale

5.  a pile for ebay

6.  a pile to give to friends

7.  a pile which Mr J and P and myself have lovingly rescued containing puffin books (some of which belonged to a little Mr J and P) and annuals (all of which belonged to a little moi).

Apart from the piles for the bin and the recycling, nothing else has left the house and stuff is still languishing on the landing or in bags in our bedroom until I can:  a) get to the charity shop, b) see our friends, c) find somewhere to store the items destined for ebay and the boot sale, d) find shelf space for the lovingly rescued puffins and annuals.

On the plus side, Little Miss J and P's room has become some sort of minimalist haven.  Although, Mr J and P has just reminded me that no-one has tackled what might be lurking under her bed.  Aaaaaargh!   I think we'll be needing a white coat, surgical mask and gloves to investigate the horrors under there......

Weird Wings

I was feeling a little smug yesterday.  A bit like one of those supermummies, who, at 8.30 pm on Thursday, when their darling daughter announces that they are dressing up as a fairy at school the next day on some dressy-uppy-day-thingy and they need some wings to complement their outfit and the suppermummy calmly replies "Yes, of course, darling, I'll just whip you up a pair of wings.  Won't take a few minutes..."

Except, that scenario didn't quite happen.  When confronted by this demand at ridiculous o'clock last night, my reaction was "No way, Jose".  After several minutes of whingeing and whining on Little Miss J and P's part,  I thought I had a brainwave.  I plucked the purple feathery wings decoration from the Xmas wreath (I'll be telling you all about the wreath debacle in another post, don't you worry) and attempted to attach them to Little Miss J and P's hoodie.  

Unfortunately the wings were not for attaching.

So, then I had another brainwave.  I found some white felt and white feather trimming languishing in the sewing box.  (No wonder, the feather trimming was languishing, the bloody thing moulted all over the place while I was fiddling with it - v. annoying).

Using the purple feather wings as a template, I drew the outline onto the white felt, cut it out, sewed (yes, sewed) the feathery trim onto the felt and, lo and behold:

A set of feathery wings which I rustled up in MINUTES.

I attached them to Little Miss J and P's hoodie with safety pins.

Here's hoping there are no safety pin mishaps today at school!

So, yes, I was feeling smugly supermummyish until I overheard Little Miss J and P, this morning, say to her little friend over the phone "Yeah, and my mum made me this set of weird wings."  The cheek of the child!

"Weird wings" indeed!

Disgruntled of Blogland. xx