Magnetic Attraction!

Take one fading picture, plus the glass out of its frame...

Separate the back from the front and prepare to change the  frame colour.

Find some matt black paint from the garage (hiding behind some paint pots). Cover the back of the frame with two coats of the paint.

Put to use the REALLY dark purple paint from the "bedroom  wall disaster colour" episode a few years back....

Get the husband to cut the magnetic grid sheet (from B&Q, we took a fridge magnet to test it!) with jewellery pliers to exact size of back of board.

Assemble all pieces and mount on the wall, with assorted magnets!

Pink magnet is a felt, flattened chocolate button shaped  item left over from another craft. I glued a spare magnet on the back.   The black flattened plastic magnet was a pack of 6 from Smiths, but as I had some tiny pink stickers left over from scrapbooking I used these to pretty them up a bit!  The peg I took off the fridge and gave it a new home!

A few more girly touches at each corner!

I know I could have bought a cheaper magnetic board from somewhere else, but this was much more fun and expressed a process of planning and pondering resulting in a pinboard uniquely designed by me learning to play and not stress over perfection!

Felt Needs

Sometimes you just have to start somewhere and get moving with a concept or a decision rather than wait for it to take shape before your eyes in its perfect form...  I ended last year with a number of embryonic ideas whirring around in my head and twice as many questions following up close behind.  Should I start this, should I change that, hand this over or wait.  I questioned my motives, did a reality check....oh you wouldn't believe it.  My mind seems to be mulling stuff over constantly!  Sometimes I say to dh, if I see him staring into space "What are you thinking about?" "Nothing" he replies..."Nothing???!!" I cannot get my head around this.  Even when I wake up in the night I always have a song in my head...bizarre.  I think I ought to do a play list at the end of the week and see what I listen to when I sleep!

So when it came to this blog, I was stirred up to be more proactive this year, stop waiting for the Muse to come and just write a few of my thoughts and observations down as and when...It doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to look like someone else's. It just needs to be authentically me.

So now here we are entering Week 2 of the year and what do I see? Zippo, the blog pages for 2011 are empty, why? Part of my problem is I want to, but I leave it until the evening...too tired. (I keep chicken hours!)  Rethink...need to book time in, only trouble is: have to be in the mood, capture the moment, obviously going to have to work on this one.

The other thing I am learning is that I have something to offer, I don't need to see other people's creativity as the only way. This felting project began by following the pattern exactly, apart from my own choice of colours, I have been guided by the instructions.  Well no, I have been rigidly adhering to them, except that my knots were more visible than they should be, in my eyes...so I had a rethink and halfway though the design I changed two things about the pattern.  Will it work?  We'll see if the coaster stands the test of time.  I am happier with the result, but it isn't perfect.

So my first attempt is a bit wobbly, but I have two more coasters to make and I will improve as I go, that's the point.  I have learned along the way! Thank goodness I am not a perfectionist, that little curve could really do my head in!

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Thank you, Jane, you were the encouragement I needed to kick start this blog into action this year. We've never met but little by little we are learning about each other's lives.  Also, hello to the person in Togo who popped in to have a read yesterday! 

So here's to 2011 and what's my word for the year? Purposeful....let's see where it leads.

Eggs!

Had a surprise package from my Mum in Greece, this week! Last year when we visited her we couldn't find any left in the shops. Thankfully, it's not all written in Greek, so here is the process, in pictures! I had never seen "sleeves" before and was quite dubious until I tried them...Now I shall be requesting them every Easter!


The eggs below have been hardboiled and drained on the kitchen paper.


Add the sleeves



Place back in COLD water and bring to the boil slowly

The sleeves gradually pucker up and adhere to the egg


The finished result!



First boil the eggs for 8 minutes


Cover eggs with hot or cold water and add 250ml vinegar

Remove after 6 minutes







Thanks Mum, I had a lot of fun!!!