A comment on comments

Whilst I am of course writing this 'ere journal for my own mirth and amusement, I am aware that others are reading it too, and that's fabulous to know that someone who I may or may not know has taken the time to plough through my waffle and, of course, come away a better person as a result...(HAHAHA!!!!)

It has, however, come to my attention that people are there but not leaving comments: I have a counter, as dangerous to a paranoid sod like me as a medical dictionary is to a hypochondriac.

Am I attracting shy types, lurkers or, more fascinatingly, perverts? Or is it the hassle of filling in your details in order to post a comment? The first point, I can't really comment on, only to say 'Welcome!' (and if you're a pervert: please clean up afterwards) but the second point: once you've filled in your details, you won't have to do it again. You can then comment on anyone's blog, not just mine. You won't get your face spammed off or any other such virtual heinous crimes. I won't see your e-mail address so you can be as covert as you like.

Are you already a mate of mine, or Mr Yumptatious? Excellent: as many bloggers make new friends via the world of Blog, we are simply cutting out that stage of getting to know each other, although thats tosh as we never really fully know each other so that means we still have lots to learn! Hurrah!

Are you a family member? Now this is why I think my counter is really going up: my Mum reads my blog at the same time as my Dad: she sends him a mail telling him to read the blog whilst he sends an email telling her to read the blog. She gets the email, reads the blog at the same time, he does likewise. This pattern repeats itself all day, gradually increasing the amount of hits the blog gets. This sounds like a maths question in probability...

Anyhoo, to get you started on the comment path, I've included some template comments to cut and paste, but feel free to use your own.

See you on the other side!
E
x

My life was a hollow mockery until I read your blog, but now it has meaning, colour and purpose. I am, and remain, your loyal, humble servant.

I'm stopping off at a cake shop/off licence on my way home: what would you like?

Your bags rock my world: where can I buy them?

Do you think Robbie should get back with Take That?

I know exactly what you mean! I did the same thing with mine and I had to spend all day unpicking the bugger!

I love your pictures: are you available for weddings?

I feel your pain

Hahaha! THAT is comedy gold!

I'm a publisher and I want to publish your face off.

A valid point, but I'll have to disagree with you on that one as you are clearly delusional and have no concept of space and relative dimension. I like the monkeys though.

Take your time

We've lived in Tonbridge for just over 7 years and in all that time I've never been to the weekly flea-market and never been to the weekly WI farmers market. With the first one, I've always been put off by the word 'flea'. Are my purchases going to be infested with small bitey things? Why 'flea'? Are the blood-sucking insects known for their thriftiness? Was it started in California by scary sock-on-cock Chili Pepper bassist and Back to the Future 2 bad boy Flea?
And as for the WI: its only on for a couple of hours in the morning, so that by the time I remember, its already stopped. Crap excuse, but honest.
Any hoo, I stopped into a charity shop whilst ploughing through a typical 'mum' shopping list (you know: swimming trunks, coffee, phone top up, deodorant, life etc oh, and my favourite magazine...

check out the cover of the cd: she R.O.C.K.S.

and there, shining with the after glow of what must have been a bargain tractor (tracter?) beam were these Whittard beauties, brand new and wanting me bad.

Suffice to say, you are now welcome to take tea in the house of yumptatious.

Full of joy and clattering mugs, I finally took in the 2ftx12ft sign, proclaiming the presence of a flea market and, insect repellent at hand, went in.
One stall looked like the contents of a wardrobe had been hormonally removed by a PMT-laden woman, intent on finding an item she is convinced is in their somewhere: this would have been the table behind, catching the flying items. Fearing that I may fall in, I moved along.
Eventually, after wading through military brass, old cameras, a plethora of out of date cosmetics, glass figurines and the like, I found a small piece of heaven. Boxes of buttons, some ordered, some dumped into cardboard boxes, some sewn onto strips of card, an old wooden box full of wooden spools of aged cotton, still true of hue, trimmings and ribbon offcuts, memories of projects past. Trying not to drip saliva, I bought a few items to keep me going...

these buttons are actual size (the other ones are this big too)

I literally squealed 'Are you here every week?!' in a boy-hits-puberty stylee and somehow resisted the urge to leap over the table and hold her in a warm platonic embrace.
Well how good was my morning going?! I left the flea market skipping then resumed my normal gait as the clatter of cups in my bag suggested potential breakage. All ready to go home, I passed the sign for the WI market, today celebrating its 5oth year and finally went in. It's in a tiny little old Scout hut, containing a tea stall and chairs and a few trestle tables carrying plants, fabric peg bags, organic pressed apple juice, home-made pies, jams, chutneys, and marmalade:

this is absolutely delicious.

As I started for the exit, a lady carrying a tray of small plastic cups containing what I assumed to be samples of the apple juice, gave me a cup and asked if I would like to celebrate their 50th anniversary with them. Thanking her, I took a full, thirsty swig and a) realised I hadn't had my breakfast yet and b) this wasn't apple juice. Friends: this is the way to start the day. Champagne on an empty stomach. Classy! Suffice to say I giggled, for many reasons, all the way home.

Did my good fortune stop then! No! My Moo cards had arrived!

Some are a bit dark but are fine for what I want: they're going to be my price tags. Better get busy with the whole punch.

After strong coffee from a new mug and toast with new marmalade, I set about getting this chap ready ...

monkey, you may want to move once I finish him: he won't be so harmless then...

I think putting the controls on him activated the Force. Nothing to do with laughing at ones own jokes whilst taking photos...

A bit of evil, pocket sized. Treat your socks with love and respect, kids, or they will, like this pair, turn to the Darkside and blow up your home planet just for kicks (I don't think that champers has worn off...)

Busybusybusy

Well after the joy of completing the first shopper, I received a lush package from Reprodepot and set about making some more:

Jo at work wanted a bag but I wasn't sure which one she'd prefer so took in the lot

She chose this beauty

with its rather dazzling inside

the others have plain white cotton linings, but with a patterned inner pocket.

I'm not going to put these on Etsy just yet but am taking them to Gazastock, where, in between supping tasty ales, moshing embarrassingly to juicy tunes, I shall endeavour to sell my wares. I'm going to take these felt badges





and I'm making some monkeys too...

monkeys in the making












blind monkeys and gratuitous crotch shots

I sense a disturbance in the Force (to be continued....)

and the pants bags are going as I thought they'd be perfect for camping.
We had a riot last year: its in a small field, 20 minutes drive from home, very family friendly and some excellent music. We particularly enjoyed the Mighty Peas and Origami Dinosaur, but to be honest, it was all good. I'm going to stay away from the cider this year, however...

I also made my first skirt, with guidance from this book. In my haste to make a piece of lushness, I forgot to put in darts (and as a curvy UK size 16, I do need them) but I don't care because it sits where it should and makes me smile.


Its for wearing over trousers: bit short, for me, to wear on its own. I can't wait to have another go, but this time taking a bit more care. Perhaps.

After all that creativity, it was time to sort out my hair. I'd had it cut from shoulder length and, although it looked great when I left the salon, I thought it was a bit mumsy. A bit nice. A bit grown up. It made me feel boring, like I'd given up. It just wasn't me. But I kept it for 8 weeks, and at least it was out of my face. Luckily, my hairdresser can reasess a situation and get it right.



from hair frustration (at least it smells good cos its washed with this) to hair jubilation!


Ladies and gents: the beeeatch is back...

Happy shopper

Latest edition to the family: yumptatious:

a joyous, psychadelic cotton shopper


carries everything!


'Oh, hello Mr Stormtrooper Sir....How can I help? Rebel Spies?!! Here?!!! I don't think so.....'



....oh. The monkeys were trying to commandeer my happy shopper to restore peace and balance to the galaxy. Its a nice bag, but the Millenium Falcon it ain't.


Vader's booty. But, lo; what have the rebels spotted?


Surely not the one's who informed the Imperial Guard?!


LANDO('s)!!! (and I thought they were all friends)

13 years: 3 years

Happy anniversary, my extremely gorgeous boy! 13 years since the day we started, 3 years since we wed (you don't want to rush these things...)

Procrastination Friday

I don't want to write up the minutes of last nights' school governors meeting. There are so many other things I want to do, such as:

gaze in a mildly meditative state at the lushness of my garden...

rhododendron, originally uploaded by yumptatious.

finish these happy flower badges...

make the bags that I've cut up these pieces for...

Monkey Dave, Rabbit Uno and Gaia have been editing last night's notes...

whilst everyone else has been working on the layout and general structural cohesion...

PUT THAT DAMN CAMERA DOWN WOMAN AND GET THIS DONE, YOU CRAZED PROCRASTINATING HARPIE!

They may look cute, but they're harsh.

The logistics of the studio in the kitchen

Whilst a rather gorgeous chilli cooked...

I made this...

with this gorgeous fabric (I will read my camera's Macro function instructions ....)


in fact, I made 2

2 pants bags, originally uploaded by yumptatious

ps: its a tad annoying that you can only blog one photo at a time from Flickr: thats why the pics are different sizes.
By the way: the chilli was indeed delicious but Inspector Morse was doing my head in:

studio kitchen

studio kitchen 5, originally uploaded by yumptatious.

As much as I would love a designated studio, I have to commandeer (sp?) the kitchen. When I get really involved (or my habit of 'I'll just finish this first...' with absolutely no concept of how long a task actually takes) we tend to eat very late.

I shouldn't moan, BUT I do think that having to pack everything away, or at least pushing it all literally aside, does hinder a decent creative flow. I therefore grab my opportunities when I can.
You can see why I had to get rid of my loom...

dream guardian no.22 by herzensart

dream guardian no.22, originally uploaded by herzensart.

Just off for an early night when I came across this....
I will sleep safer tonight!

ps: have a look at this fabulous woman's other work here

And so it starts...

Its strange: ever since I decided to start a blog a couple of weeks ago, my life has had a running commentary to it. I've been engorged with the need to tell complete strangers from all around the world of my joys and woes as I clamber back onto the rodeo bull that is craft. Like a squirrel expecting a heavy winter, I have been storing other crafters blogs, soaking up inspiration like my liver to real ale, drowning in a sea of metaphor of my own making.
But I digress....

Its all go at the moment.
After getting back in the crafters saddle with this

(a blanket made from scraps of fabric I've been saving for...well, who knows what for...a fabric drought?)

I got the bag making bug again, which was a relief as I'd been suffering from a severe creative block. The idea was to use up all the bits of fabric that I have languishing under my bed to make some space for the stuff that is still homeless: our house is tiny so every little inch of space counts. So I thought I'd throw it out to the world to see what people thought, and hopefully buy, thus making space for me and the family. Although I wouldn't mind keeping them!

I've set up a shop at Etsy: I'd love to know what you think.

I've started putting up my photos on Flickr: your comments will be gratefully received!

But its been tricky keeping focused on setting up the shop and Flickr with all this gorgeousness shouting at me:

says it all


yummy blues n greens


sexy reds (can you have sexy buttons?)


oh how I love ebay! They all came in the tin, each one put away for when its needed. Each button with a tale to tell.

I also got these beauties in the post:

yum...


the obligatory Japanese sewing book


cups of tea! Its a sign!!!


I love this naive style of embroidery


Not many magazines can claim this, although this magazine does it for me!


I'm off to put the last bits on Etsy so that Bernina and I can create some more gorgeousness!
Have a lush weekend!

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