Once a carnie, always a carnie

I led one of my paper craft classes at the Crescent Arts Centre on Sunday and we did a couple of new crafts, including this big top made from an old book. I've been making book trees (below) for the past couple of christmases but never realised that by making just one fold instead of three, you end up with this circus tent design!

Wouldn't it be cute decorating a kid's room or birthday party? My lack of offspring won't stop me from displaying it in the house though. I like it because husband Danny and I met while working at a giant ferris wheel in Belfast so we're practically circus folk ourselves.

In Sunday's class we made the book trees/big tops, 3-D hanging stars, streamer garlands, giant paper pompoms and origami crane garlands. If you fancy learning some papercraft all of my classes will be repeated in the next term of the Crescent's jam-packed programme. 

  

Chez moi

Inspired by my earlier room envy post, I tidied up this corner of our living/dining room. It's not quite as elegant but I like things to be homey. I'd completely forgotten I had this amazing and really long zebra painted hanging that I bought in Zambia a few years ago. So it is now the one and only 'curtain' I have in the house. Shameful. 

The beautiful silver bonbon tray was recently passed to me after my great aunt died, and the poster is a copy of the old British Railways poster for my hometown.

Our makeshift bookcase which consists of the base of an old dressing table and the wooden pigeonhole unit, both of which we pulled out of skips. They've been awaiting a revamp for a while, but until I find a bookcase, there they stay.

And I got this toy tiger today in a charity shop because I keep seeing spray-painted toy animals on the blogosphere and I want to get in on that action!

Christmas in Portstewart

Christmas has been and gone but the festivities are still continuing in our house. My brother just got back from Wales last night so today is the only day we're all together before my big sister heads back to London. We'll be having a nice dinner tonight and even more presents. Speaking of which, here are some photos from Christmas day and the cool presents we gave each other.

Check out the AMAZING brooch I got from my parents, above. And the geek craft book was a present for my sister (she's the coolest geek around so there was no offence taken I don't think) and there are a few ideas in there I'll have to steal.

I have a feeling though that I shall have my work cut out attacking all of the crafts in the Martha Stewart encyclopedia of crafts that I got for myself just before Christmas. Me loves Martha.

I got a gorgeous origami crane necklace from my brother and sisters as a reminder of all the cranes we folded for my wedding. And it's actually made from a tiny folded piece of silver, amazeballs. The earrings are from Danny.

So once we were done in Portstewart it was up to Belfast for even more presents and dinner with the in-laws.

Present-wrapping in Portstewart

A while back I found some amazing old 'Picture Post' magazines from 1939 and they've just been sitting in a pile ever since. So, I decided I'd make some use of the hilarious retro advertisements to decorate my presents. The cigarette advert above was the obvious choice for my mother-in-law's gift. And I'm not making any kind of statement about my sister-in-law's mental state in the picture below - I just thought the ad was funny!

I got back home to Portstewart yesterday and have already caught up with loads of my school friends last night at the pub. Today has been spent wrapping presents, visiting family friends to exchange gifts and watching other people make yummy things like my mum's Christmas cake below.

It's so nice not to be working in retail anymore so I get proper Christmas holidays for the first time in years. Bliss. I hope you're all with friends/family and having a gay old time.

x

A Christmas Fair

Here are some pictures from the fair Danny and I did at the Black Box on Sunday. It was a big weekend overall what with the model workshop on Saturday, the Lulu Lounge Christmas do on Saturday night and then the fair on Sunday. But it was worth the effort and I even managed to sell three cake stands which I've been lugging back and forth to various fairs, so it was a relief to lighten the load on the way home.

Hope you had a great weekend too!

Recycled Book Christmas Trees

I only accepted the fact that summer is over a few weeks ago but now I'm jumping head first into Christmas mode. Here is my first batch of recycled book trees for this year. They make sweet presents and are good for decorating your dinner table or mantlepiece.

These are a few from last year, on my mantlepiece with the gorgeous nativity set we were given as a wedding present.

I'm going to be selling some from the Lulu Lounge in the city centre and hopefully at a few Christmas craft fairs. And I'm also really excited that the Belfast branch of Waterstones have bought some off me to use as rather appropriate Christmas decorations. (forgive the rubbish phone photos)

Today's find: vintage magazines

I found these great 'Picture Post' magazines in a charity shop (the same one where I got the old music manuscripts) and they all date from 1939 or 1940. There were hoards of these magazines, carefully preserved by someone for 70 odd years and they are filled with photographs from all around the world and really interesting articles about anything and everything under the sun though not surprisingly Hitler and his cronies feature quite often.

I'll make another post with pictures from the articles but for now here are some adverts. I might frame a few of them or use them in craft projects if I can bear to cut them up. 

 

Above: ways for the modern lady to wear a veil, how very civilised. And below, a brilliant advert for Phosferine tonic wine as a remedy for depression.

Black Box Book Swap

Some photographs from the book swap and family fun day at the Black Box yesterday. Above and below - vintage whatnots on my stall.

Some of my cake stands and lots of children having fun painting, watching the puppet show and in a drum circle. Lots of noise. Not very many people buying anything. I'd really rather not talk numbers.

Danny and I made up for the disappointment by going to a gig later on with Kieron Goss at the Grand Opera House that my parents had given me tickets for. Kieron's music really didn't float my boat but he has great banter and he had some amazing guests on with him, notably Maura O'Connell, Tom Paxton and Edie reader whose voice totally blew me away and it was worth going just to hear her three songs. The packed audience was fully in the swing of things and we unabashedly sang along to several songs. I love that feeling of solidarity you get when you start singing with a huge bunch of strangers.

Children's book swap tomorrow at the Black Box, Belfast

If you happen to be in or near Belfast tomorrow then you should totally call down to the Black Box in the Cathedral Quarter for the kid's book swap from 12 - 3.

It'll be a brilliant day for families and book lovers so if you have some old books lying around why not bring them down and get some new ones in return. You can feel good about it too as you'll be promoting sustainability and recycling.

I'll also have a craft stall at the event selling some vintage bits and bobs including some kids books and homewares, some of my photography and handmade things including record bowls and cake stands made out of vintage china.

Hope to see some lost and found readers there!

x

Latest finds

I used to buy just about all my clothes from charity shops but these days I bypass the clothes and head straight for the 'bric-a-brac'. That must mean I'm growing up or nesting or somehting. I've also started thinking about the whole idea of buying fewer but more expensive pieces of clothing instead of my usual end of sale bargains, I've yet to put those thoughts into practice though.  

Today though I found this cute playsuit which I can't wait to wear as soon as the sun makes an appearance, and I also got some harem pants from oxfam. But it was the bric-a-brac again which won out. I bought a veritable trove of treasure, including this doll which I'll be bringing along to the book fair on Saturday, and some more vintage books. Gotta love the English/African stereotypes on the cover of 'The Valley of Mystery'.