Wednesday 29 February 2012

February Photo Scavenger Hunt





Once again I ended up getting quite a few of these at the last minute...


Music




Food
These chocolate brownies not only taste good but I think they would surely count as one of your Five a Day as they're made with prunes (must have a few though to make sure).   There's no butter in them either so are really healthy.  ;)






Love




Cupid
I didn't think I was going to get anything for this, but I was walking down a street in Manchester and spotted this van at the end of the road.  By the time I'd got my camera out, it was moving away, but I just managed to get the back of it (the eros, not the peros)




In the sky
The moon in the daytime
                                               




Black and White




5    (x 2)
As some of the subjects were looking away, I'm giving you two very similar photos so that you can see more lovely faces




Leap Year
I really struggled with this, but then thought to get my son leaping.  He only allowed me three takes, and this is the best one




Train
On the inside looking out




Crowded




Empty




Heritage
Gainsborough Old Hall




You can see other entries for the scavenger hunt over at Postcards from the P.P.  and if you'd like to join in for March, Kathy will be putting up the list shortly.










Tuesday 21 February 2012

It's in the can



As I said in my last post, I needed some empty aluminium cans to decorate a bag I envisaged making.  
I wasn't having much luck finding them, but when I was driving to do my weekly shop I saw a couple thrown onto the grass verge at the side of the road.  For once I was glad to see litter! 

If you remember the jacket with the glass pieces on that gave me the inspiration, then you'll see that this has turned out quite a bit different.  The pieces are shiny, but not smooth, as I decided to emboss them with different designs.





The outside fabric started life as a laptop bag that my daughter made a while ago but gave to me for scrap.  I cut it up to the size I wanted and used some of the original spare fabric she had to make the strap.
I've lined it with fabric from a pillow case and added an open pocket plus a handy little key fob
 and also a zipped pocket, which is the first one I've done and I'm pretty pleased with it.


I'd intended to fasten it with a magnetic clasp, but I seem to have misplaced them, so I've put a loop and button on.
I thought about making a button out of the aluminium but it would have been too thin on it's own, and then I had the idea of using a milk bottle top!  I used it to cover a plain button and stuck a piece of fabric on the back to smooth it off.  What I like about it is, if you look closely at it you can make out the 'use by' date which is FEB 15 so is a good reminder of when I made it (ok it wasn't 15th but close).

Monday 13 February 2012

Getting sidetracked





I was sorting through a large pile of paperwork in an attempt to get more organised, when I came across a Red magazine from last year with this fashion page
The jacket (at a price of £3000!) was decorated with pieces of glass.
  
"I'll have to try that"  I thought, and decided to make a bag with glass pieces on the front.  Thinking about it a bit more though, I realised that the glass would probably need the edges grinding down or whatever to make them safe, and also it would be heavy.
"What's shiny and lightweight?" I thought.  Then I remembered the tree art I made out of aluminium cans which are dead easy to cut, so would be just the thing.
I only had one empty can though which I thought wouldn't be enough.  
Actually it probably would have been because you get a surprising amount of aluminium from one can when it's opened out, but it was too late, I'd already been sidetracked by this.
So I decided to make a box
I took loads of photos but couldn't get the pattern to show up properly.  I think it could do with a bit more detail but it's too late now.  When I get another can I'm going to make a second one, slightly larger and more ornate and use it as a lid for this one.


Back to the tree art I mentioned at the beginning; last year I added some springs to the tree which I took off a broken mini trampoline.


Whilst looking for cans, I also found a couple of small tinfoil pie dishes in our recycling, and I used them to make flowers which I've added to the springs.  


When I get more raw materials I'll make two more to finish it off.  
Oh, and I might make a bag!


In the meantime, back to the paperwork.  



Monday 6 February 2012

A snowy walk





This is what happens if you stay still whilst the the snow is blowing across! 


We've had about four inches of snow which is just nice for a walk.  I didn't go out until late afternoon, when the sun was quite weak in the sky


It was misty in the distance





On the way back the fog was coming in and it was quite eerie

Saturday 4 February 2012

Shrek ears and lamb





Whilst out walking yesterday I noticed an old fence post with what I think is lichen growing on it which looks just like Shrek's ears!
What do you think?

I went back for a photo today before it got covered in the snow that's been forecast and spotted this lamb, which is the first I've seen this year.




When I got back home it did begin to snow and it's now white over, but after all the snow we had last Winter I'm not so excited this time - more wary of how long it will last!



Friday 3 February 2012

Bottling it up





When you're at the gym, do you find that it's a faff gathering up your 'essentials' and carrying them from one piece of equipment to the next?
It was for my daughter, who asked me if I could make something to fit on her water bottle to hold all the things she couldn't be without.


So I came up with this wrap.  It fastens with velcro and has one pocket for her gym card and phone, and another for her earphones and ipod, with a key fob for her locker key.




So now she only has to pick up the bottle.