TinkeringTimes

crafting 365: 257 world domination

crafting 365: 257 world domination, originally uploaded by ladyfort.

You know craft is taking over the world when Starbucks use balls of wool as this year's Christmas theme.

Taken as part of my Crafting 365 project. Day 257 - not doing badly!

Off at a tangent...

Wow I am a diagonal thinker apparently. I never knew such a thing existed before today but they do and I am one. It means you think laterally (which I knew) and linearly (is that a word? what does it mean?). So I am officially off at a tangent. No news there then.

It was a test I took for some work I might be doing. Tough way to spend an hour but very interesting.

If you want to see if you're a diagonal thinker too you can do so here. But be prepared to lose an hour of your life and get slightly frustrated along the way...

www.diagonalthinking.co.uk

The Butterfly Ball

How I wish I still worked at the Design Museum some days. This is one of those days, and here's why.

Please go if you're in the area, those guys really do know how to throw a party.

pepe and friends
where I will mostly be spending my birthday money this year

shopping in Chinatown

This weekend freedom beckons. The small moop has been dropped off at Grandma's leaving the mister and I free for my birthday weekend.

After a reminiscent lunch at a lovely Thai restaurant, bringing memories of our wedding and honeymoon flooding back, we head into Chinatown for some slightly drunken shopping.

Perspex panda money box.
We have been after the perfect money box for ages. I think we finally nailed it.

Hand drum.
Which, it turns out, is broken before we even got it home. But it looks cute and will still make an irritating enough noise, and we're still a bit drunk, so we don't care.

Ridiculously large plastic / oilcloth type bag. Really, it's nearly a metre square.
We kidded ourselves we had a really practical use for it - toy bag, washing bag, moop's bag for weekends away. We have absolutely no geniune use for it but it was too adorable to leave in the shop.

ooooh post!

I love a good bit of quality post to brighten my day. A parcel makes things better still. Imagine my utter surprise and disbelief when the lovely Laura sent me a crate of haberdashery goodies for no reason at all other than to celebrate the newly established partnership between her company Robson & Mason, and our Manchester Craft Mafia group. Feast your eyes people...

Scrumptiously womanly sewing box crammed full of goodies:
ribbons, needles, beads, bias binding, thread, tape measure, markers, pins, ric rac and more...

Heart headed pins, and I've been coveting some of these for a while, the woman's a mind reader.

Beads, sequins, threads and clasps for magpies like myself.
In a magnificent organising tray, the ideal gift for obsessively organisational nuts like myself.

Bag handles - the one thing I was actually expecting!

Paper basket books of needles, I haven't seen these for years. They really made me smile.

Gorgeously oversized green button. Green, you know how I love green.
And buttons. I'd say it's about 5cm across.

Cascade of ribbons, grosgrain, ricrac and bias binding

Jars of beads and buttons

And even a present for Jude, what a lovely touch.

As well as the gorgeous lemon polka-dot fabric it's all laid out on.
I feel like it's my birthday!

if i was 5 and lived in London

if I was 5 and lived in London I would be begging, pleading, on my hands and knees scrubbing the floor  and doing the washing up for a week if it meant someone would take me to see this...

Not only is Charlie and Lola the most gorgeous tv programme on the planet, with heavenly illustrations for craft, design and especially textile lovers; but the show is created by the wonderfully talented and inspiring Polka Theatre who cater in quality performances for little people. And, there will be puppets! I wonder if Soren Lorensen will be there

I hope it tours and comes a bit closer to Manchester.

If this means nothing to you, pop by their website and get to know them, you'll thank your lucky stars you did :: www.charlieandlola.com

Here's Polka's details too ::  Polka Theatre
 

life online

Mr F has come up with an entertaining idea...
"I'm going to start a website called EtsyFlickr widowers"

Of course the fatal flaw in his plan is that all the members of his gang won't actually be able to get anywhere near the 'puter for all the etsy and flickr wives...

Elsewhere I've been watching the progress of a local online business. They've been collecting some amazing vintage design pieces and other bits and bobs for years and have finally been able to open their online shop. It's definitely worth dropping by. Here's just a minute preview of the hundreds of items on sale...

These and an incredible range of other goodies at H is for Home

shop scandinavian live scandinavian

I have a huge weakness. For all things Scandinavian. Well - maybe not all things, but certainly all things design. Textiles, furniture, homewares, fabric. There's something about the clean simplicity and bold pattern that I find both jaw-dropping and calming all in one. So, in case you share this passion, a little round up of some lovely things and places to visit...

All things Marimekko can be found at www.alwaysmod.com (and I mean ALL things - never knew there are so many Marimekko products). You can buy their fabrics here too.

Everything Finnish, including this adorable 'Carrie' bike basket at Finnish Design Shop.

And everything under the sun, both vintage and contemporary, in the Nordic Design pool on Flickr

I wish I lived here...

Anymore sites you know of? Please add them as a comment and share the joy...

shopping

Sometimes I like to do a little random shopping round up - here's one now...

The Holding Company are offering 50% of various sizes and colours of hat boxes. I love these for storing ribbon, threads and zips. Hell you could even put hats in them if you wanted.

How lovely is this Ice Star candle holder by Studiomania? The blurb says, "Send a postcard and a gift in one go. This Ice Star tealight holder comes packaged as a postcard. The holder is laser-cut in 4mm plywood and comes with a tealight, ready to light up". Sounds good to me - buy it here




Loving this limited edition print by Norwich based illustrator Robert Shadbolt. Buy it here

Zip, lace and saftey pin stickers from Pedlars, one of my favourite online / mail order shops - perfect for all those Christmas parcels...

And finally for now - before I really get on a roll - these Chinese letter boxes, also from Pedlars. I don't actually know what I'd use it for but I still feel like I absolutely must have one...