What's Aloft, Attack that Attic - What's in Your Glory Hole?

 Month 1 - Bite 16

Things are getting serious now. It's time to address some hidden horrors!

I'm not attempting to dig into our shed or motor into the garage - largely what's in those isn't in my remit (hooray) - tools, lawnmower, endless bits of wood, plant pots... Those I leave to other very organised and tidy hands!

My walk of shame will lead me upstairs into the loft!

It's the day of reckoning for all the boxes and suitcases hiding above.

Thankfully the photo is awful so you can't see all that's up there - the worse part is that's only some of the haul.

Now's my chance to rummage in the boxes and find out exactly what is in all those boxes, bags and suitcases.

I know that there are manuals I used in my former working life that I now have on my hard drive that can be recycled and a stack of cardboard boxes that I was saving to use in the post - but even I don't have that much to put through the Royal Mail! So those are two piles that can come down immediately.

I need to know just how much yarn, beading, fleece and fabric to name but four categories of 'stuff' before I'm further tempted into adding to.

Nothing for it, but to just grasp the challenge and go for a day of exploration...

On the road..

No blog last week - I was doing a lot, but didn't have anything to show! Work saw me travelling a bit - to Bristol and then twice to Wales with overnight stays.. It seems like there's lots of work happening so I'll be back and forth to Wales quite a bit over the next few months! The school staff I'm supporting there are lovely so I'm looking forward to it, although the winter driving will be a bit tiring...

Anyway, I haven't been idle, but can't show you everything in case the recipients are peeking! So here's a sneak preview...

 

Then I had a craft fair which went reasonably well and my tree decs seemed to attract some nice comments. Here's one final one for home that just needs neatening up - it's a wooden curtain ring that I found lurking.

I also decided on some festive knitted bunting!

And I've been playing with beads again - here's a bag charm I made 'cos I felt like it!

Then I found some of the clay shapes I made and popped some magnets on the back for some simple fridge magnets..

This week is all about catching up with some writing - no nice picture books this time - I'm mapping out the links between the Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish and English curriculum and the mateials provided by the organisation that I write for... Just a little bit of work before we start on the festivities..

Anyway that's a brief run down - I'm off to Handmade Monday - task avoidance tactics before I get started

What a difference a week makes!

Phew! The weeks rattle on at a pace..

Last week I finished off creating some English tests and thought that was the end of my work for the forseeable and then the proof reading started appearing - yippee..

On top of that, last week's fair was fairly quiet - lots of people looking and making nice noises about things but not buying and then at this week's fair they started buying stuff too...

It just proves you can't predict what's going to happen.. Perhaps it's just that I seem to have more energy this week - look what I've been up to!  I decided to use some materials lying around

beads

 

 

and yarn

 

 

 

and some sari silk I spun ages ago

and other ideas that had come free with magazines -

 
even if these aren't quite finished!

I even got as far as getting the sewing machine out (more of that next time) and found a stash of felt to hand stitch (I'll do some photos of that for next time too)..

Oh yes and having got the photos to load onto the blog I found that I'd got some comments as well.. (a while ago), but I hadn't taught myself about finding them until I stumbled across them - so I know there are people out there reading my ramblings.. quite a week..

Think I mentioned the idea of 101 tips for pulling the horns in financially so I'll start on those, while I'm on a run..

Number 1 I've mentioned before.. Having read a book by someone who wanted to try a year without buying anything I was stunned when she suggested started with her kitchen cabinet containing 11 different types of rice - I couldn't begin to name more than 4 or 5!  Still I've been literally raiding the larder.  We're on a mission to finish up things in the cupboards before buying too much food.. I may not have 11 different types of rice, but tea.. hmmmm...

and that leads to Number 2.. Now the freezer has been virtually emptied it's now being defrosted as I type in order to make it work more efficiently.  It's the second appliance to fall under my beady eye. Hope it meets with more success than the washing machine.  The recommendation for ours is that if you use lots of low temperature washes you should run a high temperature programme every so often.  I have, but sadly it seems that the snail hotel in our pipes was at maximum capacity - so now the utility room reeks of boiled snails!!  eerruugh...

Anyway - that's enough of me for now -

Have a good week....

Now where was I..?

I know, it's been a while, but the time just seems to woosh by - don't know when I had time for a 'normal' job now!!

I'll not go into all the stuff I've been up to - just one or two highlights I guess...

Right, I needed a card or two quickly so I decided to use my newly learnt skills at feltmaking!  I also had some ceramic buttons I made last summer to finish them off.. I was quite pleased ..

I might get brave and do a tutorial on how to make these!

Then I had a great trip up to Surrey for Mothering Sunday and stayed with my sister.. 
Of course it meant I could play with my niece's new shoes..
(Luckily for her they were too big - and I'd never have balanced on them long enough to walk!)

When we settled down for our meal my other the other niece's husband produced this zuggarat of a chocolate cake - just captured on film before Jenny tried to kidnap it!

The following day I spent in the garden with my sister and mum tidying and chatting before another nice meal together...

I got some more writing work - teachers' notes on three more books - so I've settled down to that since I've been back.. then I rediscovered crochet.. hooray!

I'm still battling with corners rather than going round and round, but it's very soothing...

Oh and I had a finishing off session with some beads..

and some knitted brooches!

So that's me just about up to date..

Craft Fair this Saturday - if all goes well it could be a monthly event so fingers crossed...

Will report back with photos next week..

Have a good one - and enjoy Easter...