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Blogging is fab!

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I have been blogging properly for a year now, so here I am going to share why I still am doing it and enjoying it.  When I say ‘properly’ I mean regularly I suppose, I actually started a blog over a year ago, but I only wrote when I thought I had something to say.  Now I just babble on about anything three or four times a week.  Lucky lucky you!

I must say the regularity has been a good thing and I remember reading somewhere when I started to blog that even if you blog weekly, that is enough.  I disagree totally with this, people don’t come and read and join in when there is nothing new.  I don’t over examine my numbers, but it is clear when I haven’t written for a day or two as lovely readers don’t come to play until I write a new post.  I also try to have a bit of a blog schedule, so with any luck you might get a Halloween post before October 29th when it is a mite late for new craft or recipe ideas, no matter how genius!

Since I have been blogging, I have met some wonderful and amazingly interesting people around the world.  I have had ideas and projects I never would have gained if it wasn’t for the likes of Pip at Meet me at Mikes or Jeanette at Artchoo.  In fact Jeanette’s other blog called It’s all so Funny is one of the first I started to follow regularly.  I remember seeing a post about taking kids to the supermarket and  I literally cried laughing!  In fact here it is, you’re welcome!

I am still quite bad at following and more importantly, reading blogs, but I have a nice little gathering on my Bloglovin‘ list.  Who do you follow?  Can I come?

People lead to people in blogland, I found the wonderful Doodles and Jots blog when I was ferreting around the Artchoo site and Ann’s illustrations and her ideas are brilliant.   If you ever need an art project for kids big or small, just go to Artchoo or Doodles and Jots, you won’t be disappointed.   Everyone is usually happy to share ideas and comment and chat which I love.

I think I can honestly say that if I hadn’t come across Pip’s Blog school hosted by Just B Australia, I don’t think I would be doing this now.  The whole group of bloggers who did the course when I did and the subsequent Facebook page were and still are a complete inspiration and so generous in ideas and cheerleading each other, and who doesn’t need a cheer squad in their life!  I still follow and adore Lou at Make Do Sew and Sarah at Home to Roost.

I don’t have a bazillion readers or comments, but let me tell you, whenever I get an official WordPress  or Facebook ‘like’ or an actual comment my little heart soars!

My hike into the fragrant forest of blogging has been a fantastic one and I have enough sandwiches in my backpack to keep on going!

Do you blog?  Want to start a blog?  Go for it and don’t forget to leave me a link in the comments, I will pop over for a cuppa, so get the kettle on!

 

Vintage of the future?

I passed Urban Outfitters last week and in the window was a whole display of retro looking record players.  It didn’t make me miss my record player as I never had my own, I used the one in the living room which was attached to the giant stereo system.

I did however own a cassette player and I admit I would be totally into a window display of these.  This year also celebrates 50 years of the cassette tape (nice fun fact to make you feel elderly).  Most of my music was on good old C90 tape. Never C45, which only held half the music of a C90, I wanted an album on each side of my tape thank you very much.

Anyway, the lotso record players made me wonder, will the same window be full of 1st generation white chunky iPods in 30 or 40 years time? Are you keeping your old iPod or smart phone so that your kids and grandkids can marvel at the ancient technology of the heady past of 2013?

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I used to carry a bag of tapes with me as well as my portable player.  Funny to see that my old and sadly deceased iPod is about the size of one tape!  Even funnier to look at my old cassettes, I loved all of these and I bet I still do!  Bit of a shame I didn’t keep more of the tapes I taped from the Top 40 on BBC Radio 1, I had a ton of hand written tapes, some taped over and over again, titles whited out and re-written.

Remember when you listened to the whole tape with no fast forwarding because it would use up the battery on your player?  Now all I seem to do is fast forward through a playlist.   No listening to that mixtape beginning to end, even through the songs you don’t like anymore . Not unless you were a squandering battery waster and didn’t mind running the terrible risk that you would run out of battery and be rendered music-less.

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Do you have any tapes or records?  I still have albums on vinyl too, but no record player, maybe I should get one of those from Urban Outfitters!

Long necklaces to short

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I was out last week and wanted to wear my wood long necklace, but as a short three strand.  Usually when I wear a long necklace wrapped around my neck more than once, it ends up strangling me when one strand goes tight.

So, I grabbed a piece of silk ribbon and once the necklace was on, I tied the ribbon in a bow at the back to hold all of the strands evenly together.

I have included some examples of the ribbon tie in action on different necklaces and the long wood necklace as a two and a three strand.

Playing with jewelry is one of my favourite things, necklace to bracelet, necklace to ankle bracelet, bracelets linked together to necklace.  So, of course I love the little ribbon tie which could also be a big floppy ribbon, or a lovely brooch worn at the front as a focal.  I would do a picture of a necklace with a brooch, but I don’t actually own a brooch.  I know, I am shocked too, I need a natty vintage brooch!

If you do this with a fabulous brooch, don’t forget to share!

Ten on the tenth September 2013

Today’s Ten on the Tenth marks a year of me taking ten photos of the 10th of each month, starting in September 2012.

The mushrooms are popping up in the woods which makes me hopeful for cooler days. Autumn is on the way. Cooler mornings and nights should be just around the corner.

In today’s photos, we have mushrooms, fallen leaves, an abandoned pet toy, diggers, sewing kit, a mint, a nearly finished necklace, a sunflower in seed and Pablo our French Bulldog.

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Spirograph and new library book

I have had my Spirograph since at least nineteen seventy something.  Now we like to pull it out every so often to make some cool and usually surprising patterns.

Today I thought I would make some notecards using my old faithful Spirograph.

I recently bought some coloured biro pens which work great to make the colourful patterns.

While I was getting the Spirograph pieces out I found the pretty lady who needs Spirograph hair, I do remember that I could never make her hair because I loved the face so much that I didn’t want to use it and  run the risk of ruining it.  So she still has no seventies hair.

I have been struggling to find a book to read lately, I started ‘Sisterland’ by Curtis Sittenfeld, but I didn’t finish it before I had to return it to the library and then I started ‘The Truth’ by Michael Palin which I didn’t like, so now I am going to start this one tonight, I hope I like it!  If I don’t like it, at least I have ‘Frankie’ magazine.

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In case I don’t like ‘A Tale for the Time Being’ which I really hope I do, if only because I love the cover, got any book recommendations?

catseatdogs bracelet necklace ankle-bracelets

I have been making lots of new wrap bracelets (I can’t stop myself, I love them!), and here they are. I am making necklaces and earrings too and I have just ordered some supplies to make more yum stuff!

They can be worn as natty little wrappy bracelets, but don’t forget how catseatdogs jewelry likes to play!  Look at all the ways the wraps can be worn.

I love to layer them up around my wrist, lots of colours and buttons and beads.

Keep checking on my Etsy store for new arrivals!  I can’t wait to get my hands on my new supplies and get making some new pieces.

 

Strange Donuts and St Louis Photos

 

Yesterday,  it was the Labor Day holiday here in the States and a local soon to open donut shop showed off it’s nearly finished doors to usher in their latest creation.  In true St Louis style they made the Gooey Butter Donut as an homage to the traditional specialty of these parts the Gooey Butter Cake.

They were very good, my boys inhaled ours in a few minutes flat.  I was quite happy that they were not the ‘size of your head’ donut which seems rather popular around here at the minute.  They were normal in size and wonderful in flavour.

Nice one Strange Donuts and long may you continue to keep us strange.  I am secretly pleased that the shop is a good mile away from us here in Brentwood.   By the time I have walked over to Maplewood, I will have earnt my donut!

I love how the interior is looking and can’t wait to see it all finished and open.  Good Luck Strange Donuts!

Remember when we went to the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate factory  (I am spotting a St Louis sweet treats theme here!)?

I took some photos of the surrounding interesting stuff too.  I love these old signs and there are lots of them around here.  I am sure if we didn’t walk and catch public transport, I would miss lots of photos.

Happy Tuesday!