Being Mrs C

A crafty advent

There is a huge amount of crafting going on here recently. Lots of knitting, sewing and crochet too. So many things to share with you all, yet I've a plan to make sure that you, dear reader, don't miss out.

I may regret this, but my plan is to do a blog post a day during advent and to share something new and crafty every day. Fingers crossed. Here goes...

Introducing Mr Owl

There's not been much blogging here lately as I've been desperately trying to get on top of the stupid number of craft projects that are in progress at the moment. I'm far from breaking the back of the problem, but I have at least managed to get one particular Christmas present for a very special little girl finished. Meet Mr Owl.

This lovely chap came from a pattern in Knitted Toys by Zoe Mellor and I completed him using some 100% acrylic yarn from my stash and a large assortment of felt in coordinating colours. The knitting didn't take too long (despite an annoying chart in the book), but cutting the felt and then sewing it on did take a while. He's ended up quite large - more cushion than soft toy - but I do just love the expression on his face. Little Miss C adores owls and spots them all over the place. She was particularly excited to see some real owls at the zoo the other day and up until now she doesn't actually have an owl of her own. Christmas should change that though.

Flowers on the Grass - Monica Dickens

Bearing in mind how many I have already read it's in some ways amazing that there are still some Monica Dickens books that I haven't read yet, but I'm delighted to say that there are. Flowers on the Grass has been sat on my bookcase for a while, but it was only when I picked up a second copy of it in a charity shop recently that I realised it was unread.

This book is follows a young man called Daniel Brett as he wanders through life - never staying anywhere long - following the sudden tragic death of his wife in a household acident. The main focus though is not Daniel himself, but instead the many characters that come and go through the different periods of his life and the places that he stays. Each chapter illustrates a different place and could easily stand alone as a short story, but the common thread of Daniel and how he changes ties them all together beautifully. Each one shows different traits of his character and as a result the people he meet have some differing views of Daniel himself.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Monica Dickens book, especially since it introduces so many delightful characters, each one so real to the reader in the amazing way that the author always seems to manage.

When I get a spare five minutes (probably at the point when I see a pig flying past the patio window) I'll try and pull together a complete list of all the Monica Dickens books that have been published and work out which ones I am left to read. Don't hold your breath though... 

Julie Slater & Son Notebook

Hello. My name is Mrs C and I am a list writer.

There I've said it. I write lists and I love doing so. I have lists for everything. What meals we're having this week; what shopping I need the next time I place an Ocado order; what jobs need doing around the house; craft projects that need finishing; what I plan to buy people for Christmas and what I'd like to receive at Christmas. I always have several lists on the go - sometimes on post it notes stuck in strategic places, sometimes on scraps of paper in the bottom of my handbag and some of them written in notebooks that can be found all over the house.

This year though I'm getting organised and I mean seriously organised. About three weeks ago the lovely Julie Slater and Son left on my doorstep one of their A5 notebooks to review in a delicious purple colour. Since that moment all my lists have been compiled in one place and some jobs are actually getting ticked off my lists.

Never before have I owned such a nice notebook - one that makes me want to write in it as often as possible. Even Little Miss C seems to like it and I've had to fight off her advances with an assortment of wax crayons and felt-tip pens! The cover is so incredibly tactile that I find myself stroking it ever now and again, in the way that a sane person my subconsciously stroke a cat whilst thinking of other things. The stitching detail around the edges really gives it a quality look. There's a very handy elastic loop for attaching a pencil or pen - always necessary when you have a list to write - and a tab to keep it closed. A vast number of pages mean that it should last for many, many lists, but when an avid list writer like myself does manage to fill it, you can also buy paper refills for it too.

A notebook like this really would make a lovely gift for any organised person and the matching 2012 diaries would also make great accompanying Christmas gifts.

These limited edition notebooks and 2012 diaries have come from a collabortaion between Julie Slater and Son and Italian diary manufacturer Castelli. Both are available from the Julie Slater & Son website along with loads of other lovely gift ideas. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a notebook for this review by Julie Slater and Son.

Postcard wonderings

When this postcard fell out of a book that I picked up in a charity shop a few months ago I didn't really think much of it. Then I turned it over and my mind started wondering.

I'm now full of questions. Who are (were?) Ruth and Bill? Whose birthday photos is Bill talking about and what waterfall is it that he mentions? Who are the "new couple" and what advert has Ruth recently placed?

The card was postmarked 1998 but somehow the message on it seems to almost be from an older time. The address on it isn't that far away and is in fact only round the corner from where a friend lives here in St Albans. It's an area where it could as easily have been an older person as a young family living there. I guess it will just remain a mystery, but then I've always liked a good mystery.

Needleworker

Since digging out my old guide blanket a few months back I've been fascinated to look back at various old things associated with the Brownies and Guides from the period when I was involved with them. 

I remember spending hours with my copy of The Brownie Guide Handbook trying to work out how I could get more badges for my uniform. I managed to get my hands on an old copy of the edition that I had at the time - the 1980 third edition - and it's fascinating to read back and see what you had to do at the time to earn various badges. It's all very much written in a time gone by and I have to say that sadly I'm not sure I can see some of today's children reaching the same levels. The book contains some gems about the skills and hobbies that children used to have in the days before computer games and non-stop children's TV.

I thought it would be interesting to share with you some of what had to be done to earn your Brownie interest badges, starting with one close to my heart: Needleworker

1. Know and use in the following clauses four of these stitches:

    chain, blanket, stem, cross, fly, running

2. Make an article of your own choice, you can use a sewing machine if you want

3. Use a simple paper pattern to make a ball or similar article, and be prepared to show the tester how the pattern was placed on the fabric.

Slow Cooking

I've been busy not only in the kitchen here, but also over at Mummy Reviews where I've reviewed a slow cooker that we were lucky enough to be sent along with some of the new Schwartz Slow Cookers recipe mix range.  My review can be found here.

To show people just how easy dinner preparation can be I created this little video as part of my review. Some dodgy camera work, but still worth a watch if you haven't yet been won over by the slow cooker revolution that seems to be going on at the moment with all the mums I know!

Stash Happy: Felt

I was delighted to be sent a copy of Stash Happy: Felt to review by GMC Publications this week. I'd not done much with felt before I started reading Mollie Makes, but I think I'm now addicted.

I'm not allowing myself to start a new project until I've finished one of the in progress ones, but there are so many now on my to do list from this book that it's a bit silly.

The book contains 30 projects to make and it's fair to say that all of them are completely adorable. Two projects are both owl based and I have an owl obsessed daughter at the moment so they will be top of my list. The projects provide a nice mix of things that you might want to make for yourself or your children, and things that would work really well as gifts. They all make use of different techniques as well so plenty of variety. There's also a great basics section for those not expereinced and it contains advice on the different types of felt and how to felt an old wool jumper. There is also a nice chart showing the types of embroidery stitches that the projects call for.

Whilst I'm really happy to add this book to my own craft bookshelf I have to say that I think it would make a fantastic gift too for any craft loving friends that you might have. Ideal for Christmas.

I was sent a copy of this book to review by GMC Publications who, at the time of writing (4 Nov 2011) have a fantastic offer on their website where if you buy two books from them you can select a third (up to £25) for free!

Stash Happy: Felt by Amanda Carestio

ISBN: 9781600599255

Price: £12.99

Publisher: Lark

Publication Date: November 2011

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry

I've realised recently that we're actually quite traditional when it comes to food here and most meals do contain a meat element. In fact, Mr C doesn't generally think that a main course is a main course unless there is meat in it. I have therefore watched with fascination the latest River Cottage series, Veg Everyday.

Hugh F-W is not a man that you usually think of as a vegetarian, but that's exactly what he challenged himself to do for a summer, to see what it would be like to eat veg everyday and cut meat out of his diet. The television programmes have been interesting, but not everything they featured was a practical dish that you could do at home - unless you have a monkey puzzle tree in your garden! One other bit I saw was one of his chef's smoking some cheese and then adding it to vegearian dishes - in other words just saying that cheese can add flavour to dishes that might be a bit bland without it - not exactly rocket science.

I really hadn't been bothered about the book to accompany the series until I started flicking through a copy at a friend's house. It's true that our diet could do with including some more vegetables and the fact that I happened across three recipes that instantly made my mouth water seemed a good thing to me.

Last night we tried our first all vegetarian main course from River Cottage Veg Every Day (and I realise now that was in fact a vegan meal - something pretty much unheard of in this house before!) and I have to say that it was delicious. We went for the cauliflower and chickpea curry and I just served it with a mix of Indian breads. The curry itself had a good depth of flavour to it and also managed to taste very fresh so not too heavy at all. I was also amazed to find that I didn't miss there not being any meat in it - the cauliflower and chickpeas stood on their own just fine and weren't relegated to being an accompanyment at all. I'll certainly be cooking the curry again - and it's worth remembering as a "tested dish" for if we do ever have any vegan friends round to dinner (not that I can think of any vegan friends at the moment - but still, "be prepared" as they taught me in the Girl Guides!)

Why?

For a variety of reasons I've been asking why I actually blog recently. A few "real-world" people asked when they heard about my blog and I found myself giving some very woolly answers. I can't promise that this will be any clearer but I'll try,

I do know why I started this blog though. At the time I was still working and had recently got married. I was doing some crafty things having mainly been inspired to do so by some of the various crafty blogs that I read. What I really liked about those blogs was the fact that they kept a record of the things that people were making and also gave inspiration to people like me. When time allows I still read those blogs and still get the same enjoyment and inspiration from them. My blog was started to give me a record of the craft projects that I have started, and in some cases even completed, and to share them with others. It's also become a record of my life, the things I've done and the places I've been to and in the last 17 months also a record of Little Miss C's life that I can look back on.

Since becoming a Mum I also seem to have gained the title of "mummy blogger" and I have to say that it's one that I don't completely feel at ease with. I certainly don't only blog about my life as a mum, but it is natural that much of my life revolves around Little Miss C. Some people seem to have negative views of mummy bloggers and I have heard criticism of how many mummy blogs just seem to turn into one long review site that people don't want to read, just punctuated with competitions to increase readership. I have recently undertaken some reviews and I am grateful for the items that I have been asked to review but I also try to produce original content too. 

My gut feeling however is that I want to try to get back to the original purpose of this blog - a record of my life and to hopefully provide inspiration to others. I will continue to review some items on here, but I plan to continue to be quite selective about what I actually do review. I also want to share so many more of the crafts that I am doing, but with time being pressed as it is I plan to concentrate on using my time productively to actually do things rather than only spending time writing about them.

At the end of the day I am Mrs C and my blog is simply about being me. It's about the things that make me smile. That may mean that to some people I am a mummy blogger, to others I may be a book blogger, a baking blogger or a craft blogger. Overall I'm just a Mrs C blogger!