Sunshine Blogger Award

Thanks to Tilly for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award! I was sure I’d had this one before, but I can’t find a post about it so yay for a new one 🙂

Sunshine Blogger Award – Things to Do

• Answer 11 questions the blogger asked you.

• List the rules and display the Sunshine Blogger Award in your blog post.

• Nominate 11 new bloggers & their blogs. Leave a comment on their blog to let them know they received the award and ask your nominees 11 new questions.

1. What is your favourite day of the week and why? Saturday, because it usually means archery with friends, followed by a meal out with the boyfriend, and a comfy evening snuggled on the sofa with a film and hot chai. Perfect!
2. Would you prefer to be a superhero or super villain? Hero – I like helping people too much to be a villain. Although villains do get better outfits…
3. What is on your favourite sandwich? Chicken, pesto, and mayo – Preferably toasted.
4. Do you speak a second language? If no, would you like to learn one? I don’t, but I’m currently learning Welsh and I’d love to learn Gaelic or Scots as well.
5. When was the last time you went to the zoo? Last year.
6. Do you want to be famous? Absolutely not. I hate being the centre of attention and I can’t stand people nosing into my business.
7. Would you rather have vegetables or fruit? Usually fruit.
8. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Cuba is currently top of my list. I desperately want to dance Cuban salsa in Cuba! Also sunshine.
9. What is your favourite art medium? Writing, particularly short stories.
10. Why did you start blogging? Ooft that was a long time ago now. I know I started it in conjunction with my Etsy shop so it was probably a combined marketing/behind the scenes/memory aid thing. I’m not sad that it didn’t turn out that way; I love the community of crafters I’ve found on here.
11. What advice do you have for new bloggers? Write what you want, not what you think you should. ‘Should’ might be popular and get tons of views, but if you don’t really care about it then it won’t be maintainable and/or will drain all your joy.

 

I’ve lost track of who does and doesn’t like these things, so I’m not going to nominate anyone specific. If you’re a follower and you fancy answering my set of questions then consider yourself nominated. (Please. I’m really nosy!)

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?
2. What did you end up doing, and do you enjoy it?
3. What has been your favourite moment of 2020 so far?
4. What are you looking forward to this year?
5. If money were no object, what new skill would you learn?
6. Have you ever tried starting an Etsy shop?
7. What did you last dream about?
8. Do you believe dreams have certain meanings?
9. What superstitions do you hold, if any?
10. In conversation, do you prefer speaking or listening?
11. Do you ever feel like a ‘proper’ grown-up?

Hannah

xXx

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WIP Wednesday 12.06.19

Current WIP count: 7

I don’t have a lot of crafty progress to show this week because I had a busy busy weekend, finally getting round to celebrating my birthday with my friends!

We had an archery session, with lots of reactive targets like a DVD that my instructor hates.

And balloons.

Then we went out for some tasties at Steak Cattle & Roll. I recommend the food there if you ever find yourself able to go, but the boozy milkshakes are absolute must-haves!

This is an Amaretto and strawberry milkshake, with cream and strawberry sauce, and the sprinkles are held on with Biscoff spread. Oh my it’s good.

Then we had a few more drinks and lots of laughter before heading home as the sun went down. It was such a lovely day, one of my friends said I was glittering with happiness and that’s exactly how I felt.

So on the crafting front I made up a tie for the dragonfly poncho. Yes, I was wrong about it being an FO last Friday – oops! Now it can be pulled in snug to keep extra warm.

And I did a bit more on my Changing Tides blanket, finishing up all the bobbles at last and moving on to this week’s (much easier) stitches. It’s now big enough to completely cover my legs as I’m working on it so that’s a plus, as we’ve been having some typical Scottish summer weather recently.

Oh, I got some brilliant cards as well:

I love my friends!

Hannah

xXx

FO Friday 08.02.19

I was under the impression that a Caron Cupcake was exactly enough yarn to make one hat, hence the single pompom on top.

But I’ve finished my hat and there’s still this much yarn left.

So I guess I was wrong.

I think my idea for the cupcakes is better. One pompom = one hat with no leftovers. It’s just logical, and neat, and satisfies the completer-finisher in me.

Anyway, rant over. Here is my hat!

You may notice that it’s missing a certain embellishment. This is because I’m quite tempted to keep it, and I feel like I look silly enough in hats without adding a furry ball on top.

Luckily there’s enough yarn leftover to make another one so I shall add the pompom to that hat instead.

I’m not sure how big it will be. I don’t think it’ll make another adult sized hat, but also it will probably be too big for my friend’s baby. I’ll just have to make it and see what I end up with!

Probably not this weekend though; my parents are visiting tomorrow so I’ll be busy keeping them entertained. I’m going to take them to archery! Mum has wanted to try it even longer than me so I hope she will love it as much as I do.

And that’s all I’ve managed to finish this week. How’s about everyone else? Got some fun plans this weekend? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx

18 for 2018 November review

White rabbits and 24 days til Christmas!

1 New blog followed per week – 4/4 (yearly total 41/45)

Done.

2 New stitches/techniques learned per month – 3/2 (17/22)

I learned two knitting stitches this month, and both back loop stitches; I learned how to p2tog and k2tog through the back loops. One in my Leafy Baby Blanket and one in the Sunrise Scarf

3 Instagram posts per week – 7/13 (133/141)

Nooot even close.

4 Exercise sessions per week – 20/20 (182/190)

Bang on this month, despite the wet, cold, miserable weather. I’m so glad I have all my equipment at home so I can workout in my nice warm living room.

5 Blog posts written per week – 14/23 (151/238)

This is a lot more than I expected to manage when I looked at my stats halfway through the month.

I am noticing a pattern of not very many posts at the beginning of the month and then more and more as time goes on. I should probably use this to my advantage and write some extra posts for scheduling when I’m in the flow.

6 Patterns written up – 3/6 (3/6)

No progress

7 Areas in my flat sorted – 6/7 (6/7)

I’m coming to the end of my contract at work and I wanted to check what I’m entitled to, but I couldn’t find the paper copy. Which is not surprising at all when you consider that my method of filing at home was to shove everything willy nilly onto a shelf. Hey, I can’t be Super Admin all the time.

Now I have all my important documents in a folder with labelled dividers.

Yes, it’s a Miffy folder. I see no reason why ‘grown up’ has to mean ‘boring’.

And all my delivery notes are in date order, until I figure out how long you’re supposed to hold onto these things before shredding. Any ideas?

8 Minutes of writing per day

Pretty much done.

9 pm bed time – 5/30 (93/334)

Something tells me I’m not going to meet this goal 😉 For December I’ll just aim to get the total to at least 100, I’ll count that as a mini achievement.

10% of wages saved – 10/10

Done.

12 Hand-written letters – 12/12 COMPLETE!

WOO HOOO! All done and I haven’t even written my Christmas letters yet. Success!

13 New recipes tried – 13/13 COMPLETE!

I met this goal with one of my favourite ever foods – cinnamon buns! What a way to cross the finish line.

14 Meet ups with friends – 14/14 COMPLETE! (stretch goal 22/25)

This month was more about one-on-one meet ups. I went over to a friend’s house for dinner and some drumming practice, both of which were excellent.

I also took a different friend to the Vanguard Centre for an archery session. I suspect he just wants to look like he knows what he’s doing when he joins in the group session for the first time, but I enjoyed spending time with him anyway. And he’s pretty good!

15 Birthdays on time – 12/15

I missed a birthday (because I blinked and it was suddenly 2 weeks later) so I might not meet this goal. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes fixed on the calendar so I don’t miss any more.

16 Christmas cards made – 12/16

Gosh I’m almost there. I’ve got a card making session this weekend so I should make it no problem.

17 Birthday cards made – 8/17

None this month, although I am still very pleased with my good luck card and I wish I could count it.

18 Items decluttered – 15/18

I’ve had these shoes for years, but I’ve only worn them once. Despite still being one of the most beautiful pairs I’ve ever owned, they are completely impractical and I can barely walk in them. They just had to go.

I also got rid of sooooooo much old paperwork after my sort out. I had a very satisfying half hour with the shredder at work making sure they were disposed of properly.

I am on track to meet a lot of my goals, which is pretty exciting! Just got to make sure I don’t lose steam now I’m so close. So how was everyone’s November? Did you meet any goals? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx

18 for 2018 September review

Before I even start this I’m preparing myself for this month being a bust. What with my new role at work and a bunch of job interviews to prepare for, there’s been very little time for my goals.

9

That was a brand new target when we started.

 

15 Birthdays on time – 12/15

One of my friends in choir had a birthday and I got there in time! But I also missed a couple of others so not all great.

 

16 Christmas cards made – 3/16

Nope.

 

17 Birthday cards made – 8/17

Just the one, but that’s more than none.

 

18 Items decluttered – 9/18

Nah.

 

So yeah, a pretty naff month overall. But I’m still trying my best and that was the real goal all along 🙂

How’s everyone else’s goals going, if you set any? Got any exciting plans for October? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx

Tangle of the week: Deeday

I’ve got a pretty new Tangle to look at today, shared on Tanglepatterns just this month. You can find the tutorial here.

I wasn’t too impressed when I saw Deeday on its own, it just looks (to me) like very stylised bows and arrows – not a great deal of use for general card making.

But the magic happens when you play with the orientation. Point them in.

Or out.

Or a bit of both!

You could also remove the gridlines.

So many options! I’ll definitely be using this as a background for some cards soon.

What do you think of Deeday? Which is your favourite orientation? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx

18 for 2018 May review

A somewhat pictureless post for now, as I managed to crack my phone screen in my pocket and of course that’s where I keep all my photos!

1 New blog followed per week – 4/4 (yearly total 21/21)

A reader pointed me to some more tatting blogs this month. I love looking at the photos and wondering how long it’ll take for my tatting to be half that good 😉

 

2 New stitches/techniques learned per month – 1/2 (9/10)

The month whizzed by and I only had chance to learn the mattress joining stitch. It is wizardry though so I’m not disappointed!

 

3 Instagram posts per week – 14/13 (82/63)

I felt like I hardly posted at all, but I more than met my goal. Maybe it’s just because I didn’t post regularly.

 

4 Exercise sessions per week – 22/18 (77/84)

Sunshine helps so much with this one! It’s far easier to get outside for a walk when it’s not raining sideways or freezing cold.

As well as the canal, I found a public park quite near my work so I’ve been heading there for some walks as well.

 

5 Blog posts written per week – 13/23 (92/105)

Er yeah. I’ve actually written a few that I haven’t posted yet, but I still definitely fell short. I knew this one was coming though; I really lost my blogging mojo this month. I feel like it’s back again now so here’s hoping I can catch up.

 

6 Patterns written up – 1.5/6 (1.5/6)

Nada.

 

7 Areas in my flat sorted – 3.5/7 (3.5/7)

I wish I had taken a before photo of my yarn stash so you could see the difference right now. It’s even colour coded!

 

8 Minutes of writing per day

Mostly done, it just wasn’t blog-writing.

 

9 pm bed time – 4/31 (52/151)

Well. Better than last month, I guess?

 

10% of wages saved – 10/10

Done and done.

 

12 Hand-written letters – 6/12

One more added to the pile.

 

13 New recipes tried – 7/13

After nabbing some chorizo at the farmers market I found a recipe for chicken and chorizo jambalaya. Never heard of jambalaya before so I had to try it, and I’m glad I did because it was lovely!

 

14 Meet ups with friends – 12/14

My choir put on a ceilidh (kay-lee) and I only meant to go for an hour or so, but I ended up dancing the whole night away.

I also got in another birthday meet up, as this was the first date I could get in at the archery centre. I loved it of course, and the awesome thing is so did my friends! Plus I got this badass picture of me.

15 Birthdays on time – 8/15

There have been no birthdays this month, which feels odd after the first 4 months of the year.

 

16 Christmas cards made – 3/16

I whacked out a couple more, it is so strange making Christmas cards in the sunshine.

 

17 Birthday cards made – 5/17

No birthdays means no cards made either.

 

18 Items decluttered – 6/18

I had a sort out of my wardrobe and got rid of some dresses and tops that I will never wear again. It’s still pretty crowded in there though so maybe I should have another look through! I’m also getting rid of some yarn I knew I would never use.

 

Another up and down month this time, but I was never aiming for perfection. The focus for June is to sort out my flipping bed time!! I’ve set a permanent alarm on my phone for 8pm, to kick in my night time routine and hopefully get me ready to face plant my bed by 9. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

How are everyone’s goals going (if you set any)? Did you have a good May? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx

A present for me

This isn’t something I made, but I just had to share it! My friend at work is just as crafty as I am and she made this for my birthday party (private hire of an archery range).

It says “I don’t wear bows, I shoot ’em”, with an arrow underlining them. She was sad because the ink ran a little so it’s not as crisp as she planned, but I just love it!

xXx

New hobbies

My name’s Hannah and I’m addicted to new hobbies.

Last week I tried archery, and I’m so in love that I went for an extra session on Monday.

During the week my winnings arrived from Julia’s giveaway.

There are several super cute things I want to make (mainly the cat on the cover!), but I decided to start with a pretty patchwork star because it looked relatively simple. So I headed to Hobbycraft to pick up some fat quarters and had my first go at patchwork sewing

Of course I was hooked, and just had to try another one

Front

and back

The second definitely turned out better. There’s still room for improvement though!

While shopping for fabric, I found a tatting shuttle for £1 in the clearance section. This one is going to take a loooooot of practice, but I’m still loving it. I know how beautiful tatted pieces can be and I’m determined to reach that level one day.

The problem is I don’t stop my old hobbies to make room for the new ones; my long bank holiday weekend was a cycle of sewing, crochet, Tunisian, knitting, and tatting on repeat. With one break for archery and another for running. If I were paid for my hobbies they could be a full time job!

I clearly need to win the lottery I never play, so there’s time enough for all these pastimes. Plus the new ones I know I’m going to pick up in the future.

Does anyone have any tips on juggling all these different crafts? Or maybe new ones I could add to my repertoire (there’s no such thing as too many)? Let me know in the comments!

Hannah

xXx