A Notebook Makeover

Recently it has been difficult for the two of us to keep up to date with regular blogging, what with Christmas and the start of a new Uni term, so we have come up with a plan of action in order to post more often with our new and exciting crafts. In order to keep organised we have resorted to keeping little notebooks for jotting down ideas, planning posts and developing ideas for later in the year. I (A) got my notebook from Paperchase for £1.50 and it is the perfect size to keep in my bag for recording those ideas that magically appear when I am on the go. However, after a few weeks of carrying it around with me, I decided that I didn't like the navy blue binding and wanted to make it more personal to me. I had recently invested in some fabric tape from The Makery which was perfect for decorating my notebook.

I cut three strips of the tape (as it was not wide enough to cover all of the blue binding in two strips) and stuck them on. It was so quick and easy and I really love the result!

I look forward to crafting more with tapes as they are such an easy and fun medium! 

Snowed In - An Excuse For Tea and Crochet... Oh and a Granny Stripe Cowl

It's snowing! I (A) am usually a bit of a misery when it comes to snow. It seems to never be enough to close school or work, but enough to make your journey to such places an absolute pain! However, since moving from the south east to the south west, I've noticed that nothing is done by halves here, especially not the weather! Both of Bath's Universities are closed, as are most of the schools and the hills (which are pretty much the whole city) are completely impassable. However, all is not lost! I have been begging for a free day, to sit around, doing crochet and drinking as much tea as possible and I have finally been given one! I have no less than four projects that I want to continue with or begin today and I am so excited.

My view from my flat in Bath

And C's view at home in Sussex

 I have been wanting to share this project with you for a little while now but today seemed like the perfect time to do it. Over Christmas I began to make a granny stripe cowl, inspired by one I'd seen on the wonderful Coco Rose Diaries Blog. I have an obsession with burgundy and navy blue, so it seemed only natural to work my cowl in these colours. It only took me a little while to make, although I did have to work around uni work so it took a little longer than I would have liked. I love the look of granny squares but had never tried a granny stripe. Although it's the same principle, it takes a little while to get your head around the starting two or three rows but after that, it's easy and quick to make. Although tying in the ends is a bit of a chore, the final effect makes up for it.

I really enjoyed making my granny stripe cowl and am definitely making use of it today when I have to brave the snow! 

What are your crafty plans for the snow day? 

A London Treat!

What started out as an innocent question “A, do you fancy going to the Hollywood Costume exhibition at the V&A at Christmas??” turned into a marathon day of train and tube travelling, exhibition visiting and a tiny bit of cheeky shopping…..but, oh, what a day!

After taking the first possible non-commuter train up to the Big Smoke, we arrived raring to go…..but then A got her ticket stuck in the barriers and managed to sneak through when C put her ticket in and left C on the other side of the barriers trying to explain her ticket-less state to the Ticket Inspector.  Red faces all round but we managed to convince him of our undoubted innocence and away we went, straight into a queue for topping up our Oyster cards (knew we should have done it online before we went!) but managed to inadvertently queue jump when we were asked to form a new queue for a recently opened machine – Yay! 

Finally, we were on the tube hurtling towards Ken High St and straight into another queue at the V&A for the Hollywood Costumes (no tickets had been available online before we went, one of the downsides of having to visit during holiday time)…..an hour later (and I am quite proud of our ‘staying power’) we were the proud possessors of two tickets for the 1.15pm slot.  Time then to pop into Chelsea for a quick spot of lunch before returning for the 

exhibition.

What an awesome exhibition!  So beautifully put together, even the mannequins were works of art but didn’t detract from the costumes, actually adding to the glamour. All C was bothered about was seeing Judy Garland’s Ruby Slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and she wasn’t disappointed, the fact that they were displayed next to Marilyn ‘s original white dress from ’Some Like It Hot’ was just a bonus, not to mention getting up close and personal with Daniel Craig’s 007 tux!  We were both amazed at the sheer quantity and quality of the costumes on display, some of them originals from 1930s films, right up to the present day, through every genre of Hollywood movie…definitely hours well spent.

We then caught the tube over to Somerset House for the Valentino CoutureExhibition.  Staggering isn’t the word!  I still maintain it smelled of money!  Dress upon dress was on display in the most amazing and beautiful ‘Catwalk’ arrangement.  Although not to our taste, let’s face it, when would we ever have the opportunity to even gaze upon a Valentino gown let alone wear one? We were blown away by the sheer workmanship and beauty of the dresses as works of art.  We were however, more interested in the display and step-by-step explanation of some of Valentino’s signature textile processes.  An extraordinary exhibition.

We then went on to the totally awesome and absolutely incredible exhibition of Tim Walker’sfashion photography.  Unusual, these days, it was a FREE exhibition and packed full of Walker’s brilliant, sometimes dark, and quirky fashion shoots.  Not only were there rooms full of his photographs but also numerous examples of his props, including a 12ft high skeleton, 10ft tall baby doll, swan boat and two halves of a Spitfire!

After leaving the exhibition and before leaving Somerset House, we watched the ice skaters on the rink outside before visiting the Tatty Devine pop-up shop…..well, it would have been rude not to!  After a couple of well deserved purchases (a Fishbone Necklace for C and a Fox pendant for A) we retreated to the nearest coffee shop for a caffeine shot before wending our way through the commuter traffic for a pizza before catching the train home, exhausted but exceedingly happy with our day…..and our purchases!

Thank you Hollywood, Valentino, Tim Walker and Tatty Devine!