The Late May Bank Holiday...

...was pretty busy.

On Friday afternoon I met up with my friend Hilary for lunch and then went to a parchment class at Pinnacle Crafts. Another page of my 'Twas the night before Christmas book was completed leaving me just four pages yet to be done.

The weekend before had been an "All day" class where we started on a pretty decorated box. I managed to complete the construction and make a start on the decorative panels.

Here is the box that Joanne produced as a sample...

 ...and as you can see, when the lid comes off...

 ...hidden inside are some little shelves (big enough to take a few choccies).
Joanne made two versions, the second being a more general use box...

 ...and folk were given the choice as to which one they made.

Because it was bank holiday weekend, Joanne had arranged another "All day" class so I was able to get stuck in on the panels.

Here is my letter "S"...

 ...lots of 'grid work' and embossing. Which was then followed by lots of snipping (my favourite bit - NOT!!!).
The other panels were then worked upon...

...by the end of the lessen I had completed all but the "W". This will take a while as the letter is 'stippled' and then the background pattern will need to be done.

I will take some more photos once I have finished and mounted all the outside panels. Then it will be a case of doing the panels for the inside of the box.

This has come together surprisingly quickly but will probably take another couple of lessons to complete. I loved the box construction and can't wait to see the finished item.

You never know, I might even have a go at the other version......................................

We're joining in with...

...the BIG knit.

Each year the company who make 'innocent smoothies' here in the UK have a drive to raise money for "Age Concern". This money helps to provide the elderly with the means to keep warm during the Winter months.

For those of you who live here in the UK you will be familiar with the sight of bottles of smoothies sitting on the shelves in the stores, wearing little knitted or crochet hats - and some of these can be quite ornate. The 'hatted' bottles usually hit the stores around Autumn and for every bottle with a hat sold, 'innocent' will donate 25p to Age Concern.

This year they want to put 2 million bottles out there with hats - so far they have received in excess of 1 million but the deadline is closing in (hats have to be with 'innocent by 31 July).

I received an email reminding me about the deadline so I asked the "Knit & Natter"/"Craft & Chatter" group if they wanted to make some hats that we could send off for the cause - they said yes.

Here are a few that I have made...

 ...nothing overly fancy but I'm going for numbers.
We have a collecting box so that others in the office can contribute...

...even if they don't attend the craft group.

If you knit/crochet, why not have a go too. There are lots of free patterns on the Internet - along with details of where to send the completed hats. These little makes are a great way of using up all those scraps of wool for a good cause.

Sitting here chatting isn't getting things done so I'd better get back to the needles.............................

HUGE Shock...

...Pinnacle Crafts has decided to close its physical shop.

Please see the following message: -

Hi everyone,

We hope you are well?

We would like to announce that we have taken the decision to close our shop here at Barleylands and concentrate on our on line offering and also our lessons and workshops.

So, we won’t be closing Pinnacles as a whole, just the physical shop... Therefore as a Pinnacle Crafts Club Member, you will still be able to use your discount on our website and also attend our Card Making and Parchment Craft lessons and workshops. In fact, we are looking to expand these.

So, if you are interested in any of our workshops then please let us know. And, if there is sufficient interest, we will open up additional dates, as the ones we currently teach are pretty much full on a weekly basis.

 

From Tuesday 23^rd May 2017, until a date to be announced we will be having a

Rummage Sale in the shop.

Everything is 50%

off the marked price to everyone..

(stock on our website has been “zeroed out” until after the event. The sale is just in store.)

We acknowledge and appreciate that Club Members Discount Weekend would have been this coming weekend. This sale is instead of this event.

We will not be taking any orders at this time, the sale is just off of the items we have in stock.

 

So, that’s half price off of all remaining Adhesives, Dies, Cutting Plates, Parchment and Groovi products, pre packed card and paper, Stamps, Inks, Punches, Embellishments, Paints, Wooden Shapes & MDF, Pinflair & Cross Stitch Kits, Pens & Pencils, Pan Pastels, Tools & Equipment, Books & CDs and already Reduced to Clear items.

In addition, the following products have been reduced in price;

All loose single sheets of card & paper – 20p each (yes, if it says £1.49 on it, its 20p!!)

All loose single sheets of Peel Offs – 20p each

All loose single sheets of Non Die Cut Decoupage Sheets – 20p each

Gift Vouchers

Gift Vouchers are still redeemable in the shop, or can be used for workshops or on our website after the event.

Fixtures & Fittings

We will be offering our card/paper stands and Billy Book Cases for sale. If you would like to lay claim to any of these please let us know.

The A4 and 12”x12” paper stands are £2.50 each, or 10 for £20.00. Sight as seen and can only be collected between 20^th – 24^th June 2017. Cash only...

The Billy Book Cases are £10.00 each or 2 for £15.00. Again, sight as seen and collection only between 20^th – 24^th June 2017. Cash only...

Outstanding Orders

We would encourage you to come and collect any outstanding orders you have been advised which are now in. Orders which have outstanding balances to pay will be honoured at the discount at time of ordering only.

Magazines

We will no longer be holding our range of magazines in stock. So, if you are on our list of recipients, please be advised of this.

Please feel free to share this message with any of your fellow crafters and/or Club Members who you know do not receive this newsletter, as this Rummage Sale is open to everyone.. If you have a blog or belong to any social media groups, crafting groups, School Clubs, Guides or Scout Groups, etc, please feel free to share this message with them too as there are some great bargains to be had which will help keep the costs of running such groups down.

We’re sure that this message will come as a bit of a shock to some of you. We have been here at Barleylands for almost 14 years and in that time we have seen crafting and retail in general change beyond recognition... We hope you understand why we feel the need to make this change to Pinnacles at this time..

N.B

We will be closed specifically on Sunday 18^th June 2017 (this is not our actual closing date though). This is so we can celebrate Fathers Day with our Dad, something we have not been able to do on this day in 14 years.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Pinnacles....

This is such a shame as this has been my 'go to' place every weekend for as long as I can remember - and as the bank manager will confirm, this has been where a big chunk of my salary goes.

Classes will continue and the message says that their on-line service will also continue but such a shame not to have the physical shop once the sale is over...I am an impulse buyer and rarely come out with just what I went in for.

Anyhoo...

If you happen to be in the area, do take advantage of the sale. A great chance to stock up on a few bits & bobs...................................................................................

Would you believe it...

...it might be completed by Christmas 2017.

If you are scratching your head and wondering what I'm going on about, let me enlighten you.

In December 2016, I attended an all day workshop at Pinnacle Crafts where Joanne was showing us how to use the "Twas the Night before Christmas" Groovi plates along with traditional parchment techniques.

As I've told you all before, I am not a "Parcher" - I love the craft but am not very patient so am not particularly good at it. I enjoyed the class but joked that it would be Christmas 2020 before my book would be completed; if lucky.

Well, I've attended a few more classes and have actually constructed my book...

 ...easy enough task using 6x6 card blanks.
Here are my completed parchment pages...

 ...I actually only have five more parchment embellished pages to go.

On the Saturday of Bank Holiday weekend, I went to Carol Whalley's crop at the Toby Carvery.

During the course of the day I managed to construct a cover for my book...

 ...using images from the Hunkydory little book.
I have also added a few more pages throughout the book so that I can use some more of the images...

 ...and this one was actually framed using the new scalloped square Groovi plate to create a frame.
The Hunkydory little book has some lovely images and I love how they work well...

 ...scattered throughout the book.
I thought this image was perfect for the back cover...

...such lovely artwork.

The outer covers will probably get a bit more embellishment once the inside is completed but for now I don't want too much there that could get caught or damaged.

So here we are in the second week in May 2017 and things are coming along nicely. I have a few more lessons booked so that I can get the rest of the parchment elements done and all being well it will be done in plenty of time for this Christmas.

This has been quite a large project but for the first time in ages, this is actually for me. So it is lovely seeing it take shape....................................................

I can crochet...

...as I'm sure regulars who visit my blog can confirm.

I always have a blanket or throw in progress as they don't take a lot of concentration and are things that can be done whilst watching TV.

However, it is a good many years since I made anything 'fancy'.

I have also managed to confuse myself by watching a mix of American and British videos about crochet as we both tend to have different terms for the various stitches - so I decided to attend a class.

Denise at Craft Arena had a basic refresher class advertised but unfortunately it was full so I bit the bullet and signed up for the class where we would be shown how to make a crochet necklace. The class was taken by a lovely lady called Sue Broughton and in the two hour class we completed a necklace and had a play at making one with beads - fab two hours.

So what did I do when I got home?

I dug out a ball of Rowan Egyptian DK cotton that I bought a couple of weeks ago...

...I love this dark teal colour and the yarn is so soft...

 ...and next to no time I had made another necklace (Just needs a suitable button for fastening).
This was the necklace that I completed in class...

 ...and I had a button for this so it is completely finished.
Unfortunately, Denise was out of stock of the white Rowan cotton so I bought some DMC...

...it is slightly finer but with the added beads I was really pleased with the finished look.
I had some 'Sugar & Cream' cotton yarn which is a heavier weight...

 ...and this red necklace was soon added to the stack.
I didn't have many beads left but decided to make another teal necklace...

 ...the beads are threaded onto the yarn before starting...

...and the beads are crocheted into the foundation row...

...another necklace completed...

...with beads evenly spaced around the neck edge - it looks much prettier in proper light.

Would you believe these pieces only consist of two rows of crochet - so they are very quick and easy to complete.

All I need now are some pretty buttons to act as fasteners.

Of the cotton yarns I have used so far, the Rowan is by far the nicest to work with so I think a few more colours will be jumping into my basket in the not too distant future. I also love the glass beads so will be getting some more of those (they do a lovely pearl colour that I think will look fab against the teal).

I have made and added these to my present stash for occasions coming up during the year and yes, I think a few will also end up as Christmas gifts.....................................................

Sorry...

...for the lack of visits & comments.

Over the weekend a problem developed in the heating system at work and on Tuesday when the building was reopened, our security staff were greeted by water pouring through the doors.

I have spent the last couple of days phoning staff & keeping them up to date with the situation (I'm dreading the next mobile bill - it is going to be an OUCH!!! moment). The building has had to remain closed to staff for H&S reasons.

Managers were allowed access to the unaffected wing of the building for an emergency meeting and the building will reopen today with limited access whilst repair works continue in the wing that was flooded.

Normally I would catch up on my blog reading during my lunch break but as there has been no IT use this has thrown a spanner in the works. The PC at home also seems to be on a 'go slow' at the moment so blogland access is very hit & miss at the moment (praise-be to scheduled posts that work on time - almost).

I was able to check the damage to my team's area and I am happy to say that we have escaped pretty unscathed (although we don't have access to our work area whilst repairs are on-going in that wing) - this includes all the RNLI sale stuff (BIG sigh of relief - phew).

So today we decamp to wherever we can find an empty desk and see what we can get done.

So once again, a "Sorry" from me for not visiting or commenting much over the last few days - I hope to catch-up when things calm down a bit...........................................

Messing about...

...on the river - part 2.

Get those kettles on as here are the rest of the photos.

The Olympic stadium is now the home of West Ham United football club...

 ...but it remains one of the big venues for a variety of events held in London - there are a few BIG name concerts being held there over the Summer months as well as numerous sporting events.

 

Elsewhere in the park there is a lot of building going on...

...some is 'repurposing of buildings used during the Olympics...

 ...and much is new build.
The team were amazed at how much was going on...

 ...right on our working doorstep.
The river is beautifully maintained...

 ...which is a very different story to how it was found when development started...

...as this whole area had been a dumping ground for centuries due to its closeness to the City of London. Thousands of tons of contaminated ground had to be removed & cleansed whilst the river itself had to be cleared of thousands of shopping trolleys, cars and numerous in-exploded bombs from WWII.
Construction around the park is moving at a pretty rapid rate...

 ...and cranes  are everywhere on the skyline.
The Orbit was the end marker of our tour...

...and we headed back to the moorings. The park has a large number of sculptures...

 ...these are called "The Pencils" and mark the side of the waterway.
Back on the jetty we made sure we had details about coming events...

 ...and took a last few photos...

...and bid farewell to our guide...

 ...and skipper.
The Orbit was constructed especially for the Olympics and is a prominent feature in the park...

...it is one of the largest free-standing sculptures.
The edge of the park is still a massive building site...

 ...and this area is known as the International Quarter - many large businesses will be re-locating here from the City of London.
The Aquatic Centre is now a busy part of the community...

 ...standing next to the walkway that takes you into the par.
The view across the park towards London...

 ...is ever changing as new buildings join the skyline.
Everywhere is being maintained beautifully...

...and even the entrance into the Westfield shopping complex is beautifully planted.
The is "The Street"...

...original open to the sky, it has now been covered over so that folk can make use of the outside space despite the British weather.

We had a fabulous afternoon and we're all looking forward to the new tours that will be starting later in the year............................................................