Looking but not really Seeing!

Have you ever looked and something you see every day and then all of a sudden you really SEE it, noticing something that has been there all along, a little detail or something unusual that you just didn't quite notice before?

Well today just a little while ago i was having yet another late lunch, drinking a Bru and looking out of the front window where the sun has come out and is shining on the tenements on the other side of the street and i notice how nice the stone carvings look under the windows, the bright sun casting really nice shadows.

View from my front door.

Then i notice that the next window down has different carvings and the next different again.
I have lived in the street for 21 years since i was 8, i know that there are carvings under the windows they have always been there but i don't think that i ever really looked at them (if i noticed before i don't remember noticing!)
I have waked passed these and looked at them out of the living room window almost every day of my life!

The only sensible thing to do was to go out with my camera and have a look at all of the different designs and take photographs.
(Clicking on the pictures will give you a large view)

This one on the corner has been replaced at some point and has no carvings any more.

What I find interesting is that it is the kind of thing that I might notice when in an unfamiliar place, on holiday or visiting somewhere new, I have holiday photos of interesting fences, doorknobs, doors and lampposts but I have missed a lovely detail in my own street.

Funny, something that i see every day that has always been there, part of the landscape of my everyday life and one day a little detail pops out and i really see it. It makes me wonder what other surprises there are.

Journal Workshop

If you are a stationary lover then this just might be for you!
Make your own Journal at The Life Craft on great western Road on the 16th March with me Lucy. T-he full details can be found at www.thelifecraft.co.uk.

You could make a journal similar to this one, A5 in size, this one is my cupcake book that i take almost everywhere with me for all of my to-do lists and ideas.


The workshop will take you through all of the stages involved in making the journal, covering the boards, organising the pages and stitching. You are welcome to bring your own fabric or paper to cover the journal so that you know you will love it. (you don't want the fabric too thick!)

Textured paper works great for the cover of a book, i will bring some of this with me on the night.


These are journals from the first class, very happy with the results :)

Button Love

Not just button Love but button and ribbon love and love for That Crafty Fish, the wonderful lady with the buttons. Not only does Kirsty Fish sell the most wonderful buttons and ribbons in her shop Big Fish, you can find Kirsty's hand crafted goodies in Paper Fish, That Crafty Fish blog is superb if you are not following it yet you should be a lady who loves craft, thrift, life, shopping and sharing it with the rest of the world. An excellent read.

I Love Buttons

A day of free shipping accross all of the Kirsty's shops was too good to pass up so i went shopping.

A little something for me a PaperFish goodie bag.

It was soooooooo good, i felt like i deserved a treat, why? Why not!

Cool bookmark went straight into the book i am reading Stephen Kings Full Dark No Stars.

I am having a bit of a rhubarb thing at the moment, Rhubarb colours that is. I like rhubarb too, it always reminds me of being at my grandparents house and getting rhubarb straight out of the garden and sugar to dip it in, my Granda used to grow the most excellent rhubarb i have ever tasted. I'm sure it was from somewhere special but i can't remember where! (just like me!)
So pink and green buttons and matching pink and green ribbons, they are further down the page.



Kirsty's Buttons are always great quality and you get a fantastic selection of styles, shapes and sizes.


I also got spotty buttons, i have had these before and they, are almost done, it took me a long time to start to use them though, i just liked them so much and didnt want to part with them. They come in so many pretty colours.



A bag of mixed buttons.


Buttons make me..........



Rhubarb coloured ribbons 10m 1m of each style.



and a bag of mixed ribbons, loving the rainbow.


And that was my big exciting crafty purchase, i cant wait to start using them.

Valentines at The Life Craft

The Life Craft Valentines market was on the 13th February. It was a fantastic day there were loads and loads of lovely goodies to be found on the stalls and scrummy cake from The Life Craft.

This was a little last minute for me and i had my other half helping me cut hearts out of comic pages from some vintage annuals so that i could make Valentine cards, I'm glad i did as the sold quite well. I also had him helping with some packaging for my new button packs, he's a wee gem, a tip for getting help from the man in your life Malteasers, chocolate or other favourite treat and work on a treat per task basis.

I didn't get the best photos, i made a classic error, i left the memory card in my computer and only had a 16mb card in the camera, you know one of those giant old ones. I have also missed someone out i am sorry, she was selling gorgeous ceramic jewellery, i don't know how i missed her table when taking the photos.

My table
New on my table this time were button packs in the basket, with lovely packaging! and Valentines cards with hearts cut from annuals, monopoly money and car manuals.

Prints by juliebee
Glass by Magartis

Resin jewellery by i love spoilt pig


Gorgeous knits cards and accessories by Julie of Frayed at the Edges


Some cute monkeys by Becky Designs


Beautiful textiles from Delphi Burling


Some fab jewellery from the 4th years from Glasgow School of Art Silversmithing.


And Konnie Kapow (and Mr Kapow who i don't have a photo of, how?) with fab cards and destashing some supplies thank you :)


It was a great day with superb music delicious cake, yummy lunch from Naked Soup round the corner (well worth a visit if you are in the area) and we were all well looked after the whole day by Claire and Vonnie.

Thank you Claire for organising and making it a really fun event.

Nintendo 3DS @ the Lighthouse Glasgow

I went to the pre launch event for the Nintendo 3DS at the light house on Saturday.

Took this out the window while waiting and realised how low the battery was in my camera :(


Got a pleasent surprise with some live action Street Fighter and Resident Evil, i couldn't take a pic in the Resident Evil one as i was in the first section of our group to go through this and i didn't know it was coming and by the time i had picked myself up off the floor after Chriss shouting 'EVERYBODY DOWN EVERYBODY DOWN' I had a zombie grabbing at my leg!



There was a room full of 3DSs' with a variety of games for everyone to have a go at, i was very impressed with the 3Dness.
Look there i am, just to prove i was actually there i got the girl to take a piccy of me playing it, i was the only one in pink!




The one that really got my attention was the Augmented Reality game with the cards that you put on the table it made me want to look over the 3DS to see if there were really things popping out of the table. I couldn't take photos of that, you cant see the 3D in a photo so they wouldn't let you take photos of the screen.
Definitely an afternoon well spent, cant wait to see what they do with it next after that little taster.

I took this on the way home, i just loved the way the cloud looked at the top of the hill through the buildings, had to pull over and get out of the car for this one, was lucky to find a space.