Summer Nights

Tomorrow is June 1st and it's T minus 4 days until the Summer Holidays. Ultra-excitement. Unfortunately the weather has not been great today (a mild understatement...), but like every other Irish person, the 2 or 3 days of sun we have thus experienced this year has meant I have stocked up well on bikinis, shorts, maxi-dresses, sun hats, factor 50+ suncream, new sunglasses and various other sun-related paraphernalia in preparation for the blistering heat wave that is no doubt due to descend any day now (Friday would be good for me, please and thanks).

Further preparations for summertime-and-the-living-is-easy are afoot. In preparation for the good weather, guitar skills are being brushed up on, driving skills are being increased and the cost of wetsuits is being investigated (sure, it's the summer, I might as well take up surfing). Most importantly barbeques are being planned. Oh yes. With delicious items.

Today I decided to make some tea light holders to add to my summer items; every barbeque runs on into the dark of the evening, candles for the outdoors will definitely be needed in addition to music and fire and beers.

Taking some empty yoghurt pots (glass, not plastic - melty melty), wire and beads, I strung beads onto some wire.

Then I wrapped these around the rims of the pots and twisted the wire closed. I made another piece to use as a handle and there you go! A rather pretty pair I think!

Turtles, Trinkets and Treats

Pretty things arrived in the post today for make and do times! Here's my favourite - a little locket with turtles and a lily carved on it back and front. I must get some chain and ribbon though and get crafting at the weekend! Exciting!

Mice to meet you!

A little while ago I mentioned that I was illustrating a children's book for someone. Well I'm delighted to report that it seems one or two publishers are interested in it! All very tentative and nothing may yet happen but fingers crossed and raise your mugs to taking a chance!

This is another of the illustrations so far - more still to be completed! In the story the two main characters (the mice in the middle) bump into two pretty ladies... but unfortunately they turn out to be dolls belonging to the little girl of the house! They sit down and have a cup of tea anyway - which is what I'm going to do now!

Four Last Songs

Accidentally-on-purpose (I didn't really mean it to become a pattern!), my last four posts have all had song titles as the post titles so I thought I would post up the songs to match the posts!

Baubles, Bangles and Beads (from Kismet. I love musicals)



A Thousand Words (My options for this are a song by Savage Garden - eek - or a song from Final Fantasy - I opted for neither although I must admit to loving Final Fantasy games, just not so much this one...)

Push the Button (Chemical Brothers or Sugababes... The first one I think I'd prefer, even though I suppose technically the song title is Galvanize...)



And finally, Shiny Happy People (who doesn't love it?)

I also just found out, after giving this post a title, that "Four Last Songs" were the final completed works by Richard Strauss before his death (thanks Wikipedia!). He wrote them when he was 84 but died before they were performed in public. The songs are "Frühling" (Spring), "September", "Beim Schlafengehen" (Going to sleep) and "Im Abendrot" (At sunset). They're quite pretty!

Fin

Baubles, Bangles and Beads

Bracelets are one of my favourite things to make. So easy and they make nice personal presents I think! This one is going to a new home tomorrow.

All you need are some beads and elastic, just make sure you do a double knot at the end! Then you can wrap it up in tissue paper and ribbon et voila! 

a thousand words

Push the Button

Button, button... who's got the button? Here's a small project that requires three small things:

1. a button,
2. some glue and 
3. a ring. 

Put them together and what have you got? Tadaa!

I used a brass ring from a craft shop, but I think some pound-shop plastic ones would be great if you were making jewellery with kids!

Shiny Happy People

A present that two of my favourite people made for me a while back after stressful coursework times. I was reminded of it this week during more stressful coursework times!