Reflecting on my week #105

* This post contains items that were gifted by the London Graphic Centre

I’m not quite sure how it’s Tuesday already, but general opinion says it is. The weekend was a busy one, and the start of the week has continued. It’s quite usual for me to not know what day it is, but this week even more so. At one point towards the end of last week I thought I might be succumbing to the inevitable germs that seem to be in full flow around the office, but a concerted effort to actually eat the satsumas I’ve been carrying in and storing on my desk seems to have done the trick. So far at least, let’s hope that continues.

I had Saturday to myself - which is always nice - and even got some chores done, and completed my Christmas shopping. Unheard of for me, but also helped by the fact that my family ‘Christmas’ is actually on 30 November. I am done though. Apart from the wrapping. I’ve been so organised that I’ve even managed to buy MOH’s present to me, he’s never been so organised either.

One of the parcels I collected was from the London Graphic Centre, a favourite shop of mine in Covent Garden. It’s a shop that I used to visit as a teenager, in awe of its contents, and now not much has changed really, apart from me no longer being a teenager. When they got in touch, they’d asked what art supplies I was interested in, and so opening the package was a bit of the unknown as they’d selected items based on the crafts I’d given.

There’s plenty to keep me occupied, and what I’m most keen to test out is the dual brush pens with some modern brush-style lettering. My biggest problem, apart from getting started, is what my project should be. More thought needed, but not too much, as I’m itching to get started.

The weather changed this week too, with a distinctly more wintery feel. We had our first frost here this morning, and typically it was the day my car was at the garage for its MOT. I must have known though as I’d dropped it around to the garage last night, so at least I didn’t have to deal with a frosty car.

This weekend we will - most likely (weather dependent) be out in the gardening tackling all the leaves that have come down, and more I’m sure. There’s plenty to do out there, and it’s never as bad as you think once you actually get going.

Next door’s work is continuing, and from a peek out the window on our top floor, it seems they’ve got a bit of an unplanned pool on the flat roof. Of course, this might not be new, it could have been doing that all the time, but now it’s just more obvious. I’m sure the newest water feature will be staying…

It’s coming along though, but there is still much more for them to do. I can tell you for nothing, that I don’t miss having building work underway.

* The items in this post from London Graphic Centre were gifted for the purposes of a review, once that’s taken place I’ll be sharing more about the products and my project.

Untangling threads with history

We’ve been continuing to clear my MIL’s house, and sorting through what is no longer needed. It was the home that MOH spent his teenage years in, and holds many memories for the whole family, and it also has plenty of stuff, as family homes do. A fair amount of that has come back with us, and that includes some craft stuff which, as you can see, needs sorting.

What’s strange though is that now this untangling is soothing. Previously I’d not had the patience for it, and my dad and even MOH would help sort out tangles in wool, but over the past few years I’ve found the patience - and the satisfaction - of untangling reassuringly mindful.

A while back I bought a large bag of vintage threads, where thankfully the embroidery threads were neatly organised and wound around strips of cardboard. Remembering this I dug them out to add this jumble of threads to those.

And before long, they were unravelled and some new cardboard strips with notches cut out held the once tangled threads. Not all of the threads survived it, but a large proportion did, and they are much more usable like this.

I noticed though that the two strips of cardboard I’d added to, had much more character than my saved birthday cards. Or they do now, maybe my birthday cards will hold the same attraction in years to come, who knows.

The blues above are wound onto a card that once held ‘washing and boiling elastic’ and which ‘outlasts any garment never needs replacing’ - the mind boggles doesn’t it. The greens and yellows I added to the 'knicker elastic’ card which once held ‘the latest Improved Rubber Thread.’

Aren’t they a find? And I wonder if any of the packaging around today will seem as dated in the not too distant future!

Post Comment Love 25-27 February

Welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any post published in the last week. We know you’ll find some great posts to read, and maybe some new-to-you blogs too, so do pop over and visit some of the posts linked and share some of that love. If you were here last week it was great to have you along, if you’re new here this week we’re pleased you’re here.

Thank you for your kind words last week on my blogging anniversary, it’s much appreciated.

And kindness is something I think we all could do with lots more of right now. If the past few years haven’t been tumultuous enough, the news yesterday was just soul destroying. I just can’t fathom how, why and I’m sure I’m not the only one.

I’ve taken very few photos again this week, so instead here’s some calming and genteel snowdrops snapped this time last year.

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