A mindful afternoon twiddling

I’ve recently spent an afternoon doing as what only be described as ‘twiddling paper’ and once again I’ve been inspired by many fantastic paper craft and quilling artists over on Instagram. What they can do with twirls of paper is just amazing, and clearly they’re far from my beginner level.

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However, as I’m firmly of the belief that everyone has to start at the beginning, and that starting is better than not I decided to get some pre-cut strips of paper and some basic tools, and try it out for myself.

Now this is clearly where this post strays into ‘all the gear, no idea’ territory but with an online tutorial or two under my belt I was ready to get started.

How pretty do all the tonal strips of paper look?

This flower template also came with the kit, but was quickly put aside for a more ‘advanced’ day.

So how did I get on? Well, I had some success - though not much - and it was a great way to spend an afternoon. I think it’s something I’ll try again and aim to develop further so that I can incorporate the shapes into card making, but in reality I’m a long way off some of the wonderful creations I’ve seen. Thankfully I’m also a realist and realise Rome wasn’t built in a day.

For now though my quilling adventures have been cut short as a plaster on your index finger doesn’t provide the dexterity needed for such detailed craft. I’ll return to this again, soon hopefully. And my finger? Well it’s the most mundane of injuries - a simple, but dramatic, cut through picking up the food processor vegetable slicer the wrong way, ouch. Those blades are sharp, way sharper than I expected!

Post Comment Love 25-27 November

Welcome to this week’s #PoCoLo - a friendly linky which I co-host with Suzanne, where you can link any blog 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.

It’s been a pretty mundane week here on the whole. There have been some highlights: meeting a friend for lunch and a good old chinwag, two nights out - I know, who even am I? Last Thursday we went to Woolwich Works for an evening with Shaun Ryder (from the Happy Mondays) and last night we saw Squeeze at the O2, which I’d won tickets to in a competition run by our local deli. A great prize, and to be honest I’d have entered their competition to win a pot of their winter coleslaw - it’s so good! I’m writing this post ahead of the Squeeze concert but I have high hopes that they’ll be just as good as the coleslaw (I bet they’ve never had that comparison before!)

This week my photo is one of my summer bedding, which I noticed has started to flower again this week. This year the weather has most certainly been crazy, and the plants most certainly confused. I also spotted some nasturtiums which have appeared in the last few weeks, the strangest thing though - we didn’t have any in the summer when they should have been here!

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If my train will come

Browsing. It’s a good way to pass some time. For me, I’d always opt for a book shop over a record shop, for MOH it’s probably the other way round. But when we were in Northumberland in the summer neither of us wanted to pass up the opportunity to browse Barter Books on the day we visited Alnwick.

We’d opted to visit Alnwick Castle and then headed into the town and found our way to one of the largest second hand bookshops in Britain, which is also home of the original ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ poster.

The bookshop opened in 1991 and as its name suggests was based on the swap system. It opened in Alnwick’s old Victorian railway station, where it remains today. Today the bookshop is made up of seven rooms, and retains the Old Waiting Room as a place to sit, have a meal, read newspapers and enjoy the open fire with a coffee.

A model railway circles above you as you browse the books, and I must admit I became quite taken with it, trying to get a shot of the engines as they passed by. There’s so much more than I can share with you in a single blog post - but if you’re in the area, or close enough to visit, then it’s really a must visit kind of place. But if not, there’s so much more for you to see on their website.

The books, the building, the trains and the whole ambience was a wonder to experience. And that’s without mentioning the cafe, ice cream bar, the art installations and the poetry on display.

SUNSET AND EVENING STAR. AND ONE CLEAR CALL FOR ME! AND MAY THERE BE NO MOANING OF THE BAR. WHEN I PUT OUT TO SEA. - TENNYSON.

TO POSTERITY

WHEN BOOKS HAVE ALL SEIZED UP LIKE THE BOOKS IN GRAVEYARDS
AND READING AND EVEN SPEAKING HAVE BEEN REPLACED
BY OTHER, LESS DIFFICULT MEDIA, WE WONDER IF YOU
WILL FIND IN FLOWERS AND FRUIT THE SAME COLOUR AND TASTE
THEY HELD FOR US FOR WHOM THEY WERE FRAMED IN WORDS,
AND WILL YOUR GRASS BE GREEN, YOUR SKY BE BLUE,
OR WILL YOUR BIRDS BE ALWAYS WINGLESS BIRDS?

LOUIS MACNEICE (FROM VISITATIONS, 1957)

We spent a good hour or so here, and could quite easily have spent the same amount of time again. It’s a place you could come back to again and again, and each time find something new to marvel at. And that too is part of what makes it great.