Don't keep calm and carry on.

Don't keep calm and carry on., originally uploaded by moleitau.

I would get a lot more done this way.

Its the little things...

Tiny trolleys make me smile.

Colour Days :: Green

My absence from the blog waves was due again to the huge amount of work I have stacked up. I can't actually see my desk right now due to cutting mats, paints, tissue paper, sketchbooks, pencils, rulers, protractors, miniature model people... you get the idea.

This picture is called a place where tomtom stops working, I think thats such a great name, I love those kind of places. Tom has a wonderful selection of photos from all over the world.

This embroidery is by wallwork on etsy. I couldn't do a green (colour) post with out green (eco). I have started to notice this type of embroidery more and more recently, I'm not sure but I think its cross stitch on a fine backing. This lady does some very nice ones aswell, I think it is a great mix of old fashioned techniques with modern outcomes.

Its just by chance that this fits with the colour. My latest cake, a bottle of Jagermeister for my flat mates 19th birthday. It was fun to do the label for this, I often model with icing and shy away from painting, but it worked better than I thought it would. I only had about 40minutes to ice this from scratch though, including the painting, so the main bottle is a bit plain.

I have my first ever commisioned cake next week though! I shall have to improve my time planning for that I think.

Last but not least, this is the picture I took for my green post before I realised the cake was green. It seemed a shame to waste it.

Colour Days :: Turcoise

I am doing so much course work at the moment I don't have time at all for making, so I am making my next 5 or so posts about colour so my blog doesn't get forgotten. Everyday I will post a picture of mine, a picture from flickr, and a hand crafted item, all of a certain colour. As you can probably guess I am starting with turcoise.
The flickr picture is from the delightful house of Kimhas6cats. I found her whilst browsing and she has one of those homes I would just love to get the chance to walk around, it is so colourful. Well worth a look.

This my picture, I love macro shots, but I do struggle with backgrounds. My university accomodation is nice as they go, but its not very inspiring - lots of plastic wood cupboards and lino flooring.

Finally this beautiful cushion was made from hand batiqued fabrics by stitchindye. Its really unusual, and looks really snuggly.

What do I really really need?

I am a natural born procrastinator, I will often put off things that I enjoy doing for no reason at all, I can't even explain it to myself. This was made to stave off doing what I really should have been. At the time I reasoned it with "well I actually do really need it" but looking back I am thinking that a new braclet stand was probably stretching the use of the word "need" to breaking point.

At least its recycled though, a cardboard tube I had saved (I new it would come in useful), some old book pages, a stamp, a cork, and an earring I found on the floor in a bar.

At least my braclets are happy.

Roll up, roll up

I have had a crazy amount of work to do this week (Iactually sayed in on a wednesday night to finish it - and that is unheard of before), and when I handed that in we got double the amount for next week. I am glad I picked a course I enjoy doing the work for.

But with all the carting around of materials I do for an artsy type course, the bottom of by bag was covered in ink and my brushes didn't seem to be bending quite in the direction you might expect. So I made this up with some peter rabbit fabric I have had for ages (without knowing what to do with) and an old bit of curtain.

I keep telling myself that the amount of time I spent making it, and not working, wont matter with the amount of time I save on finding stuff. But I don't really know how much truth there is in that, but it was fun to do and it looks pretty.

A ridiculus number of cakes this week

The cow cake was just the start, it has been birthday season here, and I made all of these in the past week. It is a good job I love doing it so much, isn't it strange how so many birthdays come at once? The next one here isn't for over a month.

All of these cakes are chocolate with blackcurrant jam and butter cream fillings. I have finally got the hang of baking without a mixer (I don't have anything more technologically advanced than a spoon). My arm muscles have definatley been worked recently.

This is the most recent one, made for Nicolas 19th, she isn't particularly house obsessed, but she does like sweets, and I have been waiting for an excuse to make this cake for ages.

I could have made it smoother I think, but I do rather like the slightly higgledy-piggledy look.

The path of hundreds and thousands is my favourite part.

Not unexpectedly it was a challenge to cut up, but seen as it got eaten in about 10minutes it didn't seem to be much of an issue.

This was for Jacks 19th, as you can probably guess, he likes skiing. Due to the cost of ingredients this cake and the next one were only half size, so the ski slope was about as two apples.

This is where an unlucky skier collided with a tree. There was a snowball rolling down the dent on the right, but someone ate it before I took the picture.

Just like most of the university boys, Jack pretty much lives in Jack Wills clothes (a designer).

This last one was for Perrys 22nd. It is him stood on the great wall of china and stems from a conversation we had about the fact that I am about as English as they come and have stood on the great wall of China, and he is Chinese and hasn't.

Now he has...well his minature icing double has anyway.

For some reason the icing on this cake dried out a bit and it ended up looking a bit floury. I should have dabbed at it with a damp cloth I think.