i got a little lost...

...physically, in the V&A

...and emotionally, Little Miss started Nursery a couple of weeks ago and I found myself wondering all over again who the heck I am when there is no small one demanding my attention and filling my days. But I'm coming around to the 2 and a half hours of child free time everyday and I've stopped pacing the room. I even started doing a bit of work.

...but today I'm going to share my day out yesterday, Mr has no work at the moment (we're trying not to panic) so I took full advantage of the opportunity and headed into the smoke.

 by David Mach

a wire sculpted gorilla, made to look as it was made from coathangers

There is a fantastic exhibition on, the Power of Making is full of objects made by hand, some traditional, some very modern and using technology (I now know what a 3D printer is) but all celebrating the power of craftsmanship and how it fits into our world today. You can't take pictures in there, so these are just a few of the things you can expect to see. 

 

Alphabet Pencil Sculpture by Dalton Ghetti
These are incredible and are all carved using a razor blade and a needle.

 image credit

A lace fence by Jeroen Verhoeven

Not this actual one on show, but beautiful, just beautiful. 

Baby by Michelle Sugar Art
 Yes, sugar art - this incredibly life like baby is a cake.
It was a little creepy, who could possibly cut into that? 

There is so much to see and it was packed, so go early if you're planning a trip. You will love it. If you want to see some of the makers in action, pop over here, you can watch a pig cake being made, amongst other marvellous things.

paper and glue

It is true, I am a terrible hoarder. I keep so much stuff that I should just recycle or give away. 

Yet there is potential in just about everything. I recently came across a stash of old catalogues, the Boden and Cath Kidston ones have delicious prints in them. 

Armed with some plain white card, a ruler, a glue stick, scissors, odd scraps of ribbon and a rainy afternoon I reduced my pile of catalogues and gained some very handy gift tags. 

I love how they turned out.

Why not have a go? I have plans for some old maps, magazines, old dictionaries.... oh the possibilities, let me know if you make some, I'd love to see them.


More creative spaces over here.

good times

The big one went back to school today, the little one starts nursery on Monday, and I've been looking through the holiday pictures. This is what we got up to...

loved the recycled sculpture trail at Teignmouth beach

we baked, and made, and played, and started on some pompoms, we're going to pompom bomb the allotment, or the park or maybe our garden, inspired by this

it hasn't been a fantastic year at the allotment, many things just didn't grow, but we did get lots of flowers and it was still fun

 

a day out at the Southbank, where we caught the last of the Festival of Britain and the Liberty Festival, and browsed through the booksellers stocks

all polished off with delicious birthday cake the girls made for me and some last minute sewing, a new P.E. kit bag


now I'm wondering if it would be wrong to stuff in the last of the cake before school pick up?