the Cosmo Shopolater 4012 (for all your shopping needs...)

Some of you may remember that my Spouse and Chookie have a tradition of holiday makes together. Well this past February half term was no exception. Except the make in question was actually a homework project.

 

The class this term have had robotics as their topic. The assignment was to draw and annotate a diagram of a useful robot and then make a model of it out of household "junk." This is Chook's drawing.

 

 Spouse was saving interesting bits for a couple of weeks beforehand, including a remote controlled car and an old radio cassette player. This is their Cosmo Shopolater 4012. He is a shopping robot that uses the internet to find the best deals, Google Maps to find his way to the various supermarkets and has your bank details stored for an instant fund transfer. There's a panel on the front for inputting your shopping and the light on his left arm is his barcode scanner.

 

Here's a good shot of his grabbing claw and arial sticking up (that's his internet connection I am told.) He's got good all-terrain tracks, too. Heh.

 A close up of his head. Spouse was desperate to style a 50's "Danger, Will Robinson!" 'bot but Chook vetoed him. She was very much the driving force (as it should be) and he was just for hot glue gun purposes. Do you like his ears for listening for traffic?

I like the fake panelling on his back. The circuits are fake in that they don't do anything for him. Except making him look roboty.

The remote controlled car, though? Well.



She did her presentation in front of the class yesterday and it went really well. She's a shy wee thing and was awful worried beforehand but she said people oohed in the right places and she raised a laugh or two as well. Her teacher said it was "excellent" which from him is a trumpet fanfare of stupendousness! But she was properly thrilled to find out today that she had scored one of the two highest scores from her classmates and will be presenting it with her friend (the other high scorer) in front of the school soon.  All of which is especially fabulous when you consider she is in a composite class and half her classmates are the year above her! My kid, the robot genius. *g*

My first B&B guest.

No, I don't really have a Bed and Breakfast hostelry! But Tanya often asks in the comments when she can come and stay. *g* My guest isn't her, though.

I had a red card from the postie to pick up a parcel this morning. So off I trochled, scratching my head over what it could possibly be. I wasn't expecting anything. I hadn't bought anything. Hmm. The address on the back was no help, either. Nottingham? On a wee box? No idea - it should be pointed out I am hopeless at knowing where blog friends live. Ask Fiona!

Anyways, I get to work and open my box to be met with a "I am coming to stay at your B&B" note signed by Peggy.  Which kinda gave the game away for Tanya being my surprise gifter!

Meet Peggy.

She is, as my (male) boss astutely pointed out "a wee steampunk dolly!" Isn't she the dearest little creature? I especially love her earring and her pasties. *grins* Ooh, and the bells on her hat. And her twinkly eye!

 

We're busy inventing a persona for her. She's a witch hunter and has had some run-ins with nasty hags - hence the missing hands. I'm thinking she was in burlesque (the pasties again) before some event thrust her into witch-huntery.  She needs an awesome surname, though. Thoughts?

 

Thank you SO much, Tan. I can't tell you how thrilled I was opening her this morning and the Chook and Spouse both were tickled pink, too. Chookie loves her boots "big funky platforms but with a steampunk edge!" I think were her words. Ten going on twenty, right?



Aaw, CATS!!

I'm painting our landing currently and it is a relentless,  thankless task.  You don't even get a nice room at the end of it - it's basically just a corridor leading to more interesting places.  But at least I have my cats to help. If helping is jumping off the ladder I didn't know he was on, straight into the emulsion tray.

*blinks*

I shouldn't need to tell you we're talking about Jones and not Temple. Always in trouble, right? Good job I was right beside him to minimise the paw prints. Even better job he likes a shower since even his head was a lovely shade of "soft cream."

Never a dull moment!

the Magical Mice of Podthiki.

A couple of years ago while buying new hammocks for our sadly missed wee rats, the rat-hammock-maker pointed me in the direction of her friend's wee handmade meeces. Michelle from Podthiki Goblins makes the most adorable sock goblins, meece and owls and I have long been a Facebook follower of hers. I bought a blue stripey meece back then - he currently resides in a white wooden storm lantern in my living room. Well on occassion she also has the most wonderful artwork for sale and a few weeks ago was showing her newest completed work. I had some money from a certain old lady burning a hole in my pocket (of course, none other than Beloved Wee Granny) and when I saw Michelle's subject matter my only question was "is this for sale?!?"

Yes, it is a stitchy witch's shelf!! Us grandchildren have long since suspected Granny of being a bit spooky (in the nicest, benignest magical way) so really, with the stitching and rodents this was a no-brainer for me. I confess, I was unprepared for the quality of Michelle's artistry!

It really is the prettiest, most detailed picture. It's not small, either, about 21 x 12in with its mount.

I'm not sure where to put it. On the landing when I finally finish painting it, maybe. It needs to have its wee meece sitting nearby so just hanging on a wall won't do. And I want to be able to see it nice and clearly. Not a bad problem to have though, eh?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Spouse and I don't really do Valentine's Day. In fact, for about 10 years we didn't even send cards. But either we're getting soppy 15 years into our relationship OR we're succumbing to societal pressure. Coz this year we did! I gave him a card and a Valentine's Graze box (an in-joke as he always asks Chook where his box is) but I hit the jackpot!

A funny card (picked by the Chook), a box of Lindor (also picked by Chook - no coincidence that they are HER favourite!!) and two books!! The Steampunk Bible and do you see? Steampunk Softies!!

This wee lady is my favourite, I think. So I need to get collecting little bits for a wee shot. He knows me well, no?

Also happening in Casa DLM this week. The schools are on holiday all week and so is Spouse. I was off on Monday and we ended up in East Kilbride doing some ice skating and shopping. They have the weeniest Disney Store but look what I found? Nemo merch!!

 Finding Nemo was Chookie's favourite film when she was a littlie - her nappy bag had Nemo on. *g* So I have a soft spot for him. And especially these two. Do you know their catchphrases?

Heh heh!!! We proper squeed at Pearl's. They also had "fish are friends, not food" but we plumped for Dorrie - "just keep swimming" is a family catchphrase.

On Tuesday we were in Glasgow at the dental hospital. Joy. It was for work to be done, too. Chook was a wee star, though, despite being a whole hour in the chair! Root canal done and a new prosthetic fitted to her (very) short front tooth. It looks great, though and she is very happy with it.

What else..........emm.......ooh, we went to look at a house last night. You know, with a view to buying it. Isn't it  beautiful? We've always wanted to move back into an older property but, geez, this one needs a LOT of work and money. Not to mention about 100 litres of bleach. Not the place for us. The guy had his pants hanging on the radiators drying! Ha haa!

So I can continue my landing decorating at my leisure and Spouse can trundle along with the ever-expanding restoration of Ming the Mini. A move is in our future but who knows when, we may be some time finding just the right place. Speaking of the landing, I got a fabulous picture today to hang there from an artist I know from Facebook. She makes sock goblins and mice (I have one of her meece in my living room bought through a rat hammock maker. From when we had pets of the rodent and not feline persuasion) and the picture has 2 matching mice. I'll get photos tomorrow and share soon - the drawing is amazing.

And finally, this two have been doing one of their customary holiday makes.. But with a difference.



Chook's topic at school this term is robotics. The class have borrowed robot kits from Edinburgh University (cool, right?) and have been having a ball. Well, her big homework of the last few weeks has been to design her own robot (it has to have a real purpose) and then make a model using junk from round the house. Do you see the remote controlled car in the foreground? Yeah, Dad has gotten involved. It may be the coolest junk robot I have ever seen! I'll show photos of that too (and maybe a video!) when it's done. I'll tease you with it's name.

The Cosmo Shopalator 4012.

2 guesses what it does.

And so we trundle on.

Firstly could I thank you all for your lovely comments regarding wee Granny and the great lump mystery. She's doing fine - honestly, she is rarely up nor down. It's one of her greatest attributes, her ability to stay level and trust that what will be will be. Anyways, thanks all. I was saying to Jo last night I was worried it would look like an indulgent post but I'm glad I shared. I've replied to you all (I hope!) but PennyDog? You've left 2 lovely comments lately and you're a no-reply blogger! :0(  I don't want you to think I'm being rude, especially when you're taking the time to leave such nice words.

 

And so on to other things. I'm almost finished the 36 blocks needed for my Breakfast at Tiffany's strings (it's only been on the go since October 2010!) I had a dozen to go at the start of the year and it felt like a massive task. But I set myself the target of one a night at the start of last week. And I've only 3 to go!! Once the strings were all cut and piled on the wee room floor it was surprisingly easy to pop in, do a wee few rows and pop back out again. And it helps that some of my strings are.....well. Fat 2 inch strings. *g* Of course, I had my wee Temple shadow with me, too. I succumbed to a radiator bed for him - I must make it a pretty cover!

  

Here I was testing the colours to see if I'd get away with it in my purple bedroom. It's got quite a lot of green in it and I think with the right pillow cases and cushions it could be quite nice. Jones approves, too.

 

One last wee snippet of DLM life, before I go and do some work (yes, blogging during my tea break!). I had some Avon stuff waiting for me yesterday morning at work. My colleague of 15 years is an Avon lady and although she retired a few years ago she keeps us all in pretties and smellies. I had bought new make up for the first time in years. Wee Granny always bought me my favourite Ruby & Millie for Christmas but since we all got our lovely dosh this year (which bought my birdie pendant) I was short on cosmetics. Among them was new powder and a kabuki brush. Well, I was tearing the wrapping off everything at home when Chookie got in from school and distracted me with homework complaints and general 10 year old whining. When I went back to my loot the cats were playing with the brush - kitten slavers, niiiiice. So I wrestled it off them and went running upstairs to put everything away. About 10 minutes later I could hear scrabbling in my bedroom. We've still not got our tall, skinny storage sorted for the bathroom so the small set of drawers is in my room. With my make up in it.

 

 

And that, ladies and ladies, is why I have kiddie locks on all my kitchen cupboards! Wee blighters.

 

A small postscript since I've arrived home. I had 2 lovely parcels here today when I got home. One my expected new bag from Next but also my scrappy tripalong backing and binding yardage from Pink Castle Fabrics. I only ordered them last Sunday!

 

 

Pretty, no? I couldn't be more pleased with them. Now. To get batting and then *gulps* start quitling.