Finding use for Lush Tubs

I'm a happy bunny right now. At work (La La La La Lush!!) there are all these bloody containers that never get used - the ones that the Shower Jellies arrive in; so me and my Dad went over on my day off to go and collect said containers. In true me style - I forgot the white tubs >.< The ones the Butter Creams come in! So today; while helping Hannah and Wai clean, buff and polish our little shop in readiness for Nick's return from being off ill; I cleaned all three white tubs and found uses for them.

Tub 1: Put all Fresh Fruit and Veg for displays in ready for Nick to put into Tupperware tomorrow for the fridge
Tub 2: Crack in the side, but will make funky crochetted sleeve for round the tub, the hand and a little crochetted top for... you know. The top, the lid.
Tub 3: Ideal little bucket for moving out and using as cleaning supplies storage, and mini wash bucket.

Excellent plan me thinks!

I want to do the crochetted one in bright and fun colours, as when me and the tall on move out it will be a perfect container for all my knitting needles!

*Note for next time; Need to put up all my WIPs (Work In Progress') photos!*

Have a good night all! x

Feeling a lot better! All thanks to some :)

Heylo all!! I'm back again (I'm posting lots I know), and feeling alot better after the evil cold caught up with me. Still got a little bit of it left but its pretty much all gone *happies*

I'm extremely happy as at work we've got some of the new items in. I never told you where I work! I'm employed at Lush Handmade Cosmetics as a Part Time Sales Assistant. It's so cool. I get to show you how bubble bars, ballistics, sugar scrubs, massage bars e.t.c. all work! How amazing is that?!
Back on topic.. We've got Creme Anglaise *yummmm* which is £25 smackers! So worth it if you ask me as the smell is bloody gorgeus. Then we have the new lip scrubs in "Bubblegum", "Mint Julips" and "Sweet Lips". Mint Julips is my favourite ^_^ Then! We have at long last the amazing, the sexy, Happy Bloomin' Bath Melt! It's so full of cherries and it also got calamine which is really soothing on the skin. Oh oh and hopefully getting some more bits in on Wednesday :D

Back on crafting related news. I will be doing stitch marker clubs. So, here is the information regarding;

• I will be doing them in groups of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months or 12 months.
• Prices to be paid are including Recorded 1st Class / Airsure P&P worldwide!
• They will be sent on last day of every month (unless it's a weekend then on the Friday before).
• You could recieve anywhere between 4 and 8 markers in any one month - e.g. Month 1 you could recieve 5, Month 2 you could recieve 8.
• Designs are picked at random, unless you have a specific colour scheme you prefer, then state when ordering. Also you need to state whether you are a knitter or crochetter; and if you are a knitter what size needles you prefer to use so I can make the markers to the correct sizing.

I'll be putting them on Etsy tonight, so everyone can feel free to have a butchers.

x

Not feeling much better - WIP!

Not feeling much better today folks. Been at work, but it was quite dead to say the least :|

Nevertheless, got the new Valentine's Day items out with Lucy & Amy; Magic Mushroom Bubble Bar, The Ex Factor Ballistic and Love Soap. My favourite one is hands down Magic Mushroom because I love how soft it feels! And because of the lovely Alex squeeling "It looks like a Mario Mushroom!" That made my week when they were delivered on Friday. To make me even more happy, the new "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" boxes are in. The reason why this makes me smile is because there is an information leaflet that has a cut out mouse-tash on! (I can't spell, so always call the male tash a "mouse tash")

On the note of Valentine's, I actually have no clue what to get the tall one! I thought about making something, but it'll end up never getting finished. Why start projects I'll never get finished? Pah. I may make him a little crochetted heart and a game I know he's after *roll eyes* Men..

To finalise this blog entry before I go to bed and dream of how far I can get on my recent WIPs, I shall let you all in on a small secret! I'm working on a pattern. It involves lacework, cabling, rib, and circular needles. Now I shall leave you all guessing, and bid you goodnight xx

When feeling unwell - spend and knit.

Oh yes people, I escaped but am now captured by the evil that is "The Winter Cold". The damn thing caught me >:| I am not pleased. It means I am slowly loosing my hearing again, have lost all sense of smell and taste, and to top it off am loosing my energy. Bad times, bad times indeed.

In an attempt to cheer me up, after being phoned outside prospective flat to be informed that it had in fact been let (boo at estate agents); my wonderful man, who also is in a state of *disappoint and **worry, decided to buy me some boxes. You may laugh, but I've been having a good ol' moan about the fact I needed at least 2 boxes to store my growing collection of CDs by various artists, along with soundtracks.

* To clarify why he is disappointed: We both had our hearts set on a beautiful flat. Unfortunately we need to move on 30th January so I'm not stuck in a rut for getting back to Raunds; after a certain time the bus that I catch to get home from work, then multiplies into two, but on a Sunday there is no means of getting me home from Northampton unless our good friend isn't working. Hence the slight disappointment.
** To clarify the worrying: The Winter Cold, and how it effects my temper.. Not well is what I should say, but I was surprisingly okay after having a 6ft rug pulled from under my feet..

Back to the boxes. So in WHSmiths, I saw two gorgeus Cupcake print CD Boxes, £4.99 each (quite expensive really when we aren't doing so well cash wise). Had to have! I squeaked and squeeled my way back out of the shopping centre.

Today, once we had got back to Raunds, we tidied my two shelves with the CDs, books, DVDs, magazines e.t.c into a very tidy new space ready to put it all into removal vans for when we have found a flat to move to :) Then after lunch spent two hours snoozing to try and recouperate my energy for work tomorrow!

In Knitting News! I may take on a large project for myself! Enter the words "Oooo" and "Ahhh". I may make one of these for work;

• Quadrat
• Bad Penny - But longer in the body
• Belle Epoque
• Cherie Amour - I am besotted with the shaping on here
• Dahlia - Abit obsessed with cables
• Margot
• Tubey
• Viveka
• Hey Teach!
• Or I start writing my own.

I love the ideal of 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10. Writing my own pattern would be amazingly cool! And I could use up my yarn stash in the process! But at the same time when starting my first majorly huge project, it's best to follow a pattern. Hmm decisions, decisions.

Either way I'll be a very happy bunny to say the least. Starting a big project, especially for work will be something to work on.

Keep an eye on here for more news when it arrives :)

Using up the stash - My WIPs

It seems in the knitting and crochet world that everyone is spending 2010 using up their ever-increasing stash of varying yarns. It will definately be that way here too.

Seeing as I've just learnt how to crochet properly, and I've been knitting for years; I've been using up my yarn a bit at a time. I aim to get through 200g of yarn a month! Big feat if you ask me. Or if I buy one skein / ball of yarn, I should theoretically have to use up twice as much as the purchased yarns weight to accomidate for it.

A good ploy to use up my stash indeed :)

So, here is the projects I am working on and what yarn I'm using for them;

•  Crochetted & Knitted Bunting in Stylecraft Special Twirl DK in "Apple Twirl 1651"
• Granny Square Blanket using oddments in various weights, and all my DK Patons / Stylecraft Special yarns

Two projects on the go so far isn't bad for 2010! I think by the end of the month I'll be pulling my hair out from having so much stash and not knowing what project to do next 

Hopefully I'll have pictures for you of those when they eventually get finished!



This is a list of projects I hope to achieve this year;

• The completion of an actual blanket.
• A shawl
• A set of socks for Paul (if I start them now I may get them done for Christmas lol)
• A set of socks for me
• A couple of sets of wristwarmers
• More dread hats

Not many eh?

I'll keep you all posted as I like to keep my jottings somewhere!

Crochet - We'll get there!

I've got this book "200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afghans: Crochet Squares to Mix-and-Match (Paperback)" on my bookshelve at home and I've been reading it for a while.

It's got me thinking, if I could use my yarn stash to make a giant blanket, one of each of the squares in said book. So a 200 square blanket; then obviously all the others that aren't in there, e.g. knitted blocks? Means I'd have to purchase;

 

I think as Paul is constantly at me about the stash, it would be a worthwhile investment to purchase said book and make squares on my days off and on the way into work.

So that makes 400 squares. Wow that'll be a big blanket! But at least it'll keep me busy. Then I could crochet little flowers to go onto the blanket out of the oddments. Definately a good idea.

In other news, we (me and the tall one) are going to be looking at a flat (appartment; to the lovely reader from over the pond) on a week Saturday at 12:45pm. I'm so nervous! It's a lovely one bedroom place, very affordable. I'll keep you all posted!!

Beginning the journey into Crochet!

After being drawn to Lucy from Attic24's Blog, I saw a whole world of possibilities for my yarn stash - most being boring and very bland colours! I do have some very random spashes of colour in there somewhere - mainly pinks, blues and greens.

So I wil be attempting my first ever blanket of various granny squares, including the Traditional Granny Square and Lucy's Summer Garden Granny Square May make some flowers to go on it too. Not sure.

I still can't crochet in straight lines yet which doesn't surprise me!

I've added some lovely new things onto Etsy.com;

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade NaturalistDesigns.etsy.com

Help me sell this stock as I've still got a lot to sell!! Jewellery mainly now :)

In moving news, me and Paul are waiting for a phonecall back about a property! This is really exciting news! It's a very pretty flat, very basic interior. That will be transformed into a chaos of clutter and odd boxes in wrong rooms. I'm trying to use up all my beads but may have to sell them on :( They are cute colours but I don't find time to bead anymore!

As usual, keep a close eye on here, as this will be the main place for all my musings ^_^ x

Happy New Year All!!

Wowee! 2010 is upon us and I have so much to do; so much that need updating :)

Here's all the latest works of this mad mind;

Set of 5 50s Vintage / Red Polka Dot Bow Stitch Markers

&

Matching Orifice Hook

Pair of socks for 2 to 3 yr old out of Rico Design Superba Designs

Cabled Knit and very bright

Set of Preemie to 3 months socks in Colinette Cadenza, colourway "Moss"

I love these as they are very soft, and I ribbed the all the way down to the toe.

Another set of Preemie to 3 months socks, this time made from Colinette Cadenza and Rowan Tapestry.

Such a cute set for a little girl.

I made my first ever "Bunting" too! I'm very pleased with this, so I'll stick it on Etsy.

I've also used my own handspun on here, and one of the Lush Ribbons from the "Christmas Cracker" gift :D

This was my second to last set of 5 Stitch Markers from 2009!

All the beads were from "Bee Inspired Ltd" in Kettering, Northants. Website: http://www.beeinspired.co.uk/

These will be going on Etsy very soon!!

And to finish, the really cute and simple secret santa gift for Darkest Knits on the Phoenix Knitting Forums.

One Knitted stocking for the Christmas Tree, set of 5 Stitch Markers.

So all in all my December was a very crafty month!! January will be a busy month, as I'm working through all my bead stash and all my yarn stash to create wierd and wonderful items for my Etsy shop! So keep an eye on here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturalistDesigns

I'll hopefully be posting on here abit more in the coming months; especially with the biggest news *hint*moving home*hint* :)

Have a lovely New year everyone, and hope you all enjoyed this very random show off! xx