Paralysis of Too Many Projects (and why there is a photo of the Made in Chelsea crew on this blog)

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I have too many projects on the go and I feel overwhelmed. I’ve lost my mojo somewhere. This is my first proper creative dearth after nearly 7 months of starting my little blog when I committed to making one crafty project a week.

I currently have a house to tidy, holiday bags to pack (which should be fun but I find stressful) and a heap of crafty projects I want to complete. However, these last couple of weeks I’ve sat down and watched trash TV. Absolute trash TV. Maybe everyone needs to do that once in a while but I feel my creative voice shrieking and melting inside (Wizard of Oz style) as I hit play on ‘Made in Chelsea’ yet again. It is all wrong. The balance is askew.

Made_In_Chelsea_cast2

Part of the problem is having too many half-completed projects. I’m lost and don’t know where to start. How have you got through these creative dry patches? I’ve Pin’ed like never before, I’ve devoured my crafty magazine, I’ve made copious mugs of coffee and sat mulling like an “arteeeeist” but alas de nada. Just my brain calling for ‘Made in Chelsea’ and ‘Eurovision’. So I have succumbed. The worst thing about this is that I actually feel guilty! I feel like I’m doing myself a wrong by not crafting. It has become such a part of life in the last half year and has been so good for my sense of wellbeing. What a tangle. And it’s not even a tangle of yarn.

So, dear crafty friends or blogging lovelies, at the end of this week I’m packing up my sewing machine, computer and paint brushes and heading away for a few days. After a good dose of more trash TV with my brother, a couple of baked white blooomer loaves and a few lie-ins (I know!! I’m excited about that!) I’m going to jump back on the crafty bandwagon. (I have a scotch pancake recipe that needs some air time and I promise to share it soon-seriously it will revolutionise your Sunday breakfasts). And finally, with almost perfect timing the audition pieces at So You Think You’re Crafty are now up and online ready for you to vote (so hopefully I will have the jump-start I need *peeking through my hands at the results next week*).

So to rev me up and get me back in the crafty mode my list of projects to start and/or finish are:

* Bag for a friend

* Bag for my maman

* 2 quilts

* Spring dress for the minou

* Bunting

* T-shirts

* Cushions

* Sofa Cover

and that’s just the sewing!

Please, please, please do have a little look at all the amazing audition pieces here. I love the diversity of this competition. So many crafts, different styles, different mediums. Perfect in fact for inspiration and awe. And please, please, please cast your votes!

 

And finally what’s a post without another somewhat random photo. Plus everyone has time for Maggie Smith, Downton and a meme huh..

 

Downton-Abby-Yarn-Meme

 

Send me your crafty vibes crafters and your de-craft-funk fixes

naomi x

So You Think You’re Crafty – A Virtual Sewing Bee (Kinda)

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So, one of the reasons behind the quiet is that for the last few days I have been beavering away for my audition piece for ‘So You Think You’re Crafty’. Its like a virtual Great British Sewing Bee except the entries are not limited to fabric or sewing *gulp* that leaves a lot of options! It is hosted by the lovely Missy. She explains the whole process if you click here.

Missy-Harding-So-You-Think-Youre-Crafty

I’ll give you all a heads up when the voting is open for the audition finalists. Its a blind voting process so I have to keep schtum about my entry until the results are revealed and I know whether I made the cut. Eeek and eeep! Its exciting. My head is swarming with ideas and a little dose of panic as this competition is heavy! Past seasons have shown extraordinary creative skills so I know it will be a tough ride. I’d love to make it to the top 3 so I’m ploughing all my energy and waking hours (once the minou is in bed) into drafting, planning and creating. Phew.

SYTYC

 

Wish me lots of crafting skill!

naomi x

A Flurry of Activity in the Background

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Hello there again.

Firstly,  Happy Mothering Sunday to all you mamas State side. I hope you have been suitably decked in flowers, proffered mugs of tea and been gifted decadent chocolate biscuits.

I’m sending virtual flowers to those of you who find Mother’s Day a difficult one x

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The quietness over here on this little patch of Internet is due to a number of projects and demands. May and June promise to be full of household jobs, ‘admin’, a whole heap of crafting and a huge spring clean to finish off before a well deserved little break.

I’m hoping to have some fun crafty items to show you in coming weeks so do have a wander over.

naomi x

Baking a White Bloomer – Yumsville Extraordinare

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Today after a lovely morning with Evie, a good church service and a tiny run, a friend came over to bake loaves.

I have tried a Delia recipe rather unsuccessfully for a couple of weeks. On this day I decided it was time to try a Paul Hollywood bread and it did not disappoint. I am trying to achieve a bucket list goal of baking a reliably good white loaf from scratch.

On his BBC iPlayer series ‘Paul Hollywood’s Bread – Classic Bread’ and his related book, it is the first recipe he shares (the link goes to his recipe and short clip of his kneading and folding tips). I love him. Yes I do. He explains everything, why you knead, what happens and gives you little titbits of information such as ‘the classic white bloomer, so named because it blooms in the oven’.

Proving White Bloomer

It was a delight to make. We laughed as we pummelled kneaded our dough. We watched in awe as it expanded and expanded and expanded.

Pre-Bake White Bloomer

Each stage was fun and exciting. Finally, they were baked and cooled. Delicious. Tomorrow we will most certainly be having ‘dippy’ eggs and soldiers.

Post-Bake White Bloomer

Mine is on the right. I have learnt a) too much water at once in the mixing stage = soggy dough and the knead never goes quite right afterwards (you can see the difference in the first photo, mine on the right), b) do NOT touch and manipulate your second proved dough (it will shrink and shrivel) and finally c) lots of flour on top makes it look extra delicious.

I’m looking forward to next week’s attempt to see if I can avoid the a) and b) and to do the c)! I really encourage you to try. This was our first attempt at this recipe and it is delicious. The actual mixing and kneading probably only takes 30 minutes and its the proving that takes the time. So, get your shopping list ready (although you may have most ingredients in your cupboards) and bake this Bank holiday weekend.

Baking love

naomi x

Chatter, Chatter, Chatter, All. Day. Long.

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I really had no idea how talkative a 3 year old could be. Until now. My daughter literally doesn’t stop talking from the minute she wakes up:

Her: I just saw a little yellow light from my window. What was it? Come and have a look!

Me: I woke up 10 seconds ago. I’m going to need 5 minutes before I investigate any yellow lights.

Over breakfast:

Her: what are flowers made of? Can I have two breakfasts today? Why haven’t we got any brioche? What are you doing? Can I have my vitamins? I don’t want water I want milk! I didn’t want water! Mama why did you give me water? Can I have porridge first and then bran flakes? No I want bran flakes with no milk. Oh, you’re having toast. I want toast (not the porridge you’ve just made)
And we’ve only been in the kitchen 5 minutes. Phew.

Leaving the house:

Her: Can I take (enter number) (enter items) with me?

Me: Yes, but you’ll need to hurry and pop them in a bag

Her: Why do I need a bag?

Me: because my hands are full and you can’t carry 17 Sylvanian Families in your two hands. We’re 10 minutes late, hurry!

Her: Okay, I’ll get the red bag. Where is the bag mama? Can you get it for me? Where are we going? Can I take the party balloon and bouncy ball too? Can I open the car mama? (continue x110)

Me: Arghhhh! We’re late! The bag is in your room. I can’t get it as my hands are full and the front door is open. Yes, you can take the ball. Leave the balloon here and no you can’t open the door today its raining like a monsoon season.

Her: what’s a monsoon?

Chatter, Chatter, Chatter

Even when we’re doing separate things her commentary and questions still flow. Some days I find the constant chatter draining. Answering question after question. Some days our interactions flow and I enjoy the prompts and inquisitiveness.

Other days I need more moments of quietness and silence. Is it linked to days where we seem to have too many schedules and appointments to keep to? Today we’ve been swimming, seen the dentist, done the food shopping and we’re off out again in 5 minutes and it’s only 2:30. That would seriously tip the most robust person over the edge.

I’m awful at going to bed early. I mean really awful. There’s being a night owl and then there’s me. 11pm is early. Midnight is normal. 1am is too frequent. I just need ‘me’ time and once housework is done (never thorough enough), dinner is made, eaten and admin taken care of (just too boring for words), I need a good couple of hours to zone into ‘my space’. However, I’m not good on little sleep. Bad combo.

How do you get into that good head space? Prayer/meditation time before sleep? (Not frequent enough). Scheduled cup of tea and sit down every day? (Not routinely). More sleep? (Probably). A check-in and chatter with friends? (Necessary).
I need to find a way to zone into a positive, stress-free place, mid thousandth question. This parenting business is tough.

Nights like tonight when she’s trying to explain her dreams are so precious I want to soak it all up and I wonder why it can feel so difficult sometimes.

But there are days when I want need a “duvet day”. Or I want to enjoy reading my magazine without being launched at, with full speed velocity. Or I want to walk downstairs without giving back carries or dealing with the wailing if the answer is no. Some days I want quiet, peace and my own space feels precious. I have learnt so much patience over the 3 years and yet there are days I wonder if I have any patience left in me.

The days when I get cross and use that tone of voice that leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The days where ‘treats’ aka cbeebies and biscuits really are my treats as I need to recharge my sanity and all those ‘fruits of the spirit’. The days when I feel that everything that comes out of my mouth is a command or a “hurry up!” The days when I don’t feel like the ‘best mama’ I dreamt of being. I feel a million miles away from it.

But overall, its okay. Those days are those days. I’m learning to give myself my own ‘timeout’. Learning to give myself a virtual pat on the back on the worst days because there is always a gem hidden in there somewhere. Learning that this is parenting. Learning that it doesn’t get easier, there’s always another challenge but somehow I think I’m getting better at managing.

I’ll leave you with the exchange we’ve just had:

Her: rabbit soap, rabbit soap, rabbit soap! Everytime you go in the bathroom do you say that? Mama, do you say that? Rabbit soap, rabbit soap, rabbit soap

Me: no…?…

Her: why not?! Why don’t you say rabbit soap?

Me: ummm, because I don’t…look lets put Cbeebies on for 5 minutes!

naomi x