The Click on This List - Video Special

So, as I was assembling my click on this list for this week (that's basically just my excuse for browsing the internet all day) I realised that I've found LOADS of what I think are very funny youtube videos recently and I actually had enough to do a whole post on just them! Suprisingly I actually have a deep routed hatred of youtube videos! It's not that I actually hate youtube videos, I mean who could hate videos of laughing babies, it's that I hate when you're with someone and there suddenly like 'oh dude I have to show you this video' and then everyone crams round a computer to watch it and the second it ends everyone else goes 'dude I HAVE to show you this video' and it goes on and on and literally doesn't stop till someone orders a pizza (you may be able to tell from this that I have three younger brothers!)

Anyway! Stop my rambling and here are the videos to enjoy in the privacy of your own home, when your alone, and not with me!

1. Follow The TV Reference. 

2. Lana Del Rey - Hunger Games Parody

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3. Harry Potter Cast Having Fun on Set

4. Funny or Die - Kristen Bell's Body of Lies

5. Erin Foster is the Worst Babysitter Ever.

6. Have You Seen My Sister Evelyn Music Video. 

I think we can all agree that was a half an hour truly well spent!

Love Scarlett. 

Twit-Knit Club Valentines Update

I thought I would start this update with some old pictures of a present I made for my mum to give to her best friend. I found a tutorial for a crocheted envelope one day while browsing (scroll down for link) and decided to have a go at knitting one!

It turned out pretty well and I'm thinking of making some more for V-day to put little notes in side of! For this one I crocheted a little heart to put inside. 

Twit-Knit Valentines is going very well so far! Knitting and love go so well together (especially if you love knitting) and it's been so fun looking at everyones creations. For this post I've put a few links to some more ideas for what you could knit or crochet and I've got some pictures of what everyone's been making so far... ENJOY! 

Some Inspirational D.I.Y.s. 

You can make one yourself with this easy little tutorial for a crocheted envelope. I made mine by knitting a square instead of crocheting and it was just as easy and effective! 

Or you could have a go at these beautiful crocheted frames! If you are planning to give someone a present you could try sticking your favourite photo of them in the middle! I definitely want to give these a go. 

And Finally... and most importantly... here is what Twit-Knit Club has been up to so far. 

@addiebabe made these super cute little crochet hearts! I need to give these a try. 

@mhairigirl made this beautiful pink and purple hearts chain! 

@kateeroberts made this super SUPER cute red heart with a button on the front.

I'm still in shock from @louisefcampbell beautiful chain of hanging hearts. I would kill to make one of these. 

@vicksG didn't have the time to make anything so she submitted this very pretty picture of a heart shaped window. 

It seems chains of hearts are very popular at the moment. These lovely ones are made by @vikki_butlin.

and possibly most AMAZING of all @addiebabe has actually knitted the I Love U sign! I'm in such shock I can't believe how beautiful it is! And I love the non-traditional colours as well. But if you know her boyfriend keep it quiet because she has had to knit it in secret!

I'm so proud of everyones work and remember to keep on knitting and tweeting your progress!

Happy Valentines Month.

Love Scarlett x 

SCREAM!

This made my so excited I had to run around my room doing a little 'ah i'm so excited dance' which Posy mistook for an 'danger! danger!' dance and went and hid under a stuffed elephant. 

February Photo-a-Day Sunday Update

So technically I've only been doing the Feb Photo a Day challenge since Wednesday but I want to get into the habit of doing an update every Sunday so here is my first one! I'm enjoying so much and it's such a good opportunity to look at things differently and take a few photos. I'm having to resist making every single one of Posy though! It's pretty hard...

Day One: Your View Today: The beautiful church outside my window.

Day Two: Words: The first page of Pride and Prejudice which I just finished and loved more than I could imagine!

Day Three: Hands: My new rings on my crazily long fingers. 

Day Four: Stranger: A picture of a stranger walking in the snow! (confession! this isn't ACTUALLY a stranger it's my dad but seeing as how you can't see his face I think it's okay)

Day Five: 10am: Our snowy garden.

Happy (or not so happy) Sunday.

Love Scarlett. 

D.I.Y. Fabric Valentines Card.

Hello :) This isn't really a proper D.I.Y. because I forgot to take pictures along the way  but i loved making this card so much and it was so easy that I think it will be pretty simple to pick up! I saw something similar when I was browsing pinterest and knew I had to make one. I think they will make a the cutest valentines present and I want to make one for everyone I love. 

To make a card you will need:

- A regular postcard to use as a template.

- scraps of felt.

- a scrap of your favourite material.

- scissors.

- a needle.

- some embroydery thread. 

Steps:

- To start, using your postcard as a template cut out a postcard size piece of your felt and your material.

- Using a different coloured felt cut out a stamp and some letters to spell out what you want to write on the front.

- Using your postcard for reference mark where the partition on the postcard between message and address is and stitch a line here in black embroidery thread. 

- Using your thread sew the letters onto the right hand side of your postcard and sew the stamp into the top left  corner.

- Add any other little details you want. I added a space for the address, a post mark, and AIRMAIL stamp and those wavy lines that you see on every post card (I don't know what they mean.) But get creative and google some old fashioned post cards for inspiration.

- Once you feel satisfied with the front of your card lay it face down on top of your piece of fabric and using your hand or a sewing needle sew three of the four sides together. 

- Flip the postcard inside out and carefully sew up the final side making sure you tuck the edges in to prevent fraying. 

I also left the top of my heart open so I could leave a little personal message for whoever I gave it too inside the heart. I'm giving this one to my mum...

I hope you like this little loved up D.I.Y. and if you do decide to make one leave a comment and send me a photo! Remember you don't need to have a boyfriend to make lots of lovely valentines gifts for everyone you love (including your dog! although I think Posy might eat this one...)

Happy Friday.

Love Scarlett. 

The Click on This List

1. These incredible mock movie posters from the Shiznit. 

2. This Music Video.

3. The Bridesmaids DVD Commentary - I finally got round to watching this last weekend and oh my god it's SO funny. Dare I say it even maybe as funny as the actual film! It's with most of the cast, the writer and the director and they taped it days before it came out so no one has any idea if it will be a hit or not! It's seriously good. 

4. The Dresses at the SAG awards.

5. PUPCAKES! - I'm thinking Posy's birthday?

6. This Old Fashioned Twitter Poster. 

7. This Photo - One of Zooey Deschanel's Twitter followers found this in a Life magazine from 1965! The resemblance is incredible. I wish I had a 60s doppelganger. 

8. This way of eating carrots and humous. 

9. The Kristen Bell Sloth Video - This is literally my favouritest thing of all time ever ever ever in my whole life.

Happy Clicking,

Love Scarlett

x

Did You Make That?

When I grow up (which I am intending on doing one day) I want to be Karen! She’s pretty, funny, clever and most importantly of all SUPER crafty! Her blog ‘Did You Make That’ has been top of my ‘blog stalking’ list for ages so imagine how happy I was when actual real life Karen asked me to do an interview on her blog. It was an opportunity  I could not miss so I of course immediately told her I would but only if she did an interview on my blog as well. 

Not only does Karen knit, crochet and write brilliantly but she also makes clothes. I do a lot of crafty things but not in my wildest dreams will I ever be able to make some of the stuff Karen has made! In my opinion ‘Did you make that’ should be renamed ‘There’s no way you made that, it’s just to good!’ – But I have a feeling that’s a slightly less catchy title.

So, I am extremely EXTREMELY excited to publish my very first blog interview with one of my all time blog heroes. And equally as exciting if you go over to her blog you can read her interview with a very over-excited me. Enjoy her words of wisdom!

What inspired you to start your blog in the first place and what's been your favorite part of it so far?

I started my blog two years ago in February! The inspiration came from all the other sewing and knitting blogs I was reading and commenting on. I started to have a creeping suspicion that maybe I could contribute to this active community with a blog of my own. I’d already been blogging regularly at my writing website – www.karen-ball.com – and have been an editor for 20 years and a children’s author for quite a while, so I felt very comfortable with the written word. Photography and blog design was a whole other ball game, however, and one I knew little about. I’ve learnt a lot over the past 24 months!

I’ve seen from your blog that you also have a career as a writer of children’s books. I’m scared that when I get older I won’t have time for all the crafty things I love. How do you manage to squeeze it all in?

Ha, ha! Time management certainly becomes a pressing issue when full-time jobs enter the mix. I remember when I first started working after university – I found a day at the office exhausting! But in terms of squeezing everything in: if you enjoy something enough, you will find the time to do it. When I’m on a serious sewing roll, I have been known to creep out of bed very early before work to sew. My worst example of this was getting up at 3am to do a bit of sewing. This was a big mistake – the sewing was awful and I felt dreadful for the rest of the day. When I’m being more sensible, I do bits of sewing in the evening after work and at weekends. Sewing can be my reward system, as I also write my books at the weekends: ‘If I write 2000 words, I can go and sew for an hour.’ But sometimes you have to accept that life is just too busy for the hobbies. This week, for example, I haven’t had time to sew at all. It’s a good idea to avoid giving yourself deadlines with your sewing or crafting – though often deadlines creep in if there’s a party you want a nice dress for!

I’ve recently started to explore the world of sewing but I find it all very scary! How did you start making clothes and do you have any tips for getting into it?

I started sewing about three years ago, when I scored a free secondhand Toshiba sewing machine via Freecycle. My first make was a very simple tunic top in cotton. Cotton is a great fabric to work with on first projects, because it behaves itself. Opening and reading a pattern for the first time can be intimidating, but just take things one step at a time. Google your pattern and see if any pattern reviews come up on line – Sewing Pattern Review is a great website for seeing what experiences other Sewists have had with a make (even if the design of the website is clunky). A lot of sewing bloggers post tutorials and these can be massively helpful. Just choose a simple pattern you like the look of and go for it! You’ll never look back.

I’ve been drooling over the pictures of your amazing coat and loving all your updates with your progress. Your stuff always seems to come out so perfectly! Have you ever had a true crafting disaster?

I regularly have disasters! Everyone does, and if they claim they don’t, they’re lying. It can’t go right all of the time. In fact, most makes involve something going wrong – usually at least one seam that will need unpicking. My last ‘disaster’ was wasting a whole load of pretty white cotton broderie anglaise bought in Paris. I’d intended to use it to make a dress, but the dress didn’t come together at all well – the cotton was just too lightweight. I ended up throwing the fabric away and that always kills me as it’s such a waste of money. But here’s the interesting thing – disasters stop feeling so dreadful. You learn to shrug your shoulders and move on. It’s all a learning curve; no experience is wasted.

How long have you been doing craft for and why do you think traditions like sewing and knitting are so important to keep going?

I’ve been knitting for probably about ten years, sewing for three years and crocheting for one year. But these crafts were also a big part of my childhood – my mum had a sewing machine and I’d be allowed to sew as a child, one grandma did a lot of intricate crochet and my other grandma always had an aran sweater on her knitting needles! I used to knit and sew as a child and in hindsight I think it’s clear that I had a talent for these crafts even then. So coming back to these things as an adult was a bit like coming home. Which answers the second part of your question: I think these traditions are important because they cement people’s sense of who they are, where they came from and what they are capable of achieving. There’s also a huge social benefit. I have made many truly great friends in real life since I started my blog. My life has never felt so enriched.

The writing on your blog is always so lovely and you have a very strong voice. Do you think you prefer the writing or the crafting side of having a blog?

I love both! The crafting can be painstaking and sometimes slow – a fitted dress can be a three-month project. But I love the sense of achievement. The writing is fast, fast, fast and I’ll knock a blog post out when I get home from work, or lying on the sofa or sometimes squeezed into a lunch hour! I don’t really plan my blog posts – they’re very spontaneous. I have a strong sense of my audience and firmly believe that they help make the blog what it is. The best blog posts become conversations and rich exchanges of information. But I’ve always had a huge fondness for comedic writing and I think it’s fairly clear that I indulge that side of my creativity in my blogging! Sometimes people worry a lot about their blogging ‘voice’ and how to blog, but my key advice for blogging and for life is: Just be yourself!


Remember to read Karens interview with me over on her blog 


Love Scarlett