FUN!

So I'm not sure if everyone knows what Kandy and I do as a day job. I mean we wish we could just make Sugar Paper and spend the rest of our time doing a whole load of fun stuff, but sadly we don't. Kandy's day job does have some crafty cross over, she teaches knitted textiles to lucky (university) students in Manchester. I, on the other hand work in retail!This vocation (which I have done for pretty much ten years) does have some crafty cross over. I have sold beads (they are well crafty!), second hand clothes (3 times! (repairs and alterations, well crafty!)), handmade goods (clearly crafty), sweets (edible craft?!?), cakes (made by my crafty hand), fancy dress (alterations and making FABULOUS outfits for hen do's is crafty!) and cosmetics (can soap be crafty...read on!!)

At the start (and the middle) of the year I was working in a charity shop, which is obviously loads of fun. But I left. And am currently about to embark on the world of soap and smelly things, by becoming a Christmas temp at Lush!

So this morning I was feeling sorry for myself (woke up at 5am with some weird trapped nerve massive back ache thing, that I still have now). When I got cheered up by a surprise parcel from Lush that contained their new invention FUN!

two of my favourite things as a child were Play Doh (I know that's brand specific, my mum used to make modelling clay but I love the little logo of the kid wearing a beret!) and Crazy Foam.
I used to get Crazy Foam every year for Christmas. It's basically foamy soap in a can! You see I like bathing but I get bored easily so don't stay in long, with Crazy Foam I could sit for ages in the bath playing with it. I mostly used to give myself a foam beard and shave it off with the fin of an Aeriel (the little mermaid) figurine I got from a McDonalds happy Meal.
ANYWAY,  what I'm trying to say is Fun is two of my favourite things combined, it's a modelling putty that is a soap. YES A SOAP!
You can use it as a bubble bar, use it as a soap, use it as a shampoo AND sculpt it!

It comes in five colours:
Green: zesty lemon and lime
Pink: Sweet benzoin and tonka
Yellow: vanilla
Red: mandarin and orange
Blue: Moroccan chamomile and lavender

I think the green and the pink are my favourites (Fawn Gehweiler colour schemes for life!). But to cheer myself up I decided to mold my new soaps. I obviously put a crafty spin on it....

I would just like to state that I might have loved playing with Play Doh (and Fimo) as a child but never really had the skill for sculpting anything that isn't felt or fabric!

I'm not being paid to promote Lush products or anything, I just thing this stuff is awesome, I love this for Christmas and you should all know, Sugar Paper love all things novelty!!

Rosehip syrup / Blackberry jelly!

The other week my mum and I went on our annual blackberry pick to the park on my street, but we got about 10 blackberries, this weather had confused the brambles.
On Monday we thought we'd take advantage of this late summer sun and went to the park, where we came across a shit loads of ripe and ready blackberries (we had to put a some in my mum's glasses case!) and some rosehips! So we went home got some suitable vessels and picked some more blackberries and rosehips. My mum has made them into some sweet tasty treats!

Rosehip Syrup
You will need:
- 1 lb of rosehips
- 8-12oz of sugar
- 3 pints of water
- Muslin

Make sure all the stalks are removed from the rosehips. Give them a quick wash. Place them in a blender.
Transfer the rosehip mush to a pan of boiling water (3 pints) simmer for 5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
Strain through some muslin into another pan, allowing a majority of the liquid to pour through.
Then add sugar ( the more you add the sweeter it is!) and stir until it's dissolved, then bottle it!

This could be used for lots of stuff. As a syrup on pancakes, ice cream, in yogurts. Kandy and I had it as a cordial, we used still water but think it will be super tasty with sparkling and I'm about to have it in some rice pudding!
It may be full of sugar but it's full of vitamin C so good for you!!

Blackberry and apple Jelly*
You will need:- 1 kilo (around 2lb) blackberries
- 350g (12oz) apples
- Water
- 1lb of sugar for each 1lb of sieved pulp

Core and roughly chop the apples (we just used ones form our tree in the back yard!) with skins on.
Put all the apples and blackberries in a heavy bottomed pan. Add just enough water to cover it up and simmer until soft.
Sieve the soften fruit and weigh the sieved pulp (discard the remaining)..
Add the sugar and put back into the heavy bottom pan.
Heat very gently until the sugar has dissolved.
Bring the jelly to the boil very rapidly for around 8-10 mins (stir if it is sticking) until the jelly reaches setting point. Setting point is, when it is placed on a cooled plate, run your finger over it and a skin is left.
Then pour into some clean jars, leave to cool and put on the lid!!

*Jelly as in jam not what you have with ice cream!

Drink carton coin purse/wallet

Since February of this year I have been volunteering at the local youth centre (it's not some pokey room but a massive building full of awesome stuff)every Thursday evening delivering/assistant with arts and crafts workshops to 8-11 year olds (they are MAD!). I've made a whole heap off stuff from Paper Beads (this may pop up in Sugar paper #10) to mono prints. When eco crafter Alice Eleanor joined the team I was learning a few more things. One of my favourites was how to make a coin purse/wallet from a drinks carton!

This is how...

You will need:
-Drink carton
-Scissors
-Double sided tape
-Hole punch
-Elastic band

1. Make sure you drink carton is all drunk! Wash and dry. Then cut off the top and bottom






 

2. Flatten and fold into three sections as pictured.







3. Unfold then de-flatten! Now re flatten but by pressing the top to the bottom with the sides tucked in, as pictured.






4. Cut off the top section I (at the fold) BUT leave the back section. This will act as your purse flap. Neaten by rounding off the edges.
















5. Cover the middle section with double sided tape. The fold up the bottom section and stick it securely to the middle section.














6. Punch a hole in the middle of the flap. Thread through the elastic band. Wrap round the purse and then  your done!


















Fill with all your money! I used a slim drinks carton. To make a larger wallet style, use a wider carton!

FREE PUSSY RIOT!

Last bank Holiday, Alison and I went to be part of a flash mob. The mob was a lot smaller than first anticipated, but it was to show solidarity for Pussy Riot. It involved a bunch of us donning balaclava's and jumping in on Manchester's Gay Pride parade.

It felt really good to shout to the crowds FREE PUSSY RIOT! And for those crafty types amongst you, I made my balaclava using an old t-shirt. I cut the bottom half off (from under the arms). gathered in the top and stitched together. Put a 4" dart either side (on the side seam). Put on my face inside out and marked a place for eye and mouth holes. Cut them the right way out. Put it on and screamed FREE PUSSY RIOT!

Teen TV zines. Part 3

So to conclude our trilogy of Teen TV posts I present to you....

I had the idea of making a zine all bout My So-Called Life's infamous yet never seen character Tino at the start of this year. So I kindly asked a bunch of super talented people to send me what or who they think Tino is. the results are great and quite varied.
I then put all 11 submissions (including my own) in the zine.
I felt the quality of the printing of the zine didn't do the work justice, I was also sad that a lot of people who were wanting to contribute, didn't have chance. So I have made a tumblr to show what people contributed in all their glory AND to let those who never got a chance but still want to tell the world who they think Tino is.
BUY THE ZINE HERE
and watch the mystery of Tino unravel HERE