New Tricks

This week I decided to try my hand at something new. Having seen all of the amazing pieces created by friends, I thought I'd give jewellery making. I popped into the Bead Pot and was overwhelmed by the amount of beautiful things available! Filled with inspiration (and some advice from the lovely lady behind the counter) I purchased some bits to make some earrings.

Now, admittedly, they are incredibly simple, but I am really pleased with them. For a beginner, they don't look too shabby. Of course, now I'm looking at everything, wondering how I can turn it into some sort of amazing jewellery piece. Ebay, of course, does not help this current obsession! Oh the possibilities!!!!!

Days out in the sunshine

This week, the boy and I decided to take a day trip to London. Even though I live so close to the capital, there are so many places that I haven't explored there yet. Walking around Kew Gardens was incredibly peaceful, even with the peacocks wandering around (birds = evil!!) The Natural History Museum was a little bit of a nightmare (good thinking going during the Summer holidays!) and I loved the Science Museum.

On our way to Camden, we stopped off at The Forbidden Planet. This is basically a geeks Valhalla! The ground floor is full of memorabilia from all of the classics - Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel, every sci-fi / geek film or tv series you can think of. The basement is full of books and graphic novels. I have literally never seen so many comics in one place!

There was a huge section on art, both classical, and modern varieties. There were a lot of books on tattoo art, which were beautiful. I literally cannot wait for my next piece, just need to decide on what I want to get first and where on my body. I was also treated to a present by G. There was a section on Pin-up Girl Art, which included a book focusing on Gil Elvgren. He is one of my favourite artists, one of the leaders in Pin-Up Girl Art, spanning the 1940's and 50's. The book also looks at how his art was used in popular culture and advertising, as well as his influences on his peers and future artists. Having flicked through it briefly, I've already got several of his paintings in mind that I would like tattooed on me.

Camden was amazing, was my first time there. The number of markets and stalls was incredibly over-whelming. So many different things available, along with different cuisines being offered from all over the world. We ended up in a Brazilian restaurant, where we sampled delicious tapas, along with fresh fruit smoothies. It's definitely somewhere I'd go again, and would consider being more adventurous with.

All in all, we had an amazing day out, doing things we'd never done before, trying new things from around the world.....and all of this right on our doorstep.....well, a 2 hour bus ride away.