Demo's and Workshops

I was asked recently to help out at a woman's group that is being set up here in Moffat. Alexis had been a demonstrator at the first one they trialled in early summer and she very kindly (?) suggested I may be able to run a practical session at the next one.  So on Thursday night, along with two other local women, we set up our respective workshops and waited, with a certain amount of trepidation on my part, for the women to arrive.

It was a well attended evening,quite surprising really considering the time of year and the fact that it had turned in to a lovely evening. We had all had quite a bit of input in to the event and as it was to be as 'hands on' as possible we had agreed on a range of activities that blended well together. There was the opportunity to express yourself through creative writing, led by Eryl. As well as individual pieces we were all encouraged to add a line of text to a long roll of paper that had been laid out on a table, very reminiscent of the 'he said she said ' game I used to play as a child. Alexis took a break from jewellery this time and instead demonstrated the making and embellishing of two different sizes of gift boxes, one of which was the correct size to house the decorated cupcakes that Danni was overseeing. My contribution to the evening was to encourage those attending to turn this.....

....in to these. Fabric flowers that could be made into decorations, napkin rings or brooches. We all made brooches that night ( and luckily Alexis had a box the right size for them too, what were the chances! )

Everyone that attended that night left with some newly acquired skills, gained in the company of old and new friends, and a memento of the evening they had shared. 
Sign me up for the next one, only this time I want to be doing not demonstrating!

Pride and Packing

Well the family holiday, the first in three years , has come and gone and it's taken me until now to get back to normal life. It wasn't the holiday that left me exhausted, no, it was all of the preparation before hand.

An advert for Boots the Chemist came on the other night showing women packing for holiday and in a perfect Newman and Baddiel moment my husband turned to me and said " That's you that is".

He was of course referring to the first shot of a woman with a clipboard ticking off various piles she had laid out on her bed.

Now before you get the wrong idea yes, numerous bundles of holiday paraphernalia laid out a week or two in advance of actual packing were involved, but I vehemently deny that any clipboards were present!

While I am all for the 'go with the flow' and 'live for the moment' ethos it's a different matter when you are constantly confronted with the question" Where's my......? " If my timely preparations hadn't been made the item in question would still be languishing in a laundry pile as it had been worn just the day before departure. So for a brief few weeks my largely chaotic life becomes frenetically ordered and everyone can lay their hands on their favourite tee/shirt/trousers/shorts while away. No thanks necessary!

Fortunately he didn't comment on another shot in the advert which shows the woman jumping on her over-stuffed case to get it to close while the man is zipping up his nearly empty carry on. By this point my man was smart enough to know the narrowing of my eyes was not due to the sunlight streaming through the window. The piles may get laid out a few weeks in advance but they get whittled down in the intervening days to the barest of holiday essentials and our luggage can trundle down the check in conveyer belt looking smuggly under weight.

That's no mean feat on my behalf I have to say. Shoes that so desperately want to travel get left behind, wallowing in self pity in the wardrobe with matching handbags to share their woes. Surely if the men of the house can get by with two pairs so can I? Well maybe not two, how about three, or four just to be on the safe side. After all I do have the smallest feet in the family and sandals don't really take up much room do they? But what about bags to match? I decided to make myself a Button Bag in neutral colours that could be used both day and night and some hessian brooches with different fabrics to pin on it to co-ordinate in with the clothes I had packed. Problem solved.

'Here Come the Girls.....'

I don't think so, you need a woman to pack!