Mrs Birks Blogs

My main resolution this year was simply to end the year in a better place than I started.  I don't mean physically where I live but a kind of vague notion to be happier and healthier at the end of 2014.  Of course being happier is a massive thing and if I was taking a SMART target approach, I would have broken this down into mini-targets with lots of dates to achieve things by.  I have done this a little bit (no set dates or anything) and in terms of my blog, I've decided to aim for one blog post a month.  I know that once a month isn't very much but it still feels fairly regular-ish and it's probably all I can manage.  Of course, when I have more to say, I might blog more regularly and I have a number of blog posts in my head, I just need to actually write them.  Anyway, it's still February and if I crack on, this will just make it onto the blog before the end of the month. For various reasons, 2014 has already been a good year and I'm looking forwa...

As my blog has reached its first birthday, I decided it was about time I finished this blog post which I started ageeeeessssssss ago.  What's it about?  Blogging! When I wrote my welcome post a whole year ago, I mentioned that I have taught about blogging for several years and watched as students created their own blogs.  I was always put off creating my own blog because I didn't really think I had anything to say and I couldn't decide what topic to blog about.  I am typically one of those people who put off doing things because I don't think it will be good enough or that it's too difficult so why even start? I listen to what Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way  describes as "creative blockers".  When I finally started blogging I discovered that I have quite a lot to say and quite a lot that I'm interested in - who said a blog had to be about just one topic?  I'm really enjoying reading blogs about my interests (the...

We are not the sort of family who can afford to spend loads of money on Christmas and with that in mind, I always try to add something handmade to gifts that we might have bought.  In the past I have made Christmas stockings filled with little goodies but this year it was the turn of the scrabble and button picture.  Scrabble pictures/coasters/mugs/cufflinks/rings are everywhere at the moment.  What I like about them, is that you can make them really personal and decide exactly what your picture/brooch/coaster is going to say.  I combined my scrabble words with textured papers, photographs, glitter and feathers to create three different frames, each one completely individual to the person it was intended for.  I haven't photographed all of them but here is one made for Auntie Vicki which is very pink and fluffy!   As I say, cost is always a factor, so I was pleased to pick up these photo frames in IKEA for £3.50.  I had seen others in Hobbycra...

This year I have certainly got Christmas Spirit and I don't mean the alcoholic type.  Of the recent years I can remember, this is the most excited I've been.  The Christmas tree has gone up extra early, the house has more tinsel than ever (usually completely restricted) and not only have we got an advent calendar each (thanks Mum) we also have advent crackers.  In the last few days of school, we had Christmas dinner (yum!), a carol service, Christmas films and lots of Secret Santa.  Christmas feels like it has really started even though there are still days to go (only a couple now!) There is something about a Carol Service that just feels right at Christmas.  If you no longer have young children, or don't go to church or aren't a teacher in a Christian school, there's a chance that you might miss out on singing festive classics like Once in Royal David's City and Hark the Herald Angels Sing.  Working in a school which has its own Chapel and a ...

A few weeks ago, just before Halloween, I was invited to a craft evening with the theme of biscuit decorating.  My lovely friend Kirsten had previously read my post about Princess Biscuits (see here) and, being a maker of fantastic cookies herself, suggested I have a look at the blog of the amazing Sugarbelle .  It was from this blog that our craft evening was inspired.  With some ghost shaped and circular biscuits fresh from the oven, I popped over to Kirsten's ready for a night of outlining, flooding and, of course, biscuit sampling. Using Sugarbelle's recipe, Kirsten had made up some icing - in a huge quantity! - ready for us to water down a little into the consistency desired.  This is where I picked up my first tip of the evening which was to use a water spray bottle for adding water.  This allows a bit more control and you are less likely to add too much.  I, of course, did add too much, so ended up with flood icing when I'...

Back in July, I signed up for Crafty Creatives , a craft box scheme which, for £10.95 a month (plus p&p), sends you a little box of delights full of crafty fun.  Each month the box has a particular theme and the items included will somehow be linked.  So far I have had: July:  Flowers (this was the CC birthday box) August:  The Wild West September:  Monochrome October:  Circus   I loved the first box, which, with 5 kits had plenty to make without me having to think up lots of different ideas.  The kits ranged from a simple paper flower hair slide to a more complicated beaded flower.  I tried all of the kits but have to admit that some of the more time consuming ones still aren't finished.  I have promised to make the crepe paper flower ball (see below for the Crafty Creatives tutorial) for my daughter but I find making the flowers a bit boring and really don't know how long it will take me to finish this! ...

As soon as the school holiday arrived, we jetted off for sunny Spain - just as the UK was experiencing a heat wave!  Nevermind, we had an air conditioned apartment and a pool at hand, so it made the heat very enjoyable rather than a little bit torturous if we'd still been a home. Unfortunately, we forgot to ask anyone to water our garden, but that is another story... Whilst on holiday, I love to read.  I love reading at anytime but with two children, there never seems enough hours in the day and I'm always too shattered by bed time to even contemplate opening a book.  I used to read loads of books on holiday, in fact my husband and I would always try and out-do each other with who could read the most books the quickest (I've always been the slower reader but I maintain that this is because I get so engrossed in the plot).  This year I managed to read three books, although one I had started months ago so perhaps doesn't count.  Anyway, I'm goin...