Yummy Jewellery

A little while ago I pinched my Dad's camera and took some pictures of my earrings. I made most of these ones from polymer clay but can't wear them because I'm far too whimpy to have my ears pierced.

Nommy apples with a bite out of them (toothmarks and all).

Yummy lollipop pendant, swirly flump earring and tiny chocolate cake earrings. All photographed on nice tea towels!





Then finally I spent some time making a set of licorice allsort jewellery:

Romeo & Juliet

In a nice break from my thesis write up I got to go and see GB Theatre's outdoor performance of Romeo & Juliet in the Peace Gardens. I took Catherine with me as it obviously a first choice tale for someone about to be married?! I had won the tickets in the 'Off the Shelf' competition.

They had switched off the fountains for the night and performed over the spurt-holes. Apparently the Peace Gardens was designed for outdoor performance and though some dancing has happened there before this was the first theatre. An old friend from Tapton was teching and Gabriel Thomson from 'My Family' was Romeo. They all had really nice swords and really ridiculous leggings. Mercutio, Benvolio and the Friar were all particularly awesome. They used guitars, violins and voice beautifully for the sad bits.

Believe it or not this was the first time I had seen or read Romeo and Juliet. Theatre lover and English Graduate but I'd never happened upon it until tonight and I've still not seen Macbeth. Watching theatre I don't get the emotion I used to, the lithium restricts me and I'm so much more objective, casting a director's eye over how things are executed. I wanted to be an actress when other little girls wanted to be ponies.

Can't help think though, that if Juliet hadn't been so willing Romeo would have moved on again in a fortnight like he did from Rosaline. Greatest love story ever told? I don't think so but an excellent portrayal of a teenage crush played out in all its melodrama.

Reasons I wish my housemate was a girl...

A 1.  I’d not need to tell people he isn’t my boyfriend  

Yes he is a boy and I am a girl - no Avril Lavigne this does not make anything obvious. We are

friends. Plenty of people have friends of the opposite sex without feeling the need to do the 

squelchy. Plus, I don't think our respective girlfriend and boyfriend would be that amused.

 2.   Borrowing clothes would be easier

Although saying this boys clothes are much comfier. His pants even have a handy pouch at 

the front for keeping your lipstick in. And I do steal his hoodies in winter. 

 3.   Borrowing make up/tights/bras would be possible

The only variety of these items he owns are ones used for pantomime Dames, and nobody's 

boobs are really that size nor is fuscia pink a lipstick colour I could wear in public/daylight. 

 4.  I would not need to paint a target on the inside of the toilet bowl to help his aim

How hard can it be? Point and shoot. He manages on his playstation.

 5.  It would not annoy me so much that his hands are daintier than mine

He has lady's hands. I do not. (He prefers the term 'pianist's fingers')

6.    I’d be less likely to trip over his shoes

but if I did, the damage of falling over heels would be more dangerous.

A Wedding Challenge

I have a whopping 4 sisters and number 3 is about to get married. I've bought myself a pretty pink dress from Ellis' in Broomhill, it's from a Fairtrade label I'd not heard of before called Goose Island http://www.goose-island.co.uk/

But even more exciting than buying a dress that isn't second hand is my wedding task - I am decorating the cake!

Initially I wanted to do a brightly coloured one or something akin to the huge gypsy wedding ones but then I remembered this wasn't a cake moist dream and I must think a little more traditional - yes, my mother will most certainly be wearing a hat!

So I settled on a cake that resembled her dress:

This swinging number is from Justin Alexander and it looks so cool on my sister. So, the three tiers are going to be:

• Top Tier - 3D sugarpaste flowers hand painted with lustre and with pearly stamens.
• Middle Tier - Buttercream in a textured sweep(like the sash) with brown sugar to give it a nice colour
• Bottom Tier - Plain ivory trimmed with a toffee coloured ribbon

Wish me luck!

Sunshine. We have sunshine in April!
And mahoosive thunder/hail storms. This is one of my favourite fun in the sun photos. I haven't got out to do anymore this year because my camera stays in baby proximity. On the down side I'm covered in mosquito bites.

I'm going to design some dresses that I'll never get around to making now.

Scary Stage Times - Edinburgh Festival

Yes I did indeed perform at the Edinburgh Fringe festival 2010 in a sell out show produced by Two Shades of Blue www.twoshadesofblue.org.uk. The company is mainly made up of eccentric Oxbridger (the 2 shades of blue) students this time joined by Tim (our USLES dame) and I from Sheffield University. Alas, though we are also blue we could not persuade them to become 'Three Shades of Blue'. Here is the blurb from 'Indiana Jones and the Pantomime Horse' in which I sang my heart out as leading lady Patina del Fuego Amorizza Porcina Indirina Carlos.

Darrr da dah dah. Darr da daarrrrrrrrrr. Darr da dah dah. Darr daddddaaaaaaaaar daaaaaaaaar daaaaaaaaaaar. Rolling ball! Arghhh! With crossdressing.

This Summer, Indiana Jones faces his biggest challenge yet- looking after his high-maintenance mum in her retirement.

Luckily for Indy, his beloved Pat is kidnapped by treasure-hunting Nazis and only he can rescue her.

And so Indy is off on another rip-roaring adventure with sidekick and mother in two, hot on the heels of incompetent but evil villains, a feisty woman and a mysterious medallion.

With puns, guns, cunning double-disguises and funny songs, “Indiana Jones and the Pantomime Horse” combines all the best elements of traditional pantomime and rollicking adventure..

Personal achievements involved:

• being around people cleverer than me
• sharing a house with 30 gin fuelled divas(they're lovely really)
• singing(with key change) in front of a theatre-full
• committing to something scary
• being in crowds
• loads of other stuff

Really want to do it again if I have enough pennies.

The green fairy

This is my pensive green fairy. She is rather battered nowadays as she's moved from place to place with me. Sometimes on my door or by my bed or by my desk. She had 2 friends in a magenta fairy and a deep blue fairy but I don't seem to have photos of them and I didn't like them as much. You can't see very well on the photo but the face is quite realistic, I was also proud of the fabric of er skirt. I don't often use watercolours because I don't feel very in control with them. This also had some 3D bits with tissue paper wings, a twisted tissue bracelet and a fimo and tiny pearl flower in her hair.