My So Called Life episode 2

1. Dressing up

If I could blog every day I would! But the truth is as much as I try and record my life on these webpages, only 1/2 of what I actually get up to makes it on here. So every now and then I do a round-up of random things I've been up to (to help me remember more than anything!)

Here's the Top 10 of the last couple of months....starting with dyeing my hair black.....

OK. Not quite! It's actually a Japanese wig. I wore a gorgeous Japanese kimono too that I wanted to take home with me, but sadly it wasn't mine, it belonged to The Geffrye Museum dress up rail!

2. New hair

I recently gave away the secrets of my hair colouring. The latest shade I had done two weeks ago at the Toni & Guy Academy was this rather fabulous raspberry pink. (I can still call myself a redhead though!)

3. London Marathon

For the last 5 years, Barney and I have stood on the streets of Greenwich and cheered on the marathon runners. He gets lots of attention, mainly runners shouting out 'BARNEY' at the tops of their voices or shaking his hand. But as yet we have still never seen anyone dressed up as the giant purple dinosaur : (

4. Oni & Adrian's wedding

Remember when it was snowing recently? Well I was at a friend's wedding in Wales. I know everyone says this about their friends but she really was the most beautiful bride I've ever seen (and that comes from someone who has been working on a wedding magazine for the last two years....I've seen a lot of weddings!) More photos here.

5. My sister's 1st stall

I was very proud of my sister who held her first craft market stall (yes crafting does run in the genes.) The market was part of a new creative venture in our home town in North London and marked the opening of the local park which for years had been a no-go area but is now light and welcoming AND has a water fountain. Her online shop is looking good too.

6. Tile painting workshop

I've still been doing some craft teaching but it's reduced a lot due to every one cutting their budgets. (Not good times for us freelance arts & crafts practitioners..hence the reason I have so many jobs on the go at once!) But I did lead a fun tile design session at The Geffrye Museum as part of their Stories of the World project. 

7.Meeting My Life Story

I've been living out all my 14 year old fantasies (real My So Called Life stuff). I recently met the members of My Life Story who all signed an old 7 inch sleeve for me when they reformed for the 15th anniversary of The Golden Mile Album (who were supported by Martin Rossiter from Gene). I also met Jonny, the singer of Menswear when he was djing at Nuisance (the only clubnight where proper Britpop lives on), met Marion (all members apart from Jaime Harding - that will have to keep being a fantasy!) and next week the singer of Strangelove Patrick Duff is in town. These bands probably don't mean anything to anyone apart from me, but I can assure you it is VERY exciting! 

8.Mentoring with Creatives Against Poverty

I've recently joined an organisation who mentor underprivileged school kids. It's very sad but rewarding stuff. It's hard to understand what they go through until you actually meet and spend time with young people and very sad to witness 10 year old girls bullying each other, swearing and talking about drugs : ( But on a plus side we have been bringing some magic into their lives and working with their mums to help them achieve their dreams. Here's Helen  Parker-Jayne Isibor a Nigerian singer who is the lead mentor - her dress sense is amazing!

9. Flag spotting

Ok so I haven't actually been out flag spotting but was rather amazed to discover these 'Craft is Great flags' flying over Oxford street. They actually say Craft is Great Britain....with Britain in teeny letters. Am defo loving the fact bunting is everywhere at the minute : ) 

10. Planning The Make Escape

Finally tonight sees the launch of a new craft night I'll be hosting/curating alongside the fabulous Rosie Martin. It's a chance to spread the crafty love around London (well east London anyway!). I'm keeping a separate blog for that (yep I'm now a 2 blog girl!). Check it out to find out more.

No doubt My So Called Life episode 3 will follow in a couple of months times but before that, you can keep up to date with me on Twitter for more instant gossip! 

Tutorial: How to make Bollywood Baubles

I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t posted any tutorials in a while. Every excuse I can think of is weak, so I won’t bother listing them. Instead I’m making it my ‘End of Year’ resolution to design more blog makes …starting off with some fab festive filmi fun: Bollywood Baubles.

 You will need:

 Plain Christmas baubles (I bought a box in the £1 shop)

 A Bollywood magazine (cut out images of your favourite stars – small ones that will fit on your baubles)

 Bling and things…

Like…Glitter glue tubes

Loose glitter

Sequin trim

Sequins

Gemstones

Bindis

 Assorted collage papers

 Essentials

PVA glue

Scissors

Paintbrush or fine tip applicator (a container with a fine nozzle to make gluing details easier)

Get crafting: 

 1. Chop collage paper into shapes, try small triangles, squares and strips.

2. Glue these randomly on your baubles, by pasting PVA glue on the back using your brush. Ensure every corner is glued down, and smooth them out around the curves of the bauble so there are no lumps and bumps. 

3. Glue your Bollywood star in the centre, again, ensuring the image is fully glued down. Don’t worry if glue spreads out from underneath as it dries clear.Outline the edge of each star with a line of glitter glue.

4. Sit your bauble in an eggcup so they are easier to handle and get decorating. It may take a couple of hours to complete, as you will need to wait for them to dry before you can turn around to decorate the bottom section.

Ideas: Use a brush or fine tip applicator to add dots on the surface to stick on sequins, draw shapes and spots straight on with glitter glue, define edges, stick on sections of loose glitter and cut strips of sequin trim. There are no rules, bling it up as you wish! The paper shapes underneath will also create sections which will influence the design.

5. When dry, thread string through the top and hang them up somewhere in your home…they don't need to be on a Christmas tree, or displayed just for Christmas….I hang up some of my Christmas decorations all year round!  

And here they are closer up (click on the links to check out the stars in action!):

 Queen Rani Mukerjee

 

 The Big B Amitabh Bachan

 Sexy Vivek Oberoi 

Do you love Bollywood? Check out Bollywood Deewana’s incredible Bolly Blog and listen to Love Bollywood on BBC Asian Network with Raj & Pablo. And if you want make more Christmas decorations, I'll be posting another make soon, or come along to the All That Glitters workshop I'm running at The Geffrye Museum in London, on December 3rd. It costs £30, lasts the full day and all materials are included. 

 

At Home in Japan: Geffrye Museum exhibition

Visiting the Japan at Home Exhibition

Last week saw the unveiling of the new temporary exhibition at The Geffrye - At Home in Japan, an installation that transports you inside a typical Japanese home, dispelling all the myths you've ever had about Japan being all about technology and minimalism. Two Japanese people told me today how authentic the exhibition is and that it made them feel at home, so I was eager to take a look myself.

View from an apartment window

Inside, the exhibition consists of photos taken from Japanese homes, surrounded by real interior items so you can physically feel as though you are there with views to boot. This is my favourite image - the photos are blown up so they are lifelike. I was surprised to discover that there's so much character evident in the residences and not a hint of plain white walls. Many of the apartments in Japan are lined with greenery and pot plants to evoke the sensation of being outdoors since gardens are unheard of.

Good luck owls and cats are placed in the entrance to Japanese houses

Shoes are not worn inside Japanese homes and so the entrance hall consists of racks of shoes along with good luck charms. Gifts and items brought back from travels are also a key feature of the Japanese home. Personally I'm very keen to go to Japan on a shopping spree - clothes shopping as well as buying some quirky kitsch homey things to brighten up my life (I used to live with a Japanese girl who had amazing magazines filled with images of cool and colourful clothes and gifts that had me salivating with envy!)

Bathroom

 The exhibition referenced the fact that hi-tech loos, with warming seats do exist but most folk have a normal bathrooms, like this one above.

Amazing fish print fabric

 There was also some amazing fish print fabric hanging in the loo which you can't quite see, but take my word for it, it was very sweet.

Cutlery drawer

 The cutlery drawer amused me as rather than be filled with ordinary knives and forks there were so many types of chopsticks and tiny ceramic bowls. I'm terrible with them. I actually went for a Japanese meal on Friday but shamefully used a fork. Although when I eat noodles at home I do use a pair of plastic chopsticks only joined together, and I think that's called cheating?

Bunny print screen

 I also fell in love with this sweet rabbit screen. Screens remind me of being on holiday, as I've never been inside a British home that own uses them. One day I think I'll have one in my flat, just because they are so unique over here. 

School year book

My favourite exhibit was a coffee table filled with photo albums. Education in Japan is taken very seriously yet the school year book was full of character - each pupil posing in humorous ways. I wish I'd had fun school photos like these.


Maybe I'm biased (I've been working at The Geffrye for four years as an arts and crafts teacher) but I honesty believe that they do have some of the best temporary exhibitions - very imaginative, and they effect your senses and emotions at the same time - I've felt that after every one I've been too. It may be a small museum and a fairly small space but they know how to use it.


So my recommendation is drop by, see something different and feel inspired to appreciate your own home a little more.


The exhibition runs until August 29th and costs £5, £3 concessions and under 16 are free.
A special symposium takes place on May 14th where experts will be talking about the Japanese home more detail. There's also a range of creative and craft workshops for all ages over the next couple of months. 


There's also a great book if you can't get there - thanks Lisa!

Update! What I've been doing lately!

The other day I realised I had worked 21 days straight without a day off. So it's not surprising I haven't had much chance to blog recently. In between all this mad working, working and working, I have also managed to make time for some fun stuff too. Here's a pick of the best bits of my life recently.  (Sadly none of them involve sleeping which is the one thing I could do with more than anything right now!)

Laura's Crafty Bay Shower

My friend Laura is 'due' next week and last weekend she held a crafty baby shower around hers. She was donated over 30 plain white babygrows a few months ago and decided she couldn't bare to have such ordinary clothes. So she dyed half of them and then invited lots of friends around to help decorate each one with fabric pens, applique, drawings, paintings, doodles etc. She ended up with a room full of original art work and will have the trendiest baby ever thanks to her fashionable new wardrobe. Mine was a 'Bollywood Star' theme where I foiled on sparkly letters which involved an hour of ironing. You can't quite see it in the picture of me above, but I also enhanced it with colourful stars. 

Fancy pants

As I never managed to complete the pants I started to make in the fancy pants class for my hen do, I returned to finish off and made these fab 'big pants' which double up as  great hotpants. The Japanese fabric has white bears flying in hot air balloons on it.

Chinese New Year

I ran two chinese themed workshops at the Geffrye Musuem, including making these traditional lanterns with chinese writing on - first time I've ever tried writing chinese characters although due to lantern restrictions the text is not vertical as it should be.

Asiana Bridal Show

Back in January I attended the biggest Asian bridal catwalk in the country to report back on the trends for 2011.

Backstage gossip

I went backstage to find out more about how the show is put together and  spotted supermodel Mehreen getting her jewellery fixed in place as well as got a better look at the clothes:

Coraline boots

The only item I bought in this year's sales are these amazing yellow boots. I wish I could wear them everyday but as they are my newest footwear I'm mainly saving them for special occasions.

Southbank Press trip

This week I went along to a Southbank Press trip where we were treated to a flight on the London Eye and best of all one of my lifetime fantasties was fulfilled -  a trip on a DuckBus! This is a road vehicle that miraculously turns into a boat and travels across the River Thames - amazing!

Valentine's day

I sneakily got Matt a present that I actually wanted for myself, some Marmite chocolate! Luckily he wasn't keen on it so I got to enjoy most of the bar! I also baked 35 chocolate brownies for the office with iced heart motifs but my camera was out of battery so I couldn't snap them before they got gobbled up.

 

New pet

Finally on Friday night I got a pet. She is a 6 week old African Pygmy Hedgehog. I will be putting up proper pictures soon, she's mainly sleeping and all I've snapped so far is this picture of her peering out from her travel box (she came home on the train) to catch a glimpse of her new home. 


Next week is going to be mental with magazine deadlines but I look forward to blogging more as soon as I can! 

Summer fun on a Sunday

 On Sunday I was asked to run a fan decorating workshop at the Geffrye Museum's 'Swing into Summer Family Fun Day'. It was an action packed day set in the grounds of the museum on probably the only green grass in London (since everything else looks like hay at the moment!)

This was the most popular design!

 The concept was to take inspiration from retro wallpaper and textile patterns.

Each participant started with a plain fan which is the best craft item I've come across in ages. They are sold in packs of 12 from Baker Ross and create a lot of cool air, as well as being sooooooooooooo versatile, the possibilities for what to do with them are endless and they are appealing to all age groups! (Plus they are only 40p each! Bargain!)

Fan workshop

This was my set up, in just two sessions over 70 children decorated a fan!! As well as the patterned paper there was felt tip pens to draw with, foam stickers, sequins, feathers, card and gems to add bling.

'Swing into summer'

And while I was busy  making sure the sparkles were topped up, around the Geffrye lawns at the front of the museum was a host of activities including a spoken word workshop, origami, willow sculpturing, stories, herb potting and games. Over 670 people joined in the fun.

Dancing outdoors

And of course with the title for the day being 'swing into summer' there was a live 1950s soundtrack from the Ronnie Scott Rejects and dance lessons from the London Swing Dance Society. As one of my colleagues said to me, it was so great so see all ages dancing with each other.

What would you put inside?

My favourite activity though was the starting off of the Geffrye time capsule to be buried this year and dug up in 100 years time!! The contents will be provided be young people 13-24 (so sadly I was too old to add anything!). It's really heavy and the warning sign below says you can't touch it without gloves!

....maybe I should thinking about making my own one?

Making and Teaching

As you know I love making stuff but I also like helping other people make stuff too! As a community artist and artist educator I get to work all over London with all sorts of people from different communities, ages etc.

For the last three years I have been working on the Geffrye Museum's Asian Women's project to engage the women of Hackney in East London with the museum. So far there have have been two groups, the first are an over 50s group who have lost their husbands and their children have grown up, so meeting up is an important part of their social life. They are all very lovely and so creative. Most of the time I just give them materials and they instinctively know what to do with them!

The second group is a younger Asian Women's group who live in a local estate. They are mainly in their 20s and don't work, so while their children are at school, they meet up and do craft activities together.

This Spring I worked with both groups to create an installation in the museum inspired at the recent Maharaja: the Splendour of India's Royal Courts exhibition at the V&A with the concept of creating a modern day Moghul living room. The groups created soft furnishings using hand embroidery, applique, sewing and painting.

The pieces aren't stereotypically Asian looking, they have a very modern East/West twist to them, representing the women's own lifestyles.

We started with an embroidery project, using different stitches to create a group wall hanging displayed at the back and then the women worked on individual projects for their own homes.

The quality of the work was amazing, one lady claimed she'd never done embroidery before but had seen her sisters do it and came up with this remarkable floral design! Wow! For most of the women it was the first time they had done any embroidery in ages but old school memories of learning the skill came flooding back to them in no time.

The installation is still on display at the museum in the downstairs art rooms so pop in and see it if you can!