Reading A Little...July 2012

I live in a flat that is piled high with books and the only question I ever have is: which book shall I read next? I'm lucky enough to live with a literary agent who shares similar reading interests to myself, which means that I always have book recommendations and there are plenty of books around for me to choose. And recently I had a great recommendation: Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson. I read it before it had been officially released, and what's more, last week I got to go to the book launch as well. It was up in Stoke Newington and over the course of the day, the entire novel was read by a mixture of actors, volunteers, Kerry herself and... well my flatmate and me. We weren't able to go till after work so I only caught the last few chapters, but luckily I'd already read it so knew what had passed and what was to come. Didn't mean I was any better at reading aloud in front of lots of people - I stammered and fell all over the place. But it was a great afternoon/evening, I got to meet the author and I really enjoyed the experience. 

Tony Hogan Bought Me An Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma - Kerry Hudson

This novel is set around the Ryan family: Iris (Ma), Janie and Tiny (Tiffany), and winds its way from Aberdeen to Great Yarmouth, via plenty of council estates and dodgy B&Bs. The main protagonist is Janie; the novel starts with her birth and being surrounded by her relatives, whose breakfast you can smell on their breaths, and it's mostly of the alcohol variety. I can't exactly say this is a heart-warming story as it's based on what life is like at the bottom of the pile for those trying to scrape by on benefits, loans and what can be scavenged before managing to get away as the rent collector starts knocking at the door. It shows the gritty, seedy side of life where dreams are things that people who are better off can have - there isn't room for them if you are a Ryan woman. It's a hard life for Janie; while Uncle Frankie helps out when he can, Janie grows up knowing that food is in short supply, you take what you can and it's often better not to ask too many questions. 

The novel is hard-hitting but in such a manner as to defy pity: Janie has a potty-mouth if ever there was one, she's a tough little cookie who you know can look after herself. You find yourself rooting for Janie, and praying that she'll manage to escape the all-too-apparent cycle that you can see her falling into before she's even got to school. And of course school doesn't make it any easier - she is told not to bother aspiring to anything because no one from her background has ever managed to get out of the cycle and she won't either. In the later chapters of the book you become more and more uneasy as you sense the inevitable hurtling towards her, hoping that she'll break away. At the same time, as a reader you are touched by the fleeting glimpses of emotion that you are privy to; the Ryan women may make out that they are hard as nails, but the scenes of them curled up together for warmth or to protect each other are, at times, heart-breaking. They are what make the story so touching, and what make you hope that somehow there will be a happy ending after all. 

It's a gripping story of what life really is like for some people, and it's not entirely fictional either. Kerry Hudson, like Janie, was born in Aberdeen and spent the early years of her life moving between estates, B&Bs and caravan parks so a lot of the material for this novel has come from first hand experience. It's a story that leaves you wanting to know more; it's written in such an engaging, matter-of-fact tone that you find yourself enjoying it, despite the fairly dark content. I for one want to know what happens to Janie after the story has ended and will definitely be looking out for more work by Kerry Hudson. A really good read that I really enjoyed and would recommend.

Reading a Little... May

I haven't given any reading recommendations for months! I am so sorry, although there is a very good reason for it: I have no intention of recommending books that I really disliked or struggled to get through. And so far this year I have struggled with a number of books. I spent nearly 3 months determined to finish Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell but just found absolutely any excuse I could not to read it. As a result, I actually haven't read many books at all this year. I'm clearly slacking! I will endeavour to get back to my monthly recommendations really soon, but for now, here are the only two books I have read this year that I would actually tell other people were worth reading.

Game of Thrones - G.R.R. Martin


OK so most of us have now jumped on the Game of Thrones bandwagon, but for once I actually think it is well-justified. I saw the TV series before I started reading the books which means that all the characters are the actors who play them for me but I don't think that detracts at all. I really enjoy Martin's writing style and, despite the fact that you have 8 different narrators and perspectives, this comes together really well. The characters grow up and develop and the different perspectives mean that you get a broader picture of the events. I found it easy to read but difficult to put down and have moved on immediately to Clash of Kings, the second book in the series. The plot twists and turns and it is clear that it won't be resolved in the course of a single book - some of that characters aren't even in the same continent let alone the same city, but that actually just makes it a refreshing read - you get very involved with what is happening in the North but then head down to King's Landing and get caught up in court intrigue, or skip over the sea to see how Danaerys is dealing with Khal Drogo and her brother. It's a fantastic mix of political intrigue, violence, sex, relationships, honour and deception. It's not the best book I've ever read, but it is the most enjoyable one I've read this year so far.

The Moonstone - Wilkie Collins


This took me a while to get into, and as I really wanted to start reading Game of Thrones, I think I probably missed vitally important bits. But I did enjoy it. The Moonstone is a diamond with a cursed history and, after being bequeathed to Rachel Verinder, mysteriously disappears. A detective is brought in to solve the case but sadly cannot and so Franklin Blake, a relative and potential match for Rachel, tries to piece together the mystery with the help of various eye-witness accounts. It is a romance as much as it is a detective novel and gives a taste of upper-class society and attitudes as well as being a lively and intricate story. I have to say I did not foresee a lot of the plot twists - Collins takes you on a merry dance around various inconsequential plotlines as well as brushing over some of the more important aspects. A well-written and intriguing story.

Artist's Feature... Kate Osman Glass

It's time for a new Artist to be featured here at Creating Trouble. I discovered Kate from Kate Osman Glass via twitter and really loved some of her creations. I'm always a bit impressed with people who can make beautiful things out of glass - I can smash glass up happily but have no idea where to even start with putting it back together again - luckily there are artists like Kate out there to do it for us! Anyway, without further ado... Thank you for taking the time to tell us about yourself!

Can you introduce yourself briefly?

Hi there, my name is Kate Osman and I work with recycled glass to create something new and lovely. I love what I do and you have no idea how fantastic that feels. Sounds a bit like a confession doesn’t it!

How did you get started working in glass?

In a previous life (before children) I trained as a photographer and have always been better at being creative than doing the everyday things. The commercial side of photography never did it for me, my passion being in the making of mural prints, taking something small, industrial, rusted and insignificant and creating a new and much changed viewpoint. Sadly after university there was little call for this so I fell into wedding photography and hated it! I was always slightly envious of people who made a living from doing something they were passionate about and with that in mind I returned to my art college routes at their most basic and started screen-printing one off pieces, adding beads, wire and sparkle to my work. The natural evolution was for me to make my own jewellery but I was constantly frustrated by the lack of beads in colours or styles that I wanted. Being the control freak that I am I decided to learn to make my own and so my love affair with glass began!

I was lucky enough to stumble across The Liquid Glass Centre just outside Trowbridge where I did my first glass course in lampwork bead making. Although I loved it and have made some beautiful glass beads I found all my spare time was spent watching the fused glass course, wishing I was doing that instead! I convinced my long-suffering husband that I needed to do their fused glass training and have never looked back.

I'm impressed - and feeling very inspired to go and do a glass fusion course myself... Where do you get your inspiration from?

We are a family who spend all available spare time outside and, preferably, by the sea. Nature and the sea have been a constant inspiration throughout my life – even my mural prints were more about what nature had done to technology over time than the technology itself and as inspiration, the natural world is even more important to me now.

Where do you work?

I am very happy to say that my studio has an inside and an outside – the outside being any beach that we are on and the inside being a small cabin at the bottom of our garden that I share with my very creative and tolerant husband who is mainly a 3D Draughtsman but also a maker of fabulous driftwood boats. He is incredibly patient with me and my expanding needs! He has crafted a raised work bench for me out of an old bedframe and has strung random tree branches around my space for extra hanging space… genius!!! Loving the re-use ethos!

Crammed in here I have my kiln, jars of sea glass almost sorted into colours, boxes of copper wire from my local garage, bags of driftwood, shelves of books ranging from my Dad’s editions of Kipling from his childhood to some of the most beautiful books on glass art, Pop Art, photography, fairytales and human anatomy (don’t ask!). My beautiful timber walls are lined with jewellery I have made, drawings by my children, random or favourite pieces of glass and a million post-its trying to remind me what I’m meant to be doing! I have a ‘little box of inspiration’ brought back by a friend and her daughter from India full of colour, sunshine and a little bit of seaside sand, crystals hanging in the windows to make rainbows and bags of vintage clothes that I sell as my alter ego Daisy and Jess. I am usually ably assisted by Phoenix our ever lovely and very cuddly black and white cat while her brother Brooklyn sits on the roof in the sun – you can blame Ian for their names, he got them before we were together!

That sounds idyllic! Can you tell us anything about the process of your work?

I’ll try not to bore you but I love this bit! Making a bowl is really a two part process...

Firstly I cut two sheets of glass to the right size and shape for the mould that I will eventually be using – ideally I like to use the same sheet of glass for a single piece to make sure it is compatible but as I work with broken glass it is often more about what I can cobble together, crossing my fingers and hoping! (Sound’s really professional doesn’t it!)

I then place sea glass, copper wire, foil, seed heads, flowers, whatever I’m working with for the piece onto the bottom sheet of glass and cover it all with the top sheet. This then goes in the kiln and is fired over a period of about 21 hours up to round about 800°C. This part of the process melts the glass and sticks it all together and is hugely exciting every time I open the kiln. Once the glass is cool again it is placed over a ceramic mould and fired gently so that it drops like pizza dough to take on the form of the mould – 17 hours later you have a bowl.

The glass in my work is most often broken greenhouse or picture frame glass with elements of the gleaming sea glass gems we find on the beach or coloured glass offcuts from alternative processes. The copper wire is from old car wiring looms and the wooden blocks and bases are either driftwood, fallen branches or reclaimed timber from builder’s offcuts.

I feel that we as a nation are hugely wasteful and it gives me enormous pleasure knowing that I am able to create something beautiful from discarded items.

It takes nearly two days to make one bowl? That must take a lot of dedication!  How do you manage to juggle all the different aspects of a busy life  in order to spend more time on your art? 

It’s a crazy, bonkers world but I love it! Between the school run, the vintage business, our holiday cottage, the dog walk and an untidy house it’s all about balance. Helping with the homework while cutting or packing glass is not unusual and coming home from a dog walk with a huge tree branch that has just come down as it is nicely spalted and will make spectacular bases is just normal.

Have there been any artists or special people who have inspired or helped you along the way? 

I can’t recommend highly enough Kim and Tom at the Liquid Glass Centre – they are fantastically generous with their time and knowledge.

I would also like to mention Jenny and Carol at the very lovely Fuggles Gallery, Mangerton Mill in Bridport, Dorset who stock my glass. They have called me 'the Merlin of fused glass' so how could I not give them a mention! They are open again after a winter break on the 1st March and I am very much looking forward to working with them again this year.

I adore the work of Salvador Dali, would struggle in the most part to have it on my wall but his view of the world is breath-taking, unique and truly spectacular, I have a signed copy of ‘Le Cheval Caligula’ and it makes my heart sing.

Is there anyone you'd like to shout out to? 

Trite but true, I couldn’t have followed this route in my life without the support and belief of my parents Jill and Nick at many crucial stages of my life and the generous nature of Ian, my husband, who will make me random things at a moment’s notice before an exhibition or just because I ask him to. My three children are a constant delight if a little loud and squabbily and are now so well trained at beach combing that we always come home laden with goodies – I must remember to frisk the trousers before they go in the washing machine though!

Do you have and advice or tips you'd like to share?

As a family we re-use, recycle and upcycle wherever we can. Ian makes beautiful driftwood and flotsam boats, the children always have a craft project on the go and I love that I am creating something beautiful from something broken. We do not all need the latest gadgets to be happy but should look to see the wonder of what is round us with new eyes. (That being said, I’d fall apart without my iPhone, camera and laptop!)

Finally... do you have an online shop / blog etc where people can find you? If so, please let us know!

I have a website www.kateosmanglass.co.uk and have just opened my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/KateOsmanGlass. My blog www.kateosmanglass.blogspot.com is used for ramblings, latest projects and many fairly random things and you can find me on Twitter as @kateosmanglass for everything else!

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Thank you so much for spending time telling us about yourself and your work Kate - I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say how interesting your work sounds and it's clear you have a lot of passion for your work. I am really inspired now to go and book myself on to a glass fusion course... I have to say whenever I go to the glass workshop where I get my glass supplies for mosaic, I am always slightly tempted to sign up for one of their courses. Maybe I will actually go and do a course now! I love your work and wish you every luck with your continuing business. And to everyone else... go and look at Kate's work on her website, facebook and twitter!! 

Thank you Kate! 

Artist's Feature...Katiedidonline

The Artist's Feature is back! It's been a while... But this month I'm quite excited about introducing Katie from Katiedidonline - she makes amazing upcycled aprons, pot holders and other accessories, and we're not talking about your average run-of-the-mill stuff: her aprons are works of art! I would quite happily spend the day wearing one of her aprons and, what with Christmas coming up... well there are a few people I can imagine wearing one of her amazing creations, and I believe we have no pot-holders in our kitchen so if anyone is thinking about what to get me...! Anyway, Katie was kind enough to answer a few of my questions so I shall hand you over to her.

Tell us a little about yourself...

My name is Katie and I am an American living in the beautiful border county of Herefordshire with my wonderful British husband. I have food intolerances, allergies and sensitivities. The list of foods I avoid is a long one, which forced me to learn to cook and bake from scratch all over again with new ingredients. I fell in love with food, with flavors and combinations. I love experimenting, coming up with new recipes, and trying different cuisines. I also love to sew- my mom taught me at a young age and I’ve been sewing ever since. When I’m not crafting, I work in costumes and wardrobe on film and theater projects.

What is Katiedidonline?

Katiedidonline- my website, blog, and online store- is a combination of my love for sewing, cooking and baking, and desire to be eco friendly. For my shop I make upcycled fabric goods for women who also love to entertain, bake or cook.  From aprons made from old skirts, to grocery bags made from old curtains, to pot holders made from scraps - I make eco-friendly textiles for dinning, parties, and the kitchen. I have also started making scrap kits of leftover fabrics, buttons, and more for other crafters.

Where do you get your inspiration from and what inspires you further?

I find inspiration in the “every day”. Be it through other crafters, blogs, pinterest, and even tv shows. I’m always finding new color combos, recipes to try to adapt, and crafting ideas to make my own.  When it comes to my upcycled products- I am always inspired by the material itself!

Each piece in my shop is made without a pattern, but based instead on the shape of the fabric, or the pattern or color. I broke down the year into “ranges”; each range has a theme, color palate, and it’s own feel. Once I’ve gathered enough pieces (from skirts to curtains) from charity shops, I start making the next ranges. I typically start with a few aprons and bags, as they take up the most fabric. Then I usually cut out bibs and coasters, and then make pot holders and scrap packs from what’s left over. I’m constantly going back out to find something that will help ‘finish’ off a piece I’m working on, and coming up with new ideas even when the range is already finished.

Lots of artsy-craftsy fold juggle many different things in order to have time to spend on their chosen paths - how do you manage? 

I owe a lot to my husband, my family (especially my brother), and friends for being encouraging, supporting, my sounding board for new ideas, inspirations for new ranges, and being some of my best customers!

How can we find you? 

My blog can be found at www.katiedidonline.com,

I also have a shop on etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Katiedidonline

and on dawanda: http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Katiedidonline

I am forever collecting ideas on pinterest: http://pinterest.com/katiedidonline

And have a facebook fan page I update with blog entries, new ranges, sales, and great tips and advice: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katiedidonline/124680884254107

Thank you so much for introducing yourself to us Katie - I'm looking forward to seeing your new range when it comes out and will be following your blog for interesting recipes etc. Please make sure you visit Katie's website and Etsy store. 

How to Make... a DESK-TIDY

This is what my desk usually looks like:

Don't say anything! I know it is a total disaster zone. That's partly because I am the messiest person in the entire world, but also partly because I don't actually have anywhere to put anything. So this month's How To post is the start of Operation Tidy-Up... How to make a desk-tidy. Admittedly I am not about to show you how to make a chest of drawers or anything like that - I'm starting small and working up to the woodwork!!

Materials: 
Some old tomato tins - well-cleaned and labels removed
Some pretty material that you like
display wire
a thumb tack / drawing pin / whatever you call it
ruler
good material scissors
PVA glue
container to put glue in.

Step 1:

First of all measure some material to the same height as your tin and wrap it around the tin so you have enough to go around with an overlap of a few centimetres. Use some good sharp material scissors to cut your material exactly to size.





Step 2:
Use PVA glue to stick the material down - paint glue all over your tin, line up your material with the edge of your tin and make sure the top edge will be straight. Wrap the material around, ensuring that you smooth out any creases, bumps etc as you are doing it. The material should be smooth over the tin. I used a PVA - water mix (it makes papier-mache glue).


Step 3:

Paint along the side where you have the overlap. It doesn't matter if you get glue along bits where you aren't going to stick material because you're going to paint the whole thing again anyway - and even if you decide not to do this, PVA dries clear. Still keeping the material taut, glue the overlap onto the material and smooth the whole thing over. I then painted my glue-water mix over the whole time and waited for it to dry. Obviously that just meant I had time to make some more tins...

Looking at these I thought....hmmm, boring and a bit messy. So I carried out an investigation of my sewing box and found some ribbons. I decided that red would look best of the options I could find and decided to line the tops of my tins with some ribbon.





Step 4: 
Measure the ribbon so that it fits exactly around the top of the tin with a few centimetres of overlap. Paint glue onto the entire length of the ribbon and carefully stick it along the top edge of your cans.







Step 5: 
Now you get to the tricky part... getting your tins to stay together and not just sitting on your desk as seperate tins. I experimented with all sorts of things before I worked out how to do this bit. Luckily you have me to do the experimenting for you...

Get a drawing pin (pin tack or whatever it's called in your part of the world) and press it through the tin in the upper edge. Make a second hole next to it. Do the same about half way down the tin. These holes are to thread the display wire through and hold the structure together.

TIP: Make your holes at the place where your ribbon or your material overlapped - when you attach the other tins, the overlap won't be visible any more...

Step 6: 
Do the same in the same places on the other tins. Now cut a length of display wire - about 8 - 10 cm. Thread it into the lower holes first - in to one side and then twisting the wire round to come out of the other hole. It's easy enough getting it in - it's the threading out the other side that's the tricky bit!  Do the same with a second piece of wire on the upper two holes as well.






Step 7:
Line the second tin up with the first (the one with 2 bits of wire sticking out of it) and, starting on the lower wire thread, push the wire ends into the holes on the second tin. Do the same with the upper wires before trying to properly attach the lower wires.







Step 8: 
Finally use a pair of pliers to pull the wires tight together and twist them so that they are secure. I then taped my wires to the side of my tin so that I didn't get them caught on either myself or something in my tins.




I did the whole process with another tin, and I actually made a smaller version with two old tuna tins too... so now my desk has lots of desk-tidys on it! Shame I haven't yet got around to tidying the rest of it...!

Reading a Little...September

I feel like I haven't really been reading very much this month. That's not entirely true; I haven't really read many books that I would recommend to others - or rather ones that really stand out as being fantastic and unmissable. I've read quite a few books but they've been mostly a little bland. Not to say I wasn't happy to read them: I'm ALWAYS happy to read (except for maybe The Unfortunate Traveller by Thomas Nashe - have given up on that one!) It's just that I'm not going to jump and dance about books that are a bit sentimental and not really great. But anyway, here are my picks for this month:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbary
I was a little underwhelmed with this - it's the story of an apartment block in Paris and how the death of one of the residents creates a dramatic change in the everyday workings of the building, especially it's concierge, Renée and 12 year-old Paloma Josse, a rather spoilt resident. Both are living in a dream-like state: they show the exterior world one thing, while the novel examines their inner thoughts and expressions. I've added it this month because... the ending. Oh my, it's worth it for that! I spent most of the novel thinking 'yeah, well, I'm not that excited' and then suddenly about two thirds through I realised that actually I was really interested and I suddenly realised I really cared about the characters. So for that reason it makes it into my recommended reads this month. 

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold - John Le Carre
I haven't read any John Le Carre before. Probably because I associate him with an older generation. But this is one of the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die so I thought I should give it a go. I wasn't disappointed - LeCarre uses an easy writing style and you fall straight into the plot. We follow the story of Alec Leamas over a fairly short period of time: his return to Britain from Berlin, his 'retirement' and subsequent fall into depression and drink and then how he is picked up by the other side to trade British secrets. A plot full of twists and turns and you need to keep recalling tiny little points from earlier in the novel - very clever and I really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and watching it in the cinema. 

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Every now and then I totally avoid a book because of the hype around it. The Hunger Games is one of those books - I've been hearing how good the series is for well over a year now and the more I heard, the less I wanted to read it. I figured that I'd probably be disappointed. I wasn't. I started reading this on Saturday morning. Over the weekend I had a whole load of things to do, people to meet etc etc. I finished it about Sunday lunchtime. I was literally glued to this - a really dark and twisted tale that has you biting your finger nails and grimacing in places. But so fast paced and so full of twists and turns, you can't put it down or come up for air. I absolutely loved this and have been recommending it all over the place. Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take part in the Hunger Games in order to save her little sister. And so it all starts... Definitely worth reading. 

Artist's Feature...MWL Designs

Wow, another month has passed already, and Creating Trouble HQ nearly ran out of time to feature this month's artist! But luckily we returned from sunny California just in time to introduce Katherine of MWL Designs. In case you are wondering, MWL stands for Made With Love and Katherine makes beautiful handmade cards and card-making kits for all you wannabe crafters out there. Clearly a girl after my own heart as Creating Trouble started from cards too! Please go and look at her website and Folksy shop as there are some pretty cute designs on there and they are incredibly reasonably priced too! Anyway, without further ado, I shall hand you over to Katherine.

First up, who are you and what do you do? 
I'm Katherine Brookes and I make and sell handmade greetings cards. I've been making cards since 2007. I've also just launched my brand new venture which is card making kits - looking to increase the handmade community!!

What got you interested in your craft and what inspires you further? 

I re-located from Bristol and couldn't find a job and was watching lots of QVC and crafty type shows and thought I'd quite like to have a go at cardmaking myself. I bought loads of stuff, most of which I didn't use. I still have some of the very first cards I made - I've come a long way in 4 years!! I still watch Create and Craft and love seeing what other people produce which gives me the inspiration I need.

Any artists / crafters / special people who you admire or who have helped you along the way? 
I love Dawn Bibby, she's a lancashire girl like me so she's a big inspiration to me. There are so many talented crafters out there - too many to mention!

Is there anyone else you want to shout out to? 
My husband for being supportive along the way. I'm now officially running my card making hobby as a business - don't think either of us would have thought I'd stick at it but here I am and my empire is growing!! 

Lots of artsy-craftsy folk juggle many different things in order to have time to spend on their chosen paths - how do you manage? 
Luckily we don't have any children so I make time for my business. I obviously still have to do housework and the usual home making tasks but there's always time for crafting! At the moment I work full-time in a day job - hoping to phase out the day job soon.

Do you have an online shop / blog etc where people can find you? If so, please let us know! 
I have just launched my brand new website which is www.mwldesigns.co.uk I also sell cards on Folksy but having my own website just seems easier somehow! The card making kits are only on folksy at the momenthttp://folksy.com/shops/mwlsupplies. 

Thank you so much Katherine for taking the time to introduce yourself to us - and everyone else: go and look at some of Katherine's work, it's great!

Mmmm-nom-nom Easy Felafel

If you saw my Goals post recently you will know that one of my goals is to try new recipes more regularly (original post here). I have to admit this isn't a new recipe - I discovered how to make felafel a few months ago and it's become a bit of a regular in our household. But I thought I'd share the recipe with you - it's so quick and easy and is SO tasty I think you'd be missing out if you didn't try it! So here you are - easy falafel:

Felafel Recipe

Serves 4
Takes about 40 mins beginning to end

Ingredients:
2 x 400g tins chick peas drained
1 medium onion
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground chilli
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (flat leaf)
1 egg beaten
75g / plate of wholemeal flour
vegetable oil for shallow frying

Instructions: 
1) Put the chick peas in a liquidizer and reduce to a coarse paste. Put the paste into a mixing bowl.
2) Add the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli, caraway, salt & pepper and parsley and mix them all together well.
3) Make the mixture into small balls and then flatten them to make small flat cakes.
4) Heat some oil (make sure it's REALLY hot)
5) Dip the felafel patties into the beaten egg and then coat with wholemeal flour.
6) Shallow fry the felafel for about 5 minutes until crisp and brown.
7) Drain on absorbant kitchen roll and serve with pitta bread, salad and natural yoghurt. (I usually make tzatziki with ours - mint, cucumber, yoghurt, lemon juice, plenty of salt & pepper mixed)

Et voila! C'est trés facile... not to mention scrumptious!

Reading A Little ... August

This month I don't seem to have been reading as much for some reason - probably because I've been working so maniacally on the quilt! But I have a few recommendations that I read this month for you...

 The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides
A fairly bleak novel about a family with 5 daughters who over the space of a year all commit suicide. It is written from the viewpoint of the neighbourhood boys and speaks of how they struggle to understand the motivation behind the deaths while also coming to terms with the tragedies happening within their neighbourhood. Set in 1970s Michigan, this is a very disturbing, dark but gripping novel that had me hooked. The narration is quite matter-of-fact and upbeat considering the material it deals with and there was enough detachment to be able to brush it off. I found it intriguing and enjoyed it.

The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
I only discovered Wells' work fairly recently when I read War of the Worlds but really enjoyed it so was looking forward to this. I wasn't disappointed. The Time Machine is the tale of the nameless Time Traveller, who after inventing a time machine takes it into the future. He sees the decay and destruction of humanity and it is a terrifying view of the future. It's mostly terrifying because you could actually imagine some of the scenes happening... I like Wells' writing style: informative but allowing enough for the imagination and very easy to get into. Another good read and I'm now looking forward to The Island of Doctor Moreau!



Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
I think this was my favourite book this month. I felt it was a good mix falling somewhere between Memoirs of A Geisha and Wild Swans. This historical fiction is set in the 1800s in a remote province of China. Snow Flower and Lily are two girls bound together through ritual as 'One Sames' - they go through all the major milestones at the same time, including having their feet bound and converse for many years through their secret writing. It's a beautiful story of friendship, trust, loyalty, deceit and hardship. I really enjoyed this and have been recommending it all over the place - definitely worth a read!

How to...Make GIFT-TAGS

This is a bit of a cheat How To... I was doing a bit of a sort out and came across a whole load of stickers I'd got from CraftCreations ages ago. It was a selection pack and to be honest I don't really like most of the stickers I'd got in the pack - they are a bit bright and gaudy for me as a rule. But then I got to thinking that actually I could use them on some quick gift tags. And having just come across some bits of card from years ago as well I thought I would combine them. So here is a very quick and easy (we're talking less than 5 mins) how to for you. 

Materials:

Coloured card

Ribbon

Peel-Off Stickers

Hole punch

Corner punch

1) Use a craft knife to cut your card into a size that works for you (I didn't measure mine - but using the squares on my craft board they're about 7 squares by 5)

 2) Hole punch in one corner of the card piece. (Looking very easy so far, right?)

 3) I've got an embossing corner punch (that I NEVER use!) and used it to punch in each of the corners of my gift-tag making a softer, fancier edge.

4) Place the hole-punched corner into the top left and then put some stickers around the bottom and right-hand edge. The great thing about these stickers is that you can take them off without leaving marks so if you make a mistake or don't like it, you can re-do them!






 5) Thread some ribbon through the hold in the corner making sure you have enough to make a bow and have threads left over. Tie as if you are doing your shoelaces up.










6) Hold the bow together and pull the ends down so that you make a tight bow that has long ends. And voila! Your gift tags are done!






Obviously I didn't stop at one - as these take so little time, I made a few... Sorry the photos are a bit blurry - the light had gone by the time I got round to taking photos of them!