get me my goddamn grammy!

I bet you can't look this cool with a crayon in your mouth.

Seriously, no shame...

disco dulcie

 

Look, I crocheted a dress for Dulcie!  I actually started this two years ago, abandoned it, then rediscovered it and inadvertently decided to finish it.  Fortunately and inexplicably, I was making it way too big back in 2013 so it fits perfectly now.  I had no pattern or guidance of any sort for this dress, having been inspired to create it by the jumper I crocheted for Magnus, Dulcie's toy mouse.  The funny thing is, the jumper I made for the mouse didn't even fit that well, so why I ever imagined it would be as easy as simple scaling up I do not know.  But...it was.  I basically crocheted a big tube with openings for arms and head then added a couple of sleeves.  And it worked.  I have no idea how that happened.  The crochet gods must have been smiling on me, or perhaps it's just that crochet really is fail safe and fool proof.  

Yesterday was the dress's first public outing and we discovered that the rest of the world seems to love it just as much as Dulcie and I do.  So many people threw compliments Dulcie's way.  Hooray!  She looked so happy and colourful boogieing away in Paperchase.  (And how great is it for me that my four-year-old views Paperchase as a fun place to hang out? Super great!)

 As well as being perfect for disco dancing, the dress is equally good for comfy lounging about at home :)

Dulcie says she never wants to wash this dress because she plans to wear it every day, which is truly a ringing endorsement from a wannabe goth who demands she wears only black, and maybe the odd highlight of red.  More on the goth development soon...

inside the mind of an evil creative genius

 I thought I'd share some of Dulcie's best and brightest creations of late.  This first image is her drawing of a lady with a baby in her tummy.

 This is a scene from The Wizard Of Oz - Dorothy and the cyclone.  (My mum added Toto!)

It's funny because a lot of the time (most of the time) her drawings are still just scribbles then once in a while, for no apparent reason, she produces a picture that actually looks like something.  I think these are really good.

 This is the card she made recently for her cousin Kim's 10th birthday.  I cut the face out of a magazine and then let her go wild with Pritt Stick and various sparkles and doo-dahs.  I love the result, though I'll admit it is kind of scary.  Dulcie was very proud to hand it over :)

 

And here's the girl herself in the outfit she chose to wear this weekend.  She was adamant she wanted to wear the hat and mittens but did surrender them eventually, once she had almost been baked alive as everyone else wandered around in shorts and vests.

Not too shabby for a three-year-old, huh?  Creative genius in the making, I'm telling you!

this is what happens...

...when you let a three-year-old choose her own outfits.  I'd thoroughly recommend it!

Remember when I made this bee romper for Dulcie?  I thought she'd grown out of it ages ago.  Actually, she only grew out of it...six months ago?  Ha!  Well, she can squeeze into it still.  Just.  I'm happy for it to get one last outing/hoorah.  It's such a lovely romper.  I don't think I'll ever be able to part with it, but it's sad to think it will never be worn again.  Damn my sentimentality!  Damn it to hell!

monstrous fashion choices

I'm often trying to think of simple but exciting crafty activities for Dulcie and I to do together these days.  She hasn't always got the greatest of attention spans (my three-year-old is a three-year-old, remember) and she can get frustrated if she feels the finished result is not that impressive.  With that in mind, this T-shirt was the perfect project for her.  I got this idea from someone's blog a LONG time ago, I think maybe from Sarah Dyer?  I can't quite remember, so please let me know if it was you and I'm not giving you the credit you deserve!

I cut the mouth shape from sticky paper and we used sticker dots for the eyes.  I helped Dulcie stick these on and then let her loose with the fabric pen, scribbling like a maddie.  I got her to peel off the stickers and add pupils, arms and legs.  Then Dulcie took it upon herself to add teeth (at which point I secretly thought she'd kind of ruined it!) and a toothbrush (which saved it again!) in his right hand.  Toothbrushing is pretty major in her life these days.  She is so proud of this T-shirt and loves wearing it.  I'm so proud of her toothbrush-drawing skills!  Check that out!



Even without adult intervention and the help of stickers, Dulcie's drawings are slowly beginning to resemble things, at long last.  This is her recent drawing of Elsa from Frozen...but you knew that already, right?!  Har!

 

P.S. If you're thinking of doing something similar, my fabric pens are a cheap pack from Ikea and they seem to be pretty good. This top has already been through a few washes and hasn't faded at all.

cheers!

Drinking is a slippery slope.  Having not been drunk in over four years, one booze sesh has left me feeling the need to quaff a cocktail on the way home from the supermarket!  Goodness, the west end of Glasgow is a haven of fun opportunities when you don't have a child to factor in to the equation.  But, you know me really, even with baby-sitters, I was happy to stop at one and head home for a quiet evening in the house.  Couldn't have Friday night without Gogglebox, now, could I?

 

P.S. This dress was a wee £3 bargain from the Salvation Army.  I wasn't entirely sure about it, but it draws as many compliments as it does looks of horror and Dulcie LOVES it - she asks me to wear it, tells me how lovely it is when I do, and says she wishes she had one like it.  I've promised to give it to her as soon as she's big enough to wear it :)

me, you and the old guitar

 I honestly can't get enough of this picture of Dulcie that I took at the weekend.  I have it as the wallpaper on my phone and grin like a loony every time I look at it.  My friend Lorna said these pictures made her feel like she was inside Inside Llewyn Davis.  I know what she means!  Dulcie and I found this dress on the super-cheap sale rail of Vintage Guru on Friday and Dulcie INSISTED that she wear it when we met friends for coffee on Saturday morning, despite it still rocking THAT vintage smell and being about three sizes too big.  The miniature pink guitar we found going cheap in a charity shop.  Dulcie loves guitars...

...as you can see! :)

foxy lady

It wasn't only the fancy independent retailers I was excited to visit when we were in Geneva recently, I also couldn't wait to visit C&A!  I was hoping for some nice baby gifts for friends and had no luck in that department, but did find this amazing fox scarf for Dulcie, who had been asking for a scarf for some time.  We had to buy the orange cardigan in order to get the scarf, but that turned out to be equally lovely, I think.  They looked extra lovely combined with the dress I made for Dulcie way back when.  It's getting pretty short these days, but still going strong!

 I could tell Dulcie really liked this outfit because, for once, she was happy to pose for some photos, despite her bleary eyes (and mine) from a sleepless night the night before.

She got so many admiring glances, smiles and compliments while we were out and about.

Plus the whole combo was perfect for dancing in :)

halloween's coming

Eastern Small Fry Bat print by Medusawolf on Etsy

Halloween is coming and I thought Dulcie and I were agreed on what her outfit should be.  For ages we've been talking about her dressing up as a cave girl, not exactly traditional Halloween fare, but on the scary spectrum, which is more than close enough these days.  She's got two events on the day - a party at nursery (which I'll be going along to) and small-scale guising with a few of her little friends in the evening.  I thought one outfit would suffice for both and I was excited about making a simple but fun cave-girl outfit for her and maybe even a matching one for me.  Matching outfits, people!  But now that the pumpkins are in the shops, Dulcie claims she reeeeeally wants to dress up as a pumpkin (I blame Charlie and Lola) and I know you can get cheap pumpkin outfits (for less than the cost of cave-girl materials) in Home Bargains and the like.  What a dilemma.  Do I satisfy my urges for a home-made lifestyle and spend more time and money on the cave-girl costumes or sell out and make Dulcie's day with a shop-bought pumpkin?  I wasn't going to go mad on the outfits if I was making them, I'm talking arm and head holes cut in a pillowcase really and fake fur cuffs for ankles and wrists, so it's not like it would be fulfilling my life's crafty ambitions or anything.  I guess I just like the idea of being the kind of mum who made Halloween costumes (that's the sort of childhood memory I'd like Dulcie to have) and there are only so many years that Dulcie will be dressing up at all.  But is it fair to force these idea(l)s on Dulcie when she'd be as happy to go with the flow and fit in with her peers?  I need to decide now so I can order a cheap leopard-print duvet set online if I am caving it!

Apologies for missing Time Travelling Tuesday yesterday.  Dulcie and I have both been struck down by yet another vomiting bug lately (each one worse than the last) and foolishly went to my parents' house as planned, thinking we were over it, then got stranded there for days, too puky to travel home until last night.  I'm still at home in bed/on the couch but have packed Dulcie off to nursery, like the big meanie I am, despite her pale face and protestations.  I keep hoping that this will be (must be!) the last stomach bug of the winter, then realise that winter hasn't even begun yet.  We are officially sick of sick!

UPDATE:  Four days later, the decision has been made.  Dulcie will be dressing up as a shop-bought pumpkin.  What can I say?  It's what the girl wants.  She couldn't even be swayed by the offer of a home-made Frankenstein costume, which I think would have been amazing.  Embrace the mass-produced pumpkin, Mum...  Hopefully I'll be allowed to make Halloween costumes in future years.  I'm going to start making Christmas stuff this week, just so that I don't feel like such a flake.  Dulcie WILL be exposed to my handmade dreams one way or another!

sorry!

 I haven't blogged much about Dulcie lately.  For a while she was impossible to photograph (constantly hiding or moving so fast she was just a blur) but she's suddenly lost her aversion to the camera again.  Here are a few cute pictures from recent weeks.  Indulge me, please, even though I haven't got much of interest to say - I don't want to forget this time and she's growing up so fast, as this top picture shows!

This week brought the first day cold enough for winter clothes.  Dulcie chose this hat herself recently in a second-hand clothes shop when my friend Bernie was disappointed to discover it was too small for her own head.  I think it's actually an adult hat that has shrunk in the wash.  The legwarmers were made by my sister for Dulcie's birthday last year.  I'm so glad they still fit!  Ooh, snuggly winter goodness!  We'd just been to see a couple of episodes of Bagpuss at toddler cinema when I took this (Dulcie's first Bagpuss experience!) so it was a pretty cosy day all in all :)

Here she is sampling some cupcakes and giving herself a hot-chocolate monobrow.  We went on an impromptu visit to Cup on Byres Road, just the two of us, and got their trio of mini cupcakes to share.  So good!  Dulcie's enjoyment and her chocolate-covered face (which got MUCH worse than this) were much appreciated by the other customers.  She's like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde at the moment.  When she's on good form, she can charm the pants off anybody, she's so chatty and cheery and hilarious.  But when she's on bad form (i.e. when she's with me, or so it seems!) she is a whingy, whining nightmare, constantly pretending to cry and claiming all sorts of aches and pains.  "My legs are tired!  Nobody loves me!  My tummy hurts!  A snack would make me feel better..."  She's also quite naughty, definitely testing boundaries.  One of her favourite expressions of late, when we tell her not to do something, is to say, "But big girls like to!"  Cheeky madam.

 But yes, so funny too.  She and my dad have taken to wearing hankies on their heads for some reason.

This starry bodywarmer was a hand-me-down from my workmate Emma and Dulcie suddenly loves it and wants to wear it ALL THE TIME.  I got her another bodywarmer in a charity shop, which has also proved to be a big hit.  In the house, she sometimes wears nothing but a bodywarmer.  Well, what more could a girl need?  (Er, pants maybe?)  The crown in this picture was one she'd made at nursery that day and she was so proud of it.  30 minutes later, she tore it into little pieces.  Her destructive streak is something I don't understand at all.  I HATE breaking things.  She seems to love it.  I'm trying to teach her to take better care of things, but at the same time, if she wants to pull her crown to bits...

I might be back with this same post in short video format soon.  We've managed to capture a few songs and daft conversations lately that I'd love to share.  Two-going-on-three is such a great age :)

if you went down to the woods last Saturday...

 Last weekend, Dulcie donned her fairy wings and accompanied my mum and I to a fairy festival at the Children's Wood.  It was a really fun couple of hours.  This lady here was telling a story about a fairy while leading a promenade around the meadow.

 Dulcie met quite a few friends from nursery and actually had two pals fighting over who would get to hold her hand at one point - most amusing to me, having never been involved in such a social melee, myself!  Here she is holding hands with the victor, her long-term friend, Vaila.  They are so funny together, playing really nicely for a while before their equally strong stubborn streaks bubble up to the surface and cause a flash fight.  They hang out outside of nursery most weeks, so we are pretty familiar with their double act by now.

 Of course, it wasn't long before there was a fight over a wand.  "No, Vaila!  That's my wand!"  Shortly after this photo was taken, the two of them were stealing the storyteller's limelight by having a full-on wrestle in the long grass, an incident that cheered them both up and had them laughing and cuddling again.

 As well as the storyteller, there were lots of other fun activities, the mini petting zoo being a definite highlight.  Dulcie was the first one in with the rabbits and guinea pigs.  She's so brave these days :)

 The absolute highlight of the whole shebang, however, was stroking this African pygmy hedgehog.  Dulcie was beyond delighted and followed the hedgehog handler around for ages.  I was pretty pleased by the encounter too.  I love hedgehogs and all their spiky weird creepiness.

 We skipped the willow-wand making in favour of a general tour of the woodland.  There were lots of fairy doors and glitter trails to spot, but Dulcie was more interested in jumping across the logs...

...and playing with the recycled bunting.

The Children's Wood is such a great place - a rambling natural oasis amid the streets and buildings of the west end - and always has loads of events on.  If you're Glasgow based or bound, you should check it out.  The council wants to build flats in this space (naturally) but there's a very well organised opposition to this and joining in with all the fun events they put on helps their cause no end.  Win-win, huh?  You can find out what's on as well as more ways to help save the woods and meadow by visiting their website here.

P.S. Perhaps you've noticed that Dulcie is never out of these grey knee-high socks these days.  They're from BHS's schoolwear range, so came in a cheapish five pack, and I thought they'd be great for our unpredictable climate and for potty training - quick access in case of emergencies and less layers to change in case of accidents.  I was right on both these counts, but I wasn't expecting them to look quite so bleedin' stylish with it, gov!  I love them!

time travelling carpets and blasts from the past(s)

 Last week Dulcie and I spent an impromptu afternoon in our local library, by which I mean Dulcie dragged me in there while we were en route to another never-reached destination, so I honestly did not pre-plan this 1970s orange extravaganza!

 I only wish Dulcie had been reading a more era-appropriate book when I took these pictures, something like Rosie's Walk, perhaps, with its autumnal hues.  Would it be a step too far to Photoshop that into her hands?

And here's a standing shot, just to prove she does more than just lying around.

Can carpets achieve listed status?  If so, I think the library carpet would be a definite candidate.  I hope they never update it.

Talking of carpets...  Did I ever mention the carpet in my hometown's nightclub?  Really, I didn't?  Not bad enough that a nightclub has a carpet at all, this carpet's pattern was made up of, er, ejaculating appendages spilling onto eagerly awaiting tongues.  No, I kid you not.  I wonder if it's still there.  I'd campaign for that carpet to be listed too.  I've certainly never seen another one like it!  Mind you, I can't imagine it was bespoke, which means there is actually a company out there somewhere producing pornographic floor coverings...

mittens

I found these stripy mittens in Tesco's sale for 50p and had to buy them since they were a perfect match for Dulcie's hand-knitted hat.  Uncanny, no?

Dulcie's not always keen to wear gloves, but now we can hardly get them off her.  Here she is wrapped up to watch some TV.  Well, she knows style when she sees it...hence her love for these cats-in-space leggings too!

been sewing some more

I've been sewing again, making a dress (from the same pattern I used for Dulcie's dress) for my niece Elsie's second birthday.  I bought this fabric specially, but I think there's probably enough left over to make a wee top for Dulcie too.  Yay!  This could be yet more procrastination on my part really, though, putting off the scarier task of making something for myself.

I found these buttercup-yellow buttons in my button jar and was a bit sad to part with them, but made myself do it because I love Elsie and better that she can wear them than that they stay in my jar.  I say that, but I am pining for them already...

I realised I never shared a picture of Dulcie actually wearing the dress I made for her.  She's not easy to photograph these days (too busy to stand still and there is no daylight ever) so these pictures were the best I could do.  You get the idea, though.  Cute, no?

And I just liked this one because you can see the plaster on Dulcie's big toe, which was pretty much the most exciting thing ever to have happened, in Dulcie's eyes, at least :)

been sewing

 Yesterday was my once-every-four-weeks day off with no Dulcie to look after.  This dress had long been on my mind, so I decided to treat myself to a morning of making and count it as a job from the long-term to-do list.  I bought the fabric in May and cut the pieces out in September, so it seemed like the right time to start sewing!  Ha!  Once I got going, it really didn't take that long and, like every sewing project so far, it turned out imperfect but passable and was probably saved by the loveliness of the fabric I used.  With or without imperfections, it's still really satisfying to sew an item of clothing, especially since it's an activity I was intimidated by for so long.  Now I just need to progress to clothes for myself, but I get the feeling imperfections will be more of a problem then, so I'm kind of wary.  I'd still love to wear a dress I made myself though.  Certainly worth a try!  I even have a couple of patterns (one modern, one vintage) to try.  All I need now is time and a touch of bravery.

Anyway, back to the dress I HAVE made.  Here's one of the buttons, found in a charity shop before I ever planned to make this.  I'm glad to have been able to use these buttons on something.  Much better to see them here than not see them in the button jar.

This dress was made using the same pattern as the bee romper suit and, like that, it's kind of on the wide and short side (I lengthened it by a couple of inches this time) but I think that should work well.  I'm hoping it will be one of those dresses that metamorphosises into a top as Dulcie grows.  Hopefully she'll be wearing it through a fair few seasons.  It is actually a little on the large side at the moment overall, but that's all right.

I'll try to get a photo of Dulcie modelling this soon.  She's been wearing it today and looking good!

new year, new shoes

Dulcie needs new shoes AGAIN.  I'd love to push the boat out a bit and get her these gorgeous shoes from Startrite, maybe with some of her Christmas money as she definitely does not need any more toys or chocolate at the moment!  These shoes are so cute and a lovely change from all the pink/white, patent/sparkly, butterfly/flower-adorned horrors you find in bricks-and-mortar shoe shops.  But they appear to be sold out in all but one (too-small) size.  The search continues.  I just hope I don't have to resort to white shoes with pink spangly butterflies before Dulcie's toes get too squished...

culture vultures

Dulcie loves nothing better than a walk these days.  She's constantly trying to get her jacket and wellies on, saying, "No like it cool pram," which is her way of saying she wants to travel by foot.  I've given up trying to avoid the wet weather (it is pretty much a constant these days) and, besides, Dulcie really cheers people up in the rain.  She even had random people filming her great joy in the manky Glasgow puddles the other day.  No doubt she's appeared on the internet somewhere!  The crocheted monkey hat in the picture was not made by me (shocker!) but was found in a bush by my mum and dad.  They left it there for a week, but when nobody came to claim it, they took it home, washed it and passed it onto Dulcie.  She's suddenly become quite the little hat wearer as she also got a hat she's loving in amongst her Christmas pressies.

Magnus the mouse, now that he has a jumper, comes out with us now and again.  Dulcie would take him everywhere given half a chance, but it is quite stressful to be out with him as I know she'd be heartbroken if he got lost.  Here he is getting up to no good with a monkey in the Botanic Gardens.  We actually met a real boy called Magnus that day, all thanks to Magnus the mouse, social animal that he is.

Today Dulcie and I walked to the local library, hung out and read some books (and almost got in a fight with a baby when he tried to steal Dulcie's new umbrella) before going to a nearby cafe for a hot chocolate.  Dulcie LOVES hot chocolate.

Isn't this cardigan awesome?  My mum knitted it for Dulcie recently using a 1970s pattern.  She even used the leftover wool to make a wee matching Fair Isle mouse to put in the pocket.  Aw!

It's really nice to be able to wander to nice places with Dulcie and I'm glad we live in an area where we have such a lot to see right on our doorsteps.  The only major downside is that her legs quite often can't carry her all the way home again and she wants to be carried.  I do carry her for short bursts, all the while worrying I'll keel over and get an electric shock in the middle of the street.

Well, I haven't even mentioned the fact that 2013 is nearly over and 2014 is about to begin.  I'm valiantly trying to avoid a repeat of last year's negative New Year blogging, but I guess this is a hard time of year for anyone whose life is not all peachy.  So I'll just say I'm looking forward to a night of fizzy wine and far too many snacks (Dulcie allowing) and look no further ahead than that for now.  Hope you're having fun, whatever you're up to.

accessorising

Dulcie likes to accessorise with things she finds lying about.  Fortunately for her, in our house there are always lots of things lying about - cat masks from Halloween to be paired with pyjamas...

...and hats from summer to be paired with wintery knitwear and owl slippers.  She's watching telly here hence the telly face.  (I'm sure you're not supposed to admit on your blog that your children watch TV, but I'm afraid she does.)