Sweeney Todd- a Graphic review - No spoilers

Last night Manda and i went off to the cinema to see the latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration. And it was GREAT!! Dark and menacing, touching and sad, And oh boy was there blood.
This film is not for the faint hearted(nor for those that don't enjoy musicals) These days there are less and less 18 certificate films i have noticed, but this one certainly required it. The opening titles certainly let you know what you are in for in the film. It wasn't so much the blood that Manda, or me for that matter, found disturbing, but the sound of people downing in it as there throats are cut.
In the interview with Johnathan Ross on Film 2008 Tim Burton did kinda say,'if you're gonna do blood, you may as well do blood!'. And that they did in buckets full. And for me, i didn't even flinch at this, but a nasty scene with some fire sure had me with my hands on my face(no guesses why there really).
I have to say that Johnny Depp was marvellous as ever, mean, moody, disturbingly scary too, which was a nice sup rise, i thought that maybe this wouldn't come across after having played such a lovable rogue alot recently, ah the man has talent. And I'm quite impressed at his singing ability now too. A stellar performance from Helena Bonham Carter as always too, she does tragically, romantically unhinged so well. And as for Alan Rickman, well what can you say, that voice, just oozes villain, in such an appealing way. And the young lad who plays Mrs Lovetts companion was pretty good too. All round great acting, and as for the costumes, Divine!!

Charity shop bargains and the Fabric Junky

Hello all

I have been a very lucky Scarlet, just look what i picked up yesterday Now i know that this sort of thing is not to everyone's taste. But me, i love it! I got one the purple and red fabric just before Christmas, and just remembered i had it after purchasing the purple black and white one yesterday. They were both total bargains, at £1.99 and £1.50 respectively. The red and purple fabric is enough to make a fab floor length dress, and the other piece an A line or full skirt. I just cant wait to get started, but i have other more important projects to finish first. Ooo the frustration , but yeah, the love of crimpoline!

My mum just doesn't get why i love the stuff, i guess she spent alot of the 70's wearing it. But for me its the ultimate in practical artificial fabrics. Now don't get me Wong, given the choice i would always plump for cotton, silk, linen etc. Crimoline has its place though. It doesn't need ironing(major plus, i don't do ironing, save a few special occasions like weddings, or when actually making clothes and pressing seams is essential, this is why Lycra was invented in my opinion, DuPont, you hero you), it dries in a winter afternoon without the aid of a radiator, it doesn't crumple, its a got a bit of stretch in it which is always nice for a bit of comfort and movement in a garment oh and its so lovely to stitch with. And like some vintage pieces like this, it comes in fantastical patterns. Converted yet?

My other love from this era is lurex, yummy, i also have a wardrobe with quite a bit of this in too. And i recently managed to pick up a contemporary piece with vintage styling that no one else loved enough in the sale in H&M for a fiver and it was turquoise! ?Oh i do love having a unique and unusual taste in clothes, bargains for me everywhere i go!


Oh dear ... Hello my name is Scarlet i am a fabric junky, oh and a yarn hoarder, and a magpie and a womble( guesses on this one welcomed, or ask me and i shall tell you, perhaps) oh and .....

Oh and i got a few more buttons, the big ones are a lovely chocolaty brown, which just isn't showing up in the photo. And Pepper, as always, got in on the act. And decided that i had laid down this lovely warm fabric as a luxury washing platform on which he could sit, typical.

Eye candy on a Saturday

Hiya All
A couple of pictures of purple tulips, a bunch given to my mum. A lovely gesture from my landlords after she fell over on my driveway. Mum fell over a post on my driveway last week in the dark and cut her lip open and hurt her shoulder and wrist, she is still waiting to find out if she has broken it or not. I was unable to get the tulips to her in time, so they lived at my house.
So here is a picture so that she, and you, get to share them. Hope you like them mum?

my new knitted hat

I have just finished knitting Urchin by Ysolda Teague. On me its more of a beanie hat though, rather than the pattern intended beret. So i added some buttons for a bit of extra detail. I do plan to make another one, on larger needles with different yarn, to hopefully achieve the beret look. Watch this space. The knitting of quick chunky hats is something i am doing in between a large and all stocking stitch knitted garment, as an antidote to the monotony that is plain knitting. I will adore the garment when its finished, and its great when chatting at knitting groups as you can knit 4 inches and not even relise it. But at home in the evening i want more of a challenge.

The Milliner in me is Back! & Who wants to be 'normal'!

In an attempt to find some sort of work that i can do without to much stress or pain being caused i am reviving my millinery skills. It's very hard and quite painful on my hands and so what woudl normally take a day to make a small hat like this, will take me perhaps a few hour here and there over a week, still its progress. I studied for two years in Epsom and came out with an HND in millinery, so it shouldn't be too hard to remember how to do it.




This is my first design and prototype, that i have made, in at least 10 years. I have made the odd fascinator here and there, but not a hat.
I am rather proud of it, and certainly got some looks in town on Friday when i wore it out, which knowing me, most of you will know, i secretly loved. I think everyone should celebrate their unusualness and diversity and stop trying to be 'normal' , normal's just a cycle on the washing machine, who wants to be that.

Anyway, i would love some comments/critics on this as i am hoping to produce a few in this sort of design with a view to selling them.

more christmas money bargains

I have now spent all my Christmas gift money. And i can prove how it is possible to make your money go further these days.

Another haul of vintage buttons, £4.90 for the lot. I plan to put these on some more hand knitted, or otherwise, hats.




And some more bargain clothes. A friend( i can't quite remember who) at the Knit Cambridge group told me that Laura Ashly in Cambridge was closing down, and having a drastic sale. Now i am not what you would call a typical Laura Ashely shopper, but i thought i would be worth a look., and look what i got!


The skirt was £55 down to £16, great bargain. Only for me to get to the till and find it was £4.60!!! i nearly fainted there and then. But managed to pay for it quickly needless to say. And so without hesitation i went back to look at the meagre rails again to see if there was anything else worth looking at. And found this


Not my colour i hear you say,(there were about 8 of these dresses in various sizes, so i am guessing not a very popular colour with anyone) well no, its not at all, but... being made of silk and cotton, it will dye, so i purchased said dress, which was originally £80 and i picked up for ...£7.50!! And this afternoon gave it a dye bath.

I frequently buy what are considered to be ugly garments in sales or charity shops, with a mind to transforming them with the simple fact of changing their colour. having been practicing this since i was about 16 i am now very adept at knowing what will dye and what wont, and what sort of results i can expect. I seem to have about a 95% success rate. dying patterned garment is always exciting as you never can tell what you re going to get till the garment is fully dry.

I will post a picture at a later date of the dyed mint dress( now called mint ashley but soon to be.......? ashley). as i am set to embellished it with very small subtle sequins after dying it. And so transform it into a beautiful garment for me to hopefully wear to a friends wedding next year. Along with of course, a beautiful hand knitted garment, a vintage or handmade handbag, and a head piece( hat, fascinator or other type of garment for my hair/head) designed and made by moi.

Eye Candy Friday is back

So it's back. that pretty thing for you to look at, at the end of the week, something to make you smile, i hope(that is my intention after all). And i hope that somewhere over the rainbow works for you. Mind you, for most, Friday is mearly enough reason to smile, sadly so for those of you who do not enjoy your job. And for me it is this Friday, i have more reason to smile than usual. Not telling you why yet though.

post nasties bargain

I have had some nasty wrangles the other day with incompetent/useless people! So my antidote to this was to go mooch round some charity shops and the market. And i picked up this lovely kilt sock pattern for 30p and two pairs of buttons for 80p! Needless to say i am very happy with my bargains, and it helped take the bitter taste out of my mouth.

Then i picked up these two postcards in the bargain bin at Paperchase, oh how i love this shop.

my bargain dress

Now those of you that know me well you know that i have a unique sense of style and taste in clothes. Needless to say this always serves me well, as i can get the most amazing sale bargains, things that no one else likes and i love.

I saw this dress

(I'm sorry its not modelled by moi, its a little chilly for that right now, come summer im sure i can rectify this though. It does look much better on than it does on the hanger, bit of a nothing dress on the hanger?)

back at the end of the summer and immediately fell in love. And then realised that i would probably be one of the few who would, as the pattern is quite unusual. So i hedged my bets and waited till the sales. And hey presto! My dress was in the sale. As was the skirt, shirt and camisoles all in the same fabric, guess i really do have unique taste!

So a £45 dress at the end of the summer,

was £29 in the sale, but i was brave and hung on, a few days later .....

it was £22, and there were still lots left in my size.

I finally got my self what i consider to be a true deal when i paid £13 for it! Yippee!

The Christmas Awards

Hiya All
I'm back! Ive been very ill since before Christmas, still recovering. I am now able to at least sit at the computer again, and let you know what i have been up too.

So here are my Christmas awards, like the Oscars only a lot less glamorous, and no actual prizes. But whilst these are being handed out i shall be wearing a beautiful gown.

So best Christmas card goes to.....

Gill P. I think this must be hand made by her, very cheery i think you ll all agree.

Best Christmas envelope goes to .....


Alice, Zareh's mum. Very good impressionism of a bunch of holly and a very nice surprise to receive a card from them.

And for the best imagination for thought in to gift the award goes to....

Zareh , for his hand chosen hamper that he put together for me. Full of yummy stuff , real treats. In this hamper i had, organic salmon fillets, Aberdeen Angus beef sausages, double Gloucester cheese, Stilton with apricot cheese, 2 real vanilla pods(raspberry pannacotta here i come) , mushroom and truffle sauce, truffle oil(both of these are fab with scrambled eggs i can tell you!), pickled garlic, taleggio cheese(which i have been dying to try and as you can see from the photo, i couldn't wait, it was divine!), stuffed vine leaves, mushroom pasta sauce, red wine and organic pasta.


For the present that made me laugh the prize goes to....


Smurf and rich, for my cat bottom tea towel holder.

Christmas pictures 2007

Here's the link to my flickr account so that you can look at my family Christmas photos

Elephant tales

Okay, so with little time to blog at the mo i am dipping into other peoples to give you some entertainment in the mean time.

check this out, V. cute indeed.

The Adventures of Elijah

More Unencylopedia Fun

Looking up 'cat' on the unencylopedia found me this, it made me laugh. And believe me with the day i have had i needed it. To all of you that wished me a good 2008, Thank you very much, and perhaps i should hope it starts on the first of February not January, as it's only the SECOND today and a whole world of crap has just happened. I won't go in to details on here, those of you in phone contact will already know what. Needless to say its gonna take alot of sorting out.

My present!

Purring

A purr is a nice comforting low rumble, which means that a storm will come in the next decade. These cats are really damn annoying just so you should know. They walk up to you and purr. The only thing you should be doing is running to a shelter and wait there for about a decade. It's worth it. You do NOT want to see a downpour of hairballs everywhere. Take my advice and you will not die. We hope.

Theory of Fuzzitivity

This idea came from Vespertine on Ravelry. Thought i would share it with the wider world, as its really quite ticklesome.

Theory of Fuzzitivity

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year one and all!!

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

I look forward to catching up, with those that i am able to, in person very soon.

In the mean time, take care, and i hope you find some enjoyment in the long winter month that is January.

And here's something sunny to keep you going, yup, another one of my flower photos(of which i am very proud)