Sewing with Cath...

Another of my greatest loves is Cath Kidston. I love the fabric, the designs and the homemade element of her things.

I particularly love her craft books: 'sew', 'stitch', 'patch' and 'make'. Free with her 'sew' book is the fabric and pattern for a bag. And I thought I would give it a go.

The instructions were easy to follow but I was grateful that the pieces were pre cut for this first project as I felt that this project was not for the beginner although the book does come with a massive pattern sheet which is, again, very clear.

It got me used to using my sewing machine (which was very new at that point) which was very useful but as the material was quite thick it made me test the tension on the machine too (another skill I had to learn!)

The project took me a couple of evenings to complete. However, I did tweak the instructions a little and did not make a loop for the button but instead sewed Velcro on the inside of the bag for a fastening.

All in all a great project for Cath Kidston fans... I'm certainly hooked!

A bed of roses ... Book review

With everything that is currently going on in my life it was imperative that I had a book that was pure escapism and something that was light enough that I could dip in and out of when needed.

 Nora Roberts specialising in these kinds of books. And 'A Bed of Roses' was just he kind of escapism that I needed. It is actually the second book in the bridal quartet series but worked quite nicely on its own. 

It is set around a wedding planning business called Vows which is run by four close friends who all have a particular skill in wedding preparation. This book mostly focuses on the character of Emma who is in charge of everything to do with flowers. Emma is lovely and falls for commitment phobe Jack whom she has known since childhood and Emma has to learn to come to terms with the idea of falling in love with such a man and whether he can give her the fairy tale ending that she so deeply desires.

 This book was perfect for my mood - cosy, beautifully likeable characters and a happy ending which will make you feel gooey inside. If I find the others of the quartet on my travels I may get them as I want to find out what happens to the other three of the friends.;If you like a fluffy romance with a happy ending this is the book for you.

My Starter for Ten

One of my day jobs is as a Lamda speech and drama teacher. As a former lamda speech and drama student myself I had always aspired to become a teacher of it myself.

One of the many joys of the job is getting to read. Lots. I am constantly on the look out for new literature, plays and poems for my students to test and tackle. My mum reads a lot to so there is a constant stream of books that how backwards and forwards between us.

I ended up reading 'Starter for Ten' by David Nicholls because of my mum. She said it would be a light read after giving birth! I had only just forgiven my mum for giving me 'One Day' to read - I was so devastated that it lived in the fridge for 48 hours (a strange tradition of mine which happens to all books that either upset or frighten me!)

David Nicholls is incredibly talented. Not only has he written novels but has turned tow of his novels into films. He has also written many things for television (including episodes of Cold Feet).

Starter for Ten (set in the 1980s) centres around an obsessive university teenager, Brian, who wishes to become part of a team on University Challenge. The story tells of his loves, friendships and sometimes quite bizarre adventures which he encounters to get there. At times the story is almost cringe worthy as Brian stumbles through trying to function as a normal as humanly possible - and failing to some extents! The novel is funny and witty and has an unexpected conclusion.

I have 'The Understudy' on my shelf still to read. Maybe it should be next on my list?

http://www.davidnichollswriter.com

A bit of mystery in York...

As I previously said I wanted write a bit about the books that I read.

I have an eclectic mix of books and have a massive wall to wall, floor to ceiling bookcases in my dining room. Books are certainly my biggest vice (other than hoarding stuff which 'could be great for crafting'!)

The book I have just finished was called 'The guilt of innocents' by Candace Robb which was part of her Owen Archer series of books. I didn't realise there was a whole series of them until I wanted to know the back story of the protagonist, Owen Archer.

The book is set in my current city, York in 1372, and I am always keen to see how true to life the city is depicted in fiction. Robb has done this well and uses a lot of key details that the well-versed local would know to be true such as the original site of St Peters School and where barge men used to gather at that time.

The book is fast paced and full of intrigue which is reminiscent of reading a novel by Ellis Peters. If you enjoy a Medieval Murder Mystery then this is the book for you. However, I would recommend that you start somewhere other than the ninth book in the series (which this one is!) if you like to know the background of your characters and need to know why Owen Archer only has one eye!

If you are interested this book can be purchased on amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guilt-Innocents-Owen-Archer-Mysteries/dp/0099497891/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1390854471&sr=8-9
Let me know if you enjoy it!