Something for the weekend - Lego

I know the world seems to have gone Lego mad with the release of Lego - the Movie, and I hadn't been surprised that my 7-year old nephew seems to have more boxes of the little bricks than I thought possible.  However  I was amazed to discover that my husband's cousin who is quite a bit older proved a huge hit with Freddie when he showed him a picture of his completed Tower Bridge (sadly the cousin isn't Becks, who also revealed his love of Lego recently).

My experience is limited to the traditional coloured bricks which were all square or rectangular.  I had moved on before the shaped pieces came in that intrigued and gripped my younger sister and there were only basic people who had removable hair that you could replace with a helmet if they were a fireman!

So I had no idea about architectural bricks and I had assumed that in order to complete one of these amazing buildings you had to buy a kit, but apparently not.  At least not if you are Duncan Titmarsh who traded in his job as a kitchen fitter to become the only professional lego builder in Britain to be recognised by the Danish company.

His change of career came about five years ago and he is now the director of Bright Bricks.  He admits : ‘It was hard at first to make the change, and my family and close friends thought I was mad.  But I’m thrilled that I made the change when I did as it’s something that I enjoy doing every day.’

My nephew would be in awe of his warehouse with its massive array of organised trays and compartments where Duncan  spends up to eight hours a day in the warehouse building a variety of designs.

He said: ‘I love the variety in my work; you just don’t know what you’re going to be doing each day.'  As he is commissioned to do different projects, ‘Each day is different and until people send in their photographs and designs - I don’t know what I’ll be working on.  I love to see the work when it’s finished and the recognition and response I receive from people is fantastic.'

There are lots of different buildings to have a go at.  Some are very reasonably priced so within everyone's price range.  And there is clearly a collector's market as some, such as the Taj Mahal and Statue of Liberty are no longer available.  You can still get Sydney Opera House or Grand Emporium if you're looking for something on a grand scale.

And if you're tempted to have a go at building Tower Bridge yourself, take a quick look at the kit before it's assembled.  There are 4300 pieces!  And read what others who have made this had to say:

Took me about four hours just to count pieces and sort them into separate "sections"  ... took about 20 hours over a period of five days. ... Loved it - Great addition to my city but right now have to find a place to put it somewhere in my house. 

It always amazes me that someone somewhere figured this out. Someone figured that if you put this series of legos on top of these other legos - you get room for another layer which will ultimately create a pattern that looks like a stone wall!

And can I find a tenuous link today?  Well I guess the closest I can come up with is one of my own kits, albeit a knitting kit, which you can buy here .....

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Out and About - Farmer Palmers

For most of you it's half term and even if the sun's not shining today, at least the weather finally looks as though it's improving.  But, whatever the weather, Farmer Palmers Farm Park, Poole is an ideal family day out. You’ll get close to all sorts of farm animals, learn about them and have fun doing it. Plus, every day join in with the constantly changing, hands-on children’s farm Activities and Demonstrations.

To add to your adventure their Award Winning Farm Attraction has a real Farmer Palmer! There are lots of events and offers for the Autumn/Winter. Children can explore the play areas, whoosh down slides, pedal tractors, scramble through straw tunnels and much more! And there's even an indoor soft play area.

The farm has been in the family for three generations and, by diversifying and opening the Park (run by brother and sister Phillip and Sandra Palmer) they have ensured its survival.  They are proud to have won both national and local awards for their attraction and service because, as they say, 'we understand that family time is precious in this busy world.  Here at Farmer Palmer's we encourage children to explore, learn and gain confidence in the fresh air, in a relaxed, fun atmosphere.  It is so rewarding to see happy children's faces having fun during their family day out.'

You can watch cows being milked and have a go at feeding some of the animals yourself too.

As well as cows, they have pigs, ponies, alpacas, ducks, goats, lambs, deer and donkeys. They even have an owl called Alan.  

And for the grown ups, there's somewhere to relax with a delicious coffee in the warm Hen House Restaurant!  And if you don't fancy a spot of lunch, you can at least indulge in a slice of Dawn's cake! 

And because we can't resist a link, check out our hats and tops with great farm animals on them too.

 

  

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Scene on Screen - Mister Maker

I don't often have an excuse to watch CBBC but with friends visiting at the weekend with their kids, I found myself in front of the telly on Saturday morning watching Mister Maker and discovered a great programme full of ideas for things to make.

And since it's half term for most of you, I thought you might like this idea (which is still available on i-player for a few more days and this demo is about 16 minutes into the programme). 

Gloopy Glue Splat Monsters.

You will need

• a baking tray
• pink card, felt tip pen and scissors
• PVA glue and brush
• googly eyes
• glitter (and sequins)

First, take your baking tray and put in a big splodge of glue in the centre.  Using your brush flick out the glue to make your splat shape.

 Then add the googly eyes and sequins before sprinkling on some glitter.

 Next you need to make the tongue.  Draw out a tongue shape on your pink card and carefully cut round it with some scissors.

 Gently place the tongue into the glue mixture and leave it to dry over night.

 The following day, when it's dry, carefully peel your splat bug off the baking tray, shake off any excess glitter and there you have it .... a splat bug.

 You can make them in lots of colourful shapes and use them to decorate mirrors, windows, books or storage boxes.  A little bit of sellotape will help to secure them in place.

 If you have a go at making them, do send us your pictures and let us know how you got on.  We'd love to see them.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Boutique and Unique - McQueens

In my previous life as a TV producer I was lucky enough to meet and film with Kally Ellis of McQueens. Their designs were trendsetting at the time and revisiting their website they clearly still are today. From early on they were feted and flown to LA to decorate the Vanity Fair Oscar bash. 

And of course part of the reason for blogging about them today is because it's Valentine's Day.  And McQueens have themed their bouquets with the names of romantic films including Love, Actually, An Affair to Remember, The Age of Innocence and From Here to Eternity.

When Kally Ellis set up McQueens in 1991,she had one aim in mind. “I wanted to sell simple, stylish flowers, beautifully presented, to the London market. And I knew people would love it.” Kally drew on her business experience working in the marketing team of a large international French merchant bank. With a strong sense of colour and design, and a genuine passion for flowers, it has proved to be a winning combination, establishing McQueens as the premier name in the UK flower market – and beyond.  “It never fails to surprise me when I receive calls about our flowers from Hollywood and Japan,” says Kally. “It’s amazing to think that from a small shop in Clerkenwell, we’ve built a reputation for quality and innovation that’s known the world over. Yes, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”

I have always loved flowers and did nurture a dream that if I won the lottery I'd set up my own shop but I've settled for making the odd display including arrangements for my sister in law's reception and my own altar piece at my wedding. But nothing as impressive as this by McQueens.

I have always meant to treat myself to taking a course (I don't think the visiting florist to our guide company when I was about 12 was enough, although I did learn about the rule of using triangles which has probably long gone out the window!).   

So although I doubt I'll be able to make it to McQueens in London, I'm sure that there are some great courses available to me locally and to you where-ever you live in the UK. So get googling and find yourself a course now.

But of course I did make my own flowers of a fashion and can make up a bouquet of lilies, roses and tulips.  You can see them here and buy them from our website too.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Meet the Maker - Cardboard Collective

 

If you fancy yourself as a whizz with the old fancy dress, I think I've found something to challenge your skill levels, especially when you discover they're all made from cardboard.

These creative masterpieces are all the handiwork of Amber who hails from the US originally but, having travelled all over the world for the past 10 years with her husband, has finally settled in Japan where she started her family. 

She started her blog in October 2011 and tries to post once a week. Here you’ll find inspiration for projects, cardboard links, information about tools and techniques, and also a bit about sustainable building, crafting and living.

Each year she runs a challenge and this year's no different. You can find out more here. The standard varies but looks pretty high!

   

   

And they also offer some awesome tutorials with great instructions and easy to follow photos.   This one will allow you to create your own unicorn costume.  Check it out here.

If you do have a go, please let us know. Post your photos. We'd love to see them.  We must find someone who can make something like this for our photographers.  Check out our stunning images in our professional gallery here.

www.cobwebkbnits.co.uk