Neocities

Starting next week, I'll finally be able to do more around the flat. As it's not very big, it's a bit crowded when we are both here when it comes to doing housework and you need to move stuff around to clean stuff. (Yay!)

bright-eyes

3 years ago

I started doing some autumn pictures (small ones) from Cross Stitcher last year for a wall hanging, but ran out of the colour fabric I was using. Couldn't get any extra because of Misty's vet bills. Tried to get it early this year, couldn't because it was out of stock and the online shop never restocked it.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Finally found a UK site that has the evenweave count and colour that I've been looking for for over 6 months....

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Got more done on Cobweb Cottage today - the front is finally done. There are a few things which I want to add, but it is mostly complete. I've also made a dresser which will have some witchy items put on to it.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

One limitation of the crayola crayons is the same limitation that /many/ colouring pencils have in colouring books - some of the colours are washed out because of the paper used. However, it's not as bad as colouring pencils, though, so you still get some strong colours on it and it's allowed me to have lots of different shades of colours, rather than the limited number you get in packs of 12 pencils, etc.

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bright-eyes 3 years ago

In terms of the diversity of colour shades, it's probably the closet I can get for the colouring book that you get from mixing paints together.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Update on Cobweb Cottage - my witch from etsy arrived today. I had quite a bit of trouble finding a witch that would fit, size wise as almost everything I found was too big. (That's the problem with 24th scale houses.) The project is coming along nicely. I also got a flower kit, but not sure how it should be put together because the pieces are so small and fiddly. I might look else-were for something.

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bright-eyes

3 years ago

Now that summer is almost over, quiet times resume.

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bright-eyes

3 years ago

Sunday - an excellent day for crafting. I am trying out the ideas in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiOXAHRfgTI&list=WL&index=100&t=2s&ab_channel=DIYHANDMADETHINGS . Mine won't be exactly the same (different coloured papers and different stickers, and washi tape, perhaps? The cardboard is quite flimsy, so I wonder if a bit of papier-mâché to give it strength would be better for the larger projects that

bright-eyes 3 years ago

the channel does - even tissue paper can harden quite well. Don't use flour, though because that can make projects go mouldy if it stays wet too long. PVA glue is better.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Last winter, I got a dinosaur colouring book to help me through the gloom of the dark part of the year, and because I knew that I'd be spending a lot of time at home because of Covid. The situation with Covid /is/ probably improved with vaccines, but it's still lurking around so I bought another one with the Works haul. The artwork is nice and cheerful, but the paper isn't as good so I decided to use crayola crayons

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bright-eyes 3 years ago

on it. They work well with the paper, even if it is too thin for my liking. I got a couple of Kerby Roanes ones, as well, since I liked working on Animorphia. My favourite one from the new ones is Fragile World because it's full of endangered creatures, including some of my favourites, and a lot which aren't that well known outside of those who work in conservation/study Zoology. I am always impressed by his art, no

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bright-eyes 3 years ago

matter what subject he covers. I also like his books better than most of the colouring books out there because he doesn't resort to filling animals up with geometric shapes like some other artists who produce colouring books do.

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bright-eyes updated Dead Winter's Night (Formally Bright Eyes)

3 years ago

thecraftyhobbit/links.html

thecraftyhobbit/index.html

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bright-eyes

3 years ago

There are some channels that I will be adding to The Crafty Hobbit's link page sometime soon.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Good for him! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-58261702

bright-eyes

3 years ago

This year, I have hardly seen any bees (or other insects, for that matter.) When I have encountered them, the bee nearly always seems to be sick/disoriented/lethargic. It's almost like they have given up. The environment has not been right since the 'Beast from the East' snow storm in 2018. Though admittedly, things have been bad for ages, but that year seemed to be the turning point.

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september 3 years ago

We're very lucky down here in the fact that the bee apocalypse seems to be a little slower, at least with the introduced bees...our native bees are suffering terribly, though. It's heartbreaking.

koshka 3 years ago

I have noticed the exact same thing over on our side of the pond as well. Call me nuts, but I've been feeling like we're entering the end times for at least the past ten years, and it's been feeling more and more accurate with every year.

bright-eyes 3 years ago

As a kid in the 80's, I remember watching a bush with flowers on it (it was at my great aunt's and uncle's), getting swarmed by bees. They would literally be all over it. Around this time of year back then, you'd see swallows and similar birds flying around and gathering for their migrations which I don't see now. Hedgehogs seem to be the only 'endangered' creature that are thriving, but that's kept up artificially

bright-eyes 3 years ago

people feed them. I'm not sure if they'd be as abundant without that. It's not been as bad this year with the heat as we only had one week in July which was really bad, but in 2018 it lasted for most of the summer. I'm not sure if it's the 'end times' but there has definitely been a shift that's been going on for at least the past 20 years which now even people who aren't environmentally conscious are starting to

bright-eyes 3 years ago

notice. I first started noticing climate change in the early-mid 2000's - we seemed to be getting less snow in winter, but you dismissed it because there is variation of it from year to year. Now, it takes longer to cool down in the autumn, you don't really seem to get frosts, or fog any more. I found it was more noticeable in the winter than summer because the temperatures don't seem to be right. In 2019, I noticed

bright-eyes 3 years ago

one afternoon in the summer it was like a hot house - if you've ever been to a zoo that has tropical creatures in it, especially reptiles and amphibians, the air is very warm and saturated with moisture and that's what it was like. I've even seen wild flowers growing in months that they really shouldn't, and it also confuses animals which normally hibernate as they are woken up too early when there's a warm day.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

(Our current duvet and pillows have been victims of a certain young, 'teenage' border collie...)

bright-eyes

3 years ago

Pack of 4 pillows, £9.99, Duvet £16.99, Duvet Set £9.99... But a simple flat sheet is £18.99! You'd think that the others would cost more when they take up more fabric/more substantial, more difficult to make...

bright-eyes

3 years ago

People are so naïve when it comes to the publication of fanart, fan fiction and making money off it. You can't, legally. No company will accept submissions you make to them for trademarked franchises. You have to build up a reputation for good, original work before they'll consider you.

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arremeer 3 years ago

Well said. This is why I avoid franchises when doing commissions. Not entirely sure if it's legal or not, but better safe than sorry.

bright-eyes 3 years ago

It's something I see a lot, unfortunately, particularly with art and crafts for sale on etsy. You can make fan created things and most companies tolerate it as long as you don't try to make money off it. I've even seen people complain when things they are selling have been 'stolen' by others to sell. It's really sad to see.

bright-eyes

3 years ago

I am currently looking for fantasy books that have unusual protagonists - by that, I mean goblins/orcs/fantasy races that are usually the bad guys, or a character from a fantasy race that is usually a side kick or something. I am tired of the teenage protagonist (of both sexes), orphans who become wizards, sassy thieves, etc...

2 likes