Autistic City

This is a drawing from my son of his personal city.

I love the variety of sizes and the freedom from having to make the lines straight. If only I had the bravery to just draw without the feeling of it having to be 'right'.

And here is what it looks like when threaded through the two planetary Apps I love so much on this blog.

I love it and will attempt to follow its example in just drawing regardless of whether it is accurate or not. Just draw!

Teenage Hoody drummer

Its been ages since we had an actual Socklet (after whom the Blog was named) so here is the Teenage Hoody Drummer, made for a teenage non-hoody drummer as a birthday present. Certain features were needed to ensure it looked particularly teenage for him so the hood, the zip front and the fringe did the job.

They are Socklets because they are made from socks (new and clean, I hasten to add). For other examples, go way way back to...
http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/socklets-in-snow.html for the first ones ever shown on the blog 2013 and many more around that time, including the origins of my profile pic.

Happy hunting.

Revolution in the Garden

My Dad used the expression "Its part of the glorious 20 year plan" to explain why things never really got done.

Its a very good time period and, in our case, is now up! We have lived in this house for 20 years so now have the imperative to make big changes that have only been fermenting in my head until now. Grown up children, overgrown-up garden, wrecked sheds etc. SOMETHING MUST HAPPEN!

First to go was the Wendy house, second hand in 1999, now with no front, rotting floor and collapsing side panels with attached woodlice.

That left an empty grubby space with the back of the rescued shed (from the end of the garden with three strong walls and a new corrugated plastic roof but so far no floor or front.

Painting it seaside blue, knocking down part of the ornamental patio wall and building a triangular bed with soil and raspberry bushes transplanted from elsewhere in the garden produced this.

And scrap bunting added to rest of the atmosphere.

More, more, more... what's next to go?

Mermaid's Tail Blanket

I found this lovely fish-scaled fabric in FabricLand in Kingston, along with some turquoise sequined stuff and then a lovely soft blanket from Primark.

And I knew that I had to make a mermaid's tail

The blanket is square but can be wrapped round your legs to look tail-like but keep you very warm. The tail is a little fur-lined pocket for warm tootsies.

It has now gone to a very happy home.

Weird Websters

This is an occasional page in the book that contains many images on the same page, in this case all beginning with the letter c.
The opposite page is blank...

So I filled it with a story using every word from the opposite page, woven into weirdness. 

Websters Trick Shot

From this starting point

To this.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about... check back previous blogs for other Websters   = )

Tardis or Roundhouse?

You know the techno domed gorgeousness of the Tardis control room and ceiling? I would love to have put a picture here but blog security doesn't like it so I have put a link to google images instead so you can see for yourself...  (https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=tardis+ceiling&oq=tardis+ceiling&gs_l=img.3..0i24.1299.4481.0.6632.14.10.0.4.4.0.197.836.7j2.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.13.844...0j0i30j0i8i30.e5JcF6DcZhQ#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=tardis+control+room).

Well husband and I went to a concert at the Roundhouse in Camden the other evening (Joss Stone in aid of Barnardo's) and the room is SO gorgeous that it felt like an alien spaceship or the inside of a magnificent room in the Tardis.

What a beautiful place with fabulous lighting!

These were my photos from the night but for other general pics on google images, checkout https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=667&q=tardis+ceiling&oq=tardis+ceiling&gs_l=img.3..0i24.1299.4481.0.6632.14.10.0.4.4.0.197.836.7j2.9.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..1.13.844...0j0i30j0i8i30.e5JcF6DcZhQ#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=camden+roundhouse+interior

I would LOVE to be able to go back there during the day and take photos then. the architecture is so dramatic.

Love Planet Paris

Here, as promised, is the accidentally lovely picture of Planet Paris created by a circular app which, when I zoomed in closer, had formed a love heart at its centre with another tiny Paris inside!

and here is the picture the close up was taken from

and here is an upside down close up in case you want to investigate the tiny tiny Paris inside.

Planet Paris

I have this print on my wall which was the catalyst for a visit to Paris a couple of years ago (see very old blogs http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/paris-sur-lautomne.html   or  http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/dr-who-meets-paris.html ).

So took a photo of it and fed it into the Circular App and the results look like a hurricane...

which rapidly opens up a vortex...

Sucking the entirety of ancient Paris...

into oblivion!

Cool!
(sorry ancient  fictional Paris)

Tomorrow another weird effect on the same painting which could be used by the tourist board to promote the city!
Stay tuned.

Windows

Time off from craft to day for a little study in windows. Sometimes you just need to look up to see someone's little bit of glorious work in making a lovely window that most people may never even notice.

One of these is at Tate Britain I think (or as I just mis-typed it - Tate Brian... excellent name for a gallery!).

It feels like a still from the film Hugo.

This is the ceiling of the dome before filters...

and after...

as Jack Sparrow would say, "Can't resist, mate." I love me a good filter!

The Other Box

I said a couple of days ago that I'd made another box out of the leftovers from the steampunk wedding cup cake stand, after making the first box with the best bits (http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/steam-punk-box-vs-cup-cake-stand.html ) and that I'd show you when I got the chance.

Well here is the chance... when I should be getting ready for work.

Its kind of like a little theatre box, with two curves of landscape scenery at the front and back inside.

What looks like a coin in the top is a cell battery that is held tight by the foam board sides.

Inside the lid there is a flower made from organza which has a tiny LED bulb sticking through it, the wires of which are held in place either side of the battery above.

I put two of my little adventurous girls in there cos it looks like they have had to go to a mystical place to be transported in the beam or get information from the connection between the flower above and the one below.

For more of the girls, 
see http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/even-cuter-anime-dolls.html  and http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/princess-anime-dolls.html

 I wish cameras could see like eyes can see. The light is a bit savage and the image a bit flat, whereas in real life, you feel drawn in to peer into their little world and wonder what they're up to next.

Steam Punk Box vs a Cup Cake Stand

Do you remember the steam punk cup cake stand I made for my lovely friends' wedding a few years ago?
http://socklet-world.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/steampunk-wedding-cake-stand-for.html

Well, time has passed, it has sat in my shed since the day ended, paper becoming wrinkled, slightly dusty and taking up a little too much space.

In order to fulfil my dual new year's resolution (use it up/ clear the crap), it had to go. In the gigantic year-long spring clean of my life and attached buildings, I had to get rid of it. Sadly.

So, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this is what happened.

First break it up into its componant parts,

Then cut out identical shaped squares that could be glued together into a cube with removable lid.

The layers of the stand were originally foam-board with scrapbooking papers over, so made sure I had a representative sample of each layer.

Any extra detail that was cut off could be added as decoration on the side.

The lid had a central hole cut and the black lace added to it that had adorned the sides of the layers, This way, the inside could be lit and be a tiny peek-hole (see further down the photos).

Then inside, any of the struts, brass, jewels or decorations could be added to make little compartments.

Four areas

 With the sloping sides of the original struts (see blog link at the top).

Looking like a mix of treasure from Pirates of the Caribbean and something from Aramis' Sunday best on Musketeers.

And this is the view through the top with light inside.

SO glad it didn't just have to get dumped.
I made something else from the leftovers but you will have to wait for another day for that.