Skulls and Ponies

The Migraine Monologues

2012-03-07T09:46:00.000Z

Lately my migraines have become more frequent and more intense. In February I had 19 attacks. That doesn’t mean I was laid up in bed for 19 days (some of those I was) but it did mean I had to medicate 19 migraines which really isn’t good. This meant time off work, cancelled social occasions and generally a pretty crap month.

I went back to my GP who managed to make me cry by being entirely unsupportive and really not grasping how disruptive migraines are to my life. He also refused to send me back to the Neurologist and simply said to up my dosage of my current preventative medication. The thing that made me really cross was he then went on to talk about contraception and suggested I tried the implant. People with migraines can’t have the implant - as oestrogen can exacerbate the severity of migraines. Thanks doc.

So I caved and did an internet search. I really hate searching for information on migraines because it can be so overwhelming. It’s a constant stream of suggestions and contradictions and I come away feeling worse than before.

As I was searching I stumbled across an interview from a radio show from a fellow migraine sufferer. I clicked play and listened to the interview. Tears started to stream down my face. It was like listening to my own story. It turns out the interviewee had recently started a blog called the Migraine Monologues. As I read through all of the past blog posts I felt an overwhelming sense of relief and solidarity! Sometimes when you suffer with a chronic illness it can feel very lonely. Tom is incredibly supportive of me, as are my friends and family but reading Victoria’s blog made me realise that she really understood how I felt.

Victoria has suffered with migraines for 12 years - (4 on my 8 years) and has tried and tested lots of different things. Her blog offers links to useful websites, how to get help and books she’s found tremendously helpful.

By stumbling across her blog I found out about a fantastic book called “Conquering Headache” and also more importantly found out I can bypass my GP and make an appointment with the National Migraine Centre up in London.

More importantly, her blog is funny, witty and intelligent - which is what I desperately needed a dose of. Since discovering her blog I’ve been chatting with Victoria on twitter where we have revolutionised migraines by renaming them kittens. We decided it was much more interesting to say “I’m off sick with a kitten today or my kittens are really giving me hell this week...or I had 19 kittens last month!” (it got a few people on twitter also joining in too which made me laugh a lot).

Whether you suffer with migraines or not I urge you to go check out her blog. For me, it was exactly what I needed to give me the strength to keep fighting, because I really was ready to give up. I’ve since spoken with a migraine nurse who had some really helpful suggestions and I’ve got both a doctors appointment and an appointment at the migraine clinic next week. Watch this space....

Fran

Amigurumi dolls

2012-03-05T10:33:00.000Z

I recently commissioned the very talented Beth of Fluffernutter to make Tom and I a moving in present. I saw on her blog she'd crocheted a mini version of her and her boyfriend James and I couldn't believe how amazing they were! I asked Beth to do a mini me and a mini Tom and two little skulls.

I couldn't have been happier with the results!

Tom's favourite band are Mogwai so I asked Beth to stitch that on his tshirt!

I can't urge you enough to go and check out Beth's work - she's so talented!

Pretty dresses and electro swing

2012-03-03T10:24:00.001Z

Last night a few friends and I went to the amazing White Mink at the Brighton Ballrooms.

via: Whitemink

Advertised as 1920s and 1930s electro swing we knew this was occasion to dress up! I love an excuse to buy a pretty dress but this time I was very naughty and bought two!

We of course had to have suitable nails. I posted a picture of mine on instagram and someone commented saying they looked like expensive chocolates!

Black and Gold Nails

In the end I went with the gold dress as it felt particularly spangly:

And of course the obligatory long necklace!

Don't worry though, the other dress didn't go to waste - as Alice ended up pinching that one!

Alice also had equally amazing nails:

We were all dressed to the nines! I can't tell you how lovely it is to make the effort to dress up to go out!

The band were kicking and the venue was beautiful!

Look at the beautiful art deco mirrors! Want!

Luckily White Mink are making this a regular night - I can't wait to go back!

Fran

Blogging Inspiration

2012-03-02T13:32:00.000Z

Taking a month off blogging was like a breath of fresh air. I sorted out my Google Reader and made sure I was only following blogs I really loved and felt inspired by. I stopped being so fixated on having to post, having to comment, having to engage in social media and I thought about why I started blogging in the first place.

It’s only too easy to focus on the negative rather than positives. So I stopped worrying about whether my blog was good enough, and started focusing on what I’d achieved with it and how far it had come in only one little year.

I also spent some time looking through the archives of some of my favourite blogs. These are blogs that have huge followings, regular content and are blogs I really admire. Looking through old posts made me realise that all of these bloggers had started small, and weren’t an overnight success. They had spent a good few years building up their following, and focusing on writing good quality content. This to me, was inspiring. It reminded me you can’t expect to run, before you can walk. It was also an enjoyable experience! Poking around in old photos and seeing how my fellow bloggers had grown.

So this is a new chapter in my blogging world. I can’t guarantee I won’t lose my way again, but at least I know that if I do I can find my way back.

Moving on

2012-02-23T18:14:00.000Z

When I decided to take a blogging break the very lovely and very wise Dotmund told me it was great I was taking a break but if I felt the urge to blog I should. I felt that today was that day. Since taking a break, I've been feeling so excited about blogging again and have some exciting things in store for Skulls & Ponies. Even though I've been "on a break" I've been squirrelling away content, coming up with bags and bags of ideas and generally feeling a new found love for my blog. Tomorrow I move house and so this post needed to go out today and couldn't wait until I decided to come back to the blog full time. So I hope you'll forgive the sporadic nature of this post.

***

Today is my last day in my current neighbourhood. It's funny because I've been so desperate to move away from this part of town, and only ended up living back here for the last 3 years due to various different circumstances beyond my control. Yet as I walked to and from work today, doing the oh so familiar route for the last time I felt a pang of nostalgia.

Goodbye number 41

This morning I left my house at the same time every day at 7.30am and passed the tall, grey haired man waiting outside for his gentleman friend. I see these people every day - we nod or smile but never exchange words. I've always wondered about their relationship. Are they brothers or lovers or friends? I'll never know and that will probably be the last time I ever see them.

When I walked home from work, I went into the Co-op and got served by the same frowning, uninterested girl who always serves me. I felt a sense of warmth towards her, and tried to catch her eye...but of course today was just another day to her, and I just another customer.

I walked past the butchers that I never ventured into but always wondered how on earth they kept trading when they never had customers. I passed the charity shop that I've stumbled across many a bargain in, and thought fondly of the grumpy women who work in there. I thought about the tattoo shop that's now been replaced with another estate agents and the launderettes where I discovered services washes when my washing machine broke down and how I was completely gobsmacked by the precision folding of my laundry on return. I smiled at the local hairdressers where the cuts weren't all that great but the warmth of the staff and the little old ladies that frequented it made it all ok.

I walked up the street where the man with long dreads live with about 5 dogs. He's always walking about and yelling at people and I always wonder who he is and what's his story?

I turned into my road and walked towards my flat. This is the last time I'll walk this way. I came home to my lovely housemate who I've lived with for the last 2 and a half years and I felt sad. Sad but a good kind of sad.

I felt sad because I'm leaving all of this behind and it's good I feel that way. It means it meant something to me and it was important.

Goodbye lovely flat - you've been good to me. You've been a safe haven when times were tough and I'll never forget you.

So now onwards....to a new chapter in my life and boy am I excited.

Giveaway Winner!

2012-02-07T12:23:00.000Z

and the winner is.......Rhiannon aka The Last Slayer! Congratulations - I'll be in touch so you can give me your address and I can get your items off in the post!

A massive thanks to everyone that entered! I'm off on my blogging holiday now but will return in March! I've already got some exciting things up my sleeve....watch this space :)

Fran

Taking a break from blogging

2012-02-01T10:59:00.000Z

I've been feeling a bit out of sorts this week. I've had some sort of horrible stomach bug and continuous migraines - not fun. As a result I haven't been blogging as regularly as I usually do but in a way it's been a bit of a relief. Why? Because lately I've been feeling a bit meh about blogging - well not blogging as a concept but about my blog.

My blog has been running for about a year now and in that small amount of time has done quite well - people seem to enjoy reading it, I've got regular readers and my traffic is increasing month on month. So why so blue?

I think the major problem is that when my blog started to get a bit more successful, I kept feeling like I had to make it better and better. Every time I looked at it, I wanted to change the design, I'd read other amazing blogs and never feel mine was good enough. I guess you could say my blog has a bit of an inferiority complex.

I've started feeling like I must do this, and I must do that - and as a result I've moved away from the reason I actually started blogging and what I loved about it.

I started blogging to share with the world my crafty makes - I just like making things, I'm happy to use a pattern or a tutorial - but it's nice to share what I've been working on. You can read about why I started crafting here, but I think it's all relative - crafting and blogging helped me to get through some dark times - but what now?

I think to get back to loving blogging, I need to be a bit more true to myself and what I want to do. I need to stop worrying about what other bloggers are doing and just focus on what I enjoy. For example I've been hesitant to write "wordy" posts lately as the blogosphere keeps telling me readers like a good balance of images and text - well you know what? I like words!! Sometimes words don't need pictures. Plus, having a look through old posts, lots of my wordy posts get a lot of traffic and a lot of comments - so maybe they aren't so bad?

I've got a lot of joy out of this blog, and want to get back to feeling that same excitement about it that I used to. It's opened up lots of exciting projects, ideas and I've got to hear from some really lovely people. My blog doesn't make money - it's purely a hobby, something I enjoy. So I need to get back to that.

As a result, I've decided to take a blogging break. I'm moving house this month so it seems like a good time to have a bit of "time off" from blogging. Hopefully when I'm settled in my new house I'll feel excited and passionate again and will be itching to share all my news on my blog.

My giveaway ends on the 6th of February so I will announce the winner on the 6th but then I'll be taking a break until the beginning of March. I hope all you lovely readers out there will understand why I need a break, and will still be excited to read my blog when I return.

Have a lovely February everyone - enjoy the snowdrops! :)

SEO tips and how to improve your rankings in Google

2012-01-30T18:41:00.002Z

Last night I co-hosted the #cbuk tweet chat with Hilary from Craft Blog UK - the topic was SEO and effective tips for increasing traffic to your blog. It was a great chat - lots of people chipping in and the hour whizzed by!

You can read my write-up of the chat with lots of information on SEO and things you can do to improve your blog over at Craft Blog UK.

If you missed it you can just search for the hashtag #cbuk on twitter to catch up and you can join in the next one on Sunday at 9pm. Topic is yet to be decided so let us know what you'd like to discuss - can be anything as long as it is relevant to craft bloggers.

An Introduction to Swishing

2012-01-27T10:30:00.000Z

What on earth is swishing you ask? My sentiments exactly when I first stumbled across Sussex based company My Swish. Yet when I found out I was very excited and I hope you will be too...swishing is...clothes swapping! Yep - instead of spending lots of money on new clothes - you can take your old clothes along to the swish and exchange it for something else! I caught up with My Swish organisers Leila McKellar and Sarah Maddox to tell us more.

Hi Sarah and Leila! For those that don’t know, what is ‘swishing’?

Swishing is basically clothes swapping. It's an amazing way to get rid of the unwanted clothes cluttering up your wardrobe and get some gorgeous new things at the same time. All without feeling guilty about overspending.

Tell us a little bit about My Swish.

My Swish turns clothes swapping into a fun, girly afternoon out. Just exchange your clothes for a points card when you arrive, then relax with an afternoon tea and a treatment while we label and hang everything. When the swish opens you can try everything on and take whatever you want to the value of what you brought - 10 points for High St, 20 for high end High St and 50 for designer.

Swishing

Your next swishing event is on January 29th at Hotel du Vin, Brighton. What can people expect from the event?

Our next event is in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and is sponsored by Bare Minerals mineral make up. It's in the gorgeous ballroom at Hotel du Vin Brighton (entry through Pub du Vin). Swishettes can enjoy complimentary vintage afternoon teas from Roses All Over, cupcakes from Cloud 9 Bakery, mini-treatments from Turn Beautiful and a Bare Minerals goody bag - all included in the ticket price of £8.50 in advance or £10 on the door - what a bargain!

So many pretty things!

What else is in store for My Swish in 2012?

This year we are hoping to start running a swish on the first Sunday of every month - we should be able to announce the venue very soon, so watch this space. 2012 is going to be very eventful for me as I have a baby due in February, so perhaps you'll see us moving into babies' and children's swishes at some point in the future!

If you are interested in attending a swish the next one is this Sunday 29th February at Hotel du Vin, Brighton. Click here for more information.

You can also find My Swish on twitter and on facebook

A very British party

2012-01-25T17:43:00.000Z

My lovely friend Claudia is originally from Switzerland. She has lived in the UK for 8 years and has now officially become a British citizen. To celebrate this she decided to have a party and so we all went to a fantastic little cafe in the heart of Kemptown called The Tea Cosy.

In honour of the occasion I dressed up appropriately (or inappropriately depending on how you look at it!)

Even the outside of the Tea Cosy is amazing:

I bought the flag on the left for Claudia to proudly display in her flat (or hide away in the back of the cupboard):

Claudia and her boyfriend Tom (with the best moustache in existence)

The whole of the Tea Cosy is covered with royal memorabilia:

I made Claudia a very British brooch which she claims she's going to wear when she swears allegiance to Lizzie:

The hostess made a fantastic speech about how after all this time in the UK stealing our jobs and our eligible bachelors she thought it only right she "become one of us".

Claudia sipping a cup of tea out of vintage china

I think all teapots should have a tea cosy:

So apparently high tea consists of copious amounts of (you guessed it...) tea, teeny tiny little sandwiches (yes there was cucumber) and about 10 rounds of cake! Needless to stay I was stuffed!

This little guy was in a glass cabinet. He's slightly terrifying:

It was such a lovely afternoon and what a great little cafe. If you live in Brighton or are visiting I can't recommend it enough. The lady who runs the cafe was so kind and friendly and the cakes were just divine!

Calling all Craft Bloggers!

2012-01-24T19:13:00.000Z

Do you craft? Do you blog? Then this post is for you. Last Sunday Craft Blog UK hosted its first ever tweet chat. A tweet chat simply uses hashtags on twitter to have a group discussion. It's a great way for craft bloggers to exchange tips and tricks with other bloggers and go away with lots of new ideas they can try out on their own blog as well as making lots of new blog friends!

Last week's topic was all about which is the best blogging platform and you can read a summary of the tweet chat here. There were lots of great ideas and opinions so definitely worth having a look and adding your thoughts to the blog post.

How to get involved
We will be running tweet chats every Sunday evening at 9pm for one hour. The chat will be hosted by myself and Hilary from Craft Blog UK. This week's topic is:

'What SEO tips have you found effective for your blog?"

Don't worry if you don't know anything about SEO - we'll make sure by the end of the chat you do!

To get involved in the tweet chat follow the hashtag #cbuk and to contribute to the conversation just be sure to include that hastag in your tweet!

I'll be busy reminding people about the chat a few days before so make sure you are following either me or Craft Blog UK on twitter to be kept updated.

Clothkits

2012-01-22T12:47:00.000Z

For Christmas Tom got me a Clothkits set. Clothkits basically allow you to make clothes/homewares without having to use a pattern. When I saw they were doing this Rob Ryan cushion or bag set I was pretty excited!

Rob Ryan Cushion or Bag Kit by Clothkits

When Tom received the package through the post he was a bit disappointed that the box was a bit crushed - especially as it was a gift for me.

It wasn't awful so Tom didn't write a complaint letter, but instead just emailed them with some suggestions on how to improve their packaging (he's an engineer - he's forever trying to make things more efficient!)

Clothkits replied and they had several exchanges of emails (Tom told me he was really impressed with how nice and friendly they were). They also insisted on sending us a free gift which I thought was really lovely!

The free gift they sent for me was a fuchsia pink apple doorstop. Needless to say I was thrilled!

So this morning I've been busy making my doorstep and am really impressed!

The instructions were fantastic - friendly, witty and full of banter (the best kind!) and the doorstop was very easy to make. I'm so happy with it. Here it is:

So thank you Clothkits for having such fantastic customer service to match your brilliant products. They are also a Sussex based company so it's nice that I'm able to support local. I can't wait to start using my Rob Ryan fabric.

So what should I make readers? A bag? Or two cushions?

Featured Etsy Seller: Robbie's Girl

2012-01-19T12:50:00.000Z

This week I interviewed the lovely Max who runs a gorgeous etsy store called Robbie's Girl selling lots of lovely jewellery, accessories and much much more!

Max - Robbie's Girl

Hi Max! You run an etsy shop called Robbie's Girl - tell us a little bit about it.

The shop is a bit of a random collection of things I think are pretty! The general theme is vintage inspired/rockabilly with a splash of kawaii. I also have a shop in eBay where I sell more vintage items - clothes, silver etc

Pin-up Girl Earrings

Your handmade necklaces, rings and accessories are so cute! Tell us, where do you get your inspiration from?

I absolutely love all things vintage, especially things from the 50s. Woman were so sexy then and the clothes were amazing! I really love tattoos too, I have a million myself. I'm also a massive geek and love video games, comics etc

I get alot of inspiration from my wonderful friends. I'm very lucky to know some very talented people, artists, musicians and some very glamorous ladies (Charlotte, Sonia, Gina) who indulge my love for shoes and sparkles!

Swallow Ring

What got you into making handmade?

My sister used to have a market stall selling rockabilly jewellery and clothes and I was shocked at how expensive the jewellery she was purchasing was. I was sure I could make equally as pretty stuff for her for cheaper - so I did! When she closed the stall she gave me back all the items I made so I opened an eBay shop and it sold so well I decided to carry it on and quit my job a few months later!

Skull Necklace

Where does the name of your shop come from?

Robbie is the name of my (soon to be ex) husband. My lovely friend Paula made me a beautiful headscarf with a tattoo style mermaid on and the name 'Robbie's Girl' it seemed perfect at the time and she made a watercolour version of the mermaid that is the logo I have today. Robbie and I are no longer together so I'm unsure whether to keep the name of the shop or not. Still thinking about that one!

What's your favourite piece in your etsy shop currently and why?

I've just learnt how to make hair bows so at the moment I'm loving them!

Green Polka Dot Skull Hairclip

What does 2012 have in store for Robbie's Girl?

Hopefully more vintage items. I've been watching lots of nature programmes recently and have been thinking about some animal themed accessories. A bit random I know but I can't stop thinking about FISH! hehe

Owl Key Necklace

You can find Robbie's Girls on:

Twitter
Facebook

Etsy

Ebay

Max has also been super generous and given the lovely readers of Skulls & Ponies a discount code!!! You can get 15% off all Etsy orders by entering SAP15

Giveaway! Handmade giveaway to say a massive thank you

2012-01-16T16:00:00.000Z

********GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!***********

Happy Monday lovely readers. I do hope it wasn't too horrible.

This week on twitter I announced I would do a giveaway on my blog once I reached 500 followers on twitter. Lots of you helped me achieve this by retweeting me or giving me #ff's and so I've now gone beyond this number! Hooray!

Without getting all mushy and acting like I've just won an oscar - I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that reads my blog. I've also had several really lovely personal emails lately from people who just wanted to write to me to tell me how much they enjoy my blog, and how inspiring they have found some of my posts. This means so much - and I really appreciate all of the support you guys give me through comments, tweets, emails. It's ruddy awesome!

Anyway...here's the giveaway! I'm giving away a cushion cover, a little purse and a lavender heart - all handmade by me.

Teapot Purse/Make-up Bag

Teapot Print Cushion Cover

Cake Lavender Heart

How to enter

To enter simply leave a comment below!

For extra entries

1) Follow me on twitter

2) Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect, BlogLovin', RSS etc

3) Like my facebook page

4) Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, your blog, Google + (please be sure to include the link to the competition)

Please make sure you leave an extra comment below for every extra you do - otherwise I won't be able to count it!

The giveaway deadline is the 6th February 2011. This giveaway is open worldwide. I will choose a winner at random and I'll be sure to blog who has won! I'll also contact the winner if I have a way to get in touch - otherwise make sure to check back on the 6th!

Good Luck!

Inspiring Bloggers: Lemons for Lemonade

2012-01-15T11:30:00.000Z

Hello lovely readers – I hope you are all feeling smiley and joyful today!

As you probably have already guessed, I’m a bit of a blog addict. My Google reader is always full for lots of lovely treats for me to read, yet I am actually also very picky about what and who I choose to read. There are so many blogs out there on the internet that I think it’s really important that you only bother to follow and read blogs that actually mean something to you, or inspire you or leave you with a good feeling. I hate it when people are bitchy or mean or leave me with a sour taste in my mouth – so these days I’m pretty ruthless with the old unsubscribe button.

This leaves me with only blogs I truly adore and today I wanted to share with you one of these fantastic blogs.

The blog in question is Lemons for Lemonade written by the delightful Emma Blackie. Emma’s blog is just gorgeous! You know when you read blogs and you just click with it and want to know more about the person and meet them in real life? Emma is most definitely on that list!

Emma, like me, is a crafter but Lemons for Lemonade isn’t just about crafting – it’s about Emma’s everyday life and what inspires her. Her blog is a window into her world and such a lovely, intriguing world it is too! Her positivity oozes out of every post she writes even when everything isn’t always so rosy – but this is what I love about Lemons for Lemonade – it’s about perseverance.

Emma also runs a gorgeous Etsy shop selling hand covered buttons and crocheted flower brooches which are just adorable!

Hand-covered buttons

Crocheted Flower Brooch

One of my favourite posts on Lemons for Lemonade is this one where Emma talks about wanting to run away and how by staying she’s fighting for what she wants out of life. It also details a great little anecdote about what a small world it really is! Definitely worth a read.

At the moment there is a fantastic giveaway happening over on Lemons for Lemonade which is right up my street! As a crochet queen Emma is trying to encourage others to take up the craft and so is giving away a fantastic prize – a soft touch crochet hook, some maroon double knit wool, a book on how to crochet and a hanging crocheted bird ornament!!

The giveaway closes on January the 30^th so head over there now to be in with a chance of winning this super awesome prize!

Podcraft - Twee as F$*k

2012-01-12T18:03:00.001Z

Skulls & Ponies would like to introduce to you our first ever PODCRAFT entitled 'Twee as Fuck'.

What is a podcraft I hear you cry? Well it's a podcast about crafting. Genius.

My guest podcrafter is the lovely Alice and we talk you through how to make a Kindle cover.

Fran and Alice

Now readers, it was our first attempt so to be entirely honest it's more wit and banter than anything else but I hope you enjoy it. You can find out how to actually make a Kindle cover by popping over here and reading the full step by step tutorial with clear guidelines and lots of pictures!

For those too lazy to listen to 8 minutes or if you want to get an idea of what it is all about here you go:

We play The Boss to help motivate us.
We start talking posh and talk about Kate Middleton and her new surname.
We discuss whether we need a cup of tea.
We talk about cardigans.
We get distracted by puppies.
We actually do some sewing.
Alice doesn't like seagulls. Oh wait it's pigeons.
We talk about cheeses. And jesus.
Have we made a sleeping bag for a snake?
We fuck it up.
Fran needs to tidy.
We do some Irish accents. Ok Fran does. Badly.
We start spying on a woman and a cat out of the window. She may or may not put the cat in the bin.
They spot us - it all gets a bit hairy.
We finish the kindle cover!

Click here to view the tutorial on how to make a kindle cover

How to Make a Kindle Cover

2012-01-12T18:01:00.000Z

My friend Alice developed a fear of her sewing machine, so we spent a lovely morning making her Kindle a cover and for me to show her how her sewing machine isn't so bad after all! So for you lovely readers, I have put together a tutorial for making a Kindle cover.

We also made a 'podcraft' - you can listen here

As well as a tutori

You will need:

Outer Fabric
Inner Fabric
Wadding
Velcro
Button

Step 1

Cut out 3 rectangles from your outer fabric. You will need two rectangles measuring 17cm by 22cm and one smaller rectangle measuring 17cm x 8cm.

Alice begins her cutting out

Step 2

Sew the two larger rectangles together so it makes one long rectangle. If you are using fabric with a directional pattern then ensure one is the right way up and one is the wrong way (as one of the rectangles will be the front and one will be the back).

Then sew the smaller rectangle to one end. The small rectangle will become the flap on the kindle cover so if you are using a piece of fabric that has a directional pattern then you will need to sew this so that when the flap folds over the pattern is the right direction. Like this:

Step 3

Using the outer fabric piece you have just created as a template, cut out your inner lining and wadding. They will all be the same size.

Handy hint: Iron your fabrics!

I get to test out my swanky new iron. Rock n Roll.

Step 4

Layout your wadding. Place your inner lining right side facing up on top of it. Then place your outer lining wrong side facing down on top of that to make a little fabric sandwich (basically you want the fabric you want to see when it’s completed to be facing inwards).

Step 5

Stitch the layers together leaving about 2cm around the edge. Leave a big enough gap on the side so you can turn it inside out.

Step 6

Cut the corners and turn inside out. Slip stitch the opening by hand.

Step 7

Fold up the bottom of the case (right sides facing you) and stitch along either side of the case to create your pocket.

Alice was pretty darn happy with her creation!

Step 8

Sew on your Velcro and finally sew on your button for decoration! Voila!

Don't forget to check out our 'podcraft'!

5 Ways to Stop Worrying

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000Z

I am a worrier. I wish I wasn’t, but unfortunately I am. Sometimes this is a good thing; it means I have often thought through most scenarios in my head and am often prepared for situations that arise. However worry can easily spill over to being anxiety, which can become debilitating and consuming.

The New Year can be a great time for positivity and excitement for a fresh start. Yet it can also be a time of anxiety and having to face up to the realities of life that Christmas sometimes overshadows.

Learning from my experience of worrying and anxiety, I thought I would share a list of ways to help combat unnecessary worrying.

5 Ways to Stop Worrying Unnecessarily

1) Stop catastrophising

A small worry can easily turn into a frantic panic all because you have (as the saying goes) made a mountain out of a molehill. That small little worry that you might have left your hair straighteners on suddenly becomes a great big fear that you’ve burnt the house down.

Deal with the initial worry only and try to be realistic. Maybe your hair straighteners turn themselves off automatically after 20 minutes? Maybe they will just singe a hole in the carpet. Perhaps someone is at your house and can check you have turned them off. Try not to let your mind go into overdrive and make the worry unnecessarily bigger than it is.

2) Take practical steps to reduce the worry

Sometimes a worry can be reduced by taking action. For example, if you are worrying about an interview - prepare yourself for it. Ask a family member or friend to do a trial interview with you – take it seriously, try and answer the questions to the best of your ability. It may seem silly and it might make you feel very nervous or anxious, but by facing the problem and trying to prepare for it will hopefully in the long term reduce the worry of the actual interview.

Taking practical steps to reducing a worry can be applied in many situations – think about whether there is anything you can do to help alleviate some of the anxiety you are feeling.

3) Breathe

An obvious one, but so important. When I begin to really worry about something and can feel the worry turning into anxiety the first thing I notice is that I stop breathing with the same regularity. Take deep breaths and try and keep calm – if you let your worrying take over it can quickly turn to anxiety.

4) Share your worry

Often when we are busy worrying about something we keep the problem internalised, mulling it over in our heads. The problem with this, is that it has free reign to go wherever it wants and cause as much trouble in that little head of yours as possible! If you feel you can, try talking to someone about your issue – as they say ‘A problem shared, is a problem halved’. This might be a friend, family member or even a stranger. You might not think the problem is big enough to warrant talking to someone like The Samaritans, but think about it like this – if you leave that worry to fester, and it turns into something worse and affects your mental health – then it becomes a much bigger problem for you. By sharing your worry you can rationally talk through what is bothering you, what you are worrying about and assess it clearly.

During my time at counselling, I often found myself running through what I would say and what was currently on my mind before my session. In my head it all sounded horrible and awful and like I’d be talking about it forever. Yet often, when I got to my session I would splurge it all out in 10 minutes and then realise that actually talking about it and taking it outside of my head gave me such a sense of relief. Immediately after, I would feel incredibly calm and could then breakdown my concerns and closely look at the real problems I was facing rather than being lulled into the unnecessary state of chaos my mind was imposing on me. If you don’t feel you can talk to anyone, then try writing your worries down. It can have a very similar effect.

5) Don’t give yourself a hard time for worrying

My Dad is forever saying to me ‘Ooh you give yourself such a hard time don’t you?’When it comes to worrying, we are often our own worst enemy. If you are worrying about something, telling yourself to snap out of it or to just ‘stop worrying’ is pointless! It’s like telling yourself not to think of a white bear, as soon as you say it – you do it! By giving yourself a hard time for worrying, you only end up worrying more and exacerbate the problem.

Try and accept that you have a worry or feel anxious. The brain is a funny thing, and often when we are worrying or feeling anxious we haven’t actually admitted to ourselves we are doing it. By accepting you feel a certain way and allowing it to exist won’t make it any worse. If anything, it can help you face up to your worry and reduce its effects.

I hope this list has been useful and I’d love to hear any other tips people have on ways to reduce anxiety or worrying unnecessarily.

Emotional manipulation and why not all women are crazy

2012-01-08T11:50:00.000Z

I love twitter. It is forever pointing me in the direction of fantastic pieces of writing. This week the ever excellent Bangs and a Bun (if you don't already read her please check her out - she's fab) introduced me to an article by Yashar Ali entitled A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not "Crazy".

The message from this article has been swimming around in my head for the last few days and last night when meeting up with two of my closest female friends, became a discussion point. In summary the piece talks about emotional manipulation and how subtle and underhanded it can be.

"Why are you being so sensitive?" "Stop being so defensive!" "I was just joking..."

All of these comments might not, on the surface at least, seem to be manipulative but Yashar Ali discusses how minor comments like these, often delivered by men to women addressing how they feel, are aimed at shutting the woman down and making it seem like she is acting in an unacceptable manner. Ali also introduces us to the concept of "gaslighting" - a term used to describe manipulative behaviour that aims to confuse people into thinking they are acting crazy.

Last night when discussing this article with my friends, I realised that on many occasions I have been a victim of gaslighting. It was so subtle yet the only reason I was able to identify it was by remembering a common feeling I would get when with certain people - almost a sinking feeling in my stomach. I had experienced this feeling in several of my past relationships, and at the time it felt like disappointment but it also felt very similar to the first stirrings of depression. As someone who suffers with depression on and off, I just assumed that at these key moments it was a warning sign to be careful but with hindsight - it was actually nothing to do with that. It was almost like my body responding to these criticisms.

I, like many women I'm sure, have a back catalogue of exes and colleagues and old friends who have used gaslighting on me - the most obvious one is the "oh you are so sensitive, I didn't mean anything by it...I was just messing around" after saying something absolutely hideous that had obviously hurt me.

One of the traits I quite admire in myself is my ability to assess my own behaviour and think "actually am I in the wrong here?" and try and objectively look at a situation where my emotions are involved. Even having this ability, so many times I have felt like I was over-reacting and justified it by saying things like "I'm being such a girl..." "Oh you know, all girls are a bit crazy" and yet now, I feel so embarrassed by this!

What's really interesting is recalling instances of gaslighting by people who I wouldn't expect it from. Quite a few of my male friends seem to have a mantra of "Oh well all girls are crazy, it's just about finding one that is less so". Up until now I've laughed at this and nodded along, but now I feel kind of outraged.

I'm sure gaslighting isn't restricted to men, but it certainly is an interesting concept to consider and one I won't be tolerating in the future.

What about you readers, what has your experience been of gaslighting and emotional manipulation? Do let me know what you thought of Yashar Ali's article.

What are your craft related resolutions for 2012?

2012-01-05T16:07:00.000Z

What are your crafty new year's resolutions for 2012? What do you want to achieve from your sewing, knitting or any other craft based activity this year? Pop over to Craft Blog UK to see my latest guest post and find out my 10 craft related resolutions for 2012.

Contemporary vs. Classic Embroidery

2012-01-03T15:00:00.000Z

A few months ago my Mum dug out a beautiful embroidered tablecloth my late Grandmother had stitched. It had been sat in her attic and Mum had happened across it purely by chance. It's only now that I've been doing my own embroidery that I think I can really appreciate the beauty of it.

It's funny to look at the type of embroidery my Grandma did alongside the embroidery I do. I love the classic look my Grandma achieved - but it's interesting to compare the two.

Pattern available from Polka & Bloom

I wonder what my Grandma would have thought about my contemporary embroidery patterns?

Hello 2012!

2012-01-01T10:00:00.000Z

Skulls & Ponies wishes you a very happy new year!!!

I hope 2012 is a positive year for you all. I've got high hopes and big dreams for Skulls & Ponies in the new year and would love for you lovely readers to continue to be a part of it!

Lots of Love Fran xxx

What did you like on Skulls & Ponies this year?

2011-12-31T14:48:00.000Z

As the year draws to a close, I thought I'd take a little look back and see what people enjoyed most on Skulls & Ponies.

My most popular post was the make something swap which I was so happy to have great feedback on. You can check out what some of the people involved made here. It was great to hear that people loved taking part, both in the making and receiving of items and boy was there variety! In the new year I'll be organising another one as it was so much fun and a great success.

One of the stunning makes from the swap!

My second most popular post was my first time on the blog speaking out about how sewing had helped my mental health. I had such lovely feedback from my readers both on and off the blog. I was sent some very touching personal messages by people saying how they had been affected by similar issues and thanking me for talking so openly about it. This support has allowed me to talk more openly about the issues I've been through and (unfortunately) still go through.

An owl doorstop - one of my first sewn creations!

My third most popular post was my first ever giveaway. I really enjoyed giving away items I'd handmade - and was so overwhelmed by the amount of people that wanted to win! I had such lovely feedback from the winner too who loved her items. I will definitely be doing more giveaways in 2012.

The tea related giveaway

This has been my first year of blogging and I have loved every minute of it. Like crafting, it has become my passion and I'm looking forward to 2012 being an exciting year for Skulls & Ponies.

Thank you to everyone that reads and comments on my blog, it means so much to me.

The Lone Wolf

2011-12-29T18:30:00.000Z

I love spending time on my own; I just enjoy my own company and am good spending time by myself. Over the last few years I have come to accept the fact that I am becoming more introverted and to embrace it rather than fight it.

What I have also realised, is that I don't just like spending time on my own - but I need time on my own and that there really is a big difference between the two. This part of my personality it seems, is exacerbated at times like Christmas when I'm surrounded by family. I often find myself wandering off to try and find a quiet corner, whether it be to have a bath, read a book or do some sewing. In fact, even watching a tv show or movie - sometimes I just prefer to do it on my own.

(Source: Joyce Leong via Pinterest)

Needing time to yourself can be difficult when you are supposed to be spending time with loved ones. After all, it's the time for socialising and people wanting to spend quality time with you. I am very lucky in the fact my family understand my need for time to myself.

This Christmas, my Mum's best friend was coming to stay with us. This would mean I would be sleeping in the lounge, not a particularly big problem - except it means I don't have my own 'space'. A few weeks before Christmas my Mum rang me up and said she had been speaking to my Stepdad and they had decided they would make some space in the office (a very small room) for a makeshift bed so I could have my own space. It was so incredibly thoughtful of my Mum. She said she knew I needed time to myself, and this meant I was able to do that. I was touched.

If I don't get time to myself I notice I get very cranky, grumpy, short tempered and quite snappy. It's actually very similar to being sleep deprived.

In February I am so excited that Tom and I will be moving in together. He's starting a new job in Sussex and as a result can move to Brighton. After two years of a commuting relationship - me in Brighton, him in London - I am so happy I'll get to see him everyday. My only concern about us living together was "Will he understand how much time I need to myself?". Currently I always make sure I have at least two full days without any plans. Well that't not strictly true, I try not to make any more than two plans a week as over-busy results in me feeling stressed and worn out which is not good for my well-being - but I try to have at least two full 'me' days. I've explained this to Tom and he's really understanding which is great (probably because I keep repeating myself, just to be extra sure he knows I need space!)

I guess the problem with saying to people you want to spend time on your own, is that some people don't see it that way - they see it as "Oh - you don't want to spend it with me" which isn't the case at all. If for example I said to someone "I'm off to spend time with my friend" they wouldn't think I was spending time with that friend to avoid them, they would just think I wanted to spend time with my friend! Needing time to myself is exactly the same.

Interestingly, I find if given time and space, I often don't need it all - but if I can't get it e.g. have constant interruptions or have to fight to get it - I want even more.

In the last few years, rather than fighting needing so much time to myself - I've just tried to accept it. Some people can get by on six hours sleep, I need eight. Some people need only a few hours a week of time to themselves - I need much more but that's ok; that's just part of who I am.

A Thrifty Christmas?

2011-12-27T18:00:00.000Z

Hello! I hope everyone had a good festive period - I have successfully eaten far too much and even had a bit of alcohol (which I don't ordinarily do as I have such poor tolerance for it - but how can I resist mulled wine?).

I've been up in Gloucestershire for the past few days at my Mum's and it's been so lovely. This year as I have previously mentioned I was trying to support handmade and independent sellers - I managed this bar two presents! One of which I had tried my hardest to hunt down from an independent seller, but it just wasn't happening! Not bad going though. I also handmade four of my gifts - two of which were knitting needle cases; one for Tom's sister as she is an amazing knitter (and in Crystal Palace colours as she's a massive Palace fan!) and one for my Stepmum who has recently taken up knitting and crocheting and is already brilliant (she made me the most fantastic bag for Christmas, it's truly gorgeous):

My Mum got me some really great presents, including a candle making kit and two books on mosaics. Mum was so over the moon with the books - especially because she picked up one in a charity shop for £1.50 and the other at a closing down sale for 50p! This led us on to our idea for next year - a thrifty Christmas!

The challenge for next year is we will both have a budget of £10 for each other. We are allowed to buy as many presents as we like with our allocated budget, but they must all be second hand. This can include charity shops, car-boots, stuff thrifted from friends - as long as it is second hand. We are both very excited about this challenge and of course - we've got a whole year to pick up some bargains!

Will you be taking part in the thrifty Christmas challenge? Why not give it a go!