Easy Christmas crafts

     Keen as mustard, as soon as it was December I ventured into the attic and brought down the Christmas decorations. I was determined to utilise the maximum amount of time for the decorations to be up. Last year I think it was the 23rd before anything was in place, and it was only a little over a week later that they came back down again.

My delicious advent calendar

     Like many houses, we have a sturdy box full of decorations that come out year after year. However, to make it a bit more special this Christmas, I’ve tried to incorporate a few new handmade items into the mix. One of the first things I did was ‘make’ my own advent calendar. Ok so the more astute readers may recognise it as a Ferrero Rocher box, but by writing numbers under each chocolate in gold pen and sticking a little drawing of myself on top I think I’m allowed to call it a craft, or at least a creative activity. Plus, it’s much nicer every day than those little tiny pieces of chocolate that come in standard chocolate calendars.

     Fair enough, that last craft was a bit of a cheeky one, it was basically just an excuse to scoff a Ferrero Rocher each morning. A more authentic (but still easy) craft was making my own Rob Ryan stocking. I’m a bit of a Rob Ryan fan anyway so the chance to incorporate a bit of his magic artwork into my seasonal décor was very quickly snapped up. The stocking comes as a tea towel printed especially with cut lines so that, with a nifty bit of needlework, it can become a beautiful accompaniment to the fireplace.

Stocking and my creepy ceramics

     In retrospect I should have taken photos while I was making it, to show just how easy it was. Although I used my little John Lewis sewing machine, it could just as easily be stitched by hand. It’s actually inspired me to try and make a few more little stockings for the fireplace using the Rob Ryan offcuts and leftover fabric from some red pillow cases I’ve turned into chair seat covers. As long as I can remember the best way to applique and wind a bobbin up I shouldn’t have a problem, stockings are basically just two flat pieces of fabric and a loop so not too tricky to make. If I succeed I’ll take photos and post another blog soon (if no such post appears assume it was a disaster!).

Tree wreath decorations

     One handcrafted set of decorations I’ve put up, which were actually made last year, are little pipe cleaner tree wreath decorations. These came in a kit as a gift last year, a kit I suspect was aimed at children but regardless of that minor detail I had great fun making them. The mini pompoms and stars were particularly tricky to stick on but well worth it. These wouldn’t be hard to make without a kit – simply cut a circle of cardboard and wind coloured pipe cleaners around it, glue on decorations and tie on a string for hanging off of the tree. Perfect for if there are little ones moaning with boredom as the days become shorter and greyer.

     With these few simple crafts my appetite has been whetted, and I’ve got a few other ideas brewing for slightly more ambitious projects. Although I’d better be quick – there’s not long left until Christmas!

All blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader & Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I welcome all feedback and would love to know your thoughts so please get in touch, comment, share, like and generally get involved!

Ye Olde TV shows that I miss

      My nose was thoroughly put out of joint yesterday when, at 3pm sharp, I turned on BBC Two and waited for Cagney & Lacey to begin. Alas, I swiftly realised that some sport or another was on instead and I surprised myself with how miffed I was. I used to watch it as a child (although I doubt I understood it) and have been enjoying the reruns. Despite the flimsy sets it’s a great drama, and I tried to think of a modern equivalent but couldn’t, which got me thinking about TV shows of days gone past, and which were my top three shows that I don’t think have been matched since

     Firstly, Cagney & Lacey of course! The 1980s fashions are a visual treat but really it’s the dialogue and plots that make this show great. Topics tackled are wide and varied, but not too far-fetched, because as it’s set in New York and centres on detectives, pretty much any crime is believable. Racial tensions, police corruption, petty crime and homicide are all covered.

      Refreshingly, the leads are likeable and liked, and one even dares to be happily married to a supportive husband (with an astonishing moustache), combining work and home life without it being a big deal. That a series around 30 years old is one of the most feminist shows currently on TV says much about the present state of drama. As strange as it sounds it’s also a good length. At 45 minutes it’s enough to get stuck into but not too long. As most episodes are self-contained, it’s satisfying to know that no matter how complex the plot is, it’ll soon be resolved.

It took me quite a while to source these DVDs!

     Perhaps I’m just a glutton for a good mystery as my next choice is Eerie Indiana. Undoubtedly the best children’s TV series ever in my mind, Eerie Indiana was the ideal blend of comedy, drama, and outright weirdness! Protagonist Marshall Teller, and his little friend Simon, fought the dark forces at work in their hometown, uncovering werewolves, giant Tupperware, and a weird grey-haired kid who may or may not have been an alien.

    Every episode is brilliant and treats children as being intelligent: something many shows fail to do. There were only 19 episodes ever made, but each one is a diamond. This epic kids’ show with a cult following is long overdue a rerun; a new generation needs to experience the town that’s eerie by name and by nature.

    Combining fighting crime with science fiction, the final classic I’d bring back is Quantum Leap. I was pretty obsessed with Quantum Leap as a child, seeing past injustices tackled by a man blasted back from the future definitely caught my attention. Some of my favourite episodes were the classic cross-dressing ones because as I small child raised on pantos, a man in a dress signified humour. However, the stories were serious – I remember episodes with disability hate crime, rape, and murder amongst others.

If only Al had used Google...

     Of course, back in the day before catch up options and rewinding live TV, it was imperative to catch the beginning of every episode as it was then you’d see the ‘real’ person’s reflection. It was rare for another glimpse of the ‘leapee’ to be shown, and it was often key to contextualising the episode. One key element of the show was Al who’d regularly pop up with advice from Ziggy. Al was basically a dysfunctional smartphone, scrolling through Wikipedia for answers but sometimes losing signal and therefore cutting it fine in regards to getting the facts on time.

    I’ve often dropped hints that I’d like Quantum Leap box sets for my birthday but everyone laughs it off as if I must be joking. Who knows, perhaps it’s dated badly and I wouldn’t enjoy it so much anyway, but I doubt it. Let’s hope that following the BBC’s resurrection of a few vintage shows that other channels will follow suit. There are plenty of gems hiding in the archives, it’s time they came out to play.

 

All blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader & Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I welcome all feedback and would love to know your thoughts so please get in touch, comment, share, like and generally get involved!

In praise of second-hand clothes

    Despite being born well into the 1980s, the majority of my childhood wardrobe was stocked from my elder sister’s clothes, which in turn came from our eldest cousin. Therefore, most of my clothes started life in the disco era, so I didn’t have many outfits that weren’t tinged with that classic 1970s brown and orange hue.

    Not that this bothered me. Apart from special occasions, when I’d usually get a new frock anyway, I wasn’t that concerned what I was wearing. My best friend and I would spend most of our free time getting covered in mud, so crisp white satin dresses wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. T-shirts, jeans, plimsolls: these were hardier and comfier options. In fact, despite being a year older than me, my best friend was (and still is) petite, so she often inherited my clothes and shoes after I’d finished with them - one particularly sturdy pair of Dr Martens lasted for years between us!

Sort of what me and my dad looked
like in the 1980s (i.e. from the 1970s)

    Environmentally, recycling textiles makes perfect sense. Whether it’s the old fashioned hand-me-downs that I remember so well, or upcycling into something new. Many parents hang on to precious first babygros but they end up languishing in a box in the attic. Instead, keep a couple of the really special ones to turn into soft toys or a memory blanket, and donate the rest to charity so that another little baby somewhere can get some use out of them.

    Of course, donating clothes to a charity also raises much needed funds, either through sales in high street charity shops and online, or with textile fibre reclamation. A ridiculous amount of clothes are sent to landfill when they’re either still wearable or suitable for recycling. With increasing use of manmade fibres this isn’t good news. Keeping clothes in circulation as long as possible reduces both the energy and waste in clothes production and at end of life.

    Although some people still keep alive the supposed stigma of buying second-hand, with a little rebranding preloved clothes have become chic again: it’s now called vintage. Clothes that would have previously graced a jumble sale 50p table now hang in Camden’s finest window displays with the decimal place hitched up a bit. Indeed, one of my favourite dresses is ‘vintage’. It’s a purple 1970s pleated and belted chiffon dress from Oxfam that always receives plenty of compliments when I wear it, and nobody can ever believe how much I paid for it. After all, what else can you get for £1 these days? Not even a new pair of socks.

All blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader & Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I welcome all feedback and would love to know your thoughts so please get in touch, comment, share, like and generally get involved!

My review of the Doctor Who 50th anniversary episode ‘The Day of the Doctor’

    After months of speculation regarding the special 50th anniversary episode, it finally arrived. For 75 minutes I kept my phone on silent to avoid interruptions so I could concentrate on both emerging and concluding stories alike.

    As a long-term fan of ‘the Tennant’ I couldn’t wait for him to reappear in the famed pinstripe and Converse (or ‘sand shoe’) combo. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long. His Royal Tennantness presented as a companionless Doctor enjoying the fruits of the English monarchy. I tried to work out where in his timeline this was but, as an extremely lax Whovian, I didn’t waste too much energy on it. It was obviously post-Rose as the phrase ‘Bad Wolf’ resonated loudly in his ears under that artfully sculpted hairdo.
    But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before the guardian of my shed romped into the action in a scene that could have come from ‘Carry On Tudor Doctor’, Matt Smith started the episode with his usual surefooted ease.
    Although I may be a devoted fan of the Tennant, I’m also a fan of Smith, and was a little sad this was his penultimate episode. I had hoped the anniversary special would tie up some loose ends of Smith’s story arcs, but that didn’t seem to happen. Although I enjoyed the overall episode, I didn’t find the story particularly astounding. The final conclusion, although it was undoubtedly clever and probably greatly pleased many hardcore fans, left me a little  more than cold. 

May or may not be an actual scene from
 the 3D special effect packed anniversary episode

    Not that I’m complaining. As everyone (hyperbole?) knows, the Doctor can only supposedly regenerate 12 times, making Peter Capaldi’s 2014 Doctor the final incarnation. I can only assume this new search for Gallifrey will culminate in a scenario allowing the Doctor to continue regenerating at will. River Song passed on her regenerative abilities before to save the Doctor, so it seems a fluid concept.
    Back to the episode specifically, the Zygon storyline just didn’t seem fully functioning to me: did they reach a treaty with the humans? Did the inhaler exchange undermine what the Doctors were trying to achieve with anonymity between the species? Why did the Doctors just let the Zygons continue zapping themselves into pictures, and then seemingly leave before checking they weren’t going to cause any more havoc? To my mind, it was a bit of a laboured way of setting up the ‘save Gallifrey’ scenario, but I suppose it achieved its purpose.
     Of course, I have to mention John Hurt’s Doctor. Wedged between Paul McCann and Christopher Ecclestone’s regenerations, Hurt’s Doctor was resigned to his fate, and reconciled the torturous position the hero is often placed in. Like many fans I’d happily watch a series of Hurt’s Doctor, and although I doubt it’ll happen on TV, perhaps there’s room for a film in the future.
     And now the short wait until the Christmas episode begins, with Smith’s imminent departure and Capaldi’s arrival. The short trailer I’ve seen so far promises a particularly vicious bevy of enemies to gather for the Doctor’s demise. Smith has been more than a worthy successor to the Tennant, and Capaldi’s eyebrows were magnificent in the anniversary episode so the handover should be terrific. Ultimately, as enjoyable as ‘The Day of the Doctor’ was, I’m expecting a bolder belter of a festive special, and look forward to watching it in my Ferrero Rocher induced stupor on the 25th – roll on Christmas!

 

All blog content and photos are Copyright of Charisse Sayers Proofreader & Copywriter www.charisse-sayers.com I welcome all feedback and would love to know your thoughts so please get in touch, comment, share, like and generally get involved!