Making Memories with Paper Stars

Last year at about this time I learnt how to make German Paper Stars (Froebel Star).  I know it looks complicated, but once you get the hang of it, they really are quite addictive. There is no glue involved - it is just four strips of paper folded in such a way to make a 3D star. I made then in all colours and sizes  and proudly displayed them at a local Christmas Craft Fair.

 A middle aged couple stopped at my stall, and the lady burst into tears. After several minutes sobbing and being calmed by her Husband she was able to talk to me.

"When I was little" she said "my Father made paper stars just like these every Christmas.  He died when I was still too young to learn how to make them myself. Every year we search to find new ones to replace the old ones which are now torn and faded, but we never find any. Today we were driving through Sevenoaks and saw the sign for this fair, so we decided to call in, not really expecting very much. "

More tears followed, but I now realised they were happy tears.

"So" said her Husband "can we buy all you have, it would make my wife very happy". 

"No" I Replied "I don't think you should buy them, but I will sell you a pack of paper strips and the instructions to make your own"

Overjoyed, the couple left the stall after telling me I had given them the best Christmas present ever.  It still brings a tear to my eye as I remember them, and I hope they are preparing to make some paper stars for this year.

So, why don't you make some with your family this year and create some new memories.  Just take four paper strips and follow the instructions!

If that looks a bit too difficult to follow then go to YouTube here and follow one of the tutorials.

We have lots of different designs of paper strips on our website so why not have a look and see which ones you like Paper Strips

I will leave you with this story overheard in a doctors surgery:

Woman: Doctor I am terribly constipated, I don't go for days!
Doctor: How many days?
Woman: Sometimes a whole week.
Doctor: And when you do go, do you have difficulty passing a motion?
Woman: Something dreadful Doctor. I often sit there for five or six hours.
Doctor: Do you take anything?
Woman: Oh yes, I take my knitting!

Halloween is on the way

Halloween will soon be upon us, and I have to admit it is not something I have ever really celebrated. Having said that, it seems to be becoming more popular in this country as the supermarkets are full of pumpkins to carve into lanterns.

Two of the Glitterwitch staff are however, getting very excited about Halloween.  They are Pearl & Purl the Spiral Witches.

Spiral Witches are excited, Halloween is on the way

They've asked to have some time off - but only for the day

They really are hardworking, they never take a break

Except to have a little snack, washed down with green milkshake

They are getting quite excited, looking forward to the date

To fly off on their broomsticks and hope they're not too late

To meet the other witches, all done up in their best

The meeting place a little vague - just fly towards north-west!

The witches will all gather, on a mountain somewhere high

And laugh and joke and whizz around across the midnight sky

And then as dawn is breaking there's a change of atmosphere

They wave goodbye and journey home to work another year.

Do you do anything at Halloween have you ever been out Trick or Treating?

I will leave you with this witchy thought:

Laugh and the world laughs with you, cackle maniacally and the world backs away from you!

The Spiral Witches were recruited to Glitterwitch by Cathy at Spiral Rose

Granny's Magnificent Jumper & Badgers

Lorna, our Marketing Dragon has persuaded her friend Mr Ian Ashton, to tell us one of his amusing craft related stories.

Granny’s magnificent jumper:

When I was a young boy Granny announced that she would knit me a jumper in which to play cricket. A cricket jumper was a grand thing, all cable stitch and extra-long so it covered your back when bent over batting and the maroon and blue school colours round the vee-neck. 

There was only one fly in the ointment. Granny couldn’t knit her brows.

 The jumper was an almost perfect cone with a neck that descended to about waist level. The two stripes round the neck were a sort of polka-dot with white stitches showing through randomly in amongst the maroon and blue. The cabling was so thick that the jumper made a fairly effective sort of armour against any fast bowling. The piece de resistance however was the sleeves. 

Cricketing jumpers in those days tended to have longer sleeves, especially for bowlers, because the umpire looked after them while they bowled and tied the sleeves round their waists and in consequence the sleeves stretched. Granny’s sleeves would have gone round a very portly umpire without stretching, one being significantly longer than the other as well. 

Of course I had to wear the jumper. Thank goodness my dear aunt unpicked it and knitted it up into something that looked like a proper cricket jumper and because my Granny’s eyesight was not too good and she never noticed either the original defects or her daughter’s reworking.

What a lovely story - thank you Mr Ashton.

Now, I also want to talk to you about badgers. Yes, thats right those black and white woodland creatures who live in sets.  To be honest, they are not something I know very much about as I don't live in the countryside. But one group of crafters feels very strongly about what is happening to the badgers , so strongly in fact that they have set up a small album of badger related items  and will give a percentage of all sale to the Stop The Cull campaign.

Click here to get the facts about culling badgers.

Click  here to have a look at the wonderful makes in the BFG Fight the Cull Badger Showcase.

Well that's all for this week, I will leave you with this thought:

Creativity is contagious - pass it on!

To read more by Ian Ashton click here