Project Pan 2021 Update 1

As expected this project pan has gone very, very slowly.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure you can see any difference in the products at all.  Admittedly, I'm only wearing makeup a couple of times a week, if I even remember to put it on then, so that's probably not helping.  Prepare to be very underwhelmed.

Despite having to give the NYX blush in Taupe a bit of a scrape as the top layer had hardened and I wasn't picking up any product on my brushes, it doesn't look very different from the starting photo.  I've been using this for contouring and eyeshadow, and I guess the dip in the centre is getting a little deeper, but no pan just yet.  I'm already feeling that this product might be one I can just get rid of at the end of the year without finishing.

I had actually forgotten how lovely The Balm highlighter in Mary-Lou Manizer is.  I'm also using this as a multi-use product, using it as a standard highlighter on my cheeks and under my eyebrows, and as an eyeshadow.  I actually really like the eye look I get from layering this highlighter over the NYX blush and this combination lasts for most of the day, which is unusual for eyeshadows on my eyes.  However, as with the blusher, the pan isn't looking any bigger than before.  Not yet anyway.

The Cien eyeliner pen in Black is the one product I thought would have a more obvious change.  I was just using it to line along my top lashes, but then I realised that if I did a more smoky look, lining all along my waterline, it would use up the product quicker.  So far I've managed to use 0.6 cm and, if I keep that up, it'll be December before I finish it.  However, I've only been doing these smoky looks for the last few weeks, so I'm expecting to be finished with this product before that.

And that's it.  An absolutely thrilling post of a snail's pace project pan. It actually reminds me of the snail in Monster's University who tries to make it to his first class on time at the start of the movie and only gets there when the school year is over.  I'm not really expecting the next post on this to be any more exciting, but it is giving me more of a clear idea of how I want my makeup stash to look moving on from this year and whether I want to keep trying to use up products I don't have any love for anymore.

Goals 2021 Update 1

There is something a little bit odd about only having one goal to focus on this year, but I have to admit it's also been really nice knowing that this is where I can put all my energy.  Obviously, moving into a flat had a big financial impact in February and part of March, but I still think it's been a pretty good first quarter.  

Firstly, I've managed to keep a hold of my emergency fund throughout this quarter and it is sitting happily in a savings accounts right now hopefully making a little bit of money.  There is something quite reassuring about knowing that it's there in case I really need it.

I've also managed to get rid of that credit card debt I had at the beginning of the year and, whilst I still use it when buying things online, I now don't get anything with it I don't already have the money for and can't pay back straight away.

We did have to take some money out of the six months savings account to cover the deposit etc for the flat in February, but we still have a nice little nest egg growing and are on track for reaching our goal of saving up four months worth of outgoings by the end of 2021.  I've put this goal at a guesstimate of £4000 for now, but am going to use March and April to give me a more realistic idea about what the actual amount should be.  Once we've reached that we can decide if we want to carry on saving for this or if we feel that that's an amount we are comfortable with.

The Christmas and car repairs sinking funds have both been put into every month so far and we're on track to reach these goals with no problems.

You might have seen in my last budget post that I wasn't able to put  £200 into my pension in February as we were needing to spend so money on flat related items, but I have managed it for January and March.  I hope to make up for this little dip throughout the rest of the year, but we'll see how it goes.

So, so far it's been pretty good.  Now that we have bills to pay things are going to be a little tighter than they were before and we were very lucky to have that time living with my parents to help start us off on a good footing.  However, I still think that reaching the goals I've set for 2021 is going to be possible, I'm just going to have to be a little stricter with the spending. Especially on food.  What is it with us and food?

As for skateboarding, I haven't had as much practise on it as I would like.  Admittedly the weather recently hasn't helped and being aware that if I hurt myself doing this it will have a real impact on my earning ability has also been a factor.  However, I am determined to be comfortable on one by the end of the year.  We'll just have to watch this space.

Crafting 2021 Update 1

 

As I was expecting, the amount of crafting I've been able to do since starting work has dropped dramatically.  I have managed to still do a few projects here and there, but, not only is the time I have at the moment much less, I'm also finding I'm a little too tired to pick up a project when I do have the time.  

The 1940s Trousers

This is a project I hadn't planned on doing until much later on, and then my jeans literally fell apart.  It's not surprising really, they were already second hand when I got them and I did wear them almost every day I wasn't at work.  If you've read my blog on what my future plans are for my wardrobe you'll know that I had planned on making some 1940s style trousers to replace my jeans when they went.  They're not going to be very flattering, but they'll be comfortable and will allow for the regular changes in my hip size that happens throughout the year.  In fact, on almost a monthly basis.  I've brought the pattern for them from Sew Essential (the pattern is the Misses Vintage Trousers, Overalls and Blouses simplicity Sewing Pattern 8447) and a cheap cotton bedsheet from a supermarket (I really can't wait for the charity shops to open again) so that I can make a mock-up of the top half of the trouser first.  The reason I'm doing the mock-up first it that I have a sneaking suspicion that my body shape won't fit neatly into the pattern provided and I'll probably have to do some jigging to it to make it work.  If they work out I'll just convert them into the tailored shorts I'm wanting to have as well.  I still haven't decided on what material I want to use I just know I want something hardwearing.  Hopefully, by the next update, I'll have a lovely pair of trousers to show you.  At the very least, a lovely pair of shorts.

Crocheted Coasters

This was another unexpected craft I hadn't planned on doing, but we needed some additional coasters and I had been looking around to buy some.  Then I remembered that I had some crochet needles and a whole load of spare wool accumulating, so could probably just make them myself.  I used this pattern by Crochet Sunnshyne called Simple Flower Crochet as a starting point (I did have to change it a little bit as I don't own the right sized needles).  This wool is what was left of the jumper I made for Ed for Christmas and there's something quite nice about having that special link with an item you then use every day.

Christmas Cards

This is still a very slow process, mainly because I big part of me really doesn't want to start in case it fails and I then have to make another decision.  I've decided that what I would like to attempt to do is some wintery (possibly fakely so) watercolours of the Devon coast to be printed and made into cards.  I did use to use watercolours when I was younger, but I haven't done anything since and there's a big chance I can't even remember how to use them anymore.  I'm just going to have to bite the bullet though and get it done.  Silly to put it off really....oh look a squirrel - I really must look at that first.

Biophilia Shawl and Tie

These are at least finished now (good to have something), but they do still need soaking as I noticed some colour transfer onto my hands when I was knitting them and would rather this didn't happen with my clothes.  I'll also need to block them as well to get them to hold their shape properly.  I do wish I'd made the shawl a little bit bigger as it just sits on my shoulders rather than being able to loop through my arms, but it's still a very beautiful pattern.  The main issue is that I used too small a crochet needle when I was finishing the shawl and it's pulling the ends in too tight causing them to curl in.  Hopefully, the blocking with sort this out. but I'll have to wait and see.

Lord of the Rings / The Hobbit Cross-Stitch

I've finally started one of these cross-stitches and, though I'm just doing the sky at the moment, I'm excited to see this one develop.  I've decided to start at the very beginning of both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and am therefore working on The Shire.  There are absolutely no white spaces so this is going to be a lot of work, but I'm looking forward to hanging it on my wall when it's finished.  These should definitely keep me busy for quite a while.

The Fantail Skirt 

After a lot of thought I decided that rather than print this out myself, I would be better off getting it printed by someone else in much better quality and with a lot fewer joints as they can do it on A0 sized paper instead of A4.  I actually got it printed by Net Printer, who are based in Plymouth and have a specific pattern printing service you can use and am now waiting for the charity shops to open so that I can buy the fabric I want to start making it.  It's probably a good thing that I'll be making the trousers first as this is quite an important skirt and it'll be good to have a bit more practise on the sewing machine before I give this a go.

And that's all the projects that have been happening, sort of, so far.  It's been a good mix of different forms of sewing, knitting, and at least thinking about drawing.  I do like to have a mixture of crafts going at the same time as I'm not always in the mood for one specific style.  Now that we've settled into this flat and I have a little area to do some crafting properly (I'll be turning this into a proper crafting nock soon) I should hopefully get a lot more work done.  One thing I might do is see if I can buy some second-hand fabric online, I just need to find out where.   I guess we'll see how it all goes in the next update.  Your guess is as good as mine.

Eating from the Redwall Cookbook: Winter

After the disappointment of getting a refund instead of the actual book from the first company I ordered from, I finally got this cookbook from a website full of wonderful Redwall loveliness, Redwall Abbey - I'm definitely going back for more things.  It arrived at the beginning of February, so I didn't have very long to try the winter recipes.  However, these are the ones I gave a go.

Mossflower Mulled Cider

I just couldn't resist making this one as I don't think I've ever tried mulled cider before, and you can't live in the west country and not make a recipe which has cider as the main ingredients.  Firstly, Cornish Orchards Farmhouse Cider was a real find and definitely worth drinking more of, even on its own.  Secondly, this recipe was delicious and probably a little bit too easy to drink, especially on the cold day I made it on.  This is definitely being made again in the not so distant future, regardless of what season we're in.

Shrimp 'n' Hotroot Soup

This is the first food recipe we tried from this cookbook, and actually my partner cooked this one.  Obviously we made some changes, like swapping out the shrimp for Quorn Fingerless Fingers and changing the milk for dairy-free milk (which we decided to not use in the end).  Unfortunately, this recipe was a bit underwhelming and lacking in flavour, but these recipes are meant for children.  However, I think if we added some more spice and heat to it, and actually use the milk we were meant to use 😹, it would be a recipe we would make more often.  A bit of experimenting needed here I think.  I'm not giving up on this recipe loved by otters just yet, but it's not a win right now.

Veggible Molebake

This, however, was a real win.  Very simple and yet very, very yummy.  As per usual, I swapped the flour for gluten free plain flour and all the dairy products into dairy-free products.  I couldn't find the dairy-free cream called for in the recipe so I used dairy-free creme fraiche instead, and actually we liked the sourness it brought to the dish so this change will probably be one that stays.  So, Veggible Molebake is definitely going into the recipe rotation and, what I really like, is that it's one of those recipes which you can make little tweaks to to make it different every time.

And that was it for the winter dishes, I'm saving the rest for when December comes around.  However, so far so mostly yummy and it's been lovely having a little reminder of the books I loved as a child.  One of the best bit has been the little story these recipes have been weaved into, meaning that you get a little bit of Redwall as you cook.  Next up is spring time.  I wonder what these will be?