Biscuit's House

La découverte du jour / Today's discovery

Mollie makes : aujourd'hui je suis allée chez WH Smith rue de Rivoli pour chercher le dernier Deborah Crombie (il n'y était pas) et le dernier numéro de Martha Stewart Living : c'était encore le numéro de septembre, le 9 octobre...c'est toujours pareil mais à chaque fois ça m'énerve. Je me suis rabattue sur le dernier Peter Robinson, et en prime le DVD de la saison 1 de Downtown Abbey. Au rayon presse, j'ai découvert Mollie makes : déjà le numéro 6 et je ne connaissais pas encore! Ce magazine est vraiment adorable et je crois que je vais demander un abonnement pour Noël.

Mollie makes :  today I went to WH Smith on Rivoli Street to look for the latest Deborah Crombie (they didn't have it)  and the latest issue of MSL : they still only had the September issue, on the 9th of October...it's always the same thing but every time it annoys me. I bought the latest Peter Robinson instead of the Crombie, couldn't resist season 1 of Downtown Abbey on DVD, and in the magazine section I discovered Mollie makes : already number 6 and I had never heard about it before! It's really a cute mag and I think I'll ask for a subscription for Christmas.

 

 

 

Thursday was MCI day

And since there isn't anything in this issue I particularly want to make (except perhaps the bag, and I saved the instructions), I'll send my copy to someone drawn randomly from those who will have replied to this post by 8 pm French time next Tuesday.  The winner is Georgina (please send your address)! Thanks to all who entered.

The fashion pages in this issue reminded me of how I loved back-to-school time as a child and teenager. Often my parents took my sister and me to Paris and we got new clothes in autumnal colors and textures (corduroy, tweed...) and got to choose new school goodies such as files, erasers, pens, cases, schoolbags etc. I used to love Japanese school accessories, but at the time I had no idea they were from Japan. I loved the cooling weather, the September atmosphere, the feeling of a fresh start.

    

MCI time

On Friday evening, I saw on the blog of a visitor that the new MCI was out, I had forgotten about it, so, on Saturday I sent hubby to town to get 2 copies. As usual, I'll draw a name from people who have left a comment, and send the spare issue to the winner. If interested please leave a comment by Wednesday and I'll draw a name on Thursday. Winner is Rhian!

 

Victoria for Marie-Claire?

When I went to Paris last Wednesday for work, I was so excited to find the November issue of MSL in the East train station, that I forgot to check for MCI. Seeing Tracy's post last night reminded me that it was MCI time.

It's a pretty issue, packed with nice Christmas-sy and holiday-ish things. Makes me want to curl up wrapped in a plaid blanket in front of a blazing fire (we do have a fireplace in the house but we never used it - too much work I think!).

I have an extra issue to trade with anyone who would be willing to send me the first issue of the new Victoria magazine in exchange - please e-mail biscuitbear at yahoo dot com if interested. Thanks Connie!

I also have an issue to give away as usual, if you'd like to be included in the drawing please leave a comment to this post within the next 3 days. Winner is Hanna!

Speaking of give-aways, you have until Sunday to answer the poll in Aichaku's diary and win a pretty mini-album!

   

Pretty doll dresses - have to hide this from Puni!

And dishes made of sugar!

   

My parents couldn't come last week as planned, so we went to spend a few days with them instead and came back last night. While I was away my cat head had arrived. Cat hat coming soon!

October Oshare Koubou

I'm feeling blue, blue, blue. Work has been very stressful, husband and daughter have gone on holiday to Japan without me (I wanted to go with them but a colleague is on holiday at the same time and I have to replace her), and tonight I stayed up to try and get a panda by Julie but as I filled in the fields my hands trembled and I made a mistake, by the time I tried again it was too late. I must get a grip, count my blessings, recover my serenity, but tonight I have a big lump in my throat. It doesn't help that I know how stupid is it to work myself up over small things. Hopefully, tomorrow will bring better things.

I don't have the comfort of food because I have decided to try and lose a couple of kilos. 2 years ago I lost about 30 pounds and since then I have slowly regained about 6 or 7. I would like to shed them again because it felt really great to walk into stores, try on clothes and have everything fit me and look good on me. But now it's harder - once the pounds started to fly off 2 years ago, after I went cold turkey on potato chips and chouquettes and chocolate marble cake, they kept going and going even though after the first few weeks I allowed myself quite a few extras. But these days when I start a little diet there is no effect after a week so I give up. However this time I mean to really try, and to keep myself motivated, I look forward to buying a few clothes in Paris when I go there for work in mid-October. 

Meanwhile, here are some photos from the October issue of Oshare Koubou.

 

A flower scarf on the cover and the cutest little chirimen creatures.

   

Crocheted owls and flowers made with ribbing cut from a sweater.

   

Eraser stamps and a tie-dyed apron.

I asked hubby to look for a Mitten red dog for me in Japan but I'm not holding my breath. At least I'll get the current issue of Cotton Time. 

Seventies flashback

Finally a new issue of Idées magazine, there hadn't been one for a long time.

   

A lot of orange and brown, geometric shapes - very seventies. 

 

It reminds me a lot of a place, a training center, now torn down, which made you feel like you had just experienced a time warp. When I first joined the company I'm working for, I went there for a couple of weeks for a training session. That would have been in the early nineties, but it was still decorated just as it had been in the seventies, complete with orange chenille bedcovers, geometric orange and brown wallpaper, and orange chairs with a base like the lamp (I guess) has in the photo above left. I must admit this style is not my cup of tea. While I have fond memories of being a child in the seventies the aesthetics of the period now rather make me cringe. I do like some of the fashions - embroidered jeans and peasant blouses - but the decorating style...

There is no project in this issue that I really want to make, so I'll give it away  - please leave a comment to be included in the drawing. Gone!

Each copy of the magazine comes with a free older issue, and I already owned the one I got this time, pictured above, so I'm giving it away too. If you have a preference for one of the 2 issues in the drawing, please say so in your comment! Gone! 

Home alone

Yesterday, hubby suddenly announced that he was taking our daughter to Paris to renew her Japanese passport. She was all excited and asking "Daddy, can we go to the Eiffel tower"? I, on the other hand, had to stay home and go to work. Unfair. So as a prize for my letting them go by themselves I requested a box of Ladurée macaroons.

I got a new limited edition spring-summer ladybug box. And a few things inside, as well. But really, it's the box I'm after. Really.

I also got a bulldog box filled with dark and white truffles.

Okay, I'll let them go again.

In other news, yesterday was MCI day. I have an extra copy so if you want it, please leave a comment and I'll draw a name on Sunday. Winner is Tracy!

Personally, it's not one of my favorite issues, for some reason, autumn issues often don't include that many projects that really appeal to me. Still fun to look at of course.

   

   

           

Biscuit in print and a WIP

Today I received the October issue of Haute Doll with my Bambicrony photos. I always enjoy seeing my photos in print even if they are not the bee's knees, I make a lot of efforts to take tolerably good ones.

Yesterday I began a hat for Fanchette. I hope it will turn out not too bad, for now there is no telling yet. I will spend two Murder she wrote episodes tonight working on it.

 

July Oshare

Well, I' ve been bad. I was intending to work on a cloth doll this week-end but all I did was read Georgette Heyer romances and crochet a few stripes of the ripple throw while watching Little house on the prairie DVDs.

Yesterday the July issue of Oshare Koubou arrived.

   

How to carry a watermelon to your beach party, and Tanabata decorations.

   

A pretty kimono-inspired jacket, and clever ways of tying furoshiki.

   

Such an original idea : crocheted toe caps, and a cute sewing case.   

Summer ideas

Preoccupied with work and tired these days, I had forgotten to watch for the new MCI. Yesterday after work I walked to the town center to buy some yarn, and afterwards went to the little supermarket to look at the magazines (I'm a magazine addict), and there was the summer issue.

   

Pretty brooches. I'm not one to wear brooches much on my clothes but I like them on bags.

   

Fabric-wrapped cotillion beads seem to be easy to make. Not sure I'd wear them as necklace but they could make a pretty garland.
Pretty organdi flowers, and I wish I had the figure to wear this dress. I'm not really fat but I'm thick in the middle. The other day I opened for the first time a book I bought 2 years ago called "a flat stomach in 24 days". I've been doing the exercises for 4 days and somehow I doubt that I'll have a flat stomach in 20 days. But at least I'm doing something about it.

   

A mosquito net decorated with painted ping-pong balls, looks fun, I'm sure Puni would love it.
I wish I had such a pretty kitchen. On the other hand, lots of things in this picture would gather dust.

I have an extra issue for one of my readers. Please leave a comment if you would like it and I'll draw a name on Sunday evening. Tomorrow we're leaving for the week-end, going to my parents', it's my mother's birthday on Saturday. Puni has been spending the past 2 weeks preparing presents for her - lots of cutting, pasting and coloring going on. Her father and I never warrant such efforts but there's nothing too good for "mamie"!