How did that happen?

I appear to have accidentally taken up acrylic painting, or am about to, anyway. K's mobile is almost done - the numbers are drilled and painted (though I'm thinking about varnishing them, which is another two nights' work - maybe not), the hoop is currently in a clamp with the glue setting, I just have to string them up now. Pic tomorrow, hopefully.

I did enjoy working with the paints - they're quite stiff and gluey with lots of vibrancy, and I was curious about how it all worked, how to blend them and so on; why they can be thinned with water but god help you if they dry on the brush, etc. I am still thinking about painting some designs for our room and managed to pick up four 5x7ins stretched canvases to practice on for less than £4 altogether from the marvellous "The Works" cheap book shop in Preston yesterday. What an evil place that is (the shop, not Preston - undecided on that yet). Anyway, their paints are also half-price so I think I will be getting a pallette together and perhaps some large canvas (if I can carry it and a 2st toddler on the train) next time I'm up there. In Blackburn there is also a cheapass bookshop and at £2 a book you can't really put up much of a fight. I was lucky enough to find both An Introduction to Painting with Acrylics and The Book of Crafts, which also has some interesting ideas in it (am particularly happy with the silk painting projects). I could easily have spent £10 or more but already had a lot of shopping at that point.

I suppose it was One Of Those Days When You Need Cheering Up With Bargains yesterday because I also aquired two scarves for Few Pennies - one is a plain crimson pashmina which I have all sorts of ideas about embellishing (I do have a black one as well but wanted something cheerier. I'm thinking Shishas for at least one at the moment). This afternoon we're off to Bolton as my specs need fixing, so I'm going to have a sneaky mooch in Accessorize to see what they're offering this season, it's always worth absorbing a few ideas from there. Actually more than anything I want to look at their embellished scarves to see how they've dealt with the "wrong side" problem - stitching and beading on fabric gives you an irreversible item and I like to have scarves I can just chuck on without worrying about whether the wrong side is showing.

Finally I'm making a mouse! Got it from Hobbycraft a bit back and am trying to decide whether it's going to go in my S&S kit bag (I do need a mouse for wk 8) or whether K is going to have it, she likes mice. It's coming along nicely - it has ears and the darts are sewn up, giving it shape; tonight's task is to put the eyes in and perhaps start stitching the main body together. I made the mole, the baby owl and a big seal from this range (the kitten looks familiar too but I don't know if I ever made it) when I was a kid and I'd forgotten how quick and fun they are to do. K has about a million soft toys, though, so perhaps we'll make them together when she's older. I have bought her a lacing toy for her birthday already so she'll get at least some of the skills of sewing and hopefully the love of it too.