When I Grow Up
est. 2004
A Creative kind of Life. A blog by Helen Hobden
I still haven’t worked out what to do when I grow up! I’m mainly a writer, an artist, and a fairytale dressmaker with various crafty hobbies! Here (and on YouTube) I share bits of my life, thoughts, and what I’m learning along the way. Let’s find magic and inspiration; join me for this creative living adventure!

 

Monthly Archives

April 2016

Where to go in the South-west for May Day weekend
April 29, 2016
I love the May day bank holiday. Ever since I read The Secret World of Polly Flint by Helen Cresswell when I was nine or something, I’ve had a magical feeling in my bones when May the first comes around. “A maypole in the month of May, is magical, or so they say!” And it’s a good time to go faerie spotting, though I’ve had no luck yet. I’ve also washed myself in the early morning dew (how very pagan of me) but whether or not it’s made me beautiful, well, I’m not really one to say! Here are a few ideas for events happening this weekend in the south-west of England. Some are quite famous, but hopefully there’s some you haven’t heard of before and would like to visit…
Sustainable Fashion – a talk with Livia Firth
April 23, 2016
If money weren’t an issue, I would have been up and down to Bath all through its Fashion Week, and despite entering every competition I could find, I did not win any tickets to the fashion shows. I did however buy a ticket to see this event with Livia Firth in conversation with fashion writer, Avril Groom. As you probably know, I make and sell clothes by recycling/repurposing/reclaiming/upcycling (insert favourite buzz-word here) unwanted fabrics with my clothing label Oshun, so sustainable fashion is something I am very interested in….
How to make simple steampunk armwarmers
April 20, 2016
Steampunk costume A little while ago I made several steampunk outfits, which Rain kindly modelled for me at the village Tithe barn. They have all been sold now, but the armwarmers I made to go with them have remained popular. You only really need basic sewing skills for these if you fancy having a go. I used lovely stretch cotton velvet and antique Victorian lace for mine, but you can use any fabric with a small amount of stretch, and decorate the ends with any trim you have to hand….    
How to take close-up photos without a macro lens. (Plus pretty spring flowers)
April 13, 2016
I have three lenses for my Panasonic GM1, and none of them are macro. I don’t really want or need another lens at the moment, but I do want to try a bit of macro photography. The last time I had a macro lens was back in the day of my Minolta Dynax 500si  film camera, so it’s fair to say it’s been a while! I bought this pack of two extension tubes as I’d heard it’s a good alternative. One or both fit between your camera body and lens to give a macro effect, and this is how I got on…
A visit to Bristol and BIMM
April 4, 2016
The other week it was an open day at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) in Bristol. Our youngest daughter, Jude is thinking about taking a music management degree there soon, so we went along to see what it was like. We left so early in the morning and the traffic was surprisingly good for a Saturday, we actually arrived in Bristol with an hour to spare. All was fine, and we killed time browsing a few shops, but somehow we ended up walking the wrong way up the road, had to backtrack and ended up getting there ten minutes late!…
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Linking with #iwillwearwhatilike at Not Dressed As Lamb.

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