Midlife Rebel

As I have now completed five different craft activities, I can claim the Craft badge from the Rebel Badge Book. I attended a calligraphy workshop, tried cross stitch, collage, needle felting and also origami. I would like to continue to do more calligraphy and there are other crafts I would like to try. I have a pottery kit to attempt sometime and a couple of craft projects that I have been hoping to do for a few years which I may do for the Advanced Crafter badge in the future. Earlier this year I started the Linguist badge so perhaps I will start that again. I'm also thinking about doing the My Passion badge which is in the second Rebel Badge Book.

As I found some lovely origami paper in a shop during a recent holiday in Portugal, I decided to try my hand at some origami for the Rebel Badge Club's Craft badge. I used online tutorials to create hearts, boxes, boats, butterflies, a crane, a swan and a turtle by folding paper. I also made a house and a rabbit. The craft was enjoyable to do and a pleasant way to unwind after work in the evening. Some of the more complex origami models didn't work out so well with the paper I used as it was too thick and bulky to fold neatly. The best thing to do with those attempts was to throw them straight in the bin. My favourites to make were the hearts and the boxes. I now have quite a collection of paper hearts and boxes in my possession for which I hope to find a purpose for in the future.

This little bunny took a long time to come to life. I made him for the Rebel Badge Club's Craft badge using a needle felting kit. I had never tried needle felting previously to this. Although I appreciate the technique of needle felting and think it is very clever how you can form shape through the act of stabbing soft wool with a special needle, this was not an enjoyable process for me. The process was too time consuming and repetitive. I did stab myself a few times too which was a bit painful. In my opinion, this particular kit may have been better suited to someone with needle felting experience already. Overall I am pleased with my needle felted bunny but sadly I won't be making him another bunny friend.

If you are in the Rebel Badge Club, you will know about the Rebel Cup and understand why I have taken a silly photo of some courgettes! This act of random silliness earns me a bonus point for Team Rosa, the patrol I am part of. For those of you who want to know more about the Rebel Cup, details can be found on the Rebel Blog on the Rebel Badge Store website!

Here is another one for the Rebel Badge Club's Craft badge. This collage took quite some time to evolve. A sugar skull isn't normally my kind of thing but I'm actually really pleased how this collage turned out. So pleased in fact that I even bought a frame for it. The collage was created from a book called Extraordinary Things to Cut Out and Collage. I spent many hours cutting out images from the book and playing around with different ideas. I tried a few concepts for my collage including a scene in a goldfish bowl and creating a sea goddess but they weren't working very well. Luckily the sugar skull idea came together so I'm glad I managed to create something I was happy with in the end.

As part of the Craft badge for Rebel Badge Club, I completed this Miffy cross stitch kit by Cotton Clara recently. This was the first time I have tried cross stitch. I found the pattern easy to follow and it was enjoyable to do. I was surprised how time consuming it was though especially with it being a simple design. I think I would do another cross stitch in the future but I have other projects lined up first.

A few months ago I mentioned in my blog that I attended a calligraphy workshop. This workshop was the start of my Craft badge journey. At the time I did not know how hard calligraphy was to master using a nib pen and ink. The workshop was held at Lytham Hall by Mellor & Rose. Beverley and Lucy Mellor taught the basics of modern calligraphy which included how to hold the pen correctly and a series of worksheets were provided for practice. I found holding the pen so unnatural as I don't normally hold my pen in such a way. My practice strokes were terribly shaky at the workshop and they still are even after months of practice! I have better control over the ink now though and leave less splodges on the page. Although I am finding learning calligraphy a tough challenge I am determined to improve.  In my determination to master calligraphy to some degree, I have signed up to a six month subscription to The Calligraphy Box. The monthly box contains materials and a two hour video less...

This is just a quick post to give a little update on my Rebel Badge Club journey. This month, I have completed the Diarist badge and also the Reader badge, hurrah! I also signed up to the Big Kid Summer monthly badge.  I am continuing on with my diary each day still and hopefully will manage to keep it up for the rest of the year. It's not a detailed diary, I just keep a brief note of what I have done each day.  The Reader badge took me a long time to complete so it's nice to finally finish it. Here is a link to my book list  if you are interested in finding out what I read. When the Big Kid Summer monthly badge was announced, I immediately thought of my sister so I signed her up for the badge too. So far we have played crazy golf together at The Hole in Wand in Blackpool (a wizard themed mini golf course) and blown some bubbles (with liquid soap). The golf was good fun and I was awarded a hole in one pin badge even though I didn't manage to get a hole in one! We both lef...

At long last I have finished reading a fiction book for the Reader badge for Rebel Badge Club. Initially I made good progress with the Reader badge but my progress has slowed right down since I decided to read an actual hard copy book rather than listening to an audiobook. I chose to read Ann Sei Lin's debut novel Rebel Skies as I was drawn to the artwork on the cover and the name of the book! The reviews I read beforehand were also highly positive. Although it took me a while to get through the book due to other priorities in life, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was very different to anything I have read before. I recently read a review about Rebel Skies which said "The story definitely gives off Studio Ghibli vibes." This is my thought on the book exactly. Rebel Skies is a very imaginative book and would be visually stunning if made into an animated film. One can only hope! The same reviewer also comments that the story is told from two main perspectives: Kurara, the main ...

I have been a fan of Van Gogh's artwork since visiting the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam four years ago. By creating this set, Lego have enabled me to make my very own masterpiece of The Starry Night. I spent many relaxing hours on taking my time to build this set from 2316 Lego pieces. Well, I say 2316 pieces but that's not quite true because to my surprise my set had a piece missing! So here is The Starry Night composed of 2315 Lego bricks. Happily though, Lego customer service are sending me the missing brick in the post. I love the colours of the bricks used for the sky in this set and I also love the little church and houses. In the foreground you can see Van Gogh himself painting the scene. Upon completing The Starry Night, I have now completed the Builder badge for Rebel Badge Club. It's just as well because as enjoyable as Lego is, Lego is a rather expensive hobby! I am now ready to crack on with some other badges :-)

It was such a joy to build this Lego Vespa! Last month I celebrated my 40th birthday in Sorrento with my husband so an Italian themed Lego set was the perfect antidote to ease those post holiday blues. The Lego set was a birthday present from my mum and stepdad. It's a lovely gift which will continue to make me smile and is a great addition to my collection. I have now completed four Lego sets so technically I could claim my Builder badge from the Rebel Badge Book (Volume Two) but I will hold off for now as I also got another Lego set for my birthday from my husband's mum and stepdad. Before my holiday in Sorrento, I made a start on the Linguist badge by learning some Italian. I have been using the Duolingo app and have also listened to a few episodes of the Coffee Break Italian podcast. I didn't make as much progress with my Italian speaking skills before I went to Italy as I was hoping. Work and health issues have interfered with my badge progress the past couple of month...

This week I have completed my Writer badge! I have kept this blog for six months and have enjoyed it so much that I will be continuing on with it. This blog has been a great way to record and share my Rebel Badge Book activities. This month I have also started the Linguist badge and the Craft badge. I am going to Sorrento next month for my 40th birthday so I thought it would be a good time to learn some Italian. Last week I attended a modern calligraphy workshop therefore I have made a start on the Craft badge. My calligraphy skills need a lot more work though. I have worksheets and a workbook to practice with so once I have something worth showing I will share it on here. I hope you have all had a lovely weekend. 

I am Groot! Here is Marvel character Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy 2 made from of 476 pieces of Lego. This was another enjoyable set to complete and put towards the Rebel Badge Club's Builder badge. Earlier this year I completed the Hedwig Lego set and now I have Groot to add to the collectio n.  Also earlier this year I made this orchid from Lego which looks rather realistic. I've kept real orchids for years but this one won't require any watering or repotting. It makes a lovely display piece in my home. It's my birthday next month so I am hoping for one or two more Lego sets as gifts so then I can complete my Builder badge.

I bought my first two Momiji dolls in 2007 from a gift shop in York whilst on a short holiday. I did not start collecting Momiji though until 2017. To put it simply, Momiji dolls make me smile. That's why my collection has grown over the years. They bring me joy and I believe they also keep me young. I love colour and anything kawaii. They are fun to display around my home even though my husband refers to them as dust collectors!  I often rearrange the way I display my Momiji dolls. Sometimes they are all together like a little army and at other times they pop up in random places. At the moment I have just got my favourite Momiji dolls on display as I have a lot of stuff (even though I did a lot of decluttering last year!) and sometimes things start to look too cluttered. My Momiji collection has begun to slow down a bit now as I don't have room for more. I'm not saying I won't buy any more Momiji dolls but I do need to be mindful of how many things I own. I think I may...

Last Sunday, I completed the Good Habits merit badge from the Rebel Badge Book. Here are my thoughts on each of the habits I practiced. Life Admin - Keep a diary to track how much money I am spending This was an eye opening task. The spending diary really highlighted how much money I spend on non-essential items. I treat myself a lot! I don't have children or pets, my car doesn't cost me much and my husband and I have a small mortgage. I spend a bit willy-nilly at times. Now that I am more aware of my spending habits I plan to be more mindful of how I am using my money. I do believe that there needs to be a good balance between saving for the future and living in the now. Setting myself budgets and sticking to them is something I need to look at. I feel I need to get my finances more organised. I have a small amount of savings which I would like to grow.  Setting up a monthly direct debit into a savings account would be a good plan of action. Health and Fitness - Regularly w...

Happy New Year! How is your year going so far? I hope it has got off to a good start. I have had a great first week to the year. I'm feeling energised and inspired.  For me, a new year means a new diary so it's the perfect opportunity to begin the Diarist merit badge for Rebel Badge Club. I regularly keep a diary already but I don't always write in it on a daily basis and sometimes I give up completely part way through the year. So for at least six months I will write in my diary every day. It appears I have now started the Builder badge too. For Christmas, my husband bought me a Hedwig Lego set. I had my eye on the large collector's edition of Hedwig but at £259.99 it was a bit on the expensive side so the smaller version was a more sensible choice. I started building small Hedwig on New Year's Day and completed it a few days ago. I loved doing the Lego set. I found it a very enjoyable and satisfying task. If it wasn't for the Rebel Badge Club, I would never ha...