Getting my Craft on at the Viking Arty Party!

Recently Viking, the all powerful stationary company, invited me to a craft event, aka the Viking Arty Party. If you follow me over on instagram (lookie here) you'll see amongst the many photos of food, peonies and London, I also like to practice what some call 'modern' calligraphy. This basically means I can't do pretty traditional calligraphy letters so I ad lib (see unicorn cat, Albus Severus Potter and Riding Dirty as reference). So when Viking Stationery asked if I'd like to come to their crafty event where we'd be learning some traditional calligraphy (as well as block printing and mindful origami) I was super excited.

I was not super excited when on the day of the event my main manfriend, Dan, tried to help me get my stuff together and dropped my camera on the floor to which it semi-luckily fell lens side down, smashing the lens to pieces (insert thumbs up emoji here). On the plus side my camera body was fine, on the downside the most expensive and only short lens I own was not. This leads me on to my next tangent, never have I loved my mum more. Since I left home (a wee 8 years ago), my mum never ever comes to visit without giving us something, which is really thoughtful and normally always involves cheese (you can take the Swiss out of Switzerland...) which I obviously love. However, we live in a tiny one bed flat (standard London grade 1 style) with zero to zero storage space and often I have to say thanks mum for the 'make your own beer kit', 'humongus python skin' or 'bag full of beads and shells' (genuine gifts my mum has tried to give me...the python skin was my Great Grandads) but no thanks. Anyway luckily for me, my mum almost always 'forgets' to take the stuff with her, so it ends up in the cupboard of doom (the only storage we have in the flat) which is where I found the old film canon camera my mum gave me 3 years ago which had a detachable short lens. 

I'm pretty sure the lens hadn't been used since we left the Falklands and as such it really needs a good clean! However, for a last minute 'Oh my God you broke my camera' replacement lens it worked well enough, don't you think? Anyway rushing to the Viking Arty Party, I had 0 time to eat anything before I got there but was rewarded with tea, pastries and the prettiest space ever. Like if my flat is Grade 1 London, Lumiere London is a 10. The hallway is deceptive as it's slightly shabby entrance leads you up to a space which is opulently gorgeous (#housegoals). 

Oh so dreamy!!

Despite 'blogging' (rambling about everything and anything) for a while now, this was my first big (30+) bloggers event and I didn't know anyone. Literally no one. Which is actually a lot rarer than it sounds when you're a blogger in London. Anyhoo I'm definitely guilty of just hanging out with my besties if we're at the same event together (sorry not sorry), so it forced me to chat (not a difficult task) and I had a really nice time! After some chatting and eating (again both mostly by me), we were sorted into three groups to get our craft on. Up first was block printing with Tea and Crafting. I've done some block printing a few times but the kit they gave us was super easy to use, and Tea and Crafting run some great workshops (including hen dos, wouldn't that be the best hen do ever? Crafting followed by cocktails and caraoke [not really spelt with a c]). Viking Stationey had provided us with a magazine file (or as Dan says folder holder because it rhymes...) each to print on. I really like the idea of decorating a stationary set in this style, again when we have more space I'm sure it'll happen. The palm print that was floating about was super cute too.

Next up, the activity I was most excited about; an introduction to modern calligraphy with  A L'aise, where we learnt traditional calligraphy techniques (but you said it was modern...I'm concussed! That's why I speak to myself in third person). Subject to popular belief I've always wanted to learn traditional calligraphy but my hand technique has always been shaky (aka I can't draw a straight line with a calligraphy pen without it looking like Harry Potter's scar). Turns out I'm doing it too fast, not surprisingly as I'm always rushing around like a man woman (hence the broken camera; home many brackets can I get in one post...). However, I've been practising slower calligraphy and the lines are getting less scrawly thanks to Viking Stationery gifting us with a calligraphy letter guide, pen and nib, as well as a pot of ink, which I've now almost finished. I'm never going to run a letterpress but you know I'm working on my friend letting me to do their wedding invites (and cake!...cake is unrelated). 

After a break filled with several more pastries, it was time for the final act; Mindful Origami with Samuel Tsang. Think origami meets meditation meets positive quotes. I like origami, I've been making cranes since high school, as well as the occasional weakly folded elephant. This was more of an introduction into how you can be mindful while making origami, and then we made a crane. The examples of origami on the tables were pretty awesome, I really loved the flowers that were spread amongst us. You can tell because I took lots of photos of them...I can't say I was the most mindful origamist(?) at the event (I've only got so much meditation to go around) but it was an interesting session. 

Overall it was a really fun day, meeting new bloggers, eating pastries and getting my craft on. Plus did I mention there was a goodie bag...oh yeah a goodie bag! Unfortunately this one had no cheese in but hey you can't always get what you want, but you can always get what you need...metallic sharpies, washi tape and plain white mugs to doodle on courtesy of the lovely Viking Stationery are all very much needed. So thanks a bunch Viking for a lovely day out and for helping me get crafty!

In other news, have I spoken to you about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet? So the script of the play is officially out, and Dan and I saw it two weeks ago with Sophie and her manfriend. I don't want to spoilt it but what did you think? Have you read it or are you holding off, waiting to see the play in action? I really loved the magic in the play I thought those scenes were executed AMAZINGLY, particularly in the first part (I mean like how did they do it? But seriously how?!?). The second part I thought the story became a lot weaker, I haven't read the script so I'm purely going off how it was performed. And though the acting of the Big three (Ron, Hermey and Harry), Scorpius and Draco was really believable some of the other actors didn't live up to it. As serious Potter fans, Soph and I left the second part disappointed but the magic certainly lives on in part one. In other news, I'm super busy right now with work moving offices so I'm really sorry if I haven't got back to you, it's not my intention, you know how much I love chatting! Also...four months till Christmas...just leaving that comment there...enjoy! 

Thanks to Jennie who works for Viking Stationery for inviting me to the Viking Arty Party, it was great fun and I got loads out of it (including LOTS of pastries). And special thanks to Viking Stationery! All opinions are from yours truly!