Come See Granny Green’s Window
We had a lovely evening on Monday putting out everyone’s amazing projects for display, and as you can see, the windows are looking fantastic!
If you get a chance, please go along to have a look at Central Hall, 2 West Tollcross, Edinburgh. It’s easy to find, and you can’t miss it for all the craft. If you have any questions, please email us at greensnightout@gmail.com
If you aren’t sure what we do, or whether your crafting specialism belongs in our eclectic mix, take a look at the window and be assured! We’ve got (almost) one of everything. And we’d love to have you along at the group.
Finally, a great big thank you to everyone who came along the other night and made such an amazing job of our windows! It looks amazing, and I love that we’ve had the opportunity to see all your completed works, and mighty fine they look too!
There are more photos on our Granny Greens Facebook page – you can follow us there and on twitter @greensnightout, to keep up to date with what’s happening in the GGs crafting community, and also some info on other crafty happenings and opportunities.
ALSO – BOOK GROUP!
This coming Monday21st the Granny Greens book group will be discussing Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. If you are planning to come along and join in with the book chat, take a look at these questions and discussion points to help your reflections on what you have been reading. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the book – you can still join in the chat if you’d like. Also, the craft drop-in will run alongside the book group as normal – several of us will just be getting on with crafting, so you don’t have to take part in the book group if you don’t fancy it.
If anyone has one of the copies of Revolutionary Road that have been lent to us by the library, please bring it along on Monday – or if you can’t make this Monday, please get in touch with Fiona – fiona@foolproofcreativearts.com
See you all on Monday!
What’s In Granny Green’s Window?
We are going to put on an exhibition of our members work for Voluntary Arts Week!
Running from the 12th -20th May it will be a week long window display to show off the talented work of our group. You can find details of the ‘What’s In Your Window’ campaign here: http://www.voluntaryartsweek.org/.
Therefore, Granny Greens needs you! Do you have something you’re proud of? Something you’re less proud of but you put in so much effort that people should see it?! Or even something half completed that you know is going to be amazing but isn’t quite there yet? Have you taken part in one of our workshops and have something that you finished? Any and all of the above will be welcome!
Also, we are hoping to do a large floral display, using anything smaller than 30 x 30cm in size, these can include anything from an embroidered hanky to a hand-made flower… so get inventive and bring it along.
For any of the above you have two options:
Bring it to next week’s craft drop-in at The Red Squirrel (7th May) and our team will take care of it until it goes into the display.
Or
Better yet, bring it along to the Granny Greens display setup evening! We’ll be hosting Granny Greens at the usual time in the shop on 14th May, and we can all take part in putting the display together. If you’re unsure about anything please let me know via email: greensnightout@gmail.com.
Everything will be returned to you the following Monday 21st May, and we will be labelling everyone’s work with their name so it doesn’t get lost. Also, (if you want us to) we’ll add your twitter name and blog address for a bit of free publicity.
The venue for the Exhibitions
It will be displayed in what was the Methodist charity shop on Lothian Road. There is currently an exhibition of work on at the moment, so go have a nosy and look at the huge space we’re going to fill!! Here is a map of the location:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=214101440141065753416.0004bf0def0af9de0148c
See you on Monday for the drop-in! Deborah
CRAFT DROP-IN
This coming Monday is a general craft drop-in, 6pm to 8pm at the Red Squirrel as usual!
Fiona will be bringing along a few more copies of the book (‘Revolutionary Road’) for next month’s book group so if you’d like to join in the chat, you can borrow a book to read this Monday.
SPRING HAS SPRUNG!
Spring has sprung! and it’s time to make some spectacular spring flowers to brighten up your wardrobe!
We will be asking for a £1 donation, to cover the cost of a felt backing and a broach. But if you would prefer a hair clip then please bring one along! Also you will need a needle and thread (preferably in a matching colour).
If you would like a lily flower, then please bring along two pieces of cotton fabric in contrasting/matching colours about a 1/2 metre by 1/2 metre square of each should be enough. You will also need a button for the centre, approximately 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter.
If you’re a classic lady, and want to make a rose, then please bring along one sheet of felt, and a piece of cotton in matching/contrasting colour. A 20cm x 20cm square will be plenty.
If you want something a little more dazzling, then you will need either 1 1/2 cm of wired ribbon (at least 5cm wide) or a piece of fabric of the same dimensions (no wire necessary).
If you’ve got an idea of something you’d like to do on this evening, please give me a bell, and I’ll see what I can do!
See you on Monday! Deborah
Revolutionary Road
Next month’s book discussion (21st May) will be on Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. Published in 1961, the novel describes the tragic story of Frank and April Wheeler, a young couple whose marriage and dreams disintegrate over a long, hot suburban summer. Yates offers an uncompromising critique of the suburban idyll and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Copies of the book are available are available to borrow (courtesy of Edinburgh Libraries) and, to get the discussion started, there are some questions which may help you reflect as you read. These are mostly taken from the discussion questions issued by Random House with a few tweaks. You can download the questions here.
Happy reading…maybe?
AND WE’RE BACK!
Hope that you have all had a great Easter and enjoyed the recent sun (snow and sleet) and haven’t missed GGs too much on our fortnight break!
We will be back at the Red Squirrel on Monday evening for a classic Granny Greens general craft drop-in. As with every Monday, drop in at any time between 6pm and 8pm and bring along a current project (or one you’d like some advice on starting) and join us for a drink and chat.
For any newbies, welcome! Everyone is invited and there’s no pressure to come every week (though we’d be delighted to see you if you’d like to become a regular!) and you can pop in at any point through the evening. Granny Greens is a free night out, with occasional cost-price fees to cover the costs of materials for workshops. We have a programme of events which includes all sorts of crafting workshops, discussions on books and social media usage and occasional outings. Every week is also a drop-in however, so even if there is a workshop on you are very welcome to bring along your own thing – or just come along for the banter.
Without further ado, here’s the plan for the next couple of months:
APRIL
16th Craft drop-in
23rd Workshop – How To Make… a Springtastic fabric flower corsage
30th Craft drop-in
MAY
7th Craft drop-in
13th-20th Voluntary Arts Week - as last year, we’ll be participating in Voluntary Arts Scotland’s awareness week to highlight all that’s going on with voluntary arts groups in the area. This year the plan is to host window displays around the city showcasing what each group gets up to. Granny Green’s are going to have a window at Central Hall, Tollcross, and we’d love contributions of work from all of you to display in the window and show everybody the type of thing we get up to at Granny Greens. Chat to Deborah, Fiona, Andrea or Anneleen if you’d be up for taking part. We’d really love to get a good variety of different crafts and crafters involved so have a think about what you might like to contribute.
and on the 14th we are going to have a little opening to celebrate our exhibition – details to follow on that!
21st Book Group – discussion of Revolutionary Road (ask Fiona for your copy to read in advance)
28th Craft drop-in (& please return any copies of Revolutionary Road)
JUNE
4th A Bank Holiday week off, officially, though please feel free to meet up at the Red Squirrel if you want!
11th Bag-making workshop
18th Social Justice crafting opportunities discussion – we’ll be inviting people from various organisations and groups who use craft to campaign, raise awareness or give practical help to come and chat to us about what they do and how you can get involved.
25th End of term festivities
Looking forward to seeing you all on Monday!
Anneleen x
Library Anxiety
This is just a quick reminder to anyone who still has an Edinburgh Libraries copy of Status Anxiety. The books must be returned this week, so can you bring your copy tonight or arrange to get it to me (Fiona) asap? Any anxiety will be relieved and your status as an upstanding member of the Granny Green’s fraternity will be unchallenged (in other words, thanks)…
GRANNY GREENS IN THE NEWS!
Granny Greens has been mentioned in a few publications recently – lifestyle and design blog, avocado sweet, wrote this lovely profile on the group, whilst shortly after the Edinburgh Reporter published this article about us. Most recently we have been recommended to the readers of Mollie Makes, in issue 12 of their crafty magazine (in the shops now!)
Happily we have had some new folks along as a result of all of this publicity and it is great to see the Granny Greens community continue to expand.
As previously mentioned, Granny Greens is taking a little break over Easter (to plan the next term’s activities and for some of us to go on holiday!). This coming Monday the 26th March will be the last ‘formal’ craft drop-in of the term; we’ll be having a two week break before going back to normal on Monday 9th April. Officially…!
A number of people have said that they would miss the banter too much to have two weeks off, so it is likely that you may find fellow crafters in the Red Squirrel on those Mondays anyway!
Additionally, we are planning a little end of term trip to the Scotsman Screening Room this Sunday night. They are showing the classic movie, The Big Sleep, and for a £10 ticket you can watch the film and eat popcorn AND ice-cream! The information on the film can be found on their website – online booking is currently down, however, so ring them on 0131 622 2824 to book your ticket. We’ll be meeting in the bar for a drink beforehand from 7pm (access from North Bridge). Hope to see you there for some old-school romantic mystery!
Watch the trailer here to whet your appetite!
BOOK GROUP AND FILM OUTING
This Monday at the Red Squirrel our bi-monthly book group will be discussing Alain De Botton’s ‘Status Anxiety’; but don’t be anxious if you haven’t read all (or any) of it!
Our book group evenings are very relaxed and anyone’s welcome to join in the discussion. Equally, if you’d rather just get on with your crafty projects, bring them along too. Most of the bookish people will also be bringing crafts so you won’t be out of place!
If you do have a copy of the book that you have borrowed via us, please bring it in on Monday, so that Fiona can return the copies to the library.
If you have any suggestions for future books you’d like to read as part of the group, then let us know!
If you’ve been keeping an eye on our Spring Programme, you may have noticed that we planned a cinema trip for the last week of term. We have decided to run this as an extra outing as the Scotsman Hotel’s Screening Room is running a Sunday night special showing of the classic 1946 film, The Big Sleep. The screening will take place at 8pm next Sunday 25th March and tickets cost £10, which includes popcorn and ice-cream! Visiting the Screening Room is an experience not to be passed up on! Deep down in the majestic Scotsman hotel this little cinema with very comfy seats screens the classics twice a month. A group of us will be going, and meeting in the bar on North Bridge at 7pm. If you would like to come, please book your tickets by visiting the website above. There is also an option of making an even bigger night out of it and going for a meal in the brasserie first, but I think most of us will just be going for drinks and the film. If you are thinking of coming, drop us a line on twitter @greensnightout, on our facebook page or by email, greensnightout@gmail.com. Of course, you can just turn up (if you have booked), but if you let us know that you are coming we will keep an eye out for you in the bar beforehand! Please feel free to bring along friends/partners as normal!
As we are going to the cinema on the Sunday, Monday 26th will be a general craft drop-in, at the Red Squirrel as normal.
We will then have a two week break for the Easter holidays, before starting back with our new programme on April 16th.
CRAFT DROP-IN AT THE RED SQUIRREL
Just a quick reminder that we will be back to our normal venue on Monday, after last week’s little excursion up the road for the sewing machine workshop! This Monday we will be meeting as usual at the Red Squirrel pub on Lothian Road, between 6pm and 8pm. It’s a general craft drop-in this week, so bring along whatever you fancy working on. For anyone new to Granny Greens, our craft nights are free and anyone is welcome to pop in at any point throughout the evening.
Also – the following Monday 19th March, our book group will be discussing Alain De Botton’s ‘Status Anxiety’ – so if you have one of the books we’ve given out, don’t forget to bring it along (even if you haven’t got around to reading it, we’ll be collecting them back in to return to the library).
See you Monday!
