...last week*

*mutters* By the Crafty Muses, are we a party lot, or what?

*sets about straightening room*

*lines up the numerous bottles of wine and Firewhisky*

*admires lineup of newly framed and proudly displayed letters from JK Rowling to the Crafty Witches*

*notices Hardhatcat’s is gone*

*furtively looks around and takes own letter down and stuffs into her bag*

*finishes clearing up and banishes trash to lower kitchen*

*hesitates and wanders over to desk*

*finds small pile of updates and letters*

            Hp5freak—

           I took my letter home.  It’s a long way to Oz and I’d like to be able to see it regularly.  Great party last night, by the way.  I wasn’t aware that you were able to…er…well, it was great.  How’s Josée doing with her concussion, followed by the party?  Is she resting well?

            Hardhatcat 

*remembers week of partying*

*remembers week of hangover*

*feels sore muscles in arms from squailing*

*looks at rest of piled up work*

*glances at her bag, bulging with her framed letter*

*posts update and runs before the rest of the Crafty Witches show up*

( Well, we *did* get SOME work done.... )

*hears insistent tapping at window*

*looks at clock, sits up, banging head on upper bunk*

Whoops, I overslept!!!

*rubs head, and hears tapping again*

*goes to window, lets in owl*

Uh-oh…

*shoos owl out, and looks at the scarlet envelope that’s smoking at the edges*

BOOM

PRINCESS!!!

Get your crafty butt into the TLC CW office post haste. All heck’s breaking loose!

Quietish

*dresses very quickly and apparates away*



*pops into Crafty Witch office*

*is creeped out that the office is apparently empty*

*notes the Floo is spotted in Floo powder, goo, and broken twigs*

*goes to desk to try to find out what’s going on*

*finds Dragonsinger under the desk*

“Hey! You’re back! How was vacation? Did’ja bring me any-- What’s wrong, Minion?”

“Don’t tell ‘em I’m here.”

“What’s going on?”

“Well, see, you know I took the company broom out for my holidays? Well, er…there was an accident with a Muggle on the way to see As_Weasley_As_I_Wanna_Be. So, I was hoping I could get it fixed before Josée_Madalia noticed, but then everything just kinda went nuts…”

*an owl swoops in and drops note on the desk*

Princess—

If you see Dragonsinger, can you ask her where I put the jam after breakfast the other day? I can’t find any of my 12 jars here. I’ve asked my boys, but there seems to be plenty of peanut butter left, so I don’t think it was them…

As_Weasley_As_I_Wanna_Be

*looks at burned jam on Floo again*

*looks down at Dragonsinger*

“You care to explain that, Minion?”

*Dragonsinger cringes*

“Okay, so, I thought I could fix the company broom with a few well-places twigs, some jam and a spell or three…but that’s not quite how it worked…I mean, it may have worked, but it was still drying when Josée_Madalia came in. And she made mention that she needed it for something…”

“Oh, dear…”

*is interrupted by a fast flying owl whoooo drops another note on the desk*

Amber—

Um…why do I have a concussed Josée in Oz, and a living room covered in twigs and jam? Has something gone wrong in the Crafty Office?

--Hardhatcat

*casts Impervius charm to avoid stickiness, sticks head in Floo, and has brief conversation with Cat to check on Josée*

*pulls head back out of Floo*

*taps foot at Dragonsinger* “Well?”

“Er…well, Josée_Madalia grabbed the broom, and it sorta bucked away from her…and she’s such a tiny thing and she was kinda stuck to it because of the jam, you see…it sorta knocked some Floo powder over and I don’t know what she was yelling, but it seems the Floo network understood something…and well, now she’s at Hardhatcat’s place…in Australia.”

“Oh…my…” *deep breath* “Okay, well, here’s what we need to do. I need to get my update in order and up. YOU need to clear up this mess. Then we are going to have to have the Floo checked for damage by Magical Maintenance. While they are doing that, I will go down to the Portkey office and see what I can do about arranging international transportation and interconnecting Portkeys to get us to Australia to get Josée, to Canada to drop her off, and get us back to the States before I have to be at Wrock concert tonight.”

*pulls Dragonsinger out from under desk and starts dragging her from the office*

“By the way…have you seen my tiara?”

Forum Updates

* Fabric Embellishments
o Ink Jet Iron-on Transfers
+ Horcrux T-Shirt

* Other Crafts
o Magical Creatures
+ Cornish Pixie

* Resources
o Charts
+ Knitting
# Hogwarts Students
* Harry Potter
* Harry Potter (v2)
* Harry Potter (v3)
* Hermione Granger
* Hermione Granger (v2)
* Hermione Granger (v3)
# Magical Creatures
* Griffin

Main Site Updates:

* Fabric Embellishments
o Ink Jet Iron-on Transfers
+ Horcrux T-Shirt (which can be found on the forum here)

* Other Crafts
o Magical Creatures
+ Cornish Pixie (which can be found on the forum here)

Gallery Updates:

* Jewelry
o Necklaces Bracelets & Earrings
+ Luna Lovegood's Jewelry
o Wizarding Devices
+ Time Turner
* Other Crafts
o Dolls & Magical Creatures
+ Magical Creatures

*sits down to get ready for updating*

*checks some stuff on the Crafty Witch to-do list*

*scratches out inappropriate comments*

*checks out what the CWs have done this week*

*makes note of the date today*

It’s the start of the first EVER!!! Leaky Craft-Along!!!! Details are here. I’m joining up!! Are you? Supply list, video, and details are all ready for your perusal. (*is VERY excited about this*)

*writes notes to fellow Crafty Witches*

Hey Quietish!

The Craft-Along looks great and I’ve signed up. I’m getting my supplies tomorrow. This is going to be AWESOME!!!!

--Princess hp5freak

*gets another sheet of parchment*

Dragonsinger—

Tiara is safely put away. I’ll have an owl out to you next week. And no, I’m not making another bet with you…I know better. Apparently, someone forgot to remind Josée about making bets with you.

--Her Royal Highness, Princess hp5freak

*gets sturdier parchment for long-distance owl*

‘Lo, Cat—

Awesome job on sneaking off from work to chase DanRad. How about letting ALL the CW go next time? I’m sorry the others stuck you to the wall for a while. It was for your own good, you know…

--Freak

*re-tips quill for next notes*

As_Weasley_As_I_Wanna_Be—

I feel your pain this week. Princesses and certained tailed creatures do NOT mix…Cinderella notwitchstanding. Rest up and we will celebrate catching up later. Gotta have you in ready party mode. And I’ve taken away your grindstone.

--hp5freak

*gets red parchment for final note*

Josée_Madalia (Josees_house)--

WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? DID YOU NOT LEARN FROM MY BET WITH DRAGONSINGER LAST YEAR? SILLY THING TO DO, WOMAN!!! SHE ONLY BETS ON SURE THINGS. HOW DO YOU THINK I ENDED UP LOSING LAST YEAR???? SHE GOT ME ON 300 PROJECTS!!!

*add regular parchment*

She’s a sly one, that Dragonsinger. Very crafty….we must watch out for her. Perhaps we should bet her on something… *ponders briefly* I will now laugh at you because I will be awaiting a Canadian owl because I see that I’m going to benefit from you having lost the bet.

--hp5freak

*tracks down 5 owls for delivery*

*goes back to proper updating*

( I don't know...they've got brooms... )

And don’t forget to sign up for our first Craft-Along. The more people we get the more things we can do! And the more crafts you can learn!!! Want to try some new stuff? Keep checking back and keep up and before you know it, you will be ready to party with your bad self in your rockin’ handcrafted HP-ness.

And don't forget that the Crafty Witches are always happy to accept your original Potter-themed patterns by email using the submission forms that can be found here.

Also, if you see anything that needs correcting or wanna make a comment about it, please email us so we can do what the Crafty Witches do with it.

Looking for all the places that the Crafty Witches are trying to take over the world? You can find us at Leaky, HarryPotterCrafts, LiveJournal, InsaneJournal, GreatestJournal, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ravelry, Bebo, My Yearbook, Zondara, and Gaia Online.

*apparates into Leaky’s Crafty Witch workroom*

*sees note pinned to corkboard*

( from hardhatcat )

I’m not going to be around this week because the Ministry of Magic is sending me to some conference on the other side of Australia.  I’ll see you and get updated when I get back.

Much love and toodles,

Hardhat_Cat”

</div>

*sees second note pinned to corkboard*

( from dragonsinger954 )

Cat said she was going to be gone for WORK reasons?  Yeah, right.  Check out this news article…

--still giggling, Dragonsinger”

</div>

*wanders to desk*

*finds note spellotaped to computer*

( from quietish )

Reminder for the Craft-Along!  Thanks!

--Q

PS:  Have you seen Trevor?  I think Filch got a hold of him last week…Nev’s worried…

</div>

*boots computer*

*finds email from Fearless Leader*

( from jennbrad52 )

I’ll be out of commission this week.  I have an ear infection.  Everything sounds like a toad in my ears.  Oh, and Filch tried to give me a detention!  Can you believe that?  ME, a Crafty Witch.  …incidentally, I don’t think he’s a Squib after all…because I sorta went deaf after I laughed at a joke about Mrs Norris, and that’s when the ear problems started up.  I’m going to see Madam Pomfrey later today…

--As_Weasley_As_I_Wanna Be

</div>

*finds email from other Fearless Leader*

( from josee_madalia )

I’ve been out a bit requesting permissions to post tutorials and photos for Leaky.  You wouldn’t believe the dragon I had to fight at Gringotts last week to get a pattern out of one of the deeper level vaults.   There I was!  Swishing and flicking and waving and jabbing and ….well, in the end, I may have lost an eyebrow when I disapperated, but I got the pattern, and someone else has to deal with a disgruntled dragon on that side of the security vaults.  Reminders for Craft-Along, new links, and our email for questions, tutorials and everything else.

Going back into the fray, Josée_Madalia

 

</div>

( Busy little Crafty Witches we are!!! )

Now for some memos and reminders:

Coming SOON!!!  Leaky’s first Craft-Along!!!  Join up with your fellow crafters and have fun.  What is a Craft-Along?  We provide a list of supplies and instructions and everyone who wants works on the project at the same time.  Keep your ear and eyes on Leaky!  The Craft-Along starts May 1^st!  Our forum is now up on Leaky!  See you next Thursday!

And don't forget that the Crafty Witches are always happy to accept your original Potter-themed patterns by email using the submission forms that can be found here.

Also, if you see anything that needs correcting or wanna make a comment about it, please email us so we can do what the Crafty Witches do with it.

Looking for all the places that the Crafty Witches are trying to take over the world?  You can find us at Leaky, HarryPotterCrafts, LiveJournal, InsaneJournal, GreatestJournal, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ravelry, Bebo, My Yearbook, Zondara, and Gaia Online.

 

 

 

 

*hums to self while making a cuppa in the Lounge*

*checks update tray and gathers relevant owl notices*

*approves updated magical spiral staircase and steps up*

*lets self into TLC Crafty Witch Craft Room/Office*

*shrieks and spills coffee when attacked by hovering memos waiting for her*

*bats memos away, banishing them to the desk*

*mutters “Not funny”*

*cleans up coffee and goes to desk to update*

*checks messages*

Freak—

  Don’t forget!  You’re supposed to mention all the places the Crafty Witches can be found.  We can’t take over the world if we don’t have minions….er… I mean, those interested should be able to find us online everywhere.

Oh, and Princess?  If I find your tiara out again, I’m going to stick it where you …er…just put it away already.

--Dragonsinger

 

A—

  Make sure to mention questions/queries/corrections need to be emailed to crafts@the-leaky-cauldron.org … Okay?

--Josee_Madalia

 

Hey Freak—

  Now that we are caught up on the backlog, I think we are ready for some new tutorials.  Maybe you should mention it in your updates for people to submit their instructions using the form and we could get some more new stuff up.   Especially if there are people who have not submitted before that maybe need some encouragement.  If we want to take over the world…you know.  Minions, think of the MINIONS….

And by the way, don’t let Cat down from the wall.  Her work keeps trying to send her to a retreat or something that would keep her away from us.  She is stuck to the wall for her sanity.

--As_Weasley_As_I_Wanna_Be

*looks over at wall to see Hardhat_Cat stuck to the wall in a manner reminiscent to her own times of being stuck to the wall*

*waves*  Hullo, Cat!  How’s it going?

Good morning, Freak—

  Could you please mention the upcoming Craft-Along?  May 1 is very soon (just two weeks from today, in fact).  Tell ‘em to keep it tuned to Leaky for word on the details.  Thanks!

--Quietish

 

Okay, well then…

*sorts through updates*

( Whatcha waitin' for? )

Now for some memos and reminders:

Coming SOON!!!  Leaky’s first Craft-Along!!!  Join up with your fellow crafters and have fun.  What is a Craft-Along?  We provide a list of supplies and instructions and everyone who wants works on the project at the same time.  This way we can share our progress, our problems, and our projects all together.  Stay tuned to Leaky and your Crafty Witches for news.  The Craft-Along starts May 1^st!

And don't forget that the Crafty Witches are always happy to accept your original Potter-themed patterns by email using the submission forms that can be found here.

Also, if you see anything that needs correcting or wanna make a comment about it, please email us so we can do what the Crafty Witches do with it.

Looking for all the places that the Crafty Witches are trying to take over the world?  You can find us at Leaky, HarryPotterCrafts, LiveJournal, InsaneJournal, GreatestJournal, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Ravelry, Bebo, and Gaia Online.

 

*stretches and heads toward newly decided/designed/constructed on wishful thinking Tower of Power…er…Craft wing of The Leaky Cauldron*

*pops head in first floor lounge/tea area to say hi to visitors and other staff taking tea and admiring the galleries*

*waves hi to Gramma Beth*

*trudges up the stairs, slowly…* Don’t want to trip!

*whinges again about not having an elevator pass*

I want a winding stair like Dumbledore had.

*pulls out slip of paper out of pocket and mutters spell*

*jumps when Crafty Witch Staff Room appears to her right*

*does a complicated dance of sorts—very secretive—and turns to the left to walk in* (Hey, you have to know the tricks up here…)

*runs into glass wall, spilling pumpkin juice on her new robes*

Dangit…where’s my badge?

*pulls badge out of other pocket, waggles at glass*

*is allowed in craft room for real this time*

*mutters* Security measures…

*checks list of updates and sits down to type*

*notes supplies are low*

*writes list for someone other than SELF to get it taken care of*

*goes back to updates*

Main Site Updates:

* Crochet
o Other Items
+ Miniature Molly Weasley Sweater (which can be found on the forum here)
* Fabric Embellishments
o Fabric Painting & Stamping
+ Ballycastle Bats Foam Finger (which can be found on the forum here)

* Food
o Main Courses
+ Crockpot Pea Soup (which can be found on the forum here)

* Needlework
o Cross-stitching
+ Hogwarts & the Four Houses
# Crests
* Gryffindor Crest (v2) (which can be found on the forum here)
* Hogwarts Crest (which can be found on the forum here)
* Hufflepuff Crest (v2) (which can be found on the forum here)
* Ravenclaw Crest (v2) (which can be found on the forum here)
* Slytherin Crest (v2) (which can be found on the forum here)
* Other Crafts
o Miscellaneous Crafts
+ Click & Print Wizard Cards (which can be found on the forum here)

* Muggle Devices
o Hogwarts Crest - Magnetized! (which can be found on the forum here)

* Muggle Technology
o Use Spells to Control Your Computer! (which can be found on the forum here)

Forum Updates:

* Crochet
o Other Items
+ Miniature Molly Weasley Sweater

* Food
o Main Courses
+ Crockpot Pea Soup

* Needlework
o Cross-stitching
+ Hogwarts & the Four Houses
# Crests
* Gryffindor Crest (v2)
* Hogwarts Crest
* Hufflepuff Crest (v2)
* Ravenclaw Crest (v2)
* Slytherin Crest (v2)

* Other Crafts
o Miscellaneous Crafts
+ Click & Print Wizard Cards
o Muggle Devices
+ Hogwarts Crests - Magnetized!
o Muggle Technology
+ Use Spells to Control Your Computer!

* Sewing
o Wizard Wear
+ Staff Robes
# Madam Hooch
* Madam Hooch's Quidditch Robes

Gallery Updates:



* Crochet
o Muggle Wear
+ Hats
o Other Items
+ Mini Molly Sweaters

* Other Crafts
o Muggle Devices
+ Magnets
o Muggle Technology
+ Using Spells to Control Your Computer

* Quilting
o Fantastic Beasts
+ Fluffy
o Hogwarts & the Four Houses
+ Gryffindor Crest
+ Hagrid’s Hut
+ Slytherin Crest
o Wizarding Devices
+ Miscellaneous
# Wizardly Plants
+ Transportation
# Knight Bus
o Wizards & Witches
+ Characters
# Hogwarts Professors
* Hagrid



And don't forget!!! Take a moment to check out our Links section for new and exciting links every week for fantastic crafting not yet available on Leaky!

Did I mention that we are now OFFICIALLY caught up with ALL of our past updates? We are!!! Witch (get it?) means we are all in FORWARD motion.

*dances a bit, and falls through floor to design area*

Rats. I forgot that dance is part of the trapdoor jinx.

I think I’ll go back down and have some tea. Until next week….

*looks around neat and orderly craft room*

Wow!  We’ve really gotten things cleaned up around here.  *beams*

*sits down at computer to post weekly update*

*checks backlog of work*

*blinks*

…

*checks backlog again*

*bounces up*

I have an announcement!!!

( --Please wait with bated breath for a very important message!— )

*drops cup o' tea and stack of updates*

*screams bloody murder*

THEY'RE STEALING ME CRAFTY CHARMS!!!!

*grabs nearby prototype broom*

*is hoisted into the air*

*shrieks*  DOWN!!! DOWN!!! 

*broom flies higher*

*remembers she is a crafty witch but is terrified to let go of the broom*  (Falling means ouchies)

*spies little green hoodlums gathering beneath her*

*decides to let go and squash the thieves*

*lets go, drops, prays she avoids the broken china*

(a thunderous CRASH!!!!!  shakes the crafty room and the little beasts scatter)

*inspects the damage to self and tea spattered updates...*

*mutters*  Thievin' leprechauns...can't trust 'em for nothin'...but take one step near their stupid cauldrons with "gold," and they are ALL over you like spider monkeys.  Blasted relatives....( *attempts to read the tea-soaked updates* ) *sets about mopping up tea and forcing broom back in the corner*

*makes note to send an owl to Weasley Wizarding Wheezies about their trick brooms....They're excellent*

*races into room*

GUESSWHATGUESSWHATGUESSWHAT!!!!!!!!

*skids to stop just before hitting the desk* 

Ha HA!!!  I didn't trip.

*pants for a second*

I shouldn't be running around like that.   I could stab myself on something. 

*mutters* I can see the headlines now, "Crafty Witch Impaled by Needles, Death Eaters Suspected"

ANYWAY!!!  GUESSWHATGUESSWHATGUESSWHAT!!!!

*crickets chirping*

Oh, fine.  Here's your update...

( We craft, therefore we are... )

*sulks* 

Oh, and in case anyone is interested, I will be presenting at Terminus.  A workshop on crocheting (imagine that....)

*harrumphs*

*turns to stomp out of room, and walks right into wall*

*falls backwards, hitting head on the hardwood floor*

Dangit!  When did Malfoy take off with our plushy green carpets in here....

*taps screen*  What do you mean, “Error: can not connect.”?!?!?!?!

*begins to panic*  What’s going on?  Why no internet?

*wibbles*

*disconnects and reconnects a bunch of wires while swearing under her breath* Blasted Muggle Technology

*crawls under desk to get to some of the wires, bumps head twice*  Ouch.

*tugs on a cord for a bit of slack, hears faint rumbling*  Uh-oh…

*ducks under desk to avoid dislodged deluge of updates*  Aw, nuts!

( Have you ever wondered if you can craft with dustbunnies? )