"I wish I had time to do crafty stuff."

I am sitting here sifting through the camera again and have finally found some missing pictures!  I wanted to share these because, honestly, I just want to show off and take a moment to remember that work doesn't take over every spare minute.  I am always surprised by how many times I hear the phrase, "Where do you find the time?" or "I wish I had time to do crafty stuff." It does sometimes sound a little critical as if I should feel lucky to have sooo much spare time that I can just pootle around indulging a hobby.  The truth is, as all crafters know,  we all get the same time in a day and I choose being active over sitting for hours watching tv every evening.  I think most crafters are noctural as we seem to come alive during those twilight hours!  A friend of mine who whips up the most amazing dresses, always seems to want to start a  new project around about 9pm!  So this post is to remind me that those stolen hours before bed (and even before the family awakes) mounts up those little projects pretty quickly.
So, did  I tell you about the Christmas Bazaar?  This year, instead of making a ton of Christmas presents, I decided to make a bundle of goodies for the Church Bazaar.  I started whilst on the long train journey to my sister's for our Yarndale experience.  I crocheted mini stockings, felty garlands and stockings, pot holders, felty baubles, sweetie cones and loads of hair clips.  I loved it!  I was given a little parcel of cheap fabric and did a bit of a "Mocholate" with it.  If you know your "Friends" you will know that a  small amount of mocholate (chocolate substitute) was mixed with much nicer ingredients.  So I happily took small amounts of the bundle to mix with my own stash of felts, ribbons and trims (ahem).  As is always the case, the small, quick projects sold out and the pot holders- which took forever- didn't move.  Never mind eh!  The only real downer was I wasn't able to man the stall as at the last moments, the face painting lady didn't show up.  So I sat and painted tigers, butterflies (and even one dad as batman) for the entire day.

    

Never mind,, as I got  stuck by these two fabby friends who made me laugh the whole time!
I will  post soon on how I made the bow clips as I have now made so many (with two girls- how could I escape it) 

"Our daughter's daughters will adore us!" Suffragette Rosette

Hello Peeps!  I'm back from a week on the Isle of Wight and have Internet again!  This holiday jolt always does me good as it reminds me of my little blog and how I have missed it!  When I started this a few years back, I was posting every spare minute.  But, as time has worn on, spare moments have become harder to find.  This year sees a little let up (I hope) as my girls start to spend longer periods playing without Mummy on her hands and knees.  Work- which is always crazy is starting to settle and with this year seeing my little blue-eyed baby starting playgroup, well, I may have a bit of time to breathe again!

As I said, back from hols and feeling pretty chilled.  Three loads of laundry..check, Hoovering..check, Easter decs up.. check and Girls playing for a spell..checkity-check-check!  By the way- Snow, hail, ice and gale winds made an out-and-about holiday a real "treat".

Okay, the next few posts will be catch up- kind of a "Crafty Spring Clean".  There's a few little lovelies to share before I allow myself to move on and start anew.  This one has been waiting patiently as I tried to save a newspaper image (these things do take me a while, you know).  Hero day was my brain child and was such a hit last year that we went for it again this year (See previous post for me dressed as Mother Teresa!).  Everything conspired against me, from the snow, school closures, Ambulance man for class visits getting lost and a child from Nursery stealing my handcuffs!  It was a week of events with speakers from H4H and all the emergency services!  We had the fire brigade, Ambulance and Police and everyone dressed up.  I knew I wouldn't have the time to make up the costumes from scratch as I did last year so, I allowed myself a little cheat.  Katie's was shop bought and was, of course, far too huge.  I had fun finally using my dressmakers pin cushion for some quick-fix alterations for her to go as a young Queen Elizabeth I.  She was picked by her class to go for the "Awards ceremony" and we were all photographed by the local newspaper (who were also, very late...)

I know it's vain but....I look fab!  In the paper and I actually like the ruddy picture!  All that practising for the wedding photos paid off as the photographer only had time to snap a couple.  My costume cost £5 after hitting the charity shops hard and adding from my wardrobe.  The hat was a real find for £2 and the hand cuffs received the usual jokes (I bought them for the day, I swear). 

But the rosette- Oh the rosette...

It really made me proud that I was able to sit down, google an image of an original and make up such a lovely copy.  The only error (which was so frustrating) was that I stuck the ribbons the wrong way round.  As usual, I was finishing it up late one night and was having an excuse to use my new glue gun!  In my haste to attach them, I put them on wrong and the sodding glue was too good- darn it!  It is beautiful though, I even traced the text from the screen and used as a guide to embroider the letters.  I love it and it is carefully nestled in my dressing table drawer to see each morning.  I wonder when I'll get to wear it again?



Home improvements- Cath Kidston style!

I haven't been lazy this month- honest!  There's been lots of little jobs to finish and I'm getting into the whole mending thing (there always seems to be something that needs a tweak and a stitch).  Now thatt the holidays are here I've been able to attack some of those jobs that have been on the to-do list for a while.  I planned to jazz up my girl's curtains using my left over bunting fabric and was looking online for applique techniques but actually found a very simple technique in the Cath Kidston "Sew" book that I've been meaning to start since Christmas when I recieved it.  Don't they look fab!  I think I've morphed into Calamity Jane...I remember watching the "Never underestimate a woman's touch" song when I was little and thinking that putting ribbons on a chair was so far over the edge of taste that it was cringe-worthy.  Oh dear, how I have fallen.  I've chintzed up a perfectly simple set of curtains with the girliest fabrics around (Hate them, if you dare!)

Glow event at Bluewater

I went to my first craft event on Friday and had such a blast! These things are always far away day events that wouldn't be up my husband's and little girl's street. I had heard about the Glow event at Bluewater earlier this year as I was invited to teach there but, as it's on my day with my little tot, I decided not to go. Friday came and I thought I would pop in as I had jobs at Bluewater and I grinned the whole time!

I stocked up on healthy nibbles for my baby, milk and planned rest stops but she spent most of the time holding my hand and toddling around as I one-handed pushed the buggy. The Mermaid's Grotto was our favourite- I don't think we could make one pass without popping in and waving to all the fish and stroking the seaweed strands. The life-sized Mermaid and Fisherman are amazing don't you think? I love her hair and false eyelashes!

I met the wonderful Erika Knight who's books I learnt to crochet by and did finger knitting with Hannah on my knee. She is bringing out her own range of stunning wools and individual patterns for downloading which is a great idea. She also said that she's bringing out a new crochet book for Baby patterns which I must get.

I saw the exhibit of costumes from Downton abbey and managed to even quickly stitch my name into the world's longest embroidery- this was tricky as Hannah was again on my knee, babbling away and pretending to sew with the other ladies.

I did buy myself one treat. There was a stall demonstrating how to turn florist ribbon and tape into amazing flowers. The chap who demonstrated had all the right patter and made it look so effortless that you knew it would actually be really hard. He whipped up two flowers so quickly for my girls and spritzed them with perfume ( which is so 1970s). But it looked like something new and a craft I have never done before so I bought into it happily, knowing that I may flop but I would enjoy the process! I bought the starter kit which came with loads of different colour ribbon, tape, dvd of techniques and the special cutting tool. Then I spent a happy couple of hours getting to grips with it all. Guess what? It worked! I love the ones so far and will pop some pictures up when I have made a few bunches. With Mother's day coming up, I know what I'll be making...

Week 2 decoration- Embroidered Tree

Sorry about the poor picture quality. It was another very gloomy day and I wanted to take a picture before I unpicked this bad, bad attempt and went at it again with more of a plan in mind!

I love how it turned out in the end. Random swirly backstitch with tiny silver beads threaded on for sparkle.
I edged in black to keep the focus on the design.

That's so much better and in my Christmas drawer all tucked up tight!