Happy 4th Birthday!

Where on earth does time go? Sometimes it seems like a life time, but when you stand still it feels like it was only yesterday…

I have this a lot with my little man.  He seems to grow and change so quickly that you almost forget how he got to this stage.  That “time flies” saying really is true, especially as you get older.

Well today we have to stop and say Happy Birthday to our friend (Neve) who has turned 4!  This is what prompted me to think “Blimey…where has that time gone…!?”. 

It’s really quite novel to make something for a girl…I get to use nice flowery girly colours for a change which is quite refreshing.

When I went round to her new home, Neve very proudly showed off her new big girls room with, queue jealousy, a pink carpet!  I wanted to make something for her room, so I went for a personalised stuffed name hanger, so she can put it on her door, bed post…wherever!

A pink floral fabric, blue lettering with pink stitching, a laced bottom, and a pink hanging ribbon.

I stuffed it with dried lavender so hopefully it will keep it’s smell for a while.  It was rather fun to make.  I have designs on making my little man one for his room.

Today I have received a lovely photo with Neve and her door hanger! She is surrounded with pink and purple balloons, dressed up like a princess with a beaming smile on her face.  Happy Birthday Neve!

Right, I’m off now on a “date day”! My hubby booked a day off to spend with me whilst our little man’s in nursery, so we are off to have some fun!

Love from me and my little man x

First the Worst, Second the Best…!

Who remembers this from school?!
First the worst, Second the best, Third the one with the hairy chest, Fourth’s the Golden Eagle…  What was that all about?!  Well, I am going to employ that saying now as I am Second the Best!
Check out this…

Yes…I sent off an email to Simply Homemade Magazine in a bid to win some goodies.  Last time our Christmas stockings got Star Letter and we got £50 to spend on craft goodies (my sister and I split the winning bundle!), so I thought why not try again!?  And here it is printed in the letter section!  So no £50 for me this time, but a free gift…I have yet to find out what it is…hopefully it’s not something lame!
So I was Second the BEST…and who was First the Worst?!!!….my Sister!!!!! 

She sent off at the same time…and got STAR LETTER for her chair cushions! So she gets the £50!  Well done Rachey (..ahem more like.. Bah Humbug you witch!…)!!!
This is her 3rd time at getting Star Letter…I really need to up my game!! Hee Hee!
Love from me and my little man x

Every Hen Do Needs One….

What a weekend!
Celebrating one of my most favourite friends  hen do (we lived together at Uni), before she’s due to get hitched on Easter weekend.  We stayed in Birmingham and had a couple of drinks and a meal on the Friday night. Aerial silks (I know!…Acrobatics!) on the Saturday morning followed by a massage in the afternoon, and then a meal and drinking/dancing on Saturday night.

There was lots of gossip and lots of laughter.
Now the Hen is a fashionable bird so we all dressed up for our night on the tiles…She was given 2 lovely bride-to-be sashes (one from Victoria Secrets and a red one with flashing lights), and a veil from Victoria Secrets.  So suited and booted…there was something missing… hmmmm….
Cue me and my crafting! I know there is a dislike for all things willy on this hen do…but there has to be at least one willy…and confident no-one was going to step into this role…I thought I’d better step up to the mark!
So the night before I set about planning how to subtly introduce a willy into the group…


I made a small pouch… felt with blanket stitch.  My stitching could of been neater and tighter but I was short of time…
An L in the middle of the heart for “Learner” but also for “Lizzy”.


 

 


 Oh…hello…who’s peeping out here…?!

 

 
 


 

Here he is! Loud and Proud!
I must admit it was a bit weird making this with my hubby in the room…especially when I had to trim the balls to size!

So here he is ready for his adventure!
He made it out on the first night…and he went down Very Well!  Surprisingly for a willy everyone thought he was very cute and wanted their very own!


  Here’s a little photo album of his adventures…

		Willy’s Hen Adventures… VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

He had a few drinks and tried helping the barman…he had a few shots but he was a bit worse for wear with jager-stained balls…he tried DJ-ing…he had a bite to eat…and he got upgraded to be worn on the bride-to-be’s breast for the night! He was one happy willy!
A fantastic weekend had by all!  And my friend is going to make a very beautiful bride!
Love from me (and my little man was too young for this one!) x

Rocketing Commissions…

So things have been hard this week.  My dearest little man has been poorly.  He was all out of sorts on Monday, and then we had a Screamful night and day, with the GP suspecting an ear infection.  After a few more Screamful nights and a good dose of antibiotics we started to see improvements.  We had to call for re-enforcements in the shape of a Granddad to babysit so that we could go to work (working on a few nights of no sleep is super hard!).  Needless to say my little man spent some good time with his Granddad and they got on superbly. We can say that his Granddad has now earned his nappy changing qualification seeing as he’d never changed one before..in at the deep end!  With cheery smiles returning to the rosy cheeks of my scallywag, hubby and I were also invaded by some germs.  Heavy colds, lack of sleep, interrupting our plans…it’s enough for anyone to want to curl up and hibernate.  Roll on spring and summer when the weather warms and the germs go into hibernation for awhile.

A lovely surprise from my hubby this Valentines…a lovely bunch of flowers.  I am surprised he summoned the energy to do anything seeing as we were all so wiped out!  They are the most unusual flowers…I think they look like artichokes! I love them, and pleased he didn’t go for the commercial choice.   We can take or leave Valentines…we often don’t bother but flowers definitely made me smile this week.

Anyway…onto commissions…

It’s a funny old thing when people say they like the things that you make.  Invariably I don’t believe them as I see all the flaws, imperfections, and naivety involved with my projects.  It’s nice to hear though.  Well remember my robot birthday picture here ?! The recipient sent me a lovely picture of it on her son’s wall in pride of place…that made me feel good.  But then she asked if I’d make one for her to give as a gift to her friend and said that she’d pay!  The first thought I suppose is “Really?…They’re not that good…are they?!”  But then it’s really flattering, and as I enjoy doing it I thought well why not.  Costing work is a difficult thing, and valuing the time you spend on a project.  For this…material cost and a few cups of tea as payment.

The request was for a similar picture, boy’s colours, any theme.  Quite a broad spec there…  I drew a few ideas out…I plumped for a Rocket design.  There was a lot of pondering along the way (colours, stitching design, flames/no flames, materials…) but we stayed simple.  Sometimes simplicity is the key…well that’s what my husband’s response was as I think he was a bit fed up of me asking his opinion continually!  Here are a couple of pictures…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the finished item framed…

I’m pleased with the finished result. I hope it meets up to her expectations!

Since having this order, I have also been asked to make some bunting and memo boards for my friends baby’s room, and a bag holder for her kitchen.  I’ve entered into the challenge and will probably tackle the bunting and bag holder first…memo boards later!

I do have to balance being a mum, a wife, an Occupational Therapist, a domestic goddess, a social butterfly etc but I really enjoy my new hobby, and if I can make things for people along the way then that’s great!

Oh well, I’m going to rest and recuperate ready for a week of work (before 2 more weeks holiday! Yay!)  I wish these germs would do one!

Love from me and my little man (snotbags) x

PS…I’ve heard on the crafting grapevine that I may be famous again….. x

K-Mix Cover

I hope you are all okay?  My week of holiday has come and gone far too quickly. I have had fun though.  I’ve had my haircut, done some crafting, done lots of shopping, play dates with mummies/babies, lazing, the odd lie-in…it’s been good.  My husband phoned me on one of the days to tell me he was on his way home!  He took some holiday so that he could  spend some time with me.  It was nice to see him and spend some time as a couple, rather than parents, for 5 minutes.

The work meetings were as dull as can be expected. One delivered the message of doom that we have to competitively re-apply for our jobs some when after April. The NHS never fails to surprise me.  If they let services have some time to develop they would prove efficiency…whereas all this continual changing and continual paperwork unfortunately leave the patients, and the staff, worse off.   I find the thought of the whole thing quite demoralising when you have worked hard to achieve your current level.  And an “Assessment Day”…oh please.     Oh well, I can’t do much about it apart from dreaming of my little crafting tea shop… Funky teapots, Large mugs of tea, home baked cakes and snacks, rustic wooden tables with pretty table cloths, hustling bustling creativity and gossip… Does anyone want to jump on board and invest…?!!

To make up the for the bad news, what better way than to spend money that they are going to take away from you in the near future! Off to the fabric shop I went…!  I bought a few odds and ends.

I’ve printed off a few patterns recently, and have been pondering which one to start with…The Food Mixer Cover won!

My husband bought me a K-Mix a few years ago for my birthday. I loved it then and I still love it now!  The gorgeous almond white colour sitting proudly on my kitchen surface.  It has been used, and is not just for decoration, although my baking is few/far between lately (mainly due to the fact we just eat EVERYTHING I make and then we get fatter!)

 

One thing I found sad was that it gathers a layer of dust, and I have to wipe it down frequently to make sure it stays in tip top condition.  I remember by Gran has a mixer cover, covered with bumble bees and amongst them is a queen bee I used to enjoy spotting out.  Although I love to look at my mixer, I thought I could make it a cover to keep it warm during the baking lulls.

I set about and found a pattern…but it wasn’t the easiest of instructions to follow so I did kind of wing it.

I quilted the material to give it a bit more rigidity so it would keep it’s shape. My first go at quilting…I’m not very good at straight line sewing still! I decided to go ad-hoc with the quilting lines.  My material did pucker up in places, but that was a learning curve for me.  I sewed the panel pieces together as the finished piece would look and then bound the edges.  The binding didn’t take in a few places and could have been neater but I felt like I was rushing for some reason to get this finished.

I did triumph in the end and it is completed…and it does fit! It’s not my best work, but it’s a good effort. I could always re-bind at a later date if I want to.

Here are some pictures of my finished product…

 

Red and White spot with a blue binding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lining was blue mini-dot poodle fabric (ahem…the poodle was a mistake!…I asked for a meter of fabric and as I was getting other bits off the shelf she’d cut…and there was a hidden row of massive poodles on the bottom of the roll!)

 

 

 

 

It does the job and matches in with the kitchen.

Overall I am pleased.

Learning for next time…

1) take more time,

2) binding can be fiddly…make sure it’s caught both sides,

3) pin material for quilting…watch puckering.

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all for now I suppose…all though I do have a sneak peak for you…

If anyone wants to fund my cafe venture you know where I am!

 

Love from me and my little man x

Housewarming Present

Remember I went to my friends house?!…the one with the magazine home?  Well, that morning I went to get her a new house present, and my little man decided he didn’t want to play along…so I turned up empty handed and feeling very bad!  However it gave me a chance to suss out her new place, and see what would fit in with her style.

I looked at my fabric, and I saw I had a fat quarter which matched her green spot oilcloth on her kitchen table.  It had to be! I wanted something useful…so I went for a bag holder (the first I’ve made, but an easy project) to match her kitchen, but if she didn’t want it hanging on show, she can tuck it into a cupboard to cheer up a dreary space.  I have a lovely ditsy floral pink bag holder and we no longer have it out on show but it is hanging in our utility cupboard…but it does make me smile every time I go in there. It brightens the dull cupboard with a slice of prettiness.

It looks a bit lifeless lying out like this, but it needs stuffing with a few of those unsightly bags, and then the plumpness should give it a breath of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here it is with a few bags in…it looks better but still has loads of room for storage…

She has received it and she said it was just the ticket as hers had become old and grubby, and this one matched the new kitchen! Phew…I got it right!

Really quick and useful make!

Love from me and my little man x

Time for me…

I am exhausted…

A brilliant weekend of crafting at my sisters with our two boys.  The boys were not so brilliant…  I think my little man at the moment is a touch sensitive and was clingier than a limpet with a tube of super glue.  Reasons could be all sorts…teeth, out of routine, unwell…who knows with these babies?! Every day is a mystery.  My sisters boy was whizzing around fantastically on his walker, but with no time for people in the way.  The two did not gel…well at least not until the last day (but whether that’s because my little man knew he was to be homeward bound!)  I think personal space boundaries were definitely crossed…on several occasions!  We put it down to a North/South divide…the Northerns being brutishly over-exuberant and the Southerns being very wuss-ish.  It’ll be take 2 in three weeks or so…so lets hope relationships improve! Boys will be boys…

But more importantly…the crafting.  We managed well.  I had an idea of projects I wanted to complete so set to work.  There will be blogs to follow when people have received their handmade gift items, but they were much fun to make. My sisters Cloud was received well and promoted to the conservatory.  She was stuck in a project lull…but when she completed her project she found her inspiration coming back which was great.  Lots of exciting things to see soon!

I came home last night, the 4hour journey was long and tedious, but I was pleased to be reunited with a sparkly clean home (thanks to my lovely husband!), a fridge full of food, and lots of hugs (..and a few smooches…)! My little man was so excited to see his dad again and I can see a refreshed relationship again.  It’s very important to have a break away to feel energised and revived so you can stay on top form.

Speaking of a break….This week I have holiday and my little man’s gone to play at nursery so here is the picture…

…a crafting conservatory, cup of tea (hot cup of tea..), some chocolate, a bit of old Terry Wogan on the radio (…am I old?!…), some craftiness, sunshine streaming through…hmmmm….I can breathe a sigh of relief. Some time for me…

I plan to spend my week relaxing…I have crafting, reading, telly catch-up today (I did walk to the local shops to peruse the craft shop and get some fresh air).  Tomorrow I have a work meeting and then I’m going to hit the shops as I have a few vouchers to spend. Thursday for a hair chop, a potential lunch date with my husband and maybe another work meeting (booo…workforce review meetings…they are never joyous when you know your job could be at risk, but good to hear these things from the horses mouth and get an idea of where they are planning to go with services), Friday all my yummy mummies and babies are coming round for a playdate. So a good week planned I think.

This morning I have changed my background on my blog, I hope you like it? The patchwork is my first patchwork project, and it is a sneak preview of a secret project I am working on.  I plan to craft a more personalised blog title but that will come with time.

Well…that’s it from me for now… 

Love from me and my little man x