Quick hello

Desperately tired at the moment for no apparent reason so I have to admit, blogging is not top of my list at the moment. That being said I wanted to say hello to the Handmade Monday peops this week so figured I should probably do a quick post too.

This week I mainly have works in progress. I got some new felts the other day so have been playing about with them.

One idea I've had for a while is about doing some kind of seasonal bloom type crowns. Something a bit like this...

I'm going to do more of a cherry blossom version later in the week if Owen's nap times allow me.

As I was working away a second idea popped into my head and before I knew it, there was a little interloper on my floral crown! Can you see it? I started getting WAY sidetracked with anchors and waves so i didnt end finishing a version of either! Doh!

As a little side note I gave my dad the seagull bowl yesterday and he was quite taken with it. :-)

Have a good week all!

Simple Pleasures

Its been a bit nicer recently which has allowed the boy and I to get out in the garden. We got drawing with the chalk. Such a lovely way to spend time!

Easter in the Countryside

Very little crafting going on this week as the eating of holiday chocolate and spring walks in the country with my family have taken over.

We had lunch out a beautiful country pub in a beautiful old village...

had walks through fields ...

at country houses ...

along canals...

and through bluebell woods ...

Gorgeous!!! A perfect antidote for the work weary. I also giggled more this weekend than I have for about a month (and thats saying something as my husband makes me giggle daily!). Time with family is definately good for the soul!

Photos aren’t up to much this week as they were taken on my phone... still not sure why they look like they have been taken behind a film of Vasaline though!

Hope you had a good Easter too. x

Cherry Snow

We are lucky to live in one of the prettiest bits of London (so I think anyway). There are blossom trees everywhere and the past couple of weeks have been gorgeous.

 


Sadly the blossom is already coming off the trees – Boo!

The up side is that its REALLY pretty! It’s like a thick carpet of cherry pink snow everywhere.

I haven’t had time to get out there with my camera yet, so hopefully you'll enjoy these photos from last year.

 

Pretty eh!

Paper Crafting

Wow, its been a busy week! It seems like an age since I last posted, but I’ve been making up for lost time this weekend and have finally completed a couple of bags I’ve been working on, done some paper crafting and have also made some buttons. I’m feeling very pleased with myself! I’m going to put my bags up a bit later in the week, so today is all about the paper…

I posted a few weeks ago about some pretty paper garlands I had found as decoration ideas for my sisters wedding next year. Since then I’ve been nosing around a few junk shops to try to find some old sheet music (you know the stuff that has that gorgeous creamy/ brown slightly tea-stained look to it).

I found myself this… 

 It seems like old music from the 1930’s and it looked really cool. I felt quite guilty knowing that I was just going to chop it all up, so I had to dive straight in with the cutting. I cut up some little strips and stuck the strips together over some old bakers string (if that’s what you call it) to make the little flag bunting.

To take things a step further, I  also made a few drinks stirrers to see how they’d turn out.They seem mega popular in American 'backyard weddings' at the moment.

I think they are really cute! Admittedly, they’ve been made from chopsticks rather than straws or something else more appropriate for drinks stirrers, but it was just to see how they’d look. I tried a monogrammed one too.

 
What do you think? Good for a spring wedding?

Pops of Colour

Spring has well and truly sprung!

In the past week or so the trees seem to have POPPED like a firework, and all of a sudden there are lime green shoots of spring and blossom all over the place. It's so strange, one day there was nothing, the next there is colour everywhere!

Speaking of new colour (genius or tenuous link - you choose), how gorgeous is the colour of these threads!

I came across these vintage threads a while ago. Some of it is J & P Coats 6 cord thread which I think might be pre 1950's (they merged with another company after that), maybe even 1930's. The rest is Dewhursts Sylko Machine Twist. Dewhursts isnt quite as old, but all of the threads have been discontinued, so I buy as much of it as I can when I can find it. It has a strength and depth of colour to it that I haven’t found in any other threads. The names of the colours are just lush too, with names like'Pomegranete' and 'Blue Jade'. They are just perfect for bits of special bits of hand stitching or doing bits and pieces of decoration.

Preparing for Easter

Anyone would think I had children with some of the projects I pick up, but no – just young at heart I guess!

This weekend I decided to get cracking on a bit of Spring/Easter decoration and managed to persuade my ever patient husband (often referred to as Mr. T, nothing to do with a love of bling – honest!) to help me blow some eggs!

 

Lots of fun ensued...  If you’ve never done it before, make a small hole with a pin at the top of the egg (this can be a bit tough - hence Mr T's face), a slightly larger hole at the bottom and then basically… blow! Once the egg is out, rinse the egg in warm water with vinegar, then blow again. Then leave to dry and paint and tie with ribbon!

Here's my finished prototype.

It was supposed to be pink, but have turned out a bit more red than I had planned so I might need to re-paint it. I am planning to do a few more with a bit more colour variety in the next few days. So stay tuned to see the final result!

Clear Blue Skies in London Town

Today has been the most GORGEOUS day in London. Clear blue skies and smell of spring in the air (literally I can smell blossom everywhere).

I made it to the cloth house, and had to try really hard to keep to my shopping list. I could spend an absolute fortune in there if I wasnt careful! Anyway I am very pleased with my purchases. More on that in the week.

For now – the oatmeal cotton wool I mentioned yesterday...

As you can see, it of the Debbie Bliss variety. I just LOVE the colour. It just looks so cool and lovely. I bought a cotton wool rather than a woolly wool to make this shrug for the summer. Its not the most exciting thing to make, but I've never knitted a piece of clothing before so I figured something simple was probably the best way forwards!

I have had to buy some new tools to make my shrug – circular needles! Eeek!

They have taken a bit of getting used to, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.

One additional bonus to the day...scones...

...I whipped 'em up in about 20 minutes flat during the rugby. Awesome!

I love Saturdays!

A Sneaky Post

How has your weekend been? I went for a walk this morning and could actually smell spring in the air. Gorgeous - blossom coming out everywhere!

Only a short post today as I shouldn't really be posting at all... I'm in the middle of writing the first academic assignment I've written for YEARS and it's slow going! I really shouldn't really be distracting myself but I wanted to keep this little space updated!

Anyway, time has been in short supply this week so I still only managing to do tiny craft bits here and there. I'm still playing with the appliqué at the moment, but have progressed from the weird flower type thing I was doing earlier in the week, to circles instead - much better, although you'll notive that my stictching needs a bit of work!

Happy colours arn't they?! I decided to stitch around the outside of the circles as well as inside for emphasis. It seems to add a bit of...something....

I dont know if any eagle eyes have noticed but I'm not using an emroidery/sewing frame (I didnt have time to get to the shops to get one). Instead I made do with an old picture frame that I stretched the material over and clip on with bulldog clips. Crafty eh! Hopefully I'll get the change to make something with it all next weekend!

With that lovely thought hanging in the air I'm going to sign off to enjoy whats left of Sunday. Mr T. is cooking up the mother of all chillis at the moment, so when thats ready I'll call my 'assignment' a day I think. Why keep pretending. Its just not going to happen tonight!

Spring Weddings

I mentioned a while ago that my sister and her partner are getting married in the spring next year so as you can imagine – I’m mega excited! Having only gotten married myself about 4 months ago, I have been getting withdrawal symptoms after cutting down on my wedding blog viewing (i couldnt resist the occasional peek at style me pretty - its like eye candy) but now I have the perfect excuse to keep looking. Hurrah!

After proffering many offers of help, I have been set the fabulous task of coming up with a few decorations for the church. So searlier today I set out on the internet super highway in search of inspiration . Three hours later I had managed to sidetrack myself completely by finding all kinds of loveliness that would go with the colour scheme (yellows, greens and whites) and season (spring) that the bride and groom are they are going for.

(All photos courtesy of Style Me Pretty. )

Soooo lovely! I have a feeling that this may be the start of quite a few posts on the subject!

Note to the bride to be - I know you liked the moustaches/photobooth and sweets things that we had at our wedding, so if you were looking for a variation on the theme maybe something like your favourite chocolates and the photobooth with lips might work!?! Also I loved the little flag stirrers, Mr & Mrs signs and then the bunting - it screams springy/summer! Plus if it is nice, a few nicely designed cushions would be lovely scattered in some kind of cosy corner. I will keep thinking of church type decorations but in the meantime I hope the planning is going well! xx

Dreaming of summer

So I’ve been kind of busy today and have made quite a few starts on quite a few things.

Like the dress for the little girl I mentioned a couple of posts ago. Even though it doesn’t feel anything like spring yet (sadly) and summer seems a long way away, I feel like I’ve gotten past that point in the year where I can give woolly things as gifts so I’m forward planning with a summer dress for her.

I found the material I want to use today.

Aptly it’s a ‘Flower Fairy’ design. Love it! I'm going to make something kind of like this if I can:

I also made a start on a few summery type coffee mug huggies...

And attempted a knitted version.

I used a moss stitch (currently my favourite stitch) but it is FAR too big! I guess I’ll have to keep it for the larger mugs I own!

I also started a couple of birthdays presents, but more on that another day.

And as a complete aside I went over to Lewisham market today. Its always a great value for money for fruit and veg, and I came home with a complete bargain. I got a whole box of huge mangoes, most of them not even ripe yet for £1.50!!!! Insane! Anyway heres what our kitchen table looked like by the time I got back (minus the fab box of mangoes).

A whole heap of spring that is! Makes me think of salads, Vietnamese soup, maybe Chinese soup, maybe some kind of bruschetta ….mmmmmmmm!