The right light

In my creative space this week I'm having light issues...

In our old flat there was a perfect point on the fireplace mantle that caught the afternoon light 'just right'. It made for  pictures of the stuff I wanted to blog about.

  

   

But in our new house I just cant seem to find a similar spot. This is how a photo of my most recent bag turned out.

Not the worst, but just no where near the best either! Something just seems a bit... off! Then I find I either have to engineer some kind of 'set' or massively doctor the final picture (which drives me mad). Its really frustrating!

Do you have a good spot to take your photos?

More creative spaces here

Baby Shower Crafting

So baby showers.... not something you see/ hear much of in the UK, but I'm on a mission to change that (at least for friends and family)! Not just because they are a lovely way to make a very pregnant, probably very tired mum to be feel special, but because of the wonderful crafting opportunities that come along with hosting one! ;-)

My sister in law definately deserved a baby shower and in leiu of any sisters of her own, I thought I'd throw one for her. I went with a simple grey/yellow colour theme and decorated with strings of paper bunting...

baby signage ...

and naturally... a nappy cake centre piece!

The nappy cake was so astonishingly simple to make that I cant wait for more babies to arrive so I can have an excuse to make more!

You can visit more creative spaces here...

Babies on the brain

When crafting, I tend to make stuff that will either be pretty/cute or practical/useful. So... whereas in the past  I have made things like bags, coffee cup holders, camera cases, badges and bunting, I now find myself orientated to making things for babies (natch!).

Up til now, I've been doing rather dull things like making sheets, lining nursery curtains and covering the moses basket etc, but this week I came across the cutest dinosaur fabric which I knew would end up being put to good use...and it was!

Firstly it got made into a little dribble neckerchief type bib, modelled beautifully by little Owen!

It has a terry towelling backing and a simple elastic hook and button at the back.

Next it got made into a little draw string bag (to house a spare set of clothes for the inevitable 'out and about' nappy accident!).

A super cute addition to Owen's nappy bag, even if I do say so myself!

To see what some other crafty peops have been up to this week, head on over to Our Creative Spaces new home on Kidspot.

My (short but sweet) Creative Space

I’m thinking that bitesized blogging might be the way forwards given my current situation so hows this…

My sister wanted an ipad cover… so I made her one!

Its basically a larger version of the phone/ camera cases I made a while ago, with a double layer of padding.

She loves it! What do you reckon?

To see what a few other crafty peops have been up to this week head on over to Our Creative Spaces

My (swiftly changing and much more disrupted) Creative Space

So my creative space has been turned upside down in the past few months for two very big reasons...

Firstly, we moved house!

We not only bought our first ever property, but we also moved out of London!!! Only half an hour out of London mind, but its like a different planet. On the plus side, we have a whole house to ourselves (plus garden) and are surrounded by countryside. On the downside, dining options and access to the materials I was used to getting my hands on in London have become incredibly limited.

Its all worth it though, mainly due to reason two for my lack of crafting

... this little chap!

 Little Owen joined us in February and has totally taken over life as we once knew it. He’s gorgeous and I love being a mum although hilariously, I thought I would have hours of free time on my hands to make stuff during my maternity leave, but things havn't really panned out that way - shocking eh!

So as I said, my creative space is more chaotic than normal but I am still managing to get a few things done.

The priority this week is finishing these some flowers/ bridesmaid hair decorations for my little sister who is getting married on Saturday!

She wanted something not too big, not too small to attach to hair combs. She also wanted a slightly frayed look to them (which they will get as soon as worn) to mirror a detail on the bridesmaids dresses. They have been re-purposed out of offcuts from her wedding dress. They will look something like this (cue dodgy self portrait)...

She seems really happy with them which is always pleasing! I’ll post a piccy of them in action next week.

Whilst I'm unlikely to be blogging with any regularlity for a while, I am still going to try to keep things updated when I can. However I do hope to be catching up on other peoples blogs in the next few weeks as I have plenty of time during the middle of the night feeds, when my phone and the internet are my only company, so I'm looking forward to that.

For more crafty and creative projects pop on over to Our Creative Spaces. Its always well worth a visit!

Catching Up with my Creative Space

After my rather extended hiatus, I have decided to throw myself back in the deep end with a new craft. Stamp carving…of sorts.

I have been needing a name stamp for labels and things for a while, but haven’t found one I have been happy with. So when I stumbled upon a fab little craft shop in Winchester at the weekend, I decided to get all the bits I needed to make my own.

This linoleum stuff is newer and softer than the stuff you used to be able to get (apparently) and it cuts like butter.

I tried a couple of different approaches. The first was this one.

I used some letter stamps I had to create the outline of the text but it was very fiddly and ended up looking much more like an Asian print than I had anticipated. The ‘S’ is a bit wonky unfortunately. But its kind of okay.

The second one I did in about a minute.

I was just trying out one of the fatter blades and in truth I didn’t think it was going to any good, and it is a bit wobbly, but actually I think it might be my favourite! What do you reckon?

In a bid to get back into the swing of things I'm joining back in with Our Creative Spaces. Have a look, its always well worth a visit!

My Creative Space – Preparations

So I’m in full swing preparing for my first ever stall at my sisters fete in a few weeks. I have a huge list of things to make – some that I’ve made before, some that I haven’t.

One of my newest makes has been a camera pouch. I needed one for the ‘fun’ camera Mr T bought me for my birthday, so I came up with this…

I love it – especially the stripes and cool beige against the red (cute camera too eh!). It was pretty simple to make up – just an outer layer of linen, a felt lining for a teensy bit of protection and a cotton print inner layer. I liked it so  much that I decided to make a few more – 25 to be exact. I did a variety of sizes for ipods, cameras and phones!

It will be interesting to see what sells. Have any of you sold anything anywhere? What has worked for you? What are your big sellers?

Anyway, I’ve got a ton of other projects to plough on through so I’d best get on. For more crafty and creative projects pop on over to Our Creative Spaces. Its always well worth a visit!

My Creative Space – cheating slightly...

Photos: Second ever bag, first dress and top

In my creative space this week (today in fact) my blog has turned 2! Who knew! I had a shock when I realised. Saying that I don’t actually count it as a proper blogging birthday, as I didn’t really start blogging in earnest until the start of this year. So, instead of doing a traditional blogger ‘what I’ve learnt/ things I’m proud of’ birthday, I am tenuously using the occasion (and cheating slightly as I'm not going to show any crafting from this week) to share with you some of my earliest crafty/ blogging offerings. These are things so deeply buried that they’ll never see the light of day otherwise.

So here's my first and second bags.The first was made completely off piste and I basically made it up as I went along. The second (pictured above) was slightly more restrained affair and actually used a pattern. It was soooo easy to make that I have now made and given away quite a few!

Theres also my first ever top and first ever dress. I wear them both constantly and they are still holding together which makes me feel quite proud.

Finally, if you want a giggle take a look at my first ever post. I didnt have a clue what to write, and it shows! :-)

To hear from people who are undoubtably showing some more recent creative offerings than I have, pay a visit to Our Creative Space.

My Creative Space – Thrifting and Planning

Without my trusty sewing machine and awaiting new wool, I've not had huge amounts of crafty things to do, so instead I have been scouring local thrift/charity shops to see if there was anything I might be able to use for repurposing...purposes.

I found a couple dresses that looked like good contenders…

 

 Dress no.1

Dress No.2

Now whilst the dress no.1 is just a little bit too ‘busty milk maid’ for me, I just I love love LOVE the embroidery on the bottom.

Goegeous detail isnt it! I'm going to have to find a special project for that one.

As for the other top/dress thing -  i kind of think its...   well...   pretty awful actually!

However, taking aside the fact that I wouldnt ever wear it, I reckon that the pattern itself, is pretty darn AWESOME! Its got something of a vintage sheet or set of curtains about it. Imagine seeing a little flash of that from inside a linen purse or something. Yummy!

Luckily my machine is due back from its spa vacation tomorrow – hurrah!!!  I have all kinds of plans to get it back into the swing of things. Nothing madly inventive, but a few purses (lots of birthdays coming up) and a few phone/camera covers (I got a ‘fun’ camera from Mr T. for my birthday that needs a home!) will do the trick. Plus it’s a bank holiday this weekend so EXTRA sewing time – double bonus!!!


For more creative spaces have a peak at the new Our Creative Spaces page

My Creative Space - Snippety Snip Snip

So I’ve done it, I’ve made the cut!

No, not my coffee habit or the hair, the nursery rhyme book!

If you read the nursery rhyme post you’ll know that I was so taken with it when I first got it that I was considering keeping it as it was, and not using for the express intention I had bought it in the first place (to paper craft with like i did here)! I was clearly in danger of adding to the stockpile of books and other ‘nice' things that currently clutter decorate our flat.

So to aid my decsision and knock me off my perch on the fence, I ran through a quick mental checklist:

• Do I have children...?   No
• Do I ever have children visiting who would enjoy the rhymes...?    Very infrequently... so no
• Will I ever read the nursery rhymes to myself... ?   Errr, no
• Will I ever read the nursery rhymes to my husband...??? Definitely no
• Do I like crafting ...??? Silly question - next!
• Do I want to experiment more...? Why yes, yes I do

So the answer was clear and danger averted - I chopped up the book!

I have to say the first snip was incredibly painful! It went against almost every fibre of my being and felt soooo wrong (to put this in context, my parents house is almost a library, I have a literature degree and if asked what I'd grab first in a fire, there are definately a good few books that would rate high on the list!). But after a while of just getting on with it, it actually felt quite liberating and I’d created enough nursery rhyme strips to start sticking.

Heres the results...

(Sweetheart Mobiles. Note to self, put window cleaner on the house 'to do' list asap!)

 (Mini Flag Bunting)

(Whirly Twirly Whirly Mobile - or nursery mobile as I'm calling it)

They spin in a really pretty way in just the lightest of breezes. I have packaged a few of them up as a little gift box for an expecting friend. I hope she likes them.

I cant wait to see what other things I can find to chop up now!

For more creative spaces have a peak at the new Our Creative Spaces page

Frustrated Much!?!

Blogger has gone a lost loads of my comments! I'm gutted! I had loads of lovely comments from yesterday's 'Creative Space' that I was really looking forward to responding to - and now theres a big fat nothing! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

So if you did leave a message, thank you! I hope you arn't experiencing the same frustrations!

My Creative Space - Even MORE Buttons!

If you’ve ever visited my blog before, you might know that I’m a fan of buttons. And whats not to love?! Ranging from kitsch plastic funniness, to beautifully ornate vintage loveliness, there is a button for every occasion!

If you've never adventured here before, on Thisel and Bean so far, there have been buttons on cards, buttons as decoration, buttons as badges and broaches, buttons as eye candy, practical use buttons and many more.

So, this week as my machine is on a well deseverd break (its at the shop having the sewing machine version of a spa weekend) I have been ummming and arrring about what to do with my very bored hands. I was about to do another button sort (what can I say...its a compulsion – they are so pretty and you always find some gorgeous ones you had forgotten about!) when an oh so obvious thought popped into my head – I could MAKE some buttons!!! Perfect!

So i did....

Now I’ve never made buttons before, and admittedly it was all a little bit fiddly, but I’m pretty pleased with how they came out.

The Buttons all packaged up


Next time I’ll probably experiment with a few different types of material though: I used a reasonably thick cotton this time which created a bit of roucheing/folding around some of the edges (can you see that in the picture below?) which I would prefer to avoid in future, but I think its probably a trial and error thing. 

Nevertheless, I am now hooked – so expect plenty more buttons in the future!

To see more creative spaces go to the all new Our Creative Spaces.

And whilst you are over that way pop in on Kootoyoo - the original creative space to see where things are taking her these days...

My (Lazy) Creative Space

So it turns out that I’ve been enjoying holidays, time in the sun and family giggles too much to do any new crafting. Not that I'm complaining – I’ve had a couple of awesome bank holidays!

So instead here’s a belated post about the other bag (the one I said I’d put up at the weekend – oops!).

As you can see, its much closer to the ‘design’ I had originally had in my head, but it morphed into a summer tote bag instead. I put a zipped pocket on the inside of the bag and it is has a lovely 'not to big, but not to small' dimension to it.

I have mixed feelings about this one though: loving the blue and pink panels on the linen, but I decided to use all three of the Indian cottons I bought, including the orange one in the middle. Now I'm not quite so keen. It feels like the orange in the middle was a step to far. Mr T approves though, so we are divided on opinion! Not that it matters much as I’m probably too lazy to take it out again, but what do you reckon?

Orange in the middle - love or loath?

To see what other creative peops have been up to, pop along to Kootoyoo

My Creative Space – Completed work!!!

In my creative space this week, I have actually been creative! Woo Hoo!!!!!!

It comes as a very welcome relief after quite a long break between me and my sewing machine to actually of had time to finally finish several of the projects I’ve been working on for what has felt like an eternity!

First up, do you remember I bought some linens to use for a new bag (I put my ‘design’ up a few weeks ago)?

Well, I started work on the linen bag. As it turned out it wasn’t sturdy enough (even with a sturdy interfacing) for the messenger bag I wanted to sport this summer, so I started again. This time I used some denim and some left over scraps of a very cute flower fairy cotton print. Heres the result...

As you can see, I put the detail which I had planned to hide under the front cover, on top. I also went for stripes rather than panels. So actually, the bag I ended up with is nothing really like my original design, but I LOVE it anyway. Its the perfect size, shape etc etc. I cant wait to use it and get some ‘bag in action’ shots.

Buying the bright linens didnt turn out to be a complete waste of time as I used them to make a bit more of a tote type bag instead. But I’ll pop that up over the weekend.

In other news I am still working on my shrug...

Its definately getting there, but I still have a way to go!

I hope you are all having a similarly crafty week. For more creative spaces you know where to go - Kootoyoo