I'm itching.............

..........to get stitching :)

Happy Holidays.....hope you are having a good break, having time off to spend with family is a real treat and I have resisted the temptation to sneak off and do some making but I am so looking forward to getting on with some sewing and making a start on some new projects...I have watched 'Singing in the Rain' 4 times and eaten more chocolate than Willy Wonka....and a new year is fast approaching....

heres to a very Happy 2012, to lots more making, sewing, crafting, chatting and laughing :)

...... thankyou for the kind messages about my little shed feature in mollie makes....I am most chuffed :)

x x x x x x x x x x 

ps I have a sale in my shop, to make room for new listings I am giving 15% discount ....type in SAVE15 at the checkout for 15% off your order x x x x

derek's dreamin' of a white christmas.......

 

well....the big day is looming and despite attempts to be a very organised elf this year, a few things are still to be done...but no worries, only I will notice if they're not ready in time :)

the trees are up and the house is feeling festive.....

....a little dusting of snow helped with that this morning,

Derek has gone white for christmas...I couldn't help it... I was painting the table and looked up...suddenly I was attacking his antlers and there was no going back :) I think he suits it.... 

so....we are looking forward to some family time, relaxing, catching up with friends, drinking snowballs....might even be able to sneak off to the shed for a bit of calm and some crafting. I have been drawing a lot lately and I'm hoping to combine that with my love of illustration, I have a lovely little stash of fabrics ready to be turned into new bags,cushions and bundles :) so I'm looking forward to a busy 2012 :)

that just leaves me to wish you a very...

 and a wonderful...happy new year.....hope you get all you wish for :)

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 

holiday how - to #4 owlies grotto

Firstly, do not adjust your monitor or run off to specsavers for an eyetest.......these photos are blurred!! my only excuses are.... the light was very bad and my camera couldn't cope and that I was so giddy making this that I couldn't wait to get on with it and rushed the pics.....

to make a little christmas grotto you will need

* small cereal boxes

*glue

*papers,sticky back plastic,tinsel,old christmas cards,fabric scraps,trims

*scissors

-First you will need to follow the instructions on how to make a bird house tutorial -  here..

- instead of cutting a little round hole, make a bigger door shaped hole at the front

- take your papers and sticky back plastic and start sticking :) do not worry about being all neat and tidy, the wonkyness adds to its charm

-glue fabrics to the inside

-stick on the tinsel, christmassy pictures...anything you can find..the more the merrier :)

 - pop your little owlie in her new home....

......note this grotto is not exclusive to little owls......small deer, birds or gnomes might like it too...

- you can make this bigger by using full sized cereal boxes or tiny by using matchboxes...

....now a little question before I go...what would you do?

......the other week when searching for fabrics to make more messenger bags I came across these lovely curtains..... vintage Sanderson with Laura Ashley linings

they are really beautiful and in lovely condition, they even came in their own maartje style suitcase

my question is ...would it be really terrible to chop these up to make bags and cushions or should I keep them and find a window to hang them in???

happy... (grey and rainy)  thursday 

x x x x x x x 

holiday how - to #3 hanging owlies

 cute little felt owls for hangin' on your tree or anywhere and the best bit is... like dogs they are not just for Christmas:)

to make a few of these you will need

* felt in several colours

*embroidery threads in a few nice colours

*buttons

*ribbon

*stuffing (you can use scraps of fabric to stuff or you could do what I do which is to secretly attack the nearest cushion and pinch a bit of stuffing)...

use this pattern as a guide to cut out the owls, you will need 2 of each shape (except the beak) for each owl

- sew all the features onto the top body piece - eyes ...beak...wings with your favourite stitch or stitches if like me you have a few :)

-take the back body piece and start to sew the back and front together using blanket stitch

-sew in the ribbon loop as you go along the top in between the ears, make sure its well sewn in

- when you get to the bottom, leave a gap and push in a little stuffing, not too much just enough to give a rounded shape and then continue to blanket stitch 'till it is all sewn up

- add the button
 x

I have made these for little Christmas presents, so I have packed them up in a bag with a bit of vintage wallpaper,
my boys (10 and 9 ) have had a go at these and they have managed pretty well with simpler stitches so it could be a good little crafty afternoon activity and you can resort to glue as I did if the stitching gets a  bit much.

I have drifted from my path of be 'prepared for christmas' by distractions of an impending school trip and horrible surgery on a tooth -  stitches and a face like a hamster aren't my favourite look for the holiday season, but eating only mash potato and ice cream made it bearable :)

Happy Monday 

x x x x x x x 

p.s I got a bit carried away and made a few too many owls, so have popped a couple in the shop :)

holiday how - to #2 tags and labels.....

......be prepared is my motto for christmas this year so here is a quick.. how to get organised in the wrapping department :)

you will need..

*white card

*tags/labels

*hole punch

*twine/ribbon

*ink pad

*any christmas stamps

you just need to cut the card up into small rectangles to be folded in half for little gift tags,

long rectangles with holes punched in the end for swing tags,

A5 card size pieces to be folded in half for little thankyou notes

 any size stickers are good for labelling

just stamp away with your Christmas stamps 'till you are happy

 then just add the twine to your tags if you have made them yourself and you're all set, to wrap,stick,label and thank :)

note - most items were bought from basic stationery shops, the stamps I have collected over the years but etsy and ebay are great for these and the fab Thankyou stamp was from paperchase £2.50

 Happy 1st of December to you, we have had to have a star wars Lego advent calendar this year which is most un-christmassy so after losing our usual pocket one I ran this one up last night...using an old pillowcase and some strips of fabric, there were a few mistakes along the way ...er like not putting enough pockets on!! but it all came right in the end!

hope you're having a happy advent day :)

x x x x x x