Bags of bags

Was a bit down to say the least by the end of last week. A relatively productive week, to be followed by a gloriously sunny camping weekend with a beach trip thrown in for good measure - all good... then my camera decided it wouldn't play, doom and gloom ensued, but I managed to push all the negativity aside and have a good break with family and great friends.

The weekend away was just what I needed, much fun was had by all. I mean, who can't have fun when you mix sun, sea, sand, playing at being pirates, live music and a fire to sit around? But I have no photos to show for it, so let's move on :)

My wonderful friend Jo of Muddy Puddle Crafts heard of my camera issues and has kindly lent me her spare til I can afford to replace mine, so generous, thank you Jo! It's amazing how much of a motivational tool blogging has become, though not having pics to show and tell with it becomes a moot point and my productivity has suffered because of it.

So, getting the camera on Wednesday meant that yesterday I did all these

One of the pink ones is for my niece, the others I am looking to sell, I do wonder how they will go. I am really pleased with them, the fabrics are good and strong, the pink being an up cycled pair of blackout curtains and this has worked really well.

They are perfectly sized for 2-5 year olds and they have a Velcro envelope closing so that little fingers can manage it all by themselves, zips can be such a pain for little ones, so this can truly be their own bag.

Big enough to carry spare pants, a couple of toys, a snack and even a small book, (almost) everything a small child would want to take with them on their adventures.

I made the prototype for my own, then 3 year old, for Christmas and I was actually stunned by how much he loved it. He uses it daily, whether popping out to play or going to nursery or out on family day trips and I have never had to carry it for him, which is such a blessing! I have improved this batch by adding a hanging loop to make it easier to hang on hooks at nursery etc. I wish I had done one of those on my boys!

My Crafty Sunday II

Ooops, nearly forgot... been away camping in glorious technicolour (sunshine).

Its just been the rucksacks I'm afraid... but I have again do more prepwork for next week.
My camera died on Friday, so no new pics I'm afraid.

Be back soon

No Pay to Display

A pretty busy week it has been so far, and only half way through we are!

I have finished the 2 toddler rucksacks I had on the go,

and then my thoughts turned to how to display them in the shop. I used to have space in this gorgeous little wardrobe

but I couldn't keep my stock levels high enough, so when I started the job in the Library I reduced my space and my things got dotted around in odd gaps. Now though I need to work out a display method for my stuff, yet the shop is getting quite full to say the least with around 18 crafters involved!

So, lamenting the loss of the wardrobe, which was all too quickly snapped up, I had to get my thinking cap on, so as usual, when I need a good think I took a stroll around the garden and found this

a (very) old set of cabin bed ladders from about 3 houses ago (yes I am a hoarder), the bed went the way of most things wooden in this house - part of it made our hen house and the rest fed our burner for a while. These ladders however survived as they became part of a now dilapidated and so deadly treehouse. So treehouse remodelling is on the cards for the bank holiday weekend.

I think these will work well in the shop as they wont take up much room and can have any number of fabric things strewn or hung upon it.

As the gap left to fill is against a vibrant pink wall, after a quick sand, I hunted through the old paint stash and chose the dusky pale olive green I used on a wall in the kitchen to hang my 'clutter shelves' on (does everyone have these clutter spaces in each of their rooms?). Having done that and found that being matt emulsion it left the ladders feeling dusty, I wondered about varnish. I had none. But what I did have was some of that glitter glue paint stuff that was all the rage when my 12 year old was 4. So I gave it a stir and a poke and slapped some of that on too. Very pleased it's all been salvage, it's worked a dream I think, look!

All that's left to do now is work out how to fix a baton to hook the ladders onto when I found out today its not a solid wall, hmmmm. Fun, fun, fun!!

Hello to new followers!!

I'd like to welcome new followers, both here and via networked blogs on Farcebook (!) by sharing a little about me and mine in picture form... enjoy x

My Crafty Sunday

What a nice way to sum up a week.

I have loved the thought of Sunday coming and what would I have to show for it, thank you, again to maria for the idea. The links to others joining in can be found on maria's blog, me and ma.

It hasn't been a good week for finishing, though I have started so much, so that's this coming weeks activity sorted! But I did complete a Superhero Cape as stock for the shop as we've had none in the shop since Christmas.

On the cards for next week are rucksacks, I have the privilege of making one for my gorgeous niece Hattie-Mae which I shall enjoy immensely, more capes on the go including a new 'Captain Planet' style in brightest green which I can't wait to see done, and I am hoping to make a gift bag from the fused plastic I experimented with making. Exciting week!!

Retail therapy!

I'm not usually one for enjoying shopping. I'm more of a surgical strike kind of shopper, no browsing for me! But, today was different. Maybe it was the sunshine, maybe the fact that I was alone without the kids, maybe because I have felt more productive this week, more than I have for a long time or maybe because I have many plans for making rattling around in my head. Whatever it was, I loved it! So much so I wanted to share. I even found myself trying on a dress, I can't remember the last time I actually tried anything on, proper window shopping. Needless to say I didn't buy it, but I was sorely tempted. I even found a nice necklace to go with it, but I was very, very good and put them back, and didn't feel at all guilty that I had the shop assistant running around after me!!

The shopping trip was for fabrics, I hunted around charity shop for upcyclables and found this pair of curtains.

It's very thick fabric as it's got that blackout coating on it, but this should make it perfect for bags, pencil cases even wash bags. It's still washable at 30 degrees.

I also got bits and bobs to do more Superhero Capes and bits of felt for motif making and the thread I sorely missed having earlier in the week. And managed to find some fabrics for costume orders, namely a haversack for a friend who saw the toddler rucksack, (which I can't find any pictures of strangely and right now it's filthy so it will have to wait) that I made for my son for Christmas to use at nursery and wanted an adult version.

I was looking for some inspiration for a costume with an eastern influence as I mooched round town and I spotted at a stall set up in the church, just couldn't take my eyes of this

I tried so hard not to like it, but I think I fell in love with it so I did that deadly thing of asking the price, then I asked again if she was sure... £15! All hand embroidered and so heavy for just £15!! I had to have it. Now I just have to design the rest of the outfit around it, can't wait!!

 

Then I think I got the bug so when I saw these in the last charity shop I searched, I just threw caution to the wind and bought them too!

So cute! As soon as I got them out, before I could take this photo, my little one said "Ooh, mummy, I'm very thirsty. I would really like to have a cup of tea... In that blue cup please." So duly I gave it a quick wash and made him a cup of rooibos tea, and he did look sweet sat drinking it.

I was good though, in a way... I didn't stop at the coffee shop in the church (I did use their loo though - cheeky me!), or buy a smoothie to sit on the Cathedral lawn. I even remembered the kids and got them a tub of their favourite sweets to share when I got home.

On arrival back at base I found the lawns mowed, dinner in the oven and even the bathroom clean! (I think I should leave everyone at home more often) And to find we are expecting a good friend over for the weekend too, good news!

All in all, a wonderful day! Hope yours has been too :)

Crafty Sunday from Me and Ma

Because I am known as a lazy crafter (which isn't quite true, I'm just very easily distracted...) ooh, what's that, hang on...

Right, where was I? Oh yes, Jo from Muddy Puddle Crafts and one of the lynch pins of The Hope Emporium, pointed me to Me and Ma's blog, where I found mention of Crafty Sunday, where you post each Sunday what you have made that week, typically I think I'm a week late, but I am going to try and achieve this, though I do worry my creations will be pitifully small and simple compared to others, but hey ho... I need any motivational tool I can get my hands on!

Plastic Fantastic

I ran out of thread for my current makings so was trawling the Internet for ideas and came across Etsy Labs archive's guide on fusing plastic carrier bags to make a stronger plastic fabric. What joy! This has kept me very amused this afternoon, if a little frustrated at the trial and error nature of new tricks...

So I started by rummaging for old carriers, few and far between in this house these days so that was a game of discovery in itself. It's amazing what you find in the back of cupboards...

Cut off the bits i didn't want and layered them up like so between pieces of what should be parchment paper, but seeing as I have no clue what that is, I reckoned the greaseproof paper I had in the baking drawer would do just fine.

The iron temperature is where the trial and error, and error, and yes more error came in, but eventually settled at a wool setting on 7 layers of carrier bag. Apologies the pictures are rubbish, but you can see the 'far too hot' with holes and molten plastic, the almost there, but I overdid the amount of ironing necessary in the centre, and the bottom picture does seem about right, if a little on the wrinkly side.

So I definitely improved as I went along... going to have to raid friend's cupboards now for their carriers so I can do more trials, and yes undoubtedly more errors so that eventually I can make, get this... shopping bags from, er, shopping bags!! But these will be strong I hope and durable and definitely upcycled!! 

It's brightened up an otherwise 'um, er, it'll have to be housework then' kind of day :)

Resurrection

Hello, at last!

Crafting has been asleep since I agreed to take that job, how can such a small part time job mess up each and every day so wholly that not only did my crafting suffer, but so did my garden and even quality time spent with the kids and my other half? (Or 'current partner' as he said on his latest CV which is another story, but I was less than impressed!!)

For a few months I tried to carry on thinking that these sacrifices needed to be made and hey it is bringing in steady money, something crafting can never do. But you know what? I got pretty depressed, especially as spring finally sprang and the kids and garden developed without my nurture, I ran out of stock at the shop and struggled to fufill orders that came my way - I'm not a great multi-tasker

So then came the internal struggle, feeling pretty useless and with no drive yet beating myself up that I wasn't good enough and all that tosh, but thankfully I never stay in that dip for long and even more thankfully things looked up for my partner (current!) in his work so financially it became possible to risk losing the steady money to achieve a happy balance of chaos once more.

So..... I'm back!!!

This is week 2 of being 'free' and it's been great, though not that productive until today (I got a good telling off from a friend yesterday that put a rocket up you know where..). Until today freedom has been just that, all fun and shirk, catching up with family and friends, hiding in the garden playing with my birthday present of a 30cc strimmer - such fun! But today, I'm really feeling back on top... Welcome back and thanks for sticking with me :)

Before I go and make tea, I'll finish with a pic of Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean, a great family day out and a stunning environment that lends itself to imaginations running wild...

until next time x

Creative Dictator? Yeah me too

My favourite blog at the moment is blueprints, full of patterns and tutorials with no limits on what you can do with it, a very generous thing to do in this all to profit driven world, and something I am determined to copy in my endeavours.

Anyway, getting off the point here, I was reading some of her older posts and found her post entitled Crayon Liberation. Everyone should read it and let go of the 'don't make a mess' mentality when kids are being creative.

Got to go, battery dying on the laptop. Happy reading

Isn't it pretty?

I have been prettying my blog for my own amusement, hope you like it too!!

Juggling

I have passed myself another ball to throw into the mix - nothing like keeping it fresh, eh?

I have been offered a new job which is like gold dust; term time, part time and very, very local! They are even willing for me to do 4 days instead of 5 until my youngest begins school in September! The job is also more interesting than I imagined, running the library at our small, but caring secondary school where Kate, my eldest has just started year 7. Just refurbished and now known as the Learning Resource Centre, my role is to make the place an effective area for study and quiet reflection for the students in an otherwise bustling school day. I can run projects that go along with curriculums, poetry and reading challenges and allsorts, my first thought is to do a display board for current affairs entitled 'Am I Bothered?' . Very exciting.

But now it means I am juggling an extra ball now, home making, crafting and now work. I was anxious about arranging childcare as I detest childcare settings in the mainstream, but with much thanks to my friends, I have managed the time when nursery sessions don't cover with weekly playdates within Freddie's friendship group, which I feel very comfortable with.

The job is set to start very soon, on the 30th so wish me luck, I do hope I can continue to be creative both with craftiness and the family and keep this blog going. I am sure I'll struggle some days, but I am so very thankful to the gods right now for answering my pleas of need for the family, and now I am in a much more secure place and will be meeting my earnings target to help out the family budget. I have already planned where the money I'll earn is to go, swimming lessons for Freddie and music lessons for Kate are a couple.

In all I am truly happy and excited and very, very grateful for the full feeling I have right now, long may it reign!! I wish a bit of that warm and fuzzy feeling for all of you as the weather bites cold and wet.

Back from the brink

It seems like a long time since I have posted here, or indeed made anything of any merit! I have however made plenty of mess while I have been away; lurgy-filled household followed by half term break, my eldest's 12th birthday and going camping (in November!!) and then the inevitable clear up from all that.

So I thought I'd take a moment to pop on here and give an update of what I'm doing and planning right now. I have been able to make some Christmas decorations, both for the shop and home. Also did a couple of new things, for my kids for Christmas I have covered mache initials for them both with gorgeous cotton prints which I have hung in the shop for now to take orders from. Also, whilst I had the spray glue out I covered some simple wooden photo frames in delicate cotton prints too, they look amazing if I do say so myself!! Pics will follow in the next week.

It's been a great month all told, we got rid of all illness before the end of the month and since then it's been joyous. Really enjoying the autumnal weather, food and family time together. Managed to get out to the woods when the trees were really showing off, they put on an excellent display this year thanks to the wet summer!

Also got to go camping near the dunes at Merthyr Mawr, Bridgend. It's the second time we've braved the weather and camped in November, and we were lucky again. There were showers, but that kept it mild and we had a lovely sunny day on Sunday in time to dry everything out and pack up for home.

This morning I have been offered an interview for a job I had forgotten I had applied for, that was a nice surprise! It would be great to get this job, it's erfect as it's based in a school, therefore term time only and during school hours, so fingers are very much crossed that I get it as term time part time jobs are like gold dust!!

Wish me luck for Thursday's interview!! Thanks for reading.

Stuff what I have made

So, how many times have I promised these?

These are my pencil rolls and they have come up really well. I and others have made these before, but this time I have really simplified the pattern making them speedier to put together.
I have also incorporated a cotton batting in between the layers, this really keeps the pencils snug in their pockets, allowing some degree of protection against knocks and drops, which are inevitable but make pencils frustrating to keep a point on as we all know!
I love the fabrics on these, you can't quite see the detail on this pic but the orangey one is a lovely vivid print of cerise ovals and dots on the brightest orange background. I even got clever and the topstiching co-ordinates on one side and contrasts on the other, just because I felt like playing! I really like the duck egg blue paisley with mulberry coloured flowers, a very pretty mix. The stars print is fun, lined with brightest yellow to appeal to boys as well as girls.

Need I introduce these? My fabulous superhero capes!! I just adore these. We have a superman as the stalwart design,in red or blue., and this week I increased the range in time for Halloween to include a batman design and pumpkin man (?) well, that's what my son calls it! I have 2 more designs I am going to do in time for Christmas, a Captain Planet design, in green with a planet earth felt design and a Princess Power design in, of course, pink with a crown or a butterfly felt applique, I haven't decided yet! Both of which I am really looking forward to making.

Made from polyester satin, a break from my norm as I usually strictly use natural fibres only, but they need the shine, and with acrylic felt appliques, simply because I can get them easily from my local haberdaser in a load of great colours and also to keep the costs down. I do hope to move to wool felt as soon as stock is shifting and I can afford the outlay. I have found Blooming Felt online and really want to buy her stuff, I truly love felting, but I am too slow at it to be able to make feasible. I just do it fo the joy of it.

Finally these, my Raggedy Hearts, blatantly nicked from bellsjo's tutorial (see her blog from my blogroll).
THANK YOU!! These made up my first sale at the shop and I need to make more! I have made them smaller than bellsjo suggested, mine are 6" rather than 8" that bellsjo made.

I am going to town on lovely prints for these. Helped by the fact that, yes another mention for her (did I tell you she is wonderful?) bellsjo sent me some stash, including my first piece of Amy Butler fabric!! I was a very happy lass when that arrived with a lovely postcard that keeps me going. when I feel like sitting in the bath all day.

Finally I shall leave you with a pic of my stuff in the shop, my display space at the moment is a gorgeous little wardrobe, which I hope to outgrow soon.

Happy crafting!!

Phew!!!! I'm bushed....

I am pretty darn tired this late Sunday evening after having quite a week.

My eldest was at home ill for the start of the week and my youngest, being a bit of a dare devil/superhero in his spare time, had an accident resulting in a casualty trip in place of tea time on Wednesday. All is well, and his tongue has repaired itself remarkably quickly! Eurgghh!!

So that kinda put pay to getting photo's of my stuff in the shop, and subsequently onto here. ( I daftly forgot to take the camera with me last week when I began my journey into selling, my mind was a little elsewhere) All excuses aside, I managed to have a catch up day yesterday and got some more superhero capes on display in time for halloween.

I love making these capes!! The first, obviously had to go to my own little superhero, for destruction testing more than anything, and I am very pleased to report that they both look good and survive many miraculous deeds and heroic battles along the way, they wash well, on a cool cycle too! Another plus point  for me, and therefore may well be for any mum of a budding allbeit impatient superhero, they dry really quickly too!!

I have also taken the ellusive pictures and will get them on here tomorrow... promise! But in the mean time I'll leave you with this...

Oh, just one more excuse... I have been busying myself with getting a dedicated blog for the shop, where all the crafters are authors... I'm hoping it will be fun and colourful, like the shop itself. Take a look for yourself

Deadline looms closer than we think

I thought September lasted a few more weeks, realising with a jolt today that it is October on Thursday. Why is October important? Well, that's the deadline for getting my stock into The Hope Emporium, our local craft store, full of pretty and unique things all handmade by locals.

I agreed on October with Jo and Jane from the shop at the end of August, it felt like eons away then, but now it is 3 days away, I want to get the stock in on Thursday morning, which means I only have half a day with an empty house (bar the cats and the odd chicken!). Looks like the evenings will be humming with the sound of the sewing machine for the next couple of days. I won't have much in there to start with but will build stock levels up each week. Things are coming along nicely!

I promised photos of what I'm making, I shall take some on Thursday and get them on here after that, maybe with some shots of my stuff in the shop. I am very exicted!! Better get back to it. For now though, here's a shot of the yummy fat quarters I hunted out recently.

When I found these I also discovered Amy Butler's fabric collection and drooled for quite a while, they are gorgeous! I was very temtped, but can't stretch the budget that far yet, but I did get a free pattern for the sweetest bug cushions, a butterfly and a ladybird which may well end up being made up for Christmas presents this year!!

I was accompanied by my 11 year old on the hunt and she is now planning a few projects of her own which is lovely and I'm really looking forward to seeing what she has in mind.

Half-hearted Gardening

Having attempted veg growing for a good few years now, I still never get it right, but even so got some fair results this year.

This week, as I have been concentrating on my sewing machine I forgot to do a food shop, to be very truthful I did a fabric shop instead! So by Tuesday we had run out of food and turned to the garden to supply tea for the family. Cringed at the thought of what would be weeds not food, but was pleasantly surprised by the results!

Not bad really... I grow nasturtiums because my youngest loves munching on the flowers while he waits for tea, which is handy really because they grow so very easily.

The carrots and parsnips went to make a lovely roast dinner with random bits of meat found lurking at the back of the freezer. I had a well fed and happy family!

New Beginnings

Ha! Me, a blogger.. who'd have thought it? I know I never did, but here I am. Why? To share in my excitement at prospects new for me and the family. My youngest, Freddie has begun nursery and so the time has come for me to think of my own future a little more.

I was self employed in the events industry for many years and throughout my eldest Kate's early years, but when Freddie arrived as quite a surprise I couldn't (or possibly wouldn't!) find the balance between working and mothering, so I closed the business and my long suffering other half  Paul went out to find work after being the stay at home dad for Kate (he did a great job and I have been trying to live up to his pretty exacting standards ever since!).

So here I find myself, having enjoyed Freddie's baby days, in that hole we all find ourselves in at one stage or other, staring into the void that is our future and finding my place in it.

I have decided to make stuff again, mainly from fabric, but other stuff aswell. All things I have done before for pleasure but now set myself the challenge of making the fruits of my labour profitable. I am in the lucky position of having a local outlet wanting to stock stuff, The HOPE Emporium,a newly opened craft shop in the market town of Bromyard entirley stocked from local craftspeople. As well as there always being a small craft fair going on somewhere relatively local that a few crafters get together to do. Its all ripe and ready to go, I just need to jump in with both feet and get stuff made and out there.

Having said that, I'll stop rambling for now and get on with making stuff. I'll let you know how it goes and get some pics of what I make over the next week.