Secret Post Club

I am playing catch up this week, can you tell?

Nearly two weeks ago now I received my first ever Secret Post Club parcel.  Having sent mine off to the US a few days earlier I was so excited to receive mine so quickly!  Annie of Incessant Ramblings sent me some lovely bits.  A little pampering set of bath and shower smellies...

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love smellies so these are right up my street!

Annie also made this beautiful cherub...

Isn't he lovely?  He is varnished so can be displayed in my garden, where he is currently nestled amongst the herbs and young vegetable plants. 

Annie's blog is well worth a visit, she is an amazing photographer, I mean seriously good.  She also sent me a bar of proper lovely Green and Blacks milk chocolate but..er..I can't seem to find it right now...can't think where it might have gone..ahem...

I am loving the Secret Post Club, the pleasure of putting a package together for somebody, the excitement of receiving something in the post, and the opportunity to discover other crafty women in the blogisphere, other mums, like-minded people. If you want to get involved click on the link in my sidebar *points to the right* over there, you won't regret it!

xx

My tutorial is on Feltorama!

Thanks to the lovely April over at Feltorama my Matryoshka doll tutorial will reach new eyes!  

So head on over there to see my felty tutorial on display (yes I realise I am ridiculously late in sharing this information) and take the opportunity to check out the hundreds of mouthwatering tutorials she has over there.  My favourite of the moment is this tutorial from tangarangblog for a felt circus elephant, one of these will definitely be made for my next Toy Society drop!

What are you still doing here?  Go!  Feltorama!  Now!

x

My favourite blogs - MLE LN

My apologies, dear readers, for my sudden short absence from blogging and commenting.  I have two really good excuses: firstly I started my new job, which has been very time and energy consuming; secondly, well, the second excuse will have to wait until later this week, but I promise it's a reeeally good one...just wait and see :)

In the meantime, lest the suspense should kill you, I shall distract you with the second in my Favourite Blogs series.  Lovely readers, I would like to introduce you to...

I came across Emily's blog via the Toy Society.  I followed the link to her blog after seeing the cute little bears that she had dropped in Seattle.  After browsing through all of her posts I was hooked.  Emily is very clever and very generous when it comes to sharing the how-tos for the things she makes, I mean who could possibly resist a Yum Yum Spring Sprout Cake?!

Seriously, they're cakes!

Or how about these ridiculously dinky merit badges...

I love these, they make me smile :)

Or maybe some gorgeous pouches for a the "block-drawing game"?

Recently Emily offered out one of her crafty cocktail rings...

I jumped straight on the offer!  But, feeling a bit bad about coming out of lurking just to grab a freebie, I offered one of my matryoshka dolls in return.  To my delight she accepted!  And a couple of weeks later I opened a parcel to find this...

I can't resist a sweet little bag, and the notepaper, eek, too much cuteness!  But best of all, inside was my very own cocktail ring...

How fabulous is that?  Fab. U. Lus.  I love it, thanks Emily!

So go pay Emily a visit, have a go at some of her tutorials, check out her toy drops, and enjoy the lovely craftiness!
xx

(All photos, apart from the last two, are Emily's, with permission.)

Little bags

You know what it's like - you're dashing out to the shops, hubby's doing the childcare, you've got two hours, tops, just for you.  You don't need the bag you use for family days out - massive, slightly worn, stuffed with wipes, snacks, tissues, spare clothes.  You don't need your work bag - slightly less massive, stuffed with tissues, ipod, book, travelcard and, if you're like me, snacks.  You need a bag just big enough for your keys, your mobile and your purse...ok, and a snack.

So I made one...

It has a pink bunny as a nod to the season - a bit springy and easter themed (ok, I'm a bit late for easter!)  I really like this bag, it is made from a cut of old wool fabric, lined with organic cotton and appliqued with recycled felt and, as planned, it is perfct for carrying those little essentials.  So I made some more...

And there's more to come too!  Not quite sure what I am going to do with them.  I was planning on opening an online shop and maybe selling a few things, but I am just not convinced that I would be able to dedicate the time, and I'd be too nervous that my handywork wouldn't be good enough and I'd have a ton of annoyed customers!  So for now I continue to sew for pleasure, and keep giving my friends and family bags, dolls and purses :)

xx

Beware the scary kitty...

I've been wanting to try my hand at making the Pointy Kitty from Wee Wonderfuls for a wee while and last week I finally sat down and had a go. I was surprised at how easy it was...

I would highly recommend giving this pattern a go for a quick sewing fix, I hand-sewed mine in front of the telly which made for a very relaxing and satisfying evening.

I chose pink buttons for her eyes, which I admit does make her look a little scary...but we love her all the same :)

xx

Little green shoots

We've had some seed growing action this week!  It's generating much excitement.  Lillia's sweet pea seeds that she planted at nursery were the first to show up and are doing very well indeed...

And there are more than a few hints of green are to be seen in our seed trays...

Sweetcorn above and, below, tomato!

Hoping to get some of these planted out in the garden this weekend, seeing as the weather is supposed to be so lovely.  Hopefully I'll have shaken off this hideous bug by then *cough splutter*

xx

My favourite blogs..and a thank-you

I have been fortunate enough since starting this blog to meet (in the virtual sense) some pretty fabulous people.  I don't think I spend enough time singing the praises of those whose blogs I love to visit, who make me laugh, and who provide support in the form of comments, little tweets, emails or through the writing and pictures in their inspirational blogs.  So it is time for me to give a little back!  Over the next month (or six, may as well take my time) I am going to draw attention to some (not all, or I'd be here all year!) of my very most favourite blogs, so that others who pass by here can find other fantastic bloggers. 

So first up!  Lottie Loves.

Picture: Lottieloves

Lottie and I are no strangers to each other in the virtual world, and we've even met twice in real life, as we both suffer from the same illness which we both used to blog extensively about (I still do occasionally).  Before this though we met through Babyworld when I was pregnant with Lillia and Lottie was pregnant with her second son.

Picture: Lottieloves

She is a crafty mum of two and a bit of a domestic diva truth be told.  I've never been to her house but I bet it's very stylish!

Picture: Lottieloves

Lottie is also a big fan of the the 1940s and wartime things, she's an expert (!) West Coast Swing dancer and as if that were not all enough she is also a Labour fundraiser AND she and her lovely hubby were the last couple in Britain to get married in the 20th century!

First Blogland..then the WORLD!

Lottie also recently nominated me for the MADS awards, which was a lovely thing to do, but even lovlier was the post she wrote when she did so.



When I read what she had written I was so touched.  Most of us just get on with things don't we?  Yes things can get pretty hard sometimes but you'd bore everyone to tears if you harped on about it (besides that's what my other blog is for!)  So for somebody to say such lovely things, to acknowledge what you go through, or what you have been through, and say a kind of "well done you"...well...that's just amazing.  Truly.  Especially when it is said by somebody you really like and appreciate.  I won't be asking for further nominations or pursuing this though, just because being nominated at all is basically the same as being handed an Oscar for me!  I am very easily pleased :)

So, basically if you have a moment make a cuppa and head on over to Lottie's blog, she has some interesting things to say, she makes some lovely crafty things, she is a fantastic mummy and a genuinely lovely person, you won't be disappointed.

Ooh, that was fun writing that.  Now..who will be my next victim..?

My new kitchen hook

I love cake I do!

I love making it and I love eating it and I love neat, colourful little images of cake too.

When we went shopping on Lillia's birthday earlier this week we couldn't resist a visit to the Mystical Fairies shop at Bluewater here in Kent. 

We went in to find a little birthday treat for Lillia, which we did in the form of a decorate-your-own princess mirror, but we also came away with a little treat for me too...

I've needed a hook for my kitchen calendar for ages and now I have the perfect cakey one to use...

It is perfect for hanging my calendar (a freebie from Ideal Home magazine)...

Now I'll remember all those April birthdays...including mine!  ;)

Hope you are all enjoying the Easter weekend xx