Sewing again

Well, Day One of the 3-week Easter break went very well. My mum took the 5-year-old off for the day and baby Phoebe decided on a nice long three hour sleep instead of her usual half hour power nap.  So I used the opportunity to crack on with a little sewing project.  It's been a while since I have sewed properly. My sewing lately revolves around stitching in name tags, performing surgery on soft toys etc.  Today though I made my return to the sewing machine at last...

My mum asked if I would make her a bag to give to her friend for her 70th birthday and this is what I came up with.  The bottom is remnant suit fabric, the floral fabric is an old Laura Ashley sample, and the lining is organic cotton.

What I like about these bags is that they are mostly one offs.  As I make them mainly from cuts of fabric, rather then anything I have a massive supply of, I rarely make any two the same. 

I enjoyed sewing again, though it reminded me how time consuming it is.  So much equipment required in comparison to crochet!  So, until we have a bigger house with a room where I can leave my sewing machine out and my WIPs laying around, sewing will have to be an ocassional treat. 

Now do excuse me, I have to go and stitch name tags into some school summer dresses...  :)

Lillia's getting crafty

My lovely Lillia has never really been much into crafts or colouring, she has always preferred to be sorting her toys into boxes or taking things apart and putting them back together again.  But recently she has started to enjoy the craftier side of life.  She has taken to colouring, cutting, sticking, drawing, stamping.  She takes more of an interest in the things I am making and how.

For mother's day we got a plain ceramic vase and some ceramic markers and she created a beautiful present for my mum, her granny...

On one side it is daytime in the garden and on the other it is "me and granny having a holloween party at night"...

So cute!  I want one for me so I will probably be making a return journey to Hobbycraft this week for another vase.

At school she designed her own commemorative mug for the Royal Wedding.  This is so totally adorable!  It is "the prince and princess and their wedding things"...

We have many of these for her many grandparents of course, and I have been enjoying my morning cup of tea out of mine every morning..when Mr Snipsnaphappy isn't using it that is.

It has been a hectic time here in the snipsnaphappy household lately. What with the whirlwind arrival of baby Phoebe, not to mention all the post-natal depression, family get-togethers, birthdays, end-of-term discos etc, life leaves litle time for sitting down at all. I have been crafting away though and I do have plenty to share (more of the Big Happy blanket to be revealed this week!), it's just the time it takes to photograph my crafted goodies and upload those photographs to the ol' blog. So I find myself asking the question - do I continue to blog...or not? It is blooming time consuming after all and time is something that I am pretty short of most of the...um...time. I'll be going back to work in June so time will be even more precious.

I love my blog, I love writing it and I love the record of life it provides for my children in the future. But I am not sure how much it really offers to the wider world, and I would dearly like it to offer something even a little valuable. Hmmm, food for thought anyway, but not right now...right now I am having a glass of wine and preparing for a three week Easter break. Blimey! Wish me luck...

Heart Swap

I don't often sign up for swaps because I don't need the added pressure :) But when I saw the heart swap over at Beki's blog I thought it seemed a lovely simple swap to join in with; five heart themed things to be sent to your partner by the end of March. No problem, I thought, plenty of time.  I still managed to send my parcel off at the very last possible moment though :)

I sent off a modest little parcel containing heart themed bits and pieces and a couple of bits I made. 

As well as one of my radiator smellies, I popped in this hanging heart decoration...

I love this pattern - the hearts come out really sweet.  If you want to try it out the pattern is on Ravelry and I linked to it in this previous post.

But never mind what I sent! You want to know what I got, right?  Well, my partner was Sue at http://blog.suepops.co.uk/ and she sent me a gorgeous package of lovely things...

Ooh!  Look at my goodies!  Shall we have a closer look?

A handmade card, extremely sparkly...

Phoebe loved this and stared at it for ages whilst drooling and trying to grab it (presumably to eat it...)

I also received this kitsch little hanging heart...

I have added it to my growing collection.  Do you think I have enough...? ;)

I love love love this handpainted candle holder (and the little heart candle)...

And just look at this...

LOVE this brooch, it is utterly gorgeous!

Unfortunately the calculator, being pink, has been stolen by 5-year-old Lillia already, I had barely removed the wrapping before it was whisked off to perform complex additions. The bath ballistic from my No.1 Favourite Shop has been fizzed and enjoyed already, and the chocolates?  Well...er..ah...ahem... :)

Absolutely lovely gifts, I am so glad I decided to take part in the swap, lucky me!  Thanks Sue!  xx

Mothers Day 2011

It is the end of a long lovely day. Time for a glass of wine and the Antiques Roadshow :)

Happy Mother's Day everyone :)

xx