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.)

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..?

January

Happy New Year!

Boy am I glad to see the back of 2009, for all its joys and good bits there was a lot of difficulty and heartache and overall it was a very difficult year.  But hey, it is now behind us and here we are in January, the gateway to a new year, with lots to plan for and look forward to.

But first let me take a moment to look back slightly to Christmas!  What a lovely one we had, the perfect finish to the year.  We spent a ridiculous amount of time on motorways visiting family...

I had plenty of time to get on with some crochet.  I looked to one of my favourite blogs of this year, Attic24, for her instructions for the ripple pattern and started a small practice piece. After a couple of inches though I decided to just keep going and make a scarf.  I started it on my journey home from work on Christmas Eve, then continued in the wee small hours of Christmas morning at my mum's house before everyone else was awake (one of my most very favourite moments of the year)...

I kept going in the car on the way to my Dad's on Boxing Day...

More on the progress of this tomorrow!

I got some excellent books this year. 

First up, and a strong contender for the Worlds Best Book title, is Toilet Roll Covers, by Pat Ashforth and Steve Plummer...

Full of crochet and knitting patterns to make a variety of lovely toilet roll covers, this book was from my sister who requested the Coming Up Roses design for her birthday at the end of this month, so I will start this in the next few days...

I am acutely aware that this will no doubt be the first of many and that a love affair with toilet roll covers is about to blossom!  Myself, I fancy a bit of bling in my bathroom...

Next up, from my dear mummy, Crops in Pots, by Bob Purnell...

Last year, fed up with waiting for our tiny garden to be sorted out and a vegetable patch established, I grew some carrots rather successfully in a relatively small pot.  Having gone on at length about this success my mum decided perhaps it was time to branch out from carrots to other things.  This book is utterly brilliant and I am now itching to track down the seeds and pots I need to get started when planting season begins in the next couple of months.  Top of my list is pea pods with sweet peas in a hanging basket...

And sunflowers and runner beans...

I can't wait!  Three-year-old Lillia is especially excited about this one as she really wants to grow sunflowers.

Hubby bought me a book and kit on Stenciling in the Style of the Edwardian Lady...

It has a book and instructions and the various tools and paints needed.  I am not sure how well I do with this, painting has never been my strong point, but I am looking forward to trying it out.  I like the orange and pink flowers on the cover, I just love those colours together. And I also love the idea of stencilling like a ladeee.

My sister bought me a copy of the December Ideal Home magazine, which I spent a happy hour reading in the bath on Christmas day along with a lovely Lush Pud bath bomb...

What a fabulous magazine this is!  I made notes on nearly every page, which I realise is a bit nerdy, but I am now full of ideas.

And finally, from my Dad, not a book but a new toy....

Say cheese!

So with a wonderful Christmas behind us I am looking forward to tackling 2010, to crocheting toilet roll holders, finding old pots to put to new use, planting lots of vegetables, stencilling, crafting, sewing and being with my family.  I am looking forward to days out and days in.  I want to make a return to mosaics, if the arthiritis allows me. Above all I want to appreciate everything I have and will have, be kind to my friends and to myself, and look after my family in the best way I can every single day.

The scarf is calling, so I am taking a blanket and my crochet bag to bed along with a cup of tea, and just maybe a biscuit or two :)

Sun, sea and sewing - a week in France

I have been on holiday for a week in the south of France. It was utterly gorgeous, and the surroundings were very inspiring with lots of old French charm, a slower pace of life and plentiful lavender plants and vineyards. Although I was happy to be back in our little cottage at the weekend I was very sad this morning to return to the more hectic pace of London and work. I was nearly in tears when I first got back to my desk, such was the overwhelming feeling of being in the “wrong place”. In France we were away from the worries of bills, interest rates and hubby’s redundancy. Now we have landed back in England with a severe bump.

Whilst we were away I took the opportunity to relax with some hand-sewing. I printed the tutorial for a lovely little purse from the beautiful and inspiring Mairuru blog. I really find Mai’s blog a happy and inspiring place to visit. It is always very informative and contains beautiful pictures of her work and of Japan where she lives. Often she does little tutorials, I have only tried this one but I enjoyed it so much I am going to try one of her surobobos next (I expect mine will be nowhere near as cute and perfect as hers though!)

Using Mai’s instructions I made myself two little purses. I was pleased with how the first one turned out…

But the second one went a bit wrong…
I cut the material badly in my rush to get it ready and packed the night before we went away. But I do like the colours. So my lesson learned is: preparation is key! Don’t cut your fabric at 11pm the night before your flight after two glasses of vino.

I used my new purse to carry home some lavender from the garden of the house in France where we stayed…
I will dry these flowers and use them to make my first bath-bomb (results to be revealed!)

I saw many inspiring things on holiday in France. Here are just a few of my favourites:

Mosaic ice-cream signs in Saint Marie Sur-la-Mer..
Little one in bed, BBQ fired up, wine poured, table set for two..
A clear blue pool on a clear hot day..
Lovely French villages and towns...


(That lovely little girl in the blue dress is my daughter.)

My mother was also on holiday at the same time in Spain. When I went to see her yesterday to compare our tans (mum = brown, me = off-white) she had bought me a little present in the form of a mosaic elephant magnet!
I cannot tell you how pleased I am with this!

I had a lovely sunny time with my family last week and although I am a little glum to be back in the rat-race, I am very glad to be home :)