Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

You may be shocked to find out that I have only just put up my Christmas tree!! And so on this momentous occasion, I thought I'd share some of my decorations with you. As you can see some have seen better days, but I can't bear to part with them. The paper Santa Claus I made in primary school...and as for the silver angel, it bares the name 'Stacey' on the back...quite who Stacey is I'm not sure. I do hope it was a gift from a childhood friend, and not a stolen piece of Christmas!!

Help!!!

This is a picture of my study come craft room and I think a floor eating monster has been in!! If only I could have a PA type fairy godmother just for one day, they could do all those little jobs which seem to endlessly pile up, such as sorting out the baskets of washing...or packing a Mary Poppins wig away (don't ask!) ...or wrapping Christmas gifts which are still in their shopping bags! Wages may be low (OK very low!) but the rewards would be plentiful - how does a mug of mulled wine and a mince pie sound? Apply below! :o)

December Madness!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I hope you're having a wonderful December! Mine is crazy at the moment, although I'm sure I'm not alone. I think Christmas time gets busier with each passing year!

Anyway, here's a little sneaky look at some bits I've been working on...obviously I can't say too much about them yet (due to those pesky family members who just can't resist a peek!)

I’ve been having so much fun making my gifts this year. I've been frantically cutting, stitching and restitching for the last few weekends, and I finally feel like I have most of the projects underway. I don't know about you but I usually make the fatal error of looking in craft books, magazines and blogs and suddenly becoming totally inspired by something beautiful, which then causes the crafty todo list to grow...and grow...and grow!

Does anyone else make a completely unachievable list of projects to make, simply because they look so beautiful and festive!?

I mean just look at these beautiful things to make...I want one of each!!

Napkins - Stockings - Advent Calendar - Ruffly Felt Wreath

Gocco-a-gogo!!

I'm so excited! I just treated myself to an early Christmas present! It's a Gocco PG5, which was being sold by fellow blogger Carina. I'm really pleased I bought it, if she had posted it any other day of the week I think I may have missed out. Lucky for me it was a Thursday afternoon, the only day I work from home! It must have been fate! :o)

 

Now, I've never actually done any printing before...of any kind (apart from potatoes when I was about 5, but I don’t think that counts!) But Carina has assured me that it's a perfect set for a beginner and fairly simple to use. Fingers crossed she's right!

If anyone has a Gocco printing set, or used one and has any helpful hints before I get started, please do let me know...

Craftaholics!!

Where to start?!? What a busy and super fun weekend I've had!! The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate was brilliant. There was so many fantastic stalls there, showcasing the most amazing talents in textiles. As you can see I bought lots of lovely fabric, amongst other things, most of which is for Christmas pressies, but I'm sure I'll have a few scraps left over to make myself something pretty :o)

I fell in love with the Christmas Tree fabric the moment I spotted it tucked up high on a shelf...despite the sales lady being a tad rude, I just had to have some.

I think it's so jolly!!

I've been thinking about attempting my first piece of clothing for a while now (brave I know!) I spotted this on my favourtite stall and thought it would make a really cosy, winter dress...now all I need is a pattern I like and the guts to cut into it! Wish me luck.

Some more fabric from Fabrics Galore.

Now fabric wasn't my only indulgence! I did buy some lovely wool from Phase Patch. It's by Patons and I also bought a pattern book which is especially for beginners. The other good thing about the pattern is that each item only requires one ball of wool. I don't know about you, but I get a little nervous when it need lots of balls of wool, just in case it goes terribly wrong and I end up wasting it!!

I just adore the mix of colours in these balls.

I also bought some Decopatch papers and tree decorations. This is a really fun, quick, craft which is perfect for decorating, well anything!

Why not try it!?

Is it morning yet?!?

Well I'm super excited about tomorrow, I'm off to the The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate, and I can't wait! I just need to finalise my shopping list...this may take some time!!!

I'll hopefully have lots of beautiful bits and pieces to show you tomorrow...

Bonfire Fun

Last night was Bonfire Night in our household, which mean mugs of tomato soup, bonfire toffee and hot dogs, eaten whilst stood around a fire shouting “ooohh” and “ahhh”!! This year we used an old wood burner outside, instead of having a proper bonfire...it certainly kept us all snug!

I look a bit like a ghost here!

 I love the way the trails from the sparklers turned out though.

My other half attempted to write his name using a sparkler...he just wasn't quite quick enough to squeeze the L on! :o)

Luca's first bonfire night. He certainly looked the part in this hat! He was very brave when the noisy fireworks went off...he slept through them all!

Blueberry Pie, Skeletons and Witches!!

Yum yum yum!!! Today I baked my first ever blueberry pie and, if I don't mind saying so myself, it looks delicious! :o) I grew the blueberries over the summer and finally got around to taking them out of the freezer and making something scrumptious...I can't wait to smoother it in custard and to dig in! Oh and here's a little look at the project I've been working on over the weekend, whilst away visiting some scary relatives...

Christmas Crafting

I realise it's a little early to mention it...but Christmas is not far away and so this week I’ve begun some yuletide crafty projects.

This year my family have all agreed to put their varied skills to the test and make presents for one another, instead of traipsing endlessly around the shops buying gifts that we don’t really want or need.

Already this has made Christmas more meaningful. I’m already giddy at the thought of my family’s reactions to the little creations I’ve made. Equally I’m excited about the things my loved ones will make for me…with a chef for a mother and a Dad who makes beautiful wine, I think Christmas is going to be very merry in my household!!

Obviously I can’t show you the things I’ve made (just in case a relative can’t wait until Dec 25th!) but I can give you a teeny tiny glimpse at some bits and pieces I’ve been working on…

Homeless No More!!

Finally my crochet hooks have a home! Today I made a roll to keep all my hooks together, and there's even room for a pair of scissors and some pins. What do you think? I think it's turned out rather beautifully, despite the odd little mishap with the binding! (but shh don’t tell anyone!)   

Oh and as a quick make to use up some scraps, I made a little pincushion.

I hope you like them :o)

Wonky Crochet

Here's a little look at the new scarf I started yesterday. It suddenly occurred to me over the weekend, that although I own and have made many scarves in lots of different colours and styles, I don't own a scarf in any autumnal colours! So after a quick trip to John Lewis I have made a start on my first crocheted neck warmer! You may be able to spot the mistake...its slowly shrinking the further down I get!! Ooops!! The question is now though, do I carry on and have a wonky scarf...or undo it all and start again?! What do you think?

Rainbow Parcels

I'm super excited about the recent delivery of two very special parcels. The first has travelled all the way from America and contains a stack load of beautiful fabric from the very talented Anna Maria Horner. I am now the proud owner of her Good Folks collection and I can't wait to get started with making something lovely.

The second parcel was from Carina of Carina's Craftblog, containing some yummy yarn to make her Electric Rainbow Blanket.

I can now make a start with my Autumn challenge....now where did i put my crochet hooks?!?

Crochet Challenge!

I love autumn.

It's perhaps my most favourite time of year. I love the mix of autumnal colours everywhere you look and I particularly love the feeling of wanting to snuggle up under a blanket with a hot cup of tea!

It is usually this change in season that sparks a change in craft project too. I tend to move away from sewing and embroidery, in favour of reaching for lovely, warm balls of wool, knitting needles and crochet hooks.

I'm notorious for having multiple projects on the go (usually because I run out of time before I finish, and then have a sudden stroke of inspiration to do something else!) but this autumn I’m determined to set myself a crochet challenge of two!!

The projects I've attempted in the past have consisted of scarves (and other square or rectangular items!) nothing particularly tricky. But not this time!! My crochet challenge is to…

1. Crochet an entire blanket!
2. Crochet a super cute animal from Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet for my seriously cute nephew, Luca!

Luca

Electric Rainbow Blanket

The first challenge will be helped by Carina as I’ve ordered the wool and pattern for the beautiful blanket above. However, thanks to the postal strike I may need to wait a little longer to get started. I’m very excited about starting this project as I only learnt to crochet about 8 months ago and so I’m still painfully slow…checking and rechecking every stitch to make sure I get it right. This will be a real incentive to keep at it.

Has anyone else set themselves a crafty challenge this autumn?

Crafty Weekend

Well it's been a very busy weekend, but for once it was full of fabric fun! I've been super lucky and have spent the whole weekend in my little craft room, sat with my fingers firmly hovering over the sewing machine. I managed to start many little projects, and one big project (most of which aren't finished yet as I'm not the quickest of stitchers!)

I recently spent a few days with my favourite Auntie whom kindly donated lots and lots of lovely fabric to my stash. She had wanted to make a patchwork blanket with it some years ago, but had never gotten round to it. So as a Christmas present, I thought I would attempt my first piece of patchwork and make the blanket myself! As you can see it's a simple pattern of rectangles, but it's been great practice for using my rotary cutter and ruler.

I've finished the patchwork part, and so all thats left to do is to attach it to some wadding and backing fabric...a job for another weekend!!

I've also made a new cover for a wheat bag I bought. It came with a blue fleece cover which wasn't particularly pretty, so I've used my newfound patchwork skills to make a colourful new one. Don't you think it looks lovely?! :o)