CUB MAKES AND A RARE SIGHTING

What a busy few days and a funny end to the weekend - I'll come to that in a minute.....

Firstly, We have been doing our Astronomer Badge at Cubs and I thought I would share with you the planet solar system as made by the Cubs..

The photo doesn't do it justice - it involved paper mache and paint - Am I mad ? YES! The enthusiasm around the Space theme was fantastic, really caught the cubs imagination and so much easier to take in when it is very visible and made by them!

Then it was Easter craft night tonight involving the inevitable Easter egg hunt and chocolate nests and this little chap...

Apparently there were comments about Pete the Duck from Harry Hill ?

Sunday afternoon was a walk around our local RSPB reserve where we saw a Tawny Owl roosting and deer in the reed beds. As we left, we drove into a moment of madness! A Lesser Kestel had been spotted in the field on the exit road (as it turns out, a very rare bird with only a handful of sightings since records began in Victorian times and never recorded in Suffolk!)

The twitcher hotline had obviously been in action and the single track exit road was blocked by a trail of cars, acting as if on a fire shout, all heading to the reserve.

It was totally bonkers and we were caught in the middle of it!

But yes, we did see the bird in question and apparently it has drawn a large crowd again today. It is amazing how something such as this changes the whole dynamics of the day.

We have also been busy on the field this weekend, 8 rows of spuds planted, beetroot, carrots, spinnach, sping onions and raddishes planted and seeds sown in the greenhouse. Now Tim and I are complaining of neck ache, backache etc....

Time to go now and start planning the Easter weekend.

Linda 

Aprons and Lots of Ideas

Isn't this week flying by...........!

Well, firstly my trip to the Stitch and Craft Show was a great day out

and I would recommend a visit next year - however ...........

It did set me back a few pennies ......................

Clarke & Clarke material for aprons I think or cushions, perhaps with,

Some Lazy May embroidery panels sewn into the middle !!

 These are fab iron on transfers ( bigger than the packet)

 I chose a heart, spiral wording and cupcakes,

check out the website for other designs.

We took part in an hour tutorial on applique and learnt couching

- I have that to still finish !

I even managedto fit in a brief trip to Ikea at Thurrock on the way..

The stripe material is for a floor cushion for "R" -

a bargain £4.99 for 3 metres, as was the red material!

Finally, I have been working on an apron

 for my sister in laws birthday

and then "R" thought she might like one

for the "help" she gives me in the kitchen!

I really pleased with them -

 I chickened out of using the Poppy Treffry free stitching

for the cupcakes (perhaps next time.)

Until next time.........

Linda x

Please HELP!! Easter Crafts with the CUBS!

Hello to you all,

I will be blogging later this week with some finds from the weekend trip

to the Stitch and Craft Show at Olympia - a great day out!

Today started with frogs having fun in our pond (no frog spawn yet though!)

and finished with hubby and I chasing a rogue bee

 which had found its way into a sock on the washing line

 and was fighting its way out of the ironing basket! Spring must be here :-)

Cubs next week is the obligatory Easter theme night

before the end of term and I could do with some new craft ideas !

 I have 24 polystrene eggs and 24 little fluffy chicks

 - Inspire me please !!!

I look forward to your suggestions.............

Linda x

Springtime Tilda Swap THANK YOU KAREN !

This morning, I had a rare day to please myself,

the sun shone, I lunched with friends

and my tilda Swap parcel arrived!

Thank you to Karen, my Tilda Swap Partner -

Make sure you check out her blog! http://www.karensplaytime.blogspot.com/

I received some lovely bright packaged gifts.........

The snail from the new Tilda Summer book is fab -

 I much prefer this to the little pests

I find in the greenhouse eating my plants......

The two embroidered hearts will complement my bedroom perfectly

 and the card and matching notebook added bonuses !

 (There were some chocolate bunnies

 but they lasted no time at all - shared with L & R!)

THANK YOU KAREN :-)

My first swap received - how lovely!

I went a bit bunny mad on my theme for Karen ............

Spring must be in the air!!!

Linda x

Alice.........Painting.......and Stitch and Craft

Hello, this week started off with taking my Mum and daughter to see the new Alice in Wonderland film

- Brilliant entertainment from start to finish.

R's favourite characters were Tweddle dum

 and Tweedle Dee (AKA the wonderful Matt Lucas)

whereas it take a lot to beat Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter for me,

(mind you, I must admit the Pirates of the Carribean Johnny is my fav!!)

Enough dreaming..........

The plan this weekend is to decorate R's bedroom.

Like most 7 year old girls, it is a clutter of bit and pieces and more bits.

 Today the worst of it is over - yes clearing the room to be able to paint!

I no longer have a single room upstairs not cluttered up with the contents of said bedroom! At present my craft table is housing a playmobil hospital

and the sewing machine has disappeared from view!

Never mind we must get it finished at the weekend

as next weekend I have a weekend away with a dear friend

 and a trip to the Stitch and craft Show at Olympia on the Saturday - yipee!

If any of you have been - I would welcome your comments! I will of course have the handy plastic at the ready!

Linda x

Sunshine Award!!

This is the very first award I have ever received, now I have to pass this on to 12 other lovely bloggers, they are as follows:



1. Pixie Dust


2. Sew Scrumptious

3. Vintage Vicki

4. Coco Rose

5. Vintage Betty's

6. Faerienuff

7. jillecymraeg

8. The Vintage Gardener

9. A Thrifty Mrs

10. A pink Feather Paradise

11. Magsmcc

12. Crafty Helen @ Home

Now this is what you have to do:


Place the logo within your blog or post.


Pass the award on to 12 blogger's.


Link the nominees within the post.


Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog.


Enjoy.

Linda x

East Anglia really would be a FAB place for a Cath Kidston, Hobbycraft, Ikea..... PLEASE!

I'm afraid I have little in the way of crafty WIP to show a the moment as they are being created for a swap! The only other creativity this week has been a hurriedly assembled black cloak with batman's symbol for World Book Day.

Don't you just love it when the letter is brought home Tuesday night for today!! Fancy dress optional ! Yes the option being to do it or be a bad mother for your child being one of the few not dressed up !! Fortunately we settled on Bat Girl which was very easy (pic to follow later) - Rebecca is now affectionately known as "TAT GIRL" due to the state of her bedroom!

Now on the my post heading - The lovely "Crafts Beautiful" magazine arrived on the doorstep yesterday - I do enjoy curling up in bed and having a good read of it. However I am frustrated ! I live near the vibrant, lovely city of Norwich, a contender for City of Culture for 2013, I believe.

However the only Cath Kidston shop I have been in was on holiday in York, I have never even set eyes on a Hobby craft and a 100 mile trip to Thurrock presents me with the nearest IKEA! I know our infrastructure here in Norfolk and Suffolk is a "little" challenging (I should know my husbands a civil engineer!) but PLEEEEEASE.......  consider us for your next outlets!!

Right, rant over, now off out for a lovely meal with friends.

Linda x

What Do You Call a Group of Babushkas' ? A Babble?

It happened....... lunchtime today, in my greenhouse chitting my potatoes, I felt the sun warming my back!

Yes at last, however it was not long lived but I managed a walk down Southwold High Street whilst it still shone! I confess to not having been a C S junkie until recently reading various blogs - This is my first CS buy.... What do you think ?

I thought it was a very sweet and pretty ornament and in good condition.

This week I confess to purchasing one or two books (Ok 3) from Amazon. Joining in the Tilda swap meant purchasing the Tilda Summer Ideas and Sew Sunny Homestyle books (ok not compulsory for the swap - but a damn good excuse!)

I fancy making the cupcake apron next I think.........

Also thanks ( I think - I'll explain in a mo...) to Vintage Vicki  for suggesting I may like Poppy Treffry Free and Easy Stitch Style book.

So this week I made a babushka doll for my niece's 5th Brithday and went into overdrive and made another 4 - no idea what I'll do with them.... perhaps I should think about craft fairs - any ideas out there ?

Then, I thought I would have a go at the Poppy Treffry free stitching on the sewing machine .. I mean.... how hard could it be?????

Well, as a woman, I DID read the instructions and saw where it said it may be safer to start off using a darning foot on your sewing machine rather than no foot at all.

But yes, I ignored the suggestion and now have two puncture wounds in the finger where the needle and thread went in and then came out - oophs ! Not sure whether I achieved what I wanted with the stitching........

Not a very good picture I'm afraid.......

Well, better go for now as son has managed to catch daughter's hair in his yoyo and now is having a paddy because it won't "sleep" anymore (fortunately managed to retrieve hair without the use of scissors! - which I thought slightly more important..............) -

TTFN  Linda x

Practise Makes Perfect....

A very wet, cold and miserable weekend meant only one thing - I turned up the heating and did some crafting, whilst hubby and son went out and watched football!

As I have entered into Faerie Nuff's Tilda swap - I thought perhaps some practise was called for! My 7 year old daughter was very content helping me by stuffing the hare as I machined the parts and this was our joint attempt.

It was going to be part of my niece's 5th Birthday present for next week

 but as Rebecca said, ".........I did help make it",

 I think it will only being going as far as her bedroom!

All we need to do now is choose a project for the swap.

You will recall from my last blog I made a picture inspired from Country Living, well I have now completed one for the other frame on a red theme - shame the colour swap I have just entered is for a "green theme!" Never mind, it gives me an excuse to visit the local fabric shop tomorrow to eye up green material - Now what to make ??

I should just say the lovely fleece throw with the applique flowers in this picture was a Christmas present from a dear friend - I'll finish by saying;

"Isn't it lovely to receive something handmade, I'm looking forward to my first swaps."

Linda x

p.s. Can anyone help ? How do you put a blog name in your post so that there is a link to it ? Thanks

Hand stitching and wildlife

Well a busy half term with juggling work and children!

 Typically yesterday was a work day, when the sun shone.

Today was a visit to our local RSPB reserve with friends for some bird watching

 - however it took spotting some wonderful wildlife to call the day a success

 (as it was misty and wet even sleety at one point!)

The deer were so at ease in their surroundings they didn't seem to mind us at all!

I have only been able to snatch a few minutes at a time crafting at the moment

 and so have embarked on hand sewing little pictures to fit a couple of frames

I picked up cheaply a while ago.

This was inspired by something I saw in the latest Country Living magazine.

I have now signed up to do two swaps - my first a colour one and then also a Tilda swap - some of my favourite crafting books.

Anyway, just a short update for now as tea is ready and smelling great !

Finds, Makes and Amusement.............

The week started well with some lovely material finds tucked in the corner of a soft furnishings shop......

"Raining Cats and Dogs" and some lovely retro brown circles and swirls - Now what to make ??

I also finished my daughter's quilt for her bed sssssh..... as she's asleep I will let you have a peek - not displayed the best on a chair in the kitchen! (Note to self - must improve photography skills!) 

Whilst munching on my lunch today, I asked a male colleague if he had heard of the term a "catazine", as I was looking at the new Joules one.

(I do love Joules  I'm very lucky - two lovely shops in the coast only a few miles away!)

"No" he replied, "What is it?"

 Having just flicked through it I said ;

" It is where you can see a model in a short pink tweed skirt

 and read about Jimmy's sausages"

This caused great amusement !!

Possibly not the best two examples to put together!!!

Finally, a quick batch of banana muffins whipped up ready for the Primary school Table Top Sale tomorrow who knows, may be I'll find a little treasure or two ???

Until next time - Happy crafting....

A week on.... In Blog land

Well, I am feeling very pleased with myself - blogging certainly helps with the discipline of "getting on" with those craft projects. I have had a large piece of Cath Kidston material waiting to be used and this week I made a bag - I think it would make a great bag to keep a knitting / crochet project in perhaps?

Then I decided to make a material rose to adorn it - as you may have guessed - the rose took longer than the lined bag to make! I'm pleased with the final result but who to give it to ?

I have so many pieces of material left from the fabric noticeboards I made at Christmas, I have patchworked 72 squares this week in readiness to make a quilt for my daughter - obviously this level of craftiness can not continue indefinately due to mundane tasks such as housework needing to be fitted in amongst family needs and work!

This week saw an update of the "family photo" taken by a lovely lady photographer in Beccles - so perhaps some ideas for a new craft project to display some photos? Any ideas out there ??

Until next time, have a lovely week...............

OOPHS .......... Forgot the Keepsake Boxes

Ah, did you spot the deliberate mistake ? Yes, I forgot the Keepsake boxes! This has been my latest little project. My nephew is being christened at the end of February and I wanted to make something practical but special for him.

This was very much trial and error. I purchased a pine box, wadded and covered the lid with Laura Ashley check material (you'll often find me rummaging in the Laura Ashley material box in Beccles!)

I made a ribbon rosette, beaded his name and painted and stamped a "Keepsake" tag and was fairly happy with the end result.

Inspired, I owe a close friend a 40th Birthday present still, so made a similar one for her....

I love this and so want to keep this for myself!

So now to my next project -

having moved the computer downstairs

 I now have a spare bedroom for crafting

Ohhhhhhhh..........where to start ?

Noticeboards and Keepsake Boxes

The camera has been located and some photos taken ! For Christmas this year I went into fabric noticeboard production - A refreshing change using a staple gun rather than a sewing machine.

I carefully selected the material to suit the individuals - a fab large babushka one for my sister in law for her lovely kitchen, a Cath Kidston ballerina for a dancing fan, cupcakes for a keen cook etc...

Here are three I have made since Christmas for upcoming birthdays.

  

I used 12mm MDF kindly cut by the local independent builders merchants, used medium wadding and stretched the material across. The fiddliest thing was the correct spacing for the ribbon (I used grosgrain ribbon (Ribbon Oasis) as it holds its shape well), where the ribbon crossed, gold or silver upholstery tacks kept everything in place . The back was then finished with lining material.

I was really chuffed with the final results and had lots of happy gift recipients as well!

Welcome !

Having just about found my way around the blogging system I am ready to post! But what to post is the next thing? I was inspired to do this when looking through an old Norfolk magazine passed on to me. I saw the article about the "Pic 'n' Mix Makers Market and looked up the fantastic blogs of Mrs Bobo Bun and Kitschen Pink.

I love making things and have real pleasure giving them as gifts but what a great way this is to show other people projects you are working on - ideas to share !

Next job - to locate the family camera (never quite where you think you may have put it!) and then I will start in earnest - perhaps showing the fabric noticeboards I made for Christmas presents for old and young alike!

Until next time..............