Lisa Ridgeon Originals

Craft Packs...

2011-11-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

Well, after months of sitting empty i finally got my bottom into gear and logged some items onto my Etsy shop. I then decided it was time to organise my creative space. I have way too much stuff so i'm having a clear out and have put together some craft packs which are packed full of creative goodness. Each pack includes fabric, felt, buttons, beads, ribbon and thread.

Hummingbird Hawk Moth.....

2011-07-11T11:25:00.001-07:00

My Dad took this photo of a Hummingbird Hawk Moth at Laycock last week......

It's so beautiful i thought i'd share it with you.

Mojo...

2011-07-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

....lost it there for a bit but i have just had a 'bag' moment!

Part of my 'crafting' problem is finding nice fabrics. I only really have the Singer shop or Dunelm in Bedford (that i know of) and i'm not impressed by their choice of fabric, and it's so expensive. There is John Lewis and Hobby Craft in Milton Keynes but that's 20 miles away, i've tried charity shops but no luck there and Internet shops tend to sell in fat quarters or yards and for the bags i've just made i need it in meters. If you have any ideas then please let me know.

Anyway, the bags.......

I cut a supermarket carrier bag to make a template and used it to make these...

I am rather pleased with the bags. I'd like to make some more but i can't find any nice fabric!

Bunny

2011-03-22T08:23:00.000-07:00

I had a go at making an Easter Bunny.......

.....but he looks about as impressed as i am!

Lovely fabric...

2011-03-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

...from Celtic Fusion.

Oh my goodness I LOVE their fabrics and yet again i couldn't decide which ones to choose so i just had to buy three bundles!

I have been thinking about making some bunting so i may use some of it for that.

Share the love........

2011-02-14T04:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day to all you lovely people out there.

I hid some of these in my Hubby's lunch box today. I carefully sorted through them and picked out all the 'love you', 'hug me', 'forever' ones. I then found 'grow up' and couldn't resist putting that in too. It's not my fault, i'm just not good at this romantic stuff.

Then Mr Posty delivered a box of loveliness from Alex. We do have a tendency to pop bits in the post now and then but this was unexpected so it was a lovely surprise. Thank you Alex, i think today i will be mostly eating chocolate!

And, this evening Hubby and I have booked a meal at a local pub called The Horse and Jockey where we have enjoyed several excellent meals before.

Ah, today i am feeling the love. I hope you are feeling it too. Enjoy the day. X X

Sorted.......

2011-02-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

I popped into town this morning and stumbled across some coat hangers which i decided i REALLY needed. I then spent a couple of hours sorting out our wardrobe. Everything is now in item and colour order. I've even hung co-ordinating ties on my Hubby's shirts so now, on shirt days, i won't be woken up with the cry of 'Honey, which tie goes with this shirt?'

I've even filled a charity bag, ready for collection on Wednesday.

Yay! Go me!!

For more co-ordinated goodness go and check out Taz's book case. It is looking mighty fine!

To Woman, From Man...

2010-12-21T05:56:00.000-08:00

I just happened to be poking around the pressies under the tree when i found one from Hubby to me.................it has such a beautifully written tag, don't you think?

Wishing everyone in Blog land a Very Merry Christmas. X X

Bring back 100w lightbulbs!

2010-12-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Look......i'm all for saving the World but this just isn't working for me. I've had loads of crafty projects to do the last few weeks. I've had orders to make Christmas gifts, i've been re-stocking for the Bicycle Basket Bazaar on Saturday and Tom's girlfriend Chloe asked me to make her an Elf dress for a fancy dress party she's going to next week. Energy efficient light bulbs are quite frankly shit! I can't see a thing and i'm so close to what i'm making i've stabbed my nose with the needle more than once! I simply can't work under these conditions!

Mad? Me?

2010-11-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

I popped into town this morning and parked in the multi-story car park. It's one of those where you pay before you return to your car so i put my ticket in the machine and it spat it back out with the message 'cannot read ticket'! I tried a few more times but the same thing happened so i pressed the red 'call for assistance' button. A woman's voice came out of the machine so i told her the problem and she said she would issue another ticket and talked me through the procedure. I put my money in the machine and a new ticket popped out. As i took it i said 'thankyou' to the lady who had helped me but she did not reply and as i turned i realised that the people who had just approached the ticket machine must have thought i was everso slightly mad thanking a machine!

A Little Bundle of Joy

2010-10-20T06:31:00.000-07:00

A little parcel arrived this morning which has put a daft smile on my face. It's not my fault, Rachel made me do it! She is having a sort through her fabric stash and is putting together some scrap bundles. She tempted me with a bundle of pink scraps and i simply can't be held responsible for having to buy them.

Rachel is going to put some of the scrap bundles on her Etsy shop but if you pop over and let her know what colours you are looking for she'll be very happy to put a bundle together for you. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for more bundles. I don't know about you but i don't always need large pieces of fabric for my little craft projects so these bundles are just perfect and very reasonably priced considering the quality of the fabric.

I don't know what i'm going to make with my 'pinks' yet but for now i'm just happy to look at them. They're so pretty! Thankyou Rachel, you're a scrap bundle genius, and i must say you have excellent taste in fabric.

Flat-pack and fluff

2010-10-15T03:35:00.000-07:00

I've been having a bit of a shuffle around at home.

We moved house four months ago now but there was one room which we hadn't got around to sorting out. Originally it had been a workshop at the back of the garage but the previous owners had blocked up the door from the garage and made a new door from the living room and used this room as a formal dining room. Now, we don't do formal dining. We have a perfectly nice 'breakfast' room to eat in and really don't feel the need to have a different room for each meal of the day! And so this room has just sat empty (almost) while we decided what to do with it.....

......until this week that is. When we moved i was very excited to get a study to use as my studio which was such a treat as i had always had to spread out across the dining table. During my latest crafting frenzy though i REALLY spread out to the point where no-one could find the printer under all my fabric! (I did actually clean up before it took this photo)......

....and so Hubby said i should have the 'Room' to use as my studio so i'll have more room and so the study can actually be used as a study. I politely suggested he might want the room himself before promptly ordering some desks and cupboards before he changed his mind. My delivery slot was between 12 and 6pm and it arrived a 5.30pm! Typical! So while Hubby watched football, i got building!

....i am now officially the 'Flat-pack Queen'!

And i now have a shiny new Studio to spread out in. Time to get crafting again me thinks.

I've been 'sew' busy.

2010-10-10T05:43:00.000-07:00

So, i bought my lovely fabric and i did indeed shut myself in my studio, (in between keeping up with my wifely chores) busying myself with some sewing projects. Don't you just love it when you have a project on the go and life just becomes an interference?

So here's what i've been up to.....

Phone Pouches

Note Books

Colouring Sets

Pencils Rolls

So now i've completed my sewing projects i don't know what i'm going to do to fill my time. Ho-hum, at least i have some lovely new items to take along to the next Bazaar.

Fabric

2010-09-30T06:40:00.000-07:00

Is it just me or is it really hard to find nice fabric at a good price? I like to look and touch when i go shopping so i'm not a huge fan of buying on-line but there are no decent fabric shops in my home town and as i was getting really frustrated at my lack of fabric i decided to take the plunge and buy on-line. Rachel over at Contented recommended Celtic Fusion Fabrics and i must say i got a little bit carried away and ordered quite a lot although to be fair i could have ordered considerably bit more so i was quite restrained really.

I ordered it on Tuesday afternoon and it arrived today. I can't tell you how excited i am. I'm now going to shut myself in my studio and make stuff. I may be gone some time.

Where's George?

2010-09-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

The culprit..........Steven!

Bazaar!

2010-08-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's the last Saturday of the month so i was at the Bicycle Basket Bazaar in Northampton today selling my handmade goodies.

On Monday, whilst in town i had a peek inside this shop....

....and found this little beauty which i just had to buy to display my goodies in at the Bazaar. Look, it even has those metal thingies to put my price tags in!

I'm so pleased with it, i think it looks great.

Katie and i did pretty well this month. Infact, Katie did blindingly well with her chocolate fudge cake. She sold 15 of the 16 slices and at £1 a slice that's pretty darn good. I sold a number of items myself and did better than last month which was a result as i always buy dinner with my fluff money and tonight we ate like kings!

Look there's Katie....with the stripey top. Say hello to Katie everyone, she's my favourite niece. Hang on.......she's my only niece!

Rainbows

2010-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love 'em.....

They're so happy!

Where's George?

2010-08-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

The culprit..........Steven....and his mean girlfriend Zoe who stood by and watched this happen.

Bicycle Basket Bazaar

2010-08-01T05:59:00.000-07:00

The last Bicycle Basket Bazaar i did was back in November. I just can't believe how quickly time flies. I had decided to take a break from crafting before Christmas because i had tennis elbow which wasn't only in my elbow but through my hand and up my neck. Thankfully it has settled down a lot although a dull ache likes to remind me it's still there each day.

So, after eight busy months of no crafting i decided it was time to get back into the swing of things so i made some phone pouches. I made them the size to fit an iPhone, with a handy little pocket on the front to pop your headphones in.

The Bazaar's usual home is at the Northampton Fishmarket but it is being used for an exhibition so we were relocated to outside All Saints Church just down the road. This was a bit of a worry when i woke up on Saturday morning as it was raining but by the time we got to Northampton it had all dried up and the sun even managed to make an appearance a few times.

My niece Katie always comes with me to the Bazaar's which is a blessing as she's good company and she's there to help lug all the stuff too and from the car. This time she decided to make some cakes to sell but as she was busy on Friday looking after her two young nephew's and then working the evening i offered to make them for her. They turned out to be pretty popular as she managed to sell 17 of the 24 cakes and at 75p each it was well worth the effort. We had started them off at 50p each but some of the other sellers said it was too cheap so we changed it to 75p.

I, however only managed to sell 7 items which Katie took great delight in teasing me about! She needs to learn to be nice! I did sell one of my new phone pouches which i was pleased about. Selling in public is a rather strange experience as i get a lot of people telling me how gorgeous and amazing my creations are and how clever i am but then they walk away without buying anything. So i have come to the realisation that i'm not going to make my millions by doing the Bazaar's (unless i make cakes!!!!) but i will keep going as it's good fun and the other sellers are all so lovely. Infact, some of the shoppers are jolly nice too. I was chatting to Annie, otherwise know as The Felt Fairy who complimented my creations and offered to send me some felt samples, so thankyou everso Annie.

So now i'm back in the crafting world i have some work to do. The listings on both my Etsy and my Folksy shops have run out so they are both empty so i need to list some items there and my website also needs some attention. I'd better get busy then!

Where's George?

2010-07-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

The culprit...........Hubby!

Poundland.....

2010-06-30T02:17:00.000-07:00

You can just imagine it now. A group of guys (or girls) discussing a brilliant idea. "We're going to open a store where every item costs £1. It's pure genius....we can't go wrong!"

Then this happens...........

They've been undercut but the 99p store! Man alive, i bet the Poundland guys never saw that one coming!

Where's George?

2010-06-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to tell you a story....

A few years ago Tom got to the age where he no longer played with toys so he decided to have a clear out. We did the usual keep, throw, charity piles and all went well until we got to George.

Here he is. He wasn't one of Tom's favorite's so didn't want to keep him but he was too nice to throw away and sending him to the charity shop just seemed cruel so i decided to put him on my bed. (When i say 'my' bed Hubby does of course sleep there too!).

So since then the question 'where's George?' is asked regularly and the answer is becoming more and more bazaar.

Before we moved house i came home to find this...

It seemed that George couldn't take it any more and attempted suicide but i was to find the culprits behind this were Steven and his girlfriend Zoe. While Steven had strung George from the light fitting, complete with the chair George had apparently kicked away, Zoe had faked his suicide note and even left evidence of his last meal. Now you've got to admire their attention to detail but really guys, this is quite shocking. He's just a little fluffy monkey!!

Last night i found George here......

Apparently he wanted some fresh air! The culprit this time was Tom. Shame on you! (Yes George is wearing an England shirt, he's a patriotic monkey who likes to watch football!)
And then today i found this.....

The culprit this time was Steven.

This isn't funny guys! Leave George alone!

Rummaging

2010-06-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i dragged my niece Katie around the charity shops looking for some small pieces of furniture. Poor girl, she was very patient as i wandered around aimlessly looking for the right thing. We went to Emmaus which is a charity village so to speak. It has several buildings on one site with all sorts of goodies. The trouble of course with looking for something specific is that the chances of finding it are pretty slim. I was looking for a couple of bedside cabinets for Tom's room and a small chest of drawers to fit between the beds in the spare room. Unfortunately i didn't find what i wanted so we went into the restaurant for a cheese and pickle sandwich. I think this was a welcome relief for Katie as i was unable to moan and eat at the same time!

So when we were heading home i remembered a second had shop in Bedford called Bargain Alley which i hoped would come up with the goodies and would you believe it i found a chest of drawers just the right size.....

Unfortunately someone had stuck squares of fun foam on the drawers but for the bargain price of £15 i had to have it and luckily i was able to scrape them off without too much trouble.

Perfect! I will at some point need to paint those yellow walls as they're a bit bright but for now the room is looking clean and tidy so all is good. Now all i need are the bedside cabinets.

Ash and Poo!

2010-04-20T05:43:00.000-07:00

My car is covered in volcanic ash! It's very annoying as i paid the man in Tesco (supermarket) car park to wash it a couple of weeks ago. He wasn't just some random man in the car park. He was there washing cars! Anyway, I'm not sure whether to pay him to do it again when i go to Tesco on Monday which pains me as i'm too tight to want to pay again so soon, or wash it myself which i'm too lazy to do. It's a dilemma!

Anyhoo, it's a beautiful day today. We have blue skies and sunshine so i decided to open the doors and windows and give the house an airing. Unfortunately, i have a nasty feeling the Farmers are spreading muck on their fields as the wind is blowing a very pungent smell of cow poo through my house! It's very unpleasant so i thought i'd close my doors and windows again and now i've managed to seal myself in with the smell! Bleh!

An Award for me!

2010-04-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have been blogging for over two years now and i have just been given my first award courtesy of Taz at Ratbag. Yay!

The award is for always looking on the bright side of things. Taz, are you sure you've read my blog?

Here are the rules;

I have to

1. List the top ten things that make me happy.

2. List five trivia things about me.

3. Share with five people and ask them to do the same.

4. Link the blogs you choose and link the blog of the person who gave it to you.

Ten things that make me happy

Ask me to list things that make me more than a little bit miffed and i'd have no trouble, but happy? Taz, really, have you read my blog?

Anyhoo, here goes...

1. My Husband. After twenty years together i'm still in love with him, there are still moments when i look at him and my heart skips a beat, and we laugh daily.

2. My sons. They are a constant source of amusement to me.

3. Storage! I like my cupboards to be tidy and organised so boxes and baskets make me very happy.

4. The wonderment of seeing wildlife in my garden. Foxes, hedgehogs, birds. Truly amazing.

5. Biscuit and raisin Yorkie bars.

6. Freshly cut grass. Despite suffering from hay fever and being a sneezey, snotty mess round cut grass i still love the smell.

7. Spending time with my Mum.

8. People buying my handmade goodies. I'm always amazed that people want to pay for my creations.

9. My bed, especially when i've put clean sheets on it, and when Hubby's not there so i can spread out. (Sorry Hubby.)

10. Sitting on a deserted beach with the warm breeze on my skin.

now, five trivia things about me

1. I was bullied at school for having a big nose, which affected my confidence into adulthood. So, in 2004 i had Rhinoplasty and now i have a pretty nose. You can even feel the chisel marks, it's so cool! (This was not paid for by the NHS. My misery, my problem, my money!)

2. I had morning (and evening) sickness, every day through both of my pregnancies. I didn't bloom, i didn't glow, i just threw-up.

3. I'm not known for my cooking skills so 'Aunt Bessie' and 'Uncle Ben' regularly have to help me out.

4. I can bend over and touch my head on my knees.

5. I don't drink tea or coffee because, well, i don't like them.

Now to choose five others to share with

Lucy at Vanilla Ivy
Nicola at Smilernpb
Alex at Pink Feather Paradise
Sara at Locuasia
Jessica at Fifth Lamp Down

These are all lovely bloggers so if you have a moment then pop over and say hi.

Thankyou for the award Taz. It's been fun. X

Ahhhaaarrrggg!

2010-04-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm sooooo bored!

That's it! I have nothing more to say!

Oh the agony!

2009-12-15T08:42:00.000-08:00

After my last post i finally went to the Doctor about my very sore right elbow. He called me in and said 'Come on in, are you ok?' so i said...'Well, no, that's why i'm here!'. Anyway, it turns out i have tennis elbow, yay for me! He's given me anti-inflammatories, told me not to bend my wrist back and to rest it. If the drugs don't work then he can inject it but that'll be very painful. So, i've promised to rest it but it's proving difficult as i still have to run the home. The things that cause the most discomfort are driving, supermarket shopping, hoovering, sewing and using my laptop. Since i have to drive, shop and hoover i have had to let go of the sewing and computer use. I'm taking a December break from crafting and although i do try to check my e-mails each day i find that after a couple of minutes on my laptop i get a shooting pain up my arm so i just give up on that. Ho hum!

Anyhoo, i think i'm finally ready for Christmas. I still need to buy the food but the gifts are bought and wrapped. The ques in the shops are just ridiculous and in my hours standing in them i think i've worked out why...........it's because the people at the cash tills are still trying to sell you stuff instead of just letting you pay for your shopping.

Here are some examples....
(for my overseas visitors, these shops are popular high street stores)

BHS...
'Do you have one of our store cards?'
'No'
Would you be interested in one today?'
'No thankyou.'
'You can save 20% on your purchases today.'
'NO THANK YOU!' (and i don't appreciate you pushing your store card onto me which has such a high interest rate that you'll have me financially crippled in a matter of months!!)
'Would you be interested in our teddy bears and dogs, they're half price today.'
'NO THANKYOU.' (God-damn-it, let me pay already!)

WHSmiths...
'Can i interest you in any of our half-price sweets and chocolate today?'
'No thankyou.' (Now, these sweets are on the counter in front of me, i can see them, if i wanted any i would have bought some!)

Wilkinsons...
'Do you need mobile phone top-up or stamps today?'
'No thankyou.'

Debenhams...
'Do you have a Debenhams card?'
'No.'
'Would you be interested in one, you can save 10% on your purchases today.'
'NO, thankyou.'

Poundland...
'Would you like any of our large bars of chocolate?'
'No Thankyou!' (although i was tempted to ask how much they were! Tee hee!)

So, there you have it. An example of why my Christmas shopping took twice as long as it could have done. I must say however that all of the staff in these shops have been very pleasant and helpfull and it can't be much fun repeating these things to several hundred people each day.

Thankfully my shopping is done so my agony is over. Apart from my elbow, that still hurts!

Origami

2009-11-17T05:30:00.000-08:00

I've always liked to have a play with Origami and i always pop a little bird in with any orders i get. I had thought about putting a hanger on the birds to sell at the Bazaar's but i have a tendency to be a bit lazy so hadn't done it. Then, when Alex asked if i would be putting hangers on them i decided it would indeed be a good idea and i should make the effort!

I used beads and i'm really rather pleased with them.

I also have some butterflies which i'll be putting some beaded hangers on but first i need to go shopping for some more larger beads. I have quite a selection of seed beads but i find it quite hard to find a decent choice of larger beads in my area. I'm not a fan of buying from the internet as i like to go to shops where i can look and touch and buy now!

Folding paper is a nice change from playing with felt so i got my books out and decided the challenge was on! I jumped feet first into the modular section and have made these...

They each have 30 individually folded pieces which are then assembled. Tricky at first but simple when you know how. Luckily i worked out how quite quickly as it was all about to end in tears! Trying to make a piece of paper look like the diagram whilst trying to work out what a valley fold, mountain fold, reverse fold is and getting points A, B, C etc to be in the right place is a challenge! It's worse than trying to assemble flat pack furniture!

I'm thinking of putting ribbon hangers on these with a tassel at the bottom. I'd really like to use tassels but they might be a bit expensive so i'll have to have a look around. If not i'll use more beads!

Vintage Singer Sewing Machines

2009-11-11T03:11:00.000-08:00

Whilst visiting my bloggy pals these last few weeks i found that Lucy and Rachel have both recently become the proud owners of vintage Singer sewing machines. Lucy's was a very thoughtful gift from her Father-in-Law and Rachel's belonged to her Nana. Seeing these machines bought back great memories as my Mum had one which was given to her by her Mother-in-Law and it's the machine i learnt to sew on. I phoned my Mum to see if she still had it but unfortunately she threw it out three years ago when they moved from Hertfordshire to Somerset. I couldn't believe it, my heart just sank and i actually felt rather tearful. My Mum had thought i wouldn't want it as i have a nice modern machine. Oh dear! These vintage machines are just beautiful, they simply don't make things like that any more, in this mass produced society of ours. Ok, so these machines were in their time 'mass produced' but you know what i mean.

So, i told my tale of woe to Hubby and the boys and they decided there was only one course of action to be taken.........look on Ebay! So i spent the weekend analysing the listings and after two moments of frantic bidding and lost opportunities i managed to secure one! Infact, i got it for less money than the first two and it is the most like i remember my Mum's being.

It arrived today so here it is...

It was made in 1931 and still sews perfectly. I've been having a play and i just love it. I love the fact that when you take your foot off the pedal it continues to sew and extra 3 or 4cm as the motor winds down. It's great!

So, a big thankyou to Lucy and Rachel for bringing back such wonderful memories of my Mum's Singer and leading me to owning my own. Maybe we should start a Vintage Singer Sewing Machine Owners Club or VSSMOC for short. Anyone else like to join?

Catch-up

2009-11-09T08:40:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or are the weeks just whizzing by?

Two weeks ago, Alex bought two of my Halloween Ghosts and luckily, despite the postal strikes they arrived safely. She was very pleased with them but told me off for popping in some extra goodies. She is right of course, i'm not going to make my million if i keep giving things away! Anyway, when i had opened the envelope with her payment i found it inside this...

A very sweet little crochet pouch. So, who's giving stuff away then Alex? Hmmm?

It's the perfect size to put all those bits in that you loose in the bottom of your handbag so it really has been the perfect little surprise. Thanks again Alex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Bazaar on the 31st went rather well. I sold all of my Halloween goodies as well as a few other bits so i'm rather pleased. The next one is on Saturday 28th November so i have a couple of weeks to get organised. More crafting required me thinks!

Ouch!

2009-10-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

My elbow hurts! >sniff< It is constantly aching, if i move it suddenly then a pain shoots down my arm and into my fingers and if i try to lift anything then a pain shoots up my arm! It has been suggested that it might be tennis elbow (or maybe sewers elbow!) If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make it go away then please let me know. I haven't been to the Doctor as he'll probably just tell me to rest it and quite frankly that isn't going to happen!

I have managed to make a few more felt goodies...

Conkers!! These were alot of fun as we all challenged each other to a game. They didn't break of course so there was no winner as such, although, i was definitely the looser as i couldn't even hit the other conker with mine. No hand-eye coordination!

Autumn leaf brooches

Christmas puddings

And some little snowmen. I made three of them, then my Mum bought two (i tried not to take any money but she was having none of it!) and then i made three more. I keep making things in three's at the moment. I don't know why, i just seem to like things in three's! Strange!

Here i am!

2009-10-16T04:45:00.000-07:00

Did you miss me?

I've been plodding along quite merrily this last week but for some reason i didn't get around to blogging. I had some interest in my Halloween Ghost's so i made two more of those. Then , i decided the little bat i had put on one of the ghosts was rather groovy so i made some more as brooches...

I then made the three Halloween bats i'd been trying to get around to making for two weeks!

...and then i made three gingerbread man Christmas decorations.

I still have lots of sewing projects i want to get done but there just don't seem to be enough hours in the day!

Halloween crafting.

2009-10-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

My next Bicycle Basket Bazaar is on Saturday 31st October...Halloween! So i decided i ought to get seasonal with my crafting. I thought i'd just whip up some ghosts and bats, should only take a couple of days, then i'll start on Christmas! Well, the ghosts have taken me four days! I should have known that thinking up new items and piecing them together would take longer than two days. Anyhoo, i'm really pleased with the way the ghosts have turned out, now i'll do the bats.

Giant Jaffa Cake

2009-09-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

I had asked Steven what he'd like for his Birthday and he asked me to make him a giant Jaffa cake! He'd found a website called Pimp That Snack where people have made giant versions of popular snacks and thought they were really cool. I was too busy to make it on his Birthday on Monday but i did manage to make it yesterday. He was so pleased with it. Bless him!

It was rather yummy, especially with some warm custard.

Fabric boxes

2009-09-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

I keep visiting the lovely blogs out there and seeing all the lovely crafty creations you've been busy with and i kinda felt the need to get creative myself. After months of making felt Jammie Dodgers and other treats they are starting to become a bit of a chore so i wanted try something else. Without a lot of time to embark on a big project i decided to keep it simple so i raided my stash of felt and fabrics and started making some little boxes. I couldn't decide which colours to do so i ended up making quite a few of them. Seems i had more time on my hands than i thought!!

The larger ones measure approx H 2.5 inches, W 5.5 inches, D 3 inches. The small ones measure approx H 1.5 inches, W 3 inches, D 1.75 inches. The pink one at the front measures approx H 1.5 inches, W 4.5 inches, D 1.75 inches. I thought they might be handy for keeping nick-nacks in like hair clips, cotton wool, small change and keys, in fact any bits that need tidying away so i'll take them along to the next Bazaar on the 26th and see how they do.

Doug.....the dog

2009-09-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

Meet my new friend....i've named him Doug. He's my lovely giveaway prize from Pink Feather Paradise. Alex really is rather talented with the crochet hook, i never got the hang of knitting or crochet so this is a talent i admire.

Well Alex, Doug is settling in nicely. We've been spoiling him with an M&S marzipan bar!

Gekko's

2009-09-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Whilst visiting Alex at Pink Feather Paradise last week i noticed a very cute Gekko in a photo on her birthday post. On hearing that i can't crochet Alex very kindly offered to make one for me. I couldn't believe how generous this was of her so i humbly offered to swap the Gekko for a one of my felt treats.

It seems that Alex is a lot quicker at crochet than i am at stitching so i am now the very proud owner of not one, but two Gekko's.

They are so amazing. I just love their big feet and curly tails. They are meant as bookmarks but i think i might just drape them on my shelves instead.

Thankyou so much Alex. I'm a very lucky girl.

Artist envy...

2009-08-24T04:40:00.000-07:00

Last night i met a very lovely and very talented lady called Virginia Cinque. She is an Artist who uses different media to create some beautiful work. I studied Art at college and although my efforts with a pencil or brush were not too shabby i have no real talent for it so i admire those who do.

This watercolour called Il Monastero 1 is just beautiful in it's simplicity. It makes you stand and stare and wonder what lays behind the door...

...and i love the energy and movement in this abstract called Domination.

If you have a moment you may like to visit her website to see her other work.

I met Virginia at my friends birthday gathering. None of my close friends or family are at all creative so it's always a pleasure meeting other creative people. I'm always impressed by their talents. The only problem i have in meeting new people is explaining what i do.....'i, erm, make Jammie Dodgers out of felt....!' Creative people always say 'that's great, i'd love to see them' non creative people just ask 'why?'.

Re-stocking...

2009-08-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

I am busy re-stocking my supplies of my most popular felt goodies. Jammie Dodgers, mini Jammie Dodgers, Fab Lollies and mini Fab lollies. Cutting out the felt takes ages but it's done so now all i have to do is stitch them all together and add hangers and brooch pins.

I say 'all' i have to do is stitch them together but this is going to take me quite a while! I'd better get started...

More bags...

2009-08-17T06:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago i made three felt bags to sell at the Bicycle Basket Bazaar in July. I posted them on my blog and sold the Fab Lolly, and Jammie Dodger bags to a couple of lovely fellow bloggers. I'm always very excited to sell my handmade goodies, especially when people actually ask if they're for sale. So with the next Bicycle Basket Bazaar on Saturday 29th August i've made some more felt bags. Three new designs...

Jack Skellington - with black cotton lining

Pink French Fancy Cake - with purple cotton lining

Beaded Tastles - with cream cotton lining

My Jaffa Cake bag which i haven't sold yet...

Jaffa Cake - with cream cotton lining

And i've also made another...

Fab Ice Lolly - with pink cotton lining

Jammie Dodger - with dark red cotton lining

I have logged my bags onto my Folksy shop as although i plan to take them to the Bazaar, you just never know what will sell, when or where. I haven't logged them onto my Etsy shop as i haven't sold anything on there since February and since starting the Bazaars i feel i'll probably attract more British buyers so using the Folksy shop which is in pounds Stirling seems to make more sense. What do you think?

My friend asked if i could make her a felt bag with a zip on it....'of course i can' i said. Small problem, i need a quick lesson on how to sew zips. If you know of any tutorials i would appreciate a nudge in the right direction!

Oh, good news, i have finally cut my grass and my garden is all neat and tidy. Hoorah!

Bicycle Basket Bazaar

2009-07-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

On Saturday i was busy selling my goodies at the Bicycle Basket Bazaar in Northampton again. The weeks really fly by don't they. It was a really good day and i made a bit of money which is always nice. I've been shopping for more felt today as i need to re-stock!

It was a really warm day and with the sun shining through the glass roof it was a little bit toastie to say the least.

This month they had us set up on astro-turf....how cool is that! You've gotta love astro-turf!

My niece Katie came along with me again which is lovely. She's great company. Her mum (my sister-in-law) is a whizz with the knitting needles so we asked her to make some babies cardigans to sell. They are just beautiful but unfortunately she didn't sell any. Probably because it was such a hot day, not knit-wear weather. I'm sure they'll sell when the weather gets colder so we'll take them along each time. It's nice to have a variety of hand-made goodies on your bike!

We set the bike up and took a picture but then after about an hour we decided to rearrange it all. People were only looking at the bits at the front so we moved everything forward and it looked really good but i forgot to take another picture. Doh!

Hot!

2009-07-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

Wow! It's been hot this week. I did manage to make the Birthday cake a customer commissioned me to do. It turned out really well and i have a very happy customer. Yay!

Apart from that it's simply been too hot to stitch as my hands are just too sweaty and i can't grip the needle! Nice!

Lovely weekend

2009-06-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

I did my second Bicycle Basket Bazaar yesterday, at the Fishmarket in Northampton. I sold some more felt goodies and got a couple of orders too! I've also had an email from a customer who bought a 'Jammie Dodger' last week asking if i could make a felt birthday cake for their friend so it looks like i'm going to be busy!

Jaffa Cakes....

2009-06-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today i have been busy making Jaffa Cakes to add to my felt goodies which i will attempt to sell again on Saturday.....

.....i'm really quite pleased with the way they've turned out. What do you think?

I have also opened a Folksy shop. It's something i've been thinking about doing for many weeks now and after a few comments from people who were finding it tricky to convert the US dollars into pounds sterling i decided it was time to sort it out........so 'tis done! Hoorah!

BBB

2009-06-21T11:57:00.001-07:00

The Bicycle Basket Bazaar yesterday went really well. The other sellers were really friendly so we spent the day chatting and having a lovely time. This was a new venue for the BBB and the general opinion of the regular BBB sellers was that it was a very slow day. I did sell some bits and covered my costs so it was worth the effort. All the comments about my goodies from the visitors were very positive. Everyone loved my stuff.

We were in these two marquees (i was in the one on the left) which was lucky as we did have a shower of rain. The marquees were positioned near the entrance to the festival which should have been perfect for visitors but most people seemed unaware we were in there and walked straight past us as they headed towards the music coming from the stage. The BBB has only been running for a couple of years and the organiser put this hic-up down to a learning curve.

The girls were telling me about the BBB held at the old Fishmarket in Northampton once a month which attracts many visitors. They have convinced me to try that one next Saturday. So, i'll give that one a try and see if i sell a few more bits. It really was a lot of fun so if i do well at the Fishmarket next week i may well sign up to it each month.

Hope you've all had a lovely weekend, and Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's....especially mine!! X X

Ready or not, here i come!

2009-06-19T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Bicycle Basket Bazaar is tomorrow and i think i'm ready. Here are some dodgy photos of my bike and goodies. Yes, my bike is in my kitchen! There is a Victorian theme to the Bazaar which was a bit tricky. I mean, how do you make a blue racer bike look Victorian? I've used some blue Toile to make some bunting for the baskets and a long ribbon of Toile to wrap around my bike. I hope that's ok, Toile is Victorian right?

In the front basket i have 6 slices of battenburg cake, 1 whole Battenburg cake, 11 Jammie Dodger biscuits, 6 Gingerbread men, 8 Ice Lollies, 18 French Fancies cakes, 8 Donuts, 2 Fab Lollies and 6 Choc Ice's on sticks which look a bit like Magnums.

In the back basket i have 3 gift cakes with matching charms, 10 assorted round cakes and 11 assorted square cakes.

Pinned to the sides of the front basket i have 21 charms and 3 brooches.

I hope that's enough! And i hope even more that people like my goodies enough to buy some!

My next job is to try and get my bike IN my car!

Bicycle Basket Bazaar

2009-06-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

On Monday i received an email from a fellow Etsy seller, Rose from Fluffington, asking me if i'd like to take part in a Bicycle Basket Bazaar which will take place in Milton Keynes on the 20th and 21st of June. Has anyone heard of it or been to one? I hadn't heard of it before so had to do a bit of Googling to see what it was all about. I suggest you check out the link, especially the photos to get a better idea, but basically, you book your pitch, park your bike in it and sell your goodies from the basket on the front of your bicycle! Really check out the photos, you have to see it to believe it! It looks so cool! I was really nervous about the idea but felt it would be a great opportunity to sell some of my felt goodies so i decided to accept Rose's invitation. I emailed Rose back again thanking her, she's very sweet and said i could ask for a pitch next to her so i wouldn't be on my own. So kind of her as i don't actually know her, she just found me somehow and invited me along. I phoned the organisers this morning and booked my pitch and now i'm busy making felt goodies to sell. The Bazaar is only 10 days away so i need to get organised. Has anyone taken part in a fair of any kind before? How many goodies do you think i'll need to have for selling? Any help would be gratefully received. They have a few spaces left so if you live near Milton Keynes and would like to join in then check out the link. All the information is there.

To be quite honest i'm very excited about doing the Bazaar but i am freaking out a bit!!!

Phenomenal artwork

2009-04-15T07:52:00.000-07:00

There is a blogger called Lisa Hurwitz who is in my opinion a phenomenal artist. I have been popping by her blog for a while now and as i love her work so much i decided i simply had to buy one of her prints. The trouble was that they are all so lovely that i couldn't decide which one to have. I narrowed it down to 'Hide and Seek' and 'Girl on Chair'. I spent a week visiting her Etsy shop looking at both prints and it was driving me mad so i decided to buy them both. Well, it's my birthday next month and my my family always sends me money so i decided to use that. (I don't actually have my birthday money yet though! Oops!)

The prints arrived today and they are just wonderful. I can't stop looking at them.

It was a wonderful surprise to find that Lisa had also included a little print of 'Dress Up' for me. It is simply delightful.

Now i need to get them framed and hung on my wall for all to admire.

My photos do not do them justice so i would highly recommend you visit Lisa at her blog to see them in their full glory and to see her other amazing work too.

More delights

2009-04-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

This week Mr Postman has become my new best friend. This morning he pushed this through my door ...

Another parcel, full of gorgeous Handmade loveliness from Nicola.

This girl knows how to pack a parcel of goodness, and it's as if she know's my favourite things. My favourite chocolate is praline and she has sent me a a Thorntons Alpini! I don't drink tea or coffee so if i feel the need for a hot drink i'll have a hot chocolate and Nicola has included a hot Toffee drink. I guess all girls like smellies but this bar of sweet pea fragranced soap smells devine. Did you make this yourself?

Now on to the Handmade goodies...

Nicola has made me this very sweet owl hanging ornament. I love the colours and the stitch detail on it. He is currently hanging on the kitchen cupboard, waiting to take up his place on my Easter Tree.

And she has also cross-stitched my initial to personalize a notebook. How could Nicola possibly know that i live my life by writing lists...on account of me having a terrible memory.

I am a very lucky girl and i can't thank you enough.

Now i have to go as No.1 son is man-handling my Thorntons Alpini and there may be a need for violence!

Box of delights

2009-04-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Today started off with another trip to the supermarket. With two teenage boys who are constantly eating it's a place i hang out often!

But the day has just got a whole lot better. I have just returned home to find this on my doorstep.

Now who doesn't enjoy receiving gifts! This is a box of goodies from my 'Handmade the Swap' partner Jessica. Her swap goodies were in two parts and this is...quite obviously...part two. Prolong the swapping goodness, what a fab idea.

I so need to get some of that funky spotty packing tape! Anyone know where i can get some?

And this is the contents of the box. A very lovely handmade lamb, a friend for Mr Monkey who arrived last month. A selection of fruit flavoured gummy sweets which my sons assure me are indeed 'Super Juicy' as described on the wrapper. A packet of Teddy Grahams which will be devoured as movie snacks at the weekend. (I have had to hide them as they are in danger of not lasting till then!) A very lovely bracelet, and a set of four little 'people' stamps. I haven't had stamps for such a long time i had forgotten how much fun they could be. I have been stamping on any available surface...including No.2's head! Oh yes!

It's really rather spooky that Jessica should choose these stamps as, although she has never met us, she has managed to find the exact likeness of my Hubby and me! It's uncanny!

Thankyou Jessica, what a lovely day i've had. I'm off to do more 'stamping'!

And the winner is......

2009-04-03T01:02:00.000-07:00

As i was going to go the traditional route and pull the winners name from a hat i searched high and low for a groovy hat fit for the job but all i could find was my sons beanie!

It actually rose to the occasion amicably.......and the winner is....

These Easter goodies will soon be on their way to you Nicola.

However, as only three of you lovely blogging buddies entered my giveaway i decided there really should be runners up prizes. So as a big thankyou to Jessica and Rachel for entering my giveaway i have made you a hot cross bun each too.

Thanks again ladies. This his been lots of fun so will definitely be doing a giveaway again sometime.

Have a lovely day.

Easter Giveaway....Yay!

2009-03-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have been Blogging for over a year now and haven't yet had a giveaway. So, with Easter fast approaching i decided now would be a great time to have one.

I have put together this little bundle of Easter goodness. My photography skills still have not improved but hopefully this won't put you off!

On offer is a felt Hot Cross Bun, a blue felt Easter Bunny with funky fabric ears and a fun little felt Cup Cake. Oh, and the chocolate eggs of course!

If you like what you see then simply leave a comment by 9am BST on Friday 3rd April. I will pull the lucky winners name from a hat and post the results on Friday.

P.S These are novelty items and are not intended to be given to young children.

P.P.S I am happy to post internationally so all entries welcome.

Little Tote

2009-03-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, the weeks are flying by and yet i have no amusing anecdotes to share with you which is a little disappointing.

I have however been busy making this fun little tote and trying very hard to get a decent photograph of it. I really am very bad at taking photos, as hard as i try they always look dull and a little bit sad! It's a skill I'll continue to work at.

My next job is to list this little bag in my Etsy shop which i always find a challenge as i never know how much to charge for my handmade goodies.

By the way, I'm still searching for a 10cm long cream zip!

Mr Monkey...Yay!

2009-02-25T06:38:00.000-08:00

Today is a good day! I returned home to find a parcel for me. It was very exciting...who doesn't like a parcel. All handwritten, and with an air of good things to come...if a little crumpled after it's long journey from Florida.

Of course, as soon as i saw it i knew what it was, my lovely handmade gift from my swap partner.

I knew it was going to be good but hadn't bargained on this....

....Mr Monkey, looking very relaxed after his long trip.

I am utterly delighted with him. He's beautifully made and has such character. Thankyou so much Jessica. I couldn't be happier.

Mini...

2009-02-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Following on from the felt treats i made for my Toy Swap partner i have come up with some new variations.

And they're mini!

Lovely little treats that you can carry with you always as a brooch or charm.

Mini felt Fab ice lolly

Mini Jammie Dodger biscuit.
Yum!

All boxed up and ready to go...

2009-02-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

Annie over at Bird and Little Bird has done a fantastic job organising her toy swap - Celebrating Handmade. The deadline for posting our items to our swap partners was 10th February....yes today! I thought i was quite organised but at the weekend i suddenly decided that what my swap partner Jessica from Florida really needed was a bag to put her felt treats in. So yesterday i whipped up this Jammie Dodger felt number....

....with a groovy strawberry patterned cotton lining.

So in the nick of time i have the handmade felt goodies all packaged up and i'm ready to go out to the post office in the sludgey snow.

Did i mention that Jessica is from Florida...the Sunshine State!!

Allsorts.....

2009-02-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

My latest offering for my toy swap partner.......Liquorice Allsorts! Yay!

I had some trouble getting this photo though. I put the sweets in the dish, arranged the felt sweets around the bottom and then decided the light was too dull to take the photo. So i left the arrangement as it was with a view that i would take the photo in the morning. Big mistake! The next morning the dish was empty! Apparently it was my fault for leaving the sweets there. Silly me! So i've had to buy more Liquorice Allsorts and i was lucky to get this photo too!

Party Rings...

2009-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

My latest felt creations....

These were one of those strange foods from my childhood in that no-one ate them generally but there was always a plate of them at your friends birthday party!

Ooh...Fab!

2009-01-21T11:44:00.000-08:00

Still busy making felt treats for my toy swap partner. I now have a slice of Battenberg...

...and a Fab ice lolly.

I had a small dilema with this one. Should i do the bottom band red the way it is depicted on the box or pink, the colour the ice lolly really is. I decided to go with the pink and then i lovingly hand-stitched the sugar strands at the top. It took a while but it is fab!

A Fancy weekend...

2009-01-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

A big well done to Annie for doing such a grand job with the Toy Swap. She has matched me with my toy swap partner Jessica from Orlando. It's very exciting, i'm busy making a selection of classic British treats. So far i've made a Jammie Dodger, a dodgey Cherry Bakewell and i've just finished 3 French Fancies (one of each colour). I'm also planning to make a slice of Battenberg, a Jaffa Cake and a Fab ice lolly but I've suddenly become stuck for ideas so if anyone has any ideas then please let me know.

By some strange felt Fancies coinsidence, I had a set of 3 felt Fondant Fancies in my Etsy shop. On friday a lady in New York bought them and asked me to make ten more in various colours. They are so groovy i almost don't want to let them go...perhaps i could tell her the dog ate them! (I don't have a dog! Doh!)

I like to keep one of each felt item i make for my own reference so this weekend i have made 16 felt Fancies! It's lucky i had a box of the real things to keep my sugar levels up!

Bake-not-so-well...

2009-01-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well, i did my best today to make a Cherry Bakewell and oh my god! It was really hard to work out the pattern and it didn't turn out as well as i hoped. It's not a complete disaster but the likeness isn't as close as i'd have liked.

It does look quite good in the box though.

Felt the need to swap!

2009-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

I was out blog roaming yesterday and found myself visiting Annie at Bird and Little Bird. She is hosting a hand made toy swap so if your crafting mojo needs a kick up the bum i suggest you check it out.

This morning i had a trip out to buy more felt colours. I had been running a bit low but i think these should do the trick for a while....

...and this afternoon i made a Jammie Dodger! (my Hubby's favorite)

Tomorrow I'm considering making a Cherry Bakewell. Both of my sons are mad on them at the moment. Only Mr Kipling's will do though. I've tried to buy cheaper brands but they are having none of it. Apparently they are just poor imitations...a bit like my felt food!

Making lunch...

2009-01-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today i made lunch...a cheese and lettuce sandwich, a packet of crisps and a carton of orange juice.

I made it with felt which is such an easy material to work with. It doesn't fray so you don't need to hem it, you just cut and stitch. I've made cakes and chocolates before but this is the first time i've made 'lunch'. It was such fun to make i may need to make more.

Sale...

2009-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

The sale is now on in my Etsy shop. I've been busy reducing the prices in the hope of tempting buyers in this economic slump. I love making things but i really don't have the cupboard space to keep all that i make. They really need to find new homes. Some Etsy sellers have sold hundreds of items! How do they do that? I've only sold 3 items in over a year! I obviously need to give my shop a lot more attention but don't know how to get the word out to attract customers. If anyone can point me in the right direction i would really appreciate it.

Anyway, as well as reducing my items i have also added 2 new pieces at lovely low prices...

...this lovely twisty necklace with a pretty glass bead...

...and this groovy button shaped brooch.

Cookies...?

2008-11-16T14:36:00.000-08:00

I decided to do some baking in my shiny new oven. The recipe said the mixture would make up to 24 cookies! Twenty-four! I spooned the mixture onto the baking trays and, expecting them to spread and platten during the baking process thought i'd done well to squeeze 12 out of the mixture!...

...Guess what....they didn't flatten during the baking process so i ended up with these...

...Cookies? Cakes? i don't know as they didn't last long enough to find out.

Still playing with beads...!

2008-11-09T03:26:00.000-08:00

Something fishy...

...and something twisty!

Beads!...

2008-10-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

There's only so much tea and coffee a girl can make in one day so i need something else to occupy my while i have a steady stream of builders, plumbers, electricians and plasterers coming and going. I have, over the years collected quite a lot of beads and my mother-in-law has just lent me her books on seed bead jewellery.

Oh what fun i've been having turning this...

...into these...

...Lovely!

Gifts for all...

2008-07-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time for gifts recently. First my Mum asked me to make (not bake) a cake as a Birthday gift for her good friend...

...a very Happy Birthday to you Heather.

Then my Sister asked me to make a box of chocolates for her friends Birthday...

...Happy Birthday Nikki, enjoy.

Then, i made some booties for my friend who was due to have her baby. She was two weeks late bless her and as we didn't know if she was expecting a boy or girl i decided to be prepared...

...Pink for a girl...

...Brown for a boy.

She gave birth to a beautifull girl they have named Lilly and as i believe it's never too early for a girl to start her shoe collection i decided to give her both pairs. Welcome Lilly, i hope you enjoy your new shoes!

Lovely buttons...

2008-06-09T05:47:00.000-07:00

I decided to put my new found buttons to use by making this pretty phone charm...

very pretty pink beads and buttons

...and this brooch...

vintage button...love it!

...and then i got carried away with the whole 'button' theme and made these button brooches too...

...I'm loving buttons!...............can you tell?

There be treasure in that there coffee jar...

2008-05-19T05:26:00.000-07:00

My mother-in-law has been spring cleaning and asked me if i'd like to look through her unwanted goodies before she sent them off to the charity shop. Nothing took my fancy but as she proudly showed off her neat and tidy cupboards i came across a coffee jar full of buttons. Recognising my uncontrollable need to rummage through its contents (otherwise known as begging in a high pitched whiny voice!) my mother-in-law let me take the jar home so i could rummage at my leisure.

Just look at them, they're sooo pretty!

I spent 20 minutes oohing and aahing my way through the contents while my husband looked on totally bewildered by what he was witnessing. Please tell me i'm not the only one to harbor such a fascination with buttons!

Anyone for more cake...!

2008-02-25T05:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this obsession for making cakes instead of eating them really must stop but they're so much fun i just can't help myself. My friends and i all chose some of our favourite cakes and we came up with these little beauties...

...in no particular order (all cakes are my favourite!)...

Chocolate Cream Tart
Victoria Sponge with White Icing
Carrot CakeVanilla Sponge with Pink Icing and Sprinkles
Vanilla Sponge with Chocolate Fondant, Chocolate Icing and a Cherry on Top Lemon Meringue Pie with SprinklesStrawberry Tart
Chocolate Fudge Cake

...life doesn't get much better than having a selection of rather yummy cakes to choose from. The next dilema is should they be eaten with cream, ice cream or custard?

Anyone for cake?

2008-02-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been two weeks now and i'm still resisting the urge to eat chocolates and cake which is good news as i've managed to loose a few pounds. Yay for me! After making the chocolates i realised how much i love working with felt so i've been making these...

...fun gift ideas. Cakes with matching mini cake charms. They're in my etsy shop now.

Maximum capacity!

2008-01-22T01:32:00.000-08:00

I pulled my jeans out of the tumble dryer this morning and had to do a merry jig to get them on! This provoked me to get on the bathroom scales where i got the shock of my life. On refelection it wasn't such a shock as i distinctly remember eating solidly through December and i haven't eased up much since! So, now that i have finished munching my way through these...

my delicious christmas gift from lovely son no.2

...it's time to shed my winter coat. So instead of eating chocolates i've been reduced to making them...

...oh yes! Felt chocolates, the ultimate in diet food. No calories whatsoever but packed full of fibre! They'll do nicely!

Welcome to my New Year resolution...

2008-01-21T03:36:00.000-08:00

I've been a closet Crafty Blogger Reader for a few months now and as a crafter myself i have been trying to talk myself into starting my own blog and joining the fun. So, after a glorious Christmas break here...

Medhufushi Island in the Maldives

... i decided to stop thinking about it and come out of the closet. So here it is....welcome, i hope you enjoy it.