Grateful

So, this week I have so much to be grateful for. To start with I was able to enjoy wasting some time with my little sister Nelly. We had an (almost) whole child free day together, which we spent making and doing. It was also her birthday this week - giving me an excuse to play with my favourite things this month - wood, wool and paper (dictionary, naturally). I managed to get my head around Ravelry (yep, know it's not hard....) and find a pattern for crochet wrist warmers, which I ADAPTED!! (Get me!) 

They were part of Nelly's present, but I felt it was important to road test them first. I can confirm that they do work, and keep ones wrists surprisingly warm.

 

And here is her gift wrap and card. I think I might have exhausted the stitching around words options now - need to move on!

 

 I am also extremely grateful for a little package that arrived all the way from Kansas. I can not tell you how beautifully wrapped this gift was....and I can not show you because I was SO desperate to unwrap it that I forgot to photograph it.

Anyway - it's from a blogging friend Renee over at My Vintage Mending, as a swap for some blocks I sent her. I know I've said this a lot recently, but don't you just love blogging?!

 

These three beautifully made vintage fabric storage boxes now sit on the shelf by the front door, collecting keys, purses, phones...all the things I lose on an hourly basis.

Thank you Renee - they are perfect and I LOVE them.

 

I also received a lovely treat from my MIL! Cleggy returned from the NE with 2 carrier bags full of china...how thrilled was I?! Thank you Grandma and Great Grandma - they will be treasured.

I hope I get at least one deserving daughter-in-law to pass them on to!

This one is called 'sweet pea'

perfect for a cup of tea in the Autumn sunshine!

I'm also grateful that my nursery blocks were featured in a magazine for the first time. OK, it's not Molly Makes (SO pleased they've found my clever friend Jane!!) it's the far less cool 'Pregnacy and Birth'....but it's a lovely full page and I'm not complaining!

And while I'm on products - here are some more valentines offerings (available here)

A nice chunky block of wood:

 

Some more dictionary print, which have been very popular. The only thing I have to be careful of is double checking the words that stand out on the blocks. I had to re-make some that included 'victim', 'devient' and 'alcoholic' (not what you want on a love block!)

I found 'beaver' on Nelly's gift - but left that on!

 

 And some smaller blocks that can come with mini initial tags

 

 Lastly my blogging friend Marjan over at Cow Road 'introduced' me to Roos, a fellow blogger who writes with amazing poignancy about the situation she finds herself in. She has 2 very little boys and her husband Kenji is perilously poorly, fighting cancer.

I'm not going to lie - it can be hard to read (I've admitted this to Roos!), not least because it brings back many memories of our own journey when our #2 Kenzie had cancer as a toddler. Roos lives day to day, sometimes hour to hour. Her life is on hold, and incredibly difficult.

Our boy survived, and I long for the day I read some good news for Roos and her family. When Kenzie got better I vowed to be grateful for each and every day. I know that the only thing that matters is that we are well. But I sometimes forget...and let the little things worry me. 

Visiting Roos takes me back, and for this I am grateful that she shares her story.

I took this picture of Cleggy's (beautiful!) shirts sitting in the ironing pile today before I read Roos' post about ironing.  They looked so beautiful sitting there - and I am grateful that my only thought was what I might make with the fabric when he's finished wearing them!

I think of you often Roos - and just FYI, I can't iron either!

fee x

♥ Love ♥

source

I was struggling to move on from Christmas crafting to doing some serious work so decided I would try and incorporate the two! I've become obsessed with how I can use dictionary paper (see banner!).

Now, Cleggy and I don't 'do' valentines day (he declared early on that 'every day is valentines day'...) but I love hearts (who doeasn't?!) so designing products for the day of love is a pleasure. 

Here are this years offerings:

(all available here)

The little tile is made from fimo (still addicted) and has a tiny key embedded into it.

This one can be personalised on the back - and has a tag with two cut out hearts. Good present for hard to buy for men.

I did make some with other papers:

I'm also struggling to wean myself off Pinterest! I've seen this idea stitched in a couple of places (pinned here and here) and just had to try it...

 

It was a fun photograph to play around with

It's a year this week since I started blogging - how glad I am that I ventured into this inspiring world!!!

H♥ppy d♥ys

fee x

Little Christmas round up...

So, after the whirlwind of school plays (GB was a king, complete with carpet beard!) and end of term shenanigans Christmas appears to have come and gone since my last post.

In the spirit with which my blog is meant, as both a diary for me and a sharing of all things crafty, here are the best bits of the last 2 weeks:

Christmas started as it will officially end (tomorrow), with the drinking of snowballs with lovely friends.

Pre-Christmas I became, what can only be described as, obsessed with clay modelling and the endless possibilities it offered. It started with a bookmark for the snowball drinking Jane, the idea of which I borrowed from a pin, although I can't seem to trace the source (I went as far back as here).

After trying a couple of other clay options I went back to using good old Fimo, coloured the legs in with a Sakura Glaze pen, painted the shoes with red acrylic paint then coated with red glitter. If you fancy making one remember to slice the top of each leg before firing (which you can then slot a piece of strong card in for the marker)

 

What a great idea (wish it had been mine) and, as always, much harder than it looks (which is why one leg is much fatter than the other!)

I also used fimo to make this years Christmas place settings, for both the toadstools (on a painted and stamped block) and the little tags wrapped around the cutlery.

 

Our Christmas day pudding was individual Christmas pudding trifles (recipe here) served in little jam jars. They are decorated with a strip of doily, ribbon, a jingle bell and a fimo tag. All tags were stamped pre-baking.

 

I didn't stop there with the fimo...oh no, I spent another inordinate amount of time making other tags for presents!  I borrowed the idea from this pin 

from (marleyandlockyer thanks Planet Jane!)

using real doilies to make these little beauties. 

Here's how to do it:

1) roll out some white fimo 

2) take a doily and place it on the clay 

3) use a rolling pin to make an imprint of the pattern onto the clay

4) use a cookie cutter to cut out a shape of your choice

5) use a sharp pencil to make a hole for hanging

6) stamp a word on if desired

7) bake in the oven for 30 mins

The best bit of all these tags is that they were reused by hanging on the Christmas twig above the table and will all be making an appearance next year. My fimo passion lives on....

The elephants got their special ruffles on

(there's your blocks Emily...still yours for next year!)

 We saw lots of all the special little people in our lives 

(Sonny, Luca and Mabel)

and enjoyed the company of our boys

(Thank you Mackies and Davenports for great outfits/accessories!)

Cleggy, master of fun, devised some excellent entertainment in the form of a Christmas day quiz. It's only right to include a couple of photos....sorry family

(Phineas and Ferb, Granny as Cher and The Simpsons)

(Cam from Modern Family, Nelly as Wee Jimmie Krankie and me as Pat Butcher)

It was a particularly enjoyable Christmas this year - and lovely to spend so much time with all our slightly unhinged but very funny family.

Quick animal update:

Minnie the new pig has settled in extremely well. She was moved down to  the the bottom of the garden because it was hard work keeping her in the kitchen while catering for 10 people and also because cooking a large Boxing day ham in her presence just felt wrong.

She gets more confident by the day - and despite loving her new house also likes to sleep in with the chickens. If she does spend the night in her own house she goes over the wake all the others up the minute you let her out in the morning...oinking and banging her snout on their door. I might have to film it - it's too cute.

Mr Bob Boblington (GB's new hamster) has survived the clutches of Mabel and also the 'total wipeout' style obstacle course that Nelly helped the boys build for him.

Ned continues his hibernation in the workshop fridge - so far so good. We open the door once a day to make sure there's enough oxygen in there and weigh him weekly to check he's not losing too much weight.

And finally - to fight the 'end of christmas' holiday blues I've been happily making boxes from Christmas cards

idea borrowed from here

 And finally got my head around crochet. I had been taught the basics by patient Jane earlier in the year - but needed to get a grip of other stitches and also learn how to read a pattern (of which Jane has no need - she is toooooo clever!)

I treated myself to this wonderful book for Christmas and received the other from Granny (thanks Granny!)

With help from the two books, and after much frustration (why would English stitches be called something else in the US?? WHY?)  I've managed to create some lovely things, which have given me immense pleasure, including these jar cosies (check out the variety of stitches!!!)

and inspired by Lucy over at Attic 24 this pencil pot.

Passion for crochet lives on too.

All that remains is to wish all my friends, 

old and new, near and far, 

 

Happy New Year

 I hope it brings many adventures and lots of laughter. 

fee x