24.9.12

etsy an overnight sale!

I thought it would be nice to share what happened this morning.

Yesterday after filling in my policies and listing an item on etsy I decided that before I went to bed I would open my shop. Even though I had only one listing so far. Imagine my surprise this morning when I had a look at my shop and realise it wasn't showing any items. I was a bit panicked as I thought my listing hadn't been saved! and I would have to do it again.....well it gradually dawned on me that someone had brought it!!

and there it was in the sold items!..... and yes a very happy and encouraging surprise for me!


So exciting! so I bounced of happily to the post office ready to tell all and sundry, and to send it off on it's journey across the Atlantic!

I just love the combination of colours in this cushion cover and really enjoyed making this. I loved it so much that I actually made another identical one straight after! I still need to make the cover for it and sew the pieces together. So I may re-list this again as a custom order.

Setting up etsy was fairly straight forward, with a paypal account already set up. I was slightly out on the postage, I forgot to add the weight of the packaging! but I think I've done everything I said I would. So hurray for etsy, I'm so pleased! 


I have enthusiastically begun another! but I really need to get down to sewing and attaching covers......it's the not quite so much fun bit, although it's very satisfying to see the finished item.

Here is a picture of my next finished cushion, ready to list on etsy. It's a very colourful holly hobby style patchwork cushion.


Likely to add a bust of colour to any corner, I think it would probably be quite good fun in a caravan or children's bedroom. What do you think?.... we are going to need some colourful makes in our lives soon for sure. I have been dodging the rain all day! and now must prise the dog from her blanket again, I hope you all have a good start to the week!                                                                        



21.9.12

the autumn equinox and a little crafting!

Hello there, I've finally made it back here..... a week has gone by, a much improved week at school, for my teen, by all accounts. Flying high in fact on some days, only to crash and burn a bit today....., thank goodness it's friday!

Here are some photos of a little end of summer, beginning of autumn walk I went on this week. Feeling a little free I went for a wander through a place I used to visit a lot, but haven't passed by for a while.


These photos are taken at a place called Ruskin mill college. Set in a beautiful lush valley in the Cotswolds. It's a college for 16 to 25 year olds who have a range of different learning difficulties. Coming from all over the country, they live with house parents in their family home and come to the college to learn a range of different skills from growing vegetables, to farming, iron work, clay work and woodwork.


You can walk through the valley, alongside the beautiful clean fresh lakes, it's very rejuevinating and inspiring. Seeing art and sculptures by the students at every turn as you walk through.

I've always loved the wooden weather station door with it's sun and stars, and the blue mosaic work on the bench, such a nice idea.



 It's so nice to see a flourishing vegetable and flower garden at the end of summer. I can only hope that next year I might find a bit more time to encourage mine to look like this! it's all grown organically and the food is served in the scrumptious cafe at the college. I had a gorgeous slice of carrot cake with icing on the top, and a latte. It just had to be done.


It's such a pretty time of year, everything so full and ripe. The sun and the stars are bringing us into alignment and balance and in the northern hemisphere, into the autumn equinox. Now we will begin to turn inward and the last of our summer plans are brought into fruition. Not exactly a very summery summer, I'm a bit sad to see that I have no apples on my tree.....or plums! actually I had one and it was like a sacred apple, it tasted delicious too...... It's such a shame, apples are my very favourite food and I eat so many. If in doubt have an apple, that's what I say! or chocolate or both!! 

I'm definitely rambling and I wanted to show you my little crafting moment. Inspired by this lady in this months Country living.


Just pretty straight forward and self-explanatory I would say. I sewed a little brooch pin on the back. It was nice to use the different colour felts combined with the vintage sheet fabric. Just a little something to keep the crafty clogs turning! I love the vintage buttons and the colour of that bead, lots of possibilities!


Okay, perhaps wearing two at once is a bit much! These would also be nice pinned on a bag, or a coat, or perhaps big giant ones! 

Well I wish you all a happy equinox and hope that all your fruits and plans are ripening! or just beginning to burst forth if you are in the southern hemisphere! I have been working on my etsy shop and I hope to be able to show you soon. I am just working out the details. I haven't put a link up yet, but it's there. Oh and enjoy the weekend!

                                                                      



14.9.12

this week

This weeks happenings.......
I won't mention school, other than, this week not good...... Hoping we can pull it together next week......,
a birthday yesterday and an evening filled with boys, pizza and cake,
and an upcoming paintballing session on saturday, not me, I'll be reading magazines and drinking tea and coffee! oh and making sure they have their gear on properly and rationing out the paintballs!


my very simple version of a birthday cake, slightly strange icing and sugar balls!
I have a son who likes very plain things, no need for mountains of fluff and icing, just a straight forward spounge cake, that's him! 

the gorgeous smell of apples and blackberries has been scenting the air. Nothing else added except for a large dollop of natural yoghurt. Yum.


on the crochet front, more pot holders have appeared. It's a nice way to play around with colour. Sometimes I find myself going down an unexpected route with the colours. A gentle autumn trail into the new seasons colours.


I found myself bringing out the plum and the russet and deepening the colours, and wishing for more rusts and browns. I've just started darning in the ends of the thread instead of crocheting over them. Well actually I'm doing both. I think this does make them more durable, especially if I'm making things to sell and it's quite quick and easy with an embroidery needle. So I practised on this. 

Here is my little sewing box, given to me by my mum when I was about seven. It's just holds the essentials!


some things just keep on going!
it was a well timed present, and the beginning of good things. I still love looking in sewing baskets.

I thought it would be nice to give a cheery wave and welcome to all the new folks who have called by here lately. It's just lovely to hear from people near and far and across all the different time zones. Wishing all of you a good weekend. 

        X

11.9.12

enjoying colours inside and outside

Hello I'd thought I'd show you some of the colours I'm enjoying around me a the moment. A really delicious peach summer rose is waving at me in front of my balcony. It's one of a line of roses I planted this year, unfortunately I can't remember the name, but it's a gorgeous peachy orange. Have a look,


it smells delicious too! the first buds are bright orangey red......, so romantic!


These white puff ball flowers are gorgeous too, so pretty, does anyone know their real name?


These fresh white and oranges, I'm also enjoying these colours indoors to. A new thrifted blanket has been found to decorate my life with! I have dragged in a second couch from my conservatory. In the hope of making my living room a bit more cosy and colourful!


love the orangey red combined with the aqua, seen here with a thrifted blue pillow and one of my sushine pillows made this summer.



it's a huge knitted blanket, it must have taken someone ages, larger than double bed size. I'm always amazed when I find things like this for the grand sum of two pounds! Very soft and cosy. I like the mixture of colours and the patchwork. I'm trying to make the living room more inviting in the hope that my teen might actually want to spend some time in it too instead of the whole time in his room. No such luck yet, but the dog seems to like it. No need to fight over couch space now!


Time to change the sheet on the main couch! Do you do this? I love this tourquoise sheet, and I'm really enjoying the change. you know when it's time and it makes all the difference. The colours feel fresh together. It's all ready for flopping onto! That's where you'll find me in the evenings, if I'm not sitting  over by the computer.....


all plumped and ready, not bad for a couch found outside in the street! I do look longingly at the ikea catalogue, but really this is ok....!.

The week has begun for us with a couple of days of sickness, so a bit of time to regroup our energies and begin again. We are still in the midsts of transition really and I can only hope it's all going to work out.

I'll just finish this post with a picture taken early morning on the weekend, a misty start and  beautiful spiders webs all over the garden. It was really incredible, I don't know if it's spider season, if there is such a thing?


have a good week, I have a fourteenth birthday to prepare for in a couple of days!



9.9.12

my chair


Can I show you my chair? It's the photo I forgot to include in my last post. This is the chair in my craft room. It's a carver chair which originally belonged to my Grandma, I called her Nana! This small hexagon blanket was inspired by Lucy at attic24, and there's is a great tutorial for it here. Lucy's blog was one of the first blogs I ever found. I really wanted to learn how to crochet and although I had brought a book on it, I still couldn't quite work it out. In my quest to find out I googled it, and the rest as they say is history! I had grand visions of this blanket covering a whole double bed, and I think it would have been truly magnificent. In the end so many projects were begun that I decided to call it a day and make it a finished project. So A border was added and it is now a baby blanket size. Now I don't have a baby and not being quite able to part with it, it's making my chair look pretty! and I love it.....

7.9.12

et voila pot holders!



















Pot holders or pan holders, I never quite know what to call them. I know these ones would let me burn my fingers if I tried to lift a hot pan with these, so I will go with pot holders. I made these in a flurry of inspiration after visiting the beautiful blog of  Sanna & Sania. Two Swedish interior design stylists who with their combination of white backgrounds, decorated with colourful crochet, and the occasional happy vintage sheet or wallpaper are ladies after my own heart. Scattered through their blog you will find gorgeous interiors and craft projects and I am their new protege, they may not know this, but I am....! You can see more here and here and here.








































and oh yes, I did remember where I had some hooks in my house, it's funny how you can see something everyday and not really take it in. I've really enjoyed seeing this bright little pot holder on my table, I know you've seen it quite a few times now! I may make some more like this for christmas presents. They are so easy and quick to do.

Well I hope this week has gone well for you, it's nearly the weekend. Our week started amazingly well but rapidy went down hill when the new school transition thing started to kick in. We have had over-whelm and stress already, but we are hanging in there......I guess only time will tell. I would really like to become creative business Mum, who makes things during the day time, while her children are at school! There are quite a few people out there doing this, who have really inspired me. I enjoyed reading Jess Browns  interview in this months Mollie makes. A lady who makes beautiful traditional handmade dolls, amongst other things. I've always been inspired by women in business. I think I need to put these articles up on the wall around my craft room!

Is there something you've been inspired to do that you really want to do?

Have a great weekend,

2.9.12

prayer flags from vintage sheets!



















yesterdays hour.
that's all I had,
one hour before I had to pick up my son,
it's so rare to have anytime at home alone at the moment.
I knew I had to go and make something in my craft room,
I had to use the sewing machine!
something small and simple had to made....
what to do?
this was my simple answer!
a very easy mini bunting,
hanging in the sunny window,
helping me feel happy and grateful for the time spent making,
it really is therapy this crafting that we do.......
cheaper too.....!




I tried hanging it different places,
but I liked the light through the window best.




the lovely desk belonged to my mum,
as did a lot of the things around,
I like having them about.







































this summer I tided my craft room,
and when I say tided,
I mean I moved my piles around.......!
I imagine a sleek, de-cluttered space,
but I'm actually quite fond of my things and how it's all landed,
 without much thought,
and I've always had collections of bits and bobs!

so I'm enjoying my prayer flags.
needing to stay hopeful about the return to school.
a difficult issue for us......
it may mark the beginning of lots of making and crafting,
if all works out.
I'm hoping this new school will work for us,
if not, we will find another way that does,
and the making and crafting will have to work around that!
but we won't know unless we try.....

hope you are doing something nice today,


1.9.12

she humors me!

she humors me! by my little red suitcase
she humors me!, a photo by my little red suitcase on Flickr.
september is here!
and although it means that summer is ending, I do love september,
it's one of my favourite months.

just starting to feel a little chilly,
and where are my slippers!
this little dog,
she just humors me!

have a nice weekend x,