Sunday 8 June 2014

Great make



This little fella is amazing!  You can find the tutorial here, I want to make at least ten!  I love this idea for repurposing a preloved glove.  Only problem is that I need some gloves to make him from, so will have to do some charity shop shopping very soon. I did think it was a squirrel, but it is actually a chipmunk, of course. 

Friday 6 June 2014

Taking Stock via Meet me at Mike's


I love reading Pip's tales over at Meet me at Mike's.  It's the first blog I read and enjoyed years ago now and I've been reading it ever since!  I thought I'd give her Taking Stock a go, I don't usually do stuff like this but I have to say I really enjoyed it.


Making: Dad cushion for Father's Day from an old tweed jacket
Cooking:  Four corners lentil soup from My New Roots (all the time!)
Drinking: decaf coffee
Reading : Life after life by Kate Atkinson
Wanting: my old collection of Story Teller books
Looking: for ways to be more creative
Playing: Bon Iver on the piano to my son
Deciding: whether or not to drive to the alps with a six month old
Wishing: for more hours in a day
Enjoying: maternity leave
Waiting: for the first tooth!
Wondering: YTF people thought voting UKIP was a good idea
Loving: being a mummy
Pondering: ideas for my Etsy shop
Considering: making my blog bilingual
Watching: Hans Christian Anderson
Hoping: I'm doing enough for my baby's development
Marvelling: at how anyone does the housework with a baby around
Needing: to drink a lot of water
Smelling: my baby's head
Wearing: play suits - didn't think that would ever happen - this one
Following: too many trains of thought
Noticing: how quickly my baby is changing - different every single day!
Knowing: we have to rethink our bathroom
Thinking: about organising a gig with my band
Admiring: my partner's discipline in training for a half marathon
Sorting: out my fabric
Buying: Books for children
Getting: warmer - yeah!
Bookmarking: blogs I like like this one
Disliking: the appearance of far right political parties all over Europe
Opening: the tin of treats too often!
Giggling: with my partner about our son
Feeling: hopeful
Snacking: on Hugh fearnley whittingstall Booster bars - yum!
Coveting: die-cutting machines
Wishing: for the housework fairies to show up chez moi
Helping: a friend find a rental
Hearing: this and this


Wednesday 4 June 2014

Nostalgia Corner #2 The Magical World of Story Teller


Did anyone else have the Story Teller series of cassettes and books in the 80s?  They were brilliant.  My Grandad bought them for me every week.  It was a series published by Marshall Cavendish on a weekly basis full of imaginative tales read by famous actors.  Each issue combined a cassette and book with activity and colouring pages.  I have just discovered that you can watch lots of the stories on youtube thanks to some lovely people, it has made my day!  Here is one of my favourite stories:  'Eleven wild swans', read by Joanna Lumley, and if you want to see more here is the place to go.

Tuesday 3 June 2014

'I Spy' Travel Game from Stiched by Crystal.



I started and finished making this way before Roo is ready for it but I thought I might squirrel it away for his first birthday or when it becomes harder to keep him entertained in public!  This is a great idea from Stitched by Crystal (loads of great ideas over at her site!)  which I adapted a little. I love the way it rolls up and is so easily thrown in a bag on your way out.






I didn't have much new fabric that I thought would appeal to Roo, so I used a mixture of some children's fabrics and scraps from other projects.  I did less rectangles and added numbers and shapes using felt and embroidery thread. 



I really enjoyed choosing what I would put on each rectangle and sewing the shapes.  There are so many games you could play with this mat when out and about or in the car.  Thanks Crystal!