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. 

Napchat #4

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

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.

'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!

WttMW? Ideas #1

One idea for blog or Etsy shop.

Napchat #3

Wooly Fox

As promised one of my old guys! This fox is made from wool and felt, very snugly.

I made a few of these a while back and this one found it's way to Cornwall to a new home with some lovely girlies:

:

Do you know where she saurus?

I started making repurposed woollen animals a little while back and then left them for a little bit or probably just got distracted by something else.  I find I tend to want to make woollen items more in the winter naturally (although sometimes in England that can be all year round) and we had a particularly good summer last year.  I will post some of my old guys later but for now, here is Stiggy the Stegosaurus.

This is inspired by one I saw ages ago online - I'm really sorry but I can't remember where, hence the title of this post!  I thought it would be a really good toy for a little boy and Roo seems to really like him.  It's soft and cosy as well as being quite robust.   I used a felted lambswool jumper and a pair of dad's cords which had seen better days but had lots of good fabric left.

Great makes

I love this whale by Valaan Villapaita!  Isn't it lovely?  I've been wanting to make a whale for a little while and whilst looking around for inspiration came across this beaut.  I want to make mine from wool and probably a little simpler but I might have to try this out too because it's really super-duper.  If you want to make one too Mevrouw Walvis has created a great tutorial on her blog here.

Napchat #2

Obsessed with children's books

I have never been able to go very long without reading or re-reading a book aimed at children.  This is absolutely one of the best things about having babies!  I have already started reading books to Roo and cannot wait for all the bedtime stories to come.  Here are some of our current faves:

Stalwart classic

This is so lovely to read aloud

Love the sing-song style

Great illustrations

Nostalgia Corner #1

Did anyone else have a cuckoo clock when they were a kid?  Whilst losty in Etsy this morning I stumbled across this beauty:

It reminded me that my sister and I had one each in our room when we were kids.  I remember my dad spending hours getting them to work, which undoubtedly involved much swearing.  But it was so worth it. I loved it when the couple would emerge from the little doors to the "Cuckoo Cuckoo", even if we were constantly arguing about which one belonged to who.  Magic moments in the world of small people. 

Napchat #1

Whilst having a newborn baby does leave very little time to do anything else, I did find time to 'Napchat' my other half and some of my friends when he fell asleep.  In my mind I was going to have time to recreate THIS, but in reality what happened was this:

More coming very soon . . .

That old wolf at my door . . .

So, I've finally gotten around to it.  I've started a blog.  This is something I have been meaning to do for about five years! It's been stalking me like a wolf and I'm finally paying attention.  The questions now are:  Will I stick to it? Will I manage to fulfil my ambition and post all the things I make? Will I use it to fuel my creativity?  Will it help me to stop and appreciate the here and now? Will I stay off Facebook? I hope so, I really do.

What to write in my first ever post?  Well, two things occurred to me recently, with the birth of my son, the first being that much of my life was busy with children before I even had a baby.  They were my work and my play.  When I was at home wanting to make something, for example, I would always be drawn to a children's toy or story first and I've made countless gifts for my friend's children over the years.  I retreat into my own childhood for inspiration probably because I love to reconnect with the child in me, even more so now I have one of my own.  It's made me allow myself time and reason for it.  The second is that after living life at 100 miles per hour, things slow down A LOT when you have a baby!  But this is no bad thing.  I've started being grateful for this time to reflect on the present and enjoy it rather than always looking to what comes next.

So, I've finally gotten around to it.   I've started a blog.  As the wolf has finally caught up with me and is knocking on my door, here goes project creativity and living in the now.