Thursday 29 May 2014

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.


Sunday 25 May 2014

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.

Saturday 24 May 2014

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

Friday 23 May 2014

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. 

Tuesday 20 May 2014

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 . . .

Thursday 15 May 2014

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.