French Knots

Melting

My world is starting to peep out from under it's blanket of white, there is a drip, drip, drip outside the window and the poor snowman's nose has fallen out. I might venture out myself, I've actually enjoyed being at home the last week or so and it's been great for saving money - no shopping trips = no spending, which is good for the bank balance in January.

 Here's a little picture I missed off my last post. The Baby Brother was given a present wrapped in such a lovely wrapping paper, sweet, naive drawings of animals. I copied them with my magic water soluble pen onto linen and embroidered them. As the piece of fabric I'd used was too small for the frame ( great planning) I stitched some stripy fabric top and bottom to make it larger before I laced it onto the cardboard for framing. I'm rather pleased with the effect.

Isn't this amazing?! A sweet little house hand stitched in felt, just look at the size of the leaves in the wreath on the door! Made for me by the talented Amanda. Talented and currently bed bound with flu poor love.

With the children finally back at school and Mr FK back at work the house seems rather empty this week. While The Baby Brother has his nap I've been exploring and have some 'new to me' finds to share - have you read these?

A collection a day

Little Suitcase

Once Wed

The Prairie Girl

I know you'll need a few more blogs for your Bloglines! Well the pc has crashed twice while I've been typing this so I think it's a hint to go and tidy up the house a bit or at least run the hoover round so The Baby Brother doesn't eat too much fluff when he's rolling about on the floor!

Handmade with love

I decided last year, or maybe the year before, to make as many gifts as possible to use some of my fabric stash and to enjoy creating something from things I already have. So for Christmas I made -

A dinky little quilt and pillow set for dolls or teddies, I made an appliqued bag to keep them in. Love the floral fabrics which I have had for ages and only use a little at a time as I love them!

I think I saw this on Martha Stewart, appliqued dresses mounted on a backing fabric but not stitched on the shoulders. You can use the hair clips to peg the dresses onto the ribbon washing line.

I had the plan for this in my head for ages, in fact I remember painting the frame on a sunny September day in the garden.

At the Baby Brother's Christening I drew round hands, some of my family live at the other end of the country so I had to grab them while I had the chance!

   I made the pattern then stuck it to the window to trace onto the fabric and made quite a few of these as I thought it was a lovely way to freeze time while the children are little.

 
A quilt for My Little Helper, just right for snuggling under on the settee, jeans cut into 5 inch squares and sewn with the seams on the right side.Snipping the seams then washing and tumbling gives a great textured finish.

 

A recycled bedspread made a perfect soft backing and it has been popular so far.

ok I promise not to mention the C word again till November!

Have a safe and snowy weekend, hope you can hole up at home and keep warm!x 

Festive Whirl

Goodness aren't the days flying by!? We have ramped up the activites with a Guide carol concert, choir singing at the Salvation Army toy service, school carol service, trip to the theatre and that's just The Big Sister!

We have been enjoying the advent calendar activites and I'm glad I planned the 'big' things well so we had time to enjoy them. Ice skating was a huge success with much squealing when the envelope was opened.

  It was such fun, much harder than I remembered - or maybe I'm just more nervous about falling over!

We made a flurry of flakes to brighten up the window and once all the lights were working decorated the tree.

Teachers' presents were made and delivered and in a little over an hour the children finish school, hurrah!

With the house decorated and Christmas music playing all we need is a little more snow. We had a mini snowstorm for half an hour yesterday but that was all, not enough for snowman building or sledging.

We made some more of those magazine trees that were all over blogland last year, a great way of using up all those brochures that come through the door.

Right, cards to write or they wont arrive till 2010!!   

Simple Advent Calendar

Cutting it fine, I finished making my simple advent calendar this morning so the children could open the first envelope this afternoon after school. Phew!

I wanted something straightforward to make so chose to decorate a money envelope for each day of advent, with a slip of paper inside each. Activities, crafts, cooking and adventures for all the family. Yes of course they have a chocolate one too, there's be a revolt otherwise!

 
Some years ago The Big Sister was given a box of advent chocolates and I saved the wrappers as they had such jolly festive pictures. They were perfect for decorating each envelope, but if you are not an obsessive hoarder of stuff you could stamp the numbers on each envelope instead. Pegged to some ribbon they look super strung across the window.

 Here is the list of activities, carefully planned so the more time consuming things are on days when we will have the time to enjoy them

find the Christmas CDs and have a Christmas dance
Christmas crafting! Make paper chains

Make gift tags with old Christmas cards

Put the wreath on the front door

visit Father Christmas

Write our Christmas cards

Make paper snowflakes and decorate the window

Make place cards and napkin holders for the Christmas dinner table

Read Christmas books & drink hot chocolate

 Have a Chocolate fondue

Go ice skating

Decorate the Christmas tree

 Wrap a present for your brother or sister

games in front of the tree

stories in front of the tree

Give Presents to teachers

Make a giant mural by gluing on pictures of toys from flyers and magazines.

Bake a cake

Print & color winter or Christmas themed coloring pages

Print & do a winter maze

Make Christmas bookmarks

Stay up late and watch a Christmas film

Snowman Soup in front of the Christmas tree

Go to Christingle

Feeling very festive now, is it too early for mulled wine?!

Weekend

Lots of little things got done and one very big one - plenty ticked off the to do list! Tackling clutter hotspots, you know those piles of things that sit there so long that you don't even see them any more, has freshed up quite a few areas of the house. Still more to do with Christmas approaching I still want to clear out some cupboards in preparation.

I planted some strawberries on the allotment in one of the raised beds that Mr FK built for me. A lovely peaceful hour in the sun, solitary work and so enjoyable. They looked a bit small and weedy once they were in and I could almost here the slugs dashing for a hearty meal.

The list of Christmas present I'd like to make has been drawn up and several designs are underway. I feel really excited about Christmas this year and suddenly we are in the middle of Novemeber so it's the perfect time to start planning.

  

Some satisfying knitting has been done, sweet little hats and some socks for me.

And a wonderful surprise from Mr FK

an MP3 for me, just need to learn how to use it!

My Little Helper and I made an autumn crown like the one we saw at Elsie Marley

 

We watched Dr Who, how scary was that episode?! I nearly had to watch from behind a cushion! The glazed eyed, water gushing people were so menacing.

And the really big thing ....Mr FK painted the hall, stairs, landing, stairs and landing! I helped by keeping the children out of the way and choosing the paint - what a team! Pictures to follow once it's all put back together.

Creating

While 'he whose tummy is always empty' had a quick nap between feeds I rustled up some thank you gifts for friends who had kindly passed on some nursery furniture.

It was Pebbledash who posted about recycled Toast and it lodged in my brain. In the wee small hours as my mind drifted during feeding I came up with an idea that was quick to make but, hopefully, touching to receive.

I stamped some wooden pegs, backed some pleasing images from the aforementioned Toast brochure and chose some of my sweet hearts - lavender filled sachets made from recycled fabric. I stiched the hearts inside brown paper parcels instead of wrapping them in the usual way. Once the notecard was pegged to the parcel I was pretty pleased with result.

 

If I get time I'm going to make some more for the end of school year teacher's presents from the big children as they have 5 teachers between the 2 of them I need a simple solution. Though Mr L might not appreciate a lavender sachet.....!

Small bit of love

The world is such a small place, connecting with people half way round the world via our blogs has made it smaller still. The horrifying news about the bushfires in Australia,all the people affected are in our thoughts. I looked at my children and imagined for a moment how they would fare without their beloved cuddlies. 

If enough of us send a small bit of love perhaps it will help a little.

    

Just needs stuffing then will be ready to post to The Toy Society.

You can also help with donations and packages at

 Rainbow comfort packs   

Handmade Help

Red Cross  (UK)

Sew Christmassy

In line with my cheerful frugality approach to life these days I decided I would try and make as many Christmas presents as possible using what I already have. This is no hardship as I have boxes full of fabric, jars of ribbon and buttons and using what I have is more satisfying than just going out and buying more stuff.

So repurposing began, unused pillowcases - 70s perhaps?- bought at the jumble became peg bags

 

An old sheet in a funky flower pattern became a bed pocket, with the addition of an embroidery I saw on someone's blog - I can't remember where so if it is you please let me know so I can credit you properly (and it's a little present for my niece so I hope you don't mind me copying your sweet bedtime picture)

 

The bed pocket has a long flap to go under the matress and the pocket can hang by the pillow to hold a book, a torch or other special treasures.

Unlike the government I don't believe that borrowing and spending is the answer when times are tough financially, I would rather save my money and be a bit more inventive and creative when coming up with Christmas presents.

A rummage through my embarrasingly large fabric stash came up with a super selection of fabrics to make a Wee Wonderfuls robot, I've had the pattern for a couple of years so it was time it saw the light of day.

   

I had almost forgotten the lovely fabric I bought bought earlier in the year with a patchwork cushion in mind. I added a little pocket and made a matching neckerchief for the bear, perfect for cuddles

 

Sew ( yes I'm enjoying that pun, sorry!) my Christmas list has shrunk to just a couple of things, including an embroidered stocking that I started before last Christmas and I'll be really pleased if it's finished for next Christmas! 

Busy, Busy

Goodness how did I ever find time to go to work!? I love the bustle of this time of year but find I'm flagging by mid afternoon, which is a great deal better than a few weeks ago. Last week got off to a shaky start as the Doctor sent me to hospital worried that I might be loosing amniotic fluid, happily 6 hours later (!) I was home again safe in the knowledge that I was not but having leant that Tena Lady may well figure in the future and also to avoid sneezing!! Nearly halfway now, 18 weeks today.

The week took an upturn from there as I had been invited to sit on the Citizens Jury for Midwifery run by our local Primary Care Trust. It was a facinating three days, we heard evidence from midwives, obstretricians, staticians, finance experts and had some heated discussion amongst ourselves. It focussed on the fact that my local area is loosing it's maternity unit ( something to do with bringing services ' closer to home' - yeah right) and we were assessing the need for a Midwife Led Unit to serve low risk women in this area. Without that, the only place to give birth would be at home or by travelling outside the area to a big maternity unit at a hospital where it is already hard to park and people feel they are on a conveyor belt. Possibly I am biased, given my current condidtion, but I voted in favour of it and a report will be sent to the jurors in a couple of weeks before it is presented to the PCT. It was great to use my brain a bit more than usual, ok so I've been learning spellings and times tables with The Big Sister but that's not the same! It's an aspect of my working life I had not realised I missed, analysing information, questioning, probing, assessing - the lunches were pretty good too!

I've made some progress on my list of Christmas presents - how are you doing?  

 

A little quilt for a certain someone, the first I've made.Well more of a patchwork blanket reallyas I didn't actually quilt it, perhaps next time.

My Christmas Swap has arrived with Tracey my partner and hers is here too.........of course we couldn't wait to open them

 

This is what I sent, hopefully she is an apron person,the soft trees were all over blogland a couple of years ago and I decided to make mini yo yos for the baubles 

I really enjoyed the hand sewing and, time permitting will make one or two to add to my Christmas decorations.

Tracey really spoilt me

   

She is a talented needle woman, the bag is wonderfully made, so neat and absolutley perfect and the decoration is really sweet with it's embroidery. Thank you Tracey for being my partner, I hope everyone else is as happy with their swap surprises.

Coming up roses

How scrumptious are these? After getting soggy feet at the school fete the other week I decided some wellies were need, pretty ones naturally seemed best and a quick browse on Ebay found a shop selling these cheerful boots.

And so appropriate as I want them in case it is chucking it down on Thursday next week when I'm going to The RHS Show at Tatton. A group of us are going and I'm looking forward to the show gardens, courtyard gardens, back to back gardens, ogling the £10,000 playhouses for the palatial back garden I don't have, coveting the entire contents of the Country Living Pavilion and lugging home lots of luscious new plants. So even if it rains I'm going to have a super day.

Thank you for all the allotment advice! I think I'm going to make some raised beds if only to break up the huge expanse of plot and will be taking my journal with me to Tatton to note down ideas too. The children are keen to get things growing - My Little Helper wants to grow potatoes so he can make chips!

A little sewing done too, a laundry bag obviously but only for clothes that are not too grubby as it's too pretty for anything mucky! I recycled an old heavy cotton sheet and a sweet little embroidered mat, with a bit of thread that matched the original hand embroidery quite nicely, it was soon done. I get so much satisfaction from repurposing old things into something new, in fact my husband has a new shirt that I've got my eye on, once it's worn out of course, it will make lovely patchwork or bunting.

And for a friend who gets married soon  

 her 'something blue', the nicest garter around!

Off to try out my wellies whilst laying carpet on the allotment......if I'm standing on the carpet they wont get dirty!