Doh! moment

People have been tweeting at me all week to let me know that Hamish McPlaid (below) has been spotted on the Folksy front page but whenever I got there he had disappeared again!

Now I know why! He is one of Folksy's top picks on the theme of Scotland (for Burns night). Doh!


And he is in very good company - he has been spotted chatting to one of Kirsten's wee cows - they are very cute!

And, as I rightly predicted yesterday, I didn't have much time for crafting on my birthday. However I managed to finish off a few business cards. I'm getting a nice large pile now (about 200 of them) but I could always use more especially as my scraps pile on my sewing table is threatening to fall over at any moment!

What to do with an old, unused diary!

We were doing our accounts yesterday and we should do them each month but we don't! This inevitably leads to a build up of receipts which I then can't remember easily if they were cash (claimed back) or company card/cheque (out of company bank acc) I need something that I can write down the transactions as the form we have at home isn't working for me as it is usually jammed in the envelope with the receipts! I mentioned to Matt that I should have bought a diary as lots have been reduced recently and he suggested an unused one from last year.

Now as much as I like cricket (and I do enjoy it) I didn't really want to be walking around with a cricket diary!

I grabbed some of my favourite paper (Laura Ashley), some old book paper and my typerwriter rubber stamps.

And voila! The word expenses wouldn't fit on the front so money seemed a good enough word for me! And how did I get round it being last years diary so the days are all wrong? Simple - I just used a sharpie to cover up the days. I may go through and write the correct days in but maybe not as the dates should be enough. So I have a new book for my bag and we have re-used something that was destined to become scrap paper.

Oh and it's my birthday today so I may not blog tomorrow as I probably won't get chance to make anything :)

Good day!

I had a very good day yesterday - the 5 mile walk in the morning actually gave me a bit more energy and I didn't feel as knackered as I did on Tuesday having done the same walk!

I made these pincushion/paperweight chickens after I had done the wrapping tissue. I would like to think they they will be finished soon but I know they will languish in my sewing box for a good few months yet :) I also cut out loads of card backs for my gift tags (I keep all my cereal boxes and other decent card for this) and continued a bit with a new piece of mixed media artwork. I may have ruined it but I will take another look in the morning and see if I can do anything! This is day 21 of crafting 365.

Creative space or 2 posts in one day?!?

When I spotted that Creative Space was back up over at Kootoyoo I knew I had to join in even though I had already written a post for today! Good job I had some crafty time scheduled for this afternoon :)

I had a pile of blank and frankly boring tissue paper lying around and came up with the idea of stamping thank you all over it. I use tissue paper to wrap up my cheeky chickens although sometimes use doilies and other small linen items too. That little lot will last me a while and my arm is thanking me for that - RSI anyone? :)

Oooops!

So I missed a day of Crafting 365 - eeeek! I was so busy on Tuesday and I think my 5 mile walk in the freezing cold early on Tuesday morning wiped me out for the rest of the day! I thought about doing some craft work but just didn't get round to it! I am going to only count the days I actually craft on and then add on the extra's at the end of the year - I'm hoping that there won't be too many!

Anyway, onto yesterday's crafty goodies. Along with the now obligatory business card sewing (they are easy and a necessity) I made up some more chickens that had been half made and a new skirt for me! I'm really getting into this skirt making lark!

I think I have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous though! The last skirt fit although it was a little too fitted for my liking - I wanted a swishy skirt. Well that's what I got with this one! Maybe a little bit too much fabric used today - it's an elasticated waist so no need for any closures but it does mean that it bunches quite a bit - not that I mind really!

While I was sewing up the skirt I happened to glance to my left and spotted some trim on the shelf I'd got at the scrapstore that I'd figured would come in useful one day! Well today was that day! I think it looks great on the hem - what do you think?

Oh and as an aside Nicola, my friend who came round to tea with her children yesterday, said that her parents used to have the flower fabric in my skirt as curtains and when it was no longer needed then Nicola had it as curtains in her wendy house! How cool is that?

Fabric

So yesterday I went shopping with my mum and didn't get any chance for crafting at all. In fact my crafting for yesterday was choosing some fabric from my stash to be my next skirt. And here it is :)

What do you think?

Tags!

Only half finished but you get the idea. Yesterday was a busy and tiring day as we only got to bed at 12.30am Sunday morning which is way, way too late for us! I grabbed 5 minutes to punch these tag shapes out of another bird book I had. I think ornithologists must be heavy handed with their books :)

Apologies for the dodgy photograph - it was taken at the same time as buttontastic chick from yesterday :) Day 18 of 365

Finished buttontastic chicken

But very badly photographed! We have been away this weekend and the light here at 7pm is horrendous as you might imagine. Last night I was scorer for a quiz that Matt arranges in his parents village and while Matt was reading the questions out I was able to get some sewing done :) Hence the finished buttontastic chicken (along with a handful of chicks with zips sewn in)

Butontastic chicken couldn't decide which was his best side so had me take photo's of both sides! Day 17 of crafting 365 :)

Day 16 of crafting 365

These titles are just getting better aren't they! Yesterday I made these fabulous bird envelopes - I am really pleased with them. Unfortunately the book I got them from was really damaged otherwise I would have kept it as it had some great info in it.


Be back tomorrow!

Day 15 of crafting 365

I wasn't organised enough to get this written last night and scheduled for early this morning so it's late! Yesterday I was out in the afternoon and we had an early night so there wasn't much time for crafting. Anyone who knows me though knows that I very rarely go anywhere without my sewing box or at least something to do so I took my sewing box up to my friend Nicola's! Luckily she is very accommodating and doesn't mind chatting as I sew :)

I managed to get half a buttontastic chicken sewn. I'm hoping to finish him today but I have lots of other things on the to do list too! I also sewed the elastics into Tara's new ballet shoes and finished off some more business cards :) As it is 1 o'clock I'd better get off the computer and get some of that to do list done!

Brooch

I started this brooch way back in December at a craft fair that Ruth will tell you was as rubbish as I say it was!

All it needed was a brooch back sewing onto a circle of felt and then the two felt circles sewing together round the edge. So that is what I did! It's not listed anywhere yet as I have been busy pulling out a hedge and transporting the remains of said hedge to the tip! My back garden looks so much better now though :)

Day 14/365

I did manage some crafting after all!

Only in the late afternoon yesterday and only one set of tags but still it's a little bit of crafting. And my wrist is getting better - hence the tag glueing! It's still tricky to type and I haven't even attempted to sew or cut fabric yet or wield anything like a tag punch that needs some force!

These are the tags that have been cut from a ladybird book all about postage stamps. It was a great little book and a shame that some of the pages were ripped as I would have kept it for myself - I used to collect stamps :) So I'm pleased that I am still on track with Crafting 365 - this is day 13!

Love chick is famous!

So yesterday I didn't do any crafting at all as I hurt my wrist cutting fabric on Monday night! I have very weak wrists and ankles (it runs in the family!) So I spent yesterday listing things and no sooner than I had listed Love Chick he was featured in a treasury!

A big thanks must go to Clara at The Rainbow Room for including me! Thanks :) And if you are quick then you can see the treasury here.

I'm just a Love Chick

I'm a Love Chick
Call me the Love Chick
Oooh, baby I'm the Love Chick
That's what they call me I'm a Love Chick.

Original lyrics courtesy of Otis Redding.

Love chick is now available in my Etsy store :)

Tags 11/365

I only had time to make a few tags yesterday - Charlie Brown ones as the last two sets I made sold out within 2 days :)

These aren't the exact tags I made as the light had gone here and I didn't make them until late so they are similar to these ones. I will update the photograph once the new tags are photographed :) Edited to add - these are the correct ones now and you can get them in my Folksy shop!

Finishing off day - 10/365

So I started a skirt for Anya the other day when I made skirts for me and Tara and I finished it off yesterday :) The main skirt was made and I just needed to add a little detail.

Anya chose the fabric and the bird to be added to embellish it a bit - I chose the buttons!

Tara also played with some buttons and made a caterpillar who likes eating buttons. 'But don't worry Mummy, he won't eat your buttons!' :D

Cakes

Yesterday the only real crafty thing I did was to make cakes and even then it's not that crafty! Oh I also washed and pinked the edges of some fabric and cut some fabric out of those fabric books you get in posh fabric shops but that's all. No actual craft making today.

At least the cakes look yummy :) And taste delicious I hasten to add! This is day 9/365

8/365 - listing frenzy!

So yesterday I had a listing frenzy (as anyone who follows my Twitter will have known!) I have managed to list all 3 lots of gift tags and all but 1 of the 8 sets of envelopes I made the other day (day 6/365). I did finish off those items (stringing, sellotape etc) so they are my Crafting 365 too! Here is a small selection of them for you to peruse!

Larry the Lamb envelopes

French Dictionary envelopes

Snoopy gift tags

Charlie Brown envelopes

Egg gift tags - these are my favourite thing I made along with the Larry the Lamb envelopes!

Skirts!

So yesterday I looked at a pattern, took it all out and then put it all back in as it was baffling (I've never used a pattern before) The pieces I had didn't even match each other so I think I may have lost some!

I then got out an old favourite 'Yeah I made it myself' by Eithne Parry.

And I made this skirt for Tara - she was very impressed!

Sorry for the blurry photographs - she just wouldn't stand still!

She was very pleased with it!

And I had just enough time to make the grown up version for me! I'll be making many many more of these I think :) It's the first item of clothing have made for me and I am very pleased with it :D

6/365

I had a good day today :) I made room on one of my shelves in the craft room for my Selvedge magazines and even tidied away the stuff that used to be on that shelf :)

See tidy :)

I also made loads of envelopes - they just need sellotape on them and then they can be photographed. That will take me all morning I guess!

And I also got some Snoopy gift tags made!

Lots of lace and 5/365

I was making business cards yesterday (my 365 - I didn't have time for anything else) and the girls told me not to turn around from the sewing machine.

I was then allowed to turn around and saw this - the girls had been busy with my big box of lace!

They had decorated the floor, my fabric stash, my chair, each other! They had lots of fun :)

And here's me having my photo taken by Anya - I'm only half smiling as I was concerned she would drop my camera!

4/365

I did a bit more tidying in the craft room yesterday (it's never ending!) and I found this paper. It's made by Lu Summers and it came on a parcel for me. I salvaged the bits I could and used them for these notebooks (there are about 30 more!) It helped me tidy up as it was lying on my sewing table with the reclaimed paper that is inside too :) Tidying and making at the same time!

3/365

More tidying of the craft room yesterday - it's making progress but is nowhere near being done. That's my Monday plans sorted then!

Whilst tidying up I found 4 (not sure why only 4!) of these flowers cut out and I decided to do a bit of doodling on them. I had to use a biro rather than a decent pen but the decent pen is hiding somewhere (probably underneath the huge pile of stuff) so the biro had to do! These will be stuck into my current sketch/ideas books and may come in useful at some stage in the future :)