More Christmas Creations .......

Apologies if all this belated Christmas blogging bores you but I want to document it for the children when they grow up :-)  I had wanted to blog sooner but as all of you lovely bloggers keep adding wonderful new blog posts I get carried away reading and then run out of time to write one myself.

The Christmas trees went up in our house a little sooner than I wanted this Christmas as the girls really wanted to put them up (eldest Sweetpea wasn't really interested this year :-().  I usually put off putting up the trees for some reason but then hate taking them down - I miss all those twinkly fairy lights :-(.  I put the lights on and then let the girls freestyle it :-)

They really enjoyed themselves ...... of course there was a breakage or two but that is all part of it isn't it :-)

They did a really good job and I did my best not to re-arrange anything.

Mr Sweetpea had a real urge to buy a real tree that he can plant out in the garden and then bring in again each year so we also had this tree:

Now I must confess to finding it hard not to re-arrange this one but I kept my hands to myself :-)

We lent our coloured lights to the cubs tree in the Church's festival of light this year so these came back to us after the trees were put up.  Middle Sweetpea asked if we could have them over the fireplace and they looked lovely, in fact so lovely I have only just taken them down.

One thing I haven't taken down is the pom pom garland I made, ooohh I love it :-)

On the run up to Christmas I did quite a few creative things with the children to keep them entertained.  Last year I bought a gingerbread house kit for us all to make.  Before the children devoured the gingerbread I drew around the shapes so we could make a gingerbread house this year from scratch.  I found a wonderful recipe here and it worked really well. 

 

We added a stained glass window by cutting a hole in the gingerbread and putting a boiled sweet in it.  I also had to add a little birdie sitting on the roof :-)

Carrying on our creative week we made my Grandad Pete (the sweetpeas Great Grandad) some gnomes out of Fimo.  Grandad loves gnomes and still has some of my old fimo creations from when I was a child so I thought he may like some of the children's fimo creations :-)

Here they are:

these two are middle Sweetpeas creations - love the one holding the flowers.  Eldest Sweetpea made the toadstool and axe and wood block to go with his gnome below:

Eldest Sweetpeas in on the left and little Sweetpeas on the right (loving the extra long arms, she went a bit white spot crazy too, oh and that pink on the front is his beard :-)).

Of course then I had to make one too :-)

Here they are in their new home.  I popped them into one of my trustee coffee jars and needle felted them some grass to sit on.  Little Sweetpeas had to sit on top as the gnomes long arms would't fit into the jar :-)

For the great Nannies little Sweetpea got to work and planted some hyacinths for them.  We are very very lucky that the Sweetpeas have 4 great grandparents living locally.  It is always hard to know what to buy them but I know the Nans all love flowers - here is my lovely Nan gardening with the Sweetpeas earlier in the year (I hope you don't mind me popping this on here Nan but I did love this photo of you gardening with the Sweetpeas xxx - Nan is high tech you know and reads by blog and e-mails me :-)).

Here is little Sweetpea hard at work, she loved planting these up :-) 

Whilst creating and looking for gifts I got a little side-tracked and bought myself something.  I just had to share these with you as they are so gorgeous!   I had been wanting some of these little birdies for ages and talked myself out of them until I could resist no longer. They came beautifully packaged in a little box.

Just look what was hiding in the green tissue paper......

Such cute birdies which I can hang around the house ....

With gorgeous ribbon tails .....

They came from the lovely Linen Cat, do pop over and see her shop - she makes the most amazing things, not only birds but other wonderful things like a Fox in a Dandy Green Suit - just stunning.  See that extra little pink bird, that little birdie was a lovely surprise which now lives with my Mum.  I showed my Mum these lovely birds when they arrived and she ooohhed and aahhhed over them as much as I did so I gave her one to have in her home as she loved it so much.

Sorry for such a long post, I have got a bit carried away as I had to stop and start it a few times today and then added more.  I will show you what happened to those pieces of linen hidden in my bedside drawer a few posts back in my next blog post :-)

Gorgeous Crochet Buys

I have really got into buying direct from artists in the last couple of years.  There is something really lovely about buying from someone who you know has put their own time, effort and love into creating something gorgeous.  When I saw these ickle scrummy shoes on Jacey's Blog Coffee 'n' Crochet I fell in love with them.  Luckily in coincided with a friend having a new baby and another friend's baby turning one very soon so it gave me an excuse to buy them :-) 

Aren't they just the cutest little baby shoes you have ever seen!  They are even ok for babies who are a little older as I have read that you can pop puffy paint on the bottom of them to make them non slip, what a fantastic idea for babies who are at the cruising stage.  The recipients of these little shoes have told me they have had many an admiring comment about them on their little cutey kiddies feet.

Of course then I popped into Jacey's Folksy Shop and just had to buy the above little hat for little Sweetpea, oh and of course a rose brooch for me :-)

The package arrived a few days later and was wrapped in the most lovely birdie tissue paper!  In the parcel was the most wonderful surprise for little Sweetpea, just take a look at that fantastic crochet bag!

Little Sweetpea has adored her hat and bag, here she is watering in seedlings with her hat on , not sure there is any water left in her watering can with the angle she is tipping it in this photo :-)

Another hand made shopping experience that re-confirms why I love buying direct from the artist!  Thanks Jacey :-) x

Another gorgeous buy - featured artist.

Hi everyone,  I hope you are all having a great week :-)  Thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post, I will try and remember to tip you all off next time there is an Amy Butler sale :-)

In this post I am featuring the lovely Becky's work from Red Bird Jewellery.  My Mother-in-Law had her 60th recently and I wanted to get her something a bit special for it.  I had looked around the usual shops but nothing really appealed to me and it all seems so mass produced nowadays :-(  So, I popped over to Folksy for a nose and remembered about Becky's pretties.

I ordered a gorgeous flourite and silver necklace as seen above, the photos really don't do it justice, it was stunning.  In fact I was hoping my Mother-in-Law wouldn't like it so I could have it back and get her something else but she loves it and wants to wear it on the cruise she is going on soon :-)  It came packed in a lovely little box tied with ribbon - there are no high street shops that offer that service as far as I know - another reason to buy direct from the artist.

 

I have decided to feature artists on my blog every month or so to share these gorgeous creations and to help support buying hand made.

Becky kindly let me interview her (in fact she also interviewed me a few days ago, click here to see), I hope you enjoy it :

Tell us a bit about yourself ...

My name is Becky, I live in a little village nestled under the North Downs in Surrey - but am originally from a little town in Derbyshire. I got to Surrey via living in London for a while, and it's great to be back in the countryside again.

What do you make?

Jewellery, using silver, copper, gemstones, and crystal. I also dabble with silver clay.

Why do you use that medium?

I love silver, but it is ridiculously expensive at the moment. I also love using copper, it's such a rich colour. Since I bought my torch, I've really enjoyed experimenting and seeing what I can do with a little fire and some metal.

When/ how did you start crafting?

I've always liked to try new stuff, I've tried so many crafts from applique to upholstery, but one day a few years ago I went on a jewellery making class in a bead shop and got completely and utterly hooked. The great thing about making jewellery is, that there is always something new to learn - and so many different methods and materials within the field, which appeals to my constant need to learn new skills.

When did you start selling your stuff - where do you sell?

I've been selling online on Folksy and also on Etsy since September 2009. Both are great places to sell (and shop!) and I've really enjoyed being part of a marketplace, but at some point I'd like to set up my own online shop - and also sell in a bricks and mortar shop.

Do you also have a day job, or is this your main job?

Not any more - I tried working 3 days in my old job as a research manager for a publishing company, but couldn't manage it once I had 2 children. I was always stressed out and exhausted, so I made a break - became a registered childminder and now look after a couple of friends' children for a few hours a week and work on jewellery the rest of the time. Life is a lot more balanced and happy now!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

My designs tend to be quite clean and simple, and I  get lots of inspiration from nature. But I also get inspiration from particular gemstones - sometimes they just cry out for a particular design.

What is your favourite music to craft to?

My taste is pretty eclectic - I'm not averse to a bit of Dolly Parton, or some jazz but at heart I'm a 90s indie kid - so I like to listen to The Stone Roses, The Smiths, The Pixies, Throwing Muses etc.. To be honest though, mostly when I'm making I like to listen to Radio 4!

What is your favourite piece of your own?

That is so tricky - at the moment I am wearing a pair of these and a matching necklace that I made (but haven't made to sell yet).

Where do you do your crafting (specially built studio - sofa??)

I use the spare room at the moment, BUT we move into our new house at the end of February, and we're planning to build me a little studio - hopefully sometime this year......eeeeeeeeeeeeeep (am a little excited!)

Thanks for that Becky, I am rather jealous of the fact that you will soon have your own studio! 

Keep your eyes peeled for future artists appearing here and if you want to be featured then just send me a message via my profile area, I am sure all my followers would love to read about your work.

Have a fab week everyone.
x

Gorgeous buys and more makes ....

Hi, thanks for all the lovely comments on my last blog post, I hope it has inspired some of you to give it a go :-)  I have been looking at more Melt and Pour bases for soap making and there are some fab eco-friendly ones available and also some with less chemicals in than your normal shop bought soap so I think I will give them a go next time.

I thought I would share some of my recent buys with you as I do love looking at what pretties people have bought :-) Just after Christmas I popped into the Cambridge Calico and they had these cute little scissors and some lovely metallic thread and felt balls, oh I love buying craft things.

 

 

Can you see that lovely fabric those pretties are sitting on ..... John Lewis had 50% off some Amy Butler fabrics, I couldn't resist!  Oohh I can see how people get a fabric addiction.  I wanted more and really wish I had now as it was only £5 a meter but I talked myself out of it, why do I always do that gggrrrrr :-( When I went back another week it was all gone :-(

I also bought a lovely fat quarter from Calico and some threads and a crochet hook from a haberdashery in Ely.  Waahooo I have a crochet hook - all I need to do is work out what do with it now (any good basic crochet links gratefully received) :-)

 

With all this new fabric I really need to learn how to use a sewing machine pretty soon I think ..... the Christmas trees still haven't gone up in the loft so the sewing machine is still up there :-(

Another thing I bought recently was after having a chat to Mango Cheeks about what she uses in her lovely hair (her hair is thick and curly like mine).  She told me Almond Oil is great so I popped to Holland and Barrett and got some.  I also saw these shampoo bars near the till on offer, they smell scrummy and I never knew they even existed so can't wait to try them out.  I am currently using up all my mainstream hair stuff like brill cream (yes I use brill cream lol) and the shampoos before I can use these, I will let you know what they are like.

Now this little buy and I am soooo excited about  ...... a cute little bike basket.  

I know, it doesn't look much but I just can't wait to bike down the allotment with it on the front of my bike.  Last year I mashed a few potatoes trying to carry them back in a bag as they got caught in the wheel - no more mashed potatoes for me :-)  My hubby thinks I should take mischief Ted in it - I think he has dreams of me turning into Alys Fowler and wearing one of those gorgeous little dresses she wears - not sure my village is ready for that just yet :-)

Picture of Alys Fowler with her lovely little dress - image taken from Chronical Books with thanks.

Also this week I have been creating some lovely button heart cards.  I made some hanging wire button hearts the other week and was pondering on what to do with them.  After thinking for a while I thought they would be lovely as part of an eco-friendly Valentines card. 

So I got some eco cards and envelopes and some little sticky pads.  I stuck the wire heart to the card which is supplied with some nice ribbon.  The recipient can then remove the heart and hang it up so the card/gift lasts years rather than just a week or so :-)

Not sure if the idea will prove popular but I like it :-)  I am popping some in my blog shop and facebook shop to see if anyone else likes them :-)

A surprise visit to the Sweetpea Household ..

After the excitement of Marion's arrival to the Sweetpea household we weren't expecting more excitement to come knocking at our door.  The Sweetpeas were all sitting quietly in the house the other morning and we heard some strange noises coming from outside the house.  Little Sweetpea, Marion and Elf went to investigate (they are a brave little team) and found an empty box, it looked like a Rabbit hutch and had an un-eaten carrot inside .......

There was a sweet little note inside, little Sweetpea got Marion to read it as she couldn't read yet.  Marion read it out loud, it said  'Oh my, is this the Easter bunny who came to visit little Sweetpea? A little bunny for a sweet girl.  Lil' bunny thought he would come and be friends with Esme, Marion and Elf ... can he stay ?'

Little Sweetpea became excited and worried, the Easter bunny had come to visit but where was he now?  Marion, Elf and all the Sweetpeas looked around and found some empty chocolate wrappers, they looked like chocolate egg wrappers.

As they were looking they didn't see the little Easter Bunny hiding behind the daffodils.

The Easter Bunny decided he didn't want to be kept in a hutch but wanted to explore the Sweetpea household.  Now, Mr Bunny was a clever little thing, he was fluent in English, French and Bunny but was getting more and more worried when he couldn't understand a word these feathered creatures spoke.

And this furry creature spoke yet another language ....

Oh me, oh my thought Mr Bunny, why did I run away, what have I done, who are all these strange speaking creatures .....

He hide behind some more flowers with what looked like a fellow bunny having a snack, this little chap was however very quiet indeed.

In the meantime the Sweetpeas were still looking for the missing bunny.  They looked under all the flowers but found chocolate eggs instead of a bunny.

Little Sweetpea then found Mr Bunny.  He told her how worried he had been and little Sweetpea hugged him tight and told him everything would be alright.

She showed him the little eggs she had found, Mr Bunny said he had hidden them just for her and the older Sweetpeas.

He was introduced to Marion and Elf and little Sweetpea tucked them into bed after a long day and read them a bedtime story.

I would like to BIG thank you to the lovely Monique for sending little sweetpea the gorgeous Mr Bunny.  Monique makes the most gorgeous dolls and felted creatures, please do go and look at her lovely Etsy shop.   Mr Bunny has settled in really well.  My husband did have quite a scare the other day when middle sweetpea came running to him saying that Ted (who looks so sweet and innocent below) had stolen Mr Bunny!  

Middle sweetpea picked up the dropped Mr Bunny and told Mr Sweetpea how upset she was as his eyes had been eaten and his scarf can got stuck round his waist - he looked like he had his hands up to surrender :-(  Now Mr Sweetpea was really worried and was starting to panic he would have to move Ted out of the house as he knew how much little sweetpea and I loved Mr Bunny.

Thank goodness they were just holding Mr Bunny upside down and back to front!  Phew!  (No bunnies were hurt by the mischief Ted and Mr Bunny is now back safe and sound with Marion, Elf and little Sweetpea.)