Kazzybo – Page 4 – A box of allsorts

Tuddypat and Wowly

Last Friday I finally got around to having a play with the rubber stamp making kit from my Winters’ craft pod box. For any of you who don’t know what craftpod is its… “A quarterly, creative subscription box, delivered to you each season.” (quote from craftpod website). It includes everything you need for a couple of creative projects. I bought winters box as a one off, after seeing it on another blog, rather than subscribing straight off as I wanted to test it out first to see if I liked it. I was really happy with the contents as Winters projects were a wintry embroidery picture (which I have started but not yet finished, pictures will follow once complete) and a rubber stamp making kit. It came with templates of stamps to make but they just didn’t grab me and I knew I wanted to make mine unique so I pondered over what I could make. I looked at the kit a few times over the last couple of months but just could not decide what design to do. Then, last week I noticed the cat design on little miss’ pyjamas and that was it, it had to be a cat. I set about sketching the design on paper and then when I realised I’d have enough rubber for two stamps I decided to make the cat a little owl friend too.

Once I was happy with the sketches, I then had to transfer them to the rubber. Once that was done, I used the cutting tools provided in the kit to dig out the outline of the characters. This was a fiddly job, especially doing the cats ears. Then it was time to ink up the stamps and print them on to paper. After a couple of minor tweaks I printed them again and ‘Tuddy Pat’ and ‘Wowly’ were born!

I had so much fun making them and although they look rather childlike I just love them for their simplicity and cuteness. I haven’t actually used them to print onto anything specific yet but I’m sure they will get used for card making and possibly printing on to bags. I may have more of a play with them over the Easter holidays when I have a bit more time. Happily, I have also got enough rubber left to make 2 more small stamps so I’ve got my thinking cap on for what to do with those… watch this space.

After seeing the contents of the winter box, I just couldn’t resist subscribing and Springs box arrived just yesterday. Even though I was trying to wait until I’d finished winters embroidery project, I just couldn’t resist the urge to open it and have a sneaky peak. I won’t divulge the contents of springs box yet though just in case some haven’t received theirs yet but I will say, I’m very happy with it and cannot wait to get stuck in.

Karen x

March project goals

I had decided not to set myself any more goals as I often get disappointed with myself if I don’t achieve them all. I’ve had a rethink though and I just can’t help myself (hence the late March goals post). I do love having goals and targets to aim for, its one of the things that makes me tick, especially when I achieve them! I’m just having to make myself pare them back even more though, I keep having to remind myself that I am a busy working Mum and my hobbies are supposed to be relaxing and not stressful.

So, with that in mind, this month I only have 2 goals:

Crochet the border on the bright stripes blanket after sewing in all the ends…

Here’s the colour order I’m thinking of using, all lined up and ready to go…

Make as many itty bitty squares as I possibly can by the end of the month (and add to each of the colourways as the mood takes me. I’ve even counted how many I have so far so I can see how many I manage to get done.)

Anything else I achieve this month will be a Brucie bonus!

Karen x

February project review

Ok, so I know we’re well into march now but like I said on my last post better late than never!

I must admit I’m a little disappointed with myself as I write this post. I really thought/hoped that I’d set myself manageable project goals for this month but once again I set my sights too high.

The bright stripes blanket is still not finished and the sewing machine has still not been touched. Time seems to be just racing by at the moment and I’m really struggling to fit in the things I want to do. However, I have been managing to squeeze in ten minutes here and there to make a fair few itty bitty 3 round granny squares and I seem to have become a bit obsessed with them! I’ve been making them mainly out of odds and ends left over from other blankets and also some small balls of yarn I got for Christmas from Secret Santa at work. I’m still not entirely sure what I’m going to make with them but they seem to have fallen naturally into 3 colour ways:

The bright one is most likely going to end up as a blanket of some sort, maybe for little miss. Its this one I seem to be adding to the most at the moment as I really do love the colours. I’m thinking of interspersing the purple squares with white to make a patchwork blanket and I’m still deliberating over what to do with the others, possibly my first attempt at a crochet bag. I am however, wondering how on earth I’m going to attach them as I do find that small granny squares tend to bunch up a little with many of the joining methods and I want them to lie nice and flat. Any ideas anyone?

Karen x

Fuerteventura – half term

Its 3 weeks since we came back from Fuerteventura and the tan has pretty much faded and sadly so has the refreshed, just back from holiday feeling. I had wanted to post about the holiday much sooner but as is often the case, life and work just got in the way. Oh well, better late than never!

With the freezing cold temperatures we experienced a week or so ago, I have to keep reminding myself that it was only a few short weeks ago that we were sunning ourselves in Fuerteventura. Ok, so it wasn’t super hot but it was just hot enough and a much needed and welcome break from wintry Germany.

We stayed at a self contained villa with a heated pool and a hot tub. The first day was extremely windy, which made it feel colder than the 18oC it was and left me wishing id packed more jumpers. after that first day though, the wind died away and we had lovely sunny days of 21oC. We had a few days out but the rest of the time we were just content to relax outside in the sunshine and Little Miss relished the opportunity to swim in the pool every day.

Of course I managed to fit in some poolside crochet time and my creative urge was further satisfied by a visit to a fabric/ wool shop in Puerta del Rosario. What a treasure trove it was, packed floor to ceiling with fabric, wool and all the accessories you could possibly ever need to work with fabric. with so much choice it took me a long time to settle on the fabric I wanted but here it is….

I got a bit of a surprise when the colourful fabric was all folded up as it was much heavier than I’d realised (I think its upholstery fabric, oops!) and I was a little worried about how I’d get it in the case…clothes would have been discarded though if necessary to fit in my beautiful material! I haven’t yet decided what to use the fabric for but I do know that whatever I make will evoke happy memories of a lovely family holiday.

Karen x

February projects

Ok, so we’re 9 days into February already but better late than never!

January didn’t go entirely according to plan on the crafting front see here but I did do a fair bit of crafting so I’m not too disappointed. We’re away for a week in February, so I’m going to do my best to make February’s project list achievable. (We are escaping from the cold, it was -7 here this morning and are jetting to the sunshine and spring temperatures of Fuerteventura, yippeeeeeee! Of course I will be taking my crochet hook and a small amount of wool but I shall be making the most of family time so wont be doing a lot of crocheting.)

Februarys project goals:

FINALLY get around to blowing the cobwebs off the sewing machine and sew the two sets of bunting I’ve prepared.
Finish the stripes on the bright stripes blanket (I’m pretty sure I wont have time to finish the border too but if I do then great)
have a stack of itty bitty mini squares ready to make into something delicious (I’m aiming for at least 100)
cut the fabric for 2 machine sewn tote bags.

Hopefully this is an achievable list given that February is a short month and we’re away for some of it.

I’d love to hear what your crafting goals are for February.

Karen

Our little artist in the making

At the weekend we bought a wooden box for Little Miss to decorate to house her hair clips and bobbles. Out came the acrylic paints and after painting the box, she decided to start painting the cardboard that we were using to protect the table. I let her roll with it and this is the masterpiece she created. This is definitely being framed!

Normally when we get the paints out its her children’s washable paints we use and inevitably we end up with the ‘muddy’ look unless I limit the selection of colours she can use. This time I just let her go for it and I’m so surprised and pleased by the results. It turns out that as the acrylic paints are so fast drying, you don’t get the same muddying of colours and I just love the effect. Its given me lots more ideas to try out, I might even have a go at some freestyle acrylic painting myself.

NB Please note that Little Miss is old enough to know not to put paint near her mouth but I wouldn’t recommend using acrylic paint with younger children who are not yet past that stage as I believe they can be harmful if ingested.

January projects review

So, January went by rather quickly thankfully, as it is probably my least favourite month. Weather wise this January has been pretty miserable and grey but I’m very happy to say that despite freezing cold temperatures, February is so far looking much better. Its only the 4th and already we’ve had a few mornings of blue skies. The bright blue morning skies really give me a happiness boost and as long as the sun is shining I can deal with the minus temperatures!

Anyway, enough talk about the weather and get down to Januarys project review. In a bid to contain my wandering mind a little I decided to set myself a list of (hopefully) achievable project goals at the start of each month. Januarys goals:

Finish crocheted granny squares baby blanket
Continue and hopefully finish crocheted bright stripes full size blanket.
Start a crochet poncho for Little Miss
Make my first machine sewn fabric bunting.
3x stencil/ applique bags ready for craft stall.

For the first part of January, all was going well, I was fitting in lots of crafty time and I felt as though I was on track see post here.

Alas, I have little further to report since that post. The baby blanket was finished and has been gifted. The bright stripes blanket is not as nearly finished as I’d hoped and the sewing machine has still not been touched (the desk however has been decluttered and the sewing machine is at least on top of the desk, albeit still in its case!)

I did complete a few bags and 2 sets of bunting are cut out and ready to be sewn.

The heart bunting I made a couple of months ago is now up in the craft room above where the sofa bed will go…

and for some unknown reason I have started to make some itty bitty 3 round solid granny squares…

I have really no idea why I have started making them other than I just love them. I blame Sandra of Cherry Heart as it was her Battenberg blanket post that inspired me to start making them. They just seem to fly off the hook and I find it extremely satisfying that they stack up so quickly. I’m not sure yet what I am going to make them into, it may be the poncho for little Miss that I had planned to make or it may be a bag/ bags but they are providing a welcome relief from the long stripes of the bright stripes blanket and a quick crochet fix when I haven’t got a lot of time to spare.

Karen

Giving myself permission

Ok, so this dreary grey weather has finally got to me and that combined with being busy, not having much time for crafting in the last week or so and feeling a bit under the weather with the constant company of ‘Horace’ (my unfriendly headache companion) has left me feeling rather meh! Last night I was talking to my good friend Michelle at craft and chat group about how I was feeling and having lots that I had planned to do on my day off today. Her response was to be kind to myself and give myself the permission to do things that make me happy rather than feeling like I need to achieve something all the time. I do have the tendency to set myself goals and feel the need to have something to show for my time, so today I decided to heed her advice.

Little Miss woke up super early this morning and came through to my room at 6 but it was actually really nice to be able to spend 2 hours with her, playing and getting ready for kindergarten without having to rush. After dropping her off at kindergarten I popped to the shops to get some supplies for my self indulgent day and I found these beauties in Lidl (I love Lidl for its crafty surprises every now and then)…

I have no idea what I’m going to use them for just yet but they made me smile and the tapes make a pretty, colourful addition to my desk.

I also couldn’t resist these either:

They make such a nice contrast to the ever so dreary weather outside and I cannot wait for them to open and show their beautiful colours.

After a few small jobs around the house the rest of the morning has been indulgently spent sitting in my bed enjoying a bit of me time, crocheting, watching a bit of tv, reading, eating biscuits (I didn’t stop at the 3 pictured…oops) and drinking tea with the company of my beautiful kitties (pictured is Mina, Misty was feeling a bit camera shy today!) and I have to say it has been bliss.

I thought the book title was rather apt as that’s just what I feel like doing at times!

The rest of the day will be spent doing more of the things I enjoy. I shall be visiting the sunbed on the way to pick up little miss (I know its not good for you but 15 minutes with the heat shining down, pretending I’m in St Lucia is just the escapism needed on a dreary, rainy day), snuggling on the settee for a bit of afternoon CBeebies and maybe some colouring in, eating pizza for tea and finishing the day with a glass of my favourite wine on the settee with hubby, whilst crocheting. My idea of heaven! Stuff everything that ‘needs’ doing, today I give myself permission to be a little self indulgent and it feels great!

Karen x

ps. Sorry for the rubbish quality of photos in this post, as aforementioned the light today is pants!

January so far

You can take the Brit out of Britain but you can’t take the Britain out of the Brit and so with that thought in mind I’m going to start todays post, true Brit style with a bit about the weather. What a mixed bag of weather we have had so far this January! We have had the odd sunny spell (fairly few and far between, I must say), we’ve had rain, we’ve had hail, we’ve had snow and just this last Thursday we had the mother of all storms, with winds over 100km, schools closed and trees falling left right and centre, it was a bit scary if I’m honest. Most of all though January has been grey, grey, grey and sooo dark. When its so dark outside its easy to start feeling glum but I can say thankfully that this year it has not hit me in the slightest. In fact the only thing blue around here are the shades of blue in some of the fabric and yarn I’ve been using. I’m not sure quite why, maybe its the fact that I went on the sun bed, burnt my bottom slightly and had a glow for a few days…as the glow worm song goes, its hard to be glum when the sun shines out your bum!!

Seriously though, I’m very thankful to be feeling good, whatever the reason.

I’m actually rather pleased with myself at how much I have managed to fit in this January and we’ve still got over a week left. The craft room sort has continued, the bed has gone and whilst we are planning on getting a bed settee to replace it, I’m actually enjoying having the space to spread out a bit at the moment…

At the side of the picture you can see a blanket laid out, this is the baby blanket I have been working on for a friends baby and as it has now been gifted, I can show you. Its actually the first time I have ever bothered to block a blanket as the squares had bunched up a bit. I was a bit nervous about blocking as I hadn’t done it before but I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.

I really love this blanket, especially the way you can see the crosses in the squares when the blanket is laid out. I’m very happy to say that the recipient was very happy with it too, which is after all why I make them.

I have been having a little experiment with appliqueing and stencilling bags with the idea of selling them at a craft fairs…

I’d love to know what you think of them.

In recent months as I think I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been yearning to work with fabric and start using the sewing machine again. I have so many ideas for things Id like to make on the sewing machine but have decided to start with bunting and bags. The bunting is all cut out and ready to go…

and here is the fabric I have lined up for the bags…

I still haven’t actually got the sewing machine out yet, for some reason I’m procrastinating. Its maybe nerves as I haven’t had the machine out for 2 years and I’m a bit worried I wont remember what to do. I am determined to get it out this week though and to have finished the bunting and a couple of bags by the end of January.

I’ve started running again after just not feeling like it for the last couple of months and am pretty happy with my progress. I even forced myself to go out on my own on a particularly cold and slushy Friday morning on my day off. I’m going to have a look for some 10km races to enter and once I see how they go, I may think about another half marathon.

I’ve even managed to find some time to do a bit of colouring (see top picture). Normally I don’t really see the point of those adult colouring books as you spend so long colouring the picture but don’t actually do anything with it. As part of one of my secret Santa presents at work I was bough a mindfulness colouring calendar, so I thought I’d have a go and as the picture will be displayed for a whole month I thought it was worth giving it a go. I have to say I really enjoyed it, Little Miss was doing her colouring alongside me and it was a really nice way to spend an hour or so.

I hope your January is going well and that you too are escaping the post Christmas blues. I’d love to know what craft projects you have been getting up to.

Karen x

January projects

In a bid to assign more time to crafting and at the same time set realistic goals (with all the thousands of creative ideas going around in my head that I want to do RIGHT NOW, its definitely worth a try!), I’ve decided to start making a list at the beginning of each month of the projects I would like to do and then review the list at the end of each month to see how I got on.

Here’s what I’m planning to achieve in January:

Finish crocheted granny squares baby blanket (I’d best get a wriggle on baby is due on Saturday…eeek!)
Continue and hopefully finish crocheted bright stripes full size blanket.
Start a crochet poncho for Little Miss
Make my first machine sewn fabric bunting.
3x stencil/ applique bags ready for craft stall.

I think this sounds achievable, right off to get started on the bunting, I’m very excited!

What crafty projects do you have on the go? I’d love to hear about them.

Karen x