April project goals

Just a quick post to record my project goals for April:

  • This WILL be the month I FINALLY finish the bright stripes blanket! Here it was before I sewed in the ends:

  • To reach a total of at least 200 itty bitty squares in the bright colour way,

(I currently have 137  and have calculated that I need 288 to make a single sized bed blanket but with my track record recently I’d be pushing it to try to reach that in a month!)

  • Finish the winter craftpod berry embroidery
  • Finish iron bead mandalas: these should be finished tomorrow, I’m very excited about them!

This month I am determined to complete everything on my list!! Hmmm, where have you heard that before!

 

Karen x

March project review

To recap, in March I decided not to set myself many goals so that I didn’t set myself up for disappointment once again. So, March’s project goals were:

  1. Crochet the border on the bright stripes blanket after sewing in all the ends…
  2. 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.)

Well, as usual I haven’t quite completed my goals but I’m not at all disappointed this time. I’ve sewn in the ends on the blanket and have done 3 out of the 6 rounds on the border (pics to follow in a separate post once FINALLY completed!)

My itty bitty squares stash  in one of the colour ways I was working on grew a fair bit and another grew a teensy bit…

And, I’ve managed to do a fair few other crafty makes.:

Tuddy Pat and Wowly were created and became rubber stamps.

I got crafty with my Easter Makes

I started the berry twigs embroidery from my winter craftpod box (photos to follow once complete)

And I got bitten by the ‘iron bead’ bug. After making the Easter decorations and helping Little Miss with her princess bead kit, I found a fabulous mandala kit which I have almost finished (pics to follow, those beauties deserve their own post!)

So, all in all, March has been a fairly crafty month and my creative juices have been flowing at every available opportunity. I may not have totally achieved my goals this month but I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, I just love it when ‘must make’ projects crop up out of the blue, even if it does mean that the longer term projects take a back seat for a little while.

Karen x

Easter makes

I love decorating the house up for  Easter and Christmas and have become more and more interested in  handmade decorations rather than the shop bought mass produced decorations I used to favour. Whilst there’s absolutely nothing wrong with shop bought decorations I get such a buzz from making my own and seeing them in pride of place around the house. A few weeks ago I’d hung up the plastic eggs I had but they didn’t bring me quite as much joy as usual, I wanted to make some of my own but wasn’t sure how. I tried sprucing up plastic eggs a couple of years ago with sticky ribbon and stick on gems but they didn’t last and the sticky bits fell off. This year I wanted to do something different. Imagine my delight when I found a kit in a local shop with wooden eggs to cross stitch. It took me 3 nights to complete all 6 eggs but was well worth it, I just love how they turned out…

I bought some fake pussy willow branches to hang them on and displayed them in the hall…

Whilst I did love it, it just didn’t look complete, I wanted something else to hang on the branches too. Watching little miss making shapes with her giant Hama beads, the idea came to me, I could make decorations with the tiny Hama beads that I had in my stash from a Hama bead phase I went through about 10 years ago. These were the first ones I made…

Then, on Good Friday, Mr O had a bad back and was struggling to move so he decided to sack off the gardening he’d planned to do,join us on our Hama bead session and made us each an egg with our initial on…

 

Between us we made a few more…

I’m very pleased with how it all looks and they now have pride of place in the hall (pictured on kitchen table for lighting purposes). A real family effort! However, I am quite pleased that little miss found the tiny beads a bit too tricky so decided to stick to using her own maxi sized ones. It means that my beads are safe…for the time being anyway!

In other Easter makes I made these eggs with little miss by simply winding thread around a cardboard egg.

And then of course there was the obligatory Easter cake.

(sorry about the rubbish picture, we’d actually eaten some of it before I remembered to take a picture, plus the light was bad. The cake however, tasted delicious!!)

I had been looking forward to making this for weeks as it reminds me of Easter at home when I was little. Looking back I think I was actually more interested in eating the left over mini eggs than I was in actually helping to decorate the cake, hehe, some things never change!!

Karen x

 

These are about A5 paper size but I’m thinking smaller eggs with very thin thread may work as hanging Easter ornaments too…maybe an idea to store away for next year.

 

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

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

 

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

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!!

Image result for glow worm clip artSeriously 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

 

Thank you 2017, welcome 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I know its a couple of days late but hey ho, its the thought that counts!

New year is a time where we like to look forward to the year ahead and what we hope it will bring, along with our goals to achieve. Whilst I do like to do this, I think its important first of all to look back at the last year and to give thanks for all the good times it brought.

 

2017 was, on the whole a good year for our family. Of course there were some difficult times, especially the loss of a dear relative just before Christmas. However, lots of good times were also had and what better way to celebrate than with pictures:

 

January brought with it a fair bit of crocheting, mostly in the form of hats:

 

February marked the first of our holidays, with a trip to Holland and the start of the granny stripe/ mojo blanket :

 

March was all about the flowers and lots of crafting with little miss:

 

 

 

 

April marked the second break of the year, a few days away in Oberhausen and not forgetting my first half marathon of the year:

 

 

May was the month in which I was introduced to a lovely little ceramic studio and  the start of my addiction to ceramic painting. There was also a visit to England, including running the Liverpool half marathon:

 

In June I ran my third half marathon of the year, took part in a charity 5km run  and had a few nice family local days out:

 

 

July was the only month in which I didn’t post anything here but it was a busy month with 2 trips back to the UK for weddings and a visit by my lovely Mum and Dad and 2 of our nephews and nieces.

What a relaxing month August was with a 2 week holiday in the caravan at the Norfolk broads:

 

 

In September I ran  the Berlin marathon for the second time, raising over £500  and also finished making the squares for the eclectic mix granny squares blanket:

 

 

 

October finally marked the completion of the eclectic mix large granny squares blanket and some heart bunting :

 

November was all about organising my craft room and completing the granny stripe/ mojo blanket:

 

 

December was a busy month. Crafting wise it was all about making Christmas cards.  It was also the month our little girl turned 4, we went on Santa’s steam train, visited Christmas markets, had snow, had a visit from dear friends, had some more snow and  topped the year off with a fabulous Christmas with family back in England:

 

 

Looking ahead to 2018

I tend not to make too many ‘resolutions’ as I think we have a tendency to start the year off setting unrealistic expectations for ourselves and setting ourselves up for failure within the first couple of weeks of the new year. With this in mind I have just set myself a few goals which I hope to achieve this year:

  • Build up my blog readership (I’m not  certain that anyone has actually been reading my blog for the last year and a half. If you read it regularly, please do let me know, so I can stop singing “All by myself…” Bridget Jones’ style as I’m typing )
  • Assign more time to crafting (my Fridays off are going to be dedicated to crafting and building up new crafty skills)
  • To make items to sell at a craft stall (I’ve been meaning to do this for years and have just never got round to it but I’m determined that this will be the year!)
  • To start machine sewing again (the poor sewing machine hasn’t seen the light of day in the last 2 years!)
  • To build on my photography skills and find my way around my new Camera (a Christmas present from my lovely other half).

As well as the above, there may be a bit of running squeezed in with possibly a few half marathons (I’ve got to keep feeding my medal addiction!) but absolutely no full marathons this year!

Have you set yourself any goals you’d be happy to share? I’d love to hear them.

Here’s to a fantastic 2018 and most of all… happy crafting.

 

Karen x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ceramic pot number 4

Last week I went back to my favourite ceramic studio and decorated another pot for my craft room.

I’m not quite as happy with this one as the colours didn’t show up as well as I thought they would but hey ho, its hand made and I still love it really.

It looks good lined up with the others, I just love how they’re all so bright but so different.

I’m all done for pen pots now but I could do with a little dish to put my washi tape in, I think that may be next!

Karen x