WIP...finished!

Long forgotten WIPs always seem to re-emerge at Christmas - these little pencil toppers came out again and got finished off with their new anti-falling-off-the-pencil tactics in place...here's the line up...

This guys my favourite...i'm keeping him - isn't he sweet? Sad little thing who needs friends!

Most of the other guys are off to make new friends though - Christmas presents on that student budget yet again - but the thought counts right even with just a small gesture.

Tutorial: Easy Gift Tags

Remember these? I came up with a use for them - a student Christmas budget means little things like this help out a lot!

Gift tags are as easy as...

1. Fimo cut outs using biscuit cutters or mini icing cutters - thin slices baked in the oven

2. Fabric shapes from the scrap bucket and the ever faithful Uhu

3. ...et voila! Handy free gift tags!!

Driftwood Dreams

I have always loved driftwood crafted items - something so raw about them, all those worn down curves on something that's usually so stoic...sew the first attempted item was simple - bookend for MummySew! Tom and I had some trouble thinking of something cool to get mummysew for christmas last year...she had seen these on folksy and wowed at them, sew we thought we would have a go.

We went to the beach somewhat doubting that we'd find any driftwood at all...but look at our spoils! It was pettycur bay we visited, in Fife, and despite it being a scottish November, the sun was shining and with all the rock hopping and digging, we soon warmed up :)

I hosed them down in the shower to get rid of all the sand and crawlies and then leant them up against the radiator to dry...which took weeks. About a week before christmas tom got to work finding dowels. He made two lead dowels for weight which he slotted down into holes he drilled in the base...and then he drilled down the lead dowels to add wooden ones that would hold the upright of the bookends in place.

They have quite a good weight now to keep them upright and rubber feet on their base for grip. Between us we came up with the design, trying to keep them both slightly different - quirky?

p.s. can you tell how behind I am with posting? i'm still catching up with last years chrsitmas presents!

Elephant Cushions

Remember this? Well I found a ready made matching cushion a few weeks ago in a charity shop that totally matched! I absolutely had to sew up my scrap to make a matching pair...

They're boasting on my new bed in my new flat in Glasgow West End - very chic!

Vintage Linen

Mum's been dredging through grannies drawers to find the old embroidered linen and has found a good few tablecloths lurking in the charity shops for a few pounds a piece also...they're for the party in the summer...VERY english :)

She added this cushion cover to her collection the other day as well...the 2 sides are very different and don't particularly match, but are both gorgeous! I'll show you again once its stuffed :)

Treacle's snuck a paw in there too :) she approves!

MummySews Garden

Mums been planting up pots and wheelbarrows and hanging baskets for the past few weeks - the garden will be absolutely decked with flowers this summer!
There's still a few more to pot up and hang and then they just need arranging around the garden! We're having a joint 21st/50th birthday party this summer so the garden will be beautified for all our guests! :)

Homewards Bound

I got home from Glasgow last weekend with a whole car full of flat stuff which we moved out. The car was so full!! There were knives and forks in all the car door pockets and books underneath the seats...nil visibility the whole way home but we managed :)
The next challenge was squashing everything into cupboards and wardrobes (wardrobes being the difficult one!)...
My two wardrobes couldn't really handle all the new additions! sew the 'winter' wardrobe has been packed away and all my floaty summery bits remain :)

...a good few bags of clothes (labels!) will be appearing on my ebay store soon, and an awful lot have gone of to charity shops :( i hate parting with clothes!
Oh yes and a vintage fair just happened to be on the day after i came home...I picked up a gorgeous indian embroidered panel which I'll hopefully appliqué onto a cushion cover.

Just look at that neat embroidery! Found a few books too: R. L. Stevenson's Treasure Island, Christian Andersons Fairy Tales' and Maya - the adventures of a little bee.

Look how lovely the prints are :)

still WIPs...

I'm sneaking in some felty fun between the biochemistry and revision...at this rate they'll take a while, but one day they WILL grace the shop!

Monsters...

And some Owlets...
They look a little odd like this...but one day they will be pencil toppers! If anyone has any suggestions for a new design please do let me know :)

A little bit of This and That

I started a slightly more adventurous crochet pattern...good fun although it's sooo fiddly! 1.25 hooks anyone? *sigh* one day it'll be gorgeous though

I've read a few childrens classics which i've never read before. Why I have no idea! Their fabulous. Peter Pan was both brilliant and yet so sad...but illustrated by Mabel Lucie Atwell? Gorgeous!

Alice Through The Looking Glass was also illustrated and such a cute story. Like dreaming.

Shameless Self Promotion...

I have spent the past week alternatively revising and procrastinating. My procrastination methods of the moment involve ebay - I'm having a clear out! I'm listing all sorts of designer/high street oddities in my ebay shop.

Leather trousers...Suits...Silk tops...Designer Dresses (Karen Millen, MNG...!)...many with tags still in place!!

This particular piece is a Karen Millen cow print suit...yum?

Most bids start at 99p and end next week. I'm hooked on ebay right now :)

Apologies for the cheeky advertising!

W.I.P.

I have little felt naughties all over my flat waiting to be stitched up...
Its so exciting! I'm going to stuff a few owls too just to see what happens...

Sew i have my nose in books at the moment and am disappeaing home for some easter time off...wait no... i mean revision *sigh* but when i'm back i'll finish these up and pop them in the shop.

Tulips and Chocolate

Spring is here! Kind of anyway - its sunny, definitely warmer and the long awaited daffodils, crocuses and snowdrops now line the high street all at once. I felt contrary and bought tulips instead...

And did i ever show you what MummySew left behind? a CHOCOLATE duck

...But all this coursework and pbl and portfolio works makes you kind of hungry...

Nom nom nom!

Plotting Against Monsters...

MummySew and I put our heads together a while ago to figure out a way to keep my little felt pencil toppers on their pencils! The answer from MummySew was quick and simple:

I cut a rectangle of matching felt and wrapped it around an average pencil as tightly as possible, stitching the edges together....(note the ever so awesome personalised 'Tara' pencil)

And then simply stitched it in at the bottom, when i sewed the monsters up in blanket stitch.

Even with a good shake, these little monsters are going nowhere!

Watch out for scary additions to The Shop sooon!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day! I made a card as usual, but was even more fuelled to DIY it after popping into Clinton Cards and seeing all the little cards at £5.00 each. No thanks! Anyway, Scherenschnitte came to the rescue with a gorgeous paper cut out (very fiddly - had to get the scalpel out!) that worked very well.

Download your own PDF and have a go yourself here - but do check out her other designs, they are all equally delightful!

I got a bit paper-cutting mad and found this idea on How About Orange and used that to frame my message as well. I copied her pattern but its basically a well thought out paper snowflake! I can't wait to try some other designs :)

Oh and i found these gorgeous earrings on Folksy which are very Mummy Sew. Just missed the sale *sigh* but Gama agreed to pop a little Happy Mothers Day note in the packet for me which was lovely of her and meant i could post direct to Ma.

To Finish...Happy Mothers Day MummySew! Thank you for your love and attention, your patience and education. I cannot wait to see you again :)

Little Hearts

I taught myself a little bit of crochet today :) 'The Blanket' uses UK trebles...but I wanted to expand my repertoire a little so I made a little sampler from here and learnt to do US dc, sc and sl st from videos on you-tube (I do have a life - honest. This is done in my study tea breaks!). Its a little messy as I don't have my tension right yet...the journey begins anyway.
On a completely unrelated note - I adore these books :) The illustrations are fantastic; the plots brilliant; the writing refreshingly simple. I only wish i could read and crochet at the same time!

What Dreams are Made of...

I went hunting for circular knitting needles and crochet hooks today...I hunted through the local charity shops and found some 2mm knitting needles. Are they used for ANYTHING?! I cannot for the life of me find a pattern for anything done on 2mm 80cm circular needles *sigh* They just get added to the pile then and the hunt continues. I might ebay it.

I want to make hats - ravelry has been taunting me with these things. I would love to try all sorts...

• a loose hat to avoid hat hair issues
• a lacy cowel for snuggling into
• a cosy shawl which would be lovely in the recycled wool from here

But they remain dreams until the right equipment comes my way. I did find a whole lot of vintage material and crochet scraps, which i resisted up to a point. Not having a sewing machine here is killing me. I am itching to get at big prints and make some handbags. I treated myself to some miniatures which proved wonderful inspiration for the upcoming Mothers Day.

Oh and the tiny little Petit Fours cases are so useful at the moment!

Ringo

Marianne of Applehead had a little giveaway of one of her lovely little pen and ink drawings a while back - she asked us to name one of her little creations. Sew here is Ringo!

She wrapped him up very cutely sew he peeked through the paper! I loved her idea of using the teeny little tags.
Isn't he lovely? I have to get him framed up in something equally tiny and cute. She emailed me when she was drawing him asking if i would like anything particular to accompany him...I suggested a teapot and it turns out she had already drawn one alongside him! Great minds obviously think alike - he was destined to come my way :)
I haven't posted about anything crafty for a while and i do apologise! I will whip something up for you soon I am sure (as soon as this horrible coursework is out of the way)!