Pins and Needles

I'm thrilled at the response to my first giveaway and at all the other giveaways going on at OWOH - there's so much generosity and inspiration out there :)

I was browsing through the other blogs that have entered over the weekend and I came across Happiness is Cross Stitching. I absolutely adore her little bottle-top pincushions - they have swarovski-like jewels on - what a gorgeous idea! Her pins are fabulous too - sew jazzy!

Anyway I've been in great need of a pincushion for some time...I've been using either this little needlebook or the tassel on my scissors...

Now as lovely as they are I decided a little miniature pincushion for my needles was desperately needed.

Sew this little thing appeared :) just the right size for me here.

I'm also working on a bigger patchwork pincushion...I'm umming over whether it needs a lace trim? I don't think it quite goes...

Oh and i'm also working on some labels that pink penguin inspired me to have a go at here. Sew i won't finish this up until i have a label to add :)

p.s. I know its wonky :( First attempt at patchworking AND i have no sewing machine...great way to use up scraps though

Giveaway: One World, One Heart

A Whimsical Bohemian has been collaborating hundreds of give-aways once a year for quite a few years now. This year is the first I have heard about it (via On the Rhode To Art) and I jumped at the chance to participate! My first give-away!

First of all, in introduction to all the OWOH visitors: I am Tara - a crafter and sewer by nature and a medical student by day! I blog about the things i make and the things that my Mum makes (MummySew). She has quite a feature here :). Something to tell you about today? I walked to uni through Glasgows Botanical Gardens in the snow this morning...and it made my day!

Anyway, I have more than one give-away for you here...although they're slightly limited as I'm not with MummySew and all her wonderful rooms of goodies to explore...I cooked these up over the weekend for you, I hope you'll find them fun! I could have made up some wonderful themed paper packs or themed buttons and fabric if I were at home...next time maybe.

#1 - a set of felt bow kirby (hair) grips - about 2 inches across

#2 - a sample set of 6 felt covered drawing pins to liven up your notice board :) like these.

#3 - (ok i don't have a picture just yet) a set of felt pencil toppers, 2 cupcake, 2 owl, 2 monsters!

Like this...! I'll update ASAP for you all.

EDIT: oh and a little extra...the first persons name out of the 'random number generator' (doesnt quite have the same ring to it as 'hat') will also receive a 40 piece paper pack full of designer paper, textured, handmade, printed the lot! Quite a mix :) It would be good for any scrapbookers or cardmakers out there :)

To enter simply post a comment! You need to have an active blog to enter this give-away but apart from that, I require nothing of you :)

3 winners will be drawn on February 15th by random number generator and my goodies will be shipped off to new homes.

Thanks for visiting!

EDIT: AS OF NOW, FURTHER COMMENTS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE DRAW.

its past midnight here on Valentines day. I've had the most magical weekend with Mummy Sew and a romantic 2 days away with the boy. Stay tuned for gushing!

Anyway I have an early morning tomorrow and will be home about 8 - sew i will announce and email winners then :) How exciting! Fingers crossed for all you lovely commentors - the Magical Carpet ride this year was lovely - please come back and visit and i will be sure to drop by too. Here's to next year being as much of a success as this!

Thank you OWOH

Dangley's

Just showing these again from way back when - they surfaced again this week and received a few interested looks. They're one of jewelery pieces that always get a mention :) I do like them...a few other pairs have been given away as gifts too over the last year. They're a bit raggedy but i quite like them that way. Very simple to do.

I've been studiously avoiding studying this week, instead writing back to sorely missed family members and making myself at home.

This arrived at Christmas too - there are tutorials all over the shop for them and they're so cute on a bedside table or a bathroom shelf. I would definately recommend knocking one up for yourself!

Valentines approaches...I tried my best to be here or here over valentines weekend but that needs months of forward thinking (and booking) apparently...*sigh*

Vintage Jar Labels

I emailed Jessica of howaboutorange a few days ago asking about label designs and she had a reply at her fingertips.

She sent me this link which I adored immediately. Sew beautiful!! I thought they looked a little like the labels you used to see on bars of soap?

I got to work and printed off one experimental sheet which I did very simply with a Microsoft Word application. They work wonderfully see?

The next step is a set of little ones for my spice/seed jars. I think they may take a little longer though. I will have to have my cut/paste wits (and patience) about me.
All that is left to do with these lovelies is a bit of trimming with a scalpel and then some sticking.


Perfect :)

Presents from the Postie

Mr Postman brought me presents yesterday :)
Some more ridiculously soft wool from, of all places - Amazon! (here) Here's what it looks like as an addition to the blanket...its slowly growing inbetween revision and salsa-ing...

I think it matches quite well and I love crocheting it, its so soft! I'm up to about 60cm across - such a long way to go! A ball of wool only goes around twice now so i'm wondering how far i will get with my current stash! There may have to be some more sneaky buys along the way.
I'm currently contemplating whether i can pull off a little patchwork pincushion without a sewing machine. I do need something to stick pins in - needle books aren't quite as useful as a good old pincushion. We'll see...watch this space eh!

How to...

I've had a few questions about how to make little people such as Samantha and Maggie...
MummySew bought the pattern from Marie and Linda who also sell online here.
The cd has a pdf on it with about 40 pages of handwritten instructions, idea and pictures - the cutest tutorial ever!
All the pictures are annotated by hand and little diagrams are drawn to illustrate steps. It is a little pricey, but when you can make dozens of different types and styles its kind of worth it. Sew good for pressies too and fantastic fun trying to create characters.

EDIT: the pattern is called Angels is Abundance and is also available here.

Twits and...oinks!

Just a few more little updates from the stockings this year...!

These little owlets came as a pair and are here for no other reason than i love them! :) The little lavender pouch is adorable and sew simple - just a length of lace seamed and stuffed, with a little bow :)

This is a slightly bigger patchwork lavender pouch that has a pattern lurking somewhere - i'll let you know when i dig it out. All my drawers will smell lovely this year :)

And this guy is a...pig?? I think so...curlytail, big circular nose - what else?! Its up for debate anyway. I bought him for Tom yesterday from oxfam because i want a whole family - he has a new welder so it should be put to a good (?) use!

Burlap Totes

This was gift from a friend who works with children, getting them to be part of a business and make things from scratch. This was one of the things they did this year!

The burlap used on the inside is divine - its from Betty's tearooms - its what their tea arrives in! The kids trade recycled things with Bettys for fabrics and other things, a great idea to get people recycling. They collect stamps and bottletops (which once they have the weight of a wheel chair in bottletops, they can actually swap for a wheelchair!) and even glasses and phones.

MummySew got one too...

I want a blanket!

I spent a few evenings over christmas snuggled up under one of these blankets by Binty, and decided that i was very jealous and needed to make a blanket of my own!

I wanted to make one with some granny squares...which i have never done before...so I made a few samples. One granny square, one other kind of crochet thing (?) and i started a square of knitting...but after the quick crocheting, knitting took forever and i lost patience.

Anyway i decided that crocheting was loads of fun (and quick) but the wool was boring and i didn't want so many holes...so MummySew uncovered some old balls of furry furry wool from some long forgotten project, and I got to work!

Its the perfect wool as i wanted something really warm, snuggley and heavy for these cold wintery days.

A Snowy Scene!

I drew the blinds today to find foot long icicles! Definately a first for us - sooo cold right now. We have worries about getting back up to Glasgow tomorrow, lots of roads have been closed and grit stores have all been used up. We'll just drive slowly and hope for the best i think. At least the drive will be pretty!

MummySew and I made a million party invitation cards yesterday (okay 33) which was fab thing to bo able to do for free from all our arty crafty stocks.

(i KNOW that this card has yellow, orange and puce pink all mixed in and i KNOW it should be horrible. but i adore it!)

We were very lazy and just cut and stuck, using pretty pretty embossed shiny papers and the like. We used up a lot of old cards, cutting out little pictures for a funny little twist. They're simple, but i think they work. Good fun too! Christmas cards might be done the same way this year. We have enough 'stuff' in this house to do it for years! Here's just a few random ones to show you...

(look at that beautiful snowy background! 7" - no wonder we're all grinding to a halt. thousands of school are closed! It makes me wish i was still at school, just so i could have a day off...)

Designer Recycling!

The christmas tree came down 2 days ago, and our traditional barbie angel was wrapped back up and dissappeared back into the attic...sad, but exciting - a new year, a new decade even! She has a half made friend with her in the attic, for when i finally have a tree of my own :)

I also wanted to show you another thing that MummySew had for me under the tree this christmas...
An enormous crochet rug! It'll liven up my floor at uni...she upcycled a bit, using an old cable knit sweater that she unraveled (a jaeger one!)...but she doubled the thread and came out with this wonderfully squishy bath mat/rug for me to enjoy. It's roughly a metre across!

mm...

Meet Samantha...

Remember Maggie? She's just found a big sister! I swiped MummySew's pattern to have a go myself...

She has elbows this time! Which looks a little more normal...

And she sits up on her own! Something to do with being a little big bigger...that extra padding on the bottom!

See? Sitting :)

Oh yes and she darns her own petticoats...quite the housewife. Maggie gets mothered!

Her apron ties with a sweet little bow at the back...

And she has a bow in her hair and pearls around her neck!

She was great fun - really exciting to make, I am just unsure if she needs wings...I made some out of angelina fibre (which i bought a million years ago from Art Van Go and have never used) but they would cover her little pinny bow.

What do you think? Hm...

See how her feet are bigger to help her stand?

Mousey mousey!

Remember these squeakers?? MummySew knitted up some additions to the family!

How fabulously cute!! I love the bow in her hair :)

Oh and we had a white christmas this year - inches and inches of slippery, icy snow! Christmas eve involved a snowball fight and snowman time - he was 6' tall...but shrunk a bit before we managed to get pictures in daylight :(

Nom nom nom...

I had some silly fun with ma and the childhood cookie cutters plus kiddie recipe's! Shortbread, Nanny Gales ground rice biscuits and Ginger shortbread...

...wrapped up in cellophane with a big ribbon and a christmassy tag, they looked rather smart! Good thank you's after christmas :)

Oh oh and the stockings this year had finger puppets too - two of which went walkies but might pop up here if they ever come back for a holiday?

Felt scraps...

...make wonderful stocking fillers!

Some for boys...(how much fun did i have with these?!)

Some for girls...
and some for crackers..! (there were five once...maybe something nibbled one - something appearing in the next post - keep your eyes peeled!)

Oh and MummySew cooked up something for a boys stocking too! Just big enough for a santa choccie!