Felt Picture

I LOVED sewing this! It's one of the first sewing projects I have ever done that actually looks like it did when I first thought of it. Normally sewing things makes the design change and evolve with every stitch. This though was designed on paper and tweaked and thought about until it was perfect and then I started cutting out and sewing!
I left my thumb in this picture on purpose so you would see the scale of it (the picture, not my thumb!) I used wool felt (no change there then!) and a couple of fav. fabrics from the stash. It's nice to combine felt and fabric, very satisfying to add a splash of pattern here and there.
Here is a close up of the little worm, trying to climb a tree :-) I love the way the bark effect works, and how the actual stitches add to the texture too.

Birdie's house, under a branch of pretty leavesand finally... Mr. Squirrel, with HIS favourite stash, Acorns!! Look behind you Mr. Squirrel, you missed one !!

All I need to do now is work out how to frame it, I think a trip to my local framers tomorrow will solve that one!!

As you can see I'm beavering away quietly whenever I can snatch a few minutes of spare time, next on the list is FREEBIE DAY (it's Thursday 3rd May by the way)

pinkarama !

I took these photos a few days ago but wanted them to be delivered to their new owner before I showed them here. 46 pink letters due to be sewn onto calico bags
and, of course, I had to make the packaging match the goodies !!
My craft time this week has been short and I am slowly SLOWLY working on a new 'thing' which I hope to finish tomorrow so I can finally show here, I'm so loving doing it though that half of me doesn't want to finish it !!

The best thing about working on a time consuming project is the time it gives you for thinking about the next 100 projects!!

A seagull theft

I have decided that blogs are strange. They bare no comparison to how busy the blog writer is...When all is organised and structured blog posts are frequent and well planned, but when the blog writer is very, very busy the blog doesn't get written, giving the false impression that the blog writer has nothing to write about due to having nothing to do.

SO if you have been wondering where I have gone and why i wasn't doing anything then the answer is, I am still here, I have been very busy indeed alas, I have been too busy to note it all down here!

My day job is taking up a lot of time at the moment. I also have been completing a wholesale order and been visiting the post office with some packages sold via eBay .

Today I wanted to do my sewing in the garden so I made a cup of coffee and took that and a packet of Hula Hoop Crisps into the garden, I went back inside to grab the tray with the sewing stuff on it and what happened? I went back to the garden (I was inside for 30 seconds at most) and there was a BIG seagull on the table and he flew away with my Hula Hoops, he didn't go far away so I watched for a while and he managed to open the packet and eat. them. all. Don't seagulls know how to share?

I'm also still working on my website, slowly getting it ready.
A comment was left on my last post asking if I would be selling bags on eBay and I have decided to sell them on my website, later on in the year!

Hopefully things will be back to normal here soon (and hopefully I will have the camera next time too!!)

no time to craft?

I'm never happy when I have no time to craft, and this week things are coming at me from all angles, trying to stop me and I seem to be losing the battle! Unfortunately something had to give and it's this poor little blog :-)



I'm working 6 days a week at the moment and on Monday the shop did it's busiest day ever, and then yesterday we beat that! CRAZY bus-y-ness!



It was Big J's birthday this weekend and I had to put the felt and thread away and go out for a lovely meal and drinks with friends instead (who would say no!) the next day was spent with a fuzzy head at a car show. It was glorious weather and there were lots of great cars there.



I'm also half way through a small-ish wholesale order, even though it's crafting it's not the same when it's an order! Does anyone else feel that or is it just me?



On top of that, the weather here is glorious, which is a good thing EXCEPT it's way too soon to be this warm and I haven't made any summer clothes yet...even the weather is trying to dictate what I should be doing!!



So in between all the craziness, the general mess of household chores and sewing to order, what have I been doing?

Making a new bag to go with my new, non-existent, summer wardrobe of course! I whipped it up last night from my stash of fabric and I used it today and I love it. The handles are very long and the bottom of the bag sits in the palm of my hand when it is on my shoulder...there is nothing more annoying than short bag handles !

sewing in the sunshine

I apologise in advance for the picture-rich post !!
I have had a lovely Easter weekend. I had lots of time off from the day job and not a lot of plans! Big J and I had some nice time together, pottering around the house and getting some spring cleaning done.

Big J also squeezed in a day of fishing yesterday.
So I have had a lot of relaxing time in the sunshine sewing :-)

I got myself an audio book for my i-pod and have been plugged into that whilst sitting in the garden sewing and sewing.
I've also been busy on the computer, I have bought a kit to make a website! I have started it and, even though it's fairly straight forward, it seems to take me ages!!

So eventually I will have a paper-and-string on-line world all of my own and I will share it all when it's done, but it's a long way off yet!!
I've been making some cupcakes and flowers to fill the shop, and I've made some more of the felt gift bags ... the little circles (above) are only about 4cm across and I think they are so cute !!
As are these.....Little Peeps !!They fit in the palm of your hand and make you happy !!
I think the strawberry was inspired by the gorgeous weather !
I'm back to work tomorrow, and I'm doing 6 day weeks for the next few weeks so the craft time may suffer slightly, I'm off to fill the eBay shop up now, and then some more website tinkering !

I name you.....

MUSTAPHA !
Big J came back from a hard days fishing and I sat him down in the living room, with a cup of coffee, and I read out all the names to him. He whittled it down and down until, 20 minutes later, he decided on Mustapha. It was a hard decision between the last two names!

So, Ali you are the winner, please send me your address and your goodies will be with you soon! Congratulations !

Here is the winning comment...

Mustapha (for obvious reasons). C'mon, Mustapha Monkey, say it out loud. All together...)

Freebie alert

It's April Freebie time !!!

This month's freebie is slightly different. Rather than being the first to comment or having a name pulled from a hat, this time you need imagination!! To win April's freebie you must name my monkey !!!

As you can see he is a cheeky chappy, full of fun and happiness.

Because it is Easter and everyone has family commitments and holidays abound this freebie competition is open until I post again on Monday 9th April, so you have three and a bit days to come up with the winning name !!!

So what do you win ????

A paper-and-string cheeky monkey face hanging ornament......

....in a hand-made-by-me felt gift bag, with cutie pie gnome decoration!!!

whilst I was photographing the prize the cheeky monkey decided to catch a few rays...

Have fun, Big J and I can't wait to see what you come up with !!!

I love my postman !!

Yesterday my postman bought me a surprise, a freebie package from my friend :-)

Today my postman bought me a parcel of goodies from Japan :-)

So you can see why I love him visiting can't you !!!

I am the proud new owner of 2 gorgeous felt flower magnets, which are on the fireplace, a lovely generous package of stickers AND look at the packaging! A handmade Easter Card (the chick has hair...so cute!) and a sock monkey card and handmade felt flower gift tag :-))) Thank you poppet ;-)

The photos of the fabric do not do it justice!! This all came from my new favourite eBay shop nuno BUT only go and look at it if you are feeling rich....it's not expensive but the choice is gorgeous !! In fact I ordered so much in one go that I got a free piece :-)))) I am one happy-Japanese-fabric-loving gal!! I managed to justify my purchase by buying some for my sisterini and some for the aforementioned gift giver !! The shop is in Japan and the parcel only took 6 days (including a weekend) to get to me!!!! AMAZING, so go and shop with confidence, this is one highly recommended eBay shop :-)

If you are still reading rather than shopping then remember

IT'S FREEBIE DAY TOMORROW !!!!

Sunday is for sewing

I love Sunday. It is my favourite day of the week. I am trying to be a super-organised crafter and plan to use Sunday as my shop update day.

The plan is to get all my weekly sewing completed and the photos taken so all I have to do on Sunday is list everything. Four Sundays have gone past now and I still find myself sewing on Sundays!! BUT a friend told me this morning about turbo lister on EBay and, wow, it's fantastic !! It really is SO fast, why I haven't tried it before I will never know....

I have added a little bit of everything to the shop today, including Apples and Pears, my new favourite thing to make!!

I had an email from one of my favourite online shops this morning to say they are closing down :-( so go and see them as everything is on sale !!!

www.happyscrapper.co.uk They always have combined gorgeous craft supplies with excellent service and I will miss that.

Catching hailstones on your tongue !

On Thursday's I get a small glimpse of what it would be like to work from home.

I've always thought it would be nice, to be at home all day making a living from something I enjoy doing.Today, though, reminded me that I get lonely on my own all day. I end up talking to the television, or myself !I sat in my armchair sewing and sewing and sewing until I heard the hailstones. I went out into the back garden and couldn't resist catching some on my tongue !!

All of a sudden working from home seemed like a good idea again :-) It gives you a chance to catch each opportunity that comes your way. For me though, I enjoy the company and conversations that are part of my day job so I'll just keep thinking about it, and dreaming :-)

At the moment I am trying to concentrate on my catalogue. This means I need to sew a few of each of my designs, photograph them and when I have done that to ALL my designs it is time to design some more :-)

That is why the photos today are a strange mixture of creatures!

I've been quiet but I've been busy !

There are two reasons to explain the lack of posts on this blog. One is that I have been busy with life and not done much craft, or the other is that I have been SO busy with craft there is no room to blog !!!

The reason this time is the latter, so busy sewing that the computer didn't get a look in !

The cheeky chappy trying to get his photo taken is My New Monkey....

I have been talking about him for ages and have spent the past few evenings working on him and now he is finished. I love him :-)

His tail is held on with a flower.

Aren't monkeys great ?

Hello Summer !

I have just completed a marathon eBay session, re-filling the eBay shop. Take a look at my brand new design: funky Easter Eggs !! They go very nicely with the bunnies I showed you yesterdayand these tortoises always make me smile :-)
Also new today are 'Hanging Monkeys'

Now where to hang them........?

Flattery ?

I have had a busy few days , finishing of a wholesale order and items for the shop.
I have also discovered that the person copying me is still at it. (It's supposed to feel flattering, right?) The thing that makes me sad is that she won a freebie from me in February so I know for sure that she visits this blog and is obviously watching every move I make.
My labels have been copied, my Picassa gallery idea was put on her site the day after I posted about it here (she's a fast mover) my new cat design is copied (it's even the same height and selling price!) and now she has changed her cupcakes and ice creams to look even more like mine! To top it all off she states that she retains the copyright of all her designs - EXCEPT I OWN THE COPYRIGHT !!!!!
But do you know what? She can only copy - I will always be a few steps ahead of her and I will always be proud of MY OWN WORK ... I have been reading some comments on other people's blogs about this subject and I would like to point out that I have no problem at all with people looking at what I do and having a go at making them too. I do, however, have a problem with people breaking the law, stealing my designs and trying to sell these products commercially.

Enjoy the doughnuts, they are fat free :-)