And finally I am up to date!!

Big J and I went to visit my family last weekend, and they are in Devon. It is a 200 mile drive and most of it isn't on motorways but along pretty coast roads. Exhausting but well worth it! This pic is of part of my parents back garden. No matter what time of year I see their garden it looks gorgeous. This photo really doesn't do it justice!

On one of our days there we went to Dartmouth and this is a view from the castle looking back at the town. SO pretty:-)
When we got back from Devon our next door neighbours told us that there was the lowest tide ever (well until 2076!!) so we went to have a look (the sea is at the bottom of the road we live in) and the sea had almost disappeared!! We have seen it just past the pier before but this was way past the end of the pier. Even weirder is that when my sister and her niece came the day before our trip to Devon we had a picnic on the beach and sat on the lighter coloured stones and could have had our feet in the water!!

This is a photo that proves I have no self control. YUMMY American Crafts ribbon all for me....42 different ribbons that I had to bundle up nicely before I took a photo...Do you thing I'm obsessed yet??? I got this from a shop on eBay and the price was excellent so if you are in UK and can benefit from local postage check it out inspiredcards
Now this gorgeous ribbon was a present from one of my eBay customers!!! How lucky am I??? She is a marvelous customer, I feel lucky to have her. I know she pops here from time to time so a BIG THANK YOU and I'm working on the monkey design!!

When my sister was here we went to my favourite charity shop ever and I got this little bundle of cotton fabric, there is about 3 metres in total and it cost just 75p !!! I'm thinking it could turn into a skirt, a bear, a bag.....First though it must be washed as it has the unmistakable aroma of charity shop!! (I also got some buttons here but forgot to take a pic so next time....)
Now this rubbish photo is my fabric box which I have shown before with some Christmas goodies for my eBay shop. There are some there already if you want to see them in their glory!!


NOTE TO MY SISTER. If you found my blog then big hug for you and the poppet. Love you :-)

vintage finds and holidays

ooOOhhh what is this....

The last weekend in August, big J and I went to Suffolk to see his family. We had a marvellous time and bought a few bargains on the way. I saw this folded fabric across a few aisles of cars at a boot sale and went to it in a straight line, like a fabric homing missile!! and just look at what it was when i opened it out. GORGEOUS....

And now i am finally on a blogging roll, i have to get ready for work.......more later

putting off till tomorrow what you could do today...

I have always ALWAYS been very good at putting things off, just ask my Mum! At work I am completely different, and I get all things done exactly when they should, sometimes even earlier than I should! BUT generally I am a good put-er off-er. So yesterday, Friday, I had every intention of blogging my little heart out, but the more I thought about it the more I put it off.....the good side to that is that this happened....


All my fabric used to be hidden away in storage type furniture and now here it all is in easy veiwing mode! The shelves are very deep and the fabric is 2 and 3 piles deep ! It was a wonderful trip down memory lane, re-finding all my gorgeous fabric, I remember every bit (except one mystery piece, I can tell it came from ikea but dont have a clue when i got it!!)

My dad made the drawer about 20 years ago and it used to be under the family t.v. with the video on top of it and the blank tapes in the drawer. I love it, and now it has sewing cotton in it.
The cute mini wooden sewing box was bought by me in Hungary about 8 years ago, whilst at university (i didnt go to uni in hungary, just a week there!) and I store all the bit and pieces of my neices bears in here. When my neice was one i bought her mr and mrs bear and made them some clothes. Now, every Christmas they get some new outfits, once they got beds and duvets and beanbags!!

So as you can see my 'can't be bothered to blog friday' was highly productive!!

oh my poor neglected blog.....

I feel guilty......I have sooooo many things to share here but no time to do it all!!

I have a day off from work on Friday so expect great things.....

See you Friday ;-)

a feeling of chaos

Having a blog is wonderful.

It focuses my mind on craft projects, it makes me work harder and it keeps a record for me of things I have done.

But when I am busy it is another thing for me to do and today I have a lot to do!!

BUT I'm not moaning about the blog, in fact just typing this small piece is making me feel better as I'm actually half way to crossing 'update blog' off my list!

The pictures are of the ribbons I sent out for the swap I was in. I sent out two different parcels, each had a pink selection and a blue selection and each was slightly different. I was supposed to send 5yards but I got a bit carried away!!! ah well, you never can have enough ribbon....

I cant post any more pics because Big J has our camera. He is at Goodwood Revival and I am very proud of him as his lovingly restored Saab is on show there. I am going to the show on Sunday and will take some pics to show you all how clever he is (if he will let me near the camera !!)

I have been busy crafting, but not completing things. I think that's why I feel so busy, my to do list is massive! I have made a couple of creatures out of my new book, I've started some Christmas toppers for my eBay shop, I've cut out a bag for my gorgeous niece (who is visiting next Thursday) and I have a plan for a gift for my sister too, but can't tell yet as she may read it!!

I've also been busy shopping, some fabric and ribbon from eBay (I will link you when I can show you a pic) and lots of bargain finds too from my weekend away. Big J and I went to his family in Suffolk and managed to cram in a garage sale, 2 car boot sales and an antiques fair....phew I'm glad it was a bank holiday weekend!

I don't think I have mentioned before that I also have a job. I manage a gentleman's outfitter shop and have only been there about 5 months, so that seems to take time away from crafting BUT I love my job, it's great fun and a good challenge every day. At the moment I have two days off a week, Sunday and a day in the week. I'm trying to get into a routine where I can craft and blog on one of the days off and do housework and chores on the other...Only craft always seems more important!!!

Big J just called and is on his way home so time to go.....Photos next time I promise :-)

Ps. Oh I forgot to say that I have posted a parcel to my pink and white pincushion swap partner and I hope she gets it soon. Pictures once she has received it!!

catching up.........monday

I sold some more things on ebay, here they all are.....

(in 3 piles as they went to three people)

And here they are all packed and ready for their envelopes.....

catching up......sunday

QUESTION: what do you do on a Sunday when there is laundry,cleaning,phoning etc to catch up on and a lot of sewing to do to fill your ebay shop??

ANSWER: you bundle and tidy all your ribbon until it looks like this!! It took about 2 hours and afterwards I had to have a nice relaxing bath to unwind after all my hard work!! hhahaha

ribbon swap part two

Today my second package came, which now completes the ribbon swap. The postman came so early I was still in my pyjamas!! oh well!! (sorry all the photos are with flash, and from in my bed because I couldnt wait to open it!)

Look at the lovely wrapping........

....and the lovely notecard......

...even the spool has such a gorgeous pattern on it that i got distracted and looked at that a while, then I thought 'hey there's only one ribbon, bummer'.....of course I was wrong, so wrong....

.....lucky me!!! Look at the gorgeousness I got sent....my very favourite is the pink dot one and the orange flower one and the stripey ones....in fact, all of them!!

I would like to say a big thank you to my swap partner, check out her blog at www.kleas.typepad.com she is the best!

ps my first swapper sent me her blog details to put here but they didnt work so i will put them here once i know them, cos she is great too!!

SHOPPING PART TWO

LOOK AT THIS BOOK IT IS AMAZING !

(i feel like the luckiest shopper ever!)

I went to the book shop on my own and felt like a mad person. I had already found the other book (see previous post) and then i pulled this one out and a "oh-my-god-thats-soooooo-cool" escaped my lips in the really quiet shop!!! THEN as i flicked through the pages i kept giggleing to myself!! Hahaha I am a mad book buyer!!

BUT look below and you will see what I mean........

i will be making one or two as soon as possible and results will be here....keep posted!!

i've been shopping......

Today I visited some charity shops (thrift stores for the overseas readers) and I got some gorgeous bobbly wool which is screaming hair to me....maybe a lion or something ? I also got some vintage trim, which is sooooo cute and the best find was the two piles of buttons. I wasnt so lucky to find the buttons ready colour sorted like this, i chose them from piles and piles of old buttons (boy are there some ugly buttons out there!!) It took about an hour to pick the buttons and the lovely lady who served me thought i was a bit weird for loving old buttons so much!!! ah well, it takes all sorts :-))))

I then went to another shop and bought this amazing two storey cake tin, I really want an enamel one and keep seeing them on ebay but they are always rusty and i dont like the idea of second hand rust in my cake!! weird i know!! but this one is plastic and has now been scrubbed and is gleaming (photo was pre wash!)

Then I went to a second hand book shop and bought two BRILLIANT books.The first is this one, i've taken two snap shots of the inside and would you look at the cuteness!!!!
little been bag bunniesand gorgeous felt-ness :-)

am not good at the moving of photos in blog so i will do another post to show the second book. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT !!!!

i'm a ribbon swappin' !!

Well, I have officially taken part in my very first swap! The pictures above are of the packages I sent out to my two swap partners, can't show what is inside until I know they have received them!! I posted them two days ago so hopefully they will get there soon, one is from uk to usa and the other from uk to new zealand
And this morning I received the first of my two packages, all the way from Texas, and the lovely Tara sent way more than she should have! I love it all, especially the dotty ones!

proper thrifting !!

Look what I have got !!

My fantastic friend was walking through town and down a side alley he saw a pile of rubbish WITH THIS SEWING MACHINE IN IT !!!!

So he thought, I know someone who will love that, and carried it for ages AND it weighs loads!! What a lucky girl I am. BIG thank you great mate :-)

The machine is a singer from 1938 and after some polishing and tender care will be my new favourite machine...

This is the little compartment at the side.....what could be in it ???

oooh definately something in there !!

oh my goodness, loads of things.....

lots of different feet, a screwdriver, spare needles, old cotton and some vintage curtain tape

Yippee i'm sooooo happy

so now i've shared these with you i'm off to polish and hopefully sew, fingers crossed...

a baker's dozen

finally, here are a baker's dozen of my homemade felt cupcakes. They are now all in my ebay shop if you are feeling peckish ...

ooh a day off work and i have been busy !!!!

I am exhausted ! A day off work is much more tiring than a day at work ! (thursday off, but i work saturdays, so dont be too jealous) although, having said that I would rather have a week day off, it's quieter everywhere so I can get all my little jobs done quickly, then get home for the important stuff!
So, i did banking, post office, laundry, cleaned bathroom, scrubbed kitchen, including the floor with a scrubbing brush (i like the theory that my generation is fatter because we dont clean like in the old days so i can feel all self satisfied with my gleeming floor and my sweaty face!) I also baked, currant buns like my mum makes (thanks for the recipe they are yummy)
:-)........currant buns calorie intake v scrubbing brush and sweat..........hhhmmmm......

So boring stuff done.

Then i sat at the computer for 2 hours adding things to my ebay shop. I added 50 odd things so please visit.......i was a little boss eyed at the end of my ebay stint so what did i do? that's right I did more stuff on the computer....aaaahhhh...

but then i got to play with paper and lost myself for a while......



I have designed and made a whole selection of wrapping for items I hope
I will sell on ebay. I have made cream linen paper bags/envelopes to hold the items, which will be wrapped with the pretty papers(it took roughly an hour to choose these three from my rather large selection of paper!) then the paper-and-string strip wrapped overthe top. I also did a little business card size flyer to advertise this blog!
All i need now is a sale so I can start wrapping and packing !!




And here are pictures of my quilted patchwork felt box !! How to describe this? It is more floppy than rock hard bur still stands up nicely. I like this and as i mentioned before have started a second one ;-)











I also took photos of my newest fabric. felt for the cupcakes ( can you tell i always buy way too much!) and some denyse schmidt flea market fabric. I have fallen in love with this fabric range and this is the 2nd bit i have got my hands on. I think i need need need to go to america and go fabric shopping, or australia, anywhere otherthan behind the times uk fabric shops !! end of rant!



take care, enjoy your saturday's off and get crafty :-)

time to bake

Hi, thought I would quickly share a pic of some cupcakes in the making

i will post again when they are done :-)

Sunday ramblings

Today is one of those days where I have a million trillion things to do but I'm thinking about doing them rather than doing them!! Hopefully my new blog can be a container for all my thinking and then I will get on and actually DO !! This past week I have made a new skirt for me to wear at work ( photo is currently being thought about ) and I finished a felt/fabric/quilt box.....How to describe it??....Its 5" square and open at the top, made of felt with thick backing fabric and patchwork top fabric, all hand sewn and bound with bias binding (this photo too is being thought about)
I also have started a 2nd box but not finished it (you guessed it though, I have thought about it) Also my eBay shop seems to be doing well, lots of things winging their way out of here in little brown envelopes but the 'things for sale on eBay basket' I keep them in seems to be getting emptier and emptier (obviously I have thought about this basket and in my mind it is overflowing with gorgeous things......)

Today Big J and I are going to a car show, American classics and hot rods, I love it!! We should have gone by now, so we could be back early to think about photos and sewing (ha ha ha) but he has gone on a rescue mission to pick up our friends who went motorbiking and got a puncture. Oops. He should be back any minute though and maybe a productive day will surface later on ;-)

One thing I can add is a picture of a new card topper I made for the eBay shop. It's been in the shop for a week or so now and she always cheers me up when I look at it !!

Anyway next posting will be full of thought about photos and bits of fabric in various shapes and forms. Have a nice Sunday xxx

yuck

today is one of those days that shouldnt have happened. my boyfriend, big J, has a cousin only one year older than him (38) and today she had a quadruple heart by pass. so far she is ok. Our bestestmates B + L also had bad news and now I am fed up. Always bad things happen to good people. I have drunk too much wine and will have too much pizza too WHEN THE PIZA MAN HURRIES UP AND GETS HERE. Good luck to you all and may you treasure your loved ones for as long as you have them..................

I love selling

Skip skip skip..... tra la la la laaaaaaaaaa.............I'm always so happy when I sell things that I have made..I have a newish ebay shop where I currently sell my handsewn card toppers. These 4 I sold today and I hope their new owner is happy with thema cute little penguin

a lovely pink giraffe
a cute baby handbag (2" square)

and a sweet felt heart

I always get a little rush of excitement when I look at my emails and there is one from ebay saying Item Sold......its always soooooo exciting. Anyway if you would like to look at the other items in my ebay shop the address is www.stores.ebay.co.uk/paper-and-string

well, it's time to try again

I don't like the pictures I have blogged so far so I am going to spend a while practising !!

This is better, A pretty pink cupcake I made for my ebay shop!!

I still don't know how to do this properly but i'm sure going to have fun trying :-)