Quilt cover to cushion covers and elmer blanket

This might be my favourite blanket I have made yet! I used a fabric sample book for the front and an old hospital sheet for the back! Very cheap to make and I love the elmer the elephant type look to it!

 I made all these cushion covers from quilt covers that I have collected from car boots and charity shops - the first one (with orange flowers) is my favourite. I bought this quilt years ago and haven't had the courage to cut it up yet, I tried to put it on my quilt but it was a really funny shape so I finally took the plunge and cut it, I love the result!

Hope you have had a good weekend, I have been working on another blanket and spent Saturday with my sister making valentines t-shirts!

Rainbow rain cloud patchwork!

I have started a patchwork quilt, using fabric cut from a sample book I picked up for £2 in my local fabric shop. I have added the little ran clouds but now I don't kno if I should add more of the same, other designs or just leave it as it is! There are still a few more rows of squares to add too! What do you think I should do?

This was a sneaky photo I took hoping no-one would notice me in the ear muffs - but I thought they were fantastic and you would all like to see them!! I left them in the shop - I wise decision I think!

Off to London

I am off to London for a couple of days, be back soon!

This is a picture of my most recent make - a little giraffe 

Vintage paper bunting

My friends asked me if I could make them some bunting for their kitchen, if possible with some birds on. Well instead of my usual fabric bunting (I wasn't having much luck finding any with birds on) I thought I would try something different.

So after a day of hitting the charity shops I came back with lots of materials for making it!

These were the first few flags I made

Here it is finished - I used old postcards, sheet music, an old map, old pages from a book, lace, stamps (with birds on), vintage playing cards, jigsaw pieces and pages from a collins bird book.

I really love it and hope they like it too!

You probably can't read it but the bird on the left is called rock bunting - there were a few different bunting birds - I had to include one of them!

Quick bag

I made this quick bag last week, I haven't sewn a project for a while and finally decided to do something! I made a simple pattern my self and made this bag - it is not perfect but I am pleased with it and I will try another one soon!

I used some of the beautiful fabric lexie gave me for the pocket.

And because it is me and I love silly things, I addd elephant fabric to the inside of the pocket - I love peeking in and seeing it there!

Jar of love swap

Katie over at booty-full things organised a swap and I was partnered with Lexie over at pieces of wonderful. Above is the beautiful, hand decorated, jar that I received full to the brim of goodies. Would you like to see what I got?

Lexie really knew me well, there were some ice cream buttons and som reindeer ones too - 2 of my favourite things! There was also some hand picked lavender from Lexies garden and some shells from her recent trip to the beach (they are already in my jar of special shells!) Some beautiful material and some beads. Then strangely, we both sent very similar things, a handmade heart, a handmade keyring, lip balm and a cookie cutter!

Here are the buttons all lined up - don't they look great!

The jar was decorated with flowers and everything smelt of lavender!

The heart is already hanging up in my craft corner.

The jar is also sat over in the craft corner - it will come in really useful and looks wonderful. Thank you so much Lexie, everything is amazing!

Here is what I sent.

It took me a few attempts to get everything to fit in the jar!

I sent a few chocolate items, a little note book, some ribbion and a little china cup (Lexie has a growing collection of vintage china, this was from a hotel range!)

A cookie cutter, lip balm, washi tape and a handmade bird.

Handmade button earrings, heart, keyring and crochet.

A handmade hair clip, brooch, magnets, craft punch, tape measure and a playmobil figure (everyone needs one!)

Lexie used to live in Cheltenham (where I live) and worked at the library. I thought it would be nice to include something from there for her. I went in at had a look through there for sale section, but you couldn't tell any of the books came from cheltenham library as the paper stamp area had been taken out of the front. So I asked one of the librarians if they had any ready for sale that they hadn't taken that bit out of it - she went away and came back with a book (a really random one) so I also sent this - it turns out the dates it was stamped were from the times Lexie worked at the library!

Pizza express and a little bit of sewing

Friday night we went to pizza express and shared 2 of there pizzas. They were nice but not quite as good as Manny's - he has promised to make some more on Tuesday :)

Saturday morning I got up and made this little fellow - I'm not 100% happy with his shape but I like him he is hanging up in the lounge quite happily adding a little bit of fun!

We went out for a walk in the afternoon and stopped at a cafe - this is the flower they had on the table - all of them were the same - a little bit dead - I quite liked them though - almost look dried. Forgot to take a picture of the white chocolate caramel shortbread we shared - it was eaten far too quickly!

Button Bouquet

On my blog travels and internet wanders I have seen lots of button and brooch bouquet, so I thought I would give it a go! It was a lot more difficult than I thought it was going to be! I definitely needed stronger wire! However I really enjoyed making it and may try another soon! There is one bead on there that I really dislike as well so it is going to go!

My sisters is going to a wedding next week and asked if I could make her a some flowers for her hair - here they are! Hope you like them x

Slippery, sliding, sock snake

All it took was 3 socks, some ribbon and 2 buttons and this little snack was mine!

She is now sat in my crafting room, just popping out to say hi every now and then!

I made it this afternoon after a trip to the car boot  our local one has just started up again (there is an all-year round one but that is a morning one and has more traders that car booters!) It was perfect sunny afternoon for it - however there wasn't much there to interest any of us - I was the only one to come away with anything - some "that's not my .." books and some games - dingbats, operation and ker-plunk! 

Back to work tomorrow - but at least it is only a 4 day week!

Russian doll

I made a little Russian doll brooch to go in my etsy/folksy shop. I really enjoyed doing this and creating her character. I love making new projects and am always looking for the next thing to make! 

I have looked a couple of times to see if there are any crafty get togethers in my local area but haven't found any yet-  anybody have any advice on places I can look! Thanks!

Hope you are having a good weekend.

ps my button swap arrived today - I will blog about it as soon as I know Debi has received her parcel!

Gnomes, birds and flowers

I spent my Friday evening photographing a few of my homemade bits to put up on folksy! I am really enjoying find ways of trying to make my things stick out and to look fun! The birds all landed on the bunting in the hallway - almost like the pigeons sat on the telephone wires all lined up. Some of the gnomes found a new home in the middle of a pom pom wreath that I made for christmas but didn't finish!

 I tried a few things with the flower hair clips, but settled on this - attached to a blue ribbon. I like the effect -it is almost as if the are flowering in a garden, and below a shot of half of my head! 

Felt and stitches

This little stitching project started Friday night. Manny was off to a friends for 2 nights. Last time Manny was away I made him some felt bunting and decorated the house with even more bunting.  So a tradition was started. Manny was only going to be away for 2 nights so a little stitched picture was the best project!

In the end he came home a night early, but I had just enough time to finish the picture and put it on the wall. I kept it in the embroidery frame and I quite like it! I think I may make a few more things like it, I just need to find the best way of making the back look neat - on this on the fabric has been sellotaped to the hoop! Maybe some washi tape to hide this - I just don't know! If anyone has any ides please let me know!

Lastly this was Thursday night at work! Our first bit of snow for the year - it didn't settle but I enjoyed watching it falling from my desk at work!