Friday 31 January 2014

My January....

It’s been a very cold month here.


With plenty of snow.


A month filled with a little upcycling


and sewing.



                                                        Cherishing a beautiful posy of flowers.


A month in which my favorite food was Gnocchi 
with broccoli in rosso sauce, sprinkled with a little Parmesan cheese!


And where I have taken enjoyment from the little things in life! 


Have a lovely weekend!
xxxx

Thursday 30 January 2014

Must makes....


I haven’t really made any New Years resolutions, 
but there are a couple of bad crafting habits that I need to address.  
You may remember me telling you last year how I have a bit of a habit of burying 
too many of my “must make” ideas in my head mostly due to indecision.  
It felt at times like as soon as I had an idea I started to pick it apart 
only for it to swirl in my head like a Tornado, leaving me very restless 
and making it hard for me to concentrate on any another project.  
Often these buried ideas almost paralyzed my creativity, 
and I have come to realize that this has to change 
in order for me to really enjoy my creative adventures again.
Therefore the plan for this year is to try and be good, making must make ideas 
when I have them, rather then keep them for “someday other then today”.   
But also to work on an idea until the project is finished, another little problem of mine.... 
once started, I often fall out of love (usually questioning my choices of colour or fabric again) 
or get bored with it (normally when I have worked on it for to long) 
and then I put it away for that “someday other”.  
Unsurprising then really that there are still a few “little” projects staring at me from last year.   
So this month I have been really strict with myself, making my must makes as soon as.  
And over the last couple of weeks I have achieved not just starting a couple of must makes 
but more importantly finishing them.  Granted most of them weren’t big once. 
For me though the fact that there was no over examining of my idea.... 
no indecision on which fabric to use.... or questioning myself, on my choices.... 
just continuing with it even when I thought half way through it wasn't looking right, 
is a huge step in the right direction.... a real accomplishment for me.... making me feel great.
I LOVVVVVVVE all the finished pieces this month!  
And being able to use them straight away, not waiting weeks, months or even years, 
is the icing on the cake!!!


Last weekends must makes include....
a pencil case for me.... my first one since leaving school.... 


....using my all-time favorite paper dolls fabric 
mixed with denim and lined with classic blue gingham.


I chose the paper dolls on the fabric that most reminded me of my Paperdolls.


....I just love it!!!


A notebook cover with attached page marker.... 
I think I have a little notebook obsession


....when I’m dead they will say about me.... “she was the old lady with lots & lots 
of very pretty notebooks in her house, but bizarrely they had no writing in them”.
Truth be told I don’t like writing into very pretty notebooks, 
because I dread the day the pages are full and I can’t use them anymore.... 
yes I know, something else that needs to change.


 I just love the page marker and the yummy smarties button just finishes it up perfectly.


And I’m happy to report I have just gone for it 
and started to use this very very pretty little notebook already!


I also upcycled some paperclips with vintage buttons.... 


great really what you can make with a couple of old buttons....

 

a glue gun,  and a bit of fabric.


All in all a very productive weekend for me!
 

 I have also managed to start catching up with some of the abandoned projects from last year!
 Now I wonder why I ever got bored with them in the first place!?  
Let me tell you it feels great to have made the change, 
I got so much more creatively done.   
And I’m looking forward to next weekends must makes....

XXXX



Monday 13 January 2014

A pretty reminder....

Hello how has your weekend been....
mine was filled with laundry & ironing.... 
I have spent all weekend trying to catch up with the dirty laundry!  
It‘s a bit of a sour subject with me,  there always seems to be way to much of it!! 
 Just as I have emptied the basket and put a load on, magically more laundry appears
and that is of course AFTER I have asked the clan to make sure all 
the dirty laundry is in the basket INNN the laundry room.  
Maybe I am asking for too much?  Now I’m thinking of having
preset colour laundry days like Monday for darks.... Tuesdays for browns,
reds & pinks and so on, possibly could that be the solution?  
Somehow I doubt it, after all the laundry still has to find it’s way
into the basket first and that seems to be the main problem.
Shame it just can't walk into the basket by itself!  
When I was a child, the laundry rules where very simple,
put the clothes into the basket.... pockets emptied,
zips & buttons closed and no rolled up sleeves or trouser legs
or it didn't get washed.  I learned to stick to these rules very quickly,
especially after my favourite jeans didn't get washed
and I had “nothing” to wear. Trust me I have tried to use these rules 
(not according to teen Paperdoll, well so much for listening) the only problem
is that the Paperdolls wear uniform to school and the schools are very strict
on that, so it could backfire on me if I didn't wash there uniforms.  
But more then the laundry that arrives too late, unchecked pockets are my real bugbear.  
I hate having to put my fingers into pockets never quite knowing what I am going to find.
....Finders keepers is the rule....
.... great if only there was anything worth keeping to find,
if I find any money it’s only coppers.  However I find plenty of gum though....
thankfully most of the time wrapped in paper.... 
sweetie wrappers also feature heavily on the list of finds and pens, a Mr Mc specialty.  
I am "lucky" to be the mum of girls I get told regularly by my friends who have boys, 
....dead insects, sticks and stones are featuring heavy on there lists.  
But my absolute pet hate are hankies especially if one has slipped through 
and I open the machine after the wash only to have all the clothes covered 
with teensy tiny bits of fluff.  So keeping that in mind 
and with the small hope that anyone will take some notice I made this sign....


It had to be big enough not to be missed....
the laundry room doubles as my little creative space so I wanted it to look pretty 
at the same time as well as reminding everyone to check their pockets.


Using a large heavy duty plastic tray 
I bought quite a while ago very cheap and never had any purpose for.....


I love playing around with different fonts but I must admit I have my favourites 
and I find not all fonts work & look as good in fabric as in print.  
The fabric I used is from my stash.


 I think illustrations are sometimes clearer then words
so I added the pocket from a old pair of jeans,
sweets wrappers, some coppers

 

and finishing it with a pretty vintage hankie from my great grandmother.
It now hangs on the wall over the washer.
And it worked this weekend, as once the laundry finally was delivered to 
the laundry room, of course only after a few reminders 
there was no yucky hankies or anything else inside the pockets. 
HURRAY
Lets see how long that will last for!?


Maybe I should make a similar sign for the dishwasher....
just to remind everyone to put there own dirty dishes into the dishwasher?

XXXX



Friday 10 January 2014

New Year's Resolutions....

Wow we are nearly half way through the first month of 2014.  
I have spent most of the first days of this year in my little creative space 
working away on this & that and whilst I’m in there, listening to my audio books 
I can’t help but wonder will I be having a little space like this again 
and what will the year ahead bring. There are so many unknowns about 2014 
but one thing is certain it will be a year of big changes for me.  
We will celebrate big birthdays & anniversaries 
but it will also be our year of CHANGE in many ways.

 

There are so many thoughts and feelings swirling through my head 
that I just needed to take a moment today to gather my thoughts 
and write them all down. 
Hopefully I can reflect on them next year with a smile on my face,
coming to the conclusion that the choices Mr Mc and I made 
were the right ones and all has worked out for the best.
This summer, will see Mr Mc leaving the Army after 24 years.  
He has done his time and is ready to leave.  
Nevertheless it's a HUGE CHANGE for him after so many years and 
I’m so VERY proud of him for being so positive and open to the next chapter of his life.  
For me.... I will be happy to leave behind the ever faster pace of Army life....  
the constant chopping and changing.... doing things at the drop of a hat.... 
moving around and never being able to really plan anything in advance.   
But at the same time as it is exiting to start a fresh, it is scary, veeeeeeeery scary!  
After all, this has been my live for 20 years and I have gotten used to it 
much more then I like to admit.  
And I can’t help feeling very sad to leave behind some amazing friends.  
So over the next few months we will be trying to find work for Mr Mc & me.... 
then a new home for us all & schools for the Paperdolls .... register at new Doctor & Dentist.... 
and maybe if all goes well we have to learn a new language, 
generally becoming a part of a new community & country.  I will keep you posted on that.  
Wherever we end up, it’s a lot of adjusting to do for us all....  
and honestly dare I say it, I feel a little daunted by it. 
Summer 2014....
I ‘m stepping into the unknown with a mix of happiness....excitement....
filled with hopes....dreams....but also uneasiness.  
I will be dealing with the changes when they happen 
but until then I just want to enjoy my life as it is now.  
Doing what makes me happy....
so no real New Year's resolutions for me this year,


just trying to
....eat a little healthier....


....having a little less sweets....


....finish one craft project before I start a new one....
 ....lets see how long I will stick to that....


....and just generally embracing 2014 
for the roller-coaster year it will be for me
with all it's twist & turns!!
XXXX