Monday 17 December 2012

A Week in Instagram

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1. My adorable niece in her Christmas hat. I think this is her 'excited about Father Christmas coming' face.
2. Christmas decorations from Paperchase
3. Sending parcels to long distance friends.
4. My favourite street in Sheffield - every Christmas the whole street decorate their houses with fairy lights. I love driving up it.
5. I love this years John Lewis advert, so when I saw the snowman in the store I couldn't help but stop and get a picture.
6. I won a bag, t-shirt and tickets to see a documentary at the Showroom called 'Call Me Kuchu'. Thank you to The Showroom Cinema!
7. Trips in to the countryside - fairly soon after this I fell over in the mud and got absolutely covered. Typical!
8. New shoes! c/o New Look
9. My favourite meal - lemon and basil cod with rocket. Yum!

Sunday 9 December 2012

Weekly Roundup

I mentioned before that every year I buy one new bauble and try to make one. This year my purchase was the Christmas pudding bell, it was only £2 from Sainsburys but I love it nonetheless. 
Although it hasn't been put up yet, my parents Christmas tree is my favourite. Nearly every bauble has memories attached to it from when my sisters and I were young. My Mum even has a bauble that was bought the year her brother was born.  That got me thinking that it would be nice to make my Christmas tree full of memories for the future. I decided to make a bauble that represents an event from 2012 and so it had to be the birth of my niece, Emma. The polka dot E is for her.




Here is our tree this year. Unfortunately our fairy lights have stopped working so its not living up to its fully potential just yet!

I bought this sheep skin coat from my local charity shop. It was originally to sell in my Etsy shop but I tried it on and it is so toasty warm that I'm not sure I want to give it away!
My new iPhone case! I actually bought this as a little stocking filler for a friend but fell in love with it and just had to order one for myself! 
I bought a new crockery set today as our current set is a bit chipped now. I saw these in Matalan on Saturday but decided I had to go back and buy them today. A 12 piece set was only £10, but they are excellent quality and I think they look more expensive. 


 I think you have to treat yourself to a few bits and bobs while you are doing all that Christmas shopping for your friends and family. Have you bought any treats for yourself this month?

Sunday 2 December 2012

Kelham Island Christmas Market

Today I went to my first Christmas Market of the year at Kelham Island Industrial Museum. It was a lovely day, freezing cold but the sun was shining. 

Sunshine and bunting
A beautiful carousel that was playing Christmas songs.
This was my favourite stall, Butterscotch & Beesting. I wanted all of the lovely prints, lampshades and cushions. They also have an Etsy shop, here.

Me all wrapped up in my hat, scarf and mittens enjoying a mulled wine and being blinded by the sunshine!  
I love the old buildings at Kelham Island, they used to be the home to Sheffield's steel industry.
I was in the festive mood when I got home so decided to wrap some gifts. I got the plastic candy canes from Poundland and the string is actually butchers twine but I think it looks cute anyway!

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Holidays are Coming

Hi All! Sorry about my lack of posting recently. Our house has been overrun with plumbers and plasterers and tools and plasterboard and grout and tiles. I no longer have a craft room because it is full of bathroom furniture so crafts have been off the cards for a little while. On the plus side we are slowly making progress with our new bathroom and more importantly...Christmas is coming! I am getting the Christmas feeling already. Our christmas tree will be going up at the weekend and I have plenty of Christmas markets to attend. I have done most of my shopping and the presents are already wrapped (although I can't attach the bows yet as they are my cats favourite and come Christmas Day they would all be underneath the sofa). Here is a quick peak at last years tree...


Yes, it's white, undeniably kitsch and nothing matches. It is tradition that I buy one new bauble every year and (as of last year) craft one bauble of my own. It is only quite a small tree because we lived in quite a small flat but I think it might soon be time to branch out (see what I did there?) and buy a bigger one.

Monday 19 November 2012

The loveliest niece a girl could have

My sister will absolutely kill me for putting this particular photo up, but it shows off her Winston Churchill cheeks perfectly. This is my lovely little niece Emma. Every time I see her she seems to be getting bigger and learning something new. She makes us all very proud.

(I think she was a bit tired when I took this photo, she is usually very smiley!)

Saturday 17 November 2012

Thrifty Finds



1. 1960s faux fur coat from a local charity shop - £5
2. My new vintage hat, my boyfriend says that I look like a train driver in it (excuse my face!)
3. My lovely mum bought me this as a present. When we finally get around to decorating our living room this will take pride of place on the hearth. I love the scallop pattern!
4. I picked this up in a charity shop for £1.50, I am not entirely sure what it's original purpose was but I plan to use it in our new bathroom.
5. 1960s layered velvet dress, my favourite part of this dress is actually the back which has a lovely bow at the top of the zip - £6
6. Another lovely 1960s coat with faux fur collar from a local charity shop - £5
7. 4 cute multi-coloured jars. I think these will look lovely with candles in as a table decoration for special occasions. These were on sale in Urban Outfitters for £2 each.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Kitty Quilt



While browing Craftgawker, I spotted this absolutely fabulous kitty quilt and fell in love, I knew instantly that it would be my next quilt project. Isn't it lovely? Found at The Dapper Toad, the instructions are available at Mer Mag.

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Printing Christmas Trees


I wanted to have a go at printing my own wrapping paper this year, this was my first trial run. It's really easy to do, I just bought some foam sheets, cut out a Christmas tree shape, mounted it on a square of polystyrene and then painted it before printing it on to a roll of brown parcel paper. I used black paint, but I think I might try using ink pads to see if it gives a better finish. It's not perfect, but I still quite like the overall look.
I love Boston Terriers and French Bulldogs. Well basically any dog that has ears too big for its body. Unfortunately because me and my boyfriend both work full time, it would be unfair to have a dog and leave it alone at home all day. So... as I can't have one of my very own, here are is a rundown of my favourite boston terrier and french bulldog accessories.





Sunday 11 November 2012

current loves...



found here
found here
found here
found here




Cute Catnip Birdie




Today I decided to take a break from quilting to make something for my rather lovely cat, Lol. She has been watching over me while I craft so I thought she might appreciate a little present. I combined a couple of her favourite things in life - catnip and bird watching -  and came up with this cute little toy that's really simple and quick to make. The great thing about it is that you can make it as easy or as complicated as you like and your furry friend will love it just as much. 



Things You Will Need:

1. Cat Nip
2. Scissors
3. Embroidery Skeins
4. Needles
5. Sheets of Felt
6. Filling

If your cat is anything like mine, she will want to try and help you make this. Unfortunately my room looked like a catnip bomb had exploded after my kitty got involved, so maybe complete this project in a room with a door that you can close.

Step One:
Decide on your pattern and cut out a paper stencil. Draw around this stencil on to a folded piece of felt.


Step Two: 
Cut out the pattern. You should then be left with two identical shapes.

Step Three: 
For my toy I decided that I wanted to use different coloured felt to add some layers to the bird. I cut out a wing, plumage, and head and repeated step one and two.


Step Four:
Using a simple running stitch I sewed the layers of felt on to the bird shape, avoiding sewing the outer edges. You can repeat this process on both sides of your bird.


Step 5:
Using a back stitch I sewed together the two sides of the bird shape. I left a fairly large gap to allow me to fill the bird with stuffing and catnip.


Step 6:
I filled the bird with catnip, it is really up to you how much you would like to use, but my cat is a big fan so I put quite a lot in. Then stuff the bird using the filling. Try not to over stuff it as it makes it difficult to sew up.


Step 7:
Sew up the gap using the same back stitch. Take a black thread and tie a number of knots in the end and cut off the excess. Sew all the way through the toy and knot again on the other side, cutting off the excess. Voila! Your birdie is finished.

My cat loved her new toy, she sniffed it, rolled around with it, chewed it and then fell asleep with it, which I am taking as a compliment. 

It's a hard life!


If you don't have a cat of your own - how about skipping the catnip and adding some ribbon to make a cute christmas tree decoration? Or make a few and attach them to a hoop for an adorable mobile?


NB: Make sure you keep your kitty safe, supervise them when playing with the toy and make sure you replace it if it gets torn or the stitches come loose.

Saturday 10 November 2012

Countryside

I love the fact that living in Sheffield, you are never too far away from the countryside. The route to Manchester over the Snake's Pass is one of my favourite drives, and so on the way to see Bon Iver we decided to stop and take some photos. Despite the fog and rain it still looks beautiful. 
Ladybower Reservoir

Friday 9 November 2012

Bon Iver Day

I have been looking forward to today for months, I am driving to Manchester to go and see Bon Iver! If you haven't heard Justin Vernon's music, then I would absolutely recommend having a listen.

And who doesn't love a man with a cat?

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Brighten up your Autumn




Here in England it's beginning to look and feel a lot like Winter. The temperature has dropped and the days are getting dark by about 5pm. For that reason I thought I would cheer myself up with a bit of colour and baby pinks and blues are my favourite. Enjoy!

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Quilting SOS

I have been trying to crack on with my half square triangle quilt. Has anyone ever made one of these before? As a first attempt I am finding it to be incredibly frustrating! I spent a long time cutting out perfect 5" squares, only to find that when I had sewn them together and opened out the two sides the square was all wonky again. I have therefore had to trim them down to 4" squares and go back to the cutting board as I had nowhere near enough. Does anyone have any handy tips on how to avoid this, or is it just an inevitability? Thankfully I am not alone as my sister has been having similar difficulties, you can read about it here.

I have just cast my votes for the Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side. All of the quilts are gorgeous, some people are so talented!

Amy's Creative Side