Things I Love

Happy Valentines Day

Thought that today is a good day for sharing what I love at the moment. Of course I love my children! And my lovely husband (*so long suffering)

If you want to know more about what I love, I counsel you to look to my Pinterest boards. Yes, I have a weakness for sewing things, and cushiony goodness

via Pinterest

And interior decor daydreaming

via Pinterest

And dolls - all sorts. I love the ways these dolls are posed. This image came to me on Pinterest natch but you can also find more dolly fun of the sort on the actual website Cook You Some Noodles.

via Pinterest

And Medieval things both Ancient and Modern. I admit, it's because I LOOOOVE Game of Thrones, but I did also study Medieval Art at Uni, m'kay.

via Pinterest

I love pinning! What do you love?

Ideas Round Up: Bunting

I have been making quite a bit of bunting lately, but not only that, I have noticed that there is quite a lot of other crafts featuring bunting about at the moment. So what can you do this week that is a bit bunting-y?

Personalised bunting
I have a listing for this in my Etsy shop - this particular bright cakes one I made for my daughters birthday. You can pretty much add any message or sentiment to bunting, printed on, appliqued, the pennant's your plaything!

Bunting Cushions 
An excellent scrap buster, quite a quick sew and looks so great. There are some nice examples on Pinterest. I have a cushion and applique ideas board here

This is by Tracey B Designs on Etsy

Bunting Card
I love stitching stuff onto card! Such a great way of getting a really lovely effect, which makes for a special card.  I have made bunting cards in the past but I don't have any pictures of mine, so here's another lovely Etsy seller Nikelcards.

Non-Fabric Bunting
Bunting can be in any size, any material. I like to sew, but maybe you love working with vintage books, or glass!

Ladybird Book Bunting by The Woolly Dog

Striped Glass Bunting on Folksy by Amy Orange Juice

Cake Bunting
Finally, if you just can't get enough of bunting, check out this Liberty mini bunting for cakes by Jooles of Sew Sweet Violet. This just whispers of true English whimsy - what's not to love?

Cake Banner Bunting on Etsy by Sew Sweet Violet

Pinterest Challenge - Twitter Cushion

Cushion making is something that I love doing but in general I don't. This is mainly because there are several ladies in my local area who have stalls making almost exclusively cushion related items and as I am in competition with them at craft fairs, I find making different stuff increases the interest in my stall. Machievellian? Or just ignoring a market? I do find that there's a limit to the amount of cushions and stuffed lavender hearts people will buy, and I have always had this terrible urge to swim against the tide...... However, this might be a wrong-headed approach as my bunting and owls (quote circa 2009: I will NEVER make bunting or owls) have been the most financially successful products I produce so there's a lesson in market forces for you!

Recently I was asked very nicely if I would do a children's craft party for a friend. Normally an instant nope, but I know the girl is super into sewing, and at 11 more than capable of using a sewing machine and keen to improve her skills. Apparently her friends also have some sewing smarts, so I was OK with providing some materials and know-how. It might be fun, and I do have a primary school teaching background so am not afraid of a small group of happy girls! They want to do cushions, I'll give them some applique tips, provide materials and templates, and encourage them to design their own. 

To get my creative juices flowing, I made a Pinterest board and thought it might be a good idea to make myself a cushion to get restarted on the old cushion making. 

So I am entering this little beauty into the Pinaddicts Challenge this month because it is a pinterest inspired piece. If you tune in tomorrow I hopefully will be posting a bit more on how I made it because it was a nice EASY project and good for scrap usage too, which we always like here at scrooge central. I have called it my Twitter cushion because after I made it I realised how good it would be as the prize in a giveaway I was planning to run on Twitter. So I'm afraid this cushion already has a new home. It's gone to Amy's Button Box who was the lucky winner of my 700 followers prize draw. Sorry!