Only 166 days to go until Christmas!

I sit here in lightweight skirt and blouse, shoes off, slight tan, posting this about Christmas craft and expecting *ducks* some blogland approbrium.

However, I find that there's no time too early to start thinking about Christmas, so I started planning my Christmas decorations this year NOW. Mainly because there is a hope that I might stock some local shops this year and they will want something worked out a long time before December!

Currently I am working on a lovely bevy of Angels, which I am making from a pattern by Gingermelon. That links to her blog which is full of great stuff, but if you want to go and get the Angel pattern yourself, it's on her Etsy. Such a great pattern for using up bits of felt....

Can't resist adding embellishments

Experimenting with expressions

Lots of different colours!

Last year I made lots of felt decorations from my own patterns. My favourites, which I shall be doing again with some improvements (to the face!) were the gingerbread men 

and these buttony trees.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Sewing a summer wardrobe

Every year I get this idea that I will make myself and the children lots of beautiful garments, and every year I just make NONE because I buy them at the supermarket instead (Mum, don't tut).

However, this year I have been watching The Great British Sewing Bee which if you haven't watched I would recommend to you highly. It has given me quite a bit of zeal for making clothes again, which I had lost recently. The link above is to the BBC iPlayer website, so you can watch the episodes so far RIGHT NOW if you UK based. Do it....

Anyway, I have in mind the following projects:

A) Making an A-Line Skirt - I have one I love, so I would like to try and copy it by drafting my own pattern. Eeek. I can do this.

B) Making some dresses for myself - finishing a 1960s one I started ages ago (it's actually a maternity pattern but that should just translate as comfy - *hopes*), and a lovely simple stretchy Casual Lady from Go To Patterns. Actually that will be a challenge as I don't as a rule use knits.

C) Embellishing some t-shirts for the girls - apparently we wants one with a rocket on, but girly. Obviously such a thing is not in the shops. Also I am a bit obsessed with Mini Boden but I can't afford to splurge all the time on their lovely t-shirtings.

D) Beach dresses. I have another Go To Pattern for kids jersey dresses, and I will make some. Maybe not this summer, as this list is now loooong. My eldest is constantly growing though so she *might* get one.

Snow Ambition

It seems that most plans this week have had to be put on hold by the arrival of ALOT of snow. Still my children and thier friends have had freezing fun making snow creations, cakes, arches, and of course, snow people. What I love about kids is their awkward ambition - I want to make a snow arch, I will make a snow arch, and no adult with a superior knowledge of physics saying 'um, that might be difficult' will stop them trying. And succeeding - so there you are - some sort of lesson!

Christmas is coming!

I hate to break it to you, but as the ads on TV have already started I am sure you already know! I have been hard at work creating Christmassy things for people. I will be doing one craft fair in December, so I do need to make sure that I've enough stock, but mostly I am doing orders that come in. Quite a few this year, so that's great. Most of them are local people who are now aware that I make 'stuff'. It just shows that despite the wonders of the internet, global reach etc it is really local advertising and 'getting yourself out there' that really is what brings in regular money.

Here's some lovely Christmas bunting that I have been asked to make. What you can't see is that it is strung on a cute red and white candy striped bias tape. Loving my striped bias tape at the mo! I am also just about to finish a really LONG bunting project for triplets, which I am very excited about and can hardly wait to get it photographed, and then sent off to the lucky tiny tiny baby people. 

Next up: Christmas Sacks. I was just going to make 3 (two ordered and one for the online shop) and then husband says 'Why do you never make things for your own children?' - cue violins - so now I have to make 6. Why do I listen?!

 

Is it so wrong...?

to find a vintage knitting pattern and really want to knit three jumpers just like the picture so that we all (all the ladies - men are exempt) have matching jumpers?! I have never felt like this before. In fact, I would have said that I was implacably against dressing your children alike, let alone like you. Now this. I fear some madness is upon me. 

 

Also I would just like to show you this picture because I spend most of my day gazing on the real thing which is magnificent and kissably fat around the cheeks area. So damn cute and I made it myself. I am possibly committing the parental sin of favouritism, but it is only temporary because he will soon turn into a shoe refusing, smart talking, mother botherer like the others ;-) 

New Years Revolutions

....as my daughter so charmingly calls them - the time of the year for making grand statements about what we intend to do over the next year is upon us. I thought that if I commit mine to the blogosphere then maybe it will help me stick to them. I have a lovely excuse for not starting my resolutions yet, as until this baby arrives (due in 2 days!!) my life seems literally on hold. Nothing revolutionary, actually, but then how many 40 week pregnant woment do you know who are ready to storm Parliament? Well I might, but only if by doing so I could get a Cadbury's Creme Egg.

1. Fitness. After my 6 week all clear I might start Zumba. That looks fun, and it will get me out of the house. Alternatively looking after 3 children may just be the death of me anyway.

2. Relationship. Ref: Date Night - As I have recently successfully found a pleasant and reliable local teenager I would now like to resume the fun element of my marriage please. However when this begins is a moot point (See above qualifying statement regarding Death Of Me).

3.  Work. My Folksy and Etsy shops are both shut for January, because I could not think about sewing and babies and all the birthday parties that are happening this month without feeling a bit like a caged animal. But in February I will write a business plan and re-open my shop with New Stock, and do a regular Craft Fair. This is the year I BREAK EVEN.

Further Ambitions!

4. This is also the year that I get Mr to put in those raised beds that are living in the garage, and start my veg patch. The plan there is also get a chicken run and turn part of the garden into a useful food producing area. This is highly dependant upon what life is like with 3 kids and it is definately something that might have to wait until 2013!

A pretty pincushion which I made at Christmas

Keep your breakfast cosy

This week I've been experimenting with egg and tea cosy construction. One of the first things that I have made uses this boat button, which is too cute. I think that it originally came from a set of Noah and the Ark buttons but here on it's ownsome I am calling it a 'Loveboat'. Well, it is nearly Valentines'! If all goes well this cosy related activity will end up with me achieving two things.

1) A project tutorial in an online magazine (coming soon!)
2) Some new lines in my folksy shop
3) Some new lines in my etsy shop - yes ETSY. I have an etsy shop now. But don't go there, there is nothing in it yet!

So watch this space. xx