12 weeks until holiday!

Yesterday me and two of my friends book a holiday to Malta! I am beyond excited already and we aren't even going until October (but 12 weeks sounds sooooo much closer!) I brought a guide book the other day and the country looks amazing, the sea looks clear and there is lots of old buildings to look at and lot of mentions of craft markets (yay!) and flea markets. I can't quite picture the size of the island, there is a walk in the guidebook which takes you from the north coast to central Malta in just 4 hours. I can't imagine an entire country so small.



The sea looks so clear!



The entire country fits into a picture from a plane it is insane!!

I have holiday booked starting tomorrow so will be able to catch you up on my crafting over the next week. I have sent and received my handmade heart swap so will do a post about that. I have also nearly finished the Popular Crafts #polkadotswap. My partner in the swap has already posted my parcel so I need to get a wriggle on!

I will post again very soon!

I'm in love...with Tilda!

I've seen the dolls and angels popping up for the past year or so and thought they were ok but nothing special but recently I  REALLY want one. A blog I follow talesfromhomemadehouse yesterday did a post about her tilda angel called Cecelia which resulted in me searching for the books and patterns to make my very own.

I didn't realise how big they are but they sizes seem to range from 50-80cm which just adds to the appeal as no ridiculously small pieces! The problem now is I can't decide which one I want to make the most!

I love the sewing one as it would sit very nicely in my craft area (and would give me an excuse to make a proper craft area) but I also like just the angel...there is loads of different choices for clothes for the dolls as well (too many decisions for me to make)

But then there is the christmas ranges......but they would only come out at christmas time so I would obviously need them in addition to an all year round doll!

There isn't just the dolls though they have little friends like bunnies and bears and christmas decorations which makes me think it would be better for me to buy a book with patterns in instead of a kit but I can't decide which one I NEED more!!!

I did loads of overtime last month so I decided I should treat myself to something but I just can't decide what as everything is so lovely. I have a week off work at the beginning of august and plan to just do crafting and olympic watching the entire time so need to decide soon so I can add it to my list!

Lulu

The other day I found my childhood doll Lulu!

I received Lulu as a present when my brother was born (I guess so I wouldn't feel jealous about all the attention he was getting).

I was almost 2 and my mum was in hospital for 6 weeks before he arrived. My mum told me that when I used to come and visit I would go round talking to all the other ladies in the ward before I went to see her. Now I don't say much at all!

I could never throw Lulu away as she is too much a part of my childhood. She still has the remains of chickenpox (red felt tip pen!) on her from when I had chickenpox!. Her clothes are rather worn and falling apart though so I'm thinking I shall make her some new clothes but have no idea what to make her. She has always worn these blue trousers so I think a dress would just look weird, maybe some dungarees and a top underneath. I want to sew some clothes and then make a knitted cardigan or something and have her out on a chair in my room. She is nothing special but to me she is priceless!!

A belated housewarming gift

I have finished my friend Frances' house warming present!!!! She may have moved into her new flat at the beginning of the year but better late than never eh! I didn't know what to make her for her new home but luckily when I went round there for a 'crafternoon' she was flicking through a tea cosy book I was knitting from and requested one so I didn't even have to come up with my own idea!

I started knitting it that very evening as I had all the wool I needed. The main tea cosy was knitted from the left over wool I made her daughter a matinee coat from when she was born- very thrifty!

I got stuck on some parts of the pattern as the book uses some strange terms to decribe stiches but luckily my grandma came to the rescue and evetually (after loosing the tea cosy in a bag for a month or so) I finished it and am rather pleased with how it has turned out:

And a close up of the strawberries:

This is the perfect time to have finished it I think with all the English (and especially Kent) strawberries in season. Also with wimbledon just a few weeks away it will be perfect to have out whilst watching it on the tv! So although I should have finished it sooner (sorry Frances!) the timing has turned out well and I hope she likes it as much as I do!

Xxx

Trying to organise my recipes!

Been very busy with my uni course again these past few weeks so sorry for my absence in blogland!

Whenever I have a deadline and an essay to writ I always find a million and one other things I could (and would rather) be doing! The other day I decided I needed to sort out under my bed as I haven't opened most of the boxes under there for over a year. What started out as me definitely going to throw out or take to a charity shop everything that was in those boxes ended up with me finding excuses to keep most of it! I didn't return it to the boxes though, I made a deal with myself that if I am keeping it then I have to use it. So most of the stuff is now in a pile in front of my wardrobe!!

I did however find my recipe collectors and recipe journals people have brought me and have decided to write all the scraps of paper with recipes in and websites bookmarked with recipes on my phone into them nice and neatly and organised. Well that is the plan anyway!

I also have a really nice Emma Bridgewater one somewhere, I guess I will have to keep sorting to find it!

I have collected so many of the Sainsbury's recipe cards over the years. I decided to make a concious effort to work my way through them so I know if they are worth keeping. I made a chorizo and pasta dish the other night which was really yummy so that if definitely going in the book.

I also need to copy some recipes from my mums recipe collection so if I can ever afford to move out I will have them ready!

Hope you are having a good week
Xxx

Save Water and Drink Champagne

Good morning!

I'm feeling very positive this morning about my crafty life! I have signed up to 2 more swaps over the weekend. Another Popular crafts swap (the theme is polka dots and I just couldn't resist!) and one on a blog which can be found here (for which the theme is hearts). I have also had thoughts on what I could fill my Etsy shop with (which is still just in my mind) and am excited to start practising making things for that.

The item I have finished this week was a thank you present for my Auntie. She ran a craft stall near where she lives in Somerset over the May day bank holiday and managed to sell some items for me. I had originally planned to make her this for Christmas but I had too much to make and didn't get time to finish it before the present exchange somewhere on the M25!

My Auntie loves champagne. She will quite happily spend over £30 on a bottle as long as it is going to taste good and knows about some special code they put on the back of champagne which tells her if it is a good champagne or not (don't even ask!!!)

I saw this phrase on a bag last year and thought it was perfect for her. But of course I never have any money so I couldn't afford the £10 or so to buy if for her. So I decided I would make her a version of it and sew it onto a bag for her.

I got the lettering from charts in CrossStitcher which had similar sayings on and I think only had to design one letter in the end myself. I should have stitched it on coloured Aida but as I didn't have any money to buy some I had to stitch on white and then fill in the background in the colour I wanted which took FOREVER!!!!! But I finally got it finished the morning that mum and dad were driving down there for her and my Uncle's 25th wedding anniversary celebrations (i like to leave stuff to the last minute!)

I just have one more present to make in May now and I can have a rest before my grandma's birthday at the end of June!

Have a good week!

Xxx

The beginnings of a knitted bear

I have started a new knitting project already from the Debbie Bliss book I purchased last week. All the projects were so nice I just couldn't wait to get started and so far I am very impressed with how easy to work with her patterns are.

The pattern is from The Ultimate Book of Baby Knits which is a collection of patterns from all her other baby knitting books. I really love all the patterns so it was hard to choose just one to start knitting but I decided on the bear as it looked like it would be quite quick to knit (compared to the sampler blankets I want to make!!) and easy to carry around for an on-the-go pattern.

So far I have knitted one half of the body and I'm really enjoying the pattern. I don't have to concentrate and count stitches too much so it is easy to do in front of the tv in the evening.

I'm doing it on slightly bigger needles as I could on;y find one in the right size (don't you hate it when that happens?) but it is turning out ok. I hope to get this one finished fairly quickly so I can knit something else from the book!

Xxx