kids clothes week challenge, day 2

Well somehow September is slipping away - in my head this challenge was next week. So in a bit of a panic during nap time yesterday I got started on the first dress I'm hoping to get done. 

I know the basic shape but I'm still making it up as I go along, frills, pockets, crochet flowers? Lets wait and see.

Take a look at the host Elsie Marley for more inspiration.

And of course I didn't forget National Cupcake Week last week - just finishing them off, yum x

Happy sewing x

my creative space

A little sneeky peek at the Christmas stocking I'm making for my swap partner in Selina's Christmas Stocking Swap. I know who my partner is, but it's a secret so I'm teasing you with just a peek. 

I quite like how it's turning out, though it's smaller and narrower than I'd hoped. I've made stockings before but couldn't find my pattern and in my excitement just made another. It's good for small gifts though - it's not all about size is it?

I'm trying to learn to follow a crochet pattern, so I'm making up flowers from this scrummy book. Some are a bit wonky, but I'm getting to grips with the terminology (almost) and they will look sweet on a garland in the girls room, or maybe on a new dress each. 

Have you seen this? I'm taking part in this Kids Clothes Week Challenge, so I've bought some new winter fabrics (I really do need them - honest!) and I'm planning on a partyish dress each.

Phew, so loads in my head  - need to get cracking....

See more creative spaces over at Kootoyoo.

like mother, like daughter

Sewing is my passion, it always has been since I was a small girl making clothes for my dolls. I studied and stitched my way through collage and it's still what I do for work (very, very part-time) and play.

It's part of our life, my Mum loves to sew and it's very much in my family history. So it's no surprise that my girls have the passion too. Missy big began sewing when she was 3, using rug canvas and yarn. Adding in beads and ribbons as she experimented. Recently she raided my embroidery thread stash and wanted to do some 'big girl sewing' with a proper needle and a tambour. 

She began by making my Mum a birthday card, an embroidery of her little sisters favourite bunny.

Then she decided she wanted to make herself a cushion after seeing the one I made for a friends birthday. I gave her some some old blanket as it was very soft to work with and the weave was quite loose. She drew her design on with washable pens and off she went, happily stitching and chatting. 

Sadly like me, she also has a wandering mind and picked out a doll in a book that she wants to make next. In my mind I could see mountains of unfinished projects - best train her to finish one before starting another before it's too late....

 
After a few strops and screams I managed to persuade her that in order to make the doll she needs to learn running stitch and back stitch, so we practiced these on the last wall and windows of her house and then it was finished, phew!

Heart shaped windows - if only they were real!

That evening I added a (pink) floral backing and voila! A finished cushion.

And of course not wanting to miss out on the action Little Missy is joining in too...

I see a happy future sitting with my girls stitching and chatting, and way too much fabric cluttering up our house.

Of course she did start the making the doll - I'll keep you posted. x

vintage heaven

Following on from my escape post I finally have some pictures of the most wonderful vintage shop Radio Days and the dresses I got from my day out. It felt like I was taking a step back in time when I walked through the door, it doesn't just sell clothes - it has the whole lifestyle - telephones, crockery, books and magazine and then the wardrobe... hats, bags, jewellery, clothing (mens and womens), you get the idea. 

sorry these pictures are a bit dodgy, camera wasn't focusing very well

Lee, the chap that runs it with his partner was charming and so passionate about all things vintage. He spent ages chatting with a couple about the dancing of the old days and finding videos for them to watch. He had a parcel of new stock waiting to be opened, he said he was as excited to open that, as I had been when I walked in through the door - what a wonderful job he has.

I spent a long time mooching around, and then a long time trying on dresses, which was such a pleasure, and this is what I came home with.

It needs a belt, and a little repair and alteration, and I'll make a little something to cover my shoulders, but it'll be just perfect for the occasion I'm going to next year.

I love the colours, I'm on the look out for the perfect red to complement it now.

As if one dress wasn't enough I popped into 'What the Butler Wore' on the same street and bought this one. Now don't laugh. This needs much more alterations, as it is is just a little too much.

I'm going to shorten it so it finishes just below the knee (keeping the ruffle), I'm not sure about the sleeves yet, and the blingy buckle - also not too sure - though Missy Big thinks this is the best bit!

So I came home very happy. And these were my Liberty fabric bargains. What more can a girl ask for? Another day out I'm thinking...

Pop over to Her Library Adventures for more vintage finds.

escape

Yesterday was all about me, I escaped for a day all by myself, no children, no husband, no bags laden with snacks, potty, spare clothes, entertainment etc. etc.

Just me.

First time in years.

So, first stop catching up with a very good friend from our school days, she now works at the Houses Of Parliament, and she showed me around - amazing! Soooo much history and tradition, the architecture is just breathtaking and the silence was quite unnerving. I could have spent hours looking around, it was so interesting, I felt like I was walking back in time through our countries history. Walking through the corridors that have been stomped through by various Prime Ministers, making decisions that affect our ordinary lives. 

After a quick nose around the House of Lords the House of Commons (much smaller than it looks on TV) we had lunch on the terrace overlooking the Thames. I felt very grand. It was extremely quiet due to Summer Recess so there weren't any politicians milling around. I will definitely go back when it's buzzing with people - I'm sure it will be a very different experience.

As work called my friend back I headed off to a vintage shop in search of a dress for a couple of occasions that are coming up, and I got lucky. But I will share this another time when I have some pictures to show you - what a shameless tease I am!

Next stop I wanted to take a peek at the much hyped up Anthropologie. Whilst there were many nice things and the store was quite quirky it lacked any soul and spirit - it very much felt like a perfect carbon copy of a tried and tested formula. it didn't feel very original. Have you been? Am I being a bit over critical? I didn't leave empty handed though - some oven mitts and over priced door knobs made there way home with me.

In search of some true originality I headed over to Liberty, by far one the best stores in London. The china section bowled me over, it was dripping with quirky pieces and had a fabulous wall display.

I snapped up some Liberty fabric remnants and then headed of to the cafe to recharge with some tea and a delicious lemon tart and thought about my day out. 

This city is best. I've lived here for 15 years and there is still so much to discover.
My heart still skips a beat when I step onto the tube and wonder about what lies ahead of me. The people, the architecture, the culture, the history, the smells, the creativity....  it inspires me, it makes me feel alive, whatever you want - it's out there. I love it.
I miss it. 


I love being a stay at home Mum, but it was good to escape for one day and recharge my batteries. Be me again.



It was even better to see my children's smiles when I got home. I went to bed with a happy heart.  x

happy food

Finally we have a few ripe tomatoes - I think these were worth waiting for.....

When we picked these elderberries at the allotment I knew exactly what I was going to do with them, Elderberry Syrup Cordial - I read this post on Moment To Moment a while ago and thought this may be a perfect way keep colds and flu away this winter, a spoonful a day works wonders apparently.

I followed this recipe (but with lemon instead of cloves) as I didn't have enough honey at home to follow the original method I came across. It is delicious, I may have to take a ladder or grow wings to get to the rest of the elderberries as there are so many left and I know this syrup / cordial will soon disappear.

Aren't these sweet peas gorgeous - I finally have a few growing on each plant so they are now brightening my dining table and scenting the house beautifully. I have to say everyone told me they produced loads of flowers - not mine, I've barely had a handful - but they are very pretty.

If you haven't had a look at the Moment To Moment blog you really should, especially if you have children and like to do crafting with them - it's very inspiring.


Happy weekend x

i need more time...

Just where are these holidays disappearing to? I had many plans but it seems that time is not on my side. 

 
I don't know about you but I like a bit of time at home, pottering and crafting, time visiting friends and days out exploring.... but it seems that 6 weeks isn't long enough to do everything I'd like, or maybe I was a bit over ambitious, I clearly didn't count in the extra time it all takes when potty training a little one or all the time it takes watering and harvesting veg at the allotment, and then making chutneys and jams.

But we are having a good time, a few tantrums here and there, squabbling galore and me regularly at the end of my tether by 7.30 and hunting for some chocolate.


Do you like our paper flowers? Missy Big was chuffed that the ladybird seemed to like them, she was convinced it was drawn to them by there sweet smell! Ahh!

 
One of my plans was to make some more summer dresses and tops for the girls, I even went fabric hunting here, looks like autumn will creep up on me first though. 
These fabrics were such good value, £4 - £5 per meter for cotton - I have been searching high and low for somewhere that sells cotton - this place is heavenly, great colours, natural fibers, good price - I can hardly wait for my next visit - is it really very naughty to just buy fabric and pile it up and admire it?

Of course it will all get used up, one day...


I went to a knitting group this week for the first time, I know I don't knit - in fact I am very bad at it and I just get cross but I do crochet so they let me in and some of them were crocheting I was pleased to see. 
They are very nice bunch of ladies and it was nice to meet people in the 'real' world with similar interests, I can't wait to go again - it was very lovely to escape from home too - getting out without the children is something I very rarely do. 
You never know I may one day have a go at knitting again, I was very inspired and a lovely lady showed me continental knitting - which looked a little easier and like I may get into less of a tangle. Nothing more complicated than a child sized scarf though.



Happy holidays x

jars of goodness

We have had good crops, so Mr has been busy making jams and chutneys, so far we've got blackberry jam, marrow marmalade, cucumber & apple chutney and cabbage & apple chutney.

He tends to adapt recipes as he goes, but here and here you will find oodles of recipes if you fancy having a go yourself. We've only just finished off last years pickles, so we'll do extras this year to see us through.

We've spent the last week at home as Little Missy is being potty trained, (with varying degrees of success) - so we are crafting ourselves silly, including a giant painting on some cardboard packaging which quickly turned into body painting and chaotic fun. Two baths later and we were normal colour again.

Hooray for lazy days at home x

yum...

At the weekend we managed to harvest a whole box full of veg from the allotment, we were very excited. An enormous courgette, potatoes, hilarious shaped carrots, some chard, a few runner beans and some lettuce from a neighbour. The carrots were the clear winners, not like any I've ever seen in the shops but boy they are tasty, and crunchy - utterly delicious.

Last year we bought 2 plum trees for the garden, this year one of them gave us 9 plums, 3 fell off and the bugs got them but we ate the others today, tasty, juicy - prefect.

Having tasted these delicious home grown foods it makes me wonder what on earth do the supermarkets do to fruit and veg to make it taste of nothing? and why are we settling for such junk? 


happy tasting x

real tears

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, and very emotional. Our eldest girl turned 5 this week and I don't know why but it has made me cry.

 
She finishes school today for the 6 week holidays and I can't wait to have her back. As I looked at her baby pictures yesterday I wondered where the time has gone, and I've thought about all the things she has done, achieved and learned. I'm so incredibly proud of her. She has brought me tears of joy and sometimes despair, she makes me laugh, she's warm and caring, she's curious, she's bright, she's inventive, she's creative....  she's amazing.


And now I've mopped the tears up again I'll tell you she had a great party - the theme was Butterflies and Pirates and it was a very homemade affair. 

We made little chairs and tables, and a good friend helped me paint them.  

 
Everyone made a huge effort dressing up and the garden was filled with pirates and butterflies (some a combination of both) playing games and hunting for treasure, they had to find the goody bags containing gold (chocolate) coins that the the pirates had stolen and hidden in the garden. As they went home they took a lucky dip in the treasure chest to find their prizes.

I have to say I had great fun preparing it all, even though I was thoroughly exhausted at the end - who knew children's parties were such hard work?!

I just about managed to squeeze in a dress for Missy Big, a very simple pillowcase style dress (thanks to Google) which she loved, can't go wrong with pink and butterflies in her eyes!

Happy Birthday Missy Big, I love you x




I'm about to pick her up from school for the last time this school year, this is also making me cry. She's had a wonderful year in reception and has learned so much, made good friends and is becoming a confident little girl. Her teachers and the teaching assistants have been wonderful - fun, encouraging, caring and genuine, we've been very lucky to have them. 
I'm now going to enjoy every minute of having her all day every day for the next six weeks, so if it's a bit quiet over here - I'll be in the garden in a house made from blankets eating grass and daisy cakes and drinking muddy water tea...


enjoy the holiday! x