Can you see a pattern forming?

The internet decided to flip over to Norman Collier mode this weekend so all my plans for tag-making and listing in my Folksy shop were scuppered.  

Finally managed to get some new tags listed this morning...

Fingers crossed the internet keeps working now 🤞.

Still playing tag...

Making more tags using a few of my many buttons...

A few more....

Tags!

Heading back to Blogland

Ten months of nothing and now a foray back into the land of Blog.

Let's start gently with some tag making...

and see how things progress ♥

Tiny teddy bears in tiny tatty tins

I made these tiny little felt bears using a blanket stitch around the edge and tiny little French knots for the eyes with teeny stitches for the nose.

 I lined each little mint tin with fabric and covered the top with a  bolder pattern, edging with a ruffled paper ribbon and decorating with a wooden button.

Finish off the inside with a dinky crochet granny square blanket and this little travelling companion is good to go 🙂

Shell Pattern Baby Blanket

Another baby blanket pattern.  I tried this shell pattern on a recent blanket but it just doesn't have the right amount of squish for a baby in my opinion.  It looks pretty enough but I don't think I'll be using this pattern again.  I'll stick with my original soft and sumptuous pattern for now.

 

. ...💕... .

Crochet Flip Flop Baby Sandals

A friend recently asked me if I could crochet a pair of flipflop sandals for a 6 month old baby so I spent an afternoon trying to find a pattern I could get started with straight away.
Unsuccessful on the finding front I had a go at creating my own pattern which, in turn, created these little beauties...

...I love them!!!

. ...♥... .

Happy New Year!

Wow, 2016!
I was somewhat sporadic with my blogging last year - I missed November and December completely :/
So here is a little catch up on some of my handmade Christmas gifts for people...

For my gorgeous Fairy Goddaughter's twins:

..♥..

My own take on selection boxes (okay - selection sacks )...

..♥..

and my hand decorated glass jars of homemade mince pies, oaty biscuits and Rocky Road...

. ...♥... .

Further adventures with the Loom of Doom :/

When I look back I can't quite believe the trauma I initially experienced with my pom-pom blanket was only March of this year (read the original post here). I did eventually finish the weaving and began knotting the cross-overs together...

unfortunately this took a lot longer than I thought it would as I had to take big big breaks to allow my blistered fingers to heal...

 but the back looked nice and neat when I finally finished tying the very last knot...

and then the snipping could begin...

oh boy, not even that was relaxing or therapeutic :/

I think by this stage I was so fraught with anguish I just wanted the dang thing finished!

When I snipped it off the frame I finally got some pleasure in this project - I smashed the frame to bits to discourage any thought of ever EVER attempting to carry out another pom-pom project!

This has been an intense project and my admiration goes to all those who make these blankets - you are brave people!  But in all of this (and the final stages when my sister helped with the last snippy bits) I persevered and finished it.  There have been other projects that have been easier and more enjoyable but never made it to fruition so I am, at least, glad I stuck with it.

So here it is, my finished pom-pom blanket:

. ...♥... .

Remember this...?

My Summer project back in 2011 was to strip down my very old dresser (you can see the original post HERE).  I did strip the bottom back to the bare wood, sand it and wax it but the shelves only ever got a basic strip.  The strange gothicness of the dark wood with the last of the paint clinging in a thin layer appealed to me and when I tried it on the base I never took it down again.  My intention was to have beautiful plates, jugs and china on display but a couple of jars of buttons crept in and before I knew it my dresser had become a button shop! (It's not actually a shop, but I do feel like I'm at a buttony pick 'n' mix when I'm looking for the right button :D)
So here is how it looks now...

I did manage to get some pretty pots on though :D

.. ♥..

On a separate catch up...

Remember this little set of drawers?  Well here is how they look now...

I painted them in an off-white emulsion

then used scrapbooking papers to decorate the drawer fronts

They still house our pens and pencils but in a much prettier way now.

. ...♥... .