My Mam is on Etsy!!! Wooo Hooooo!!

And here is her shop banner (courtesy of moi) simple but does exactly what it says on the tin :)

At the moment there is nothing listed in there as that is a job for this weekend. But be sure to save it to your favourites for later http://www.auntychristine.etsy.com/ She's just branched out into some lovely knitted slouchy beanies.....photos to come.

Hope you like it Mama :) xx

Mug Swap- Received!

I was starting to get a little worried that my swap parcel wasn't going to arrive......but yesterday morning I went to the Post Office to pick up a parcel that 'was too big for your letter box'.

Well you can imagine excited just doesn't cover it, I got up earlier just so I could collect it before work. But then I realised, I couldn't open it as I didn't have my camera with me.....so I had to sit all morning at working imagining what was in the parcel!!! I had left it in my car just so that I wasn't tempted to open it.
But once I got home.....the camera came out and the wrapping came off!!!!

My swap partner was Sara from 'fromthehandsofkittyeden' and she has a gorgeous website over here! Go check it out she has the sweetest things in her shop. It was gorgeously wrapped and inside were all these goodies! I couldn't believe it......

There was of course a mug, which I love....the colours are very me. I must say Sara you definitely did your home work, every item I though 'yeah that's me to a T'. Alongside the mug was this yummy antioxi chocolate from Thornton's, its says on the box 'Just two scrumptious squares a day will make you feel great' now that is what I want to hear about chocolate!!!

There were also 3 balls of wool and some small knitting needles......I wonder what I will make with these? I am loving this little pouch (fabbo fabric!! Cath Kidson I presume) inside were some fruit teas. Which I also love! Yes, there was more, some Ric rac, the most gorgeous little crochet butterfly, some buttons (2 in the shape of strawberries) and some sparkly star beads.

And to top it all off this beautiful mini tote........love it, love it love it!!!!!!!! And the little brooch you see pinned to Sara's business card I have attached to the little bag and it just looks the business.

I want to say a BIG BIG thank you to Sara (and her talent) for a brilliant swap parcel.....it was definitely worth the wait. And also a BIG thank you to Jenny for organising the swap.

I want to do another swap now.......anyone know of any??

Late night blog

Sorry to disappoint tonight folks but there are no photo's for this post. Its around midnight and I just wanted to get a quick post in as I haven't posted since my last day off work.

The downside of having time off is trying to catch up when you get back....things this week have been extra crazy. So much so, I have a pile of ironing the size of Mount Everest, I desperately need to dust and tidy....and there's been little time for crafting this week. :(

I did however customise a child's cap into a duck for an Easter bonnet parade. It involved lots of yellow felt and a steady hand at blanket stitching. I didn't take a proper photo, but I did take a quick snap with my phone which I will post over the weekend at some point.

Another weekend of housework and D.I.Y me thinks.

Back to work tomorrow.....sigh!

So I thought I'd make the most of my last day off. I got up early, went to the post office to post some orders and went to pick a few things up from the supermarket. As a rule I never bake, or make anything that is complicated. Not that I don't want to just that I never have the time.

Taking advantage of today I decided I was going to bake some bread and make some cakes. Now no laughing here!!! This is a good attempt for me :)

Chocolate Crispies!! Always a winner, there's nothing that can go wrong with these babies! And TA DA here they are.....I made extra large ones in muffin cases as it stops the other half from eating 5 of the normal sized ones.

Next on the list, I thought lets try making brownies. I even cheated by buying the mix in a box where you just add water, and lets just say there's plenty room for improvement. :) They taste good, I just think the tray I poured the mixture into was too big resulting in very thin brownies. Ha ha.....

And last of all BREAD, although I did kinda cheat with this too as it was a mix in a bag and AGAIN just add water. But I tell you what......amazing bread!! I think I will start making it more often when its this easy!!

Oooh what a good little house wife I am ;) I am very surprised I didn't burn it or over cook it. Thin brownies are OK with me.

I also rearranged all the stuff in the kitchen cupboards (now I have my new cupboard/utility) which is going to be hilarious stuff when the other half comes in as he wont be able to find anything!! :)

I've had so much fun being off work, wish I could re wind to Thursday and do it all again.

Mothers, leopards and feltyness

Hello bloggers.....Happy Mother's day to all the Mam's/Mum's/Mummy's and Mama's out there. (Especially mine **wave**)

I think I have decided that being at home doing what I jolly well please is way better than actually going to work :) (we all knew that).

Having days off work gives me a chance to catch up on all those things that get neglected on a normal working week. Some boring (house work) others (crafting) a delight.

So yesterday I spent most of the day finishing sanding the utility cupboard and then giving it 2 coats of paint. It looks fab, all ready for things to be put in the cupboards!! After all the cleaning up there was not really much of the day left.....so I spent the evening with a glass of wine and catching up on a bit of blog reading.

This is the other gift that I was telling you about the other day, its a blown glass Leopard. The markings and colours are so beautiful. Another amazing gift from the other half (what is he after I wonder???? Cynical woman alert!! ) :) No really, I'm lucky that he is so thoughtful. This will go on one of the shelves in my sewing room along side the chest/box he bought me.

And to finish my post with a bit of progress here is a photo of what I have been up to this morning. Nope, they're not brooches or embellishments......I'm hoping that they're going to be bag charms (if they turn out OK, that is). I'm in no rush to finish these as I have another 2 new projects whizzing round my head that I want to get the patterns drawn out tomorrow, so these will be sewn together at my leisure.

I'm having a sale.....

....over at http://www.bagladee.com/

All bags have been reduced and as a special offer to my bagladee.com customers I'm offering you a choice of one of my gorgeous limited edition purses for FREE....yes free!! Just email me after purchase with your choice and I'll include it in your package.

Also on offer: Buy 2 accessories get 1 free, choose a purse or brooch for free...I know crazy! Email your choice after purchase and its yours. My prices have also been reduced in my etsy shop to match and the same offers apply, just convo me or leave a comment as you check out on your choice.

ooOoo

I must say I could quite easily get used to this not going to work malarkey!!! I am enjoying myself way too much :)

Yesterday I had a little lie in then it was up, breakfast, quick tidy up and vacuum......I then spent the day creating my sale poster, changing my website, updating all my prices in my etsy shop, and writing my very first newsletter (which I am still yet to send- having a few teething difficulties with the program I'm using, I'm sure its just me being dumb!!) The evening was spent relaxing with the other half.....who bought me ANOTHER gift yesterday for my sewing room which I will post about tomorrow. (I am so spoilt ) ;) but I like it!

Today, however was not spent doing bagladee things...we were up with the birds to the bank and then the post office, to the shops to pick up some croissants and fresh juice for breakfast and then back home. After spending the morning sanding what is going to be a utility cupboard (yes we LOVE d.i.y!!) I nipped off to get my hair trimmed and as we speak I'm waiting for some poly filler to dry so that I can sand the next bit so its ready to paint tomorrow morning.

And to top the day off I received an email from Audrey from Audrey's country crafts not only has she given me an award (see bottom right corner) but she also featured my shop on her blog today!!! Thanks ever so much Audrey, I'm proud as punch I made it onto your fab blog :)

2 little ducks....quack, quack!!

Look at this pair of love birds....well ducks :) Nearly 7 years ago I bought this 'Punk' duck (the one on the left) for my other half when we first started dating. 7 years later he buys me this 'Hugs & kisses' duck (the one on the right) on Monday. So tonight they were happily swimming around in the bath when I took a well deserved soak after work tonight. There has been some crazy days at work this week which has kept my head buzzing even after winding down.

But I'm pleased to say tonight is the official start to my mini holiday :) I'm not off anywhere and I don't have anything planned. Just me, my sewing, the house, the cats and occasionally the other half.

When he brought home my duck gift I also got this gorgeous chest/box, he said he thought it would look great in my sewing room when its complete.....and I totally agree, I love it.

The inside is just as beautiful as the outside.

I'll be back to fill you in on my days off.......

Limited Edition....

Here is my new project all finished....little denim purses with cute felt flowers hand sewn with diamantes.

I've used some of the fabrics that I normally use to make my bags for the lining inside the purses.

There are 9 different versions in light and dark blue denim

How do you get your hands on them?

Well they aren't for sale so to speak.....I'm having a huge sale on my website and Etsy shop this weekend and they are FREE yes I said free....if you buy any handbag from either of my shops you get one of these free.

All bags will be reduced and if you buy any 2 small accessories you get a 3rd free. I will post about it again on Friday with all the details. So if there is something that you've got your eye on get it quick as I may just sell out. And with all my products being made in limited numbers....once they're gone they're gone.

Exhausted & Accomplished

So I may not be a seasoned knitter with a plethora of skills but I'm sure my kitty Nell will appreciate this woolly blanket when its completed. 12 rectangles down, plenty more to go.

Whilst driving home from the cinema last week we passed a wallpaper shop and in one of the windows one of the papers caught my eye. So after picking my car up from the garage on Friday we went in for a look.

I've looked at many wallpapers and collected myself quite an array of samples but nothing was saying 'pick me I'm perfect' but when I got to look at this one closer I knew straight away I wanted it. There was no 'excuse me but could I take a sample of this one?' I just picked up 3 rolls and went and paid :) I suppose you could say it was 'love at first sight'.

I cant wait to see it on the wall.

I've almost finished my new project, I will add the finishing touches in the morning and then I'll post some photos. Even though I did have a smallish lie in this morning I'm feeling particularly exhausted lately, I'm starting to think that its just everything eventually catching up with me. You cant 'burn the candle at both ends' and expect to get away with it scott free!?!?

So I've decided to book a couple of days off work....thankfully this week will only consist of Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday......so I'll have a nice long weekend all to myself. Hope you all had a good weekend. xx

Sneaky Peak

Here's a little peak of the project I've been working on, trying not to give too much away just yet but all will be revealed this weekend.

ooOoo

I'm pleased to say that my little car is now fixed and all ready for me to pick up tomorrow :) YEY!! And even more pleased to say that its not been too much of a dent in my pocket...bigger YEY!!

ooOoo

Off to get some more wallpaper samples tomorrow and look at getting some kind or chair/bean bag type thing for my sewing room.....very exciting. I think I may have found the paper that I LOVE.

Breakdown Assistance :(

What an eventful day!! It started like every other but ended up very different. Got ready for work picked up my bag went to the car and started to drive away. Normal right?

The sound as I pulled away was definitely not normal.....at first I thought that my breaks were just a little rusty but I knew once I had gone to turn round that it was something more. The other half came out and drove it forward no more than a foot when there was a huge bang and then the sound of metal falling to the ground. That was part of my suspension coil which has snapped :(

After 1hr 40 mins the AA arrived hoisted it on to the back of a truck and drove it to our garage. So that means I'm without my little fiesta for a few days until she's fixed. Once getting to work it was pretty hectic as I had missed most of the morning and had lots to catch up on.

Thankfully I am now sitting with a cup of tea, thinking about going to the cinema....obviously not in my car!!

Saturdays are the best

Its official. I don't want today to end. I woke up this morning had a cup of tea, did lots of blog reading, checked my emails and read some comments. After the boring bit of house work.....mopping floors, vacuuming etc (YUK!!) The rest of the day was all mine.

The other half was at work all day (again!) so there was just me and Nell and occasionally Oliver (when he thought there was food in the offering) and my sewing to catch up on. Bliss.....

This afternoon was spent drinking copious amounts of tea and coffee with the odd occasional digestive biscuit to dunk, sitting in the quiet, sewing away. Cant show you yet what though as its not finished but I can show you a scarf that my Mam sent me that needed repairing in some sort of way. Her friend got it caught in the zip of her coat and had to cut it free leaving a squarish hole in her favourite scarf.....well what better than adding a lovely felt flower hand stitched :)

Obviously in matching colour

I do hope my Mam's friend likes it.

After dinner it was unfortunately time for the other half to go back to work again....urrggghh! So I decided to round the day off by pouring myself a glass of wine and finished off the choccies I had left from Valentines Day. Yum!

Off shopping with a friend tomorrow, probably nip in somewhere and have a bit lunch too :) End to a perfect weekend me thinks!

Mug Swap- Sent!

Since my swap package is safely in the post and on its way to its recipient I thought there would be no harm in posting some photos. I cant say who I sent it to as it will spoil the surprise for her. Once I know she has it I will let you all know who.....

Included in the swap package was a Mug (of course) (and no I did not post myself!!), card (which is also a brooch), 2 little packages, some biccies and tea.

I love taking the time to wrap things up....my fav is Christmas time when I get to wrap lots of presents.

The Mug that I swapped was a paint your own mug kit that I received from my parents for Christmas, so I thought it would be perfect if I designed and painted it myself. I hope my swap partner doesn't mind my amateur 'pot' painting skills ;) I didn't really have a design in mind, I just started painting to see where it would take me. Which was quite therapeutic and enjoyed the few hours it took me to paint.

Inside the swap package I added, some pieces of bright vibrant fabric, felt, ribbon, buttons and lots of sequins. And of course what use is a mug if you don't have tea and biscuits to hand!?!? I am a massive fan of Oreo's and since they've only been in the UK for a while I thought I'd pop a pack in :)

Last of all I had to include a handmade item, so I made a felt brooch that matches the design on the front of the mug. Then thought it would look fab on the front of a card. So I pinned it to some card and wrote a little note inside to say Hi.

Mitten Winners!!!

Sorry for the lack of photos for the give away draw.....today has just been so hectic and still got so many jobs to do before the days out!!

Right the winners of my Mama's gorgeous mitts are:

Maybe Mama

&

MJ

I will email you both to confirm which pair you would like!! Congrats to you both :)

Many thanks to you all for taking part and your very kind comments, my Mam (Christine- you may see her posting comments on here) was over the moon with the 'warm' reception her mittens received. And I can confirm that we will be opening a little shop on either Etsy or Folksy for her to share her knitted loveliness with the world.

New Project

This weekend has been spent working on a new project...in a way I suppose its kinda a limited edition project. I'm only making a few and it has something to do with my website......no I'm not listing them on there. Ooooohhh no but you will have to wait and see :) Sorry ;)

It involves lots of felt flowers....

Some denim....

And some zips!

Also tackled this weekend....my mug swap gift, I know that I'm stretching the deadline just a little as we were supposed to post them off by the end of Feb and as today is the 1st of March I'd better get my skates on. Its all packaged and ready to go, I will post photo's tomorrow.

There was a little bit of progress in the loft....not enough to photograph so I will save that for next weekend. Also been trying to figure out how to repair a silk scarf that has a hole in it.......still not sure what to do with it?!?!?!?!?! :o/

Don't forget to take part in my GIVEAWAY.....click the button on the right.