Explore, Dream, Discover

I've been experimenting lately with some ideas for framed textile artworks. This one captures the words from the end of one of my favourite quotes - EXPLORE, DREAM, DISCOVER. I really enjoyed making it and have a few ideas for some more, which I hope to make once half-term is over.

I just need to get a frame for this one now and put it up on the wall in our lounge. A nice positive and inspirational thought in times of doubt.

A little mention

I was very excited yesterday to have been given a mention by Accidental Vix in her Heart Felt Folksy Friday post. Thanks Vix! She listed this felt envelope...

Talking of Folksy, I've decided to have a bit of a sale in my shop, so all of these items (and more!) are now reduced...





Hopefully this will give me the incentive to get making and add a few more items in the next few days, including some more baby quilts.

And the winner is....

Firstly, thanks so much to everyone who entered my giveaway for my 100th post!  Using the old-fashioned method of writing all the entrants names and putting them in a mug - the winner is....

Well done Lissy! If you could send me an email via the contact us page of my website with your contact details and let me know the colour you would like your felt envelope and the stamps etc to be and the wording that you would like on it and I will get making!

I will also be sending Lissy some fat quarters of a few of my favourite fabrics.

And a bag of home grown Whitstable lavender (cut back from my neighbours garden back in September and dried by me!). There might be a couple of other bits and pieces in there too!

Thanks for entering everyone else and I should say thank you to Hannah at Bubblebay as I think she did a link about the giveaway as according to my Stats lots of people found my blog through her. Unfortunetly, I can only see the header of her blog and none of the posts!  (something to do with shabby blogs not working with Internet Explorer I think...but that is another story!!!).

A Love letter giveaway

I had planned on doing a giveaway for my 100th post, but I haven't been very organsied and got another post in so this giveaway is for my 99th post! The felt I have been sewing with recently has been making these sweet Valentine envelopes and for my giveaway I am offering one of these envelopes, personalised with whatever wording you would like! 

You can choose between red, pink, yellow or purple felt and any of those colours for the stamp and heart. They are perfect to keep a lovely handmade card, photo or letter inside or you could even fill them with sweets, jewellery or make-up inside.

Also as part of the giveaway, I'm going to sort out some fat quarters of a few of my favourite fabrics and probably a few other little bits and pieces too.   

Time is running out though as I need to get it made and posted in time for you to give to a special somebody on Valentines day, so to enter the giveaway all you need to do is leave me a comment before 6pm (UK time) on Monday 7th February and you are automatically in the draw.
Please spread the word! Many thanks.

Ps if you don't want to enter but would like to buy one, they are currently on sale in my Folksy shop!

Rolling in the deep

I can't stop listening to Adele at the moment. I'm a bit behind the times here and got her first album 19 for Christmas from my folks and I am totally in awe. How can such a young woman be so talented, write such beautiful songs (ok I'll let Bob Dylan take some credit for one amazing song on her 19 album!) sing so beautifully and effortlessly AND be completley down to earth. I am desperate for her new album 21 (it would make a wonderful valentine or anniversary present hint hint!) which I believe came out today.

Here is a little taster..I've never posted a video so I hope this works!

I haven't just been listening to Adele though..oh no, I've been busy at my sewing machine whilst listening to her!  Valentines Day always sneaks up on me just after Christmas and the day before I always think, ohh I should have made....but I never seem to get round to it. But not this year! I was determined to be organised and have been getting busy with some felt.

Just a sneaky look at what I have been up to. I did get a bit carried away and made lots of them some of which are destined for Taking the Plunge in Whitstable and a few will be added to my Folksy shop in the next couple of days.

I've also realised that I am nearly at 100 posts, so I might do a little giveaway to celebrate my 100th post, with a personalised one of 'these' up for grabs among a few other bits.
I'll keep you posted!

Secondhand furniture

I fell in love with this little cupboard at a local charity the other week.

It took a few days of persuasion and measuring and suggestions of where it could go before I finally persuaded the other half that we really did need it in our house!

We differ quite a lot on decorating. He grew up in a house full to the brim with antiques, which has turned him the other way and he prefers a more simple, minimalistic modern look (empty!), where as I love a shabby chic style and a mix of old and modern furniture, but not really antiques. I love things to look a bit lived in and have had a bit of life rather than being totally pristine.

I managed to convince him with the cupboard - although we both liked the idea of painting it plain white to give it a more seasidey look. The stencils were a bit to 80's for me! But I did feel a bit mean painting over them as someone obviously spent a lot of time and a lot of love painting it.
But 5 coats of eggshell later (yes, 5!) we had a lovely little cupboard, just right for us.

It was probably meant as a bedside cabinet, but now it has all my sewing bits and pieces (threads, patterns, scissors, pincushions etc) and looks a lot neater than the overflowing baskets I had in the space before.  We had a big clear out the other week and I took 4 big bags of fabric to a few different local charity shops - so if you are in the Whitstable area, there might still be some around!

By the way, I'm not sure if this is just on our computer as we had to reformat it the other week, but since then I have found I am unable to read posts from several of the blogs I regularly used to read (Bubblebay the only one I can think of off the top of my head). It opens up with their header etc, but won't scroll down to display the blog posts? Has anyone else had this problem?

First make of the year

It was D's 5th birthday last friday, and remembering that I had made a cushion for her brother with an F on for his birthday, she had announced a little while ago that wanted one too for her bed. I of course left making this until the night before! But I did get it made and she was very pleased with it (check out the bedhair too, my children suffer from crazy hair in the morning!).

Little D.

However did our clever, gorgeous, girlie, determined, funny, stubborn, mature, hardworking, nutruing, caring, cuddly chatterbox become 5 already? (With a good helping of tantrums, crying, strops and fighting thrown in over those 5 years!).

D's cushion is the only make so far this year, but I have lots of plans over the next few weeks including 2 orders for boy baby quilts due at the beginning of February and some Valentine bits and pieces for Taking the Plunge I have also signed up for 2 more markets at the Horsebridge as the last one was so successful. I'll post with more details soon and hopefully lots of lovely new makes!