Its about time I started writing here regularly again,

as I miss being able to look back at all the things we have been up to!!
There are photos of our activities/crafty makes etc but I have very busy recently with making these that I haven't been able to find the computer time to post here :(

This is just a quick post to say 'hello, we're still alive', and I will get some photos and words together in the same place very soon, as David is standing over me with the iron requesting that I iron his badge onto his Army Cadets uniform....he has Remembrance Day parade tomorrow.

I'll just leave you with this one picture.....

Chess has invaded my house!!! Thank goodness its not wizard chess!!!

Last minute birthday makes.

Sewing a 'pocket' for David's birthday tomorrow. It is his own design and he did pretty much all of the stitching too!

 

 

 

I just helped by sewing on a little wooden button afterwards.

 I made the cake...it is supposed to be a dragon, but it looks more like a Smurf crossed with Gnasher, with wings!!!!

I also made a lasagne and a trifle, which thankfully look like a lasagne and a trifle respectively!!


 

A quote for today...

as told to me by my wonderful, larger than life Scottish hairdresser.


You can't make a silk purse out of a pig's ear.

She's fabulous xx

The Solstice

This is where we spent the solstice day.

We awoke to beautiful sunshine.....

 David lit the fire with a little 'help' from Will.

 Rob and I painted while the boys played and then Will wanted to make a boat to float on the canal.....so I rustled up an Origami sampan and he went down to the water to float it with daddy.

 We made a sunshine/mandala with natural materials....

 and then we laughed all the way home at the worker ant in front of us!!!

A beautiful day spent outdoors in the glorious sunshine.

Fabric photo book for a special birthday

I saw this post on a blog a week or so ago and decided that i  just had to make one for Kim's 18th birthday!
 So in true Carolyn style she sets herself a mammoth task with a very tight schedule!
I sourced the material, the interfacing and, or so I thought, the special printer paper to put the photos on to the material. The printer had run out of ink, and the new printer we had stashed from the purchase of our computer last year, was duly unwrapped and installed, only to find that the necessary mirror image function did not seem to be there.
Ok, so new cartridges purchased for the old printer and installed, only to find that the silly man in Hobbycraft (with which i have a massive love/hate relationship (currently in hate mode), sold me printer sheets for dark fabrics which you DO NOT need to reverse the images for!!! He spent ages talking to me about how good it was and the things to watch out for, including reversing the images etc before printing. Aaaaaaaahhhhhh! So, having printed out all the images and writing on the sheets in the entire packet back to front, I then ironed one on to the cream fabric only to discover that it was all wrong!!!! Grrrrr and he was the manager!!!!
At this point I was very grateful for the timely arrival of Han who sat and crocheted some beautiful flowers for embellishing when if i managed to get it put together!
So, back to the blessed printer paper!
Thank goodness for Staples is all I can say!
 Back on track and printing furiously, closely followed by ironing furiously all onto cream backing material.
Then it was out with the sewing machine to sew all the small cream pieces on the main fabric pages, after working out where they should all go, pinning them and putting all the pages in the right order!
Then to sew all the pages together with the interfacing inside, a ribbon to hold it shut and voila!
Then all that was left to do was embellish it with a few of the fabulous flowers, a bit of embroidery and a couple of sequins!
I also included in the book, a butterfly that Will coloured for her. We scanned it, shrunk it and then printed it out. Brilliant!

I intend to do a turorial for making it, without all the ranting in it with pictures showing all the different steps. As soon as I work out how add a side bar icon for it!

Happy Birthday Kim!!!

Buttercups and bread dough.

This weekend we were hiding in a field of buttercups....

making bread dough!!!

 The weather conditions were perfect for the dough to be left to rise in our dutch oven.....

and it cooked quite well too!

It was a little smokey flavoured though!

The boys enjoyed a bit of exploring while Rob painted and I knitted. You can just see them if you look carefully! David spotted a Jackdaws nest high up in a crevice in the rocks, and when the parent birds arrived with food you could hear their squarking echoing inside the rock!!

We arrived back this afternoon to a village adorned with bunting and posters proclaiming an exciting weekend of celebrations......all a little beyond me really but thanks to this blog I may be able to bring a little Jubilee to this weeks activities. The laminator awaits!!

Another bag!!! among other things...



David's duffle bag, designed together but manufactured by me! Denim outer, from an old skirt, and canvas lining.

A small strip of leather stitched around the drawstring, keeps it pulled tight.

The straps are tied to loops that are fixed at the base of the bag, so that they can be adjusted if necessary.

My trousers had a tear in them so I made an autumn leaf  patch....but it isn't as bright as this photograph makes it look! It is two layers of material attached with Fusibond. But do I need to oversew the edges? The material is a polyester mix.

Our little overnight camp at the weekend.

Special visitors on Monday :-)

A Waldorf doll ready for a friends baby that is due in Sept.

And I thought I had already uploaded this little fellow we found the other week in the woods. I love Slow worms!

OMG I think this is my fourth post in three days!!!

Awh, a baby gift bag! Just not sure what you would put in it? Something small obviously!
I made two other bags today from navy blue gingham...large checks. They are just waiting for drawstrings.
I think I may be slightly obsessed!!!
More fabric needed.
Just call me the bag lady!

This is what we woke up to find this morning!

Ok so the photos are a little blurry because I forgot to use my flash and we only had a very small window of time to take the pictures.

But aren't they cute!!!

(They are baby ferrets for those of you who haven't guessed!)

I'm on a roll....

I did it!!!! It's only taken me a year since I saw some at Wonderwool 2011 to pluck up the courage to have a go!

I found these instructions the other day, and with the left over from yesterdays bag, plus a little extra for the pocket, I made a smaller one for my DPN's.

I'm not sure about the ribbon as it is a bit thin and silky but I wanted to get it finished and had nothing else to hand. I may change it to velcro or a material strip.
Or make another ;-)

I made a bag today.....

I found this tutorial the other day and I have been turning it all over in my head since. Until this morning, when I finally made a decision about the fabrics and just went for it!

 It isn't exactly as the instructions. I only used one main fabric instead of two because I love this fabric so much! I also ended up with only one drawstring because of the way I had to cut the fabric. The drawstring is only a temporary one until I can find a suitable ribbon or fabric piece.

But the most important thing is that it is lined!!! And it all went really well.
Not bad for someone who woke up with a sore throat, knowing that the boys cold is on its way, and didn't want to move from her bed!
I love it xx
Maybe I'll be brave enough to try the knitting needle roll now!

Pictorial catch up.

'Wait for me!!!'

 A visit to Mary Arden's farm on my birthday.

'Awh, hello little piggy. Let me tickle your tummy.'

'Err hello. Do you think you could tickle my tummy too?'



Am i the only person who loves the way this bedroom looks?

And this table?

David, the apprentice falconer.

Tudor board game....inspiration for a travel draughts board!

David, the tudor boy.

Telling the time, Tudor style!

And our week away....

Our new Bell tent, from Bell tent uk. Complete with chandelier, thick mattress for mummy and rugs too!

A bit of Ancient history in Wiltshire in the morning.....

and on to another in the afternoon!

David trying on an outfit for size here too!

On to East Devon to a bargain Yurt holiday!

A chance here to cook using our new fire pit and tripod etc

On the beach at Exmouth.
A common theme for our week away was rain and wind. But in true Survival family style we were not put off, even with the severe weather warnings of 60 mph winds on the Cornwall leg of our trip to visit The Eden Project and pick up granny.

Melting lead fishing weights with Jonathan. Obviously we did a Health and Safety assessment before we started. And then, ignoring the reccomendations we just went for it using our common sense!

Pouring it in to the wooden mould.

Jon's handmade wooden mould.

Mould no 3. Plasticene was tried after wood, but then we moved on to Fimo....

With pretty good results!

The air drying clay version.
All this for some 'free' ammunition for his catapault!!!!



The Little Grey Men walk at a local country park, commemorating BB's books.

Dodder

 Some of Jon's woodturning that I couldn't upload before.....

 And a couple of my crafty projects....

David's Raven face cloth.

Will's doggie one.

 And a new craft.....mini bendy dolls!

Wizard.

Princess