Christmas in Norham

I'm making up for the quiet spot in September and October (too much work and not enough crafting = only one blog post a month!) by posting two days in a row! But with festive spirit in the air and a most beautiful walk this morning on the beach who can blame me for wanting to share in this space?

Ma's gorgeous Christmas cake, advent windows in the village, classic games (Rail Baron - at least two evening's worth of game and very good fun), an old and lovable dog, a beautiful frost this morning and a lovely stroll on a very misty beach!

Looking forward to cracking on with a few old and new crafty projects when I get home in a couple of days!
S. x

Reveal...

Happy Christmas everyone!

A quick whizz through photos of crafty gifts given this year...

 

Much quilting and patchwork and applique took place this year - so much fun! Like collage with fabric. I'll definitely be doing more in the future.

More details to follow for most projects but from top to bottom the photos show:
:: Mini-quilts - one for Ma and one for my sister Emily
:: Stockings! One for each of the smalls - initialed for clarity and filled with the same thing (to avoid arguments!)
:: A quilted peg bag for Ma (and no, I didn't forget the whole, it's on the other side!)
:: Cards - I made two sets of these, one each for Sam's Mum and Gran
:: Embroidered Benjamin - for Annie, Sam's sister, who drew this lovely little chap and several other cartoons.

(There was also chocolate, another quilt and a few other bits and bobs which somehow escaped the camera)

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!
S. x

Yesterday...

A mass Crafting-for-Christmas session took place here yesterday (and will (in between tree buying, decorating and wrapping gifts for the littles' Christmas party next week) take place again today with and luck!)

So, here are a few sneaky peaks of some of the gifting taking place this year...

No prizes for guessing what the last photo is of! But as the recipients are unlikely to read the blog I think it's safe to give such an obvious hint. The finished articles will be revealed after the big day. There are a few other projects started off too but I'll post them when they're completed.

One more piece of crafting occurred this week that I can share...an emergency Christmas jumper for our Christmas Jumper charity day!

A few small bits of festive fabric, some 3D fabric paint in Christmassy gold, a bit of felt, a quick stitch or two and some safety pins to hold it all together and I managed to save myself some money (and my conscience!) not having to buy a real Christmas jumper at the last minute.

Happy Christmas (shopping/crafting/cooking etc) to you all.
S. x

Two bags and plenty of cards

Last weekend the Christmas crafting began with a bulk load of cards. This year I've been testing out my printing skills. They leave something to be desired (more practice needed for sure!) as looking at the completed product the scale and the composition is entirely wrong. Still, I think they look pretty and it was good fun using the lino cutting tool - like carving with a chisel but oh so much easier and quicker!

 As well getting started with the Yuletide stuff I also made two new IPad mini bags for work (We finally got another two, hooray, one each! What luxury!) I made mine last weekend, adding a pocket to the old design to make it easier to carry pens and post-its around too. This weekend I made the last of them, a further improvement/addition for mark three - a little camera pocket on he inside. This one, in brightest pink, is for Kelly - I always try to make a neater job of things when i know it's for someone else.

(The bright pink fabric by the way is actually a DIY cut and sew dress pattern for a little girl I bought ages ago from the wonderful Clothkits as is was heavily reduced - knew it would come in useful one day.)

Next weekend, or indeed some free evening or other this week (wishful thinking with assessments due and twilight courses to attend!) I will really get cracking with the gift making! So looking forward to some major craftiness over the next few weeks. :)

Enjoy your week everyone.
S. x

November...Already!

Such a cliche I know but this year has disappeared so quickly! Only two months left of 2014 and with dark evenings, a birthday and of course Christmas not far away my mind and my hands are itching to get stuck into some proper crafting.

Over the half term I finally made some puppets for school - one for each of our key worker groups. They were made up as I went along so by no means are they perfect but the littles seem to like them so I'm satisfied.

And this little creature...

...taken from a drawing by my lovely niece, copied almost exactly (I just altered the mouth as I thought buttons didn't quite work there) ready for her seventh birthday next weekend. Seven! Already!

I hope he is loved (as I know he will be) by the girl who is never happier than when she has a cuddly toy to play with.

Happy November everyone.
S. x

Closing in and wrapping up

Autumn is most definitely (and suddenly) here, both the good and the bad. Colder, wetter and windier weather brings a classroom (and a house for that matter) that feels like walking into a fridge and will not be heated until after the half term holiday... brrr! Soggy leaves everywhere, snotty noses of littles and their teachers and the dark hours getting longer by the day.

But with this weather comes the pleasure of wrapping up warm in layers of wool and heading out up the hill straight after work while the light still holds. Feeling toasty and warm all over except for your face and hands as the wind blows you around at the summit is such a great feeling. I love wearing lots of layers, it's one of my favourite things about Autumn and Winter. It's a safe and comfortable feeling, a closing down and a return to introversion and introspection that suits me down to the ground.

Crafting will hopefully begin again soon too - a few birthday gifts are about due to begin and then of course it'll be Christmas prep time before I know it! For now, I'm happy messing around on instagram...

Enjoy your own Autumn loveliness friends!
S. x

Bits and Bobs (And a Little Bit of Bunting)

Well since my last post there has been a little bit of crafting, a fair bit of home (including really beginning to dream of our own home - dreaming still but not for too much longer!) and an awful lot of work! Now two weeks into the school year it feels an age since the freedom of the long summer holiday and all the business of child minding, birthday parties and, oh yes, preparation for the new school year. But, I do have a few small bits of crafting to share with you that took place during those few full weeks in late August.

A card for a five year old who had been four for far too long (his own words!)

A sign for Chris' garden shed - a treasure trove of crafting goodness. (I appear to have neglected to take a photo of the finished product but will try to get one of it in situ next time I'm over there - See the little bit of bunting in the design? Who doesn't love bunting on a birthday gift?)

(I just love candid photos of little ones! This as the dog she wanted to make before total changing her mind - I've kept the picture though, I love the detail!)

And the usual Lexi crafting session - she designs, I make. So far I've not been able to persuade her to use the machine herself but she's such a delight to make things for I don't really mind. If you can cuddle it, she's happy with it. This time she asked for a cushion, with a rabbit on.
She has a great knack of picking good fabric out of my stash and a lovely way of drawing characterful creatures which I try hard to keep as true to her drawings as possible. The furry nose made of velvet was a must.

Somewhere along the way I have missed taking photos of the crochet flowers I made for Chris' surprise birthday gift but they were such good fun to make I'm sure I'll be doing more very soon.

Enjoy the warm weather all. I'll try not to wait so long between posts next time!
S. x

A Grand Day Out

A few days of child minding for the nieces and nephew are going on right now. A day at home with crafting and play and an afternoon at the (very local just-outside-the-front-door) park and then today a double-decker bus ride into town to Queens Park where we managed to while away the whole day very successfully.

All in all, a great day out topped of by a ride on my favourite little pony and a lovely meal cooked by my Mama. What more could I ask for.
S. x

(Not the best photos but they're only taken on my phone so I've had to just make do.)

Labels for Baking

A very brief post to share a little gifting, completed up in Norham at my parent's house and gifted yesterday to my dear friend Chris on her 60th birthday.

Long awaited for labels for baking jars. So easy to do on such soft wood, a real pleasure.
Happy birthday Chris and happy Sunday everyone.
S. x

Yellow, Green and Blue

In my line of work I am often asked the question "What's your favourite colour?" The immediate answer is "Green!" but the inevitable conversation that ensues ensures that all the colours get a look in and reasons for likes and dislikes are discussed.

But when I really stop and think about the colours I am drawn to again and again, and perhaps more importantly WHY I am attracted to them more than others... well, let me just show you.

So abundant in the natural world (and agricultural for that matter), is it really any wonder I love the colours yellow, green and blue most of all?

Happy summer colour everyone.
S. x