It's that time of year again...

What a big mess!

With the summer holidays well and truly settled into I got 'the itch' and decided to partake in a favourite hobby of mine...moving furniture and rearranging rooms. No room swapping this year just a big shift around in the studio.

Ok, so there are still a couple of bags of old fabrics to sort through in the next room and big stack of work related papers that need something doing with them but most of it is ready. I now have a 'wood store' full of boxes and off cuts for pyrography projects, colour collections for my fabric (stored in a CD rack in the cupboard!) and drawers for all the wool and cotton yarn I seem to have accumulated since the last time I rearranged. The chairs are now both by the window, freeing up a much larger floor space for cutting and laying out fabric without having chair legs and a rug in the way. I've kept the 'L' shape for the desks as it really helps being able to send larger bits of fabric off the end of a table when sewing.

And of course no workspace could possibly be complete without a few furry companions - and I don't just mean the cat.

To finish, as this is meant to be a crafting blog after all, a very wee bit of holiday crafting for a friend from work who asked for a passport-sized bag to take away on her travels. I made it reversible so it's more versatile outfit wise (which took a little bit of brain power but happened in the end.) and did the neatest button hole I'm ever managed on my functionless machine.

Happy holidays to all those lucky enough to have them at this wonderfully warm time of year.
S. x

Holidays and Hearts

The summer holidays are here! As a little 'thank you' to all the lovely ladies at work I crafted a little heart for each one, with a bit of a thank you note too. It's been a very busy but successful year, and we really have worked our socks off!

So, thank you lovely ladies! Here's to a jolly good rest and a fabulous summer. And of course another great year to come.
S. x

New toy, new case

It seems amazing to me that this blog has been going for nearly two years now. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that I've kept it up! I do like sharing crafts (and life) in this space and I hope you enjoy reading it too.

Just a quick post today as a bit of gift crafting will have to wait until it's gifted just in case. Last week I replaced my trusty (now slow and glitchy) netbook...so, new PC means new cover.

A quick bit of patchwork and a first attempt at free hand quilting, a magnetic clasp and hey-presto, some of my favourite fabrics taking good care of my gadget of choice.

I expect to catch up on some much needed crafting in just a few day, three to be precise! Summer holidays are here at last, hooray!

Have a good week all.
S. x

Summer. Evening. Walks.

It's been far too long since my last post, three weeks or there abouts. We are so close, us teachers and Nursery Nursers and TAs and general school working/school going folks to the blissful emptiness and freedom of The Summer Holiday. So far I have very few set-in-stone plans for my six week break but I'm sure they'll fill up and fly by as they always do.

Before then however we have so much to do at work - school trips, sports days, transition days, final assessments, settling our last (and enormous) intake of the year and ticking those last few boxes to make sure all of the children are ready for their next stage (or as ready as they can be) not to mention the dreaded learning journeys (I am so far behind now that I don't know where to start!).

But then there are things like this...

So, for now, on my evening wanders I am content to let the madness and mind-melting business of life in school take a back seat while I find the greatest pleasure in the simple feelings of sunlight. And the gentle breeze and the subtle changes in temperature as I move from roadside to footpath to shaded woodland. Here my mind is allowed to leave the classroom and my computer screen behind. And my body loosens up and my heart pumps a little faster as I climb that steep slope or break into a run through this field just for the sheer joy of movement and space and air.

And when I return home I am more productive, more motivated and more energised to do those jobs that need doing - to wash those pots, to type that letter - mundane as they may be.

Let me never forget this feeling. Or how easy it is to reignite inside me. All I need is a little time and the wide open sky.

Happy. Summer. Evening. Everyone.
S. x

Catch-up Crafting

On Tuesday evening this week Chris, Beth and I finally did something we've talked about for a while now. We got together, ate fish and chips, chatted on into the wee small hours and, oh yes, crafted.

 

An introduction to collage cards, an almost finished bear (with a very important first birthday deadline this weekend!) and far too much talking which meant that we didn't actually get an awful lot done but we certainly enjoyed ourselves and already have a plan for our next session.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.
S. x

Spring walks

Ah late spring how I love you. Not too hot, long evenings and light mornings, so lovely and such a great help with the long working hours being put in at work (and at home) as we head into moderation and summative assessment season, though I won't bore you too much with that now!

When almost everyone else seems to be settling themselves in for the night, as the heat of the day melts away to cooler evening and twilight lingers for such a long time we head out up the hill and wander. Along paths, through woods, up hill and down dale we walk without purpose or destination, just for the sheer joy of movement and space and air.

Wishing you all a wonderful start to your week.
S. x

Sound bags for school

Phew! What a speedy week it has been, with a visit from OfSTED to round it off (we don't officially know the verdict yet so I suppose I shouldn't say but I will admit it went far better than the previous one!). I thought I'd just post a quick entry to show you a little school crafting that took place over the Easter break.

I've been meaning to make some 'Sound sacks' for school for ages to keep resources for teaching Letters and Sounds and have finally got round to it! Now all we need to do is stock them up!
Enjoy the sunshine on this Bank Holiday weekend everyone.
S. x