While I've been laid up...

During the last week while I've been doing my impersonation of a beetle on its back, I've been knitting up a storm. Firstly, this cute little Santa which was on a free pattern sheet from Spotlight.... I knitted him in "Bella baby Layette" which is a lovely bamboo and wool blend which is super soft and has a nice sheen.And then I just HAD to have a go at the Santa door knob cover but I made a few changes.....OK I made lots of changes....firstly, the white face had to go 'cause he looked too much like a scary clown....not being a great crocheter, I didn't really follow the pattern too closely but just kept going till it looked about right....I added a knitted nose rather than an embroidered one....I used buttons for eyes...the beard was made like a fringe with some knobbly/fluffy yarn...and I knitted the hat using the same pattern as for the Santa above but using bigger needles. I also threaded a cord around the opening in the back so that it can be tied tightly around the door knob. And lastly, I replaced the bells with cute plastic pine cones for a more "country" look.
Now I'm thinking I shouldn't leave him out there in the heat....though it is cooler today.....forecast top of 33 C which is better than the 39+ that we've had all week....and he's so cute someone might kidnap him!

The back is on the mend (which is just as well as the house is starting to look like a tip)!

Take care until next time.

Now I know how beetles feel....

...when they've been flipped over onto their back and can't do anything. I had a slight back ache on Friday and stupidly thought that going ten pin bowling that night would probably "loosen it up".........how wrong I was! By the end of the night I was in agony and spent most of Saturday lying down as standing, walking and sitting were all excruciating after about 30 seconds. Today I am much improved and managed to get through the ironing as standing is OK and sitting in my recliner is OK so I got this cross stitch bib finished ready for a baby due in March....but sadly, I found driving Master 10 to school painful in the extreme so it looks like I'm going to miss tomorrow's Christmas Party at Nundle :( NOT FAIR!!!

On the bright side, I've managed to read a whole novel and I've discovered that it is possible to knit while lying on your back if you have pillows to rest your elbows on!

Take care until next time.

A nice afternoon's work

Thank goodness I only have to worry about one teacher's gift this year ( now that Master 12.9 is in secondary school). This afternoon I got out my beading patterns and a clear glass bauble and whipped up this pretty ornament for Master 10's teacher.....now it's safely inside a noodle box under the tree ready for the end of the school year. I think Mrs C will like it!

Take care until next time.

Good enough to eat

Mmm....I can almost taste that sweet and spicy gingerbread but if you take a bite out of this cute church you'll just get a mouthful of cardboard and felt! When I found this Simplicity pattern (4810) in a clearance sale some months ago I knew I just had to have it and last weekend when it was too hot to do anything else, I decided to whip one up. Don't know if you can still find the pattern in the shops but you never know your luck on ebay...The"icing" is dimensional fabric paint- looks very realistic!And whilst trapped indoors I also made another Christmas gift for someone special....this one involved painting and gluing and was lots of fun. Here's a sneak peek.....wonder what it could be??
Today I picked up a very exciting parcel from the post office- yes, my SSCS gift has arrived!! Just look at this gorgeous dolly peg angel ornament...I can't wait to hang it on my tree. Thank you Secret Santa I LOVE it and you are very talented.
And here's the "main" gift wrapped in the cutest fabric...this is really going to burn a hole under the tree....speaking of which, that's my mission for this coming weekend- decorate the house! It usually takes me a couple of days to get it all done because I have to do a lot of pottering and dreaming...and singing...and as this is the first Christmas in this house, everything will be different...colour schemes and themes to match....now I'm excited!
Hope your Christmas preparations are all going smoothly! Take care until next time.

All wrapped up and ready to go!

Now the fun really starts! My SSCS gift is all wrapped and ready to go on it's long journey to the other side of the world. So, first thing on Monday morning I'll be off to the post office to send it on its way.Here's a little sneak peek....
I think I've just about finished all the gifts I had planned to make for Christmas...though I might change my mind and make a few little extras! Now there's just all those difficult males to buy for!
Take care until next time.

Fridge magnet mania!

I was inspired by a recent tutorial on Pink Penguin's blog to make some fridge magnets out of fabric scraps. But instead of buying magnetic tape, I decided to redecorate some of my "business card" type magnets. All you need is a magnet, some card (from a cereal box), some fabric, glue, needle and thread and some embellishments.

Firstly, trace around your magnet onto the card.Cut out your piece of card and cut a piece of fabric a little larger all round. I used some little "orphaned" 9 patch blocks for my magnets but just plain fabric will do fine.

Get a LONG thread and needle and "lace" the fabric together on the back, turning in the corners neatly and pulling it tight (not so tight that you distort the card). Don't worry if it looks messy 'cause no-one is going to see the back!
Then embellish to your hearts content with ric-rac, buttons, lace, yo-yos, etc. You can sew the buttons onto the card if you have strong fingers and a thick needle; otherwise use craft glue or a hot glue gun. Fold the raw edges of ric-rac or lace to the back and secure with glue.
When you have finished embellishing, glue the card onto the front of your magnet and hey presto- a shabby chic fridge! Very quick and fun to make and much prettier than they were before!
Take care until next time.

Christmas recycling

Another job I can cross off my "craft-to-do" list! Every year I like to make my own Christmas cards to send to family and friends and I find it's a great opportunity to recycle all the cards that have been sent to us- even my Mum keeps her cards for me to re-use. When Christmas is over and the decorations are all stored away for another year, I go through all the cards, cut off the fronts and put them away in a shoe box. Then in about October of the following year I pull them out again and start chopping up the images and words into usable pieces. Add some wrapping paper, ribbon, stickers, buttons, sequins, glitter glue and self adhesive "gems" and stick it all to the front of some folded cardstock. The result: unique cards that have cost very little to make (in fact this year's batch cost me nothing as everything came from my stash). Yes, they take quite a lot of time but I love the challenge of mixing and matching...and I think I get a bit high on the glue!!

Take care until next time.