It's all coming together!

Well readers, I have made progress with the scribbles on used envelopes!
Although there are many things still to be worked out, I have decided on a few definites to feature here.

The current line up will be -
* "Made It Mondays" - Things I have made.
* "Tutorial Thursdays" - Tutorials by myself and other crafters, also a few "round ups".
* "Celebration Sundays" - Homemade holiday preparation with inspiration posts, links to tutorials, my own projects and more!

I hope that starting off with a few themed days will keep the blogging ball rolling, sometimes when you're in a bit of an uninspired slump having a theme can help :)

If you have any thoughts about the themed structure or perhaps something you would like to see leave me a comment!

Improvements!

As mentioned previously, I have embarked on a mission to improve my little ol' blog, hopefully propelling it to the first goal of 100 followers! I know 100 is a lot of followers for someone who currently has 12 but why not aim for something which is a bit of a stretch as opposed to just out of arms reach? :)

Things are still being devised on my executive pieces of scrap paper and old envelopes but I'm getting there!
As you can see I have changed the look of the blog a bit, I love all the cute backgrounds available online but I have issues with colour and pattern so anything that I liked enough to put up morphed into a crazy busy nightmare which just had to go! Some blogs pull it off and give me serious cuteness envy but after having a think I came to the conclusion that the blogs I liked the look of best were ones with a few graphics and white backgrounds; Neat, uncluttered, un-fussy, professional looking and beautifully simple. So that's what I decided to do, I hope you agree it looks a lot better now.

Hopefully I will be able to reveal all my other plans soon - fingers crossed!

xxx

Happy New Year!

Obviously the blogging has been neglected for a few months, unfortunately life and Christmas got in the way somewhat, I'm sure everyone can appreciate that life gives you lemons and sometimes all you can do is juggle them for a while before you get around to the lemonade.

However, new year, new start, out with the old and in with the upcycled and what-not!

I have been thinking about how I can improve on this blog (well blogging at all would be a start) in all areas - presentation, posts, backgrounds (not sure I like the latest look any more), traffic etc etc.

There have been a few definites already and much more to procrastinate on whilst eating breakfast/working/trying to sleep y'know those times when you get ideas and have to save them until later and then forget the super cool awesome bit...or perhaps that's just me!

Any way, I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic start to the new year :)

Watch this space!

xxx

Adventures with fabric dye - Part 1

STEP 1 - ASSEMBLE THE STUFF AND THINGS!

You will need - 

* One washing up bowl sized container that is no longer used

* One tablespoon of salt

* One packet of fabric dye for hand dying

* Plastic or preferably rubber gloves (these are important!)

* A stirring implement, I used an old paintbrush

* A smaller plastic container (not pictured)

* One really nasty coloured dress (which is a nice style)

STEP 2 - MIX UP THE DYE ACCORDING TO INSTRUCTIONS

I did not think to write down the instructions from the packet for this post as I am a fool!

Make sure to stir it up really well and not to splash it everywhere, a sensible option would be to place it on an old towel or some newspaper unlike myself who got it on the worktop - it came off thankfully as I was quick enough to spot it!

STEP 3 - FILL UP THE LARGE CONTAINER WITH WATER AND ADD SALT

It was also warm water for this dye, the instructions will reveal all to you!

If you have a curious cat shut them out of the room, Biggins nearly became a black cat due to her idiocy!

STEP 4 - ADD THE DYE TO THE WATER

Again, be careful to stir thoroughly and wear the gloves! I got a hole in one of my gloves and ended up with weird black stains for a few days!

STEP 5 - SUBMERGE OFFENDING GARMENT IN THE BLACK WATER

Poke it about a bit to ensure it is all covered with dye.

Then stir continuously for FIFTEEN MINUTES!!!

You will then need to stir it regularly according to the instructions, I had to do it for about 45 minutes.

STEP 6 - THROW IT IN THE WASHING MACHINE!

I didn't take a picture of my washing machine to add here..... I think everyone can use their imagination!

MOST IMPORTANTLY, READ THE INSTRUCTIONS PROPERLY!!

(I DIDN'T)

Find out what happened to the dress in part 2!

The countdown begins.....

...Take a guess!

No, surely not already, it's not even September....

Afraid so!!

I have already started my Christmas planning and with lots of handmade presents and cards to make I have to get cracking! I have started on the anally-retentive file with pages of lists, designs and labelled plastic wallets ready for templates to go in. Colour schemes for the tree have been chosen and the gift wrap will as usual co-ordinate with the tree :) 

This will be the year I have waited for - the one where I'm not gift wrapping on Christmas day or hastily filling out cards 10 minutes before the recipient arrives! By December all I want to have left to do is wrap gifts - any earlier and the double sided tape tends to lose its sticky a little bit. 

I'm even going to make the crackers I never got around to last year, the banging strips are still in my craft room and I even have the toilet roll tubes I had saved too!

So is anyone else starting with the Chrimbo planning?

Or am I alone in the madness?!

Skirting IS the issue....

.....Because you can never have enough!

They are also quick *cough* lazy me *cough* and easy and use up less fabric, perfect for culling the amount of odd bits lying about.

All the skirts have been made with the basic sew a long strip, turn over the top and sew down to make a channel then elasticate method *cough* yep really lazy in fact *cough* perfect for those err fat days which is pretty much all the time for me ha ha ha!

I have used all recycled fabric for these, I hate throwing things away and even more hate throwing away fabric which is perfectly decent and sometimes as a result of buying clothes that just do not look right at all, which is my fault for not trying them on... We all do it right?!

This skirt was made from an old skirt that I never wore (to be fair I didn't buy it). It started life as a tragically unflattering wrap skirt that was also a rather dubious length. I kept hold of it as the khaki (the picture doesn't really show it) broderie-anglais was pretty in a feminine but masculine way (yeah, I'm having one of those days ha ha!) and I occasionally branch out from my uniform of black.
Basically I chopped the bottom off, chopped an equal amount of the lining as well, pleated/gathered it onto some black fabric then sewed on the longer strip leaving the channel for the elastic. The elastic got threaded in and the ends of the black strip were tied concealing the hole the elastic went in through - sorted!
It is a bit short but I don't really get my naked legs out so it doesn't matter!

This one started off as a dress, really didn't do anything much to it, a quick measure and mark, hacked it off and then did the aforementioned turn over and elasticate job. 

Aaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!! Who let the florals into my world?!!
In a fit of madness I may have decided to try to bring a bit of old fashioned floral girliness into my wardrobe!
With pink bows too........ 

.......I must have hit my head!
Anyhow, this was a valance sheet, I snipped off an appropriate length, turned, sewed, elasticated, added bows and was good to go! I have enough fabric left to make a dress too, was thinking a wrap dress, with a circle skirt or a skirt like the one above with two layers maybe? Not sure if I can handle a whole dress in cream with florals yet, I have a sneaking suspicion it will look terrible on me! 

Only one way to know for sure!

New Mario crochet!

Finally I can blog about these bad boys! As they were gifts I couldn't risk putting them on here in case they were seen and the surprise ruined!

First up is my version of a big Bob-omb, saw him on a google image search and fell in love with the moustachio!!

 

Big Bob-omb is about 9 inches tall at a guess without including his fuse. I actually used a mixture of patterns and genius to make him, the main part of the body was from this King Boo tutorial from the delightful Wolfdreamer OTH, and the rest was made using the normal Bob-omb tutorial which I have previously made here, as a rough guide and guesstimating it to fit the dimensions required!

I was supposed to make him a crown (found on the King Boo tutorial) but it kind of didn't happen!

I also made a Boo from the King Boo pattern but decided to stick to the non-regal variety.

I used felt and some scrap white fleece for the mouth, the eyes were done using a tulip pen as I'm not too good with the embroidery on stuffed toys. 

Finally I made a Luma (the star....yes I know it looks like a spiky tear drop but just go with me!) which is pretty cute. Wish it was a beanie (or in my case a popcornie as I'm not buying expensive poly pellets when the corns do the same thing) but the little legs wouldn't have coped with the weight.

The Luma also came from Wolfdreamer, it can be found here.

I think if I did it again the arms and legs could do with a few extra rows to make them bigger as mine did not come out the same as the pictured one on the tutorial!


There are a few other "easy" Mario tutorials I'm going to do before trying the hard stuff!
We were getting a little silly and ambitious last night dreaming up an entirely crocheted Mario world and doing crazy things like a rideable sized Yoshi! It would be cool but my wrists would probably give up entirely and err.... crochet hooks are kinda small.....and I don't have a million hours to commit to it at the moment! Perhaps one day!