Card Craft

Now having two small children as a distraction I am far more likely to forget birthdays or other events that require buying and sending a card.  I have now overcome this by turning it into a craft activity for my eldest.  By cutting out simple shapes that she recognises or images from magazines we create cards tailored to the occasion and the individual - primarily family who appreciate art by a two year old! My daughter just loves sticking but I have to admit that I do too and it's very difficult not to take over!
Here's our gallery of some of the cards we have created together.

easter bunnies

So, the toy factory has re-opened very briefly.  With the arrival of another baby and friends following suit I decided they would all need new toys.  Opting for my simpler bunny design I thought I would get 3 made in one day - the reality of it has taken me over a month.  Couple together full time childcare of a baby and a toddler to look after during the day with sleepless nights meant I had minimal spare time; if I could steal an hour away I was unable to leave hazardous items such as my sewing machine, pins and needles lying around.

These bunnies are smaller for babies hands and have bells inside - although you might not believe it, they aren't very jangly and sound more like a tube of Smarties!....the babies won't know.

  

toy factory

As my baby turned one I decided it was time to start up the toy production line to make presents for her & her friends.  It would be nice to think I could turn it into something more fruitful but as my return to work is imminent it is probably nothing more than a pipe dream.

Nursery nicknacks

When I became pregnant I knew I never wanted an off the peg nursery from the high street in ubiquitous pale blue, pale pink, lemon yellow or play it safe neutrals, so I have created a happy space for my baby in primary brights back to white and natural wood.  By making things and using hand-me-downs, retro furniture and finds from my travels I have created a more personal space that has stories to tell.

Appliqued elephant cushion from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Re-upholstered retro nursing chair that was my mum's

E. Gomme G-Plan oak chest of drawers

Animals of the Chinese zodiac from Hong Kong

Fabric birds from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Paper mache birds from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Paper mache elephants from Dilli Haat, Delhi

Home-made curtains - the bane of my life at 39 weeks pregnant!



Operation Bunny

I knew I did a fashion degree for a reason - I've dusted down my pattern square & put my design & pattern skills to good use to create a birthday present for my friend's baby.  Here is the first off the production line - we'll have to see if more follow.

bunny #1

button & ribbon detail as the bob tail

bunny with the mock up I made to test my pattern



A toast to an old friend.........

Today would have been my cat Casper's 5th birthday.  Sadly he was killed a few years' ago but today would have been his coming of age birthday.  You see, Casper was no ordinary cat, he was a Maine Coon, one of the largest domestic cats you can get and they don't reach full maturity until they are about five years old, so the photos you see here are him as a baby!  He was like no other cat I have ever known - more like a daft puppy, chasing after us down the street when we left for work, thundering up to us when we came home, chasing sticks, playing with water - the breed is often described as the clown of the cat world.  He's the reason we know all our neighbours; we became known as the people with the big cat.  When we were out at work he would visit everyone in the street - he even won over people who have never liked cats, inviting himself into their homes, greeting them as they pulled up in their cars, even getting in their cars.  He was loved so much by so many that people would come to visit him (not us) and once when he had been ill, came and knocked on the door to ask after him.  When he died we received cards, flowers, plants, heard stories of his adventures in their gardens and even had a neighbour crying on our doorstep.  That's not the reaction you get over your run-of-the-mill moggy!  People still talk of him fondly now.  We'll always miss him and wonder how big he would have grown - he certainly would have weighed more than our 7 month old baby daughter!  One day we may have another cat but they'll have some tough competition to be as great as Casper.

Old MacDonald came to dinner.........

Getting creative with dinner