Friday 27 May 2011

Hello....finally!


Well hello bunting!!  I have FINALLY finished my felt bunting!  Now Im going to be honest, although I love sewing I struggle to get to grips with my sewing machine, which I felt this bunting needed.  My sewing machine is so small and basic Im ashamed to say how much trouble I have with it, but could not for the life of me, get the tensions right.  Anyway, after lots of trials and even more errors, I managed it!!  The letters are hand sewn as that was the "look" I was going for but needed to sew the binding with my sewing machine so it would be secure and here it is, my "hello" bunting!  The idea is it will go on the front of my stall at craft fairs.  My sewing skills are no where near good enough to do bunting with fabric so Im sticking to felt for now - much more forgiving!!

I finally finished my gift for my friends new baby...

A present for baby Gracie

and a close up
Now, those of you that read my blog will notice it looks nothing like what I originally had in mind!! (see previous post here)  Somehow though, the name banner didnt turn out as I had it in my head, as so often does with my projects.  Does anyone else find that?  That what you have in your "minds eye" if you like, looks nothing like it when its made??  Anyway, I decided to stick with the canvas theme that Im into at the moment and made this.  My friend was really pleased with it, especially as everything she's seen has Grace on it, rather than Gracie, so it was extra special! 

Looks like my craft fair might be cancelled at the weekend because of the rain.  Its an outside venue and to be honest, the weather looks like its going to be so rubbish on the weekend so Im quite glad.  Dont really fancy having a lot of soggy felt on my stall!

Thanks for reading my ramblings!  Until next time x x

Sunday 22 May 2011

Maddys Room

Maddys home safe and sound from her trip to London.  She's exhausted bless her - it was a busy weekend for a nearly five year old!  She was so excited to see what I've made her though.  One of the things I love about what I do is seeing how happy she is when I make her things.  She particularly loved this one as it's got her name on and she LOVES things where she can read her name.  So here it is, a name canvas for her door with a pretty cupcake on!

I've been experimenting with photos recently and hope these do it justice.  I can never seem to get the lighting right though??!  The cupcake has little pink glass beads and sequin hearts so it looks very scrummy and cute!

Me being me couldnt stop at one, so had to do one for my nephew who has a jungle themed nursery...


Now this was my first attempt at some very basic embroidery using a basic back stitch so please dont look at the wonkiness!!  (not even sure thats a word, but you know what I mean).

Have sent my sister these photos and she is very excited about the one for Neo.  As he's got quite an unusual name you dont see anything with his name on so I was glad this turned out well!

If anyone has any tips on embroidery they will be very gratefully received!  I enjoyed doing it but definitely need more practice.  My mission for this week is to do one for Lillie's room too!  As well as getting stuff ready for the fair(s) next weekend and finishing my friends new baby banner.  Phew, better get on with it! 

Until next time x x

Saturday 21 May 2011

Browsing and Buying

Very quiet in our house today as Maddy is in London watching Shrek The Musical so its just me, hubby and the littlest one!  She is more than keeping me busy though so not got too much time to miss Maddy!  I have made her something for when she gets back, so when she's seen it I'll post a picture.  Its something I've been working on for ages but either lost my way with it or been busy on other things!  Think I've said it before and its still true, Im a serial project starter! 

Had a nice browse through my local fabric shop today, Lillie was asleep in her pram and hubby was in the computer game shop so I new I had some time!  Picked up a few bits that caught my eye.  The orange and pink flower fabric I've had my eye on for ages! 

Got more than a few ideas for these which I hope to get started soon.  I'd love to say I'll post pictures soon but I know what Im like! 

x x

Friday 20 May 2011

Having So Much Fun!

I've had so much fun this week and felt very lucky to be able to do what I do.  I've spent the last few days finishing an order, designing a few fathers day items that I hope to take to my next craft fair and starting a few more projects in between!  I seem to be a serial project-starter at the moment.  I've got so many ideas in my head, I feel like I need to at least start them before I lose my train of thought!

Where has this week gone?  I cant believe its Friday already!  I seem to spend my life asking that question - where has the time gone!?

I took a few pictures of a cupcake banner I finished this week.  It was 13 letters long so couldnt fit it all in one picture but managed to get most of it.



I love pink!  I had so much fun doing this banner as there is so much pink in it!

Got another night to myself tonight, Maddy, my oldest, has gone to London for the weekend with her nana to watch Shrek The Musical and Lillie, my littlest, will be going to bed very soon!

Hopefully, I'll be able to make my ideas into something that resembles the ideas in my head!  Somehow, they never turn out like that though!

Love Rhi x

Sunday 15 May 2011

My First Giveaway!

Have been away from my blog for a little while as I've been on a hen weekend in Bournemouth.  Admittedly it was only for the weekend but it takes me two days to prepare for these things!  Whilst I was away I was amazed to find that my Facebook page now has over 300 likers!!  I dont spend as much time on my Facebook page as I should so am so happy that it still attracts likers.

Anyway, in order to celebrate this, I decided to have a small giveaway.  If my lovely followers of my blog *waves* would like to head over there and take part, please do!!  Its to win a trio of tasty cupcake fridge magnets. 

A cupcake prize of the non-fattening variety!
You can take part in the giveaway here!

Thanks for reading x x

Wednesday 11 May 2011

Who Needs Sleep?!

Apparently not me, according to my one year old who has a habit of waking lately at around 11.30pm just as Im going to bed.  After settling her last night I just could not sleep.  So what do crafters do when they cant sleep??  Umm, craft?  I did anyway!

I was sat at my dining room table for ages wondering if I should start something, if so what.  I've got a very tiny notepad that I scribble in (a scribble pad if you like!) when I have an idea of something I'd like to make.  Some of them havent made it out of the notepad yet, some of them probably wont, but last night I had a proper look at things I'd scribbled of the last few months.  I was really inspired by some of the ideas I realised I'd forgotten about, but they're projects for when I have more time (hubby is going away for the night on Sunday so maybe that will be a perfect time for such projects!)

Anyway, ended up making just a few things.  Im really into embellishments at the moment and inspired by the recent hot weather (although not in the past week - good old british weather) I've made these...

Beach Hut Embellishments

Watermelon Embellishments - Yummy!
Watermelons and beach huts just say summer to me.  I grew up by the coast so anything that reminds me of the beach, I love! 

I also started playing around with my ribbon stash and came up with these for Maddy.  She has no matching hair clips so in true crafty mummy style, I made some! 



Two lots of hair clips, neither of which match her school uniform but are very pretty and will get used none the less!

I really need sleep tonight but I have to say, I think I put my insomnia to good use last night!!

Until next time x x

Tuesday 10 May 2011

My Obsession With Cupcakes Continues

Although officially, Im not allowed to buy anymore things with cupcakes on, I did manage to sneak a few buys in when I went to town on my own yesterday.  I love things with cupcakes on, I think they are so cheerful and girly, so I thought I'd share my newest cupcake additions with you!

Cupcake lap tray and cupcake cookie jar

Not technically a cupcake but a cute cake clock with polka dots all the same!
The lap tray is fab for sewing in front of the sofa, which is exactly why I bought it.  Its got an edge on it which means little beads and buttons wont roll off.  The cookie jar I just HAD to have!!  It has to be stocked with cookies (not just biscuits) AT ALL TIMES!!  Only thing is, the Little Petals have worked that out and just sit in the kitchen and stare at it.  Infact, my one year old shouts "TA!" at it, which is very cute, but think it means she wants a cookie!

The clock has replaced a clock that hasnt been working for about six months in my kitchen.  Why we just didnt take it down I dont know but hey ho, this one has replaced it now and looks lovely!  I'd like to get some cupcake pictures to go in my kitchen now to match my cookie jar and clock.

On the crafting front, not much has been going on since the weekend as I've been very poorly with a stinking cold.  If I was a man, I'd be in bed with man flu but us women solider on!  I have started making a present for my very lovely friend who had her baby on Saturday.  What better reason to make a gift than for a new baby?  Plus, she had a girl so my mind went into overdrive as soon as I heard from her!  Here it is so far...
I hope she likes it when its finished.  More importantly, I hope I get to finish it before baby is one!

Until next time x x



        

Sunday 8 May 2011

Happy With The Result

I've FINALLY managed to finish one of my orders, get it packed up and sent off!  The order was for a star name banner, with blue, red and white colours included.  Im really happy with the result!  What do you think?



I've used buttons to re-inforce where the ribbon is stitched into the stars and as I said, Im really pleased with how it turned out!  I hope the new owners love it as much as I have love making it.

I've been sticking with the embellishments this week too and of course, had to make some cupcake embellishments as I just love cupcakes!  Very versatile and perfect for any crafting project, dont you think?





The pictures havent come out that well but I think they're quite cute!  I've got a few ideas for them wizzing around my head but they are also going in my Folksy shop.

Im off now while I have a few more minutes, to crack on with another couple of orders.  So far so good!
Thanks for reading x x

Friday 6 May 2011

Something For My Little Ones

Its ages since I've made something for my Little Petals.  I made the cupcake name banner for Oldest Petal ages ago and an Initial Canvas for Littlest Petal but neither of them have them up in their rooms because I take them to craft fairs as examples!

So Im in the process of making something for them to hang in their rooms - Oldest Petal (Maddy) has a pink room and Littlest Petal (Lillie) has a yellow room, so I've started making co-ordinating Initial Door Hangers for them.

Hope to finish L later!  Here's hoping...
They are, of course, made from my favourite fabric, felt and I've used the ribbon I won in the fabulous paper-and-string giveaway (the May giveaway has started today so I highly recommend going over and taking a look!) plus lots of lovely buttons!  I thought about using tiny glass beads on them too but like how they look with the ribbon and buttons.

I was lucky enough to be given some buttons recently by a friend of a friend who had closed down her knitting shop but knew I was into crafts and thought I could use them.  When I say a few, there must be around 10,000 there (although I havent counted them all!) in lots of different shapes and sizes.  I've had a fab time looking through them all and picking out my favourites, ones I think I can use in projects and just ones I like the look of!  I've also decided to list some in my Folksy shop as there are way too many for me to ever use.  There are about 35 - 40 buttons in each bag and I've put together bags in brown, blue, yellow, white and pink at the moment and will be adding lots more soon!

Little Bag of Buttons - Yellow
Little Bag Of Buttons - Pink
Little Bag Of Buttons - Blue
I hope someone can make use of them and turn them into something fabulous!

Until next time x x

Tuesday 3 May 2011

Im Addicted to Blog Hopping!

Im finding myself thinking about my own blog and others quite a lot these days.  If I have a quiet five minutes while Littlest Petal is sleeping and Oldest Petal is in school, Im straight onto the pc to check up on my favourtie blogs and update my own!

Im loving being part of the blogging community, and have been brave enough to enter a few giveaways and swaps.  So not a crafty post today, but a list of my favourite blogs and some of the giveaways and swaps I've entered.  Maybe I can inspire a few to enter too!

- I found this lovely cupcake giveaway on Stuff 'n' Bits blog.  Im obsessed with cupcakes so this was the perfect giveaway for me!  Also, the lovely lady that who's blog that is, only lives in the next town.  It never fails to amaze me how small the world is sometimes!

- Another cupcake giveaway over at Jenny Arnott Textiles, a very talented maker/designer and I adore her things, so well worth a look!

- Blooming Felt are having a giveaway of a lovely felt purse kit.  Blooming Felt is definately a good site to bookmark if, like me, you love working with felt.  Its so versatile (and very forgiving!)

- I've also entered a swap!  I've never done a swap so Im really looking forward to this to see who Im paired with and am already thinking up ideas of things I can include.  Its a button swap run by Lemonade Kitty and I found it via another lovely blog Dinki Dots.  Thanks for that! 

And of course, I've already been lucky enough to win a fab giveaway and it was my first one!

Until next time x x

Monday 2 May 2011

Looking forward too....

...getting back into a routine!  Its been lovely having everyone at home, but think we're all ready to get back into our routine now.  Im someone who does like my routine and get a bit upset if its disturbed!  I think because of the girls, a routine is important otherwise things tend to turn to chaos quite easily!  Anyway, we've had loads of lovely days out, both Petals have been spoilt rotten by family that visited and I think a lovely time has been had by all.

I've managed to do some more cutting today for my orders of name banners.  Starting to come together but I cant wait to be able to post the finished products!

Im seeing stars and cupcakes!
I've also started putting together a little bunting that I thought I could put at the front of my table at craft fairs.  I will get around to doing one that says "Pretty Petal Handmade" one day but this one just says "hello" and looks quite cute I think!

Im also going to put it on the front page of my website that Im working on.  More on that soon!

On a non-crafty note, I've been doing some sewing in the garden these last few weeks.  Its lovely to take my project box out there and sew while Im watching the girls play!  Now Im not green fingered by any stretch of the imagination but I noticed yesterday how beautiful the rose bush looked and decided to take a photo to share - smells beautiful too!

Until next time x x

Sunday 1 May 2011

Nothing better than....

...a Sunday spent crafting!  I was very lucky today that Oldest Petal was at her friend's house and Littlest Petal had an extra long sleep after lunch.  Also, hubby was home so when she was awake he was able to run around after her (as she seems to enjoy doing most these days!).

I've got quite a few orders for name banners that are well under way but I wanted to start and finish a project today.  My "spare" time is so precious these days I felt I wanted something to show for it.  So, an idea I've had for a little while is embellishments.  My crafting journey, if you like, started a good few years ago with card making.  My only problem was I didnt like spending hours on a card, only to give it away!  Not ideal.  Anyway, one of my favourite past times was searching the internet for embellishments to put on my cards and give me inspiration.  So today I set about making these little sets for my friend who is due to have her baby any day now.....

Pink bottle embellishments
and blue bottle embellishments
Needless to say, we dont know if she's having a girl or a boy, but I enjoyed making these so much I decided to make both and put them in my Folksy shop.

Keeping with the embellishments thread, I decided to make these too....

Yummy looking ice creams for a summer birthday card maybe?

And pretty flower embellishments for any occasion!
I hope you like what I've made this weekend, now to crack on with my orders!  I do love my crafty life :)

x x