Some Christmas Present Makes

Hello everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, I almost cant believe its all over.  I kind of feel my house has been through some kind of tornado as there is literally, stuff everywhere!!  Still, a fab time was had by all as Santa came with lots of presents.  I've obviously been a very good girl this year!

So now that its all over with, I thought I'd share a few things I made for my lovely sister for Christmas.  I dont make stuff for everyone, as not everyone appreciates the handmade look (cant imagine why!) but I knew exactly what I wanted to make for my lovely sis.

"The Nook" sign for my sisters cosy corner

My sister has a lovely little corner of her dining room where she has a comfy chair, blankets and she can cwtch up and read a book!  This is to put up in that corner!  She was very pleased with it as she'd asked for it on a canvas but I decided I wanted to try the embroidery hoop thing I'd seen on so many lovely blogs.  Was really pleased with how it turned out!

Close up of some flowers I embroidered.

Coasters made from vintage fabric

She is also mad on vintage and the vintagey look.  Now Im not quite at the clothes sewing stage, so when I found this fab vintage fabric on line, I decided to make some vintage coasters with my new sewing machine!  Again, really pleased with how they turned out.

Close up of the corner, tied up with some twine.

Felt and yarn necklace

Some of you may recognise the last one from an issue of Mollie Makes magazine.  My sister said how much she loved it at the time so I made it up for her for Christmas.  A fab present and quite thrify I think you'll agree!!

I also received some lovely handmade gifts including crocheted scarfs for myself, Maddy and Lillie made by my lovely mother in law.  She's so clever!  Will take photos of us modelling them and put them up as they really are so lovely - and they match!!

Finally, heres a picture of me and Maddy at Trafalgar Square in London on Christmas Eve.  We spent Christmas with my hubbys family this year and we were truly spoilt with presents and lots of food!

Maddy is a dalmation!!

Hope everyone had a fab Christmas too!

x x

How Many Sleeps??

The words I wake up to every morning, and have woken up to, for the last week! Yes, Christmas countdown has definitely begun in our house! Coincidentally, so has half term. So not only do I have a very excited five year old on my hands, I have to keep her and her sister entertained all day!!

So in true crafty mummy style, I have plenty of things for us to make and do until Santa delivers things far more interesting!

Yesterday we made gingerbread men, proper ones from flour and stuff, not felt and thread!

They turned out pretty well, although I did take the whole decorating thing a bit seriously! Today, Maddys just informed me we're making snowmen from toilets roll tubes and cotton wool. Sounds good!

Can't show you anything I'm making at the moment as they are all Christmas presents!! But here are the gingerbread men we made yesterday, plus my gingerbread family and their house-heehee!!

Hope you are all feeling festive!

x x

Nearly Time To Relax....But Not Quite

Well my last craft fair of 2011 was on Sunday. It was a disappointing turnout as the weather was shocking but the atmosphere was festive and the people who did turn up were ready to buy and more importantly chat, which is always lovely!

I do have some photos of the craft fair but we are having a few technical difficulties with our pc at the moment (hubby has been "fiddling" with it and now it's not working. Lucky for him I have my phone *rolls eyes and wonders when he'll learn*)

So no more making stock for me for now. I've decided to take January and February off from craft fairs because a) they're not the best months for selling anything in my opinion b) it's my birthday and I'm going to be away and c) I have another project I'm working on and hope to get going by March.

However, I've got lots of lovely presents to make before Christmas! Some lovely vintage fabric arrived yesterday which I'm going to use to make "something" for my lovely sister. She's really into vintagey stuff so the fabric was a good find, I just hope she likes what make!

So will leave you for now with a picture of my Christmas tree. As I write this, I'm sat with my feet up, looking at my twinkly lights with a mince pie next to me waiting to be eaten. Lovely!!

x x

Its Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Everywhere we go!! Think that's how the song goes anyway?!

Just thought I'd share the latest batch of stock I've made up for the coffee shop. Lots of christmas decorations and christmassy brooches which I have pinned to Christmas stockings. The shop will then fill them with old fashioned sweets and wrap them in cellophane as gifts for people to buy. I hope people like receiving my handmade items for Christmas!!

Right off to get ready for this weekends craft fair. It's non stop here at the moment, but I am loving it!!

x x

My New B.F.F.

Having dropped several heavy hints (think concreate blocks) and emailed a very specific list of gifts I would like for Christmas to my husband (with links to the appropriate Internet site) imagine my complete delight and slight shock when he came home one day last week with a brand new sewing machine!!!

My new B.F.F!

Now I'm not that much of a brat to want presents before Christmas but, seeing how hard I was working on the coffee shop orders, he decided to give me my present early.

Can't tell you how much fun I've had and how much easier it's making life for me! Up until now every single stitch was sewn by hand as my mini sewing machine just wasn't up to the job. Now things have such a better finish and I can't wait to try out some new projects! There are still some elements of my things that have to be done by hand but the world us my oyster now I have my new BFF!!!

The photo of Lillie is just because she's cute and pulls such a cheesy grin every time I get the camera out!

Thanks for reading! Off to sew more cupcakes :)

Latest Batch of Cupcakes

Lately I've been working on some new ideas for cupcakes for Christmas. The sewn variety, that is, not the baked (although you never can tell with me as I have a loyalty to both!)

The coffee shop owner I told you about before is eagerly awaiting these but wanted to know what you thought first. Are they Christmassy enough?! I love the chocolate polka dot fabric, think they give the cupcakes something different.

Linked up to Creative Itch: Sew Cute Tuesday

Thanks for reading! x x

p.s. The cupcake chopping board was an early present from hubby which I've had my eye on in hobbycraft for quite some time!!

My Exciting News

Been meaning to blog about this for ages, but then we had the winner of the giveaway to draw and, as always, time isnt my friend!

A few weeks ago, a friend of a friend saw my christmas decorations.  This friend of a friend (who's name is actually Sarah) owns an adorable coffee-shop-come-gift-shop here in South Wales and said that my things would fit in perfectly with her shop, would I put together some things and pop down there.  So thats exactly what I did and, long story short, The Honey Pot and Bizzy Bees now stocks Pretty Petal Handmade loveliness!!

These are a couple of items I've supplied so far...

Ten make your own gingerbread man kits.  These are for their craft mornings they run on saturdays.

And thirty stockings with Chritmassy brooches - ten have gingerbread men, ten have Christmas cupcakes and ten have Christmas hearts (which Im ashamed to say I havent taken photos of - bad blogger!)

Im now in the process of making thirty gingerbread man decorations, Christmas cupcake decorations and Christmas heart decorations. 

So all very exciting to have my first wholesale order and to be stocked in an actual shop!  It was hard work getting it all done in time though and involved more than a few nights of going to bed at 2.30am! 

Off now to sew more Christmas decorations.  Im very lucky I love what I do and can do what I love!

Thanks for reading x x

We Have A Winner!!

Wow!  I am overwhelmed by the entries to my little giveaway.  Also, I have well exceeded fifty followers too, so thank you and hello to all followers old and new.  Thanks for reading my ramblings!

Onto more important business - THE GIVEAWAY! 

I chose a very technical and fair way to choose a winner...

First I wrote out a name for each entry, then I got my happy little helper....

to pick a winner!  Please excuse the bed head, she is actually in bed watching a dvd as is customary in our house on a friday night.

So, Maddy picked....

 
The Krafty Cupcake as our winner!!!  Congratulations, I hope you like the gifts. 

Thanks again to everyone that entered and are now following my blog.  Its lovely to have you with us.

Will be back tomorrow with news of my busy busy (busy) week!

Bye for now x x