If you want to see something funny

.....then come to Burnley tomorrow to see me huffing and puffing as I take my first run for years! It'll be super early though so I don't scare too many drivers. I have 2 routes in mind, both involve long hills on the way there but I can reward myself on the way back with great hills to run down. I'll be doing scouts pace too until I get back into the swing of things which I'm sure tomorrow will be mostly walking!

I also might borrow Matt's ipod to drown out the sound of my raggy breathing - but it'd have to be super loud!

I'll let you know tomorrow evening if it was a good idea to start running again after many years of not!

Press!

I love being featured on people's blogs - would like magazines with 5 million copies being sold all over the world but I'm happy with blogs :)

I was featured on Pink Milk a little while ago as they were doing an article on Withnail and I. Now I have not seen this although I am told it is very good. My Lake District badges were featured as a lot of it was filmed in the Lakes - you learn something new everyday!

And yesterday I was featured on the lovely Ivonnardonas Creations blog - one of my wire star thank you cards was featured.

I just love blog love so feel free to mention me!

4.50pm

This is what we were doing.

Sleeping on mummy

Smiling

Dancing

Being busy

Picnik!

Is fab!!! I've been meaning to have a go at editing some of my photographs with the new picnik software available on Flickr for ages but I just haven't got round to it yet. So today I tried the mummy and baby chicken I made as a commission for Natty Netty.

So here's the original.

And here is the edited one!

It's amazing because I thought that the original wasn't too bad at all until I saw the edited one! I'm going to have to edit lots of photo's now aren't I!

Crafty stuff....

........has kind of been put on hold over here for a little while - it's not that I've not got lots to do (I have!) - but I've just not got the inclination at the moment. So for the time being I am tidying up and sorting out yet more stuff for the charity shop. It all takes longer than you thought too doesn't it? Hopefully if I get the front room sorted today then I will have a picture of some wip's that I need to get started soon.

Here's a cute little owl to keep you going! And it kind of reminds me of our camping trip!

So.....

......I was quite happily catching up with my blog reading (still 340+ posts to read) and I happened upon some of my stuff in Meet Me At Mikes inspiration window! How exciting is that? Well not really to many of you but it was to me! I'd read about their Softies for Mirabel campaign and sent off a couple of my glove rabbits and included some business cards. These were the things included in the window - no biggie but it's on the other side of the world and my things are there!! Anyway please ignore the huge spray paint effect of paint shop pro (I know there is a tool to reduce the paint brush in size but I just can't find it!) and just enjoy as I did seeing my business cards in what looks like a fab shop in Melbourne!

You can clearly see the swirl on this one!

And this is the back of one but it could clearly inspire someone all the same!

Imagine how excited I will be if I spot one of the rabbits in the window!!

New toy!!

Online that is so I haven't been spending any money - just playing! I've just noticed that Ethel has already found this before me but I hadn't noticed before - doh! Anyway - fingers crossed that this comes out ok!



I can see myself making loads of these! Available here.

Back....

....from camping which was lovely! The girls have suntanned faces and so do me and Matt. I feel very relaxed as I didn't take any work with me (nope not one little bit!) - I just lazed in the sun and read several books which was great! Photo's etc later as Matt is uploading them to Flickr while I type - oh and I need to go and get the washing sorted!

The welsh sheep

Sorry no crafty post today as I had a migraine all of yesterday and didn't do a great deal at all. Anya brought home her welsh sheep that she made on Wales day at nursery so we just had to take photographs of her.

Here she is inspecting the dirty window frame!

She is very eco friendly and is inspecting the new swirly wind turbine!

Here she is exploring some of the plants - I think she had a cheeky nibble too.

Here she has found the only expanse of desert in Burnley! You would not believe the position I had to get into to get this photograph!

And of course I had to get a picture of the proud crafter with her creation! Just to clarify - Welsh sheep is a girl but she doesn't have a name yet. I thought it best not to name a sheep made out of a potato who will have to go in the bin soon!

Views in my kitchen

Sorry it's not a crafty post today but I am going to try and list some more of my re-purposed stickers today so tomorrow's post will be abut those! Instead you are treated to some things that caught my attention this morning at breakfast time.

Freshly baked bread! I put this on overnight and we woke up to the smell of it cooking - yummy.

Tara deicded to help me sort out my fruity teabags yesterday and this is the result. Good job I love her!

Some seeds that were given to me by the lovely ladies at Sams (my local scrapstore). I'm not sure what they are but we are going to try some later in our egg sarnies.

My breakfast this morning. Organic bran flakes and blueberries - yum yum. Right I'm off to do another Cuteable post before picking Anya up from nursery. See you tomorrow.

Mummy and baby...

.......chickens that is!! Although technically I'm sure my chickens should be classed as male as they have cockcombs - oh well.

The chicken doorstop pictured is a commission that I received from the lovely lady who runs Natty Netty as she has just opened her B and M store. Now I 'know' Natty Netty as she is a fellow moderator on the Crafts Forum and I had to send her a matching pincushion/paperweight too. The fabric came from a vintage pillowcase (I think I bought it at a charity shop) and was a dream to sew - just the right weight and my sewing machine loved it. And the best bit is is that it is loved by it's new owner!

Quick one......

........as I am sat in bed doing this as I have had a hectic day!! I am now up to 300 hearts over on Etsy - yeah!!!!!!!!

Well technically 301 but who's counting? :)

Testy test test

Just having a quick test.......

Edit - sorry, should have said I was testing out the new 'post your post in the future thingy' on blogger! I can do it for Cuteable and I wanted to check it was the same!

This is......

......my way of recycling!

Using what people may think is rubbish and turning it into something useful and beautiful. This selection includes chicken doorstops, gift tags, cuffs with vintage buttons, badges, journals, stickers, bracelets and envelopes.

This weeks theme was thought up by Three Button's mum!

Update on the dresses

The shirt dress fits perfectly although looks like it will need ironing before being worn as it is very creased - boo! The shoulders on the linen dress are a little odd and may need shortening but I can't be bothered to do that for a while!

This is a parcel that was sent off to a lovely lady yesterday - it's a surprise so I can't say who but I'm sure she will blog about it when it arrives :) I really enjoyed wrapping it up and I might extend this type of packaging to my sales - what do you think?

Here you can see the button ring I have included as an extra - I think it works as a decoration as well as being practical!

Here you can see that I have used an old tray cover that has been cross stitched and vintage lace to tie it together.

Close up of the details! I'm really pleased with how it has turned out but let me know what you think too please!

Charity shop chic!!

So these are the things I bought at the charity shop the other day. I'd had to drop the car off at the garage in a town nearby and it seemed rude not to go and visit the charity shops while we were there! First up I bought these two dresses - the shirtdress is from George originally and the linen one is from Priciples. I didn't try them on so if they don't fit then they will be going back to the charity shop!

I really like the navy stripes on the shirtdress and the flowers on the linen one but the linen one is going to bugger up my theory of not ironing!

It wasn't all stuff for me though - I did buy some things to craft with include some buttons for 90p and some lace and trim that was about £3. Oh and some patterns for me too!

I also picked up some spotty fabric which will probably be turned into a skirt/dress for the girls and a book that will be turned into something - possible envelopes, tags or badges. I also got some other books for the girls but I haven't taken a picture of those.

We also went into town today and I bought a vintage yellow sundress and an old German dictionary - no pics though so you will have to wait until a) I wear it and b) I make something with it!!

Exciting post!!

I know you are expecting a post about my fab charity shop finds (and that will be coming later I promise) but I arrived back from a friends to find some very exciting post! All 4 issues of Mixtape!!!!!!!

I've heard lots about it in blogland and was dying to get the latest issue but thought 'sod it' and bought all the previous issues too! I've been very good and haven't even flicked through them yet - I'm going to leave it until I get some child free time (ha ha ha ha!) I recognised the illustrations of Aunty Cookie straight away!

I also got this catalogue through the post so I can drool over things I can't afford (and frankly I wouldn't pay those prices anyway!).

But I have also just been out to my local craft store and bought a circle punch so I can turn the fancy bits of the catalogue into fab repurposed stickers! I just love recycling/reusing things!!

Busy sewing!

Wow - I've actually spent a whole evening sewing and away from the computer so the blog isn't being updated today - you'll just have to wait til tomorrow for the update on my charity shop goods. I know, how are you going to stand the suspense :)

Stickers!

Here are some sneaky peeks of stickers I have made. I'm still uploading them to Flickr so these aren't all of the ones - just the ones that have uploaded so far.

I like these black and white stickers - I've made them from some lovely paper that I'd forgotten I had and found in the big tidy up of the craft room! My favourites of these are the flower shaped stickers. But my favourite stickers of the ones I've made so far are these below which of course feature re-purposed goods!

Little house stickers made from an old map of Scotland! I'm really pleased with how these have come out so expect to see them on Etsy soon! So I'm really loving my new sticker machine and I'll be back tomorrow to show off the things I bought at the charity shops this morning and what I made with yet another new toy! Oh and some more stickers I would imagine as they haven't all uploaded yet!