Big Hamish, Little Hamish, Cardboard box!

Big Hamish - he's a doorstop.

Little Hamish - he's a paperweight/pincushion. And he's new to Swirlyarts!

And there is no cardboard box but my title refers to this iconic song by Bob the Builder!

Fabulous fabric

I spotted a bolt of this fabric in a charity shop on a shopping day out with my mum. A huge bolt! And this was only the second charity shop we had gone into and it was 9.45am! I knew I didn't want to carry it around with us all day (my poor arms!) but I really wanted it. Alas the shop shut at 4.45pm and we weren't sure we could get back in time to collect it if I paid for it there and then.

Luckily we managed to get back in time and it was still sat on the shelf looking back at me longingly! So  for quite a few English pounds it was mine :)

I carried back to the train (15 mins walk with other shopping) and lugged it round Leeds train station whilst waiting for my connecting train.

Today I decided to see just exactly how much there was on the bolt (it still had the original shop tags on it!) There are 22 metres of fabric on the bolt - yep really, 22 metres! I won't use it all by a long shot so there is some for sale in my Anya's Attic shop :)

Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale

I'm having a big sale over in my Etsy shop - everything is 15% off with the code BLACKFRIDAY2011

Stock up on chicken doorstops and pincushions/paperweights as gifts, envelopes to send your cards out in and gift tags to adorn your beautifully wrapped gifts :) The code will end on Monday so fill your boots! I will be adding new stock over the weekend too so do check back.

My Creative Space - lots done so far!

I've made lots of envelopes, packaged them up and even packaged up some extras that were waiting to be done.

I turned a badly fitting dress that rode up all the time (t-shirt type top bit and cotton flowery skirt) into a useable skirt :) The t-shirt bit when it had been chopped off only just came down underneath my boobs so you can see that it was never going to stay at a decent length! And as I don't wear leggings only tights, it was becoming a modesty issue! At least as a skirt it is the right length and should stay put where it is supposed to!

I am also planning on sewing up a hole in this turquoise skirt and covering it with this fabulous patch that I won as part of a giveaway from Millicent Crow.

Before I start sewing though I need to tidy my front room :) Go here for more Creative Spaces.

What I did this morning....

Not the most imaginative post title but it is what it is!

I turned about 300 pages of old catalogues into lots of pretty paper flowers to use on cards.

However I still have about 100 pages to go.........

I also made some button cards :) I'm trying to get lots of things done from my to do list and this is the start of it.

What have you done today?

Sunday fun

Hama bead fun - these are only a couple of the many the girls made

I made and listed some envelopes

I put my horns up! Tara did this when she was tiny and it's stuck as a family thing!

And we snuggled quite a bit

Not pictured - the accounts that Matt finished, the tasty roast pork he cooked or the many, many badges he made for me :) Also not pictured is the tidy studio - but you know what that looks like right?

Best customs form ever! And what came in the parcel :)

The best ever customs form - fabric AND biscuits!!! :) A parcel arrived from the lovely Curly Pops the other day, all the way from sunny Australia. I got lots of lovely goodies - want to see?

The biscuits - a large sharing pack of Tim Tam's. We'll ignore the fact that it says share pack, ok, as they are all for me :)

Some sherbet - this I will share!

Some Go Granny fabric of my very own :) Apologies for the bad photograph but I wanted to keep it in it's plastic wrapping so little hands don't touch it!

Some cool badges :) I want to keep them all but I think the flower and yellow owl might be disappearing off to certain little people!

And some fabric panels - these might become the start of a quilt but they may also be turned into cushions. We will just have to see!

Thanks Cam - your parcel will be on it's way before Christmas :)

Last posting dates for Christmas :)

I've been meaning to write this post for a while but just hadn't got round to it! These are the last posting dates for my Etsy and Folksy shops to ensure you get your goods for Christmas :)

International Airmail

Mon 5th December - South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand


Fri 9th December - Eastern Europe, USA and Canada


Mon 12th December - Western Europe


UK


Weds 14th December - Standard Parcels


Monday 19th December - First class




I know you can post after these dates (only by one day ) but I will be closing my shops over Christmas/not posting so these are the dates I recommend! 

Christmas stickers

A day in the life - Thursday 17th November 2011

This is what I did yesterday :) Laura chose the date for this Day In The Life but it doens't look like she has written hers yet.


6.27 - alarm goes off and I wake up so I can listen to the news on Radio 2 at 6.30.

6.35 - switch laptop on (it lives in the bedroom overnight after the break-in)

6.37 - check email and write today's Cuteable post (should have been last night but I was too tired)

6.37 - 7.05 - sort emails, shops etc online and then tell girls that it is breakfast time

7.10-7.40 - breakfast. I had porridge with honey today plus a cup of fruit tea and a yoghurt drink.

7.40-7.50 - sort girls lunches for school and find 60p for anti bullying wrist bands (selling them at school)

7.50 - 8.25 - get dressed, teeth, hair etc

8.25-8.35 - pin zips into the last two chickens (for a new stockist) ready to sew later while Matt wrapped presents for our new nephew!

8.40 - 9.20 - school run (we stood outside school and chatted for a bit with some friends)

9.25 - cup of tea and start writing this list!

This is the tea of choice at the moment!

9.27 - 9.50 - sew the two remaining chickens.

9.50 - finish drinking my cup of tea - it's still hot! Wonders will never cease!

9.50 - 10 - dash around gathering packing materials and boxes and envelops to get stuff packed up. Have to rush as Homes Under the Hammer starts at 10 :)

10 - 11.30 - packing the chickens up , parcelling them up along with presents for tiny nephew (eeeek!) and a bit of paperwork that goes along with a new stockist. Home Under The Hammer was watched too.

11.35 - 12.05 post office, and a trip to sarnie shop. Update this list.

12.05 - 12.50 - lunchtime. Eating sarnie and checking blog etc. I had a queen of clubs sarnie. Yum!

12.50 1.10- head down to give blood. App not til 1.15 but have to get taz out and it doesn't always start! Pop dryer on just before I dash out too.

1.10 - 1.55 - give blood, chat to nice people doing it, watch needle go in etc :) Have some nice juice but no biscuit and try not to laugh at lady who bitches and moans about everything!

My arm after giving blood. No bruise - yeah!

1.55 - 3.05 - Asda and Halfords - boring but necessary. Food and antifreeze for Taz's engine bought.

3.15 - arrive home just as Matt is going out to get girls. Ask him to go up by himself so I can put dishwasher on,shopping away etc. He's a super star so does :)

3.15 - 3.40 - do stuff above and take photo of arm. Also chop up some more of the Gudrun Sjoden catalogues.

3.40 - 4.05 - snack for girls, checking email etc. Update this list!

4.05 - 4.35 - randomly surfing the web including looking at clothes I can't afford :)

4.35 - Anya pulls my plaster off my arm where I gave blood. She is good :)

4.36 5.16- putting oven on, getting pizza ready, chopping up more bits of paper but with a specific purpose this time - see 6.15 - 6.45 below.

5.16 - 6.15 Tea time, chatting with girls and Matt, sorting dishwasher etc

6.15 - 6.45 check emails/reply, open a very nice parcel and cover my new stockists folder with pretty papers :) Who wants a boring folder anyway!

Front of folder

Back of folder

Spine

6.45 - 7.10 - Bedtime routines for girls

7.20 - ask Matt to help me carry some magazines in from car. Got them from a fellow crafter :)

7.25 - 9-30 - tear pages out of magazines ready to go in inspiration book.

9.30 realise that I'm not going to get through all the magazines tonight and take laptop to bed to write tomorrow's Cuteable post

9.30 - 10.09  Write cuteable post and sort through cuteable emails.

10.10 - laptop off and sleepyland time :)


Exciting, non? :)

More Decluttering

The girls have been helping me with the decluttering this week and I must admit I have been encouraging them :) I'm also being cheeky and including their items in my total!

They got rid of 5 Barbies (counted as one item), a book, a Polly Pocket car, some sort of toy shelf and a pair of fancy dress shoes.

I've got rid of a rather groovy Royal tray, a book that I have managed to get two copies of, a water pistol (!), some wire coat hangers (counted as one), a toy car thing, a bag that only has one handle (a dodgy design feature!) and some slipper that have inserts in the bottom that can go into the microwave so you have heated slippers. A great idea and perfect if you are just going to be sitting still but they are fairly heavy to walk around in otherwise!

So 12 things this week plus the 59 from last week means a total of 71 items. I'm aiming to take part in the 2 mini challenges too but that will probably be a separate post next week. Happy de-cluttering if you are taking part too.

These are very me!

These patches are very me :) I'm an eternal optimist and make my neighbour laugh at my optimism about the weather in the North West of England. If it's not raining I will hang the washing out even if there are big black clouds looming :) One is destined for my patch blanket (when I get round to making it!) and I'm not sure what the other one will be used for.

Patches from here.

P.S. All of the proceeds from the sale of the patches goes to the It Gets Better Project.

Weekend fun

:: Cheeky Monkey Cake

:: Blowing out the candles

:: Present opening

:: A new favourite cuddly toy

:: More present opening

:: A pile of Gudrun Sjoden catalogues being turned into flower cards

:: Not pictured - Plasticine fun, good food, lots of cake, fab family time :)

Hope your weekend was fun too?

Etsy and Folksy sales

As you may have seen I hit 200 sales in my Folksy shop on Sunday and yesterday I hit 300 sales in my Etsy shop :) :)

Yay for sales :) And which shop do you think will get to 201/301 first?

Wow - time flies!

I can't believe that Anya is 8 today!! Where has the time gone?

Helping her baby sister exercise aged 3

After many years Bo is still her favourite teddy!

And now 

Happy Birthday gorgeous girl - you are clever, beautiful, ambitious, book worm, avid crafter, the best big sister, funny and we are so proud that you are our big girl. Love you lots!

Hebden Bridge Rag Market and a really stupid question

On Sunday Matt and Anya went to the farmers market and Tara and I stayed at home - until I saw a Facebook message about the WI Rag market in Hebden Bridge that was! It started at 11am and we got there at about 11.30. I will try to get to the next one for bang on 11 as it was heaving! Next time I would go without a child(ren) as poor Tara got pushed about quite a bit by mad women on the hunt for fabric! At one point she turned to me and said (in quite a loud voice) 'That lady in the purple skirt stood on my foot and didn't say sorry'. Nothing like an indignant 5 year old to get you stared at! To be fair the lady did apologise and told Tara that she was doing a good job holding *all* that fabric for Mummy - top parent, me! Anyway, enough waffle - lets see the fabric!

Some scraps but enough for a chicken or two - 50p each

5 patchwork panels - £5. I'm thinking that with some extra colour, these would look great as a blanket.

Some pretty linens - £2 for both. The top one is pretty badly damaged with holes in some of the lace bits.

A vintage Sanderson panel - isn't it gorgeous?? This was £6 which is a bit more than I would normally pay but when I pulled it out of the box (it was right at the bottom) a woman nearly grabbed it out of my hand to try and buy so I wouldn't let go! Think of the chickens that will be made from this!

And this part of a quilt - it was £1 :) And now my really stupid question is this (and don't laugh!) What the heck do I do with the bits of paper that are in the back of the quilt? I've never used hexagons in quilts before and I know that it is called paper piecing and I can see tacked stitches. I assume that if I pull the tacked stitches out that these pieces or paper would come out too? See - stupid question! But I would quite like to know please!

All in all I would go to the Rag Market again!