✴ to sleep, perchance...??

It would seem my little princess has a pea the size of a 'waterlemon' {her word} under her mattress judging by the amount, or lack of, sleep we have been having this week. 

We have been awake all night. No, really, ALL night! I managed to sleep for one hour before the princess awakened from her sleep of disrupted enchantment and decided enough was enough, why bother waiting for morning...

I know I should be napping now, while she {finally} is. But the problem is I just can't;

{1} a couple of hours just won't cut it and I'll feel even worse, I know it, 

{2} the chance of some quality time on the stitch with glorious peace and daylight far outweighs the bliss of sleep. Really. I know. I'm bonkers.

I made this 'Princess and the Pea' for her the Christmas before last, her first ever one. I'll admit, it was initially met with an expression of what am I supposed to do with this...?

However over time she learned the simple pleasures of flinging the mattresses to the far corners of the living room, or even at a passing cat. And now, we are almost a very grown up two and a half, we have fun with tucking the princess up into bed and kissing her 'night, night'.

It's not even finished {gasp, shock} I had wanted to embroider 'the princess' on the blanket and I was never that happy with how my princess turned out! We have seemingly lost the pillow and a couple of the mattresses {probably under the sofa or hidden by the cats}.

Despite this and although it took a little while, she loves playing with it now. I think children adore to sort and stack and this seems to fit the bill perfectly. There is nothing worse than spending time and love with every stitch of a handmade toy for it to be pushed to the side in favour of some cheap plastic tat!

{'princess and the pea' pattern from More Softies }

✴ happy monday

I've been flower mad recently. Dismayed at the lack of floral prettiness in my garden I've been researching the diy option and along the way have discovered a vast array of paper and fabric flower tutorials on t'internet. 

I'm normally crafting fake fabric flowers and twirly, ruchy, frilly bits for hats and headdresses so it was quite pleasing to find some ideas of the paper variety and the larger and more decorative the better.

So on friday afternoon me and the little lady sat at the kitchen table and buzzed away in our little creative spaces, me with cutting and pleating these petals while she got messy with paint and brushes.....

{we are still trying to comb dried paint out of her hair...}

This giant poppy was made from a Martha Stewart tutorial. I changed it slightly, using fabric as well as paper and stuck a large vintage button in the centre. I must say it was a sheer delight to make and pretty simple and quick too. 

This one ended up as a gift for a birthday girl. It was such a calming and relaxing pastime that I'm sure I'll be making more, watch this space....

Happy flower filled week. x

✴ edith's sweet treats::giveaway

Today this little blog is celebrating it's 3 year....ermmm...and one week birthday!

Ok, so with all the excitement, festivities and bank holiday relaxing of last weekend I completely forgot about my little blogs special day. I'm sorry little blog. 

Anyway, to mark this momentous moment....ahem....I shall be doing a little giveaway.

A short while ago I started to stitch some button brooches from a raggy old bit of unfinished embroidery. And so, although progress has been a little bit slow - blamed solely on my infatuation with watching The Killing almost every night and as we all know, evening craft and subtitled viewing do not mix well - I think I may have a few of these little vintage embroidered brooches to giveaway to a few lovely readers...that is you. Details below.

Someone asked me if I had ever thought about the stitcher of this unfinished embroidery, and let me just say, OH YES, I HAVE......! {Warning! Long ramble approaching...}

I imagine she is a lady who lives in a house similar to mine, in a London surbarb. 

Her name is Edith and it is spring 1939. 

She spends her day consumed with duties of a busy housewife. In the morning she cleans out the grate of last nights blackened ashes from the stove, washes the windows with newspaper and vinegar solution. She exchanges pleasantries and discusses the delightfully clement weather with the postman and visits the grocer for cabbage for the evening stew she'll spend the afternoon preparing.

She is a stocky, middle aged lady with greying pincurled hair. She never leaves the house without her hat and her best coat, even when the sun is warm and always wears her crossover pinny when home. She's a bit clumsy and heavy handed but she works hard and is meticulous in her chores.

She worries that she cannot keep up with the local housewives and their 'domestic goddess' like ways.

Having visited them all for afternoon teas and congratulated them on their lightness of scone, selection of perfect china and beauty of their delicately hand stitched and co-ordinated table linens.

Realising it will soon be her time for an 'at home' and she sets about with a 'stitch it yourself' small tablecloth. 

Oh how she wants to impress those opinionated ladies. 

The stitching is harder than she thought, the threads become tangled all too often and the embroidery takes many months of stitching.

She works on it in the evening while her husband sleeps off dinner in the armchair and listening to the wireless she trys to shut out news of the impending troubles in Europe with colourful threads of periwinkle blue, peach and magenta, slowly creating a bouquet of flowers on the cream linen cloth.

The tablecloth will never be finished because with the outbreak of war comes far more important chores than embroideries and afternoon tea. Edith carefully places the unfinished embroidery in her sewing box.

She now wears overalls and sturdy lace up boots, she rolls up her sleeves and heads off to the local garage to take up her job as a mechanic. 

Now the men are all off fighting for their country it's down to the strong and sturdy women like Edith to keep things going. This was what she was born to do. The 'domestic goddesses' are appalled at her dirty oily hands and disheveled hair but are secretly just a bit in awe too.

Edith finally feels important and worthy, she never takes out the embroidery again, such delicate tasks are not for the likes of Edith. Neither does she worry about her failure in baking or spends too much time on making her windows shine. Instead she is Queen of the engine and all is good.

{not factually based....obviously - ramblings of a daydreamer!!!}

These two little birds {£3 each}, picked up and subsequently sprayed in white from the local charity shop the other week, were just a bit chuffed to be asked to carry the banner to announce the giveaway. I can't help but notice how lovely these are in a weddingy sort of way. A brilliantly cheap way of decorating a venue.

I'm wondering about giving them gold painted beaks...what do you think?

So if you would like to enter, just leave a comment below with an email address/blog link so that I can contact you should you win.

No need to be a follower, or mention this on your blog, or tweet or bleat or whatever else about this. It's just a simple gift from me, and I am happy to send these little lovelies wherever in the world you may be.

I will, in a blindfolded sort of way, draw three winners from the proverbial hat {well, in actual fact, probably a real hat...} the week after next so you have until midnight {GMT } next sunday {15th} to enter.

Brooches will be selected randomly and I suspect a few other bits of craftiness will be added to the giveaway package!

Bonne chance, mes amis!

{Swinnertons 1950's cake stand from my sister-in-law}
Flea Market Finds at Her Library Adventures.

P.S Please do not reveal the ending to The Killing, I have not finished watching it yet!!!!

✴ hanging around, shooting the breeze...

The temperatures are soaring here. We've been getting rather hot under the collar, me and the little lady. So much so that it is actually quite nice to rest a while indoors and enjoy some shade, some quiet and have a bit of a cool down.

And so, I've been covering wire hangers with selvedge trim. As a 20 minute wind down {or wind around?} and the calming qualities of hanger covering are really quite surprising....honestly! 

Give it a go...turn something destined for the dump into something Mr Morris would be proud of {practical and beautiful?}...

I used selvedge because I have piles of it and really, what else can you do with it? I also love the dual recycling purposes of the ugly wire hanger and the scruffy unloved selvedge, a perfect partnership, methinks!

But you could easily use ribbon or cotton tape. Just wrap it around the hanger, no need even to sew, I just wrapped a small piece of double sided sticky at the beginning and end of each piece. Job done.

Kirsty has got everyone hanger crazy!

✴ all around me...

China cups of tea on a ribbon strewn desk...

Liberty, lavender, love and luck...

Vintage milk glass earrings...{tick}

Hearts and kisses and little girl summer skirts...."Oo... like dat, mummy..."

Can't help but feel all pinky and peachy on this tropical and sun sparkled day. And all about my space are hints of Summer. I've also become smitten with the world of the podcast. To add to my old lady style I'm rather loving, Desert Island Discs, Gardeners' Question Time and, wait for it {and no, smug, "told you so" laughing, mum and dad...} The Archers!!!! Although I have no idea what on earth is going on I just snuggle in to the west country accents and 'trouble at mill' storylines. 

And really, did David push Nigel off the roof..? Hhhmmmm........

My Creative Space at Kootoyoo.

✴ a place for everything...

...and everything in it's place.

On saturday I had a much longed for day on my own. I had looked forward to it all week and had many plans and grand ideas of lovely things I would spend the day making, away from yoghurty toddler fingers.

Of course, it didn't quite work out as planned. Once laundry had been sorted, the dishwasher emptied, the table tidied, a quick {ok, not so quick} peruse round t'internet, materials and trimmings fussed over... and so on and so forth.....it was lunch time already!! 

I had that much whirring away in my little head I didn't know where to begin. Don't you hate it when that happens?

I did bits of things. A bit more of the tatty linen brooches. A bit of silky yoyo stitching. A bit of flower stitching. A bit of this and a bit of that. But nothing finished. No ticks on the To Do list.

When the mr and the little one returned home I was feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. In that a whole day had passed and I had achieved very little. And that was that day, gone.

I had a little rant. Yes, I did.

Waaa....it's not fair I don't have any space to call my own....why can't I use your office too, it's not fair.....Waaaaa, woe is me.......me, me, me, me, me.....Waaaa........ etc etc.....

To which mr h replied a calm, Yes, of course. We'll buy you a new desk, we'll get rid of some bits of furniture, I'll clear a space......No problem. 

Gosh don't you just hate it when men respond to your wailing in a positive and productive manner?! 

So  I have a new desk {ok still in it's box but we're getting there..} and a new space to create a mess and not have to eat dinner around...Don't get me wrong, it'll be tight in there, but it'll do until the house is done.

I picked up these little baskets and old utensils tray which has been 'shabby chic-ed' in a rustic painted sort of way, from my local antique market on a quick shop late on sunday. They are just so perfectly pretty for storing all my unfinished bits and pieces and I've spent a few stolen moments today sorting and tidying all my creative mess. I'm going to make little basket inserts out of the spotty fabric which was  a bargain buy from the local charity shop just before christmas. But I think I'll save that for another day!

Apologies for the ridiculous length of this post but I'm a bit poorly with a horrible chest infection and can't be bothered to cut and paste images together in a montage way so just put them all in as are - sorry!

My space has taken on quite vintage vibe of late and so I'm linking this post to both Flea Market Finds and My Creative Space. This week is all about multi-tasking!

I'm off for an early bed, night night {cough...splutter...}x

✴ unfinished embroidery

Quite a while ago I bought a mixed lot of vintage linens and doilies. In amongst them was this embroidered cloth, unfinished by the stitcher and now a faded brown colour from many years of storage. Even several dips in biotex couldn't revive it's former pallor. It was doubtful I was ever going to finish the embroidery, and really, would it even be that pretty if I did? What to do. 

After much deliberation, constant digging it out from my vintage linen stash...and then putting it back again, I eventually decided to take the plunge and just do something, anything with it.

Those with a nervous disposition should turn away now because I went at it brazenly with a pair of scissors and cut it into many tiny circles for covered buttons. There, done, breathe.

I hope the stitcher doesn't mind. I thought it should start a new life as some pretty brooches and finally get to see the light of day and possibly enjoy some small adoration for its embroidered beauty. 

Most people would probably refer to this as a musty bit of old tat, this antique linen, once a treasured pastime and which for some reason was abandoned in its stitchery completeness. 

Maybe now at last, it can be moved to the pile of finished projects.

Erm...when I get round to finishing the brooches.....which I will, I will, I promise.........

{...coughs sheepishly...}

More finished and unfinished loveliness can be seen over at Kootoyoo.

✴ accessorized

{snowheart silver earrings}

I love making pretty girly things like earrings, bracelets, scarves, bags, belts, etc...Perfectly lovely things to give as gifts or keep and wear over the festive period.

I made these silver earrings for a Canadian friend as a much belated birthday gift. I think I'll be making some more as gifts, the snowflake pattern is obviously just perfect for Christmas!

The stash of Liberty fabrics I recently ordered is now being made into tie belts with vintage buckles.

And some crochet with a notion for making wrist cuffs, which I'm still working out a pattern for.

{I'm finding the Mad Men box set perfect viewing for sewing/knitting/crocheting to}

Some good books for accessory inspiration;

In Stitches

Making Vintage Accessories

Bead Handmade Style

Christmas inspiration over at Knicky Knacks.

✴ i love the postman....

....for many reasons. Most importantly because this particular postie acknowledges our ridiculously petit 1930's letterbox as useless and so, unlike the others who try to squeegee a large catalogue through the narrow silver flap, he politely knocks on the door and with a very pleasant 'Good Morning' he hands over our post. How lovely.

I especially love him this morning because he came bearing pretty gifts such as this pile of Liberty fabrics - yum......such Liberty Love possibilities.....

...and this gorgeous Big Love print and two Christmas cards from Lisa Stubbs of 'Lil Sonny Sky.

You should go take a peek at her Etsy shop.

Go on....Christmas is coming.....

✴ felt like christmas

So, it's the 12 weeks of Christmas, officially, today. That is, 12 weeks until Christmas, in other words, 12 weeks to get busy....   12 WEEKS!!!! How did that come round so fast...?

So in a bid to get organised and share in a bit of Christmas making & baking cheer, I'm joining in with the Handmade Christmas Challenge. 

Today has been a thoroughly miserable day, constant drizzle outside and constant grizzle inside. We seem to be on our third toddler sniffle of the last month or so.....So, in between games of peepo and tickle monster, I managed to sneak a peek through a few crafty books for a bit of inspiration. 

I'm loving all things Scandinavian at the moment and Swedish design just seems to work so well for Christmas decorations. Love this little bird garland in Scandinavian Needlecraft {and so many other lovely things in this book} so I started to scribble a similar pattern and delved through bits of felt and such and came across a pile of felt balls I bought last year in Australia. I haven't really had a clue what to do with these and suddenly at that point it seemed logical to thread them onto some embroidery floss and make them into a lovely colourful garland. Which cheered us up no end. I think it looks a bit Swedish, a bit Eames. The little lady loved this garland so much so, she felt compelled to crayon around it and run around the house with it immediately. So, it turned into a big tangled mess.....

After braving the rain to gather some spinach from the garden for lunch I eventually got to string the garland up in the bay window. There it remains....Can I keep it there until Christmas...is it too early for decorations? As the fairy lights from last year are still wrapped around the staircase...I would say No!

If you wanted to make a felt ball garland you could probably find some felt balls here.

✴ my creative space

Something Blue.......

I'm just popping in to play along with my creative space because it's been yonks! 

Yonks since I was even here......Here's a brief update.....

The little lady has been teething....of epic proportion! Nearly two months of nights screaming and griping. Tantrums and tears....and that's just me....

 I know now, more than ever, that unless you get a decent uninterrupted nights sleep, well, forget getting anything done the next day.... 

I'm running very behind and am constantly playing catch up. 

There's a tiredness and exhaustion that I remember well from the early weeks of motherhood.

Anyway, this time will pass, eventually I will get belated gifts in the post, I will finish new baby gifts - before new babies are teens....and  I will have a home that looks like it has leapt from a page of Homes and Gardens.....I will, oh yes I will......probably.......

In brief but welcome moments of calm creativity I've been busy with bridal commissions.

The wedding headdresses, and then subsequent bridesmaid headdresses were worn with style at the weekend! Hooray job done and huge success. Congratulations to the Bride and Groom.

I'm eagerly awaiting the photos.......so will post soon.....

I also worked on this commission from the Bride's mother (all top secret) to make the bride a wedding horseshoe with fabrics from the mother of the brides wedding dress....how sweet.

I added some blue stitching with the initials of the bride and groom and the date, and of course a dainty blue silk bow.

I loved working on this for many reasons. The obvious sentimental meaning of the gift, the up-cycling of the wedding dress fabric and just the general prettiness.... diamante, ribbons, beading, fabric rose making loveliness of it all.

Three out of four Somethings, ain't bad?!

✴ ahem...ahem...without further ado...

It's been a bit hectic and sleep deprived around here, hence the slight delay in picking a giveaway winner. Anyway at last I can reveal that Little Ted Canvas was picked out as the winner and will receive a collection of handmade goodies, including a 'Tickety Bow' brooch, vintage button hair grips and a 'Union' pin/lavender cushion...

My eager assistant also picked out three runners up who will be sent some vintage button hair grips;

Cupcakes and Biscuits 

From little Things 

Melbourne Epicure 

Be sure to email me with your addresses so I can get your goodies in the post...

{sassybats@hotmail.com}

Thanks to everyone who entered and all who stop by here and comment. It means so much to me and I love to read your comments and visit your creative worlds.

Thank you. x

✴ a doodle do...

{...Or how to turn a square into a triangle...}

As the baba is probably a bit too small for the festival of chocolate that soon approaches, although she'd give it a good go, I've been making some little Easter lovelies for her to enjoy this weekend instead.

I got the idea for these bean bags in a lovely book I recently had out from the library (for a little too long..Ooops!) called Green Crafts for Children.

They were going to be chickens but roosters just have more decorative bits don't you think?

As I had to return the book (before the fine got any higher...) I just made these up. Actually I made them a little big but they are still ok to be grabbed and thrown, so job done! 

They were super easy to make and I might make some even bigger and fill with sand for door stops, or some super small and fill with tea for tea bags....erm, maybe not.....

 

1. Cut two squares of fabric (6" is a good size for bean bags) 
2. Cut any decorative bits (I did rooster bits) out of contrasting fabric, felt is good. Sew bits, facing inwards, onto right side of one piece of fabric (in the corner). Applique any additional pieces now (like wings)
3. With right sides facing sew up three sides of the square (with the sewn bits in top corner) leaving an opening at the bottom.
4. Turn right sides out. Topstitch over sewn seams (if you want ) and around the felt bits - looks a bit nicer and finished off.
5. Fill with dried beans, lentils or rice, or sand (for door stops). Now fold in the edges of the open seam and instead of sewing straight (which would make a square) hold the opening in the middle and pull outwards with both hands with the bottom of the side seams in the middle and sew across that way. You could add some trim here if you fancied. I stitched in some yellow ric rac to look a bit like feet!

✴ my creative space

I have a bit of a bad habit with starting new projects before finishing old ones. It's a curse.

Consequently I often find things packed away in drawers and baskets, half finished waiting for a final bit of  titivation.

So this week, as the itchy spots of the baba's chicken pox finally dry up and go (too much info?) I stumble across something infinitely prettier, as spots go.

A stash of baba bibs, cut out of green spotty pvc ( quite a wee while ago...). Stored away waiting for a trim.

It just so happens that this week I received a lovely package, from Clothkits, of Liberty fabric bias binding I recently ordered online.

It was like it was meant to be. A marriage made in bib heaven.

My Creative Space at Kootoyoo.

✴ my creative space

There have been spots in my space this week. 

Not pretty polka dots but horrible red itchy spots of the chicken pox variety.

Not nice.

Especially not nice on a 14 month old.

At least she's getting them out of the way. As everyone keeps saying.

Done and dusted. Ticked off the list of childhood illnesses.

There has been much staying in. 

Now we are over the worst of the illness there is now the main irritation.

We are both a bit stir crazy and we are getting on each others nerves. I know it, the baba knows it.

Normally I'd love the chance to stay in and catch up with my stitching 'to do' list.

But the baba has other ideas.

Why sit quietly enjoying a pleasant half hour of crochet or cross stitch ( ...yes, I know she hasn't even learnt to walk yet, let alone master simple crafts....) when there are books to be pulled off shelves, wooden blocks to throw in the air and cat tails to pull......

So there has been dark evening sewing. Sometimes it's the best kind. Although often now it reminds me of a past life of freelancing, slumped at the sewing machine into the wee small hours.....Shudder...!

Anyway, I have managed to get started on a few housey bits.

A cushion cover made from some fabric I bought in Australia from Selvedge House.

And I have at last made a start, and actually even finished one set of arm covers for the settees.

To hide the tatters left behind from naughty cats scratching.

Naughty cats! This is not a scratchy post!

Go and scratch one of the 8 or so scratchy posts we have actually bought for you...for the sole purpose of scratching....made of scratching material.....for scratchy cats......Oh I may as well talk to myself.....sigh.....

I added some pockets on the side. I like that I have somewhere to put a couple of magazines and hide the remote controls (but always know where they are...clever!) in a pretty fabric pocket.

I got a bit carried away and started to make covers for the other settee completely forgetting the dimensions are slightly different as it is a sofa bed!

Doh! Unpicking begin......

Side step to Kootoyoo for some far less itchy creative spaces.