Just playing!

My husband has an iphone4 and I'm looking to get a new phone so this is a little experiment to see if I can create a post using his phone. Using the keypad is a bit fiddly. Do any ofyou use a Mobile to post? What do you use and how easy do you find it? I can't seem to access the photos on my phone to upload them. Can anyone help with this?
Becky x

537!

537. That's the number of eggs my 4 lovely chickens have laid this year! Three of them have been double yolkers! Just look at the size difference!

We wrote the number of eggs collected each day on our calendar. Now, with all these lovely eggs around, there has been a lot more egg-based cooking going on. Boiled eggs have certainly been on the menu once or twice and this led me to thinking that perhaps I could make something useful for us all with my felt. A friend had very kindly given me a carrier bag of wool roving (not sure what sort) of many mixed colours and this seemed perfect for a play. And so last night I cut some bubble wrap into a template and made this...

I'm sure you've guessed where this is leading. Yes, I decided to have a go at making some egg cosies (not a little felt hat!). I layered up the wool, lining it with bright pink then using a navy blue on top.

I bought a small roll of mixed fabrics recently to applique some pictures on to my felt and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to use them.

I blanket stitched the turned up bottom edge.

Using my sizzix machine and a flower die, I cut a large flower for the front, attached it using bondaweb (also cut using the same die) and ironed on. Some matching buttons for the center and some ribbon for a loop. Finished!

Perhaps not completely finished as I think it needs some blanket stitch around the flower. It is on the large side and completely covers the egg and cup, but I had to allow for shrinkage of the wool and it didn't shrink as much as I had anticipated.

The egg and cup are nestle happily under the cosy in the last picture! I actually quite like it that large and I'm sure it will keep our eggs toasty whilst I'm gathering the clan around the table!

YYYYYY

 

Hoping to show you all my finished granny square cushion in my next post.

Becky x

A small apology for my absence lately. Simon went into hospital for the third time in as many weeks on Wednesday and I just didn't want to write a post of moans and whinges. He is home again, this time hopefully for good! (Actually I have just realised that is a complete lie as he is due to go into hosiptal for an operation on his shoulder on the 10th of August - my birthday! Having a run of bad luck at the moment.)

Holidays are here!

Firstly, thank you for so many very kind and complementary comments on my posts recently. They really are a pleasure to read and have cheered me up no end!

The first real day of summer holidays (I had an INSET day yesterday) and I feel lousy; headache, tummy bug, the works. It is par for the course for a teacher, but Simon didn't come home until Thursday evening last week and I really don't want him to get another bug. He is on the mend but his levels are not stable and we're hoping things will settle down soon.

Anyway, I can't lie in bed any longer so I thought I would show you the little gift bags Lulus and I made for the gifts for her teacher and teaching assistants.

We decided on the smaller flower brooches in the end, so I shall be placing some of the larger flowers in my poor neglected folksy shop soon!

I have noticed recently my followers have been sneaking up and, as I approach that milestone of 50, realise that this would be a good time to start thinking about the customary giveaway! Any suggestions? You all know what I like to make, but what would you like to win? Don't be shy, I would love to know!

Becky x

Blog Awards (and a few more felt flowers thrown in for good measure!)

It is my pleasure to pass on those lovely blog awards in this post. I always find this tricky - there are so many lovely blogs out there. After a little thought (my brain is capable of no more than this at the moment!) I have chosen the following blogs for the Liebster Blog award:

a creative being

Felt by Rae

Ogham Moon

Annaboo's House

Pretty Petal Handmade

unravelled

All really lovely blogs and well worth a visit if you have not done so already. As I have said before, if I have passed an award on to you and you do not wish to receive it I will not be offended.

I had a little time to myself yesterday, so I had a play with the leftover bits of felt 'pancake' from my roses and made these...

They are much smaller than the others and I think a bit more wearable. They are placed on 4" hat pins that I have been meaning to use for ages.

You can see the silk fibres more in these too. My favourite is the lilac one.

I made one using two colours as I didn't have enough orange left to make a whole flower. In truth,I don't actually like it. What do you think?

So, do I give the large flowers or small as the gifts for Lulus teacher and support staff? I love the big but perhaps they are too large for a day-to-day accessory. I could do with some advice here from my fellow bloggers please!

I think I'm done with the felt flowers for a while now! I'm going to have a go at finishing my felt bag and crochet cushion, I have too many WIPs to start anything new!

Hope you all have lovely weekends.
Becky x

More Felt Roses 2

A couple more pancakes have become a couple more roses!

I think I have the technique down to a fine art now. Some unpicking and reshaping has been required along the way, but the last one I stitched in one go and I’m really pleased with the result. I'm still playing around with colours and adding silk fibres.

I am hoping to do a post tomorrow to pass on the two awards I received last week, but my husband is in hospital and I'm snatching rare moments for such things. He was in hospital last week, hence the 'fraught' comment in my last post, and has been readmitted as he is simply not well enough to be home. In case you're wondering, Simon is a type 1 diabetic, which means he is insulin dependant, and the virus (not chicken pox) that Little Mannie had hit Simon like a ten ton truck. His immune system is just hopeless. Anyway, he is in the best place and will hopefully recover quickly and be home with us soon.

You may have also noticed I am playing around with fonts (children in bed - it's either this or sort the washing!). What do you think? Is it harder to read? I don't want to put all my lovely readers off!
Nearly the weekend - hang in there!
Becky x

I Love Blog Awards!

Oh my! What a wonderful bloggy week I had last week. I say 'bloggy' as my actual week was pretty rubbish, but all is lovely in the world now! I have received two blog awards! Amazing! If you have visited me here before, you will know that I harbour no ill feeling towards blog awards! In my opinion, it's just a nice way to say thanks for giving us something nice to follow.

From Bee - thank you Bee!

From tillyflopscreations - another big thank you!

A huge welcome to my new followers. I'm sorry my posts are not more frequent of late but things at work and home have been a bit fraught. Roll on the end of term! The annual reports are both finished and distributed so that's a huge relief.

 I now, of course, have to think up some more interesting (ha!) facts about myself. We may be scraping the bottom of the barrel here, but I will do my best. To liven up my very dull facts, I will put in some photos of my watercolour paintings.

1. I have dabbled in many crafts - flower pressing, dried flower arranging, quilting, glass etching, glass painting, silk painting, mosaic making, watercolour painting, silk paper making, jewellery making, knitting, felting and crochet. Still haven't made my fortune!

2. When I was 17 I wore floaty floral dresses and skirts with black or cherry red doc marten boots! Still have the cherry reds in the loft - can't bear to part with them.

3. I would love to buy a kiln and make some dichroic glass jewellery but it's just too expensive. I looked into microwave kilns, which are a fraction of the price, but there seems to be an issue with the annealing process and so I axed the whole idea. I know I could do a college course but with two young children I just can't spare the time.

4. I have had three narrow boat holidays with my family in recent years, two of them were done whilst I was heavily pregnant (madness!) so I didn't get to do the locks. I was the chief cook and bottle washer! It really is a lovely way of life and makes for a fab holiday.

5. I worked in a National Trust tearooms before I started teaching and still bake some of the recipes today. Yummy! Just in case you weren't sure, it is most definitely a Cornish cream tea and not a Devonshire cream tea! (Oooo, I'm going to get some grief for that one!)

6. I am addicted to Eastenders. I know that's not good, but I am!

7. Same fact as last time - I hate having my photo' taken. However, I thought I would share another one with you as I did with my last award facts list. This one was taken on my wedding day nearly 3 years ago.

Phew! I made it - hope you did too!
I will pass on these lovely awards in my next post later this week.

On the 'making' front, I have re-sewn the pink felt flower and it now sits much better. I have also made two more felt 'pancakes' ready for flowers. Hope to get these sewn later in the week so I can put them in my next post.

Have a good one.
Becky x
PS Is anyone loving the Molly Makes magazines as much as me?

More Felt Roses...

Well, Sue (http://blog.suepops.co.uk/), you were absolutley right! I was so chuffed with how the first felt flower came out that my fingers were itching to make another one, and then another. Talk about addicitive!
The pink flower came together quite well, but has a lot of felt sticking out at the back and won't sit neatly as a brooch so I'm going to unpick it and sew it again.

There is a real element of serendipity to these flowers, it is hard to control how they come out as the felt tends to do it's own thing as you sew.
I tried an orange felt next. I was so enthusiastic, I forgot to take a photo before I started cutting!

I love the tones of orange and burgundy in this felt and the silk fibres catch the light beautifully too.

I have quite a collection of silk fibre because a fibre artist had cleared out her studio last year and sold loads of her stuff at a car boot sale! Unfortunately, I missed a huge bag of merino wool by about two minutes! Wasn't it nice of her to share that with me!

My favourite shape is the first one I made. Strangely, it seemed to come together more quickly and effortlessly than the other two. Possibly my fault as I think I tried to hard to control the shape of the following ones.

You may have notices that I have changed the header on my blog. I haven't ever been completely happy with it and was waiting to make something that would be both beautiful and reflect my style. I like this header much more - it is very 'me'!
I have a busy week coming up at work so I probably won't be visiting blogland until the weekend.
Happy crafting to you all!
Becky x

PS. I am so used to typing 'Becky x' at the end of my posts and comments, that I did it in a professional capacity in an email yesterday and didn't realise until after I had sent it! How silly did I feel! LOL ;)
PPS. We're not sure that Little Mannie does have chicken pox now! The rash hasn't blistered as chicken pox is supposed too, but faded to nothing. Possibly a virus?

Felt Rose

I had a little play with the felt I made and, for a first attempt, the flower has come out quite nicely.

I didn't need the whole circle but just used the outside edge so I'll save the leftover piece for another project.

I can't wait to make up the pink felt flower now. I am tempted to wire some beads into it.
Little Mannie is coping well, covered in calamine lotion but in better spirits. He had a good play in the garden when it was a little cooler this afternoon and, several swing rides, slides, climbs, bounces, bubbles and sandcastles later he is a much happier bunny!
Wishing you all sunny Sundays!
Becky x

Poppies and Roses

I found this in the greenhouse this week...

Okay, it wasn't completely unexpected. I first noticed the plant about 8 weeks ago, in a pot where it shouldn't be! Last year I planted some poppy seeds, but they never germinated and I threw the soil on a flowerbed and forgot about it. A stray seed must have made it's was into a pot in the greenhouse and there it now is! I have also found several more of these poppy plants in the flower bed where I threw the compost so I'm hoping for a few more of these lovely blooms.

Little Lulus is approaching the end of her first year in school. Where has that time gone? I know all to well how children whizz through their primary school years. We worked out the other day that in the same amount of time again as we have already spent with our girl, she will be preparing for Secondary school. Nasty thought!

Anyway, I wanted to make some gifts with Lulu for her teacher and the teaching assistants that have given her such a wonderful start in school and cultured that all important love for learning. I have had a little experiment with some felt this week.

They look a bit like felt pancakes, don't they?!

I am hoping to turn these into roses by cutting a spiral and rolling along the coiled strip. If they are successful I shall get Lulus to help me make some more. I just love the pink one with the silk fibres sparkling in the middle. I'm hoping that the dark part will end up in the centre of the rose and the pale part as the outer petals. I love this experimental stage but hate the thought of it all going horribly wrong and wasting lovely felt!

It's amazingly sunny here, but poor Little Mannie has got chicken pox. He had a raging temperature mid-week and I suspected it might be the start of something. Sure enough, when we got up this morning he was pickled all over his chest and back. He is quite irritable and just wants to do his own thing. Bless! We're hoping Lulus will get it too so we can get it out of the way in one go!
Hope you are enjoying the sun in your part of the world too.
Becky x