House Work - laundry!

don't normally like laundry or ironing ... doesn't make for a great blog post, eh?



but its much more fun to wash and sort the treasure found in someone's loft, isn't it?



This one is my favourite, and reminds me of my grandma...



perhaps I will make bunting for my newly painted living room - almost done!



which one do you like best? I do wonder if I will be able to actually CUT THESE! he he!

House Work - the Window!

My Downstairs toilet was put in 2 years ago, into a generously sized cloakroom by the front door. The window looks onto the back garden, and I covered it with a piece of printed net, worked well if you didn't put the light on, of course! So I got busy with some soapy water, a squeegee and some window film. I am pretty pleased with this!

Russian Doll making - WIP

Recently the girls had been doing some Russian Doll colouring, and designed some of the own for some handmade cards. I decided to buy a set of blanks for us to have a go at the real thing!



I made a Flickr gallery for inspiration, and off we went, starting with some fabric collage and some acrylic paint ...


From left to right, the work of Daisy, Matty, Mary and four for Mummy - the fiddly ones!

Booja-Booja?

The Raggy Rat Video stars!

This Blog in Popular Crafts Magazine!

popular crafts magazine ... got my copy yesterday ... looks good!

Who is this? Someone very interesting!

Meet Rainforest boy, a plush-team challenge sock doll, more about him soon, it's nearly competition time!

Mary is an Intellectual!

Mary loves Edward Tulane!

...and I think he quite likes sitting with Mary!

Owl My Love ... My children!

Ready for take off?



Daisy made owl wings, very successfully and without any grown-ups helping. She has also worn them several times too! The girls often sit on their wendy house roof, hooting, or climb



I know this is really blurred, but it's so funny and I can hear the giggling when I look at it!

Edward's Eyes ...

...are carefully needle felted, as i try and minic the idea that he is a china rabbit and would have his eyes painted on ...



therefore I paint with my needle until everything to the tiny highlight is complete, and then his character starts to really shine!


...even though his eyes are not shiny ... and his muzzle and mouth, well that's needle sculpting!

Hand it to me!

I enjoy photography, and so do many of my friends. Here is one of them, who knows the value of recording our personal stories ... I think we met in 1989 or 90 ... but thats going back a bit, for me!



The other day He surprised me with this picture of my hand, taken when I was a slip of a girl, almost 20 years ago (cough).



I almost didn't recognise this smooth and slightly chubby limb as mine, so long have I been looking down at my hands of late, as a craft worker and Mummy.


These hands have seen a lot of Arts and crafts, lived in different places and nursed four daughters. They currently paint, sew, clean, carry, chop and mix and turn pages, and type - I actually like computers now! Which is handy ...

homely crafting ...

I did this home-improvement craft a while ago, and just didn't get to share it ...



a friend of mine thinks this is the best treatment for pipework ever ... I saw something like it a long time ago done with socks!

Three Eggs ... home grown ...

Three fresh eggs, three different sizes ... now we have had a wind-egg before, but what's this?



a dinosaur egg, me thinks!



And it really is a whopper, poor chicken, well done to my Buff Orpington!

House Work Again!

and the cat was ready to roll!



and the ceiling was sealed!



Meanwhile, in the Garden, after the rain had gone ...

Swing-seat Repair...

One morning at a friend's house, I sat and tore up a duvet and three pillow-cases, scored in a free-cycle win! Then set about making a new seat for this children's garden toy, a favourite of some good friends of ours!



When it is done, children quickly jump on - our little friend here is Boots, and he sat on the seat all afternoon, when we had gone home!



His sister Eleanor is looking forward to eating ice lollies and swinging again!

Hello again Edward Tulane!

feeling naked?



Mary points out all the things I have left to do on him!

no not-new plaster!

I first coated some new plaster today, plaster which was new in Feb of 2008, when Mary was still in my big belly ... so, I am pretty pleased about that!