craftnstuff

cosying up for winter

2011-10-08T11:50:00.002+01:00

today ive dug out all the crochet cushions i have made-to put back on the settee for winter -also have a stack of crochet blankets dug out ready to wash and dry to have on the settee too-the boys and i just love to being all snuggly on the settee in the winter-will have to take a picture once the blanket are on too

crazy crochet

2011-08-25T18:06:00.002+01:00

well yesterday i tried to master granny stripes-rather than granny square- hard work is not the word-i got the stitches right but then the foundation chain looked too tight-i loosened the foundation chain and the stitches started looking to big- i will try again another day

as for today's crocheting- i have crocheted on an open top bus-in a park-on a normal bus-at the bus station and at home-with some gorgeous multi coloured wool-not sure what the project will be yet-as the wool is £1.27 for a 50g ball-so i bought 4- and am already on my 2nd ball

hand quilting

2011-08-24T16:01:00.002+01:00

i dug my patchwork quilting out earlier-and added a few more squares-it is very rustic-no pattern as such-and most of the squares arent even "square"-i have been working on it for years-and now remember why i leave it so long inbetween sessions-it is so labour intensive-it does look very pretty-all flowery prints-one day i will finish it

i also have a child themed one i start making for the boys at the same time-this is a decnt ish size-sort of lap quilt size-just needs backing and padding

he did it

2011-08-20T10:33:00.001+01:00

reuben has learnt how to ride his bike without his stabilisers-he rode quite a distance last night-ok we stopped and started a million times but he did it-im sooo proud of him

riding well

2011-08-19T17:41:00.002+01:00

reuben has almost mastered the art of riding his bike without stabilisers-which for someone who sometimes struggles with his co-ordination is fab-he is so pleased with himself-so we shall be off out again later for him to have another go

crocheting -mostly pinks

2011-08-19T17:40:00.001+01:00

ive been working on a lovely granny square blanket for a couple from church who are having their first baby-they know it is a girl-so it is in fab baby pink-and just bought some multi colour pastel wool just to break it up a bit-will post a pic soon

what an awful day

2011-08-01T09:47:00.002+01:00

the weather here today looks yuck

it has clearly rained overnight-garden is soaking-so the children will have to play indoors today

so i think i will be doing a lot of tv watching/crocheting today

long time no blog

2011-07-31T21:35:00.002+01:00

i havent blogged in nearly a year-shocking

i have been working fulltime for the last year as a teaching assistant-but am still crocheting-a lot recently in fact

the photography however has been put on the backburner

i must rectify this

photography

2010-08-11T23:12:00.002+01:00

had a fab time taking photos down the beach tonight

shot a whole film of 24 plus 4/5 shots from the previous film

i am really enjoying the whole art of photography

anyone know what it like?

2010-08-03T09:23:00.002+01:00

ive just signed upto 3 issues of Knitting Today-was just wondering if anyone has had it-is it any good,

my knitting is very basic so hopefully it wont be beyond me

morning

2010-07-27T08:53:00.003+01:00

well we are into he first full week of the summer hols-and surprise surprise it is raining- i should not be surprised i live in wales

this week i will be mostly repairing some broken jewellery

and starting a patchwork crochet blanket

finished my first christmas present last night-will put a pic up soon

soooooooooo tired

2010-07-19T16:42:00.003+01:00

had 2 parties in school today-nursery's this morning and reception's this afternoon

so all partied out-lol

got toy day tomorrow-and the children break up tomorrow

ive got an inset day wednesday

then thursday have to go sort out housing benefit and my friend who is doing the craft trade is coming over to check my skirt fits

tonight i will be

2010-07-14T08:13:00.001+01:00

tonight i will be carrying on with a cushion cover i am making,

possibly doing some quiliting

but i do fancy making a wrap around bracelet on bead wire

and finally

2010-07-13T22:34:00.002+01:00

this is the necklace

and another

2010-07-13T22:33:00.004+01:00

here is another piece-some earrings

another piece

2010-07-13T22:31:00.002+01:00

this is the charm bracelet i made for my friend-the one im doing a trade swap with

some recent jewellery

2010-07-13T22:16:00.002+01:00

some of my recent makes--- jewellery made for the person im doing a craft trade with

patchwork is calling me

2010-07-08T20:02:00.002+01:00

after having seen the start of my skirt-the one from the craft/trade swap

im thinking of digging my patchwork back out- ive got 2 part finished quilts in my box upstairs

one for the boys and one for our bed

woohoo craft trade off

2010-07-06T21:11:00.002+01:00

im making a purple and grey poncho in trade for a wrap over skirt made from mens suits with ties as the belt part

it is a friend( in fact a teacher at my comp) that im trading with

it is the first time i have ever traded work-other than ATC's

first day went fab

2010-06-28T21:04:00.001+01:00

first day went fab

busy busy busy-but it went quickly

and then took the boys to a teaparty- birthday party-

so wall to wall kids from 7am until my boys went to bed-not long ago

woohoo- start my job today

2010-06-28T07:59:00.001+01:00

i start my new job today- first day as a permanent member of staff

ive been there on and off for the last 2 yrs but either been a volunteer or on a temporary contract

i start work on monday

2010-06-27T09:18:00.002+01:00

i have been taken on by the boys school as a fulltime teaching assistant- i was intially meant top start in september but go asked to start tomorrow instead

i will intially be working with nursery in the morning -no sure about the afternoon

and not sure if i will be in the same place/class come september but im very excited to be back in work-seems like ages where in fact it has only been since the beginning of april

im making a shawl

2010-06-27T09:16:00.002+01:00

i recently purchased a much larger size crochet hook 5.50mm- which makes a much looser stitch-which naturally lended itself to a shawl type appearance

so im making a various shade purple/pink shawl

pics to follow-as well as pics of all my recent makes

blanket finished

2010-06-24T21:46:00.002+01:00

finished the blanket for my brother and sister in law

will put a pic up tomorrow

not feeling 100% today-as i had a wisdom tooth out this morning

commissioned blanket no 3

2010-06-21T00:07:00.001+01:00

im currently working on commissioned blanket number 3

for my sil and brother- it is going to be fab-about half done

pics to follow

occupational therapist today

2010-06-15T08:37:00.001+01:00

Reuben has got his first appt with the occ therapist today

this is the first step in the process of him being statemented

he has a condition called Dyspraxia

another from today

2010-06-14T17:59:00.003+01:00

a rainbow coloured necklace and bracelet set i made for another colleague who is leaving

pics of today's beadwork

2010-06-14T17:57:00.002+01:00

a blue bead necklace and bracelet set that i made today as a leaving present for a colleague

sense and sensibilty

2010-06-12T21:37:00.001+01:00

just watched the film-starring kate winslet-alan rickman-emma thompson and hugh grant-and thoroughly enjoyed it-forgot how good a film it was.

made this for myself

2010-06-12T21:05:00.003+01:00

rainbow coloured necklace and wrap around bracelet-the necklace has 3 charms- a St Christopher, a Maltese cross and a small heart shaped locket

another for a customer

2010-06-12T21:02:00.003+01:00

a blue and black necklace with matching earrings and a bracelet with letter bead-made for a customer

yet more

2010-06-12T21:00:00.002+01:00

purple necklace with purple amethyst that i made for myself

and another

2010-06-12T20:58:00.002+01:00

earrings made for myself- pearls and a gun charm

more jewellery

2010-06-12T20:56:00.003+01:00

a blue and pink necklace with blue glass pendant taht i made for myself

been busy making jewellery again

2010-06-12T20:54:00.001+01:00

2 anklets i made for a customer

crochet crazy

2010-06-10T17:16:00.001+01:00

working on 2 blankets at the moment

one for my friend for her son's bedroom/sensory room

and one for a relative as a christmas present

i just love working with wool-and get a bit antsy if i dont have any in the house

so sorry for the absence

2010-06-09T09:34:00.003+01:00

been very busy training to be a teaching assistant

it was my last night in college last night- 2yrs worth of work and im done

been busy with my jewellery making recently too-and have sold 3 pieces this week

will put some pics up in a bit

family time

2009-08-15T18:52:00.002+01:00

had a fab time with my bro and sis in law last weekend in Market Harborough-also visted the fabulous Cambridge and Cadbury's world on the way home

mt bro has been down since wednesdays- so have seen him for almost a week

had a lovely family bbq last night-and off out for a family meal tonight-and then my nana is having the boys over night-and we are going on somewhere else

homemade wonderful stuff

2009-07-26T14:29:00.001+01:00

been busy this week with all things homemade

home made shepherd's pie-lunch today

homemade jewellery-supplying myself with bountiful amounts of unique pieces

homemade quilts-busy working on my patchwork quilt

and homemade works of art-busy taking copious amounts of photos on my fab canon eos film camera

had a rough few days

2009-07-23T10:01:00.002+01:00

our litter of kittens died on reuben's bday- -which was horrible and the mum was very disturbed for a few days after-she seems to be doing ok now

rosie-our cat has gone to the vets today-for a general check up and also to see how soon she can be spayed-dont want to see her go through another pregnancy-it really took it out of her

also been busy reading- first bob's marley wifes life story-then a very moving book called the rabbi's daughter-and im now reading a book about a yogi master

been busy making jewellery made a really pretty set of a necklace - 2 bracelets and earrings in pale pink/green and blue

also been making more progress with my patchwork quilts

reuben had a diagnosis

2009-07-13T14:25:00.001+01:00

reuben has got some sort of co-ordination problem and motor planning issues

he is now being referred to an occupational therapist-and least we are now getting somewhere

busy crafting

2009-07-13T14:23:00.001+01:00

i have been busy crafting recently

my patchwork quilt for our bed is almost to the size needed-and then the wadding and backing added

the one for the boys is coming along nicely too

also been making quitte lot of jewellery

not been doing so much crochet of late-mainly because what i have been making hasnt really got a set person it is going to

new arrivals

2009-06-28T22:37:00.001+01:00

our youngest cat rosie

has had 3 kittens today

one is dark grey and white

one is black/brown/ginger and white

and the third is a ginger/biscuit tabby with brown patches

not sure if she will have anymore-she had the first one at 2.30pm and the last one at 6.30pm

new tattoo

2009-06-28T19:36:00.001+01:00

also this week ive had my 4th tattoo

it is mandala-esque in style-consisting of bass and treble clefs

and i seriously thinking of getting an "om" symbol tattooed at some point

sorry for the long gap

2009-06-28T19:32:00.002+01:00

sorry for the gap between posting

since last post i have done some supply work as a teaching assistant

i have also finished my nvq level 2 teachign assistant course

ive just found out ive got funding for level 3

ive got back into jewellery making in a big way

and also got back into patchworking-im currently amking a pink/pirple/blue one for our bed

and have started cutting out patches-for the boys one

ive also been doing some spiritual searching-and am currently reading "autobiography of a yogi"

love and peace

jo xx

craft area back

2009-04-17T14:17:00.000+01:00

ive got my craft area back
had a major clearout in our room
and for the first time in a few yrs i can use my workbenches properly
ive made about 6 cards and a necklace-plus a 12" lo in the last few days
will put pics up soon

wool withdrawal

2009-04-14T15:12:00.000+01:00

i havent had any wool in the house for several days
i went wool shopping today-but couldnt decide on what to get as the boys were playing up
i need wool-argh

bead beads everyhere

2009-04-09T14:47:00.001+01:00

ive been making lots of jewellery recently

and also lots of blankets

will try and get some pictures of both on soon

ouch

2009-04-09T14:46:00.000+01:00

well ive had to have my tooth taken out

after have 2 lots of work done on it

and weeks of discomfort

they ahve taken the tooth out-hopefully that will be te end of it

sorry for the long absence

2009-03-31T16:23:00.001+01:00

ive been sooo busy with college and work placement etc

ive been busy making lots of baby blankets too-lots of friends both local and via the net have had or are having babies-so been crocheting like mad

also been making lots of jewellery-necklace bracelets and earrings

off to the drs again

2009-02-13T14:23:00.002Z

reuben has been stumbling and falling a lot recently
something that both myself and school have been concerned about
we have discussed the possibility that he may have dyspraxia
so im going to ask if the dr has any ideas-and whether she would refer him for testing
hopefully we will ave some answers or a better idea soon

My crafty outlook: Blog Candy Celebration#links

2009-02-13T14:21:00.000Z

My crafty outlook: Blog Candy Celebration#links

come look at my friend hazel's blog

SNOW

2009-02-05T11:59:00.001Z

we have had some on and off for days now
the boys are now off school for the 3rd day in a row
which mean i havent been able to do my placement hrs either
i have however managed to read the book of the film twilight in 2days
but i cant get out to buy the next 3 books in the series

paul has had a new tattoo

2009-02-01T20:25:00.001Z

look at paul's new tattoo

he designed it himself

had a fab afternoon

2009-01-22T21:01:00.001Z

the boys school was closed this afternoon due to a power cut
i was meeting my cousin in town for coffee
so the boys came with me-and my other cousin and her toddler came too
we had lunch at mcd's and a mooch around town
it was lovely spending time with my 2 cousins-and reuben seemed to love my cousin's little boy
we havent seen each other in about 2yrs
we are definitely going to meet up again

half a stone lighter

2009-01-19T19:36:00.002Z

ive lost another half a stone
which makes 1st 2lb in just under 2mths now
i feel so much better in myself-my asthma is better
my clothes are getting so big-ive had to buy a belt

hooray

2009-01-14T16:15:00.001Z

we are so pleased
we found out yesterday taht reuben's heart murmur-is definitely an innocent one
which means it is just a noise-and noting to worry about
it is such a relief-as he already is on meds twice a day for his epilepsy

3rd doggie blanket

2009-01-13T14:55:00.003Z

im now on my 3rd blanket for the local dogs home
im really enjoying making them
and just hope the dogs home like them too
ive probally got enough wool to make another 2 possibly 3 blankets -and i will then take them all down at the same time
i will put pics up when ive finished all of them

so for the long absense

2009-01-11T12:46:00.002Z

ive been so busy with college-work placement and various children's illnesses
ive made a rather large patchwork blanket over the christmas holidays-which im now edging
but have stopped for a bit to concentrate on making some blankets for a local dogs home
so far ive made one and almost finsihed a 2nd-i will wait until ive made a few before i take tem down

not amused

2008-09-16T16:23:00.001+01:00

college phoned at lunchtime to say that the course has been cancelled until next week
bit miffed as i had been psyching myself up all day

i start in 2 days

2008-09-14T19:57:00.001+01:00

i start college in 2 days
iam so excited i start my course to be a teaching assistant on tuesday
i will probally be starting my placement in a few weeks-as i have to have a police check done first

ive made some christmas cards

2008-09-09T18:39:00.002+01:00

in the last few days ive made about 16 or so christmas cards
last year i had made loads more by now-but never mind
had a trip to ikea-bought some kitchen stuff and some chocs/sweets
paul ahs booked his tattoo for thursday-it is going to look fab

more wool

2008-09-06T15:53:00.001+01:00

just bought some more wool in pinks and peach tones
to carry on with the pink/peach/orange blanket ive been making
not sure who or what it is for yet-just enjoying working on it

ah he was sleeping

2008-09-04T17:18:00.002+01:00

i picked reuben up from school and he was asleep on the rug
he had fallen asleep in assembly
he seems to have enjoyed his first day of fulltime school
zac seems happy to be back in school too

my 1st comission blanket

2008-09-03T16:36:00.001+01:00

this blanket was the first i ever made to order

about 2yrs ago

unfortunately i never received payment for it

so now i only make blankets as presents

crochet blankets

2008-09-03T16:32:00.001+01:00

this a photo of zac and reuben a few yrs ago

funnily enough with the first blanket i ever made

been really crafty

2008-09-03T16:29:00.001+01:00

today ive made 6 atcs for a swap on bubblyfunk
and also made a 12" lo-my first in mths
sometimes i have these sudden bursts of crafty inspiration-hope this one lasts
i havent really done anything other than crochet-and fimo jewellery in ages

well 2 more days

2008-09-01T18:00:00.002+01:00

the boys go back on thursday
i got their PE kit today
so that is absolutely everything got now
it will be strange my "baby" being in school all day
oh well more time for crafting-or should that be housework

only 6 more days

2008-08-29T09:44:00.002+01:00

until the boys go back to school
and for the first time in nearly 8yrs im going to be on my own all day
reuben goes fulltime -so he will be in school all day the same as zac
im going back to college in a few weeks-it is in the evening but placement will be in the days-at the boys school

only a few days to go

2008-08-12T14:53:00.002+01:00

only a few days to go until my stall
we are going on friday morning and shall be there until sunday afternoon-or may come home sooner if i sell out before
ive not made anymore stock
but have steadily been collecting carrier bags to use to put items in-furthering the idea of recycling-as a fair bit of my stock is made with recycled wool

my tattoo looks fab

2008-08-11T11:12:00.004+01:00

ive had my butterfly -recoloured-well virtyally completely redone
it is now various shades of blue-edged with pink
instead of a rather washed out turquoise
it is so pretty
i cant wait to get more done
only 4 days until my stall at the local music festival
starting to get a bit nervous as ive never sold any of my stuff before

my tattoo looks fab

2008-08-11T11:12:00.001+01:00

ive given up

2008-08-06T11:41:00.002+01:00

ive given up making things for the stall
ive got a fair amount of stock
just seem to have lost the ommph needed to do things

ouch

2008-08-04T11:33:00.000+01:00

ive had a sore shoulder/neck since i woke up yesterday morning
think it might be my mattress
it a bit better now-have borrowed some deep heat rub from a friend
been making some more stuff for the stall
it is only a week thursday-arrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghh-scary
i made a scarf last night
and ive started a purse this morning

it is all pink

2008-08-03T18:02:00.001+01:00

bought some fab pink wool in town yesterday
made a pink pixie hat for the stall
and im half way through a scarf
didnt realise how bright the one pink was-but it is fab-almost day glo

we have a wizard in the family

2008-07-31T11:05:00.001+01:00

reuben's dressing up obssession continues
he now has a harry potter dressing up suit
consisting of a gown-glasses and a wand-he looks so cute
im sure he is going to be an actor/performer of some sorts
well i did go to drama college-as did my brother and is dad is a musician

2008-07-30T11:30:00.002+01:00

sorry for the absense
well rosie is settling in well-she is such a fun cat to have around
weather here is so mad-sunny and hot one minute and raining and thunder the next
not a lot planned for today-a pj day infront of the tv-well at least until we go out for lunch with my mum

we have a new kitten-ROSIE

2008-07-23T14:56:00.002+01:00

we have a new kiiten who we have called rosie
she is white/black/tan and chocolate
she is 4mts old
and love cuddles

im in superhero land

2008-07-16T19:24:00.001+01:00

reuben decide to buy more dressing up clothes out of his bday money
so now between the boys they have spiderman-power rangers-iron man-ben 10 and scooby doo
he is sooo comical
i cant believe my baby is 4

my baby is 4 today

2008-07-15T07:37:00.002+01:00

can't believe reuben is 4 today
he was up at 6 opening his presents
and he cant wait for his party this afternoon

sorry for the long absence

2008-07-04T14:01:00.002+01:00

been mega busy recently making crochet items ready for the stall at the music festival in august
the guinea pigs are back-they had been at the vets for a fortnight-had them back at the weekend
got my 7th wedding anniversary on minday coming-going out somewhere for the evening-my nana is having the boys

feeling down

2008-06-23T17:11:00.002+01:00

my eldest cat passed away yesterday-she was nearly 10 and hadnt been well for awhile
the boys havent noticed yet-she was one of our 6 cats
also my great uncle-who is more like a grandparent has renal failure-it isnt imminent but it doesnt look good either-going to see him tonight-my brother has travelled down from northamptonshire-so we are both going to see im with our mum later

the house of lergy

2008-06-14T11:21:00.001+01:00

zac has now got impetigo
he had a load of insect bites from the garden-which he scratched and have now turned into impetigo
just what i dont need-he off school untilt hey clear up-the very week when i ave a load on

we have guinea pigs

2008-06-08T16:51:00.002+01:00

we have 2 new additions
we now have 2 guinea pigs- both boys
called garfield and odi
the boys love them
and tehy are so cute

2008-05-29T11:18:00.002+01:00

what is the weather upto
we have had rain -sun -wind- u name it we ave had it in the lasy few days
ive crocheted together about 36 of my small squares and have now started croceting around the edge-it looks fab-i still have some sqaures left over-and plenty of wool-so may add more squares to it
also finised the 3rd of 3 cj's i have been working on for a craft forum
also made 2 cards for my mum's bday tomorrow-and also an anniversary card for my bro and his fiance-also made a box for my mum's bday present-and started a small scrapbook for my bro and his fiance's anniversary-with photos from their engagement party

drama 's this week

2008-05-25T10:44:00.001+01:00

we thought zac had chicken pox but it turned out to be mite bites from the garden
then on thursday i went to a charity gig and was hobnobing with loads of local music people-was really good
had a bbq yesterday
and today i have to take my youngest to a bday party

2008-05-18T16:09:00.001+01:00

weather has been nice enough today
have just had a pork chop dinner-yum
have also done some more crochet- have about 12 rows to finish-which will be done in well under the 1 week target i set myself

why is the weather so pants

2008-05-17T11:23:00.001+01:00

why has the weather changed
it is all rainy-dont like it
but it does mean that i have got loads of crocheting done-in the last 2 weeks ive done one blanket and more than half done another

2008-05-14T17:08:00.001+01:00

well the weather is FAB - kids all playing in garden
only got one more row of my friends blanket to do
got a parent governor's meeting this evening-stuck in a meeting on a lovely evening like this

2008-05-13T19:12:00.002+01:00

finished THE CELESTINE PROPHECY and im now reading the sequel THE TENTH INSIGHT-it is a series challenging our views and perspectives on spirituality
im also making a baby pastel colour blanket for frineds of mine who are having their first baby
and stilll making the squares
also need to get a photo printed this week-to complete the 3rd CJ I got sent from a forum and then i can post all three onn

2008-05-03T22:28:00.000+01:00

the squares are quickly mounting up-not sure what im going to make with them yet-one suggestion was crochet bags
ive also just started a new book THE CELESTINE PROPHECY-it is fab -and i can see me reading it quite quickly

ive got a new tattoo

2008-05-02T14:02:00.000+01:00

ive got anew tattoo on my right shoulder -i had it done tuesday-boy did that hurt compared to my arm-but it is healing well and looks fab
ive finished another baby blanket for a friend
and am now busy making lots of squares-to use in future projects-just using up wool i already have

crochet crazy

2008-04-26T14:13:00.000+01:00

the mammoth blanket is so cosy
and the blanket for my mum's room is finished and looks lovely
im now making a very girly-pink/purple and red blanket for my friend's baby-she is only 12 wks old and completely adores her other 2 blankets i made for her-both her and her cousin who is about 18mths-wont go to sleep without the blankets i made them-as is the case with my great niece
im slowly taking over the worled with my blankets-insert evil laugh

slapped cheek syndrome

2008-04-20T13:01:00.000+01:00

my eldest appears to have this
it is very strange only symptoms are pink/red "slapped" looking cheeks-witha slight temp and a bit of a headache-he is fine in himself but the birght cheeks due look perculiar on his normally pale skin

blanket fever

2008-04-19T11:52:00.000+01:00

the huge blanket now has pride of place on my double bed-it is so cosy and warm-i dont want to get up in the mornings
i have now started another one-which will be used in my mum's house-either over the bed-or to cover the headboard
which she has done with one i made for her-it is all pinks/purples -it looks good

the blanket is finished

2008-04-14T23:23:00.001+01:00

my mammoth 100 rows around blanket is now complete
feels great but also a bit strange-i dont have another one to start
my mm wants me to do one for my brother's old room in her house-in terracotta and brown and cream
but need to get the wool
so my blanket is now in the wash-they always feel cosier when they have been washed

2008-04-13T11:48:00.000+01:00

well the mammoth size crochet blanket is almost finished
i have about 3 rows left to do
but seem to have gone on a go slow-as the blanket nears its completion

2008-04-07T18:07:00.000+01:00

done some more of my blanket-now on row 97-want to get it to 100
the blanket is getting so heavy to work with-but it will be so lovely and warm on my bed once it is finisged-and do we ever need it in this weather

2008-04-05T16:54:00.001+01:00

well not got much more done on blanket
but have finished my a-z mini book-well as much as i want done for now
might titivate at a later date

agenda for today

2008-04-05T10:37:00.001+01:00

sit watching tv-whilst crocheting
im making a blanket for our bed- and it needs a good 10 or so rows more -it should be about big enough then
i cant wait to see it on the bed-will try and put a pic up when it is finished