From My Studio!

A couple of weeks ago I bought a new dish towel from Crate & Barrel to make my new work apron. The last one I made was the one for the Christmas season so I was long overdue!

I got to work immediately unpicking the side seams and cutting it out and then I hit a snag - I didn't have anything that would work as the binding/tie. Off I went to Joann's. I was there for what seemed like forever and eventually came home with nothing!! So I put that project to one side and decided to have a go at making a lunch bag. Again I cut everything out after making a rough sketch of size and style requirements and then I decided that I didn't really like the fabric, so it too sat for a few weeks unfinished on my sewing table! On Sunday, feeling kind of lazy and not wanting to do laundry or housework, I knew it was time to go back to Joann's! Not only did I find a fabric for my apron but some new fabrics from Cloud 9 and Koko Lee. I bought the fruit fabric from Koko Lee thinking I'd start a new lunch bag. Feeling motivated I got to work on my apron. I'd bought two fabrics for lining and binding but after much consideration settled on just one of them. I can't believe I'm making such a big deal out of this apron as it will be dirty within a few days!!! I completed it on Monday morning and then got to work on my "prototype" lunch bag! I have to say, although I still don't LOVE the fabric, it is kind of cute and I do like it. I can't wait to remake it in my new fabric, but that's another day.

Here are the apron and lunch bag.

Ignoring the poor photo quality, I have to say that overall I'm pleased with how things turned out. I'm back at work today so will be taking my lunch bag for a "test drive"! I'll let you know if there are any problems. Until next time...

Happy Birthday Maddie!

Today is Maddie's 12th birthday. It's hard to believe we've had her that long. It seems like just a few years ago that we brought her home and she was sooo tiny. Over the past 6 months or so we've noticed that she's not as agile as she used to be and now she asks to be helped up onto the bed instead of just getting up on her own. One thing that hasn't changed - she's in FULL SHED!! We find tufts of hair everywhere and forget about putting on a pair of leggings or my black Northface fleece - they're covered with her hair almost immediately BUT I wouldn't change a thing.

She's such a pretty girl but she hates having her picture taken so we're lucky to have a few pics with her actually looking at the camera. The first pic she snuck up onto the couch! The next two are waiting for a treat and the last was just the other day when we were playing "tea party" with The Bean and Sissy!! Happy Birthday Maddie we love you so much xxx

Until next time...

Succulents

So yesterday I popped out to get The Bean and Sissy a few extra bits for their Easter Buckets and took a little detour to Home Depot for potting soil and a few mini succulents!! I already had some odd leaves that I'd collected from some plants at work and I'm hoping they'll root otherwise I'll have to go and buy a few more plants! I've had a wreath frame for a couple of years, well maybe more than a couple and have never used it so decided that now would be the perfect time to plant it with succulents. I guess over the years of sitting in the garage the mice had taken up residence in the coir lining! Luckily I had a few half basket liners and ended up cutting those and using them to line and cover my wreath. It was a warm day so I gathered my supplies out on the deck and got to work along with my helper Maddie!

I know it looks rather empty but I like to buy small plants and watch them fill in. I do the same thing when I plant my hanging baskets. I gave it a gentle water and left it out in the sun for a few hours before bringing it in as it got a little chilly when the sun went down. Sorry about the not so good photography. I guess I should start using my camera again instead of my phone - it's just that it's so convenient and quick and easy!

I hope you all have a Happy Easter. Until next time...

Happy Friday!

I know I haven't posted in a while but hopefully I can CREATE (my word for the year) time and get back on track!!

This morning whilst looking through Pinterest I came across this "how to" for cleaning silver http://cleanmyspace.com/the-besk-kept-silver-cleaning-secret-ever/ I have a bracelet from Tiffany's that has tarnished that I've tried to clean with silver polish pads but has never really looked good, so I decided to try this! I got all the ingredients together, gathered some silver jewelry and had a go.

Maybe not the best pix as the lighting in the kitchen is pretty bad, but I think you can see the difference in the bottom pic. I'm pleased with the outcome and will definitely use this method again.

Last month we went to Naples, Florida over Valentines Weekend and had a great time. The weather was perfect - 70's everyday and the area is beautiful. I didn't take my Instax camera, as originally planned, but will definitely be taking it home (England) this summer.

I've been busy working in my "bullet" style journal. I made inserts for my "whimsiedori" and am having fun filling them up with stuff!! I don't know why but I love cutting out things from magazines and decided to collage a page-a-week. Some pages relate to the week and others don't!?

Here are the first seven entries from my current insert

It's been a good way for me to use my washi tape - I'm trying to use a different one for each week and I am also putting in my word for the year on each spread. I will go back and fill in the empty spaces either with clippings from magazines or doodles or something. The main thing is I'm having fun.

I've been trying other things too but as this post is already quite long, I'll save that for another day. Have a Happy Friday, until next time...

It's Finished!

I'm happy to say I finished my Christmas Memories 2015 last week. I love it! It's full of photos and stickers and "stuff" and has a little added photo book on pages 15 and 16 when the girls spent the night. Lots of photos so bear with me!!

I'm thinking that this will be how I do my next little travel journal which I will need soon as we just booked Valentines weekend in Naples, Florida. That means I'm going to have to buy some stickers and bits and make an insert for my current whimsiedori!! I plan on using my new Instax camera for the trip and I might also look into getting the Fujifilm Instax Share Smartphone Wireless Printer SP-1 or something similar. Will let you know if I get anything!

Just before Christmas I was asked if I would cover some box cushions for dog beds. I knew I wouldn't do them before the start of the new year but also knew I wanted to get them done so I could play with my Christmas gifts - art box, Silhouette Cameo and a drawing tool for my laptop. Well last Wednesday as I was off I decided that I would get them out of the way. Having never done box cushions before, the first one took a while but the second one was a breeze. Luckily the fabric was a sherpa fleece and was very forgiving around corners! They're not perfect but I'm sure the dogs won't complain!!

Nothing too exciting but both dogs seem to like them!

I've started filling in my midori monthly calendar - it has approximately 1" squares so I'm doing kind of an "inchie" thing. Some I'm drawing in, some have stickers and some are just words. As this is my first month using this insert I'm kind of trying everything. I'll post pix at the end of the month when it's finished and then I'll decide how I want to continue.

I'm off to look at my Silhouette - wish me luck as I'm not good on the computer!! Until next time...

HAPPY 2016!

Happy New Year! It's always exciting to start a new year. It's that time when we set goals for ourselves and think about all the things we'd like to do. Like last year, I won't be making any New Year's resolutions but will be picking a word. After a lot of thought I've decided to choose the word "create". Obviously the first thing that comes to mind is to make something, but I'm also thinking about creating time to do things that I usually say I'm too busy to do and I'd like to create habits so that things will get done more often. For me this is huge but I'm looking forward to jumping in and having a go. I'd love for you to join me and maybe even pick a word for yourself. So here goes for a creative 2016. Until next time...