Buzzy Bee

Well we've been in our house just over 5 weeks now and finally all the boxes are unpacked (including my craft stuff).  We are still trying to find homes for some things and just the 'right' pieces of furniture for some rooms, including the convervatory which has the task of being a home office cum craft storage cum kids play room cum chill out space.  So not much to ask for one room eh?

But I'm very happy to say my mojo has returned! In an attempt to kick start my creativiness (yeah it's not a real word!) I took the plunge at the start of the month after reading an IG post by Lily's Quilts about the Siblings Together Euro bee and decided a) I've never taken part in a Bee before so meet new people, b) learn some new skills (mine are very basic!), c) take part in something which is about other people and making them feel better.  So this month's block was snail's trail, which is something I've never done before.  Like probably most of the blocks are we go on which is exciting and really nerve wracking at the same time!

I'm pleased with how they have turned out, but boy did they make my brain work.  Especially as I was sewing late at night.  A seam ripper was involved!  On more than one occasion too!!  This was my first attempt at a completed block. 

Not quite then intended result!

Having to look through all my fabric (my stash is very small - teeny, weeny in fact) I did come across a few things I forgot I had including all of these goodies.

 Now with halloween coming up and the couch looking bare of cushions I have a couple of ideas to put into practice.  I've had this material for about 5 years so no sense in it hiding away in a box any longer, cushions here we come.  Then I came across these little guys - half made into a mug rug.  Which again we need for the livingroom, in fact Pedro actually asked me to make 'some of those wee mug coaster things' so no more excuses needed.

I really need to mop the livingroom floor tonight but, well, one more night won't kill it.  Need to capitalise on my mojo when it's here is my thinking. 

Big Changes

Well it's been a hectic few months!  Lots have happened since I last blogged in April (really!  Was it really April that I last hit the keyboard and wrote about my life??)

There's been a milestone birthday (not mine, a little person one, but hey turning 5 is a big deal in this house!), nursery was graduated from (seems a bit silly but it was important to the Dude), primary school has begun (big milestone in a little person's life) but the biggest change of all has been the moving of house!!  4 weeks ago.

The initial steps went really fast - way, way way back in May we sold our house within one week of putting it on the market.  Then over the next week our offer was accepted on our new house - then it dragged ...... and dragged ..... and dragged and eventually we moved in the middle of August.  It was beginning to feel like it was just a figment of my imagination.

We're still in the same town and still in roughly the same size of house, although now we have a conservatory (oooohhhh!) and actually we have a smaller garden but it's a much more child friendly garden and the size is easier to maintain.  So it's all good.  Really, really good. 

 This is the kiddies leaving the old house, I think Megan was quite happy to leave!!

And this is the 2 of them, quickly settled in to our new home, glued to the tv (I think it's Cbeebies so kinda educational!).  I don't have many pictures of the new house yet and the livingroom is already slightly different since this was taken as we've painted in preparation for our new suite which is due to be delivered on Friday. 

My sewing machine is still packed up in a box but it is coming out this week as I've got sewing commitments to get done.  But now I need to go and 'Meet the Teacher'! 

A Quilt Along and a Finish Along?

Following on from my last post about doing different/new things this year I have taken the plunge and decided to join in with the latest round of Old Red Barn Co Quilt Along (or ORBC quilt along for those in 'the know'!).  This is round 15 so it's been going on a wee while now, since 2009 I think.  I've seen lots of people joining in and it looked great fun but I never really felt I could/had the time, etc.  But this round I am, it is called 'Angled Frames' looks a bit like a log cabin but with a twist (ha! no pun intend). 

Now this called for some purchasing of fabric - trauma! - so I duly went trawling through websites, bambozzling myself in the process but did find some fantastic half metres in a rainbow pack.  I've decided I'm going to make this a quilt for Megan so something nice is bright is great.

I've also decided to link up with Katy at The Littlest Thistle and join in the Finish-a-long she does every quarter, so this is quarter 2 (which is kinda messing with my head as deal with budgets and stuff at work and it's actually Q1, but hey that's life!!).

So my proposals for finishing in quarter 2 are my quilt for the ORBC quilt along,

this quilt which started life as a mystery quilt along with Sheila at Bluepatch Quilter in ....... 2011 I think(?).  The plan was to have it finished by last Christmas as a gift for my dad and stepmum as the top is very nearly finished (I've only got 1 and a bit strippy bits and 1 block to do then the borders) but the run up to Christmas was a bit mad, then I was ill over Christmas/New Year which then prolonged into January.  And well it's still unfinished.  So I must get this done soon!!

And thirdly I'd love to get this finished

I started this cross-stitch when we lived in our flat.  We have lived in this house for nearly 8 and a half years.  I attempted to get started again after we had to get our beloved Jacky monster put to sleep last June but I got too upset every time I did (silly woman!).  But the end of this FAL will coincide with nearly 1 year since he died.  So a fitting tribute to aim for I reckon.  Still miss the litte bugger every day too!!

So there we have it a QAL and 3 proposals for a FAL - go me!

A playdate?

Could I call it that?  Probably not, seeing as I'm a grown up and all, but it was just as much fun as kids have at a playdate.  What am I talking about?

An opportunity for me to get out, away from the normal routine of kids, housework, work and spend some time with other like-minded people and play with paper, pens, ribbon, glitter, glue, you name it.  That's right I got myself along to a craft club :)

My friend from work, Ann, runs a craft club in a nearby town once a month and has been asking me if I wanted to come along.  Now she has been asking me for about, oh ...... 2 years roughly, and while I've always thought 'yeah, that sounds like a good idea' I've never actually taken her up on the offer.  Why not?  Well generally because it means organising stuff, like husband and children, craft supplies, which kind of takes the fun out of it a little.  Oh yeah and there the vast amount of guilt I feel whenever I actually set out do something which feels slightly self-indulgent - you know like being away from those that I am responsible for an entire day to basically play with paper, or sit at my sewing machine when I can think of a million bits of housework that I should be doing instead.

But....now that I'm in my 40th year I sort of made myself some new year resolutions, well more of a birthday promise to myself.  That being this year, in the run up to my 40th, if I want to do something 'for me' then I should.  I'm one of the worst procrastinators/over-thinkers I know, I can think about things until I've talked myself out of it, or put it off till whatever it was is too late to do!

Anyhoo, back to the point, when Ann asked me a couple of weeks ago if I wanted to come along to her craft club and said yes.  So I spent a couple of nights planning and ordering photographs of the kiddiewinks, a Friday night hunting through my packed away papercraft supplies (it was all packed away to turn the spare room into Megan's room, so hasn't been looked at in over a year!) and toddled off on a Saturday morning to Dunfermline to meet a roomful of people, I only know Ann, and make STUFF!

This was us being all productive (& slightly messy!)

It was great, I totally over estimated just how productive I'd be, but over the course of 6 hours I did 2 and a bit scrapbook pages, blethered a fair bit and basically had a lovely time.  It's been so long since I did any scrapbooking that I'd completely forgotten just how much fun it can be to play with paper, ribbon and photographs.  Without feeling guilty :)

My efforts (although I did finish Megan's at home, ran out of time)

Roll on next month!!!!

Run out .....

Finally got a chance to do some of my mystery quilt again tonight

Some of an infill strip, not quite finished.  But nearly

Until this happened

I've run out of thread.  No probs I think, got some more in my little box.............oh no, actually I don't.  Flip! 

Snapshot

of a camera which no longer snaps!

it's been a good camera but given it's age (6 years) and cost of repair (at least £150) I think I may need to say bye bye to this beauty :(  But on the plus side this could mean I will HAVE to investigate the options for a new camera.  Oh the trauma.

A prize & a move

Every year there is a craft/hobby show in Glasgow in March and in October.  It's a good old mix of papercrafting of any description, some fabric crafts and anything else that is small and crafty, and very much aimed at the female market.

I've been going every now and again for years.  Some years are really good, some are less so.  I suppose it depends on if I have a particular project in mind or not.

This year I was in 2 minds whether or not to go, a friend at work was planning to go and I was thinking me and Moo could tag along.  But then it was ALL the way to Glasgow, on a Friday which is my full day off and kind of a freebie day.  So indecisiveness reigned.  Until I got some mail two days before we were considering going.  A hand written envelope, I rarely get mail that isn't some kind of bill these days, and it's even rarer to get a handwritten envelope!  But inside was this .....

In a moment of 'ah why not' I entered a competition in our local paper for a chance to win tickets and I won!  I think the last time I won anything like this I was 12.  It was a pink umbrella with matching head scarf from Mackay's (way, way before it was M&Co).

As for a move, my work has finally moved office.  It has been talked about for EVER (I thought I was going to be returning from mat leave last August to a new office) but as of last Monday we were actually in our new office.  So bye bye this place

and hello our new home

It's a change and it's taking a wee bit of getting used to but it's nice and bright and the building is maintained.  Somethings which our old building were beginning to lack!