Radiator

Easyfits on the radiator, winter drying!

Cards

Had such a busy evening getting cards finished! This is all of them together, there are 13 new cards, 4 of them I made on Sunday, which means I made 9 cards tonight!!! 

I couldn't have done it without my lovely Big Shot Machine though, it realy is a godsend!

Back to Percy tomorrow though, got a list as long as my arm to complete for Saturday!

Winter

Christmas is coming, Mr Bee has started wearing his Tots Bots Ltd Edition Christmas print nappies in anticipation!

We are very much in the Christmas spirit, I love this time of year.

Craft Fair on Saturday!

Hello everyone!
If you are interested in coming along to the craft fair to help raise money for our local Brownies and Guides, and maybe get a few more Christmas presents and cards, feel free to stop by at

Leicester Forest East Parish Hall, Kings Drive, Leicester Forest East, Leicester


on Saturday the 3rd of December from 11 until 3


It would be lovely to see some familiar faces!

Bits and Bobs

This weekend, I have certainly been a busy bee!

Friday - Trip to the local soft play, followed by a good nose around the Garden Centre, picking up some goodies along the way. Then home for some last minute making!

Saturday - Manically stitching and sorting ready for the Open House in the evening whilst dealing with a sicky bee. Great success at the fair, selling A LOT of items and raising around £200 to send Josh to help build a school in Kenya. However that does mean more manic making ready for the next fair on Saturday! Sadly I didn't get a good enough photo of my stall, which did look very pretty!

Aren't they gorgeous!

Sunday - Up early for a trip to Rockingham Raceway, not for cars this time though. A Joules (my favourite shop ever!) sale! It wasn't quite as good as we hoped, but we did get some presents, and I got a beautiful skirt and a lovely shirt which I can't wait to wear.
The rest of my day was spent trying to get some more cards made to replenish my display. Mr Bee had been so good letting me get on, then we had a visit from Teresa, Pete, Harry and Emily. The children were fascinated with what I was doing, so we all sat in the conservatory for at least an hour making christmas cards.

Plans for the evening: Relaxing with some sewing and mulled wine... yum!

Last Minute...

Last night was spent getting as much as I could done! Unfortuantely, the power kept going out, which meant that my sewing would come to a stand still. So I had a play on Photoshop on my laptop whilst Mr Bee was fussing around before going to bed. I managed to botch together a little logo, what do you think? Please bear in mind that I haven't used anything like that since I was at Uni, so a good few years ago now, and am VERY rusty! I need to work on the bee and make it more interesting, but I think it is cute for a first attempt!

When the power started to work again, I was working so flat out that my work station looked like a bomb had hit it, with stuff everywhere on the go!

 I did however manage to get these little coasters made, I am really happy with them and am hoping to get some more put together this afternoon.

 And all this whilst my two little men were having a little sleepover together! How cute!

Top and Tail!

Still got lots more to do before this evening, maybe I will see you there!

Craft Fayre coming up

I have been super busy this week, trying to get everything ready for my first Christmas Craft Fayre. On Sunday, Papa Bee and I had an hour to ourselves and we went and had a coffee, with some christmas magazines for inspiration. I am really getting into the festive spirit now, and I know that Saturday will be the icing on the cake!

Finished Christmassy things

On Tuesday, I managed to get quite a bit done whilst Mr Bee was sleeping, and then again whilst he was playing in the evening. He has been a good boy for me this week. I am planning to take Mr Bee to Scalliwags in the morning though, as he is too busy with all of the exciting things to bother that I am sewing, so hopefully I will get the following things finished!

My 'To Do' list!

 I have been racking my brains trying to think of something to do with the gorgeous fabric I bought from The Sewing Cafe, and I have finally decided to make some packs of little quilted Christmas coasters. I have one nearly finished so far, so hopefully I will get a few more made before Saturday, they will be in packs of four. I also cut some more fabric for another wallet :)

I have been making a few more cards this time around, and have been worrying how I can display them. I managed to find a cardboard display unit which will do for now.  

This Saturday I will be at a Charity Christmas Open Evening, please follow the link for more details.  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131305110310837

Next Saturday, I will be at Leicester Forest East Parish Hall (at the end of Kings Drive, AKA the Pavillion), from 11oClock.

I hope to see you there!

Weekend Away

shopping!

Football, visiting family, Breaking Dawn, bumblebee buttons, hot chocolate and christmas magazines, craft shopping, new shoes, overtired toddlers and crafting. Mad weekend and a mad week up ahead!

Stand Still

This week, my crafting has hit a little bit of a brick wall. I have been having problem on top of problem.
On Friday, I finished making my bunting, which I just love, but I finished whilst Mr Bee was still sleeping, so not wanting to waste precious crafting time, I got on and started making a little wallet. Only sewing through a few layers of cotton and then elastic as well, my needle couldn't cope under the strain and snapped. It was my last needle :(
With nothing else that I could do by hand, I made plans to head in to Leicester to get a replacement needle. However, I was mis-sold some truly awful needles, all of which broke almost immediately.

So I dug out Clive, to try and carry on my project, however I was having problems with the stitches. So basically, I had to wait to get some more needles for Percy. What a palarva!

This morning, I went to the Sewing Cafe in Hinckley, for some advice. We came to the conclusion that the machine needed special needles, not just universal ones. So I called Nana Bee, who was in town at the time and asked her to have a word with a specialist in John Lewis, and she brought some needles back for me.

They still weren't right though, they were falling out of the hole. So I asked Papa Bee to have a look, and after a bit of tinkering, he managed to get it in there and working. So 4 days later, I managed to get my cute little wallet finished!

Here she is:

Made from the beautiful fabric that I found at the Sewing Cafe, I love it so much I have bought some more :)

four

sewing

baking, a little cookie made by louie

nice pussy cat

grandad louie

Latest Makes

Christmas Bunting

 Floral and Polka Dot Cushion

'Stocking' Decoration

All of the featured items have been made using fabrics that I have picked up from 'The Sewing Cafe' on Castle Street in Hinckley. It is such a lovely little shop, with the most beautiful selection of fabrics and bits and bobs. I purchased the christmassy fabric and the floral/polka dot fabric when I did the Sewing Machine Cosy course, and have been dying to use them! I nipped in the other day to pick up some more felt to get creating!
I am really pleased with the 'Noel' bunting, I am going to make a couple more for my craft fairs. If you are interested in purchasing any of my makes, please visit my Facebook page :)

With the left over floral and polka dot fabric, I started sewing a little wallet, however it bent the needle on poor old Percy :( Which means I will have to pop into John Lewis in the morning for a new one. I was totally in the zone though, so dug out Clive from the wardrobe. However he didn't want to cooperate either, so it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Clive

This Week

has been lovely, lots of relaxing after our very busy weekend. 

At work on Monday I was like a zombie, quite apt for hallowe'en and I very much needed a day of rest. On Tuesday, Mr Bee and I had a very rare pyjama day. We did absolutely nothing all day excpet laze around, play games, draw, and watch copious amounts of television. I managed to catch up on all of the programs I had been watching!

 Mr Bee received a magnadraw from one of his cousins which has been wonderful. He can draw all the wants and we don't need to worry that he will get pen/pencil/crayon everywhere! Perfect!

On Wednesday afternoon, we went up to visit Anna and baby Isaac and had a lovely few hours with them, eating chocolate eclairs yumyum! Then back to work, much more refreshed on Thursday.
Shopping on Friday, getting my lovely best friend her birthday present, finally. And having such a beautiful lunch at The Handmade Burger Company. If you haven't already been, you should, you are missing a treat!

Saturday morning, we got up nice and early and headed to Burbage for the monthly farmers market. We have been to most of the farmers markets nearby but this one is the best one that we have been to. So much variety, the produce was wonderful and of course, Picks Farm were there with their gorgeous breakfast sandwiches, you can't beat them!

Mr Bee, Papa Bee and Grandad went out for an hour to a local church hall for a train exhibition. I think it was a little small and they were a bit underwhelmed but it gave me a little breathing space and I got some beautiful cookies made, just like the ones you can buy from the shops. Triple chocolate chip and nice and gooey in the middle.

It also gave me 10 mins to have a go with my new die cutting machine. I ordered this machine at the paper crafts fair that I went to two weeks ago. It arrived this week and I have been urging to use it. I am amazed at how easy and quick it is to use, and it means that I can get things made much quicker, without having to worry about cutting things so neatly, because it just does it all for you and completely takes the stress away.

In the evening, we had our dinner and wrapped up in our jumpers, coats, fluffy socks, wellies, scarves and gloves and headed to our local racetrack, Mallory Park for a fireworks display. Mr Bee had a wicked fun time watching all of the fun fair rides and very much enjoying the live music.

Louie made friends with a cone

Then found a BIG puddle

 I am actually really impressed with the photos that I managed to get of the fireworks. I haven't had great success in past years but this year I managed to get some alright picures!

It was a lovely evening, however it did come to a not so lovely end. On our walk back to the car, Louie was violently sick, which is so unlike him, he has never vomited in his life! When we got home, he managed to be sick many more times, and is still poorly today. After his ear infection last week, he really does seem to be in the wars at the moment.
I really hope that he feels better soon, he won't eat a bite :( Poor little baby.

G-Nappy Review

I have been aware of the 'G-Diaper' for quite some time now, as I believe that it is quite a popular system in the states. However, it has only recently landed in the UK. I did have the opportunity to see them at the UKAware show that I was at earlier in the year, however I didn't take the plunge then.

They were brought to my attention again recently, so I thought that I would get some of the basics so that I could try them for myself. I bought one G-Pant which comes with a waterproof G-Pouch, a pack of 6 G-Cloth inserts and 6 extra G-Pouches.

When my package arrived, I must admit, I was rather excited. I opened the package to a surprise. The G-Pant is just like a jersey cotton, just like normal pants. This is wholly unlike any other reusable nappies that I have come across. Inside the pant is a snapped in G-Pouch, which is the waterproof layer. Then you just lay the insert of your choice (cloth is my choice obviously!) and away you go. I actually really like the G-Cloth insert as it is a hemp/cotton mix, which means that it is a perfect absorbency and it has a fleece top so you don't need to worry about adding a fleecey liner as this will keep your baby dry.

What is rather unsual about the G-Nappy is the rear fastening. Where nappies usually fasten either around the waist or with side snaps, this fastens with velcro at the back. I did worry that it would be slighly fiddley to get it done up, but it is actually a godsend when you have a wriggly toddler. Mr Bee finds it quite fun when I ask him to wriggle one way then the other to fasten it. We also have great success getting the nappy on standing up, which is a bonus when your toddler is running away...! I do wonder whether it would be slighly more difficult to fasten on a smaller baby, but I don't think it would be a problem at all.

After a few trial runs with the G-Nappy at home, I decided to take it for a plunge on our trip to London. It was the main nappy that Nana used all weekend. She is a big fan, especially because the pant is just so soft and comfortable. All weekend we had no leaks using this system. The cloth inserts are very reliable and the G-Pouch is fantastic. I changed one nappy that was very saturated, and the pouch was retaining all of the moisture leaving the pant dry. I was impressed.

As Mr Bee had been poorly all weekend and on medicine, his nappies weren't his usual. I am happy to say that the G-Pouch held in even the most yucky of poos, which with other nappies may have not dealt with so well. All it meant was a quick change of the pouch and the pant was clean and dry.

Whilst I was at the Baby Show I visited the G-Nappy stand to pick up a packet of the disposable inserts. I was also enticed into another G-Pant, a Rugby shirt style one, with red and blue stripes. Lovely!

The disposable inserts are a lovely quality, very similar to the BumGenius ones, and decidedly better all round than the Smart Nappy inserts. What also is very handy about these inserts is that you can rip the outer casing and flush the middle, which is degradable in water. The inserts are also fully compostable.

We tested the G-Pant and the G-Pouch with other cloth inserts such as the Flip Stay Dry and Weehugger inserts and got on really well. The M/L pouch fits both inserts in just fine, which means that they will work well even if your stash is made up of other nappies already.

Overall I am really impressed with this nappy, I think it looks pretty trim and is really easy to use. It definately cuts down washing thanks to the G-Pouch, which is more effective than other two part nappies. My only misgiving for the G-Nappy is that it is a sized option, which inevitably means that it will work out more expensive in the long run. Mr Bee is currently in the Large option, although he is only at the bottom of the weight advisories and I know it will fit him better when he is a bit bigger, but this doesn't affect the usefulness of the nappy whatsoever.
The G-Nappies are available in such a wide range of beautiful colours and every now and then, some beautiful limited prints. I am so happy with my lovely little g-nappies, they are perfect for us.

The Sewing Cafe

Last Tuesday evening, I went down to the Sewing Cafe in Hinckley for an evening tutorial class. I had never even visited the shop before, but the prospect of making a sewing machine cosy was very inviting. 

When I got there, I was invited to choose the fabric that I wanted for my cosy and a ribbon to match. Then we went into the back room with all the machines.

I think I fell in love! With the place, the machines, the fabric, everything! I had such a fun time making my little cosy, even though I think that next time I would do a more challenging course.

The sewing machines were such a beauty to use, very simple to get the hang of, it didn't need any introduction for me. I am confident that I could use one again for various things. I intend to visit again when I want to do some quilting, as it will be much easier with their machines!

So here is my finished product, Percy's little cosy. I do have plans to tweak the cover slightly, as Percy is only a mini and I can take him where I need to. I plan to put some buttons around the bottom edge and create some straps so that I can button the strap on to make it into a bag, 2 in 1!

Of course, a shop as lovely as the Sewing Cafe was full of wonderful goodies and I couldn't leave without taking a few things home with me.

Such beautiful fabrics, brand new in floral and polkadot fat quarters which I will put to good use I hope. Also a bundle of Christmas fabrics which are just stunning and a roll of christmas coloured felt. All in mind for getting ready for my Christmas craft fair.

My craft area seems to be well stocked at the moment, with lots of new things, a bundle of Cath Kidston fabrics, my new things from the Sewing Cafe, this months Mollie Makes magazine with coverable buttons, and some dies for my Big Shot machine which should be arriving tomorrow! Although I have taken a little break from crafting since my fair, it certainly has been exciting, I can't wait to get started for Christmas!