It's hard to love a Monday morning

Yes it's Monday, yes it's cold and damp and the kids have to be dragged out of bed.  It's not quite Christmas, but winter is starting to kick in although Autumn seems to be hanging on.  All in all it's probably the most depressing time of year.  It's time to crank up the heating, light those fires and turn to stodgy food.  You can understand how our ancestors needed a winter festival to bring on the new year, a turn in the darkness.  You don't mind winter on those bright crisp days, when the sun shines and the frost is crunchy underfoot, it might be cold but the sun is out and it makes you smile.  Of course it's easier now we have warm, insulated homes to go to and layers of thermal clothing fit for arctic conditions to keep us warm.

As we hurtle towards Christmas I keep trying to get myself motivated and start shopping for presents.  It must be something to do with the kids having grown up (although they both still want an advent calendar). The urgency seems to have gone, there is less to buy and less to do, the magic disappears the older they get.  We are having dinner on Christmas Eve as neither of them are likely to be up before 1 pm on Christmas Day itself.  So a lazy, laid back Christmas beckons, which is nice in it's own way.

Getting the house ready for Christmas is another thing, some people decorate and buy new carpets and curtains.  I am having problems with where to fit a Christmas tree this year!  As I mentioned before my son moved back home after living with his friends for a few months and brought more back with him than he left with.  Mine and Jessie's hobbies have filled the conservatory at the back, so no room there this year.  Michael has taken over the other conservatory on the side of the house (aren't we greedy, two conservatories), but I think that is where we'll have to shoe horn one of the big Christmas trees.  I think we might get a real one for the front room, just a small one in a pot.

I have been doing an online course, well not doing at the moment just watching!  It's called  2013 Arsty Ornaments of Christmas, it's a lovely course with some wonderful ideas.  It has inspired Jessie and I to decorate the front room tree with just homemade ornaments this year.  Most of us have a few homemade or childmade ornaments anyway, things from primary school or sessions around the kitchen table.  Usually involving egg boxes, loo rolls and lots and lots of glitter.  These still get put on every year, even though the glitter has slowly shed over the years and they are probably a fire hazard!  But our kids made them and so they stay.

Today is going to be a tidying day, a getting sorted and ready day.  I am going to try and organise our craft stash so that when we decide to make something it doesn't take 2 hrs to find the stuff to make it with.  Usually by the time you find something ( you saw it last week while searching for something else) you have lost the motivation to make it.  I have thought about buying Jessie a labeling gun for Christmas, it would gladden her heart as she loves things like that.  For someone with OCD her bedroom looks like absolute chaos, but heavens forbid you move something! We just need to win the lottery really and buy a bigger house, then we can have a massive craft room with proper fitted cabinets.  Unfortunately that's unlikely to happen, so plastic boxes and piles of paper it is.

Well Carolyn has her new stall up and running and it looks lovely, she has started getting her Christmas stuff in, as well as some things made by fellow crafters.  There are some gorgeous handmade stockings and lovely wreaths, as well as the bunting she makes herself.  There is probably still time to place orders if you pop in and see her, she is opposite the cafe as you go into the market from the car park.  She has some photos on her Facebook page, Make Me Fabrics, that show some of the goods for sale.

I suppose I better stop writing and start tidying, I have been waiting for the temperature to rise in the conservatory a bit, I don't do cold! I probably need a second cup of coffee first though and then let battle commence.  I really do need to finish off some projects first before I start anymore (Jessie's blanket is still sat in a corner making me fell guilty).  So I'm off to put he kettle on and psyche myself up to start tackling the mountain that is my work table.  I might even be able to do some work by the end of the day!

So I hope your projects are more organised than mine and may your Christmas projects run smoothly.  This is one chaotic crafter saying goodbye for now.

All my love,

Louise xx

For Christine

It's been a while!

It's been quite a while since I updated my blog as I just sort of lost my creative mojo!  We have all been there, you know you should pick up those half finished projects or start making your Christmas cards (it's going to end up being last minute again), but life gets in the way.

My daughter Jessie has had a bad few weeks and been up most nights and when she sleeps the dog doesn't!  He was 13 a couple of weeks ago and is wanting to go in and out all night, he has already had two tumours removed and has several more that the vet says should just be left at his age.  So it's medicate the dog, make sure Jessie has hers and then take mine on an evening, we all rattle!  So the crafting bits just got left as I am absolutely KNACKERED....

I have managed to do some bits for our adult education class, although we haven't been for a couple of weeks as Jessie hasn't wanted to leave the house.  I managed to get her to join slimming last week, but her dad had to sit in the car while we went in.  I told him we would be ages, but he said he would wait in case she panicked.  An hour and a half later we came out!  This week he's dropping us off and coming back to pick us up, I did warn him.  Makes up for forgetting to pick me up from the train station the other week, isn't Karma great.

Yesterday Carolyn was moving stock from her old shop on South Elmsall  Market into her new one.  It's much bigger, although she still has more stuff than space.  I don't know how she fit it all in the little one she had before.  It looks lovely and is in a great spot, across from the cafe just as you come on to the market from the car park.  Call in and say hello this Tuesday, Friday or Saturday.

Another reason I haven't written much lately is because I started this blog because Carolyn asked me to do one for her shop, Make Me Fabrics.  I thought she would do some sewing pieces to contribute to it, but she doesn't like writing and I cannot persuade her otherwise.  So I didn't know what to put on if I hadn't made anything.  But I decided to just keep writing as I have been and put things on for her when there is something (I hope she reads this).  So I'm afraid it'll be more of me just waffling on and little craft projects in between.

This week for our class piece we had to use Bondaweb and make a sandwich with it.  You do this by painting the Bondaweb on the glue side and then cutting and attaching it to a fabric back.  You can stitch into this or add embellishments.  Then remove the paper backing from the Bondaweb and laying a piece of voile or organza over the top, something transparent. Then you iron this and stitch into it some more, you can then use a soldering iron to cut into the top layer.  This is a technique I have fallen in love with and I will when I get a chance make some more pieces.  I have put some photos at the bottom of the page of the piece so far.

Well off to see to my kids, dog and husband, as apparently nobody can make a decision over tea.   Carvery sounds good, no cooking or washing up!

Hopefully we talk a bit more regularly from now on,

See you soon, 

Love Louise xx

This is a template I created for a water colour technique

A black and white doodle we had to create for a stitched piece.

This is the first piece we did, it is based on the doodle we had to create in black and white.  It had to contain non traditional materials and the was hand dyed.

This is a piece based on a image of excitement, it's made with transfer paints and non traditional materials again.

An alternate colour wheel.  It comprise applique, reverse applique, hand dyed fabrics and free stitch embroidery.  As well as non traditional items again, screws, coloured with alcohol ink.

This is the Bondaweb piece, although without it's top layer yet.  The Bondaweb still has it's paper attached at the moment.  The fabric is hand painted again and also has acrylic ink, glitter paint and india ink over the top .  The stitching is free machine embroidery with colours layered on top of each other.