Nothing to See Here

I haven't really had much to blog about lately. The sewing machine has been working hard and some Christmas presents have actually been finished but I can't show any photos because of prying eyes (you know who you are)!

I won Debbie's Giveaway of some lovely Fat Quarters but the makes I have planned for those can't be started until all presents are done.

So I will show this very strange looking Gingerbread Man who has been made as a decoration and should be joined soon by some equally erm....unique looking friends! Please be aware it was very late at night when I did the mouth! Ok, I'll admit, embroidery is not my strong point.

When I had a spare few minutes I patched up a pair of Izzy's jeans with a scrap of Cath Kidston. Very 'Make do and Mend'! She is now the most stylish 2 year old I know!

A Little Bit Retro!

I have officially started preparing for the dreaded Christmas! First on the list was a stocking for Miss P and I couldn't resist this cute fabric by Alexander Henry. It's lined with some LA gingham. I'm really pleased with it and am looking forward to seeing what Father Christmas fills it with!

I was out looking for a tin to keep my loaf shaped cakes in and spotted this set of three Ladybird tins in TK Maxx. Not exactly what I was after but I couldn't resist. I love the images on them. Not sure what to keep in them yet but I'm sure I'll think of something to persuade Mr P they were an essential purchase!

Still looking for that loaf tin though!

This apron I have lusted after for a while and finally treated myself. It's made by Boojiboo and it's so cute and retro. Plus it gets me in the mood for cooking and cleaning. Well, maybe not the cleaning! There is one issue with it and that is I would now rather get my clothes grubby than the pretty apron.

In My Kitchen

My recent absence from my sewing machine meant more time to spend in the kitchen. I do love creating new things in there and if they are successful, the recipe wins a place in my household folder! I cannot take credit for creating the recipes unfortunately but maybe one day I will be able to come up with my own.

This was a delicious Salmon and Broccoli Pasta Bake. Very easy to make which is always a priority for me when choosing something to cook!

This Banana Cake I have made a couple of times now and does not last long. In fact I was lucky to get a picture! Great for using up those over ripe bananas that I always seem to have in my fruit bowl.

There is another girl in our household who loves being in the kitchen too. In fact she asks nearly every day to make cakes. She chose a recipe from my cupcake book and got to work.

I've never seen anyone concentrate so hard on stirring!

Of course you cannot be a successful cook without having a taste along the way. Luckily the mixture met her very high standards.

After some very hard work with icing she was very pleased with the final result.

Can you spot the spider unhappy about having one eye removed by a small finger?!

The only problem with all this cooking and baking is that I end up eating too much! I have more cake than is good for my waistline but I'm sure it's good for mental health to sit down with a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake every day!

Sew Sorry!

I have been a very bad blogger lately! Mainly due to my lack of motivation so when I heard everyone getting excited about the new Cath Kidston book 'Sew' I thought it might be just what I needed.

This is my version of the bag that came with it. It is lacking some top stitching and has some added bunching which I'm sure is not a feature on anyone elses but I am pleased with it. Plus, imagine my joy when I realised although it's quite small, the book I'm reading fits snuggly inside!

I forgot to sew on the CK label before taking pictures but that has now been remedied. I added some candy stripe lining and a cardboard base.

The button loop was a bloomin' pain to make and took me ages to turn so won't be making one of those again!

What I am most pleased with is my button holes! I have never sewn any before and after a few practice goes, I found them rather theraputic! I might just do them for fun in future.

A few weeks ago my mum and dad had the pleasure of visiting York and found themselves in the CK shop (I am very jealous)! They bought Izzy these pretty slipper socks that look so cute on her chubby little toddler legs!

As I have been unable to make anything recently (due to a major lack of motivation) I thought I'd post pics of what I sent for the SSC August swap.

The chicken was made with Laura Ashley fabrics and I was sad to see her go! I may have to make one for myself if I ever sit at my sewing machine again!

These adorable chicken egg cosies I found in a CS where I also found some candy stripe pillowcases and other bits equally as nice. If I could remember where that CS was I would go back again!

A little ladybird made from a top my daughter never wore.

A scented UJ mini cushion from some CK and LA scraps.

I hope I get some motivation soon and start making again as I really need a new bag and have the fabric ready. Maybe the library books will give me the inspiration I need.

A bit of light reading......

.....from my local library. To please Mr.P and our bank balance I have been very good and avoided Amazon even though I had a list of books I wanted to buy. I thought I'd check my library to see if they had any of the titles I was looking for, but wasn't very hopeful. Well, I was pleasantly surprised and soon had a very long reservation list.

Here are the ones that were ready to be picked up today. There are so many pretty projects I don't know where to start!

I already have two more to collect so I better get a move on with reading, drooling, making etc!

Boxes, Books and a Makeover

When browsing in boots sales or charity shops I can never resist opening a tin or looking inside a box. Mostly they are empty or contain nothing I'm interested in but last boot sale I got lucky. I only stopped to buy some dressmakers scissors and pinking shears and spotted this box under a load of junk. Had to peep inside and was happy with what I found!

There were lots of lovely threads inside, all nice bright colours. Even though I mostly seem to use white thread when sewing I couldn't leave this behind so happily gave the gentleman my £1.

I'm not sure what the box is supposed to be used for. It has some slots in the back of the lid and front of the base. I thought maybe paintbrushes but if anyone does know, please do tell. Whatever it's for, I think it needs a splash of paint and maybe some nice decoupage on the lid.

I've also bought some bits from charity shops lately. These two penguin books were around 50p each. I love Of Mice and Men and have never read Lady Chatterley's Lover so have just started it as I finished reading Rebecca yesterday (which was very good by the way).

I found these two rolls of Laura Ashley pink gingham wallpaper in my favourite charity shop for 50p each. Bargain! I was going to save it until I want to decorate Izzy's bedroom but there is not enough. It's from 2003 (I think) so I'm unlikely to find more so I may sell it. Not decided yet.

Lastly, I came across this book stand for 50p in a CS. I have been looking for one for ages and of course it doesn't really go in my bedroom so I had to paint it.

I use Farrow and Ball's 'New White' and decoupaged some flowers onto the sides using some Tescos serviettes. It was my first time using F&B paint and it was lovely to work with although I only paid £1 at a boot sale. Not sure I could stretch the £15 or so for a new tin. Oh well, I'll just have to make the most of the pot I have.