Stag!

Last and by no means least for the Christmas reporting, hubby requested a stag brooch/badge as his handmade gift this Christmas, so who am I to say no!?

A googled free image, nice quality wool felt from Eternal Maker, some man-flannel left over from last year's man-makes and a little hand-stitchery around the edges.  I think it ended up about 3" tall.

Christmas requests fulfilled.

Pecker!

The Rainbow's leader goes by the name 'Woodpecker', so I made her a felt brooch, template from here, which will probably reside on the noticeboard after the girls hand him over on Friday...

I am still debating whether he needs a beady eye!

Seen in its natural habitat, of my SMS Giveaway infinity scarf, which you can find here.

I am hoping to get a couple more Christmas makes under my belt tomorrow, before I get to see the girls in their Christmas performance.  This time next week I will have finished work until the New Year, and it can't come a day too soon.

On my plate...

...this week, is mostly birthday cake; it is dear husband's big day today, he didn't want anything handmade **gasp** so he had to settle for a Kindle Fire (without a quilted case, oh the shame!).

But whilst the birthdays are being ticked off, the Christmas list is rattling its cage for attention, so I started on the 'teacher' pressies already.

The felt I bought at the weekend was picked with this in mind.  I had a Sizzix die I was wondering what to make with, (I don't think that is even proper English, sorry), and so a new bunch of victims class teachers, means a new brace of Christmas brooches!?

I cut two sets of flowers and layered them up to give a nice weight brooch, the button holds all the layers together quite nicely.  Totally quick and easy, and so with the prototype deemed a success, I will get on and make some more and take some half decent photos... (then put them somewhere out of the way until the end of term, and then end up buying chocolates at the last minute when I can't find them!).

Speaking of Sizzix, keep 'em peeled my friends, fun stuff coming next week!

Oh and with it all being so busy here the last few days, I never got round to saying a big thank you to everyone who voted for my mini quilt over at Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival - I did not win my category, Elizabeth-Don't Call Me Betsy did, but she probably has 6-squillion more followers than me, so that's my excuse, and I am sticking to it!

Last minute...

Well sadly the pink crate has been sent back to the garage, and the big guns have been called down from the loft - having tried in vain to get everything in, I have resorted to the good old wheelie-holdall, which, quite literally holds all I need to take to Retreat and leaves me with a free hand to wave with!

No photo, it's blue, and boring, so I might have to do something about that!

I have finished everything I wanted to get done before Saturday, (although I have that niggle that there was something I didn't write down as it was so so obvious I wouldn't forget, and now I can't remember).

Here's my final flurry of making...

...more of Nova's little +x brooches - I'm still undecided whether they look cutely 'rustic' or just like I let my kids loose with fabric, thread and scissors!  Hey ho.

I have now finished work until 11th June, so I am rather happy about that.  I've played my refreshment-monitor role at the school disco this evening, and now just have the cleaning and weekend shopping to do tomorrow morning; I don't want those staying at home to starve or catch anything nasty.  Then it'll be all about the nail varnish and the 'mummy time'!

Anyhow, I will see most of you tomorrow for Fresh Sewing Day on June the 1st, for goodness sake already!

And for those who will be in London tomorrow - have a good start and I'll catch you bright and early on Saturday xxx

Unexpected...

I had an unexpected day off work today as we awoke to a poorly twin, so I spent much of the day holding back hair, offering water and doing the mummy-thing.

I was therefore pretty pushed for anything pleasant to tell you about until an unexpected email arrived from Amy at Amy's Creative Side a couple of hours ago.  Guess what - the Rainbow Cherry Star got nominated into the final five in the ROYGBIV category - how exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only have I made it through to voting stage, so have many of my friends including Laura-Jane and her Brit Bee quilt, the 2 Charlottes, Newland and Dumesny, Leanne and Kelly!!  So please pop over, take a look and cast your votes in the 15 categories.  I am up against stiff competition, but I am totally thrilled to have reached this stage.  Thank you so so much if you nominated my quilt xxx

So as to not leave you without a pretty picture or two, how about these...

Yesterday Nova came to my 'hand-sewing, need for quick makes and last minute gifts' rescue!

Her lovely tute uses Liberty scraps to make x+ brooches, as part of her monthly challenge from Brit Bee Jo, but being completely devoid of Liberty, (bar a couple of V&A FQs which will remain untouched as they were the first quilting fabrics I ever bought!), I raided the scrap bags, and I have a few more to finish tonight.

So those were the ups and downs of my day; I hope you had more ups than downs to start your week xxx

Leftovers...

Whilst the leftovers are still being consumed, I thought I better give you a look at some of the things I haven't shown you before, (you can tell I am scrabbling about for blog posts ideas now, without actually making anything new!).

Firstly the Secret Santa gifts that I sent to fellow Brit Bee Jennie of Just A Little Stitch.  My pictures are not that great - taken at work on my phone as, in my attempt to get them posted in time, I forgot to take any at home, muppet.

The Christmas purse outer fabric is wipeable PVC for any gravy-spillage problems, and I couldn't not send felt baubles could I!?

Oh and there was this kanzashi flower brooch I made for my coat for Christmas Day, using this tute...

Now I suppose I better go make something new.

Sew, Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!

*** The Giveaway is now closed at 244 comments. ***

I couldn't resist!  You know the score, this will no doubt be the millionth place you've stopped by today, but maybe it could be the place you get lucky!!

As the regular crew are aware, I've been flashing my Christmas makes of pouches/purses for all to see at frequent intervals over recent weeks, so it is surely only right and proper for me to offer one up for grabs!  If this is your first time in this neck of the inter-woods, please feel free to look around, stay a while and hopefully come back again.

Now, I am more than capable of organising my weekend plans for six months time, but getting myself sorted with good photos for this evening has been a bit hit and miss, please accept my apologies.

So here is the little purse (in a UK sense) I put together for today...

I will fill it with bits and bobs, including a brooch, or maybe even two, and if you need convincing it's worth a go, I'll post pictures of the extras tomorrow, when I am in less of a tizzy! (Updated - click here to see the rest!).

This is open to international entrants, and will close on Saturday 17th December at about 9am UK time.  I will draw the winner via Random Number Generator.

For your chances...
Leave one comment telling me what you will be doing on June 2nd 2012 (if you don't know yet, you can make something up)...
...and for a second chance, be a Follower and leave a separate comment (but don't fib on this one - I will check).

NB.  If you are a 'No Reply Blogger', or think you might be, please leave your email address in your comment(s) eg. 'hadley dot 1 at virgin dot net', otherwise I won't be able to contact you and I will pick someone else, sorry.

Good luck, and thank you for choosing to stop by my humble abode when I know there are so many great people to see and goodies to win courtesy of Sew Mama Sew today xxx

The Big Make...

The only making I have done so far today is...

'Christmas'!

Yep, the time has finally come for the festivities to really begin in the FB household.  After the regular cleaning and tidying, and a quick birthday party in the middle of the day, I cracked open the boxes of pretty things and we set to it.  Last year was spent surrounded by packing cases, so this year we really want it to feel like a proper Christmas.

We have our first real tree since the girls were born, and it's a beauty...

We actually have 4 trees, a white pop-up in the conservatory, a 3' pink tinsel one "decorated" by the girls and put in their room and a 3' green one of dear son's with a Doctor Who figure on the top!  Paper chains, tinsel and decorations are scattered throughout the rest of the house, and the scrappy wreath has been getting a daytime airing.  I'm starting to feel real excitement and sheer panic now!

I do have a couple of other makes to show you from the other evening, my Secret Santa gifts for a lady at work...

I hope she isn't too disappointed that it isn't a singing snowman or a willy-shaped soap!

Birds, Bees and Unicycles!

It's been a fun packed day for the FB household today.

Grandma and Grandpa took the 3 small folk to see Mother Goose; the Sevenoaks pantomime with stars such as Leslie 'Dirty Den' Grantham and The Demon Headmaster (?); by all accounts a very fun time was had by all, and sleep came very easily for them tonight.

Whilst this was going on, I met a fellow Brit Bee for the first time!

Picture the scene...
Me:  (ding dong doorbell)
Pretty lady: Hello?
Me: Hello (big insane grin) - you don't know me, well you do, but you don't...
Pretty lady: (thinking 'help, it's a nutter!!!!!')
Me: I'm Hadley...

There followed about half an hour on the doorstep, grinning, hugging, laughing, talking incessantly, more ginning, hugging and general excitement.  I was only meant to be putting a birthday card through the door.

I had my camera, but I forgot about that along with my husband in the car; so you have to trust me, I was there, with Terri, and she is amazing. 

I won't go on about how brilliant she is too much, otherwise that head of hers will get so big it will no longer fit in that fantastic pink knitted wig of hers, and her daughter was equally fab riding up and down the street on a unicycle, entertaining my poor neglected husband. 

Apologies to all non-Brit Bee readers, you will just have to imagine the awesomeness of meeting up with Terri - if you remember the Project 51 quilt, you will have a inkling of what this means; even if we were talking too much to even go see the quilt!  Terri, you haven't sold it have you?

I don't like Mondays!

...and today started even more despicably than usual!

In the shower, shampoo a-bubbling nicely, then the lights, electric shower and everything else went OFF!

So a lot of shouting to the kids finally produced a plastic jug from the kitchen, to finish the rinsing and then I had the delight of the school run with very cold wet bad hair and the realisation that it wasn't a full-on power cut (outage), just us.

All credit due, the Electricity guy was here within an hour, just when I had resigned/consoled myself to a morning off work and some owl action; and he had it all fixed in about 15 minutes.  I was in work an hour late but all was illuminated and switched on in the FB homestead again, phew.

So I only have these Christmas pressies that are destined for my sister to show you today...

A laminated/PVC zippy pouch, made from an A4 sample and Kona Aloe...

Check out those zipper ends!

And a muted heart brooch, which I promise to put in the post and not keep!

Tonight I am planning to go bigger than owls, for my Dad's birthday, so hopefully I will have something fun to show you tomorrow.

Bring on the weekend!!

This has been a long long long and expensive week. 

To add to everything, today included a car service and MOT for my wheels and some RAC assistance for hubby's motor - but all good, safe, and working now. 

I've cleaned and hoovered and given the playroom a good sort through too, so I can now go into the weekend with a big old smile on my face.

Last night's 'playing about' resulted in this, which I am pretty happy with...

The buttons are mother of pearl, but not showing so well here.  I need to put some more felt on my humongous shopping list, as these are getting addictive, and bigger!

And especially for Nicky, and anyone else who was wondering, the 'blue circle thing' that frequently appears in my 'indoor' photos, is a side table...

Tomorrow will involve my nephew's 4th birthday party, and a little trip to the POST OFFICE!!  I have two parcels that need posting - in fact, I need to get on and wrap the second one now, and then my 'making' part in the Goodie Swap will be fulfilled - anyone-else feeling excited?!

Hope your weekends are destined to be full of fun, lovely people and great things (especially those with weird Swedish names!) x

Headache...

My day has been a physical and metaphorical headache, ending up with me grabbing an hour in bed after tea.  So not like me.

Hours of staring at a screen full of numbers and nonsense rather than blogs, fabrics and lovelies just makes my head spin. 

So today's making has been limited to this little pretty...

However I am determined to pull all the fabric I need for my second swap mug rug before bedtime.  I have been sketching, stalking and pondering for too long now and I need to get busy!

TFI Friday tomorrow!  No stamina eh!