Peas and Needles

3/52

2012-01-22T14:42:00.001Z

Week 3! I made this for a friends little girl. Just a little gift. Hope she likes. Its based on this little fella here.

2/52

2012-01-15T15:44:00.002Z

Here's week number 2! I knitted myself a little striped snood. It's pretty cosy. I'm a massive fan of the stripes and have been looking for one for ages and never found it. I had some wool lying around so I thought I would make myself one.

Now I need to start thinking about what week 3's project could be!

1/52

2012-01-07T14:47:00.002Z

First project of the year! I recovered my Ercol seat! Week 1 done.

2011-12-31T16:35:00.001Z

Happy new year!

Fifty 2 Project

2011-12-30T18:48:00.002Z

My aim for 2012 is to try and be as active and creative as possible. I have decided that each week I will either finish an on going project or create something new. Could be something sewn, drawn or even baked.

I'll post about each weeks project on here so hopefully that will keep me motivated to keep doing this. I'm actually really looking forward to it!

My other news years resolution this year is to save. Thats not so fun. Maybe I will just spend more time in my house making projects whilst saving! Hope so!

Hope you had a great Christmas and see you in 2012!!!! x

2011-12-24T14:52:00.001Z

I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and thank you for reading my blog this year, it means alot!
See you in 2012 !

More festivities...

2011-12-17T13:48:00.003Z

I picked up this great fabric when I was in Florida at the beginning of November. I couldn't decide what I could do with it so I decided to make some festive bunting. I'll be taking it with me this evening for our Christmas party/dinner.

Speaking of our Christmas dinner this evening, I got these little felt crackers from Marks & Spencers... so cute! You can fill them with whatever you like, you just have to assemble them.

Nifty finds from Paris...

2011-12-17T13:08:00.002Z

One thing I learnt in Paris is that its crazy expensive... not surprised at all really. On the Saturday we did go to a few lovely markets and managed to bag some pretty pieces... see above..Lots of little bits of fabric for €10, a pretty cute tin for €5 and a lovely book from Ligia. The illustrations are adorable but unfortunately its all in French. O well.

The little hanky above says 'I heart Lou'... its cute! My name is Lou. I love it.

Paris in December :: photos

2011-12-16T16:48:00.002Z

Sacre Cour, Montmatre, Eiffel Tower, River Sen, Grande Palace, Champs Elyees Market, Jardin Tuileries, Louvre, Mexican food, Albess, Pigalle, Bastille Market, Motown night at Djoon, Notra Dame, Stationery shops, many many baguettes, Oberkamff market.

These are the many places/things/eaten when I was in Paris a few weeks ago. I came back thoroughly exhausted and missing my friend even more. She comes back on Sunday for Christmas so will get to hang out then so all is ok.

You can catch up with her Paris adventures here.... A Wandering Anthropologist... that is when she posts something... I'll keep you updated. I'm certainly looking forward to reading them!

...

2011-12-14T21:19:00.006Z

// 1. Nativity crib set - Made in Design (£49) vouchers here
// 2. Winter scene cushion - Laura Ashley (£36) vouchers here
// 3. Tree decorations - Heals (from £3.50)
// 4. Deer head - Cox & Cox (£35)

// 5. Dotty fondue set - Cath Kidston (£40) vouchers here
// 6. Dala horse serving bowl - Cookware shop (£18)
// 7. Kissing stag coaster (£12.50) and placemat (£27.50) - Anorak
// 8. Wooden reindeer advent calender - Graham & Green (£30)
// 9. Christmas pudding bin bags - John Lewis (£10) vouchers here

The nice people from the lifestyle magazine Most Wanted from VoucherCodes.co.uk kindly asked me to post my top 9 gifts/decorations for under £50... enjoy!

Tape and book graphics from :: Pugly Pixel

puddings galore

2011-12-12T19:18:00.002Z

On Saturday night we had our annual Christmas party with my old University friends. We ate French onion soup, cheese and crackers, sausages wrapped in bacon, apples in pastry with mincemeat, Nutella cheesecake (which I made), Santa brownies (Laura's amazing creation) all polished off with a few glasses of mulled wine.
Lovely.

Christmas is a coming...

2011-12-08T21:44:00.002Z

o yep yep it is and I could not be more excited. It's taken me a while... with having some Winter sun and it not exactly being very chilly here (famous last words) it just hasn't felt like Christmas!

I put my tree up this evening to get a bit more excited and it certainly did the trick! However I was listening to the Black Keys new album instead of some Christmassy songs..but o well. Its up!

Card making next.... o and yes a Paris blog // it was ace.

Sunday snaps...

2011-11-27T17:22:00.002Z

this weekend
- family lunches
- curry with friends
- organised my fabric piles
- nephew turning 6 months... plus discovery of his first teeth!
- sewing a new seat cushion for my Ercol armchair
- a little bit of Christmas shopping

Paris in December

2011-11-25T18:33:00.001Z

I'm off to Paris in a week... does anyone have a suggestions of places to see? x

Florida fun times

2011-11-19T19:43:00.004Z

--> stonecrab injuries
--> mini/crazy golf
--> wonderful wedding times
--> feeling like being in scenes from Superbad
--> alligators, pelicans, racoons and flying fish
--> stomach hurting from laughing so much

all in all a splendid time away with friends!

whats been going on...

2011-10-30T15:13:00.004Z

- WORKING WORKING WORKING
- BOOKING MY TRIP TO PARIS
- GO TO FLORIDA ON WEDNESDAY FOR A WEDDING
- TRYING TO TIDY (not going very well)

I'll be back soon x

been pretty absent...

2011-10-09T16:57:00.003+01:00

Been pretty busy with work recently, I currently have gone freelance and its been an almighty change. This is probably why I haven't been posting as much and I can't seem to really think of anything interesting to write about.
Please come back soon, maybe I'll have had a break through. First off though I need to fight off this cold that has been doing the rounds. Lovely.

Hope you're good! x

2011-09-29T21:13:00.001+01:00

surprise trips to the charity shop equal nice little surprises for my wall.

crossing things off the list

2011-09-25T19:16:00.003+01:00

I have been meaning to cover this cushion for a fair few months now.... I bought it when I was in uni a couple years ago... well actually it was probably about 5 years ago and it was a covered in a rather nasty print. Today I decided that I would actually pull my finger my out and cover it.

I'm rather pleased with it, now just need to finish upholstering the chair for it to sit on. I used some Skinny La Minx material and other bits and pieces lying around. The little dog is from Sara Carr. He's a gem.

Also this weekend I wrote down a list of all the projects I have on the go at the moment as I always start new projects and never finish them. I put them into a table and there is a box to mark their importance. Geeky I know!

i could get used to this...

2011-09-14T13:58:00.002+01:00

2011-09-11T22:08:00.002+01:00

This weekend was full of yummy food and sad goodbyes.

Less of the goodbyes please.

Typically British

2011-09-07T09:56:00.003+01:00

Weekend just gone I went to a lovely little Hen Party . Alissa who is getting married is from Florida and so we thought we would have a typical British day out. Not those awful Hen Parties you see normally but a nice sophisticated one. It was really lovely. We had a picnic in the park before we went boating on little row boats.... and the weather held out! Was so sunny. I did a little illustration so she could find us.

Roll on November for the wedding in Florida! I can't wait!

the friendship bracelet swap...

2011-08-24T19:19:00.003+01:00

I finally finished my bracelets for the friendship swap that I saw over on Grainline Studio. I ended up making 2 as there was a mix up so I volunteered to make another. I added a few extras for the recipients...
I hope they like the colours.

* NEW WEBSITE *

2011-08-22T20:40:00.005+01:00

A new website and a new look :: exciting.
This has taken me rather a long time to do but I'm finally there. There are still a few minor tweaks here and there but I'm so happy. Its pretty basic but I think it will do for now.

Hope you like...

Times are changing....

2011-08-14T14:04:00.002+01:00

A lot of things/decisions/tasks have been made recently and hopefully things will be changing around here (hopefully for the better) for now here is a little photo diary for you...

- recent finds from the trusty charity shop, not the lovely Scout and Catalogue pouch!
- my Keep Cup came.
- books I received recently
- look at the details!!!!!

Seaside Happiness

2011-08-04T14:33:00.002+01:00

One day I wish to live by the sea in the wonky houses on the coast line. I'm working on it believe me.
I made this map for the Make Maps blog. There are some really lovely ones. x

2011-07-27T18:11:00.004+01:00

I've been seeing some really lovely bits and pieces on the ole tinterweb recently and I thought I'd do a little blog post about them.... I'm getting a bit stuck on what to blog about recently so hopefully this will inspire me as well as you! Here goes....

>> a friendship bracelet SWAP.... sign up, I have! - its a really lovely blog too!
>> Melinda Josie's stunning Wedding.
>> Keep Cup - reusable coffee cups, I love that you can choose which colours you would like.
Can't wait to receive mine!
>> KNITTED BEAN BAGS! - my o my!
>> cute Craft Party Invite - big fan of this lady!
>> and one day I would like to find some stamps like these beauts!
>> Send More Mail

Enjoy!
( I love cherries and strawberry milk - yum)

the tool box

2011-07-23T16:02:00.004+01:00

My pops recently made me a tool box out of an old pallet that we had lying around. I love it, it keeps all my upholstery tools and other bits and pieces.

some bits I picked up from the local charity shop... 4 remnants of material, 1 double bed lace cover and 2 handblown glasses.

oh and some pretty flowers... they were not from the charity shop though.

This weekend...

2011-07-07T13:25:00.003+01:00

Bracelets :: handmade and bought

tutorial here for friendship bracelet :: yellow bracelet made by me, plaited bracelet by Thief and Band it, white and black bracelet made by me.

a new knitting project

Lino Love

2011-06-27T20:46:00.003+01:00

Saturday just gone was spent lino printing all day with a very lovely lady. We did a little charity shopping in the morning and then went and bought our supplies.

This is what I came up with, sadly I didn't take any photos of her print but she did a lovely print of a bromeliad plant for a birthday present. It was a really fun day, our next art class will be in top making. So more of a sewing class. Will be equally as fun!

Sunday was spent down in Brighton at another friends beach hut. Then it was time for a roast. The weather was amazing so maybe a roast was not the best idea but still it really was a great day. Please can I have more weekends like this please!

What a week...

2011-06-18T16:36:00.002+01:00

I found all this lot at the charity shop this week. This has to be the best visit yet. I felt rather guilty coming away with this amount of goodness.

picture frame, remnant of tie dyed material, tablecloth, framed picture, upholstery binding, fabric tape, leather wallet.

4 pillow cases, framed picture, maxi skirt, remnant of material, 2 floral pillowcases.

2 picture frames (pictures to be replaced) remnant of material, framed picture, blue handmade trousers, small Chinese sugar pot type thing.

I don't think I should go back for a while, I'm starting to run out of space!

Update...

2011-06-12T15:44:00.004+01:00

...on the old beast. So I have been doing my upholstery class for the last 5 weeks and this is as far as I have got. It is all covered in fire retardant calico... to protect it from fires. Now for the real stuff. My last class is on Wednesday and I eventually get to upholster with the 'real' material. I'm sad that it is coming to an end as I'm no where near finishing the chair.

Hopefully I will have the courage/knowledge to carry it on over the summer, maybe I'll enroll myself into the new term in September??? You can see what it looked like originally here.
In other news....

The ever so kind Anthony Zinonos sent this to me in the post. When I saw this on Anthony's Instagram I had to ask him where he had seen it??? You see when I was younger all I remember of my Grandpa's house was this giant framed picture of John Wayne at the top of his stairs. It was the first thing you saw as soon as you walked into his house and one of the many things I remember about him. Anyway Anthony had seen this in his local Charity shop and had gone back to get it for me. It's actually amazing! Its cross stitched! Thank you!
It will hang at the top of my own stairs one day.

2011-06-11T18:56:00.000+01:00

A lovely lady bought this little tea pot from Rosie Parlour... I'm a little sad to see it go. Maybe its time to make some tea. x

another quilt...

2011-05-29T20:51:00.003+01:00

today I finally finished my second quilt ------>

This one is for my little nephew who was born on Friday morning. In the words of my sister/his mum 'he rocks'.
Hope you are having a lovely bank holiday. We sure are!
x

Sunday Afternoon

2011-05-22T15:37:00.002+01:00

Today was meant to be a productive day.... however this has not been the case. Instead I am eating cake and drinking milk. I need to at least cross 2 things off my to do list today. Maybe some Skatalites will help.

Whats in my bag....

2011-05-14T12:23:00.003+01:00

I like it when people show you what they have in their bags... it's a little nosy but I guess I am. So I thought I would show you whats in mine. Not very interesting I'm afraid....

Yellow Cambridge Satchel Company
Frankie Diary
A5 Notebook
Mini Notebook
Smith's Lip Balm - Minted Rose
Purse made by me
Sunglasses
Phone (cover made by Well.IllBeDarned)

This week...

2011-05-12T18:21:00.000+01:00

1. I have been quilting (for the sprog)
2. Charity Shop Shopping - this is what I found. Skateboard from All the Best Vintage
3. Wearing my new clogs
4. Sitting in the park drawing (waiting for late friends)
5. Meeting Winters Moon and buying the most amazing table I don't have room for.
6. Upholstering my chair. Its progressed even more since this shot!

What about you?
(sorry about the photos, I don't really like posting using Instagram images)

Sprog Shower

2011-05-05T21:54:00.002+01:00

Last Sunday I threw my sister a little baby/sprog shower as she is due to have a little fella in a few days or so. Any excuse to have a lot of cake is fine by me!

The theme was 'Library' so I asked everybody to bring their favourite childhood book to pass onto the little fella so he can build his own little library! I designed the invites to look like little library cards, I should have really posted a picture of those too. We played a little game of 'Guess the Baby' and took down peoples guesses for the weight/date/time etc, drank out of jam jars (again) had little flags in our cakes and opened lots of presents. It really was a pleasant afternoon.

All we need now is the baby. Please hurry up! x

Rosie Parlour

2011-05-02T16:57:00.006+01:00

Please check out my new store :: Rosie Parlour :: I decided to open a little Etsy shop up as I seem to collect a lot of bits and pieces and I thought I would share some. Hope you enjoy. x

Easter goods!

2011-04-25T20:19:00.002+01:00

This weekend was a lovely one. Such lovely weather, however I did have the mother of all migraines on Saturday which was sad. Lost sight in one eye and horrible pain on the other side of my head. All back to normal now thank goodness.

I managed to pop into the local charity shop and found some Easter bargains! I got a lovely large framed picture of a chart to do with herbs, a nice little wooden unit which is amazing! They were both £4.95. Then my beady eyed Mother spotted 3 Japanese dolls hidden behind some clothes. They were all 3 for £9.95. So so cute! Above is 2 of them. They had the original prices stuck on the bottom of them and they are worth £33 each! Crazy!

Anyways hope you had a lovely Easter break, did you do anything nice? I have another day off tomorrow so I think I'll pop to Brighton. Can't wait x

The Tie Shop is OPEN!

2011-04-22T10:58:00.003+01:00

The Tie Shop is open!
Hope you like

x
For the first 5 orders you will receive a free 'The Tie Shop' tote bag!!!

the tie shop...

2011-04-19T20:32:00.000+01:00

will be ready at the end of the week! exciting!

new project number 2

2011-04-09T17:41:00.001+01:00

coming soon...

my new project...

2011-04-04T14:34:00.003+01:00

Today whilst out shopping I spotted this 1950's chair outside an antiques shop. I thought it looked lovely, such great shape but shame about the upholstery. Its all worn and torn a little. I went in to ask how much it was and he said 'ummm £15?' YES PLEASE!

I love it, for now I have just draped a blanket over it as I start my upholstery course in May so will be able to learn how to change the cover then!

Yesterday was my birthday....

2011-04-03T11:22:00.003+01:00

We drank cocktails out of jam jars and ate lots of home made cake. It was fun. I love birthdays.

2011-03-28T19:07:00.009+01:00

I have a new pin cushion. Its an old old wooden spool. It's
quite big, about 150mm in height. It came with some lovely
dark metal scissors. It has some wool type tartan material
wrapped around it for you to stick pins in.

Some people might think this is weird but I think its really
lovely! Also my Mum bought it for me.

Sunday Reading

2011-03-27T16:30:00.004+01:00

After I saw this post recently from Jen at HelloJenuine I instantly bought some of the books she had recommended. I thought I would do a little version of the recent post I have been receiving too. You should definitely check these lovely artists out. Its been a lovely Sunday having a look through these delights.

1. Pebble Island, Jon McNaught // buy here
2. Birchfield Close, Jon McNaught // buy here
3. Oh Comely Issue 5 // buy here
4. Strom, Nigel Peake // buy here
5. Rain Day, Hannah Waldron // buy here
6. Paperchase Notebook // just liked the pattern
7. Ten Fingers Zine // buy here
8. Toska, Lizzy Stewart // buy here
9. Anthology Issue 2 // buy here

Also thank you for such lovely comments recently, I really do appreciate it :D it makes me smile lots. x

Handmade Ties

2011-03-26T10:47:00.002Z

Last night I made a couple of ties. Im addicted.

I'm going to make more.

These 2 are for friends. One for a birthday present. Hope he likes.

Jam Jar Drinking...

2011-03-25T15:35:00.005Z

Next week I turn 26. Most people would say that this is not that old, which it's not I know, but some how it seems very scary. I feel like I should have done/accomplished/succeeded more by now.

Anyway to celebrate this occasion of being the wrong side of 25 I'm having a few friends round to drink cocktails. I have the jam jars, red and white straws and swizzle sticks for it to commence. Today as the sun was a shining I decided to try it out. Non-alcoholic I must add (this photo was taken at lunchtime) I felt a little silly but I thought it looked nice.

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine, maybe crack out a jam jar!

*o and yes that is a slice of cucumber, I didn't have any lemons or limes.

Charity Shop Challenge :: March

2011-03-25T15:32:00.003Z

Here is this months Charity Shop Challenge.... the flannel plaid shirt was £3.95 and the belt was £2.95.

What did you manage to find this month?

Spring where are you???

2011-03-16T19:38:00.005Z

Yesterday we had a hint of Spring and today it swiftly disappeared again!
Please come back I'm tired of wearing layers.

2011-03-13T17:47:00.001Z

My thoughts are with Japan, such sad sad news.
If you can please donate here.

xxx

Sunday Snaps...

2011-03-06T15:02:00.001Z

Distracting myself from work with taking pictures. Right back to work. x

Patterns

2011-03-05T22:04:00.003Z

Cushion :: Ikea
Flannel plaid shirt :: charity shop
Linen blouse :: charity shop
9 x balls of wool :: charity shop.

Today has been a day full of chatting with friends and planing trips away. Can all Saturdays be like this please???
Above is some great finds I found this week. Hop you're having a lovely weekend?
x

cotton reels

2011-02-28T18:36:00.003Z

I did a little illustration for a friend.
I'm planing on achieving one of my 2011 goals this weekend, I hope to make a dress.
I might start off with a top first though.

Little Letter Needle Book

2011-02-26T16:09:00.003Z

The other day whilst I was looking in charity shop I came across a huge pack of sewing needles for 95p! I always lose my needles so I thought I would make a little case for them and I came across this one on Kelly Rachel's blog and thought I would make my own!

Think I need a holiday...

2011-02-23T19:30:00.001Z

...to somewhere with some sun and a little cabin. x

Charity Shop Challenge :: February

2011-02-20T17:49:00.002Z

Here is my first find for the Charity Shop Challenge!

This is from the local charity shop just down the road from where I work, it is a Sam Beare Hospice one and the ladies who work in there are always so happy and pleased to see you. With my experience of charity shops they are not all like this. I'm hoping one day that they will start to put things aside for me. That would be great!

So yes anyway the necklace is from a few months ago but I thought I would show it anyway. It is a pebble on the end of a gold chain. It's pretty heavy. It cost me 99p. This cardigan is a gem! I found this in the week whilst waiting to pay (the ladies like to chat) and I spotted it in the mens section!!! However it is ladies, it is a little big, but so so cosy!! It cost me £4.95. It does look a little like something you would get in Urban Outfitters but at a fraction at the price! The little pin badge was £1.95. Cute.

Such great finds and I'm so excited to show them in this way. I do think all my photos will be cropped in this way as I do find myself being a little awkward and embarrassed. Sorry about that.
Hope you had a lovely weekend x

Sundays are for relaxing...

2011-02-16T18:47:00.004Z

On Sunday my sister, her husband and I all went for an ace roast dinner. I love roast dinners and sometimes if you go out for one it can be a bit of a gamble. But this one did not disappoint! We went to this really lovely pub called The Swan in Chiddingfold. I sadly didn't take my camera which was a little annoying so I thought I would share with you what I wore instead. In illustration form of course.

I didn't wear the crocheted blanket to lunch (that was when I got home when I was drawing this) instead I wore my Yokoo scarf/snood. I got it in Oatmeal. I love it! Its so toasty warm and goes with everything. I have literally worn it everyday since I got it!

If you also love Sunday Roasts check out Roasted Sundays, such a great read!

Charity Shop Finds

2011-02-14T18:23:00.003Z

Whilst out rummaging in a few local Charity shops looking for a lovely outfit for the Charity Shop Challenge I came across these beauts! The rug was sadly cut in half but its fine when its on the floor (no one will ever know) I might sew it back together. One half was £2.95 and the other was £4.50 Both exactly the same size. Odd. I also found this little foot stall for £3. I love it! I think it will be my first project for when I do my upholstery class. I eventually found one and am so excited!

Charity Shop Challenge

2011-02-09T15:31:00.003Z

If you read my blog regularly then you will know that I love a good charity shop find or two so when I noticed a few lovely Twitter friends chatting about the Charity Shop Challenge I knew I had to join in. I have already told myself that I can't spend any money on myself until my birthday apart from charity shop finds anyway (post here) so this is perfect.

:: Here are the Rules ::

1. Your outfit must comprise of a key-garment from a charity shop plus any other pieces/accessories etc to make up an 'ensemble'.
2. Annotate your outfit. Include a description of the garments/ where you bought or found each piece/ price of charity find.
3. Upload your image onto your blog by the last friday of each month.
4. On the last friday of the month tell everyone about it and tweet with the hashtag #charityshopchallenge
5. Extra credit for those who customise their charity shop find.

Why not join in!!! You can also join the Flickr group here.

Shes Home!!!!

2011-02-08T09:43:00.001Z

The Quilt is Finished!!

2011-01-22T15:14:00.002Z

ITS FINISHED
and I love it. Currently its keeping my legs warm whilst I'm sat at my desk. Soon it will be keeping this little one warm in 2 weeks. Its dragging so much now but I'm lucky I can go and visit her whenever. So cute!

Seagulls

2011-01-20T19:23:00.002Z

Playing around whilst waiting for my sister so we can eat.

I'm hungry.

Climate Week

2011-01-19T21:01:00.005Z

We are all aware of the issues that we are facing today with the environment, some more than others. My good friend Ligia is doing more than her fair share for the problems we face and you can see on her blog what she gets up to. This rather ace lady also works for a project called
Climate Week which I think is an extremely interesting project and am hoping to get involved in by maybe holding a little workshop that week. All in aid of the environment of course!

Heres a bit about Climate Week from their website:

'Climate Week is a supercharged national occasion that offers an annual renewal of our ambition and confidence to combat climate change. It is for everyone wanting to do their bit to protect our planet and create a secure future.

Climate Week will shine a spotlight on the many positive steps already being taken in workplaces and communities across Britain. The power of these real, practical examples – the small improvements and the big innovations – will then inspire millions more people.

Thousands of businesses, charities, schools, councils and others will run events during
Climate Week on 21-27 March 2011.
They will show what can be achieved, share ideas and encourage thousands more to act during the rest of the year.'

It is just under 9 weeks until Climate Week now and I was just hoping to help a little by bringing the subject to my little blog. I hope you agree that this is a great cause and it always helps to be aware and do out bit, even if it is picking up your litter. One crisp packet at a time ey??

new website // coming soon!

2011-01-14T10:18:00.004Z

peasandneedles

The 2.5 Challenge

2011-01-10T18:58:00.004Z

As everyone knows, January is a tough month so I have decided to take on a challenge.... just to make it a little easier money wise. So here goes :: The 2.5 Challenge ---->

'I have made a spending pact/ban with myself for 2.5 months. I will not spend any money on myself until my Birthday (2.4.11) with the exception of visiting one charity shop a week and I can only spend £10 in there. This is a specific charity shop a 5 minute walk from my work which I love. This will not include anything for the pup.'

So there goes, wish me luck. I'm not the only one doing it either!! After a little chat on Twitter the other night I find out that HelloJenuine, Lesley Barnes and Linotte are all doing it too in some way or another.

So yes, wish me luck. x

bits and pieces...

2011-01-08T17:19:00.000Z

for Elsie.

Yep this is what my life/blog will consist of :) blooming excited. Please hurry up 7.2.11.
Thank you. x

Quilt for Elsie....

2011-01-03T17:45:00.000Z

Last night I cut out 80 squares to start my quilt. I've been saving small bits of material and occasionally have bought small quantities of material for this purpose so it was good to start using them. I decided that I was going to start off small so only cut out enough to make a quilt large enough for Elsie. I planned it to be roughly 80cm x 90cm.

I laid them all out this morning so I could roughly see how big it would be.

It took all day to sew them together but I love it (you can tell that the last picture was taken when it was dark) can't wait to finish it now!

I've been doing pretty well on my goals for 2011 already. I've started my re-design for the blog and website etc, I've bought a pair of Tom shoes (gold herringbone - they're pretty) and I've nearly finished a quilt. Even if it is a mini quilt for my pup, next up will be a large one for my bed. Hopefully I will keep this productivity up. I'm hoping so anyway.

Well its back to work tomorrow which I think is going to come down hard, but I guess it will be good to leave the house.

Happy New Year!!

2011-01-01T22:42:00.000Z

Hope you all had a great new year?? I spent it with my family which was really lovely and relaxing. I always find it a bit of an anti-climax so was nice just to stay in.
I have spent the first day of the new year being extremely productive with doing a re-design of Peas and Needles. Logo is done (hope you like) next up website. I fear this will take a little longer than expected. Lets hope I keep up this productivity. Happy New Year!!!

2011 !!!

2010-12-28T13:35:00.000Z

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!!!
I've decided to do a little drawing of my 2011 Goals.... ta daaa!
xx

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-24T12:39:00.000Z

and a happy new year!!!!!
Hope you have a grand time and eat lots, drink lots and be happy.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog this year and all your lovely comments you leave!
Look out for a re-design and more pictures of Elsie in 2011!!
much love x

Elsie!!!

2010-12-19T17:54:00.000Z

meet Elsie!
she'll be coming to live with me in January. So so adorable!
x

Festivities.

2010-12-14T21:33:00.000Z

Another picture of my tree, I'm feeling rather festive today.
You should download this rather lovely album :: Hey, It's Christmas.
My favourite song is 'Walking in a Winter Wonderland'.

Also received a parcel from Zara today, their packaging is so nice. It came in a nice box with my items all wrapped up in tissue paper. Impressive.

A Little Festive Tutorial... 'Winter Warmers"

2010-12-12T14:37:00.000Z

Warning :: this a very picture heavy post...

I was kindly asked by Vouchercodes.co.uk to take part in their Most Wanted Christmas DIY Challenge and produce a festive tutorial for a gift that anybody could create. It took me a while to decide what to make that was easy and from bits and pieces around the house and that would only cost a few pennies. As its been rather chilly these last couple of weeks I have decided to make these Winter Warmers for all my friends as gifts for Christmas to keep their little hands toasty as it doesn't seem to be getting any warmer. Why not have a try.....
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Finished product.... I love them, I even made myself one :D

// Step 1 //
Choose the fabrics that you will want to use, these could be anything from an old shirt or a old pillow case that is a little past it. I used some fabrics that I had lying around. Cut out 2 pieces of each material, the size I used was 19cm x 16cm. You can make them any size or shape you like.

// Step 2 //
Warm your sewing machine up. You don't have to use a sewing machine if you don't have one, you can sew these by hand also. Just make sure you don't leave any holes as you wouldn't want your mixture falling onto your lap.

// Step 3 //
As these are gifts I thought it would be nice to personalise them. I have sewed each of my friends names onto some felt using embroidery threads. Cut these out so they have a 5mm border around the embroidery for when you sew them on.

// Step 4 //
I also cut out little strips of ribbon for hanging tabs, these were around 8cm long. As you can see from the picture I also cut out extra white lining material in the same size as the outer material. I did this because I like them to feel a little bulkier, you don't have to include lining material if you don't have any.

// Step 5 //
Using the sewing machine or hand sew your name labels onto the front of one piece of material. You could sew on anything from flowers to just decorative embroidery.

// Step 6 //
Place your pieces of material in the order I have done in the picture. The order they are in: lining material, flower material (face up), ribbon tab, flower material (face down), lining material. So the flower material must be outer sides facing each other.

// Step 7 //
Pin along 2 of the sides ready for sewing. Don't forget to include the ribbon tab.

// Step 8 //
Sew along the 2 sides.

// Step 9 //
Trim off excess material to give it a neater edge. This will help later on with the other bits of sewing.

// Step 10 //
Turn right side out and they should look like the above picture. You should have two open ends.

// Step 11 //
Fold the top raw edges inside the bag and pin along 5mm from the top as the picture demonstrates.

// Step 12 //
Sew along the pinned edge making sure you don't leave any gaps at either end.

// Step 13 //
Once you have done all your sewing you can move onto the next step.

// Step 14 //
Mix up one bag of Barley Flakes (500g) and half a bag of Wheat Bran (250g). I got these both from a local health shop. This will be your filling for the Warmers. I have also got some cloves to pop in later to give that festive smell when warmed. You can use anything, lavender, rosemary or any type of dried condiment you want.

// Step 15 //
Fill each bag with 11 tablespoons of the mixture.

// Step 16 //
Add in your cloves or desired extras. I put 5 cloves in each bag. Add 1 more tablespoon of mixture.

// Step 17 //
To achieve the triangular shape you will need to seal it by placing the 2 seams together in the middle. Fold in as before to achieve the neat finish. Pin along this edge as before.

// Step 18 //
Sew along the edge as before. Remember to not leave any open sections as the filling will fall out.

// Step 19 //
Repeat to finish all Winter Warmers.

I would recommend heating in the microwave for around a 1 minute and a half depending on your microwave and the size of your Warmer. When heating, place a cup of water in with the Warmer so this will prevent the mixture inside from drying up and getting too hot. Please take care when doing this as the water will also warm up! If you are going to give these as a gift maybe make a little label explaining this.

If you have any troubles or you find the tutorial confusing please leave a comment and I'll try and answer for you. Also send me a link of photos of your own Winter Warmers!
Enjoy and keep warm x

UPDATE: some people have mentioned that the cup of water could explode. For an alternative you could spritz the Warmer with some water just to keep some moisture in. I have put mine in with a cup of water many times and havnt had a problem as its only a minute but if you feel safer you can spritz it.

N.B: please take care when heating these as they can get very hot. Please place a cup of water in the microwave when heating the Winter Warmer to prevent the contents drying out too much.

Santacon :: London 2010

2010-12-11T18:24:00.000Z

Today Laura and I ventured up to London town to go to Santacon to see all the crazy people dressed up as Santa! It was a funny site. It was so cold waiting around for them all to turn up, but once they did it definitely put a smile on our faces. There was also people dressed up as reindeers, christmas trees and a very scary/odd looking snowman. We won't go into that.

You can see that it was a bit crazy. Definitely put us in the festive spirit. We also dropped into Somerset House to go to the Super Christmas Market but sadly we were a little disappointed. There wasnt really much there and it was too busy.

Anyways our next festive gathering is too watch Home Alone and wrap our presents. I'll be bringing the eggnog !
Exciting! x

Nest :: Sister Sledge

2010-12-10T13:02:00.000Z

I was kindly asked by Reena from Nest Gallery if I wanted to supply any bits and pieces for a stall they are doing at Sister Sledge tomorrow (11.12.10) of course I said yes. Nest Gallery is a co-operative that provides space for female artists in and around London and include lots of great illustrators/designers/makers.

There is even a nice little feature on my pug pieces here. So if you in or around Peckham tomorrow you should pop down and say hi.

Christmas Panic

2010-12-08T15:32:00.000Z

so nearly Christmas!!!!
so not prepared.
please can the days go a little slower?
or at least a few more hours in the day please?
ta x

We Make Fair

2010-12-05T20:03:00.001Z

this weekend has been a little busy with the ole festivities :: this is what I was up to....

// finished my Christmas cards/tags/starter packs late Friday night
// had a stall at We Make
// bumped into an old uni friend
// bought a dog neckachief for my puppy
// drank mulled wine
// experienced many weirdos on London transport
// ate French Onion Soup
// drank hot cider with apples
// nearly finished my Christmas shopping, only 1 more to go.
// ate a lot of mint chocolates.

Lovely. x

2010-12-02T14:21:00.000Z

So I've been tagged by Alison from Littleclouds and so on to reveal 7 things about myself.... so here goes:

1 //
I'm also going to become a Pug owner in January (Alison has one too called Noodles), mine is only 2 weeks old at the moment. I'm not a very patient person its driving me mad. I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT!!!

2//
When I am older I want to be an Art Teacher. Ive been saying this for a while now and I'm not getting any younger so I need to crack on with getting the qualifications. First up... re-take my Maths GCSE... you see I'm not great at Maths and apparently you need it. Bum

3//
I'm going to become an Aunty in May and I am extremely excited. I'm going to make it a lovely little quilt ?!?!?! (see below)

4//
I plan to make 3 quilts :: 1 for me, 1 for Elsie (pug) and 1 for the new sprog. I have never made a quilt (apart from the tiny thing above which was handsewn) and I'm hoping it will be as easy as I think it will be. Hmmm. Lets get Christmas out of the way first. I think I might be being a little adventurous.

5//
Alison's number 7 rings a lot of bells, I too studied to be a Graphic Designer/Illustrator and I also feel like I'm not great at either. Sometimes I think I should just sit down and forget about it all and just draw and not think too much. I think I'm too hard on myself and should just concentrate on one thing. I get bored easily so thats why I try to do all sorts, sewing/crochet/tapestry/drawing/knitting/crochet etc.

6//
I love jacket potatoes with cheese and salad cream.

7//
I go to Zumba class and love it. I always have loved dancing and used to go to Ballet and tap when I was younger (age 6) which I didnt particularly like. It was all too feminine and poncy for me, I wasn't very girly when I was little. But Zumba is great, the music is fun and its so fast and funny that its great. I go twice a week.

Wow well there you go, that was quite hard to do. I now tag these lovely people:

Mr Yen
Jen from Hello Jenuine

ta ta x

We Make Fair

2010-12-02T13:38:00.000Z

I'm busy making lots of goodies for We Make London / Christmas on Saturday. Im extremely excited, there is a choir and bound to be lots of lovely stalls to buy your Christmas presents from. Please come along and say hi.

(hope the snow is not affecting you too badly)
x

Good news though....

2010-11-30T21:20:00.001Z

the Christmas tree is up!!!

How Not to Gocco a Christmas Card...

2010-11-30T21:09:00.000Z

This was one of those projects which was doomed from the start...

It started off not being able to get the right card and the shop not having enough envelopes in the right colour, we made do with what they had. We then went all over the place to get to a photocopier, on a Sunday this is not easy! Colette was in her slippers and it was cold!! The photocopier ended up being rubbish, it was dirty so made loads of little specks. This ended up ruining the screens (2 screens and 4 bulbs to be exact!). Drove to find another photocopier, this time further away to find they had no paper left!??!?

Eventually after all the printing and sticking of the gems (on Colette's card not shown) and re-stamping the message we find out that the envelopes are actually the wrong size and the cellophane bags don't fit!!!

Its just one of those projects that was not meant to be. Anyway luckily I still like them. Just.
x

happy thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T16:55:00.000Z

This evening I will be joining some ace friends for a thanksgiving feast. Normally we don't celebrate this occasion as we are not American, but we have an American visitor (a friends girlfriend) and she wanted to host it for us as she is sad she is missing it back home. Im extremely looking forward to it!!!

Now I must write a list of all the things I'm thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I've joined....

2010-11-24T17:04:00.000Z

...and its amazing! I always thought thats the one thing that ffffound was lacking is that you cannot categorise your images... well now with pinterest you can! I'm addicted.

I really don't think I need another online distraction... o well.

Present for a Patient Friend

2010-11-16T20:51:00.000Z

I think it's been roughly 3 years since I first promised my poor friend Liam I would knit him a scarf. Every birthday and Christmas I always felt guilty that I had not got round to it. So this year I have.

Annoyingly I just missed his birthday (8 days ago) but Im going to give it to him tomorrow and hopefully he will like it. Well he better x

A Rescued Plate

2010-11-15T18:35:00.000Z

Nancy from Pretty Little Thieves creates the most amazing artworks. I already have a nice little print and when I saw this beaut I instantly knew I would have to buy it! Its so cute and my photo does not do it any justice (sorry) I'll take a better photo when there is some light! Cant wait to hang it!

She also used to own pugs! Very cool lady indeed!

Ahhhh...

2010-11-14T18:49:00.000Z

Im blog of the week over on Pugly Pixel!

Thanks so much! She has the cutest little pugs and a great blog toooo!

xxx

I love Birthdays!

2010-11-14T18:18:00.000Z

Happy Birthday Mrs!!! x

Work In Progress

2010-11-12T13:07:00.000Z

Some illustrations I'm working on x

London Bloggers Meet...

2010-11-11T11:45:00.000Z

Last night I was invited to a London bloggers meet by the lovely Lynn from Tea For Joy. It was held at the amazing Drink Shop Do which is a cute tea shop based in Kings Cross. The venue was so so pretty but sadly I forgot my camera and only had my phone so apologies for the dreadful photo.

Im not very good at these kinds of things, I get nervous and never really sure what to say to people. I took my sister along for moral support and as she helps out with my blogging and crafting I was glad she came. It was really busy and there was an Etsy crafting table (again I forgot my tshirt to join in with the crafts) so it was so nice to meet so many like minded people. There was even a lady there who lives just down the road from me and I used to work with her. Small world.

Now I better go and start making my bits and pieces for We Make Christmas... eeep Im leaving it rather late I know.

This Time Last Year...

2010-11-07T21:34:00.000Z

... my sister got married!
HAPPY ONE YEAR!
x

2010-10-29T14:10:00.001+01:00

I've been finding myself very unmotivated and not very creative at the moment. I feel a bit stuck, Im hoping my week off in a weeks time will sort me out. Looking forward to catching up with some friends, a trip to Brighton, a trip to London and a not very exciting trip to the Dentist. Could do without the last bit. Ah well.

Happy Halloween!

I love Pudding

2010-10-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

This was rather tasty!

Bed Time

2010-10-14T18:13:00.000+01:00

I was just getting in to bed last night and noticed how many different patterns there were on the sheets, blankets, cushions. tee hee I like it.

I slept well.

Tie Dye Sunday

2010-10-13T18:24:00.000+01:00

At the weekend I resorted back to my child hood and tried my hand at tie dye again. It really wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going to be. I sustained an elastic band injury (they pulled all the skin off my thumb from all the tying) and it was messy!!!

Luckly the results were not that bad. I was hoping for a paler look but I'm starting to like it more and more. I'm intending to make 3 snoods and a fair few purses and bags out of all the material. We'll see how that looks.

Better get sewing.

Frankie Diary 2011

2010-10-09T11:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I received this rather lovely parcel from Australia containing the Frankie Diary for next year! Its really rather spectacular!

I'm so overwhelmed with the quality of it that I can't stop flicking through the pages. The whole diary has been illustrated by Amy Borrell, the genius illustrator behind Cake With Giants which makes it even more special. I'm a little worried how excited I can be over a diary but believe me its so lovely! The illustrations are perfect and I think its going to be really hard to start writing anything in it!

Can't wait for next year now!

2010-10-08T16:33:00.000+01:00

have a good weekend x

Hyper Japan 2010

2010-10-07T18:49:00.000+01:00

:: Flyers!!!! ::

:: Mini Supermarket ::

:: The stand we ate out Chicken Curry from ::

:: Cute banner ::

:: This lady kindly painted my name onto a fan for me for £2!!! ::

:: My name in Japanese ::

:: Green Tea Lemonade ::

My sister and I went to Hyper Japan at the Truman Brewery on Sunday. It was interesting. I got some pretty paper and an ace Japanese fashion magazine!

New Slippers!

2010-10-05T18:55:00.000+01:00

I like them alot... perfect for this pretty rubbish English weather!

Peas and Needles

3/52

2/52

1/52

Fifty 2 Project

More festivities...

Nifty finds from Paris...

Paris in December :: photos

...

puddings galore

Christmas is a coming...

Sunday snaps...

Paris in December

Florida fun times

whats been going on...

been pretty absent...

crossing things off the list

i could get used to this...

Typically British

the friendship bracelet swap...

*** NEW WEBSITE ***

Times are changing....

Seaside Happiness

the tool box

This weekend...

Lino Love

What a week...

Update...

another quilt...

Sunday Afternoon

Whats in my bag....

This week...

Sprog Shower

Rosie Parlour

Easter goods!

The Tie Shop is OPEN!

the tie shop...

new project number 2

my new project...

Yesterday was my birthday....

Sunday Reading

Handmade Ties

Jam Jar Drinking...

Charity Shop Challenge :: March

Spring where are you???

Sunday Snaps...

Patterns

cotton reels

Little Letter Needle Book

Think I need a holiday...

Charity Shop Challenge :: February

Sundays are for relaxing...

Charity Shop Finds

Charity Shop Challenge

Shes Home!!!!

The Quilt is Finished!!

Seagulls

Climate Week

new website // coming soon!

The 2.5 Challenge

bits and pieces...

Quilt for Elsie....

Happy New Year!!

2011 !!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Elsie!!!

Festivities.

A Little Festive Tutorial... 'Winter Warmers"

Santacon :: London 2010

Nest :: Sister Sledge

Christmas Panic

We Make Fair

We Make Fair

Good news though....

How Not to Gocco a Christmas Card...

happy thanksgiving!

I've joined....

Present for a Patient Friend

A Rescued Plate

Ahhhh...

* NEW WEBSITE *