Julia Staite - Illustration, design and crafty things

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T16:05:00.001Z

A valentine from Bea to her daddy - made with love.

Nesting

2012-01-31T10:29:00.002Z

I'm thinking about projects for the new baby. I think I will hold off starting anything until we know if we are expecting a boy or girl (only 3 and a half weeks to go!) but whatever the gender I would love to make a ripply blanket inspired by this one from Attic24 and she luckily has a ripple tutorial I can use too.

My blog absence

2012-01-19T12:18:00.004Z

Its been a long time since I last posted properly on here. But it wasn't my fault, it was this little person's fault! As with my first pregnancy I have spent the last 3 months throwing up and not being able to do much else but now at nearly 15 weeks I am beginning to be able to function again and will hopefully be posting regularly again!

There hasn't been much going on around here to share. I did make aprons as Christmas gifts this year (just before the sickness kicked in) but didn't manage to photograph them. The shop is also in serious need of a restock so I will be working on more cats and a brand new product soon. So instead I just have to mention the most beautiful sewing pattern shop I have just come across. C'est Dimanche makes me want to get the sewing machine back out right now with their range of french style patterns for babies and children. They also sell lovely fabric and other bits and bobs. I just can't decide what to make first!

Little Sale

2012-01-17T16:27:00.001Z

Having a little sale in my shop - there is currently 10% off prints

Christening invitations

2011-11-23T14:11:00.002Z

I recently designed and made some christening invitations for a friend of my sister. She is christening her son and daughter at the same time so they needed to be unisex. They are printed onto a pearlised paper which I think is perfect for invitations.

Christmas is coming

2011-11-17T12:42:00.002Z

I always mean to be organised with christmas - its at the same time every year so it shouldn't really come as such a suprise but it just seems to appear from nowhere and I find that I'm not really ready. So this week I have started on a few handmade gifts I have had the idea of for ages. Hoping it will get me started thinking about christmas!

And speaking of christmas, I am offering free christmas gift wrapping on all the items in my shop in the run up to the big day!

Finally! Something new and its not alphabet blocks!

2011-11-11T15:50:00.002Z

Well, there are blocks involved but no alphabets! I have just added two new items to my etsy shop:

A new one of a kind cat toy. This one is called Henry.

And a new set of blocks. This is a set of two with mix and match animal illustrations. Both of these items are priced at only £10 so great for stocking fillers this christmas!

Christmas anyone?

2011-10-31T17:10:00.003Z

I was thrilled to be recently included in bloesem kids baby christmas gift guide. I love pretty much everything else in the guide as well - so looks like I'm in good company!

Reminds me I should start thinking about christmas...

Percy's new accessory

2011-10-28T13:17:00.002+01:00

I know everything seems to be all about blocks lately - but that's because I'm making a lot of blocks!

I had the pleasure of making a special block to go with Percy the cat to make a lovely new baby gift set.

And a set of personalised name blocks for Emma:

Its a good job I love making these blocks (apart from the sanding bit - thats a bit boring).

Blocks galore

2011-10-21T15:43:00.002+01:00

I've been working on three custom block orders this week, all for 1st birthday gifts. Happy birthday Felix, Poppy and Elsie!

Ever grilled a cake?

2011-10-13T11:56:00.003+01:00

Its the Husband's birthday today so yesterday Bea and I baked him a birthday cake. We bake together most weeks so this wasn't an unusual activity for us. As normal my priority was speed and simplicity to avoid complete destruction of the kitchen and Bea's priority was seeing how much icing she could get away with eating.

The mixing of the cake went quite well - apart from when Bea tipped flour on her feet - it was the cooking where things went wrong. I had turned on the grill instead of the oven. Luckily I noticed after about 5 minutes that the top was browning rather quickly but it may be the reason for the cake being flat as a pancake. It is green because Bea has allocated that as Daddy's favourite colour (apparently mine is orange!) and the writing is in red because thats what I had in the cupboard. That explains why it looks like some sort of halloween party cake. Also Bea's distribution of sprinkles is a little uneven but we hoped the sparkler thing would distract from that.

Hopefully the result is endearing. I'll be sending Bea to cake decorating school as soon as shes old enough. Although maybe I can't talk - I'm the one who grilled the cake.

New work in progress

2011-10-12T17:00:00.002+01:00

Now the knitting is out of the way I have finally started on the Daisy Chain sampler kit. I'm on my third letter now and really enjoying it. I haven't got much embroidery experience so I'm sure mine won't look quite as perfect as Alicias but I am trying my best to keep it neat!

New blocks for a new baby

2011-10-07T12:42:00.002+01:00

I have just finished a custom set of alphabet blocks destined to be a new baby gift. Hope little Sam likes them!

Little sisters jumper

2011-10-05T15:37:00.003+01:00

Hooray and hallelujah! I have finally finished knitting this little top for Bea that I feel like I have ben working on forever! That was partially due to a lack of knitting time and also having to restart about three times due to KWT (knitting when tired.)

The pattern also only went up to 24 months so I was doing made up maths as I went along to make it a bit bigger. Seems to have worked though!

The pattern is intended to be a dress but I decided to make it a top as it will be a more useful addition to Bea's wardrobe like that. And thank goodness I didn't have to go on knitting a whole dress! I don't know what it was about this project that made it seem such a slog - it was pretty easy and I really like the results.

I finished it off with two little floral covered buttons which I think are really cute. Now maybe if the autumn ever turns up she can wear it!

Flora

2011-09-28T16:05:00.001+01:00

Flora is a new cat that I have just added to my Etsy shop. She is a girly cat who loves flowers and tea parties. See more of her here.

Lovely Libby

2011-09-23T12:08:00.003+01:00

My camera came back last night and I just couldn't wait to take some quick snaps of this blouse I made for Bea this week. I joined in the Libby shirt sew along over at Craftiness is not optional and I am LOVING this new top. (And judging by the weird fake smile she is doing here Bea is happy with it too).

I chose a pretty cotton print I have used before here and cream cotton for the bib. The lovely buttons are a kind of pearly gold colour that I think works really well.

I based the sizing on an age 3 top but it came out slightly smaller than I would have liked - It fits her perfectly but I like things a little bit big so they last longer. (The child just will not stop growing!) Oh well, I may just have to make another one when she grows out of it!

Etsy eye candy

2011-09-22T20:15:00.004+01:00

I am cameraless this week and therefore photoless of any of my own new creations. Instead here are a few lovely things from my Etsy favourites:

Tea bag holder from Kims Little Monsters

Hello greeting card from Tea & Ceremony

Animal pillows from Vintage Jane

Lovely lovely!

Meet Percy

2011-09-15T13:33:00.002+01:00

An extra post this week - but also cat related!

I have just added this little chap to my Etsy shop - see here for full details.

Percy is handmade from linen and cotton with a hand embroidered face. Hes on the look out for a good home!

A persons a person, no matter how small

2011-09-14T15:58:00.005+01:00

And a certain small person in this house celebrated her 2nd birthday last week.

We started the celebrations with a trip to Peppa Pig world the day before. Although it was quite a stressful experience I would recommend it for any serious Peppa fans. But go on a week day. During term time. In the winter.

We spent her birthday itself as a family opening presents and going to play group (its what she said she wanted to do!) and saved the festivities for the following weekend when we had... a Cat in the Hat party! We held it at my mums, 2 hours away from where we live and only arrived about 20 mins before the party was due to start with decorations to put up and a cake to decorate so please excuse the hurried quality of the photos - it was a little stressful to say the least! Everyone had fun in the end though. Here are a few details:

The birthday girl of course wore her Cat in the Hat dress - and I would like to add she wasn't really wearing purple crocs with it, they were just for playing in the garden.

I made banners to put up along with some red and white balloons.

The colour scheme was a Dr Seuss style red, white and turquoise including stripy paper straws which I have been waiting for an excuse to buy.

We ate green eggs and ham. I made green devilled eggs which were supposed to be beautifully piped but as I say we had about 5 minutes to prepare before guests arrived so when a bit of yolk got stuck in the piping nozzle I gave up and just spooned the filling in.

I also made purple cupcakes as an homage to the film version rather than the book as we watch it on a regular basis!

I couldn't get a good picture of the cake although that may be for the best - it was iced at speed. I was pleased with the bunting on top though. And Bea liked it which was most important!

A very tiring but very fun week!

Lets get personal

2011-09-07T18:45:00.002+01:00

I have just listed a new item in my Etsy shop! Its alphabet blocks again but this time you can order any combination of letters you like. They make a sweet addition to a nursery, or a lovely new baby gift.

Escape to the Cotswolds

2011-08-30T10:05:00.003+01:00

We have just returned from a very relaxing week in the Cotswolds. I haven't been there since I was very small so I had no memory of how lovely the area is.

We stayed near the Cotswolds Water Park and were lucky enough with the weather to be able to enjoy an afternoon on the lakeside beach.

Bea was thrilled to be allowed an ice cream all to herself.

We spent a day at the Cotswolds wildlife park - absolutely the best zoo I've ever been to.

Although this sign made us a little wary of going near the lions!

I wish I'd got some better pictures of Bourton on the Water, it is a very, very pretty village.

And it has a model village (I seriously love model villages) which Bea enjoyed, although it was a shame it doesn't have any little figures, only the buildings and a couple of cars.

A lovely British holiday was had by all!

Cat In The Hat dress

2011-08-18T10:03:00.002+01:00

Bea named this dress herself. We watch Cat in the Hat quite a lot at the moment and as soon as she saw the dress she said 'my cat in the hat dress!' I can kind of see why...

Please excuse the crazed expression in this photo - its what you get when you ask for a smile. And excuse the bluriness - I was laughing at the expression.

I made this little dress for Bea to wear for a wedding following the Junebug dress tutorial from Craftiness Is Not Optional.

I fell in love with the button detailing on the front and simple shape. I decided to make mine sleeveless as I thought with the stripes it would be a bit much so I had to construct my bodice differently from how she describes.

The tutorial was easy to follow and I'm really pleased with the way it came out, even if I couldn't get the model to cooperate!

Beautiful!

2011-08-10T12:53:00.001+01:00

I love this hand drawn type by illustrator Sasha Prood. Its so delicate and intricate.

ABC

2011-08-03T12:05:00.003+01:00

I have a new item in my new shop.

These are handmade alphabet blocks with my illustrations and hand drawn type on.

Each block is hand cut and painted, then the images are applied before the whole thing is given several coats of non toxic varnish.

They also come in a handmade calico drawstring bag to keep them safe.

I really love these blocks. They are so much fun to work on I am now doing the whole alphabet so it will be possible to order a personalised set. Great for nursery decor!

New shop news!

2011-07-28T11:42:00.003+01:00

So I've had my Etsy shop Little Green Button for a while now selling bits and bobs that I make, but I decided that I needed to have a separate shop for my illustrated work. That means I can now introduce to you Julia Staite (imaginative name I know but it tells you what you are getting!)

In this shop I will be selling prints of my work as well as other illustrated items.

Currently I have three prints available:

Highwire Girl

Circus Horse

And this Little Red Riding Hood one is based on an illustration from my little book but I have adapted it to make a lovely print.

I also have the note books I used to sell in my other shop:

Sleepy Elephant note book

Bird Girl note book

I will also be adding a new item shortly - its something a bit different that I have been working very hard on lately so watch this space!

More red knitting

2011-07-14T17:38:00.002+01:00

I am knitting a little top for Bea in the hope of finishing it by the autumn. Its a while since I knitted anything as I have been so busy making dresses on the sewing machine. Its another Tora Froseth design and another lovely, easy to read pattern. It can be found here on Ravelry.

The only thing that will stand in my way of finishing this before September is my Alicia Paulson Daisychain ABC sampler which arrived this morning and is already calling to me...

Gingham dress

2011-07-08T16:53:00.002+01:00

Bea has almost already grown out of this pillowcase dress but I really love the style of it so I made her another in the hope that some more good weather might turn up before the end of the summer.

I made a few changes this time - I didn't line it, made the armholes a bit smaller and added pockets. I also changed the ties for a single bow.

I edged the pockets with this lovely floral fabric. Unfortunately I have no idea what it is as it was in a bundle of quilting squares.

This is such a great dress to make as I can pretty much get it done during one nap!

Lovely drawings

2011-06-30T12:47:00.002+01:00

I love the work of illustrator Kelsey Garrity-Riley, recently discovered via Kickcan and Conkers.

Her characters and colour palette are lovely.

Practical sewing

2011-06-22T11:33:00.002+01:00

Since the summer has begun (sort of) poor old Bea has been suffering with getting very sweaty in her car seat. Luckily I have found a solution.

I used an old baby towel (the square ones with the hood) to make a car seat liner. I just took some measurements from the seat, cut out the shape and bound the raw edges.

She certainly seems more comfortable and I can just whip it out and wash it when needed. Has to be the most practical thing I have sewn yet!

Bea's 'playing with pegs' top

2011-06-13T11:24:00.002+01:00

I made this little top for Bea from a bit of curtain fabric, using McCalls 5353. The pattern is for a dress and bloomers but I made it as a top instead. Here she is modelling it whilst playing with a basket of pegs.

I love the red apple buttons, they go so nicely with the blue.

I also love the cross over back. Such an easy pattern but really lovely.

The girl's got style

2011-06-01T11:37:00.002+01:00

Couldn't resist sharing this photo of Bea. It was taken at 6.30am which explains the pyjamas. The rest is inexplicable.

And please excuse all the mess in the background, she likes to play with everything she owns at once.

Daddy's hand-me-downs

2011-05-26T14:37:00.003+01:00

Feeling inspired by a few shirt to dress refashions I've seen lately I dug an old shirt of my husbands out of the charity bag and managed to change it into a cute dress for Bea. As soon as I'd chopped it in half I wished I'd taken a before photo of the shirt, but I didn't.

I didn't draw out a pattern for this, I just took a few measurements from an existing dress and used the checked pattern of the shirt to help me cut straight. It was very simple and quick.

I used the front of the shirt as the back with its press stud fastenings to avoid adding buttons and used the shirts original hem to avoid hemming! I lined the bodice with a bit of one of my old shirts and hey presto! A free dress.

Sketchbook

2011-05-19T15:53:00.002+01:00

Sketchbook magazine featured my work on their blog yesterday. Have a look here.

Pretty kitties

2011-05-12T14:41:00.000+01:00

Here's my latest sewing creation. I used the same pattern I used for this dress and made the top and shorts version.

I absolutely love this kitty fabric, its so cute! And I love the red button too.

The shorts were really plain so I added pockets to the back with a little contrasting detail of the kitty fabric to tie it in to the top.

Shame it hasn't been warm enough here for shorts since I made them!

A bit of a hint

2011-05-06T10:02:00.004+01:00

Just incase a certain husband needs any ideas about what to get his wife for a 3rd anniversary present he might want to preorder one of Alicia Paulson's beautiful sampler kits by 10th of May. Like all Alicia's work it is stunning and the colour palette is perfect.

Apparently leather is the traditional gift for a 3rd wedding anniversary but I'd be much happier with cotton and yarn to get stuck into my own sampler.

Thats the 10TH OF MAY. :)

Bea + mummys sewing = cute

2011-05-04T08:53:00.005+01:00

Here are a few photos I managed to get of Bea in some of my creations over the easter break. She is a terrible model so its almost impossible to get her to pose!

This is her Snow White dress she wore for her cousin's princess birthday party.

She wore the blue striped dress for a family party but was so excited I couldn't get her to stand still for a photo.

And this is her 'funny face'.

Here she is feeding chickens in her new sundress. Please excuse the Peppa shoes.

Roll up, roll up!

2011-04-28T11:33:00.002+01:00

I've just added some new work to my website.

These illustrations were for a circus themed fashion story in the new summer issue of Small magazine. The brief was very open and I had so much fun on this project.

If you don't know it, Small magazine is a very stylish kids fashion magazine available online. I recommend a look! They have a great blog too.

At the seaside

2011-04-27T10:26:00.003+01:00

We were in Bridlington, East Yorkshire for a family do just before easter so decided to stay up there for a week. The weather was lovely so we made the most of the good old British seaside!

There were childhood memories of Bridlington as I lived not far away from the town for several years. And it hasn't changed a bit!

You can just make out the bright beach huts of Scarborough behind Bea engrossed in her favourite holiday activity - digging.

A rescued baby seal at the sealife centre, Scarborough.

The castle on the cliffs at Scarborough.

And a sleepy spring lamb at a petting farm.

Yes, another dress

2011-04-07T15:55:00.003+01:00

I'm still on a sewing spree, and its not over yet - I've got a couple more things in mind for Bea's summer wardrobe.

This little dress is McCalls 5835. I found the pattern a bit of a pain and the sizing was very strange but with a bit of adjustment I love the finished item.

I also love the colour and print of this Windham fabric, very pretty!

Hi ho, hi ho...

2011-03-31T16:43:00.005+01:00

Its off to a princess themed fancy dress party we go!

And Bea is going as Snow White. I made this dress from scratch - designed it, drew the pattern then sewed it up so I'm pleased it turned out well.

The net is really stiff so the skirt sticks out like a big tutu which looks really cute. I just have to make a big red bow for her hair now to complete the look!

Next month we have a Super Mario party to go to so look out for the costume - its going to be pretty special!

The 'something' has been found!

2011-03-16T10:22:00.002Z

After deciding this little striped dress needed some kind of ribbon sash I trawled the internet and found this beautiful cotton ribbon on Etsy.

I added a couple of belt loops to hold it in place and tied it in a bow at the back. I'm really happy with the result. A lovely springtime dress!

Umming and Ahhing...

2011-03-11T09:39:00.003Z

About how to best finish this little striped dress for Bea. It needs...something. I'm thinking a sash or ribbon at the waist and I'm liking the colours in this Cath Kidston fabric in the background with the blue stripes.

What I really need is a leisurely browse round VV Rouleaux or The Cloth House but these days with a buggy and toddler in tow such a trip is unlikely!

A sundress on a sunny day

2011-02-24T14:47:00.002Z

It felt a bit crazy making this little sundress in February but the sun is out today reminding me that it won't be cold and drizzly forever! I feel inspired now to sew some more pretty dresses for Bea's summer wardrobe.

Alphabet

2011-02-18T11:59:00.001Z

I did this alphabet ages ago and forgot about it but I just found it behind the sofa and took a photo of it. I think the reason I forgot about it is that it is really big and a complete pain to scan in.

Japanese inspiration

2011-02-10T14:07:00.004Z

Kokka
Kayo Horaguchi for Kikohara

Daiwabo

I've got a couple of sewing projects in mind at the moment, making summer dresses for Bea, so I have been browsing the internet for fabric. I absolutely love modern Japanese fabrics, especially the more illustrative designs. Some of them, like the Little Red Riding Hood one above manage to tell a whole story. Problem is I can't decide which I like best!

Finished dolly blanket

2011-02-04T11:42:00.005Z

The little crochet blanket I made for Bea's new dolls pram is finished and now keeping Little Red Riding Hood warm.

I really enjoyed the granny stripe, nice and simple to crochet and watch tv at the same time!

Its just a shame Bea is not a fan of dolls at all and prefers to chuck a few megabloks and Peppa Pig figures in there to push about. Nevermind, I get to play with it when shes asleep!

Mini crochet project

2011-01-27T12:54:00.004Z

I have been working on a little toy blanket to go in a lovely wooden dolls pram that Bea got for christmas. I love crochet blankets and would love to make a full size one one day but thought this teeny one would be good practice for now!

I used Attic 24's granny stripe pattern and made up a border. I have used cheapy acrylic toy yarn and the colours are a lot more garish than they appear in the photos but I quite like that - it looks like its come straight out of the 70's! I have finished the crochet now so just need to block it before I post photos of the final article!

The birthday dress in action

2011-01-21T16:28:00.003Z

I finally took a quick snap today of Bea wearing the red dress I made her for her birthday. She's not the most cooperative of models and wouldn't stand up but you get the idea! I'm really pleased with the way it turned out and the yarn has become lovely and soft after a few washes. I am planning to make this again as a top.

A personal Christmas gift

2011-01-12T16:01:00.002Z

This Christmas we put a bit of extra thought and effort into a present for my Mum and her husband and came up with a design for some labels featuring a drawing I did of their house. They like to grow their own vegetables and enjoy making things with them, even entering the village produce show so we thought they might like their very own brand!

We made them a hamper including stickers and tags as well as jars such as the above, a book on making preserves and a few ingredients to get them started. Unfortunately I didn't get to photograph the finished hamper as it wasn't ready until about 10pm the night before we went to stay with them for Christmas!

I would love to have time to make more homemade gifts at Christmas but never get organised in time. Maybe that should be my new year's resolution!

Get out the violins

2011-01-06T15:00:00.003Z

Happy new year!

Lets start this year with a couple of illustrations I did at the end of the last for US magazine Strings.

I certainly now know more about violins that I ever did before!

Happy Christmas!

2010-12-22T14:33:00.002Z

Christmas card photo shoot

2010-12-20T14:44:00.005Z

Models can be so temperamental sometimes. First they don't like the outfit...

And storm off the set...

They will only work if you ply them with raisins...

And even then they still wander off to watch Team Umizoomi...

They're always drinking on the job...

And would much rather be off playing with George Pig and a load of Stickle Bricks really.

Some of my favourite paper

2010-11-29T11:31:00.003Z

A few years ago I got these christmas wrapping papers in a little pound shop. They were quite old, and faded at the edges so god knows where they came from but I just love them!

I was going to use them that year to wrap my presents in but I couldn't bring myself to do it so they went into my paper stash instead.

The green one isn't a dodgy scan, it really is badly printed, which just makes me like it more.

There were more designs than this and I wish I had bought them all. Just to look at.

Point de croix

2010-11-25T19:49:00.005Z

On Kirsty's Homemade Home last week she did a feature on cross stitch with cross stitcher extraordinaire Emily Peacock. I am totally in love with her hug cushion:

I have a thing for circus fonts anyway and the pompoms make me want to trim everything I own with pompoms. I immediately declared that some kind of cross stitching book or supplies were exactly what I wanted for christmas so I was thrilled to discover Petit Details on Etsy. As well as a range of gorgeous ribbons and things they sell beautiful French cross stitch books like these:

Now I just have to pick one to put on my christmas list but to be honest I want them all!

Bird Girl

2010-11-18T15:07:00.003Z

I have just added a new notebook to my etsy shop. The illustration is a greetings card design I did but I like it as a notebook too.

Gifted

2010-11-12T12:31:00.004Z

I have just been virtually flicking through the fantastic Gifted from Creature Comforts. Its full of christmassy inspiration and lots of interesting interviews that I haven't had chance to read properly yet.

Some highlights for me are this article about Rifle Paper Co, their christmas stuff looks lovely.

And a feature about gift wrapping which lead me to discover this fantastic blog about packaging. I want to start wrapping christmas presents now! Do you think there is a gap in the market for a professional present wrapper? Thats a job I'd like to do!

Da da da da da da daaaaa!

2010-11-09T15:16:00.004Z

That is meant to be a fanfare because...I have finally finished the new look juliastaite.com! That's where I have been for the last few weeks, working very hard! Its been a long time coming but now looks all shiny and tidy. As you can see I've made a few changes to the blog too to match.

Devon

2010-10-21T16:32:00.005+01:00

Here are a few photos from a recent long weekend in Devon. They were taken in Dartmouth looking over the water to Kingswear, which looks like Balamory! It was a very cold, misty day so Bea was dressed like an eskimo.

A red belated birthday dress

2010-09-23T09:44:00.004+01:00

I didn't quite finish the red dress in time for Bea's birthday. Luckily she didn't notice! It is still too big anyway as I made the 18-24 months size as shes such a giant baby!

I'm very happy with the way it turned out. Its quite simple but the heart detailing is lovely.

Here's all the info:

The pattern is Sweetheart by Tora Froseth Design. It is pretty easy to follow and knitted on circular needles which was a first for me.

The yarn I used was King Cole 4ply merino in scarlet. It is quite soft although probably a bit itchy directly against the skin.

I think I will make another Tora Froseth dress for Bea at some point.

Shop updates

2010-09-20T11:50:00.002+01:00

A couple of updates in my etsy shop Little Green Button today:

I have one length of lace bunting left over after two big orders, although can make more to order.

I have also just listed only one Little Red Riding Hood book. I only had enough paper to make one for now but will add more soon!

Bea turned one

2010-09-14T17:07:00.003+01:00

I realised I haven't posted since Bea's birthday so thought I would share a few photos.

Here is the birthday girl herself at her teddy bears picnic.

This is Trixie, the special bear we bought her. You can't tell here but she is navy blue. We thought it would be nice to have a 1st birthday present she can keep.

We also got her this anniversary edition Fisher Price school house. I remember playing with the same one myself when I was little!

I can't believe she is one. That was the fastest year of my life!

Teddy bears picnic

2010-08-31T11:10:00.003+01:00

Here is Bea's invitation to her birthday teddy bears picnic. We wanted a nice vintage feel but didn't have much time so we did pinch all the illustrations from old Enid Blyton books I must admit.

I think Bea will be taking Dog rather than a teddy. Dog is from Ikea and is Bea's best friend so I'm sure he will be joining us for the birthday celebrations next weekend!

The birthday dress

2010-08-09T12:06:00.003+01:00

Is coming along slowly! I had a disaster while untangling a knot in the yarn and quite a lot of stitches fell off the needle. As I was in the middle of knitting the little heart pattern I was unable to recover and had to start again. At least I have knitted faster the second time now I am so familiar with the pattern!

Three years of a degree and seven years freelancing...

2010-08-04T16:11:00.002+01:00

Were all working towards this one masterpiece.

Bea absolutely LOVES the cbeebies birthday song so I felt it was my motherly duty to create her a card to send in for the birthday bear slot. In The Night Garden isn't her very favourite (her first words were Peppa Pig) but we call her Makka Pakka because she's so chubby so it seemed fitting.

I just hope it gets shown now after all my hard work!

New on my needles

2010-07-29T11:58:00.002+01:00

I have just started knitting a dress as a birthday present for Bea. I only have a month to finish it but as I tend to get addicted to knitting once I start a new project I should hopefully get it done in time. I'm loving the scarlet yarn.

French chic for babies!

2010-07-21T14:41:00.004+01:00

I have just discovered the amazing Citronille and want to make everything! Including this lovely dress. The patterns are in French but look quite simple so I think I could muddle through...There are also patterns for older kids and women as well as lovely fabric.

I love the vintage looking illustrations as well. I'm expecting Bea to have curly blonde hair like this when she eventually grows some!

I am about to embark on a knitted dress as a 1st birthday present so when that is done I think I have found my next project!

Not booties

2010-07-16T14:54:00.003+01:00

This should be another bootie picture, to show you the coordinating booties I made for my sister who is expecting twin girls in a few months. One pair was pink with cream edging and the other was cream with pink edging so they can use them to identify which is which in the first few days! However, we mislaid the camera so I couldn't take a photo before I gave them to my sister.

When the camera was found I uploaded some photos from a couple of weeks ago of Bea and her cousin Tilly trying out the new swing at Granny's house. By a lucky coincidence they both matched the swing and each other, resulting in some quite nice pictures!

Looks like Tilly isn't happy about waiting for her turn. Or maybe someone just told her shes about to get two new baby sisters!

La Petite

2010-07-07T11:52:00.002+01:00

My Little Red Riding Hood book was recently featured in the first issue of very stylish online magazine La Petite.

Created by Rachelle who has a lovely blog called kenziepoo it is full of beautiful kids stuff.

I must make a new batch of the books as I have currently run out!

I love to illustrate...and I'm not the only one!

2010-07-01T14:34:00.003+01:00

We love to illustrate is a lovely new blog from a group of children's illustrators that has just been launched. It looks very promising, I look forward to a good read!

Poor baby!

2010-06-04T11:07:00.004+01:00

Here's a quick Friday post of Bea in another fancy dress costume, this time for a Star wars party. I believe she is an x-wing pilot - daddy's idea but the creation was a team effort!

Busy, busy, busy

2010-05-27T15:11:00.001+01:00

Too busy to post in fact. But here is a quick look at a little drawing that will be appearing on notebooks in my etsy shop soon. When I'm not so busy.

The best room in the house

2010-05-17T11:37:00.003+01:00

I thought I would take a few photos of Bea's nursery while it was tidy! Its my favourite room in the house and we had lots of fun decorating it before she was born and have continued to add things ever since. We rent so were restricted in what we could do but I thought I would share a few details here:

Here is her bed where she spends (most of) the night. It has a Cath Kidston spray flowers bumper and I made the matching hearts at the end of the cot.

We bought the little shelf/photo frame at a craft fair last year and her little coat and dressing gown look so sweet hanging there. The candle on the chest is Yankee Candle Baby Powder which is a much loved scent in this house!

Here is the Lloyd Loom we restored last year with matching spray flowers fabric and although you can't tell here, the curtains are white broderie anglaise. I have put the quilt I made on the back of the chair as it can feel a bit chilly at 3am!

And this is the other side of the room with changing table and Gisela Graham growth chart picture frame that we still need to put photos in!

A new citizen of Pikaland

2010-04-20T15:59:00.002+01:00

Amy at Pikaland has just launched this brilliant new community for illustrators. What a fantastic idea!

Look at me, I'm Sandra Dee

2010-04-19T11:52:00.002+01:00

I spent some time last week creating two matching tiny cheerleader outfits for my nieces 3rd birthday party, which was Grease themed. One was for Bea and the other for her cousin Tilly.

They were not keen on posing for a picture together.

I think they looked pretty darn cute! I guess I can expect a lot more costume making from now on!

Sleepy baby elephant in a new format...

2010-04-16T11:12:00.003+01:00

Hello, I have just added a new product to my shop, a notebook featuring my sleepy baby elephant character also available as a soft toy.

I love notebooks. They make me want to write lists.

Get some of those booties!

2010-04-08T11:36:00.003+01:00

After making so many of these booties both for gifts and as commissions you can now order a custom made pair yourself from my etsy shop. Each pair will be made to order so you can choose the design.

Sorry, did I forget to say I was going on holiday?

2010-04-06T14:15:00.003+01:00

I do apologise. We went off for a little break to Spain with my sister and her family. We stayed in a little place close to Portugal and Seville and although I promise we did see some interesting things, and Seville is very picturesque, when looking through all the photos we took I have found that they are all of Bea. There are no landscape views or culture rich snaps. we appear to have spent the entire week taking pictures of our baby!

Oh well, I'll share a few examples of our holiday baby worship with you and you'll have to try and pick out any exciting scenery in the background, or just imagine the colourful sights and sounds of the old city of Seville. Sorry about that.

Bea sunbathing with Mama

Looking quite excited to be on the beach for the first time

We did try to make her wear these sunglasses to no avail

Its hard work being a baby

Not more booties!!

2010-03-19T14:08:00.002Z

I'm afraid so. Another boys pair for another new boy. I really think I could knit booties in my sleep now!

Handknitted booties make such a lovely baby gift though, and are small enough to keep as a memento of those tiny toes!

Blooming

2010-03-12T14:29:00.002Z

I've been waiting for this flower to blossom for about three weeks and it has finally popped open. I must say it looks a lot prettier now than when it was just a big green stalk sticking out of a pot. And it happens to go with our living room colour scheme perfectly.

I shall enjoy its short life!

That blanket again...

2010-03-10T11:45:00.003Z

I recently had a request to post instructions for the blanket I talked about making for Bea.

I can't take credit for the design as it is a pattern by Alicia Paulson that you can get here, but I changed the yarn for Rowan all seasons cotton and chose a different colour scheme.

Here is the young lady herself chewing on the velvet ribbon!

Finished at last! (and not too many mistakes)

2010-02-15T14:16:00.003Z

I started knitting this cardigan for myself last January. Then I found out I was pregnant and got too poorly to knit. I revived the project towards the end of my pregnancy and managed to finish it all except sewing on the buttons before baby turned up. Now at last I have sewn on the buttons and can wear my creation with pride!

Its nearly perfect - I made a mistake in the moss stitch on the back - but I can blame that on the baby brain, and I can't see it when I'm wearing it so have chosen to pretend it isn't there!

This is the pattern in case you were wondering.

p.s I've just noticed my sleeves are way shorter than on their pictures. No idea why.

Toadstools

2010-02-08T13:13:00.004Z

I have just added a new cushion cover to Little Green Button. I do love a cushion cover - both making them and using them. They are a great way to add a bit of colour to a room or tie a theme together. This one has toadstools on. I also love toadstools!

You can buy it here.

Heirloom

2010-01-22T13:30:00.003Z

I mentioned a long time ago that I was making a quilt for Bea while I was pregnant. I never got it finished in time for her arrival as she was unexpectedly early! Instead I worked on it here and there after she was born and managed to finish it in time to give it to her for christmas. I will take some better photos soon - the light is too bad wit all this gloomy weather at the moment.

New in the shop

2010-01-18T16:00:00.004Z

I have just added this new cushion cover to my Etsy shop. Same idea as the cardicushions but made from a shirt this time! Pop on over and have a look.

New blue booties

2010-01-14T17:19:00.004Z

Yes another pair of baby booties! This time in blue and with a variation with pompom ties instead of ribbon. I find making pompoms very relaxing! These are a gift for a new baby which I had better get wrapped up - he could probably do with some cosy booties in this weather!

Happy new year!

2010-01-07T22:06:00.003Z

Hello! Happy 2010! I'm back, and my new year's resolution is to post more regularly!

So to start things off here are some snaps of one of my fave christmas presents - a little metal bird tealight holder. He is white really but looks dark here with the light behind.

He is hanging merrily in the kitchen window, currently looking out on the neighbours snowy garden!

Merry christmas!

2009-12-21T16:25:00.001Z

Let me talk you through my tree...

2009-12-18T18:21:00.006Z

Overall our tree looks pretty similar to last year. Same colours, same angel. However, we do have some new additions.

Such as this nutcracker man. I love these little guys. I think its the crazy face that does it for me.

And continuing with the tradition we started last year to buy a special decoration each year to mark whatever special has happened, we got this pretty bauble to mark the birth of little Bea.

Bea is a lucky girl as she also got this special one from Auntie Jenny to match cousin Tilly's.

I can't wait until all the decorations on our tree remind me of something special.

The little man with the red and yellow car

2009-12-11T18:05:00.002Z

We went to a christmas craft fair at Burghley House last weekend. Over all it was a bit rubbish but we did get a couple of nice things.

The best was this 1960's Noddy print for the bubba's nursery. We are in need of art in there but we are so picky we still hadn't found anything. I love the colours of this illustration, and the elephants! I wonder what the scene was about...

Two sites I'm loving today

2009-11-25T14:27:00.002Z

I've just come across these gorgeous prints by Peagreen:

I think this owl (£45) is my favourite.

I'm also loving EVERYTHING on Lapin and Me:

Dear Father Christmas,

Can I have all of the beautiful things please?

Thanks

Love Julia

Baby Bear

2009-11-11T10:31:00.003Z

I will try not to let this turn into a baby worship blog but how could I resist posting this photo? I hope she forgives us for dressing her up for our own amusement.

Lovely Clusters

2009-10-15T13:02:00.002+01:00

I thought I would give you a break from the baby news and mention this nice site lovely clusters which currently includes a couple of my handmade toys. it has lots of lovely other things too.

Whats that? Just one more picture? oh go on then:

Oh baby

2009-09-29T19:17:00.002+01:00

Just popping in to share a picture of Bea having her first bath - I will get back to posting properly eventually but getting myself dressed by lunchtime is enough of a challenge at the moment!

How cute is she? This was right before she realised she didn't like having a bath and started screaming.

Baby Bea

2009-09-18T16:41:00.002+01:00

Introducing Beatrice Elizabeth Haag who suprised us by arriving 9 days early on 5th Spetember - which turned out to be a good thing as she weighed in at an impressive 9lb 3!

She is absolutely gorgeous but keeping us very busy (and awake for most of the night!)

Quilting

2009-08-26T15:49:00.004+01:00

My latest project for the nursery is a decorative quilt for the cot. I have never made a quilt before but am enjoying the process so far. I will have to get a move on though as we only have about 2 and a half weeks to our due date!

I am keeping it quite simple with patchwork squares and some appliques. Hopefully it will be finished soon and I will reveal the whole thing!

Oh yes, oh yes

2009-08-19T19:50:00.003+01:00

Here is a clip from an animation project I was involved with recently. I created all the artwork and the film was made by creative agency Dave.

Its basically a training video for the call centre staff of insurance company Churchill.

It was lots of fun to do - especially as I didn't have to animate it myself!

p.s. The soundtrack isn't really music with strange animal sounds - the real sound has been covered up to protect Churchill's top secret training techniques. (I know what the real script was but if I told you I'd have to kill you...)

Seeing stars

2009-08-13T16:21:00.003+01:00

And spots!

I have just listed a boy's version of the cot decoration in my etsy shop. This one is stars in the more manly colours of red and blue. Had our bump been a boy I would have liked this colour scheme for our nursery. If they've made a mistake I will have to remove this listing and keep this for myself! I do hope not though as he would have nothing but pink clothes!

Blood, sweat and Lloyd Loom

2009-08-12T17:40:00.009+01:00

We bought this 1931 Lloyd Loom armchair in Newmarket a few weeks ago for the nursery. It was badly painted in a light blue and had a few areas of damage to the weave but as it was just the shape we had been looking for we decided to do it up ourselves.

It was a bigger job than we thought it would be! The cleaning up and repairing of the weave wasn't too bad apart from poking out all of the old paint clogs with a palette knife and screwdriver, but when we started painting we realised it wasn't going to be as simple as we first thought. We ended up painting the entire thing with tiny water colour brushes as we found it was the only way to get the paint right into the weave without clogging it up. I don't even want to try and work out the hours of labour it took! When you're eight months pregnant you do not want to be sitting on the floor with big swollen feet at 10 o'clock at night painting a chair with a miniature brush!

Finally we got it painted just before losing the will to live and I have made a new seat pad and matching cushion and got it settled into the corner of the nursery.

We love it and hopefully baby will appreciate all our hard work!

Summery bits

2009-08-06T15:13:00.005+01:00

I've just got hold of some screen grabs of a temporary website I did some illustrations for recently. They were for an online conference for Unilever.

They were having a 'summer' theme so I basically provided them with some summery illustrations which they used to make the website look a bit more appealing!

North Norfolk

2009-08-03T15:17:00.005+01:00

We took the bump on her first holiday last week. Obviously we couldn't fly anywhere this year so we took a trip to the North Norfolk coast with my sister and her family.

My 6 month old niece had her first picnic at the seaside and the inevitable first taste of sand.

We were pretty lucky with the weather but spent our last beach visit sitting under a beach hut at Wells Next The Sea during a hail storm!

Despite the odd shower a good British holiday had by all. Except that I lost at Scattergories which I'm normally quite good at. I blame the baby brain.