Bella the ballerina

I have just added a new one of a kind cat to my shop.  This latest one is Bella and comes complete with a yellow tutu. See here for more details.

Ripples

I have finally started my first project for the new baby - although with only 8 weeks to go I'm cutting it fine!  I am making a lovely ripply blanket in bright rainbow stripes (as Bea insists her little sister is called Maka paka Rainbow it seems appropriate!) using the neat ripple tutorial from Attic24.


The pattern is easy to follow and a nice simple repeat that doesn't require much concentration.  I'm choosing the colour order as I'm going along so the stripes are random.  I'm about halfway through now  so fingers crossed I can get it finished!  Along with all the other things I wanted to make!

 

Little bow shoes

These little shoes were a quick crochet project for a new baby gift (not for our own baby, although I have at last started making something for her).  The pattern is the French baby booties pdf from Luz crochet patterns on Etsy.  As a self taught crochetist (crocheter?) I generally wing it a bit and hope the finished item turns out ok but the pattern was pretty easy to follow and I think my shoes look enough like the originals to call them a success!

Ani-mix magnets

I have just added a new product to the shop.  It is a set of handmade magnets featuring my mix and match animals.

There are six animals in the set (so 12 magnets) so you can stick them on your fridge and have lots of mix and match entertainment to pass the time while waiting for the microwave to ping!

Corners of calm

Don't let these pictures fool you - the whole house does not look like this - but after 3 weeks and a lot of hard decorating work we are finally starting to carve out some corners of calm amongst the chaos.

Just the hall and girls bedrooms to decorate now, which should be the most fun to do. I have finally almost finished the Daisy chain sampler (I'm on Z!) to go up on the nursery wall.

Just need to get it all done before baby arrives!

Planeta Tangerina

I just saw a post on ninainvorm about this fantastic Portuguese publishers and oh wow - I would love to own all of their books! Unfortunately I don't speak Portuguese and neither does Bea. I will have to see if I can seek out some English versions.

Madalena Matoso

Isabel Minhos Martins - Yara Kono

Isabel Minhos Martin - Madalena Matoso

Box city

So here is the reason for my prolonged absence. And pretty much the whole house currently looks like this. We moved house just over a week ago and are still trying to make sense of the chaos whilst decorating almost every room at the same time.

I haven't been able to make anything lately other than work orders - one of which was this lovely special set of alphabet blocks for a new baby's nursery in a pink colour scheme. I think they look very pretty!

Something for Easter?

I have just added a new handmade toy to the shop. This is Edmund the rabbit, just in time for Easter dressed in fresh spring colours. Its been starting to feel a bit more spring-like around here and the blossom is starting to bloom. Although today its blowing a gale!

I do love making these little toys - especially their faces. They seem to come to life with every stitch!

As with all my handmade toys Edmund is a one off.

Its (another) girl!

Its very busy here at the moment. I am now nearly 21 weeks pregnant with what we have just found out is a sister for Bea. We are moving house and town in a month so are busy clearing out junk and looking for furniture. I am pinning like mad on my 'new house' board.

I am getting lots of custom block orders which are keeping me very busy and I am working on a new product which fingers crossed will be in my shop some time next week.

I am finding some small pockets of time to craft, although pregnancy means I'm pretty wiped out in the evenings. I have picked the Daisy chain sampler back up (It will be perfect for the new baby's nursery) and have been drafting a pattern for a dress for Bea. I do intend to start on a baby blanket soon when I have chosen the yarn.

So please excuse the lack of blog posts for the time being, I will share new work and projects soon, including some furniture renovations we have planned for the new house - watch this space!

Happy Valentines Day

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