Baby's Bedroom

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the lovely comments on my last post!  You're all so sweet!!!

Now here's a post I've been meaning to do for aaages.....  Bo's bedroom!  

It was a joint effort.  Simon did all the decorating, sticking on of wall-stickers, and putting together of IKEA furniture.  And I did all the making (and buying)!

Here it is (apologies in advance for the photo-overload).....

We're very happy with how it turned out!  I love how bright and colourful it is!  We hope Bo'll like it when he eventually starts sleeping in there.....  Fingers crossed!!!

See you soon!

Carly

x

Gorgeous Gifts

Last week was MEANT to be my last week at school (had I not been signed off 4 weeks early).  And, to my surprise, Simon came home with this amazing basket of gifts for me (from my lovely class and their parents).....

The whole thing looked so pretty, I was reluctant to start opening any of the goodies to begin with.  Look at the toadstool paper!!!  

I'm not normally an overly-emotional person (and I COULD always blame my pesky pregnancy hormones), but I was really overwhelmed by the gifts as I opened them up.  Clearly, those little kids and their parents know me SO well, and put SUCH a lot of effort into selecting things that I'd love.  There MAY even have been a few tears.  

Here, have a little look at my gorgeous gifts.....

[a knit-your-own-teddy-bear kit]

[a red and white spotty Cath Kidston mug]

[pearly, heart-shaped buttons]

[pretty ribbons]

[a 'thank you teacher' bookmark]

[a cute toadstool ornament, now on display in my crafting room]

[a box full of multi-coloured buttons]

[and a precious book made up of pictures drawn by each of the children]

What a wonderful leaving present!!!  And what a lucky teacher!!!

Just in case any of the Owls' parents happen to be visiting, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  

Now I'm off to start on my knit-your-own-teddy-bear (I think I might well be able to do it laying down).....  :-)

Carly

x

   

Fabric Baby Book

As promised in my last post, I wanted to show you the fabric book I made for our Little One.  
It took me aaaaages to make!!!  I really enjoyed designing each page, and doing the applique and embroidery bits.  But then, turning it from a few pieces of fabric into a book was NOT so much fun!  There was a lot of un-picking and re-doing, and a lot of naughty words along the way.  

But I managed it in the end.  And here it is.....

One smiley sun:

Two friendly clouds:

3 birdies on a branch:

4 eggs in a nest:

5 little toadstools:

6 pretty flowers:

7 caterpillars on a leaf:

8 black spots:

9 colourful flags:

10 red apples:

Another thing for the baby drawer!  

After the Easter holidays, I only have another 4 weeks of work to go before my maternity leave starts.  So I've already started on my 'to make' list for then.....  ;-)

Carly

x

Stylish Dress Book Pattern E

So, I think my new favourite crafting pursuit is making clothes for myself.  Or, to be more specific, making DRESSES for myself.

And, my new favourite book is ‘The Stylish Dress Book’ by Yoshiko Tsukiori.  I LOVE it!!!  Maybe I should do a proper review of it at some point, so I won’t rave on about it too much here – if I can help it. 

It was really challenging to pick a place to start when I got the book, as I pretty-much wanted to make EVERYTHING in it, STRAIGHT AWAY.  In the end, though, I decided to start with ‘Pattern E’ (which I think is my very favourite). 

Apart from positioning the bust darts (which I really don’t get, by the way, and any tips on this would be gratefully received), I LOVED the entire process of making the dress.  And luckily, as it took me some time to complete, I LOVED the finished dress!!!  I think you can see how much I love it, through the uncharacteristic amount of posing I’m doing in these photos (which I’m now a tad embarrassed about, I have to say).....

The style of this dress makes it so versatile!  I wear mine at night – for going out for dinner, or drinkies.  The fabric has a bit of a shine to it, so it might look a bit too ‘dressy’ for daytimes.  But, with different fabrics, it would look great as a cute sundress, or as a heavier winter dress (over a roll-neck and some thick tights).  SO many possibilities – and I’m sure I’ll be exploring them all!  I’ll DEFINITELY be using this pattern again!!!

If you’ve made anything from this book (or any of the others in the series), I’d love to have a look.....  

Carly

x  

Random Facts About Me (Part 4)

We’re nearly there!  Just 25 more random facts to go.  And here they are:

76.  I always tuck my pj bottoms into my socks

77.  I like tins and I like glass jars

78.  I like taking photos of my feet

[Our footsies - snuggling up together]

79.  I always have a cup of tea and bowl of breakfast cereal when I get home from work

80.  I love warm weather.....

81.  ..... and I love snowy weather

82.  I really don’t like rain, though
83.  I love tidying and organising things

[One of my fabric drawers - all tidy and organised]

84.  Sewing was my first crafty hobby (I started sewing about three years ago)

85.  I like to listen to crafty podcasts while I craft

86.  I LOVE Tchaikowsky's 'The Nutcracker' ballet (as you may have guessed from my last post)

87.  We have over 600 books in our house - I LOVE books!

88.  I love the SMELL of books

89.  I love the smell of baking bread too!

[I'm loving Simon's 2013 goal of experimenting with bread-making]

  

90.  I don't like currants in cakes

91.  I'd love us to have our own caravan one day

92.  I like dresses that I can ‘twirl’ in
93.  I love bright colours

94.  I can’t sing
95.  I have lots of cardigans

96.  I have never broken a bone in my body

97.  My favourite flowers are springtime blooms (snowdrops, daffodils, crocuses, tulips.....)

98.  I feel like I’m not properly dressed unless I’m wearing brooch or necklace that goes with my outfit

99.  I’m scared of spiders

100.  I’m a list-writer (as you can see)

..... aaaaaaand breathe!  Well, my dear blogging friends, that’s it!  Thank you for sticking around for that marathon!  And thank you for all the sweet comments you've been leaving lately.  It seems as though we've all got a lot in common (though fairground rides seemed to divide opinion).  

Now you all know me better than I know myself!!!

I'll be back soon, to let you know what I've been up to lately.....

Hugs,

Carly

x

  

Giveaway Winner

We’ve been having some very strange weather here this week!  It was lovely and sunny last Sunday and Monday, and it really felt as though spring was on its way.  Since then, though, it’s been snowing pretty-much constantly.  BUT the snowflakes have been teeny-tiny, and never enough to cover the ground completely.  On a couple of occasions, it even snowed while the sun was shining brightly! 

When we got home from school on Friday, it started snowing quite heavily.  The flakes were dancing around in the sky, as the sun was setting.  It was so pretty!  It reminded me of the Waltz of the Snowflakes music from 'The Nutcracker' ballet (have a look at THIS).

So, I had to act quickly to draw the winner for my giveaway (before it got too dark to be able to take decent photos). 

I put all of your names into one of my new blue IKEA cups (we bought them a few weeks ago – I couldn’t resist the pretty colour).

I gave them a good shake up.  

Then I got Simon to pick out a winner.  

And the winner is.....

Congratulations, Helen! Your prize (Donna Hay's 'Chocolate') is all wrapped up, and will be on its way to you soon.

  

  

I’ll be back soon, with the final instalment of ‘100 Random Facts About Me’.....

Carly

x