Halloween Spot the Difference - How many can you find?

Halloween Spot the Diffence - first published in the 1st edition of Boo Magazine (Autumn 2009), Leeds and Sheffield.

Cupcakes, Glam Grans and 'sew' much nonsense!

Oh I am so rubbish these days! Its been ages since I posted anything... is it too late to start a new year resolution to be more organised?! Since my last post there have been a flurry of birthdays, weddings and new arrivals so I've been keeping busy so should have plenty to share...

Firstly a birthday card - cakes and sweet things are always lovely at birthdays - even if you can't eat them! This card was made by creating a cupcake template and a limited palette of coloured card. Some sparkle was added and the cupcakes were stuck using sticky foam so they stood proud of the card. Hopefully the end result looked good enough to eat!

I was recently asked to produce a card for a friend's mother-in-law. Apparently the lady in question is a keen knitter so knitting was an obvious theme.

The colouring pencils got to see the light of day for this one and again, a bit of sparkle was added at the end. I doubt the receiver of this card usually knits in heels with a cocktail to her side but I believe she was delighted to be portrayed as such a glamorous gran!

Since my last post I've also decided I'd like to finally work out how to use the sewing machine I was kindly given some time ago. I was told bunting is a great first project to get me started so I've been cutting out triangles ever since!

Armed with my new found enthusiasm for all things home-made and sewn, I headed for the 'craft' section in my local library. I left some time later with several books to educate and inspire! Wow! I never realised some people went to so much trouble to make the daftest of items...I mean who has ever sewn a mouse mat? A doily scarf? An eye pillow? Or even (and this is the best one) sanitary pads??!! I still intend to give sewing a go (though I won't be trying any of the aforementioned!!) and hopefully I'll showing you the results of my hardwork some time soon. (If anyone can recommend a beginners level sewing book in the meantime I would be very grateful!)

Summer Themed spot the difference

Can you spot 8 differences? Its for kids so should be easy!

This children's puzzle has just been published in the Summer 2010 edition of Boo magazine (Leeds and Sheffield).

http://www.boomag.co.uk/

The Owl and the Pussy Cat...

A colourful drawing of the owl and the pussy cat in their 'beautiful pea green boat' made a cute birthday card for a toddler. The end product was finished with a touch of glitter to create a glistening sea.

Unexpected Gifts!

Isn't it nice to receive an unexpected gift? We were lucky enough to do just that earlier this week when the lovely people at http://hellobabydirect.co.uk/ kindly sent us a 'Brio Little Forest Train Starter Set'.

I would never have bought my daughter a trainset (I seem to have accidently slipped into buying stereotypical gender-specific toys without even realising it!) so it is lovely for her to have something different to play with. If this was a cheap-looking, garish plastic product I might think that the RRP of £11.17 was perhaps a little steep (hellobabydirect's sell this product for £9.99) but this is a beautiful little wooden train set of excellent quality and therefore I think this is actually good value for money.

Brio also produce a wide range of other products e.g. more track, extra engines, bridges etc. that can link to this set so I'm sure our little train set will get lots of use. The box suggests that this starter set is suitable for age 3+, but I think it is suitable for younger children (maybe 2+). I am definately impressed with this product which I think would make a great little gift for a toddler - male or female!

Anyway, loads of bits and pieces to do in the next few weeks (including wedding cards, birthdays and a photographer's logo design) so I'll be back with lots more work soon!

Meet my mate...

I have recently been in touch with an old university friend of mine, who told me about her blog site. Like me, Elisavet is an architect and she loves to be creative. Her blog shows beautiful examples of the kind of things that a lot of us would love to make or have in our homes - if only we had the time!! As a mother of a toddler a lot of the projects are child-related too which I love! If you're interested in sewing, knitting or just looking for motivation or inspiration to get on with your next project, do take a look at her site. You can also subscribe for a email newsletter to keep you up to date. http://womensmaypole.wordpress.com/



Its been a while since I got out my pencils - which is shameful as my husband bought me some fabulous Derwent pencils in a beautiful, elegant timber box some time ago. (If I'm honest, I'm a little afraid of using them - they simply won't look the same once I start to wear them down and sharpen them!) Anyway, I have put some of the pinks to use in this little girly card which is suitable for either a newborn or first birthday.

Dusting off the paint brushes

This week I rediscovered my watercolours. Its been a long time since I did any painting and so I'm a bit out of practice. My brushes are a bit worse for wear, but I've had a lovely time going back to this 'old school' media. My first project was the Christening card shown which was created especially for a double Christening - little baby Sophie and her 'big' brother Oliver. Hope they both have a lovely day!