Felt teddy decoration

My latest little feltie is a teddy bear, he has turned out a bit "quirky" but I do like a bit of quirkiness!

Might try to make him again in a lighter colour, I also wanted to use some vintage style lace for his collar but as my craft room is still in a state of utter chaos, I just used what I had to hand.

Little felt mouse.

Yesterday I started a little felt mouse, I finished "her" this morning, hung her on my little tree to take some pics and realised she didn't have a tail!!! Duh!!!

Here she is...tail and all! I was going to knit her a little scarf but decided to go for the quicker option of cutting her a felt one instead.

I am having such fun with these little felties....next....a teddy bear!

See you soon.

Adele

xXx

Felt Apple Decoration

Made up an apple today, in the same style as yesterday's pear. Still pleased with the weird colour combination, and I think my stitching is getting easier....although not sure it's actually neater...BUT I still like the pear better! Not happy with the overal shape of the apple, I didn't neaten the edges very well before sewing! Hmm.


I tend to cut out a rough template and position all the little shapes how I want them then take a photograph so I can use this to refer back to during my stitching.

I have been very naughty and ordered myself a felt book and ...ahem....a few sheets of felt!

Must finish off a few little projects before Mr Postie turns up with them, that way I won't feel as guilty when they arrive!

Tee hee.

Adele

xXx

Felt and beads!!!

OH MY! Had such fun playing with felt and beads this afternoon and I have just finished my third felt creation!


Now I am even more out of my comfort zone here and have let my imagination take over with a mish mash of colours and detail and my first real attempt at a few EMBROIDERY stitches!!!! EEK.

Confidence at a low, especially when Amelia came home from school and said "Wow mum......that's colourful!" LOL

Adele

xXx

Felt Robin Decoration

Seeing as my small stash of felt is out of the depths of the cupboard, I thought I'd make another little feltie. I quickly drew up a template yesterday but still not sure about the shape of the body or wings! he is double sided so the little red breast is 4 layers thick, almost as if he is puffing out his feathers! Finished with little glass beady eyes, Miyuki seed bead feet, dangling on waxed cotton legs...and Christmas is just not Christmas without a touch of gingham ribbon.

Quite pleased with him but still room for improvement.

Hmmm, what next?

Adele

xXx

Felt Puddy Tat Earphone Holder Thingie!!!!

Well, it's finished...my first little feltie creation. I have decided to go ahead with my first thought and adapted the little felt cat into an earphone/wire tidy. Not sure but I thought these little projects looked like good little stocking fillers and quite useful.

I hope to make a few more, perhaps little keyrings, handbag charms, brooches.....I may look into investing in some no-sew snap closures but I need to look into that still.

Here's how my first felt turned out.

I now have a little felt robin on my lap, my next attempt in progress.

Adele

xXx

I "felt" like trying something new.

Now the pressure is off with the decorating (although the house is still in some state of chaos!) I have been eager to try a few new things. I am almost finished sewing up a knitted Christmas Gnome and this afternoon I made up a few little templates for some felt figures.

Now my Pinterest board is full of little felt goodies, and has been for years but I have never actually sat down and attempted any of the ideas....until now.


First I drew the rough shape and cut two identical pieces. Next I attempted to add details, I apologise that my sewing isn't as neat as it should be but I am no seamstress, I just hope I can get neater with experience as I really enjoyed this little cat.

After I had completed the details on the upper piece I tried my hand at blanket stitch to join the two main body pieces together.

Still got the tummy piece and a tail to add but have quite enjoyed making my first little feltie!

Ideas and opinions would be much appreciated please. 

Adele

xXx

Six weeks later and still going!!!!

Well, our operation "New carpet" and "Craft room Claim Back" started about six weeks ago...and we are still living in chaos! Yes, the carpet may be down now but we are far from sorted. I suppose I should just accept that years and years of clutter are not going to magically disappear overnight. It will take time to make an impact but it's so frustrating when you feel we have made a few steps forward and then somehow....10 steps back again.

We are slowly continuing to work on a few areas at a time, sifting through our clutter , throwing out as we go. My dining room still looks like a cross between a decorators workshop and a jumble sale as bags of "stuff to go" accumulate there.

Hubby was off of work yesterday so he helped to do some of the jobs I couldn't manage alone, like moving our big old pine wardrobe from our bedroom to Amelia's. Great, mission accomplished and all that, Amelia has a wardrobe with a key so now she cannot cause havoc with her clean clothes so easily.(Often I would be searching for that clean pile of school uniform only to find it wrapped around toys, stuffed in bags or tied around the legs of her desk!!!!) Only trouble is, now we have wreck our bedroom and have the contents of what was our "overflow wardrobe" all piled around our room!!!!

It will get better, it will get better....IT HAS TO GET BETTER!!!!!

 On a much more positive note, I have moved the very useful but ugly, black, plastic storage unit to underneath my deep worktop. I asked Chris is he could put me a shelf up under too. He asked if I wanted more than one as I had space for him to fit a few to utilise the space. I said no as I had other plans for that little area! Bruce knew exactly what I meant and made himself at home by my feet!

I now need to get him some sort of doggy bed that he wont chew! LOL

Adele

xXx

Decorating madness, Craft Room Claim Back.....a huge step forward!

It's been a long, long time since I have blogged. Been so busy painting and trying to de-clutter. Felt cross with myself that I couldn't get everything done to the standard I wanted to before our carpet was fitted.

Well, no use crying over spilt milk, what is done is done, what isn't....tough! LOL

This morning I ran around the house taking a few photographs of the chaos we have called home for the last few weeks.......as you may see by some of the pics......I had company!


Jack chose an electric blue feature wall, got some ideas of some new pictures and wall art for his room....but to be honest as long as he has his X-Box, I think I could have painted it all the colours of the rainbow and he wouldn't have noticed! Bruce seems to like it though!

I really wasn't sure of the electric blue that Jack chose but after I had finished I actually liked it so much I decided use it to paint a feature wall in Amelia's room too.....but I have other plans for that....IF they ever materialise I will share.

The hallway is bare and cold looking but I am please to say all painted, fresh and clean and ready for the carpet. 

This little "alcove area" is what used to be our tiny bathroom before we had the extension, really looking forward to prettying it up.

 Bruce really cannot work out what has been going on with it all, he must think we have all gone mad......he is not far wrong. 

And for my craft room! (Does a happy dance!)

After the carpet was fitted, Chris worked really hard to get my new cupboards in place and the worktop secured along the top. No excuses, now I can really start to get organised now.

There isn't much difference here yet between the picture I took this morning and how it is now but I know it going to be worth it eventually.

Lots of organising, de-cluttering....and some pwetty door knobs called for. 

Still an awful long way to go but I feel we have made a HUGE step forward today.

Let the crafty, creative fun begin.

Adele

xXx

Beading therapy...or not!!!!

Fed up of decorating and feeling that I am getting nowhere, yesterday I decided to do a bit of beading. I decided to try out a laddered bracelet using Super-duo beads......and although I really like the end result, it has been such a pain to bead. The thicker beading thread I like to use wouldn't go through the fine beading needles and I kept getting tangled and splitting the thread....so I have painstakingly threaded by hand.

I have struggle so much with my eyesight, and just cannot find the right balance between my glasses and my magnified, daylight lamp. I have had glasses prescribed earlier in the year and just cannot get on with them, if I wear them they are permanently balance on the end of my nose with me peering over them!!!

Hey ho.......live and learn. I will persevere....squinting every bead I thread! LOL Looking on the bright side and glad I am only making a double wrap and not anything bigger!

  

One week later!!!

It's been a week since I last blogged, how time flies!

I have had a lazy day today, made some cheese and bacon scones and this afternoon I have measured out all the dried fruit for our Christmas Cake and soaked it in Brandy....probably wont get a chance to do much more until the weekend but the alcohol should have certainly soaked in by then!

Am I finished decorating? NO!!! Nowhere near still. Only three weeks left until carpet fitting day, hallway and stairs still need a few finishing details, my craft room is almost decorated but still needs complete re-organisation and de-cluttering, a massive and ongoing project I think. Jack's room is untouched and only yesterday did I cut and lift band of Amelia's carpet and started working on one length of skirting board!

OMG!!! Only 3 weeks to go and the kids are at home on Half Term.....I feel I am going backwards.

Not much to share with you in the way of progress but I can share a crafty purchase with you and a crafty win!!!

I entered a newsletter give away competition over at Charmed Cards & Crafts  and was lucky enough to be drawn as one of the winners. Thank you so much Karen! LOVE my goodies.

I have been looking at fabrics for my craft room, I want a wacky, mish mash but I am struggling with combining patterns. Although I like what I have got so far I feel I am still missing that bold element I had pictured in my poor little mind.

I was rather disappointed with the top fabric as I ordered it as being red roses on turquoise , and to me it is more like pink roses on green! I have messaged the buyer but with no response so far.

Over the weekend Chris cut back my long worktop so it wasn't so deep and imposing in my little crafty space, we also bought a few kitchen wall cupboards, which are shallow enough to go under my worktop. Frustrating that we cannot put them in until the carpet is fitted but I will just have to be patient....she says drumming her fingers!

I have been gathering ideas over on Pinterest and saved loads of pics of gorgeous and structured craft rooms (who am I trying to kid that I could ever be that organised) and one thing I have had my eye on is a pegboard. SOOOOO......I have ordered one!!! Whoop, whoop, cannot wait, come on Mr Delivery Man, just hurry along with that board!

CHAOS & KNOBS!!!! Ceramic ones!

The house looks like a bomb has hit it, dust and clutter from rooms being decorated upstairs are slowly having an impact on the rest of the house and with another 4 weeks before carpet fitting day, I know it's going to get much worse before it gets better!

My poor craft room has been literally ripped to pieces, at the weekend wall cupboards and shelves were taken down, the upper part of the wall painted brilliant white, and on Sunday my lovely hubby rehung the cupboards and put up some new cube storage. Does happy dance! The actual storage boxes were not what I had in mind but were half price in Argos so I plan to give them a bit of a re-vamp too...eventually.

After the wall cupboards and cube storage were in place, it was time to clear the clutter underneath.......and heavens above, what do you know, I had a 3 metre worktop under it all. I hadn't seen that in ages! I was going to stop at that point but no, I wasn't going to be happy until the worktop had been removed so that I could paint all the wall and skirting boards behind it all. But that is as far as I have got and my poorly craft room hasn't been touched since Sunday!

I don't think I'll being doing any crafting in 

here for some time!!

Yesterday I decided it was time to rip up the rest of the stair carpet, the old gripper rods and underlay in preparation of today, when my plan is to paint the staircase. It made sense to me to do it today as, apart from Bruce, I have the house to myself.

Despite all the chaos, Mr Postie arrived yesterday with a lovely box of goodies, no, not craft stuff. KNOBS! Ceramic ones. I love them, cannot wait to finish revamping the few few bits of furniture and getting these babies out on show! LOL

Little things please little minds!

Best finish my cuppa and get on, those stairs aren't going to paint themselves.

Adele

xXx