What's Hot and what's Not.....

Yay! It's Hot and Not time again this week - joining in with Loobylu.

HOT this week is:-

Calm sewing

After sooooo much sewing last week and a mad 3 fairs on Friday and Saturday, things have calmed down in the 'OMG must do 6 of these, 12 of these, 8 of those' area. And it is lovely!

I am still sewing but only calmly now and mostly for Christmas presents, so the only frustrating thing is that I can't show you anything!

One aim achieved!

I have always wanted to be out somewhere and see someone wearing one of my products and it happened the other evening, at a craft fair. Excuse the poor photo but I had to take it on my phone! The lady over there is wearing my grey shoulder bag!! (and yes, that is my mini stall in the foreground - had to squeeze it all on!)

Proud Mum

Tonight, we are going to see my eldest who has one of the main roles in his college musical - Fame. I'm really nervous, more than him probably, but also very excited. He has really loved all the rehearsing and hopefully will remember everything!!

Pipple World

I'm loving being in Pipple world at the moment - more and more Pipples are going out into the world and some have sent photos back.

And I had the perfectly justifiable excuse to buy some absolutely gorgeous (and expensive) handknit cotton yarn for more Pipple scarves. It knits like a dream and I'd love a scarf in it myself!

These Pipples are well and truly spoiled you know. They've had a bit of scary excitement in Pipple world today though!

NOT

The White Rabbit effect

I posted a little while ago about feeling like the white rabbit, constantly late - and yes, I still feel a bit like that - where is the year going? Is it me or is time going at warp speed? Whatever that is. I really have to get on or I'll never be ready for Christmas.

Cold and Wet

Getting a bit fed up with being soaked every time I go out now. It's also dark at 4 o'clock but that actually makes it quite cosy......oops, it's turning into a Hot! No, I really don't like all the rain especially when it's mixed with wind!

Persistant cough

My cold has almost gone now but I have been left with a horrid horrid cough. It sits there simmering until I am somewhere that I really ought to behave myself properly, like the Post Office queue, and then it tickles the back of my throat until it produces a hawking great smoker's cough. People edge away from me and I can't stop or speak until tears are pricking in my eyes!

See more Hot and Nots here.

What's Hot and what's Not.....

Joining in again with Loobylu again this week -

What's Hot

Moo

Getting the cute little Pipple cards back from Moo today. Love them. They're green on the back which you can't see, and I'm really happy with them.

My Bond

Shopping today for a tuxedo (for his High School Dinner Dance) with my 15 year old who is nearly six feet tall now and who looked like a young James Bond when he tried it on. Made my heart somersault with pride. That's MY boy!!!!! (no photo yet - but I WILL get one on the night!!)

Advent calendars and all that jazz..

I do LOVE this time of year and the build up to Christmas! I must say though, that since I started all this crafting malarky it is not as relaxing as it used to be. Exciting though, and challenging, and fun. Definitely fun.

Pipples

Dare I say the P word again? I do apologise for those of you sick of the Pipples already but when I look up from my sewing or accounts! (eugghh yes I know!!) as I did earlier today and see their little faces staring at me, well, just look..... they make me happy.

What's Not

Bank errors

Spent/wasted loads of time this week already trying to sort out how some money has disappeared from my account, slowly but surely every month. Finally realised when the amounts got larger and more frequent. Sorted now but REALLY annoyingly time-wasting!

Being ill

I have a cold and although it's not a bad one, I still feel 'off' and I don't WANT it thank you very much.

Well, that's not too bad is it - only 2 moans and 4 happys. As long as it's that way round it's fine!

PS Don't forget about my GIVEAWAY of yesterday's post. If you leave a comment here then you're in with a chance. I am going get Floss to draw 3 names out on Thursday - that way, I can post Friday if I have the addresses!!! Good luck! xx

PPS You can see other great HOT and NOTs here.

What's Hot and what's Not.....

Is it me, or are the weeks on fast forward at the moment? I'm joining in with Loobylu again this week.

HOT

The Pipples are Here!

Very exciting news! The Pipples are here, with their own blog and a little shop on Etsy.

I've had such fun with these! Soon they will be joined by the Flugs and goodness knows what else will find it's way out of the woods to join us!

Craft fairs

Busy busy busy - lots of fairs and markets in the next couple of weeks. I am happy about that but also a little concerned that looking after the Pipples has put back my making of bags, cushions and doorstops!!! Ooops!

Silly Rude Vegetables

A very silly rude potato made its way out of the bag today. It was sooo rude that we couldn't cook it but just had to take a photo instead. There was much sniggering and some debate but I think it's definitely a bottom! Classic!

Glorious Felt Rainbows

Even though I pack and sell felt every day, it's been a while since I sewed with it. It was just so lovely to cut and sew some rainbows for my pencil rolls this week. I do love the vibrancy of the colours and the feel of it, so soft....so strokable....so....ahem! Okay, back with it now!

Caterpillar Birthday Cakes for Big Boys

Now, it's not that I can't make cakes, honestly, cakes are my favourite thing to bake, but the birthday boy this week wanted this caterpillar cake for 'old times sake'! I told him it's probably the last time he'll have it. "No way," said he, "I'm having one next year too!"

NOT

Rainy Days and Windy Days

Now, I'm a big fan of our British weather, I love it! I don't usually moan about the weather, really. I do like a lovely bit of rain, with my cagoule and my wellies on, but this is getting a bit monotonous just lately. Just a little tired of the wind too, I'm afraid. My hair is sporting that 'OMG what happened to you? look lately just a little TOO often.

Even the Pipples are getting fed up.

Late Nights with Teenagers

I can't keep up. With a 17 and a 15 year old eating toast at ten o'clock at night and not feeling tired (until the morning!!!!), going to bed like a grown-up AFTER the children is becoming difficult. I am actually tired enough to go at 9 - I have got to get a grip on this situation, reassert my authority, either that or teach them how to lock up!

My Total Lack of Self control

Not hot is my total lack of ability to have a few of these and then PUT THE PACKET AWAY! Hmmm, well, it seems silly when there's only a couple left now..........xx

See more HOT and NOTs here.

What's Hot and what's Not.....

I'm joining in with the lovely Loobylu again and what is HOT this Wednesday?

HOT is:

An assistant

I have a new assistant. She might only be 9 years old but boy, is she good! She has memorised my 70 colours of felt for Feltgirl by name, knows where they go and can wrap with tissue and coloured tape like you wouldn't believe. She has also insisted on 're-arranging' the felt shelves and they look beautiful -

She has also nagged me about the pile of paperwork that needs filing until I've done it! (and yes, before you ask, she is getting pocket money for it!!!!)

New things taking off.

There's nothing like making something for the first time and really liking it but not being sure anyone else will - then someone comes by the stall, and buys it! This happened with the make-up bags this week - I made them a couple of weeks ago and I really like them, love choosing the colours and the achievement of putting in the curved zip! And this week I have sold 3 of them. I have a couple left if anyone is interested here.

Birthdays

My lovely eldest turns 17!!! this week. I can't believe it and whilst in some ways the years have just flown by, I can still remember that feeling of bringing him home from the hospital and being so blown away by the fact that they actually let us keep him, and that we actually had a baby! I remembering staring at him sleeping for ages, taking in his little face, just watching him, hardly believing he was real.

Almost done digging.

Believe it or not, I am putting the diggers under hot this week, as they are almost done digging! It is raining a lot here and where they were digging has turned into a swamp, but it is nearly back to the level of the rest and the huge yellow digger has gone. They've just got to lay some grass, and put back our fence. I shall be so glad when they've gone completely.

NOT

Finance rules

Why is it that when you've done quite well on a market stall, or at a craft fair and you're feeling quite good about things, thinking well, the kids can have some Christmas pressies after all, that a huge bill for something turns up within hours of you having the extra money?

It happens so often in our house that I think there must be a technical term for it. (Apart from sod's law, I mean!)

I had a little extra cash this week and first my eldest reminds me the French exchange trip he is going on needs paying by December, then my youngest son comes up with a letter about another school trip, then the garage decides it wants paying for the work on our car and my little bit of extra cash has gone, and gone 10 times!

An avalanche of Ironing

I thought I had this figured out. In a house with six of us, it does pile up very very quickly, but little and often was the way I had decided to go. Then I had a busy week last week, didn't do any and lo and behold, the mountain is building. It is threatening to fill the whole house. We will all be found in a couple of days, buried under an avalanche of ironing.... xx

What's Hot and what's Not.....

Goodness, can't believe another week has gone by and it's that time already! Well, here goes:-

HOT

Crafting headway

I have made a bit of crafting headway this week - I have a shopping evening at a fashion show tomorrow evening and the usual market on Saturday where people are starting to do Christmas shopping so I do need to get my stock levels up!

So, I've made a few new cafetiere cosies in some new colours, a sweet green floral, a 'shaker' style ticking, and (my personal favourite) some lovely dark chocolate with pale pink polka dots:

I have made 2 of each so will be putting them in the shop as well as having one of each new colour for the shopping evening!

I've also made some new felt lavender hearts and the smell in my little sewing room was just gorgeous while I was making them. So calming!

BBC Radio 4

What would I do without this?! It is my constant companion throughout my day, I particularly love the afternoon play, the book of the week and the Woman's Hour drama. At the moment this is Charles Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend' which is one I haven't read and which is SO atmospheric to listen to whilst I sew.

2 helpful men

I am lucky enough to have a Dad and a hubby who are used to my strange requests and when I found out that my Dad was planning a visit to Ikea a couple of days ago, I knew he wouldn't mind picking me up some more glass jars for my buttons - yes I know those of you who saw my button photo would probably have thought that is definitely enough buttons in jars! Well, you see, once I'd started sorting and tidying, I just wanted to finish it once and for all, and I needed some more jars...

So my Dad kindly bought some home. Then, well, who was to go to Ikea the very next day without any warning, but hubby! and I only needed a few more to be absolutely finished!!!

If you are entirely fed up with looking at buttons in jars (are you mad?!) then please look away and scroll down now, but for those who want to see the entirely finished set of shelves - ta-dah!!!

oops, couldn't fit them all in one photo - but there are 2 more shelves under the bottom one of the above photo, and these beauties are on the very bottom shelf! All these buttons are for sale in my shop and my etsy shop, cos I do like to share!

Okay, no more button photos for ages now! (promise.)

NOT HOT

Lost things

Our house at the moment seems to be swallowing things.

1 mobile phone, 1 ds charger, some maths homework, our vid

eo camera, another ds charger, a mobile phone charger, a metre ruler (how?!) are among the things that have gone missing.

Sometimes, these things do turn up but more often then not we spend precious time running around looking for them. Usually just at the actual moment that they are needed. Never the night before, in good time........

Digger invasion

After my post last week, things have moved on......part of our fence has been taken down,

the blackberry bush in the field has been flattened and ripped out, and a fence has been erected in part of our garden.

They've even put up a sign up for us, in case we were to take a stroll around the garden during the works!

It is quite horrifying to look out of our kitchen window and see all this within 20 feet!

Time flying

Is it just me, or is time going much quicker than it used to? It sometimes feels as if my life is in fast forward mode. Where did the last week, month, year go? How did my children get so big, so quickly? Why can't I remember each and every last minute?

Is it because we have so much to think about/do in our lives? I'm sure I remember days and weeks of monotonous boredom when I was younger, nothing much happened, days were the same and lasted for ages....... that doesn't seem to happen now, there are lists of things to do/make/buy - everything is rushing by! and I don't like it!!!!!

If you want to see more Hot and Nots you need to visit Loobylu and you can also join in!

What's HOT and what's NOT Wednesday!

Am joining the lovely Loobylu again with what's hot and what's not for me this week....

WHAT'S HOT-

A little buzz of excitement..

I'm getting a really good feeling at the moment with what I'm making - that isn't to say that it's turning out great - it isn't actually, but I am soooo enjoying making. It's a kind of butterfly excited kind of feeling, like when you were a kid and you just couldn't wait to finish your dinner before getting on with the game you were playing. It's kind of the same - boring things like the ironing, and cooking the evening meal are just getting in the way at the moment.

Making a cosy home

I was only going to feed them this morning, but they looked so forlorn out there in the nippy Autumn chill that I dug out their indoor cage and after hunting for the paper and the sawdust, they are now happily installed in the utility room complete with blanket over the top at night!

It was strangely satisfying to make a little home for them. And they really did look happy.

I must add, they are my daughter's guinea pigs, and like I told her when we got them, she has to take care of them, I'm not having anything to do with them.........Hmmmmmm!

A big thank you

Flossie had a couple of days off school recently with a nasty virus. When she was better, she presented me with this lovely card to say thank you for looking after me. Inside, she wrote 'I am not entirely better but you have looked after me so well I feel a lot lot better' and she wanted to give me something for looking after her. Awwwh!

Out came this, beautifully wrapped in tissue. It was one of those teary mother moments I'm afraid, she had made it totally alone and it even had contrasting colour sides and some applique!!

The Dentist

Yes, I know, I can't believe it's there either!

This time last week, I had spent all week dreading a visit to the dentist. I was down for 'a good clean' and we would 'just have to get on with it' for the forty five minute appointment!!!!!

However, the lovely new hygienist was sooo gentle and understanding it only took twenty minutes and I could have hugged her when it was done. What a lot of worrying about nothing!! But such a relief when it's all over. Felt almost euphoric!!

WHAT'S NOT

Spider invasion

It must be the colder weather, but everywhere I go in our house at the moment, there is a spider. And no, it's not the same one, they are different sizes - I've checked!

Now, unless they are enormous, or running straight at me, I don't really mind them, but this is getting ridiculous - it is turning into a spider hotel. (Maybe I do need to vacuum a bit more often?!)

Turning inside out

I'm sure there is a technical term for this, but I mean turning legs and arms inside out, fairies ones, not mine. I have been attempting to make the fairy that has been on the cards for months, and after 3 attempts, I am nearly happy -

the only frustrating part is turning the little arms and legs the right way. In the end, I used one of my jewelry pliers but you have to be careful not to tear the material.

Cold tea

One of the downsides to getting carried away making things is that any cups of tea my other half makes me tend to get left until they are lukewarm or actually cold.

Then there is the dilemma - how to dispose of full cup of tea without him seeing and saying the very predicatable ' I'm not going to bother making you any more cos you never drink them...'

'Something's not quite right'

Having made the aforesaid 3 prototype Angel Fairies, there is still something wrong - the first, on the left, was far too 'girl about town' all she needed was a patent leather handbag and she'd have been off dancing the night away!

The second was more like it but a bit tall and thinner than I'd imagined.

The third, who insists on being called Sylvie, is much more how I thought she'd look, but there is still something 'not quite right'. I think I know what it is and I'm going to go now and revise it with Fairy number 4.

That is, if I can squeeze by the spiders. x