Crafty Projects No 1 Headbands

Katherine is desperate to learn to sew and wants to hang out in my studio so I have been looking for simple projects we can work on together. She's too little to actually use a sewing machine but she likes sitting on my knee and watching me sew!

First up for 2010 is a head scarf from the Lena Jansdotter "Simple Sewing for Baby" book. I got some great fabric in the form of two pairs of curtains in a local charity shop a while back. One pair has been turned through 180 degrees and new header tape attached to fit Katherine's room. (thanks mum!).

The other was too faded to use as curtains so I cut this up to make some headbands. The pattern is very simple and is either for a dribbler bib thing or a girl's headband. I did though have to cut Katherine's pattern again as the pattern in the book is definitely toddler sized. Or maybe my daughter has an extra large head?

We put Sarah's on her head and she seemed quite happy with it. I think though when I make more dribblers I will use some velcro rather than tying it around her neck. Faster on and off then!

renovations, renovations, renovations

After accepting my award for the most neglected blog in the world I, like many other bloggers, resolving to try and post more thoughts in 2010.

Our main project this year is going to be updating and renovating our victorian terraced house. Some work has already been done which was exciting. One of the bedrooms contained a kitchen - a legacy of a large family living here previously.

It contained exciting things such as a 40 year old boiler and a central light which used to be able to be adjusted in height but this mechanism was broken and it was at perfect forehead whacking height.

Our lovely builder Guy and his sidekick Yanni were fantastic and hoovered up at the end of each day. There was alot of dust and dirt as the room needed re plastered and the ceiling replaced due to an undetected leak from the attic.

A large brick fireplace was plastered over. It looked like a very strange pizza oven! The room feels so much more spacious without it and is now a proper studio space for littlechook. The photo shows the old layout but after the Christmas rush I haven't had time to tidy up or take any 'after pics' as yet.

Bust London Summer Craftacular

Firstly, Sarah Elizabeth arrived on 16th June weighing 9lbs 14 ozs (4.5 kgs)! She has a long body, funny wee legs and a shock of dark spiky hair.

So we've been settling into life as a family of four. Big sister has been great with the odd blip. She has nick named her little sister 'the gosling' and it has kind of stuck!

On the littlechook front I have cut some new templates such as a horse and a lobster but they are not yet on tees. I found a new organic cotton supplier aswell so have some really lovely new tshirts to work with.

Lastly I applied for the Bust Craftacular in London on 22nd August and was accepted. Help! Got to get busy making......

etsy front page!

My lovely friend Ariane of Peppermint Twist Designs emailed me to say I'd been on the front page of etsy. Well my little lady modelling the deer and star tshirt had been!

I also discovered craftcult as a way to find expired treasuries, hearts, views etc so I could see how it looked. I can't for the life of me take a screenshot though.

I also found that the butterflies tshirt is in a gift guide and the rabbits and star tshirt was on the front page back in march.

Yay for etsy!

the folksy children's category disaster

ok, folksy.com is turning into the most annoying website to sell on.

they have removed the category for 'children' on the account that categories are for 'objects'. added in is 'housewares'. As they say on the blog it is a huge category but on that is recognised on many online shopping sites. Duh as is children.

Etsy, notonthehighstreet.com, misi , dawanda - all have children or baby and child top level categories.

As was pointed out by several posters on the blog people often browse a whole category looking for inspiration for presents. Now on folksy they have to search each top level category to find the children sub category.

And then I find admin put a little post up a while back asking for 'feedback'. I can't stand this way of communicating. Not everyone has time to read all the forum posts everyday. What about a dedicated email to sellers. That would seem fairer.

Along with the static and frankly boring front page, front page link to a competition that finished last year and the everlasting totes promotion it just looks to me like they couldn't give a monkeys about how their site looks.

I've never really looked into misi or coriandr in depth as their front pages put me off. My pet hate is anyone's items photographed lying on a laminate floor. Ok for some old tshirt you are sticking on ebay but your handmade items?

But at least their front pages have some life to them. On folksy there are some items I see pretty much everyday. If I was a buyer I'd think they had bugger all to sell.

Ok rant over....

I thought that A Resin Revivals 'organ grinder' pendant and locket was appropriate!

Gorillas in the mist

Took the little lady to london zoo as an easter treat and it rained all day! Some of the animal didn't seem to mind including the meerkats who had a tiny baby with them.

The Gorillas though contune to depress me everytime I see them. Despite the 'no flash photography' and 'don't bang the glass' signs people - adults and children just rush up to the glass, bang on it, shout and take photos with a bright flash!

I find it very sad. The male gorilla died before christmas and I think the females are really missing him. Or am I just projecting human values onto them? I don't know.

I'm not sure these beautiful creatures are really suitable for a zoo to be gawped at. It's no wonder they don't breed.

There's a series of gorilla portraits on one of the walls in the visitor bit and they all look so different. Most were rescued as babies and have suffered trauma after their parents were killed for bushmeat or for their hands.

I sadly think that by the time the little lady has grown up there will only be gorillas and many other animals left in zoo and not in the wild where they belong.

It's very sad.

what have I been up to?

not blogging that's for sure and that is naughty.

I like blogging but I am just so tired at the moment. I am now the size of a beached whale and getting to sleep at night is so hard. Baby Sister likes to wake up and kick me for most of the night and the weight of my pregnant belly just gives me a dead leg! ouch...

but I am a happy chook after a good run of sales and two press features - country living mag (but sadly only the back of a tshirt) and in Sustained Magazine which is a really interesting publication that I hadn't come accross before.

They have featured my old oak tree organic cotton tshirt. I can't for the life of me manage to take a screenshot though of the online version.