I Feel A Collection Coming On

I’m more excited than a grown woman ought to be after a visit from the postman!  Of course, I am talking about receiving a parcel  – well, what else did you think? – if you saw my postman you would appreciate that there is nothing else to get excited about.  Anyway, the parcel I received made me decide to have a ‘ Monday Selection’ instead of the erstwhile ‘Saturday Selection’as I forgot to do one on Saturday and I’m the boss.

Now, I’m not a collector of pincushions or anything but I’ve had this Etsy shop in my favourites for ages and, on a whim, decided to buy one – well, two actually, as I’ve got a friend’s birthday coming up.  I read all the feedback and people have said things like,  ‘it’s the best thing I’ve bought on Etsy’, ‘thank you for the lovely gift bag’, ‘I’ll definitely be back’ – blah, blahdeblah – so I thought I’d go for it.  Well, the feedback was, if anything, understatement.  I have become a pincushion fan.  So much so that I might well start a collection and my friend will be lucky if she gets one of these for her birthday – I might have to buy a duplicate.

Can you bear this little flying pig?  and look, the little pins have clouds on top… and look at the linen drawstring bag which is lined with blue and white cotton and has a little matching image,worthy of its own listing in her shop but isn’t even mentioned!! 

…and what about this little mouse with his daisy topped pin? 

I think the lady behind lifepieces has the fairies come and help her in the night – everything is so exquisitely made and the attention to detail is amazing. 

So, if you usually get a birthday or Christmas present from me, and you are any sort of needlewoman or crafter, you know what’s coming!  Only if I can have one the same though.

Off to leave feedback of the fawning and adoration kind.

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Can You Bear It?

I had to show you these little ‘bear rug’ coasters I bought from Dandyrions  as they are sooooo gorgeous and I decided to feature them as this week’s Saturday Selection.

 

I had to have the white one for my workroom, the brown and cinnamon ones for the lounge and an extra one as a gift for a bear-loving friend.  Great for Christmas pressies plus take a look at her fox friendly t-shirts and jumpers.  Go on, you know you’re intrigued.

House Fetish

….or should that be ‘house feltish’?

As is obvious from my avatar and even the heading for my blog, I have a bit of a thing about little houses.  Unless, of course, it’s the one I live in which must be a big house in order to store all my paraphernalia, to say nothing of the various humans and animals who also pop in from time to time.

I love making my etui box houses but these ones are a little less labour intensive although call for my hand sewing skills which I usually try to avoid as I am a fan of the machine (but only because I’m so impatient). 

Anyway, I am about to open a new shop – yet to be stocked and so yet to be unveiled – and in order to build up my feedback a little before I start, I went on a mini Etsy shopping spree.  One of the items I bought was this gorgeous tartan doggie bow tie. (not yet received so not yet modelled by my own pampered pooch) –

I know, I know, but who could resist?  I promise I’m not going to start carrying him around in a papoose or anything.  Well, he’s too heavy for a start ……

Anyway, the other things I bought were a little clay house (house fixaxtion again) and a couple of PDF tutorials.  One of which was for these little houses.  I practised on some synthetic felt I had lying around but then bought in some lovely 40% wool felt as it feels all soft and fuzzy and comes in such gorgeous colours.  Perhaps I have a felt fetish too.

Of course, I messed around with the pattern a little and gave them a French garden (or jardin) as that is where they are made.

Thank you to Napkittenpattern for the original.

Festive Mini Hoops

I love the little embroidery hoops that you can display as miniature wall art or prop up in a little niche somewhere.  The trouble is I don’t embroider and cross stitch makes me go cross eyed so I improvise.  I’ve been using the 4″ size hoops, which are small enough, but when I saw some 3″ ones, I knew I had to have them for Christmas tree ornaments.  For the most part, I’ve kept with my French theme but I couldn’t resist slipping a ‘Ho, Ho, Ho’ in there too.

 

When I make the 4″ ones now, they seem enormous!

 

Ooh! What to Make?

A Project in Waiting

 

When I was round at my friend Anna’s house the other day, she showed me some tiny embroidery hoops she had ordered and I had to have some.  These ones are 4″ in diameter but you can also get 3″ ones.  Don’t quite know what for yet – although I think I might use something vintage – but an idea will come to me.    Whilst ordering the hoops, I noticed the lovely felt that the same shop, Lupin,  had for sale and had to have some of that too.  Again, I don’t know what for yet but some things you’ve just got to have and, at the moment, I like looking at all those lovely colours piled up full of promise!

NEXT DAY –

La Nuit

I don’t hang around you know.

The next one I made got on the front page so that’s some encouragement.

La Pluie on FP

And here’s another – I need to order some more of these little hoops at this rate.

La Petite Ecole

How To Get What You Want For Christmas

Sometimes you see things that you have to have and, as it’s Christmas, I decided to spend some of the miniscule ‘ profit’  from my crafting endeavours on little gifts that my family might buy me if they could see my list of favourites on Etsy or, at least,  I like to think they would.     Of course, if they could see my list of favourites, they would also see what I’ve earmarked for them so that would spoil the surprise.  Anyway, I promised myself a little gift when I reached 200 shop hearts and then, 300 followed rather quickly due to quite a few front pages in November, so I promised myself another.  Then, every year, I like to add to the mountain of items which are the family Christmas decorations so, had to have a couple of them.  The necklace, I have told my husband, is from him and – how pathetic is this? – I’ve even had it addressed to him so that I don’t get to see it before Christmas day.  Anyway, enough justification, here they are for your delectation and envy.  I have put in a link to the lovely creators but these particular items are mine….all mine…

Felt Camera Case by Plushism

Suede Journal by Kreativlink

Winter Frosted Branch with Aqua Blue Stone by MadebySam