"Illuminate"

I just love this month's Stamp of the Month "Illuminate" - it makes it so easy to make pages like these that really help to boost children's self esteem.

How cute are the tiny little candles with bits of teeny bling on them?
Happy Tuesday!

Craft Fair and another Butterfly Hat

I went to the Craft Fair child free on Friday.  After a rotten week battling tonsilitis hanging out with crafty friends and a bit of retail therapy was just what the doctor ordered.

I enjoyed it more than previous years.  There were some new stallholders and quite a lot more wool craft than before.  I came home with a few modest purchases.

A gorgeous little bunny pattern from the girls at Under The Mulberry Tree.  A pattern and yarn to make a crocheted top for Maddie.  An equilateral triangle ruler for making strippy quilts.  And this Noro book which will work perfectly for homespun yarn.

Yesterday I managed to finish my second butterfly hat.  I love the colour.  It was to be a Christmas present for my MIL but it is too big for her little head so I am claiming it.

I am spinning some lovely fine multi-coloured optim.  I can't wait to see it finished.

A pile of books rocked up from book depository today so they will be my Christmas present (I might have had a teensy peek at a few of them but I promise no more than that!)

And I have to buy some fabric online today as I couldn't get it at the Craft Fair (surprisingly no one had precuts this year!)  I really LOVE the new Bluebird Park range by Moda (OMG - that denim look blue with red birds - I think I want a dress out of it!!!) and then there is scrumptious by Bonnie and Camille (who I just love!)

All in all, quite a crafty week!
Keep smiling,
Nell

The Julie and Julia Project for 2014

I've been hatching a plan.
Normally, I use the time between Christmas and New Years - those long lazy Summer days that just seem to fall off the calendar, for planning and plotting and thinking about the year ahead, but, let's face it, this year has just been crappy and so I have started dreaming early.  I am disappointed about the lack of finished projects this year, especially the lack of finished quilts.  I am a little aghast, and shocked, by how quickly my passion for craft books has got out of hand.  I think they now fill about 4 bays of my Ikea storage and there may or may not be some more in the mail..
So that got me thinking.  I loved reading "Julie and Julia" by Julie Powell - such a good book and a fun read.  Whilst I have NO wish to ever cook every one of Julia Child's recipes it did give me an idea.  What if I devoted next year to doing a Julie and Julia of my own?  What if I seriously tried to make one thing from each of my crafty books? I could choose a few projects each month and just go for it? And you could follow along and even play too if you wanted to?
I think I probably need some rules (or some "outs") I think I should be allowed to skip books that I have already used. And some months I will definitely be more productive than others so I am not putting a limit on how many each month except to say that there has to be a one project minimum.  I also think I need to concentrate on using from my stash so projects are allowed to be "modified" or "inspired by".  I am looking forward to this.  I will try to head each finished project with "Julie and Julia" for those who are following along (and don't worry, there will be plenty of other posts about all sorts of other things).  I hope that Julie Powell would approve and take this project as a compliment.

So what do you think? Will it work?

Here's the latest finished project "the butterfly hat" from ravelry knitted up in the softest merino/angora blend for a friend who gave me a lovely knitting and crochet book that she didn't

want.  It was such a dreamy knit that I have cast on a sea-green one for me (and my mother in law was eyeing it off and Hannah has requested one so I think I might be knitting a lot of this pattern!)

I'm off to do a bit more dreaming/planning/trawling through craft books!
Happy Wednesday,
Nell
xxxx

Sometimes All It Takes is Time

The funniest thing has happened this Spring.  We had a rose at the back of the house that was planted when Dan was newborn.  It never flowered.  Lots of lovely green foliage. No flowers.  One year I almost ripped it out.  Last year, for the first time, we got a few pretty blooms.  This year it looks like this:

 It has even threatened to take over the roof of our house.  The blooms are ENORMOUS.  Because it is tucked at the "dead" corner of the house I had not even noticed it recently.  Today, when I finally had an afternoon to just breathe, and be, and take the time to smell the roses I discovered it in all its glory and it was a bit of an epiphany to me that sometimes all we need is time.  Some children take longer to "bloom" than others.  Some gardens evolve over time.  Sometimes, when we are time poor, we miss noticing small but important things.  I love that you can always measure time in the garden.  I love the changing of seasons.  The watching of growth.  In the 7 years that we have lived here I have been desperate for my garden to grow - to have trees and privacy and a garden that I can pick a posy in all year round.  Finally I have that now.  You can hardly see our house from the street anymore.

And despite the weeds I still think we have the loveliest garden in the street.  Happy Spring!

Crafty stuff

Hello bloggy friends,
It feels like a long time.
I have had so much to write and so little time to write it in.
I wanted to write about my grandfather, who is so dear and so wonderful, and who left us earlier this month but then that post was waiting for photos and now it is such a beautiful spring day that it doesn't seem right to be sad.
There has been crafting, LOTS of crafting, especially with my beautiful consultants, and my awesome quilting group.  I feel really blessed to have both of these groups of friends in my life.

Last weekend my Close to My Heart Consultants and friends went to Glenbarr Homestead for our annual retreat.  Lots of laughs and fun and I managed about 60 pages.  Close to My Heart have negotiated a fabulous deal for consultants to purchase their own cricut cheaply so we really gave that baby a workout.  We went through one mat and two sets of blades but you should have seen the pages and cards that resulted.  I will really try to post photos of them soon.  I also learnt how to mask and use the daubers to make lovely shading.  It has become my new favourite thing!

Then Wednesday night we celebrated my quilty/knitty friend Anne's 70th birthday.  Anne is the coolest 70 year old I know.  When I am 70 I hope to be just like her.  She still adores life, she laughs at EVERYTHING, even herself, and she is so much fun to be around.  My quilty/knitty friends have been so important to me this year.  They help me to smile through the grey bits.  They sympathise and understand and they always make me laugh.

 I feel bad that I haven't finished a single quilt this year. NOT ONE.  At least I do have some crafty projects to show you.  The first is my Quaker Shawl by an amazing designer called "Stitchnerd" (look on ravelry or check out her blog on my side bar)

The wool is handspun from Kathy's Fibres Winter Fibre club in a merino/baby camel blend (sooo soft and squishy with a lovely drape). 

 The second project is the Sean the Sheep Cowl.  This pattern is so easy that I have now made three of them. So easy and so addictive and really doesn't use much wool at all.

Cowls are so great for kids as they can't get caught or pulled tight like scarves can.  Maddie and Hannah both have one and I have made one in bunny/merino handspun which I will probably sell or gift.  

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Keep smiling,

Nell

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Getting it done! Fast Pages!

Like many of my customers I have quite a lot of paper.  Ahem, a LOT of paper.  I also have a busy life which means that I need to be able to scrap a lot of album pages FAST.

This is the formula I have been using this month to really get things done! It is also the formula I will be teaching at my workshops this month.  Mixing and matching the papers means that even though the formula is the same the pages all look distinctly different.  If you try it, I would love to see the finished pages!
Happy scrapping!
Nell

Getting It Done - 4 pages in 10 minutes!

This is the easiest way I know to do some quick double page layouts!

Select 3 pieces of coordinating paper or cardstock that works with your photos.  I have used 3 pieces from the same power palette or be adventurous and mix and match.

With your 12 inch trimmer (and I especially LOVE my new CTMH one!) cut the paper like this:

1st piece - cut off a 3" strip, then cut 1 piece 9"x6 1/2", cut it in half to make 2 photo mats. Put remaining rectangle aside.

2nd piece - cut 2 strips 1 1/2", then cut the remaining paper the way you cut the first piece (ie. two photo mats and a leftover bit)

3rd piece - cut a rectangle 8 1/2" x 6 1/2" then cut leftovers into two even strips (about 1 3/4" wide)

Set your paper up into 3 piles:

·         Strips (for borders and edges)

·         Photo mats (including your double one of 8 1/2 x 6 1/2")

·         Backing/contrast pieces

Now for the fun part! Find 4 pieces of coordinating cardstock or 4 pages and then mix and match to create double page spreads in no time! Don't forget that the papers are double sided so you can turn some pieces over for a new look! I would love for you to share your pages on our Nell's CTMH scrappers page on facebook! Happy scrapping!