Made by hand...

Hello.  

How is your day going?  Mine is going fine so far, probably because I have been having fun with some crochet flower making, and continuing on with my little decoration projects.

Flowers are so enjoyable to crochet : quick, colourful and I am at the stage now where I don't need a pattern and can just have fun with whatever I can come up with myself, lots of experimentation which is very satisfying.

I am really pleased with the little stuffed flower, this is pretty close to what I had in mind when I started playing with these ideas, it is nice and simple and I think they will look really cute and homespun when I get a few more finished and hung on a branch. 

(Maybe a little Scandinavian in feel)  Can't wait! :)

Look what happens when you turn your back for a few minutes, the kitten decided I had the best spot for a snooze, he does like to be at the centre of everything!  He thought I was making him some news toys, he was especially taken with all those tempting threads hanging from my makes!  I had to move all my things out of reach. He looked at me with big sad eyes!

Joining in with Christina and the others today over here. :)

See you later!  xxxxxxxxxx

Made by hand......

Hello.  

I am joining in with Christina's Made by Hand linky today.  I have been having a bit of fun playing around with the hook and some colours, working on a little Christmas decoration, I kind of know how I want it to look, now I just have to keep trying until I get it right.

This is what I have come up with today, I am making version 2 with a slightly different flower petal and a thicker wool yarn, so we will see what works best.  I think these could be cute in different colours all dangling from a branch.

Have you had a creative day?   Or maybe a few creative moments here and there?

small making days.....

There hasn't been a whole lot of making around here lately, just a few rows here and there when I get a chance.  I have gathered a bit of a crafty collection on the arm of the couch, so I can catch a nice burst of colour every time I glance over there, and I can pick it up and put it down again without cleaning up properly!   I think I will be able to make a few more washers, but then I will be out of colourful cottons, so I might try and source some good coloured cottons for my shop and me!  I am also determined to get that big mixed stitch stripey blanket for the CAL finished this coming week, I need to finish it off so I can move onto other things with a clear mind.  

It has been pretty busy here, Jesse has had his last day of high school today, and now has a few weeks of studying and his final exams to complete his Year 12 studies (VCE).  So there has been quite a bit of celebrating and milestones being passed.  Making me feel quite sentimental too!  My first baby is almost grown up now and it feels too soon, but it is exciting too and I just love the young man he is growing into, I'm looking forward to the next stage of his life,  I'm sure he will be off doing his own thing but we will be cheering from the side lines.

I have also embarked on yet another self improvement plan.  Hopefully the last one I will need. 

 I read this post by Frugal Queen and found it really resonated with me.   ( Thanks Froogs! :)  )  

So a lot of time this week has been spent on exercising. I have to say I am feeling better, 

I had forgotten how good it feels to sweat and work my muscles.  

( I am feeling sooooo sore though!) :)   I had been feeling a bit down and in a rut so this is really helping to lift my mood too, all those endorphins and all that....

I have no excuses now, I just have to get on with it and stick with it until it is just a part of my life.

( I have cut out Diet Coke too, it has been hard, one week down, so far so good! I had a big DC habit!)

Anyway, that's a couple of snippets of my week, it feels like I haven't been reading blogs for a while so I have a bit of catching up to do and see what you guys have been up to as well.

How has your week been? 

Getting any crafty action going?

Done any exercise, do you feel better when you do?

Joining in with Christina's Made By Hand today.

making.....

I have to say, I am still loving making washcloths!  Quickish, easy and colour filled, what's not to love I guess!  Kate over at Just Pootling has put together a lovely post in honour of the humble washcloth, There are lots of lovely examples out there in blogland, I think I will be giving everyone I know a little bundle of washers this Christmas!   I am enjoying the combo of red, pink and white in this one, I am going to use the softer pink as a border, what do you think?

And in other exciting (!) news I have  finally finished putting my little crochet star kits together.  It took me longer than I had thought, I couldn't decide how to package them, and then I started having doubts about the whole thing, so they just sat there for a few days.  But I have decided to just put them out there and see what happens.

I ended up wrapping them in brown paper ( you know, a few of my favourite things and all that..) and adding a couple of washi tape stripes for a bit of colour.

Nice and simple and low tech, but still a bit pretty.

I have made up two different colour combos to start with, one a Christmas Star, and the other I call a Sunny Star, in some of my fav colours, a combo I seem to use a fair bit!  I have a few other combos to try, but I will see how these two go first.

If you'd like to have a look at them I have put them into my shop today, ready to go!

I'd love to hear what you think of them and any improvements you could suggest. :)

What have you been making today? 

I'm joining in with Christina for Made by Hand today too.

Made by Hand - dotting on

Joining in with crafty types over on Christina's blog for Made by Hand today.

So I am still a bit obsessed with the tapestry crochet technique.  I have been making more wash cloths, playing around with pattern and colour, doing a bit of polka dotting along the way.  I am going to do a little tadah post soon, because they are looking so cute all together with their different patterns and colours.  I finish one, then have to start another because there are so many colour combos to try out!

What have you been making?

xxxxxxx

Made by hand......

I'm joining Christina and her weekly Made by Hand linky thing, because I have actually been doing some making today.
I am slowly changing my attitude to my crafty activities so it is more than just a hobby,  I'd like to earn a small living making things and selling wool, so I need to put the time in and not feel guilty about all the other things I could be doing.  If I was working for someone else doing the same things, I wouldn't feel like it wasn't work and not worthwhile, so I don't really understand why I feel that I am being self indulgent when I am working on things here at home by myself.
 Am I worried about what other people think of my choices?  Do I feel like I should get a 'proper' job?  Am I just easily distracted?  I don't know. Hopefully I will be able to get rid of these negative thoughts and enjoy the making process and get excited about making things as more than just my hobby.  I think I really need to do a bit of time scheduling, and block in some solid crafting time, maybe then I would be a bit more productive......

Anyway, enough of my moaning, let me show you what I finished off this morning, a couple of my little tree decorations.  They had been sitting here in pieces for ages, (I think I showed progress pictures a long time ago), so I am glad they are complete now.
The idea was for me to make a collection of these and sell them coming up to Christmas, but they are taking me so long to make, I'll probably only have a few finished.  Hardly seems worth it!
Gotta get my act into gear.

 The thing I like about these little guys is how the colours all work together in the layers, I like looking down from the top and seeing hints of colour and snippets of texture.... looking at these pictures is giving me a few ideas for a motif colour scheme.....

.....so here is my work space, looking pretty crowded as it is doubling as my wool shop, but I love having all the wool around the space, I don't have to go far for colour inspiration!...
I am also working on a little secret something that I hope you guys might like, it is not really that exciting but I am having fun putting them together, but more on that later......

Anyhoo, what have you been making lately?


Before I go I'd just like to say a big hello to any new readers (and all you long time guys!) that have stumbled across this little space recently, thanks for visiting here, my posting has been quite sporadic lately, so I appreciate all the visits I get and I enjoy all the comments you leave, so a big, friendly wave to you from me!   I have been struggling with things to blog about recently, hence the lack of posts, but I'm sure my inspiration will come back soon!  

Talk soon .....xxxxxxxxxx