Won't you be my Valentine?

A Valentine's giveaway!

Incase you hadn't guess already, I'm quite mushy when it comes to Valentines and romance. Hearts, flowers, lovey doveiness, candy.... I just love it all! :)

Unfortunately my dear sweet Valentine isn't into receiving too many cutesy presents, so I'm going for more practical (but still fun!) ways to say 'I love you' this year. 

....But I still wanted to do something pink and squishy, so with you in mind, dear blog friends, I made this little lovely heart stitch picture. 

If you'd like to receive my little Valentine gift, please leave a little comment here and next Tuesday (the 3rd February), I'll pick a name at random to be my blog Valentine!

xo

The Mugshot

I have been having a lot of busy-doing-nothing days recently.

Today is one of those days. I feel I've been sewing all day but not a finished thing to show.

Instead, its a WiP mugshot...

I've been tweaking patterns recently, just a little but hopefully for the better.

I've been looking at a new way to do eyes, because as much as I love embroidery, I have some kind of weird second-eye syndrome going on where I just can't get them the same without hours of unpicking and re-stitching and getting quite grumpy in the process.

What do you think of bunny's new eyes? 

I'll have to start taking more WiP pics I think. It's quite fun to see how things are going and to get a second opinion on things. Sometimes I feel I'm going a little bonkers, keeping to myself and stitching candy in my crafty tower :)

xo

Big Love

Bigger versions of little Valentine stitches...

(accompanied by too big pictures still. Blogger.... grrr!)

I just couldn't resist turning Lovely Heart into a softie. At the moment he/she is hand size, good for mini hugs, but I'm thinking a head-size one would be pretty cool too... is it weird to make yourself a Valentine present? hee hee

I also grew the Loveheart Sweet stitches into a handsized plush too.

Really this one started as an experiment to see if I could still do free hand machine embroidery, which was taught in college (which I realised was much further in the past than I remembered, or wished, it to be *sulk*).  I got the urge to try again after seeing someone doing it on one of old Project Catwalk repeat (which is the British version of Project Runway but just not quite as good. Thankfully they show both here, season 5 just started... Yay!). Big letters on felt? Simple enough, but finer fabrics, no feed dog and pretty patterns is going to need some more practice! 

Now I just have to make a broken heart (which the fabulous Brook suggested) and a top secret gift*, and my Valentines will be all stitched up!

 

Big love to all

xo

*and of course my head sized heart ;-)

Sweet Valentine

My favourite love token has to be, without a doubt, those simple little loveheart candies.

To me, they are just the sweetest things and I give them as Valentines every year, so I made a little felty ode to the candy. I made my first felt lovehearts last year, they were love tokens themselves, whereas these I made as pin brooches. 

As you see, it's a simple "Love" message for my candy (although there is a couple of 'forever's at A&M's). I think this is more in keeping with my own romantic thought of the candy, rather that the way it seems to me now. 

"Fax me", "Too much" and "Why not"? umm... so romantic!

(and doesn't that story take the fun out of giving them too! :)

The Candy Pins are in the little shop now, and I'm wishing I had a packet of the real things with me right now! 

Happy Wednesdays!

xo

P.s. I have been having trouble with all my pictures loading way too big and being cut off :(

I've had a look around the big old internet and can't seem to find any answers, other that it not just me. I've had to change the template as a quick fix, but anyone have any other ideas?

The Colours of Love...

All the happy Lovely Heart felt pins from the last post are now in the little shop!

And among the red, pink, plum and green smiling faces are these two bittersweet friends of theirs...

'Feeling a little blue' Lovely Heart

and

'Feeling Quite Blue' Lovely Heart

Where as the Happy Hearts are wanting to fill the world with the love and happiness they already have to share, the little blue hearts are sweet, yet sad little fellows who are still seeking the love and really want a lovely shoulder to be comforted by.

As for that happy green Lovely Heart I'm not entirely sure what its colour means. 

Perhaps he is lovesick, in that lovely completely so-loved-up-I-can't-do-anything kind of way?

So there they are all together as a big loved-up heart family ready to spread and find love!

More Valentines soon!

xo

Love and Happiness

I have my first official crafting of '09 to share!

Yay!

A happy handful of little felt heart pins for Valentine's day.

I've been a little slow off the mark with making these, part of me was dreading more holiday crafting after December but once started I remember how much I enjoy Valentine's and it quickly became fun :)

And I have a chance to show off my big carved ribbon bobbin, filled with bilingual Love and Happiness! I just can't wait to use, which is quite odd for me as I am a terrible ribbon hoarder and freak out at the thought of it all disappearing...

But this is too good to keep to myself, especially when there are Valentines to be wrapped!

Amour et bonheur, en francais!

The little pins will go in the little shop and some will be send off to Archie and Mabel's, just as soon as I make up some cute backing cards for them (fingers crossed for tomorrow!)

xo 

Fairy frosted

I am kicking myself for not having my camera with me yesterday.

It has been icy cold here and yesterday the trees and shrubs and well everything turned white, as the frost hung on from the foggy night before. It was just so beautiful, as if the ice fairies had been dancing around as we slept.

Didn't you just love Fantasia?

 You can see the whole autumn/winter fairy dance here, and if that wasn't lovely enough there is also the little dew drop fairies too! 

I think the fairy were my favourite, but I am going to settle in with a mug of hot chocolate and watch some more clips just to make sure... 

Lovely snuggly Sundays to all

xo

Hooked!

Ever year I make the longest list of resolutions for the new year.

There are the things I will add to a daily routine and last about a week.

Big things I will do this year, which are forgotten by February,

and small things which can wait until 'next' month.

This year I actually seem to be making one happen!

*Learn to crochet....

...tick!

Yes, thanks to Santa, the wool shop and the super fantastic "Stitch 'n Bitch: The Happy Hooker" I have an odd little assortment of samples and am completely ga ga about crocheting. I thought I was going struggle as I have not-quite-successfully knitted on and off for years, and two attempts of stitching into a chain almost drove me insane but then something clicked and wow crocheting is fantastic and so natural to me (sorry Nanna!). I am so proud of my little green circle up there, I was dancing round the house :)

A couple of my other resolutions are going well too including *Be Happy and *Never run out of socks but I think most will need a bit more time - *Act my age springs to mind! 

How are your resolutions going?

And finally for no other reason that she is the same colour as my favourite wooly circle, meet my new garden friend...

Miss Green Woodpecker

The squirrels have all but disappeared with the frosty weather around here and in their place, I keep spotting her pecking worms and the like out of our lawn. Today she was so close I manage to get a photo from the window and be sure she was a girl (males have a red stripe under their eyes apparently), so here she is my little green friend with a bright red hair-do! 

Hope you're having lovely Thursdays!

xo

Hello New Year!

I hope everyone is enjoying their 2009!

The 6th already! Doesn't time fly by so quickly when you get into a lazy Christmas routine? I suppose its time I said my 'Happy New Year's and got back to some stitching.

This little penguin has spent a long time hiding behind mounds of polyfill snow and wrapping paper, so not to spoil a little pressie for my happy penguin friend, and he is very glad to be out and about now.

I'm not sure of his name yet (I really must find out), but I do know his favourite food is orange fish and that he is very fussy when it comes to scarves, this was the 3rd try!

Off I go to find my craft stuff and a little inspiration!

Happy New Year

I hope its a good one for all!

 xo