Big Blue Bed

Wordless Wednesday - My Bagel Loves Me.

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000Z

Charles Dickens at 200

2012-01-31T10:56:00.000Z

On February 7th it will be 200 years since Charles Dickens was born.

I live in Portsmouth, the birthplace of Charles Dickens. To celebrate the occasion the museum has some fun things planned - see the website here.

I also want to show you the work of a talented felt sculptor - Amy of The Greedy Crocodile.

Pop over to her shop to see Socrates, dogs, cats and Penguins. And of course the incomparable man himself....

Charles Dickens

I am Still Recycling those old Pyjamas

2012-01-24T09:18:00.001Z

I had a few strips that I had cut from Mary's old pyjamas that were too small to use in the rag rug. Then remembered that I wanted to curl Mary's hair. I had plaited it before over night but when I was a girl my mum used rags to curl it, and I also saw a few tutorials about zooloo/zoolu/zulu or Bantu curling.

So last night I had a go.

This is a picture of what her hair normally looks like.

In the morning after taking curls out and putting my fingers through it.

With clips.

A few had loosened or came out during the night but for a first try we were both pleased.

'Finished' Rug and How Handmade can Reach Out Across the Years

2012-01-15T09:38:00.000Z

My daughter said she like the rug and can I sew her name in the middle. Well I have to admit that I cheated and glued her name, using the remainder of the yarn I had made.

I was telling some people on the wonderful UK thread on etsy that I inhabit, and one rather clever chap said that I can always add to it as she grows. What a good idea! As she grows out of her pyjama's I can add more rows. So it becomes a little story about her.

I was reading, this morning, a blog that I love and I urge, simply urge, you to go and have a look here. This particular post on Indietutes blog is about how she is mending a patchwork quilt that her children's grandmother made.

I love the idea that handmade treasures pass down the generations, and even get added to over the years.

The children at my work have been asked what they want to sew next and a couple have suggested patchwork. I learnt patchwork at about 9 or 10 and it is the only patchwork I have ever done - by hand. I do not even know how to do it using a machine, although it is about time I learnt.

So I think I will look for a simple pattern and then try and find some cheap cotton fabric for them to use. If you have any going spare (and free) then please let me know.

Do you have a handmade object that has come down from other generations? I still have the cardigan my nanny knitted me. Too small for me, too small for Mary. But it is there in my wardrobe.

Wordless Wednesday - Lapping Cat Caught Out

2012-01-11T09:36:00.000Z

Crafteroo Pinterest - First Finished Project - Rag Rug

2012-01-09T10:48:00.003Z

I am taking part in the Crafteroo Pinterest Project Challenge. The aim is to try and make (at least) one project from our Pinterest Board each month. Actually I put the 'at least' there - I will be lucky if I manage to make one a month - you know me!

Here is my Crafteroo Pinterest challenge Board. Anything I make I am moving to the new board which is the Finished Project Board.

And my first project uses more than one project - hurrah!! It is a rag rug made out of t-shirt yarn.

I used my daughter's old pyjamas. Don't worry she has plenty more. I used this tutorial to make the t-shirt yarn but as I didn't have anything without seams, I had to adapt it which is why my rag rug has more knots and bit of fabric sticking up. I also had this tutorial on my board which is more or less the same.

Pyjamas

Pyjamas cut up

The Pyjamas have been cut up and cut into strips, and yanked to make 'curled' yarn.

Near the beginning

Finished Rug

Not very tidy! But still nice

When making my rug I used my Christmas pressie 20mm crochet hook. I made the pattern up really - just started crocheting a few rows to make a rectangle and then the next row, and then on, crocheted all around until I ended up with rather a nice shape, and until I ran out of yarn and patience. But here is a nice tutorial from my Pinterest board to show you rugs.

Amazingly enough I did it all in one day. Yes indeedy. Which is why I have rather sore arms now and a callous on my finger.

My daughter liked it and is is destined for her room but first she wants me to embroider her name in the middle. I think this sort of thing is rather a nice project to use old children's clothes because as I used the different ones I remembered the age when she wore them, and often who gave them to her. A nice memory. A a fun project.

Christmas Garland Tutorial

2012-01-04T10:00:00.000Z

As I was about to put the decorations away, I remembered that I wanted to share with you the garland that my daughter and I made. I tend to call them garlands as I don't like the word 'wreath' as it has overtones of the funereal about it.

Anyway I had a foam ring for ages and thought finally time to use it. So we collected a few things we might use - a little robin and the felt deer and angel from a craft shop in Lewes. The stickers came out of Christmas crackers. We were going to use yarn but I suddenly had the inspiration to use ribbon or braid. Mary made a sequined picture for her little cousin as a present and we had lots of sequins and the pins left over.

So first I wound the ribbon round the ring. Then I filled in the gaps with the sequins, attaching them using just the pins. This was a long job and to amuse myself in some places I made patterns using just a few colours.

Next I pinned on the robin, and then Mary stuck on the stickers and felt bits. As I took it down today, I glued these all on so hopefully they will still be attached next year.

So when I say my daughter and I made it, I did all the boring, fiddly jobs and she had the fun of sticking on the last final touches.

I was rather impressed when we finally hung it on the door Christmas eve. In the gloom of our hall (we live in a flat) it looked pretty good, and the sequins sparkled nicely in the light.

I call this a tutorial - but the tutorial is: - get a ring and have fun sticking things on.

Crafteroo Pinterest Challenge

2012-01-03T10:32:00.000Z

Crafteroo Challenge

This year I am going to try and make more things for me and my family and friends. There are lots of things that I bookmark and think 'I will make that someday'. Then I have a huge list of bookmarked tutorials that are not that easy to look though. But hold your horses....as Kitty Ballistic has had a wonderful idea..and it is the Crafteroo Pinterest Challenge 2012. Pop over to her blog for details here.

The great thing about Pinterest is that you can organise things into areas - so you can have a board for crochet, one for knitting etc. It is easy to find things as you can see the photos. And of course you don't have to just have tutorials on there.

Here is my Crafteroo Challenge board here. I might not make all these things this year but intend to have a go.

Warning Pinterest is addictive!

Crafteroo Magazine

2011-12-30T18:55:00.000Z

Crafteroo Mystery Package Challenge

2011-12-02T10:00:00.001Z

On Crafteroo, a bunch of us are taking part in a challenge. The idea is that everyone receives the same package and we have to make something(s) out of the contents. What everyone makes is not revealed until the publication of the Crafteroo magazine. This is really exciting. I have made my item(s) but I am not going to show you. Oh no, no, no. You will have to wait until the magazine comes out but here is what I received.

Felt and Bead Christmas Tree Decoration Tutorial

2011-11-27T12:33:00.001Z

This idea and tutorial owes a great deal to Karen Jinks and the UK Handmade magazine (Winter Issue 2011). There you will find a wonderful tutorial for a pine tree Christmas decoration.

Each year, at my work (which is an after-school club for children aged 4 to 11) the children make Christmas tree decorations. I introduced sewing to the club with great success as the children are full of enthusiasm and great ideas. Last year we made felt Christmas trees and baubles with sewn on beads. As we have many of the same children, I wanted something a little different. I also have to think that this is something that has to be made by 4 year olds as well as the older children.

I saw the felt pine cone decoration and it stuck in my head. But the thought of having to cut out all those flower shapes did fill me with dread. So what could I think of to make a simpler but effective decoration? And so this is is - the felt Christmas Tree decoration. And if you go look at the pine cone decoration, you will see how much debt I am in to Karen for this.

I enlisted the help of my daughter to make this. Isn't it interesting how difficult it is for children to find the middle of something? Still her tree turned out better than my try.

YOU WILL NEED:

About 7 triangles of felt. Each one will be slightly bigger than the one before (it doesn't have to be green - there are lovely felt colours out there and also many homes now have pink or red or black trees)
Beads
One large bead or bell (the bell I have used is a bit bigger than I wanted but it is the only size they had in my local shop)
Embroidery thread
Needle to thread

Thread your choice of embroidery thread through the bell (or bead) and then thread both ends through the needle again.

Thread through the middle of the largest triangle.

Then thread your choice of bead on top.

Continue in this way until you have threaded all the triangles and beads on.

Finish with a bead on top. Then knot the thread so you can hang it on the tree.

Thank you Mary.

Mary couldn't wait to hang it on her Christmas tree.

I tired a version using triangles cut out with my pinking shears.

And at the bottom I used a big bead from a necklace I had cut up.

I am looking forward to the children at my work trying it out. I will try and get a photo of their creations for you to see.

And if you make any then please let me know.

Don't forget to check out the original pine cone decoration at the UK Handmade magazine. UK Handmade is a great place for UK based artists, designers and makers to get help, meet others and promote their works. So go and look here.

Books I love - 'On Hitler's Mountain'

2011-11-25T12:47:00.001Z

Irmgard Hunt was born in Nazi German in 1934, in Berchtesgaden a village next to Hitler's headquarters. As a toddler she was photographed sat upon Hitler's knee. At that time both she and her parent's were fervent supporters of Hitler and the Nazi regime.

With the advent of war and as she grew older, Irmgard came to question this belief.

This is a lovely book. It is wonderful to read of life in a mountain village as it changes due to war and the deprivations of defeat. It is interesting to read of the insights of life in Germany at that time, as seen through the eyes of a growing child and young woman.

As someone born in England in the late 1960s, Nazi Germany and Hitler to me are, obviously, hate figures. To people in my country and my generation it is not always easy to understand how Hitler and the Nazis could rise to power and how the ordinary people in Germany and Austria could be accepting of it all at that time.

Therefore I found this such an insight into that time. Not all Germans were supporters of Hitler and some that were soon changed their minds.

I do recommend this book.

On Hitler's Mountain by Irmgard Hunt. Published in 2005 by Atlantic Books, London. My copy was borrowed from the library.

Going Promotin' , Going Promotin'

2011-11-24T09:03:00.001Z

Hello and Happy Thanksgiving to our friends from and in the USA.

I am having a special promotion this weekend. So starting from Black Friday 25th November, to Cyber Monday 28th November - I will be offering FREE SHIPPING on everything in my etsy shop.

Plus if you make a purchase over that weekend I will send you a coupon code to get discounts off further purchases int he future. It could be 5%, it could be 25% - it will be a surprise.

Shop now at Bigbluebed.

The title of this post should be sung along to the tune of 'Going Courtin' from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-23T08:00:00.001Z

Old Portsmouth - Exercises in Fire Rescue

2011-11-22T09:10:00.001Z

On Saturday we went to a Christmas Fair in City Cathedral, Old Portsmouth. Afterwards we decided to walk along the front. Old Portsmouth is one of my favourite places. It used to be rough and ready and not a place you would want to go to at night (unless you were a certain type of person looking for certain things). Ok, I am talking about a couple of hundred years ago.

Now it is a very desirable place in Portsmouth.

My Great Aunt used to live in one of the houses there (before the area became expensive), and we have visited it lots. I got had my wedding reception there too.

If you walk along from Southsea along the front, it is a lovely walk.

On Saturday we were lucky enough to catch some firemen doing an exercise. They extended the ladder very very high.

Then swung it over the walls to the beach.

And on the other side they picked up an 'injured' person to take them to safety.

It was all very interesting. These, by the way, are the Hot Walls. People come to sunbathe and in the middle on November, there were a couple of men in down tot heir bathers trying to get the sun. Believe me, you are lucky I did not take a photo of that!

Work in Progress - Crochet

2011-11-18T09:27:00.001Z

At the moment I am working on something from a book that I am reviewing.

I have been crocheting for about 2 years but only ever do a bit now and again. So I forget what to do nearly every time and have to look it up. I am more of a natural knitter, I think. However, I am enjoying making this.

It is probably difficult to tell what it is yet. Any ideas?

Custom Dorset Button Hair Clips

2011-11-16T19:46:00.001Z

A while ago I told you about a custom order I was doing. I couldn't show the photo then as they had not been received but now that they have...

My lovely customer asked for a colour that I did not have in stock at that moment but she was happy for me to surprise her but she did like orange and another colour I had mentioned.

So I decided to experiment and chose 3 colours. DMC embroidery thread has 6 strands. I took 2 strands from each of the colours to make a new 6 strand custom colour. Mrs Lovely was very happy and I am too. The colours remind me of Autumn.

I have done a mix like this before and will do again.

Remember - I do custom buttons, by themselves or on clips, so do let me know if you fancy something.

Places I love - Weald and Downland Open Air Museum

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000Z

Sometimes you go back to a much beloved childhood favourite place, and it is a big disappointment. Not this time! I haven't been to the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum for years and years. I think we used to call it Singleton but that is the name of the village next to it.

You visit Weald and Downland and it is almost like stepping back in time. There are houses and buildings saved and moved to the museum, from the 13th to 19th century. All set in lovely countryside, with woods and a pond.

A view over the village. There are other houses dotted about the site.

We went this time because they had a Christmas Craft Market. All over the site were lots of stalls with lovely people selling their wares.

We visited the houses, and peered into their nooks and crannies and talked about them with the wonderful guides that were there.

There was one house, and I am sorry but I have forgotten which, where two ladies were baking bread. Although when we popped in they were still kneading. It was a lovely sunny day and we went into this room which at first appeared pitch black. You thought 'how can anyone live and work in such a dim light' but after a while your eyes adjusted and it seemed so nice after the glary bulb lighting we have at home (I know I would say different if I had to sew in such a light).

My very modern girl in front of a lovely cottage.

Then in another the fire was lit and I thought I could happily sit in the wooden chair watching the fire all day.

My sister and I agreed that we would move into one of the cottages if we could. For the summer months anyway!

My daughter enjoyed herself having her face painted and doing some painting herself.

It was lovely to see all the dogs too as we are all great dog lovers.

I have to admit that although there was a lovely atmosphere, I would go again in a quieter time when I could appreciate the houses a bit more because although we could look in the ones nearer the wood, the ones in the main square were packed full of people. And a word of advice, if you go to the Craft Fair next year please go early as it does get packed later on and you will have a wait for parking too (we went early and saw lots of people queuing to come in as we left). However, it was wonderfully organised and a great day.

I bought some flour that was milled in Lurgashall Mill, on the site.

I also bought home some leaflets with details of courses. You can also see them on the website here. I think I would happily do any of those courses.

I hope to do back soon and visit.

Products I love - Braille Christmas Cards

2011-11-15T09:24:00.001Z

As soon as I saw these cards I knew I wanted to tell the world! They are so beautiful - visually and tactually. Perfect for those sighted people wanting to send a card to a blind or partially sighted friend and vice versa. Basically they look good and they feel good.

Christmas Braille Greeting Card

The example above says 'Xmas'. There are other messages available and you can also ask for something else. The cards are also available in aluminium but I love this rich copper.

Available from ggsarts on etsy.

So do go and check out their shop and see the whole range available. Simply beautiful.

Following the Pink and Green Theme

2011-11-11T10:58:00.001Z

Day 9 of Make a Day (Wednesday)
My pink and green hair snaps proved popular. I had a darker version of both colours and decided to make another pair using those. The buttons are also different as I have done one more row of the inner colour mainly because I forgot how many rows I did in the original ones.

Day 10 Thursday
I thought I would continue the theme of pink and green and make a beaded button. I have made these before in the bigger sizes but this is the first one in the tiny buttons. The middle colour looks redder in this photo which gives it a Christmas feel. I might stick this on a hair clip. I am still deciding.

You can see the size of the little beaded button in this photo where it sits next to hair clips using the bigger ring.

I also have been thinking about making new tags for items I send out. In tidying my fabrics I found this one and decided this will do very nicely for my first ones.

I embroidered the 'Bigbluebed' on a ribbon some time ago using left over bits of embroidery thread. I thought that people could use bits of the tags in their own projects if they wish. I can see that the one on the left is over embellished, so I will just keep to the simple looking ones like on the right perhaps with one button.

Jellyfish & Buttons

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000Z

Day Seven (Monday 7th November 2011) - Making failure. We left the house for the morning and went to town for Christmas present browsing. This was so our lovely plumber could put in the new radiator. Our flat is tiny and 3 people in it would have been a nightmare. In the evening I had an annoying headache and made nothing. Sorry but I am not going to overly worry as there will be days when I can do nothing.

Day Eight - Rushed about this morning. On our shopping trip yesterday I bought a voucher for my niece's 18th birthday. My husband forgot to take it out of his bag and it went to work with him. So I had to do a trip to get it back and give it to my niece.

In the between times - I moved my sewing things from my daughter's bedroom where I dumped ..I mean stored them, back to lounge.

I also practised making this jellyfish in a bottle as I wanted to do it with the children at my work.

This is a really good thing to make. The children enjoyed making them. Water everywhere. I still have blue fingers from the food colouring. Great fun.

In the evening I made some Dorset Button Hair Clips. I love playing with colour and seeing what would look good. I was going to make them with two different shades of green but then I found the pink! I love pink and green. A bit shocking and some may hate them. But I love them. They are now in my etsy shop.

I will try the two greens another time.

Day Six & Snowy Dogs

2011-11-06T22:09:00.001Z

Today was a day of moving more stuff around. I try to do little sewing during the weekends so I can devote myself to my daughter who of course is quite happy playing by herself. But I like to be around just in case.

I have found that I can happily sit and sew in the evenings now. It will be even nicer when the room is warmed by our lovely new radiator. Which I hope will be tomorrow night.

All I managed to do today was practise bow making as I have been asked to make some bow hair clips.

At lunchtime we went to MacDonald's. This is not something we regularly do but they are giving away Tintin toys with their Happy Meals and my daughter is a huge fan. We saw the movie during Half term and she loved it. She also loves Snowy and because of this she has a collection of Snowy dogs. She took some photos this afternoon and as she is asleep, I cannot ask her permission but I will sneak in one shot.

I had been meaning to write less about myself but this make a day challenge means I am constantly talking baout things I make. So to make the blog more interesting I will start to let you know of some of my favourite makers.

The plumber will be here in the morning and the radiator fitting will probably take all day so I will not get much pc time, or even sewing time. I will have to rely on having ideas.

Day Four & Five - buttons and more Tweed Loveliness

2011-11-06T11:29:00.000Z

Yesterday (Day 4 Friday) I had to spend lots of time moving sewing accouterments, yarn, fabric and lots of other things into my daughter's room. We are having a new radiator put in our lounge on Monday so I have to make sure there is room for it. We still have lots to move (*cries*).

So I did not get any sewing done until the evening when I made 3 little buttons in mustard yellow thread.

Although I did not do a lot of sewing, I was quite creative in other ways. After seeing other people's newsletters I thought I would restart mine. So the November issue has gone out but I can still send you one. You can sign up if you look over to the right at the top of this blog page or pop over to here and fill out the form.

Day 5 (Saturday)

Today was also a sew in the evening day. I made another little button to finish the set of 4 mustard yellows. I love that colour so also made a bigger pair and made them into hair clips.

Then since I had the hair clips out I decided to make some buttons to go on them, using the tweed fabric you have been seeing so much on my blog and in my shop, and on my facebook, and my flickr....I love it (which you might be able to tell!).

These little buttons are so easy to do. I will be talking about them, and other covered buttons, in the next issue of the Crafteroo magazine (the current issue is still available to read and download from here). I might give you a little tutorial here on this blog soon.

So back to furniture moving I go.

Day 4

2011-11-04T09:10:00.004Z

My sewing machine was behaving very badly ( a poor worker does blame her tools!) which meant that I got nothing made that I had planned. However, I did make an order. I cannot show you until the person receives it. When she does I will post the photo.

Day Three

2011-11-02T21:04:00.000Z

Despite a bad night, I managed to finish off the teal flower headband, despite the thread on my sewing machine breaking.

Also during a break in the rain, I popped downstairs and took some photos of the shoe clips that I made yesterday. This time modelled on a pair of shoes.

It was the city organised bonfire night and fireworks this evening. We had a long walk there and back. But it was worth it for the lovely display. My feet are aching whilst I sit here and write this though.

See you tomorrow.

Day Two

2011-11-01T19:16:00.000Z

Day Two of my challenge to try and make something every day.

As promised yesterday, I finished the other shoe clip so now have a pair which is always useful if you have two feet, or at least two shoes.

I would have made another hair band but found I didn't have the correct colour thread. I have cut the fabric out ready and bought some thread on the way to work.

Plans for tomorrow are to finish the teal flower which is cut out ready and waiting. Maybe make a pair of shoe clips. We will see.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:18:00.002Z

New Week, New Day, New Things - Day One

2011-10-31T13:16:00.000Z

I am going to try and make as much as I can each day, without losing quality of course. It is not so much that I want to make lots and lots; I just want to make something each day. So I thought I could share here. There will be days when I cannot make anything but that is ok so please do not give me a hard time.

So let us begin. Today, Day One, I made

A HeadBand:-

It has two flowers. One chocolate brown velvet with tweed button and...

one tweed with chocolate brown velvet button.

I also made one shoe clip in brown tweed, with mustard yellow button.

I have to go to work soon so will make the other shoe clip tomorrow. There you go I have something planned already!

So catch up with you then.

Flowers in the Rain

2011-10-27T16:20:00.000+01:00

Ok not that much rain, just a little bit. Other than that it is a dull, dull day. So how about a lovely bright flower brooch to brighten up your day.

It is made out of lovely, bright, warming mustard yellow, and brown tweed fabric. I love this combination.

This is the latest in the new range of flower brooches that I am making. I like 'em big and bold!

I have looked at the flowers and designed them from scratch. This one is a Polyanthus. or Primrose.

I have also made some Day Lily brooches.

I have modelled the last two but 1) I am a rubbish model, and 2) They don't look quite right on my coat. So as soon as the sun comes out a bit more and I find a nice black jacket, I will take some more photos.

All available from my etsy shop now.

The Wonderful Work of AmyandPia

2011-10-25T09:52:00.001+01:00

Today I would like to introduce you to the work of Amy from AmyandPia over on etsy. Amy does wonderful things with yarn.

This has to be the loveliest dragon. Isn't he sweet. happily snoring as he dreams of soaring over little villages. I am sure he is not the scary sort of dragon. Maybe.

Sleeping Green Dragon

And if cats are more your thing than have a look at this adorable puss.

Sleeping Ginger Cat

Both the dragon and cat are needle felted. Now I have tried needle felting and it is not easy, so I do admire Amy's work even more. Amy also knits and these teddys are lovely. I bought one for my daughter and it lives in her treasure box for special things. Amazing in things so tiny, is the character that Amy has managed to get into her work.

Mohair Teddy Bear

Amy also makes larger things including this gorgeous bolero. Wouldn't you love to wear it? I know I would.

Red Chunky Bolero

Do pop over to Amy shop. Remember AmyandPia over at etsy. Also have a look at her blog.

I am In Popular Crafts Magazine!

2011-10-18T10:25:00.003+01:00

Hello again. It seems a while since I was here and you know what, I was going to do a post which wasn't about me. Looking back I realised that for a long time I have just written about me, me, me. So I aimed to write a post about someone else.

Sorry, but that post will have to wait. Because I am so excited to let you know that I am in the wonderful Christmas Bumper Issue of Popular Crafts magazine. I have a tutorial, my blog is mentioned, my buttons are shown and I have done a book review. It is all so lovely!

I am going to recommend that you go and buy this magazine. Go on then! Not only I am in it, but seriously it is a great magazine. There is so much in it and lovely articles to read, competitions and more, more, more.

I am going to take it to work, as ok I want to show off. But I also know that the children at work will find so much fun stuff to make.

So pop out and try it. Now!!

Covered Button Hair Grips

2011-10-03T10:30:00.001+01:00

Covered Button Hair Grips
Originally uploaded by bigbluebed
I had a very productive evening yesterday.

The other day, in this post, I showed you a covered button hair clip I had made. It was using a larger ring and was a bit too big for the hair clip.

So now I have used the smallest ring I have, and voila!

I am very pleased with them. It helps of course that the fabric I have used is divine. But what a good way to use up all your scraps.

In the next issue of the Crafteroo magazine I will be looking at different types of covered buttons, so don't forget to buy the issue.

The hair clips are available in my etsy shop now. Or if you see something you like then you can always contact me direct at bigbluebed@live.com or leave a comment. I do have both brown and blond hair clips.

2011-10-01T00:00:00.000+01:00

New Handmade Buttons

2011-09-28T09:10:00.000+01:00

Here I am. Feeling much happier. Cold still here but I shall not let it defeat me - no sir.

I had quite a good evening last night. Mr has bought himself a box set of The Planet of the Apes, and I sat with him and watched number 4. Whilst doing so, I was trying out some new techniques. New to me but well -know to the ancients. Or the people who lived a hundred years ago. I have been trying out some different handmade buttons - singletons and shirtwaist.

I also had a look through my thread box and found some sparkly pink stuff so I thought that would make nice hair clips. I have made them before but I think in a different size. So one made and another to do to make it a matching pair.

Yesterday morning I made a spider button for Halloween. You can see it in the photo above.

The fabric covered button is the Singleton.

I used a gorgeous Kaffe Fassett fabric. I enjoyed making this and will try a smaller button size.

The shirtwaist button was made the evening before, and I am rather pleased with it. It uses a ring, like the dorset buttons, but this time the wrapping round is done first and then the buttonhole stitches round the ring to fill up the gaps.

The sun has not reached my desk yet, so the lighting is a bit bad.

I have some hair clips in blond so will be making button hair clips using these too.

So rather a good end to the day, following a bad start.

And here's to another productive day.

Feeling a Bit Sorry For Myself

2011-09-27T11:44:00.004+01:00

This is me. Got a bit of a cold. Only a small one. An annoying cough, and the desire to curl up under the duvet.

Awaiting the sunshine and my normal cheeriness soon.

My First Button Floozies Post

2011-09-21T10:19:00.003+01:00

I am rather excited to be writing on the Button Floozies blog. It is a really interesting read and interesting to see posts from different authors.

I posted my first one today. Yay!

Here it is. It is all about a book I bought on Button history and how it led to me finding more about the fascinating author Diana Epstein.

So do pop over and have a read. Here is the link again if you have forgotten..

I Have Finished! - Little Button Heart Picture

2011-09-20T13:09:00.002+01:00

I have finished the little Button Heart Picture. You have seen some of these photos in previous post but I thought I would show you them here in sequence.

I really enjoyed making it. Playing with three colours was good fun although I could have gone on and on experimenting and not actually making the picture. I think I will make more of the buttons and have them available to sell individually or in little sets.

The heart picture is in my etsy shop and you can see it here.

Button Wednesday - Work in Progress - A Pink Heart

2011-09-14T12:51:00.000+01:00

In my last post I showed you some buttons I was making. They are for this project. A little framed heart picture.

Here I am thinking about which buttons to use.

I have lost my special pen which has disappearing ink, so had to do a tracing of the frame and actually this works really well.At this stage I decided to only use my handmade Dorset buttons.

I still haven't finished. However, I have sewn on all the buttons. Now I am making the little french knots.

So still a way to go. When it is finished I will show you. It has been great fun playing around with the stitches and the colours.

Work in Progress - Pinks

2011-09-09T12:29:00.000+01:00

I am making pink buttons for a particular project at the moment.

So I thought I would show you what I have done so far.

I am being a bit mean. The thread is wound round just to keep it safe as i want to use it to sew the buttons on something.

So here are the buttons unwound.

I have used a different stitch in each.

They are the small buttons at 1.5cms.
I will show you more as I do them.

Crafteroo Magazine Coming Soon

2011-09-09T09:25:00.000+01:00

I am so excited about this!!

Coming soon is the new Crafteroo magazine.

It will feature

- 17 projects, from chainmaille to crochet to recipes!- Build your online craft business with our tried and tested photography and promotion tips

- Fantastic tips on building your fabric stash for maximum versatility

- Stay in the know with the latest crafty book reviews, mobile apps and social networking tools

- Plus, fantastic competition prizes to be won each issue!

And you might see something of mine in there too.

So keep an eye out and I will let you know how and where to get it.

Keep Calm and Cast On - Book Review

2011-09-04T15:29:00.002+01:00

I have just received Keep Calm and Carry On by Erika Knight, published by Quadrille.

I worked in a bookshop for 8 years and did get a bit tired of all the little gift books that had to be fitted on the counter, to grab the customers' attention. Some of them were dire.

And I am also a bit tired of seeing 'Keep Calm and Carry On' everywhere.

So I was unsure of this book. BUT I was very pleasantly surprised. It is a lovely little book.

It is full of funny, witty and interesting little quotes from people and from books about knitting. It also has really handy little tips from Erika Knight who knows a thing or two about knitting.

There were a few quotes from members of Stitchlinks whose aims include 'To promote the use of therapeutic knitting and stitching through our research'. And reading through the book, I had to agree that knitting is therapeutic and this is not something I had thought about before. There are many times when I yearn to knit and happily sit clicking away. And now I know more about why that is.

This is a great book to pop into when you are unable to knit and also a wonderful present. I was visited my mum and showed it to her. She loved it too.

So this Christmas, if you want a little present for a knitting friend, or something for yourself, then do think about Keep Calm and Cast On.
.
Keep Calm and Cast On by Erika Knight
Quadrille Publishing
ISBN 9781849490955

Watch This Space...

2011-09-03T10:02:00.001+01:00

I have a couple of tutorials coming soon - they will be published in various places. I will let you know when and where later.The first one will be in the soon to be published online Crafteroo magazine.

The tutorial is for a Dorset Button, so you too can join in the fun and catch the DB bug.It will be for making the orange button in the photo.

I am quite happy with this photo. My photography skills although need working on, are definately getting better. But the photo is the wrong way round. And I don't know how to change it on blogger. Any ideas?

All the buttons, should be or will be, for sale in my etsy shop.

Austrian Treasury

2011-09-01T17:21:00.001+01:00

'I love Austria' by bigbluebed

Just back from my holiday to Zell am See in Austria so I thought I would share some things I love, here on etsy, with you.

Southwestern Austria 1 ... parsnipandpear $7.00	Cute 50s Signed Silk Au... decobookworm $14.00	Vintage Eva Scherer Wie... yokohiyoko $12.00
Vintage Thimble faithbrady $14.00	Antique, Salzburg, Aust... 745main $30.00	Austrian Thimble Kit wi... amyrigs $35.00
Vintage Women's Tra... rotarydial $23.00	Art Deco Austrian Skier... lunaparkfoundr... $24.00	Vintage Austrian Crysta... Retromaginatio... $28.95
AUSTRIA Brooch / Pin fr... ME2Designs $20.00	Vintage Postcard - Aust... JVoyage $5.00	SALE 1964 Austrian Lode... MyrtlesCollect... $85.00
austrian dirndl dress. ... persephonevint... $88.00	Dock in Mondsee, Austri... mrosephotos $20.00	Vintage map of Austria ... AncientShades $30.00
Vintage AUSTRIA brooch... VintageTreasur... $40.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

My Austrian Love Affair

2011-08-28T19:37:00.000+01:00

I love Austria!

My mum first took me there for a skiing holiday when I was 13. Now (oh my goodness) 30 years later I still love it. This year for the first time we went in the Summer.

Now you know the wonderful lush green meadows you see in Austria? (you know Julie Andrews dances on one in a certain film). Well there is reason they are so green. It rains in Austria. A lot.

But not when we went!!!

I did know it rained and my lovely mum told me it rains most in June and July so we went in August. But we did pack our macs just in case.

It was very, very, very, very hot.

But luckily I had chosen not only a hotel with a pool but also a town with a lake. I take a bow for my own cleverness. We went to Zell am See. I thoroughly recommend it. A beautiful town with a great big lake that you can play on, play in, and look upon with wonder.

A Lake that you can Swim in.

Yes those are the steps where Maria and the children sang in The Sound of Music. And yes I did too!

Me on a hot walk.

We paid a bit (well worth it) to go to the lido one day. So we laid upon a sun bed, ate apfelstrudel, swam in a pool, went down a slide with my daughter on my lap, swam in the lake. Bliss.

I may have to decorate my whole home in a kitsch Austrian style. I love it. But restrained by my husband I will just have to put up with a few pretties hanging from my kitchen doors. If I add a few things at a time, he might notice when the house is bedecked.

The animals in the hotel garden. We all loved Carlos the donkey.

So back home, I am going to munch on what remains of my milka chocolate and plan my next hol. Which is to Butlins. But we love it there too!!

Summer Fun

2011-08-16T09:46:00.000+01:00

Summer holidays. Days out with the girl. Packing for our holiday to Austria. Watching my work in progress pile sitting there waiting.

Nearly time to Mary out again on another day out. Here is something she got up to last time.

And me? I just stand there and take the photos.

Cloudy Weather

2011-08-10T09:31:00.000+01:00

Sunday was a funny day. Warm then cool. Sunny but cloudy.

We went to a Vantage Bus Rally in Gosport and then for a walk along the beach at Stokes Bay.

I was born in Gosport and lived there until aged 4 or 5. So whenever I go there now I am always reminded of my child days there when, as often happens with childhood memories, the days always seem full of sunshine.

It was a very windy day. But it meant that the sky looks wonderful with the clouds up above. This is a photo of my sister Claire, on the beach at Stokes Bay, Gosport. The brighter photo has been touched up a tiny bit. But for the life of me I cannot remember whether the day was like that or whether the camera just makes it seem duller anyway. But as you can see - what an amazing sky.

Craft Book Club - Vintage Knits Choice

2011-08-05T16:31:00.000+01:00

I have joined an online Craft Book Club! If you want to (and I recommend that you do too then we can have lots of lovely book talks) then pop over to Popular Crafts Book Club.

I have chosen for August the gorgeous book 'Vintage Knits'. It is a lovely book and I am going to have fun choosing something to knit.

I will let you know how it goes.

xx

Let's Sing a Rainbow

2011-07-26T12:48:00.000+01:00

Here is another set of buttons added to my etsy, and folksy shop and soon to be added to my dawanda shop.

I love a rainbow and seem to see fewer in the sky, or maybe that is just me.

So here is one I have made. A set of 1.5cm dorset buttons in the colours of the rainbow.

2011-07-07T12:54:00.000+01:00

I am rather proud of my husband. He started his blog a few weeks ago and he has written more posts than I have in a year!

His writing is excellent and posts interesting, witty and informative.

So pop over and have a look

A Farmer in The City.

I would be interested to see how many of you recognise where he got that blog title from.

And the Winner is....

2011-07-03T17:47:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for entering my giveaway.

My cat Maisy put her back right paw on a particular number which led to the winner being.......

..............Jess who commented 'So pretty. I love the yellow and a lavender and white would be pretty too'.

Thank you Jess and congratulations on winning. I will contact you and you can contact me too.

I really enjoyed this giveaway and it was great fun and inspiring to see the ideas that you all came up with.

Thank you for Entering

2011-07-02T08:56:00.000+01:00

Hellooooo. Thank you for entering my Birthday Button Giveaway. It is now closed.

I will get the cat to pick an entry and let you know who won later in the day.

xxxx

Button Birthday Giveway!

2011-06-28T09:01:00.000+01:00

It's my birthday! Way hey, hey hey, wooooo hey!

And to celebrate I am going to do a GIVEAWAY!!

All you need to do is leave a comment saying what colours or colours you would like in a set of 6 Dorset Buttons (like the ones pictured) and if your name is chosen (using the randomly generated cat method) then you win a set in that colour.

You can have all 6 the same colour, you can have each a different colour, you can have each button two colours. You decide.

So remember people leave your colour/s choice/s and also a way of me contacting you, in the comments.

Closing date is Friday 1st July 12 midnight BST.

Have fun!!

Crafteroo Button Swap

2011-06-24T12:12:00.000+01:00

As you may know I am a member of the Crafteroo forum. I love it as it is a great place to meet and have a chat, share worries, and and also talk about crafts!

Recently we had a Button Swap, organised by the wonderful Kitty Ballistic, who has my admiration for her organisational skills.

I was partnered with Jenny, pop over and see her blog here.

Here are all the goodies that I received from Jenny:-

Aren't I lucky?

I am looking forward to using all the wonderful things although I am a bit of a button stasher so cannot promise that I won't hold onto them.

Here is what I sent to Jenny:-

I am a bit pleased with the button picture as it is the first I have tried. And I used a couple of my own handmade buttons plus filled in with french knots. It was great fun to make and I intend to make some more for my shop.

Swaps always fill me with fear as well as delight as I do worry about what to make and whether the swapee will like it. But she says she did, and I know I did so it was a great success.

A Farmer in the City - Great New Music Review Blog

2011-06-14T09:32:00.001+01:00

I am shamelessly plugging my husband's new blog. Here it is. He is a talented writer and very knowledgeable about music. If you are not interested then no problemo, but if you are then please follow him.

Now don't forget - it is A Farmer In The City.

Our Lovely Day

2011-06-12T09:30:00.001+01:00

It seems such a long time ago now that we had our lovely wedding day. It was on a beautiful sunny day in April. I have been saying 'my' lovely day but do have to acknowledge that it was a lovely day for others to, namely the groom, and bridesmaid!

So I have been a bit too long getting around to this post. The aim is to share with you our lovely day but also to say a big thank you to my lovely friends without whom my/our day would not have been so special.

It did turn out to be a bit of a Handmade Wedding.

The first people I want to thank and tell you about are the wonderful Wychbury. They made the flowers in my hair and were kind and patient as I decided what I want and them made them perfectly. They are three clips and I have worn them since.

I just wanted to show you the pillow I made for the rings. My darling daughter carried it so I had to include her name. I bought the fabric from Caro who has this shop Boutonnerie (check out the lovely buttons etc.).

Two of my lovely friends made bracelets for me. I am a bit annoyed with myself that I did not switch the bouquet over as I do not have a photo of one of the bracelets. The one below was a gift from Alison of AMI Designs.

The other bracelet was a gift from Nicola of SmittenKitten. She is a friend from the Crafteroo forum. It is a beautifully made using Swarovski beads. I promise I will take a photo and show you when the light is better.

The wonderful Maisy (Jeanette), who has a new shop on etsy ElementallyPrecious , made my earrings and my daughter's matching necklace. They are so beautiful and it was kind of her to think of Mary too.

So here we are the happy three. Because Mary was so much part of our day too.

I would also like to say thank you to my wonderful parents who kindly and lovingly paid for the reception and this wonderful wonderful car to take us to the wedding.

Another thank you is to all my friends from the Uk thread on etsy who were so lovely and sent us a present which included a darling bear for Mary from ClareBears, and the surprise of a miniature rose, choccies and wine when we got to our honeymoon hotel.

The kind and creative Julie of MoaningMinnie also gave us a present which I will write about in another post. Thank you!

I would also like to say a thank you to all my family who came to the wedding (I wish I could have invited more!). Thank you for being there and for the lovely presents. A big big thank you to my sister Claire who helped me on the morning and the day before. Together we made my bridal bouquet and my husband's buttonhole. I used a couple of flowers from the florists, but the flowers from Claire's garden made it a beautiful bouquet.

So thank you everyone. It really was my lovely day.

If I have missed anyone off I am so sorry, please let me know and I will add you.

Disneyland Paris

2011-06-05T16:18:00.001+01:00

I think this picture shows the whole point of the holiday - to delight the child. We had a wonderful time.

Royal Wedding Celebrations

2011-05-11T09:28:00.000+01:00

I know..I know. It was ages ago. But I am trying to catch up on my blogging aren't I?!

Mary and I watched the Royal Wedding, although Mary did a lot of playing in her room and getting in front of the TV whilst I was trying to see the frocks, and letting off a party popper at a solemn moment in the proceedings.

But we did have rather a lovely lunch on our Royal Wedding paper plates. Cucumber sandwiches and a slice of Victoria sponge of course.

Mary wanted to make them and I found out it was because she had planned a lovely surprise but decorating the plates with a handmade Union Jack and the bits from a party popper (she did get through quite a lot that day).

When her daddy got home from work (because his bosses seemed to think it was a good idea to open the book shop all day), we had scones with jam and cream.

Oh yes the wedding was lovely and having been in a similar situation a week before, made me appreciate it it a bit more. The Duchess of Cambridge (as is) looked so beautiful. Goodness, doesn't it seem a long time ago now though.

Button Wednesday - My Button Sorting Apprentice (and her helper).

2011-05-04T10:36:00.001+01:00

Yesterday morning I was lucky enough to buy a tin of buttons in a charity shop for £2.99. 'That's my afternoon sorted' I thought (pardon the pun).

There were quite a few British Railways buttons that I have listed on ebay.

Back from school, my daughter was excited at the thought of sorting them so I let her have the pleasure. I have to say it did not last and I took over but then I got bored and having sorted out the bestest ones, put the rest back into the tin.

I did manage to take this photo of my little apprentice. She did very well.

If you look closely in the top right hand corner of the photo you will see that my daughter had her own, unknowing, helper.

For more Button Wednesdays blog posts see P8 Button & Fabrics Blog.

I have been a bit busy....

2011-04-25T20:28:00.002+01:00

I will write all about it soon. xxx

Kickstarting the Creative Engine

2011-03-30T12:09:00.000+01:00

Brummmm, brummmm. Turning the key and hoping to jolt the creative spirit into starting. And whatever car analogies pop into mind.

I wrote here about how I am finding it hard to be creative at the moment. So I thought I would tell you about a few things that are helping.

Sewing with kids - I do work with children and their creativity is inspiring.

Sew from a book. I bought this book and have made a few things from it. I have just made a little bunny for my neice's birthday. Sometimes just sewing helps.

Stringing beads - finding different colour combinations is fun and can jump-start (here I go again!) the process. Also, I now have a nice bead necklace to wear.

(The blue shirt is my work shirt - just so you don't think it is my choice!)

Or sew from the web. I love making these Kanzashi flowers.I used this great tutorial and would love to buy the book.

So here's hoping all this activity will encourage me, once more to drive along the road of my own designs. (Sighs).

Window on the Wall

2011-03-15T12:00:00.002Z

Window on the Wall
Originally uploaded by bigbluebed
I saw this reflection the other evening and quickly took a couple of shots, before it disappeared. It was only on the wall for 5 minutes before it was gone.
Must be the sun moving/setting.

The real window is to the left. So the room is square. this is on the front wall. The window is on the wall to the left.

Wordless Wednesday - Waiting

2011-03-09T10:28:00.000Z

Falling into a Pit of Doldrums

2011-03-04T10:17:00.000Z

I am feeling a bit of a creative bleugh at the moment.

I haven't made anything original for ages. And do not seem to have to impetus to do so.

I am able to rush and make things when challenged as for the surprise craft fair before Christmas. But most other times I am slumped on my couch.

And living in a tiny flat with 2 others, and having to tidy away each time doesn't help. I know others work in a similar environment and thrive, or at least get on with it, but I cannot. I would love to have a studio and just have 'my stuff' around me to dip in when I want.

I did make a little owl for Mr BBB. I had found a fantastic little book in a charity shop called 'The Cute Book' - see here. Made a cat and a dog for Mary. Then felt inspired to design something of my own. So I looked for pictures of baby owls and based my design on one. Made a pattern and then hand made the little owl.

So I can do it.

Maybe someone could jab me with a stick or something.

Anyway before I fall into the pit of doldrums, I thought writing in my blog would be the first step to getting my backside of my couch.

We will see.

Shopping in Cath Kidston

2011-02-19T08:40:00.000Z

There is a new Cath Kidston in Gunwharf.

Although I do like her stuff, when I was in Winchester nearly everyone had a Cath Kidston bag of some sort. So I was a bit dismissive of it.

Then I went in the shop and I was like a little child in a sweetshop (or a 42 year old woman in a sweet shop *sucking on her liquorice sticks*).

I saw some lovely things. The flowery stuff a bit much but to be fair I think that is because there are so many rip offs in the High Street right now.

And of course that is the trouble. Cath Kidston does beautiful fabric and designs and they are popular. And because they are so recognisable you do spot people with them. I don't know - is this such a bad thing?

I know one of the things I love about handmade is that you get something few people have and at least no-one in the street where you live.

However, because someone does lovely designs and becomes popular I should not be so dismissive of them. But support them in their endeavours. Maybe.

Anyway, it is one for discussion.

Things are Looking Brighter

2011-02-09T09:54:00.000Z

I finally managed to upload the photos on my 'phone to my PC. Actually it was pretty easy and I only hadn't done it before because I kept forgetting. If something isn't written on a bright coloured post it note and stuck to my forehead and then I am shoved in front of a mirror, I do tend to forget them. Or remember them in the most inconvenience places where it is not good remembering then.

Anyway I had taken a few photos of a glorious rainbow that I saw on the way to work one day. I have slightly enhanced the photos but it is more or less how the rainbow looked in real life.

I love a rainbow and looking at this photo makes me feel positive. After having colds, a week long bad back, another cold etc.I am feeling better. I am less stressed about the wedding as now we have made decisions even if the decision is not to do something.

And after months of making nothing I am getting itchy fingers again.

So here is to the rainbow in ours lives.

Back From a Break

2011-01-05T12:58:00.000Z

This Christmas I had a horrible cold.

So I did a lot of sleeping.

Unfortunately I was not the one who did some sewing.

Although I am proud to say my girl is very creative.

Once I got my appetite back I did a bit of eating.

So looking back it was not the Christmas that I planned but we still managed to have a great time.

2011-01-01T10:14:00.002Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Last Order Dates

2010-11-24T10:17:00.000Z

Here are the last ordering dates for my shops. So hurry up! Also for you lovely blog readers I am offering a special discount in my etsy shops 20% off. All you have to do is quote BLOGSPECIAL .
So hurry to my Bigbluebed shop
Alix Beech shop

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand - Friday 3rd December

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada Wednesday 8th December

Western Europe Friday 10th December

UK - Monday 20th December

Button Wednesday - Handmade button, interrrupted but finished.

2010-11-17T10:32:00.000Z

Last Wednesday I was going to post about a button I was making. I had taken the before shot and then would take another photo when I had finished the button. It was a pink button for my sister to go on her newly made ipad case.

Then I had an urgent message from a friend asking me to take over her half of a stall at a fair on Saturday. 'I cannot do it. I have no stock.' I said. But I thought about it and agreed to do the half table for her.

When I got home from work in the evening I was told the other person was unable to make the fair and could I do the whole table. So my mornings quiet relaxed button-making went and was replaced by frenzied sewing for the fair.

So to continue where I was last Wednesday - here is the before photo of the button. A naked button you could say.

And here is the finished button.

For more Button Wednesdays pop over to Kraplap's P8 Buttons & Fabrics Blog here.

Christmas shopping?

2010-11-15T09:22:00.000Z

Wordless Wednesday - New Ornament?

2010-11-10T10:19:00.001Z

New Car Booty Finds

2010-11-05T10:52:00.002Z

Well an Indoor Car Boot. They used to hold a flea market in the sports hall before the refurbishment. Not it is an Indoor Car Boot but it looks to me like the flea market stalls are coming back. Which is a good thing.

I had a wander a couple of times round. Passed over responsibility of child to my mum which gave me the time and space to go where I wanted.

And I was rather lucky. I bought two dishes with gloriously kitsch ducks on them for 10p each. A lovely lady gave me free a Singer machine attachment as she had no idea what it was (mum tells me it is a buttonholer). And I saw this lovely plate and purchased it for £1.

It is by made by Arabia in Finland. I looked them up and they have a huge production supplying a lot of Europe. But I could find nothing about this particular design. I would love to know when it was made. At first I thought 1950s but now I am thinking 1970s. If you know please tell me.

**UPDATE** The loevly Louise of ThirtyFive Flowers blog found the name of the design for me (see comments). Thank you so much! It is called ' Emilia'.

Button Wednesday - Google it!!

2010-11-03T09:54:00.002Z

I didn't really know what to do for Button Wednesday this week. So I thought I would put buttons in Google and see what comes up. What a lot, and lot, and lot and lot. But what is much more fun to do is to put the work buttons in the Google IMAGE search. This way you can look through the lovely images (ignoring the badges and computer buttons etc.). And if there is anything that appeals click on it to see where it came from.

So this way I found a couple of great tutorials for making your own buttons.

Click on the links to go and have a look:

How to Make Singleton Buttons

How to Make 9 Hole Buttons (and a fantastic idea for embroidering letters on them).

So go explore and have fun.

For more Button Wednesdays pop over to P8 Buttons & Fabrics blog.

Halloween - a Night for Witches (one of them a bear!).

2010-11-02T12:04:00.000Z

I live in the UK and I am in my 40s. This means that Trick or Treating never played a part in my childhood.

Not so for my daughter.

For the first time I went trick or treating and okay all the costume I had was a spider drawn on my cheek with an eye pencil. But my girl certainly looked the part.

And she spent the afternoon making Halloween decorations:

And I carved my first ever Pumpkin.

I am now looking forward to next year. I might have to wear a costume myself next time.
Thank you to everyone who gave my girls sweeties and made her feel welcome. Thank you.

Musings on Photographs

2010-10-29T11:27:00.000+01:00

I have always loved action photos. Seeing my girl run and jump about - her joy of that moment captured in a photo.

Recently we met a cousin not seen for 40 years. At my parent's house we looked through old photographs some I had never seen before. Photos of my gran as an young lady when all I could remember is an old lady who died when I was seventeen. Photos of my uncle who died young and photos never seen by his son now in her 50s, and last saw his dad when he was a child. Photos of my dad as a young man laughing with his parents and brothers and sister.

When I am old I will love those pictures of my Mary dancing down the street. I will feel her happiness and that moment of joy encapsulated in that moment the shutter clicked.

I will also pour over photos of people that show them facing the camera and looking out at me. And I will look at their dearly beloved faces, their smiles, their laughter, the lines on their faces. The faces of the people I love, now gone but always in my heart. And photos of people I didn't know except as stories told by the family.

And when I am gone, long gone, and my great great grandchildren look at photos of me, I would like them to look into my face and maybe they will wonder about the person looking at them but now long dead.

My Medieval Girl

2010-10-21T10:18:00.002+01:00

Transforming

Button Wednesday - new buttons from me! (and some from others).

2010-10-20T12:50:00.000+01:00

I know you are amazed - I have finally listed some new buttons on etsy. I would like to say that I have just made them but to be honest I made them ages ago and have just taken the photos of them.

You can find them in my etsy shop here.

Here are some more handmade buttons from other etsy shops:-

From Deep Indigo.

From Star of Supplies.

From Tina Bozjak.

Just a few. There are lots more to feast your eyes on so do pop over to etsy and have a look.

For more Button Wednesday pop over to P8 Buttons and Fabrics Blog.

Cat on Fire!

2010-10-19T09:54:00.000+01:00

'Oh goodness. Is she going to disturb me with that clicky flashy thing?'

'Here she comes closer. Cannot a cat be left in peace?'

SWIPES!!

'Bother! Just missed her!'

Button Wednesday - A Box of Buttons

2010-10-13T12:02:00.000+01:00

On Saturday we went to an Indoor Car Boot sale. How I love to walk about and browse through the stalls, hoping to find something to treasure.
Luckily enough I found a lady selling buttons. £1 for 5 packs. So I chose 8 and gave her £2.

That evening I enjoyed myself looking through the buttons. My lovely Dad had given me a box he recently bought in an Austrian flea market. So into the box the buttons went.

The red ones are glass, the blue ones in the bottom left are wood. The ones in the top left and top right are some sort of metal. Sorry about the photos but it was evening when I took them.

For more button love visit P8 Buttons & Fabrics blog.

Teeny Tiny Mouse

2010-10-12T13:14:00.002+01:00

tiny mouse 004
Originally uploaded by bigbluebed
In my hunt to find small things that crochet in one piece..I do believe that I have struck gold.

Isn't this a cute mouse. Crocheted all in one piece from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.

I found the pattern here. It has been designed by Lucy Ravenscar and she has a great blog here.

A Little Amigurumi

2010-10-05T12:49:00.000+01:00

You have probably seen amigurumi everywhere. The word means knitted stuff toy and it comes from Japan. Now of course there are little crochet toys as well as knitted and they are always cute.

I took up crochet this year and decided to try an make amigurumi toys. Not only do I have a cute and cute-loving daughter but I work at a children's after school club and I wanted to make some little toys for the prize box.

If you look towards the top of this page you will see some tabs. One new one is Useful Links. I am going to be adding links to sites and sellers where you can get patterns. So if you know of any then please let me know. I am particularly after very small toys.

Here are a few amigurumi that I have made recently.

This is the latest one. It is a tiny whale and the pattern is by June Gilbank of PlanetJune. I love this one as not only is it tiny but it is also made in one piece. (I hate sewing up!).

The next one is from a pullout called 'Christmas Toys' in 'Let's Knit' magazine October 2010 edition.
Lots of parts to sew up (sniff!)

And here is the finished penguin. It is not perfect and the eyes are a bit too big and too high but he has been well-loved byt the child who received him.

And I think that is something lovely at making toys for children - how much they love them.

RIP Ultrasauros Luna Park

2010-10-02T20:17:00.000+01:00

Loved by the people all Summer.
Destroyed by fire in a few short hours early Friday morning.

Treasure

2010-10-01T10:15:00.000+01:00

As promised, ages ago, this post is to show some of the beautiful jewellery that is in the British Museum.

I do have to admit that I may not be able to remember what period it came from so I suggest the best thing is if you pop along to the museum yourself or if unable due to distance, then check out the website here.This is the collection database here.

So all I am going to show is the photos I took. Bear in mind that this is just a tiny tiny proportion of what there is in the museum.

My photographs are pretty bad but I did try to capture some of the amazing detail. Alot of these photos are of Celtic and Anglo-Saxon jewellery and it amazes me that goldsmiths some 1500 years ago could create such beautiful pieces. Truly inspiring. Oh yes I think there is some photos of Roman and possible Egyptian pieces too (bad Alix! Take notes next time).

London for the Day

2010-09-05T18:39:00.015+01:00

As promised in my last post I am doing a post about our day trip to London. However, I am going to do another post which will be dedicated to photos of some jewellery in the British Museum.

We caught the early train and woman, man and child went to the capital.

We were so lucky with the weather as it stayed fine but was not too hot. Paul had made Mary an I Spy London guide of her own and this included such things as the statue of Boudicca. She loves the tv programme Horrible Histories and now owns the books, and a couple of audio cds. It is quite remarkable how much she has learnt from them.

On previous visits we had a delicious ice-cream in an Italian cafe in Regent Street. Look at these cakes:

Small girl child was rather anxious to get to our next stop so we only had an ice cream to eat as we walked. I chose chocolate and it was a wonderful as it looks:

We popped in to Hamleys and Mary spent some of her money.
And we had a play.

And then we walked to the British Museum. I really recommend a visit here. I know that not everyone lives in easy reach to London, and that the cost of travel can prohibit a visit. For the 3 of us it cost £40 return and that was using my network card. We walked everywhere so did not have to pay for the underground.

The collection is amazing. Due to small child tiredness we could not see everything and a return visit sans child and with child is planned for the future. I also enjoyed a visit to the shops and the restaurant where we had a refreshing much-needed cup of tea.

I think if you do plan to go then it is worth having a look at the website and see what interests you, as in one visit there is so much to see that you do not really want to rush round.

And the verdict of the child? It was a wonderful day out and the British Museum is better than Hamleys.

She certainly enjoyed taking some photos of things that interested her!

Last Few Days of Summer

2010-09-05T17:36:00.006+01:00

With the return to school and work near approaching, it feels like we must fill our remaining days together with lots of things.

And indeed we did go to London (which I will tell about in another post). But sometimes just being together at home or in a park is enough.

And for me it is lovely to picnic in the park and watch my girl play.

Gorgeous Frocks at Horrockes

2010-08-31T11:53:00.012+01:00

Last Friday my sister and I popped to London to the Fashion and Textile Museum.
Their current exhibition is dresses from Horrockses who made ready-to-wear dresses that were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s.

I am going to show a few photos that I took that day but if you can then it is worth going to the exhibition as the dresses are so lovely. But if you cannot make it then there is a little video here.

Vintage clothes are very popular at the moment and I would happily wear any of these dresses. I might say 'frock's - isn't that a lovely underused word?

A gorgeous little cocktail dress.

I like this photo as it shows the variety of bodice design.

I would love to own and wear the dark dress.

Below are some sketches for dresses and patterns.

Look at the gorgeous 1950s abstract patterns and colour pallette.

Slimmer skirts here.

On the way back to Waterloo station we passed a little street called Lower Marsh. There were two vintage clothing shops and one lovely knitting shop. This shot is me in Radio Days.
We had a lovely day and I maybe be inspired to try and incorporate some of the features into my own clothes.

But why oh why didn't my aunts, gran, nanny, mum, great aunts buy and save a lovely Horrockses dress just for little me?

UPDATE - I am adding a bit as I don't want you to make the same mistake. There is a sign that points the wrong way near the museum. DO NOT FOLLOW IT.
Now I knew this as I read it on the website beforehand (and actually printed out the bit and put it in my handbag) but ha ha ha completely forgot when it came to standing in front of the sign and then going the completely wrong way. Oh how we laughed. Well, maybe not at the time but much later we chortled and I think a couple of days later my sister had forgiven me.

Bug Hunting

2010-08-12T19:13:00.004+01:00

We had a good day out today.

Mary was given a bug hunting kit by her daddy so today we decided to put it to use. First of all we went into the garden and the bug hunter Mary was very brave until I lifted up a stone and the many scurrying woodlice sent her backing off in a hurry. And I have to admit me too! But I was braver when it came to an earwig and I captured it with a special bug-catcher thing and popped it into the viewfinder pot. It was very interesting to look at it.

Then with further bug hunting explorers, namely daddy and Auntie Claire, we set out to the local museum and nearby park.

Daddy managed to capture a fly in the museum gardens. Here is a photo and I must say that I am very pleased with the way this photos turned out.

Here are the bug hunters. That isn't me. My bottom would be much much bigger. That is the svelte form of Auntie Claire.

And on the way out of the park daddy noticed I had a beetle sitting on my back. We had a good look at it and it was very beautiful with a gorgeous green iridescent colour. But I have no idea what type of beetle and the photo is not much good as the bug hunter's hands were shaking a bit as she held the pot but I like the view of her big eyes looking.

So a very good day out. We also took the I Spy Trees book and managed to spot a London Plane, a Sweet Chestnut and a Horse Chestnut.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T17:46:00.004+01:00

Button Wednesday - Purple Treasury

2010-08-11T15:58:00.007+01:00

I was hoping to show you some buttons that I had made but since I seem to be suffering from crafter's block or simply pure laziness I am afraid I have nothing..nothing!

But as luck has it the lovely CardsandCraft has included me in a lovely treasury on etsy. Since it is full of buttons it is perfect for me to show you today.

Click here to go to the treasury so you can have a closer look at the items and their makers/sellers. Enjoy!

For more Button Wednesday please pop over to Kraplap's P8 Buttons & Fabrics Blog.

Creative Colour Challenge - Week 1 - Sunshine Yellow

2010-08-08T19:34:00.006+01:00

I have joined the Creative Colour Challenge as created and organised by Louise Gale.

Each week in August we will explore a different colour (and just add white or black).

The first colour was Sunshine Yellow. I was a little bit late with this one and did not do anything until last night. I played around with some simple embroidery stitches - just doing the first thing that came into my head and out of the needle - so it was doodling with thread.

I think this challenge is going to be a great way to find out about colour and texture. There were some wonderful creative projects from other people and Louise is showing some on her blog here.

Week 2 is Raspberry Red. Here I come...

Button Wednesday - Brighton Haul

2010-08-04T16:36:00.009+01:00

We went to Brighton last Saturday. It poured with rain but did not dampen our spirit and brightened up in the afternoon anyway.

I love the North Laines area as it has such interesting shops. We went into a few bric a brac shops and I enjoyed myself immensely looking through buttons on offer. I bought these ones.

The pink sparkly ones were the most expensive at £2 but I love them. One is chipped, tiny scratches on one but the others are fine.

And I think you can tell what other colour I like!

For more Button Wednesdays pop over to Kraplap's P8 Buttons & Fabrics Blog.

Get Off My New Worktop Cat!

2010-07-29T21:52:00.003+01:00

New Kitchen cupboards and worktop all in now. And it is heaven. Just flooring and tiling to do. Oh yes and finish washing up and putting away all the crockery and pots and pans that now have a nice new place to live.

And getting the cat off my lovely new worktop too!

Button Wednesday - Handmade Finds & Pearly Kings

2010-07-28T08:55:00.010+01:00

It is Button Wednesday again!

I was going to just show you some yummy handmade buttons that I found over on etsy. Which I will do anyway.

But then I read P8s Buttons and Fabrics blog, and it reminded me of Pearly Queens and Kings. Now many of you may never have heard of them. They are a London thing. It started in the 19th century by Henry Croft and continues to this day. Pearly Queens and Kings sew on hundreds and hundreds of pearl buttons to their suits, and they raise lots of money for charity. You can read more about it here.

Here are the promised button yumminess:

Handmade Fabric Buttons Water Splashes ;

Set of 8 One-of-a-Kind Buttons;

Crackled Ceramic Buttons Frost White;

Organic /crocheted Summer Beads

And here is a couple of wonderful Pearly Kings

I did try to get the photo smaller but did not manage it and anyway you can see the details of the clothes this way!

For more Button Wednesdays pop over to Kraplap's P8 Buttons & Fabrics Blog.

Monday Moodboard - New Kitchen

2010-07-26T09:52:00.009+01:00

We are having a new kitchen. In actual fact it is someone's old kitchen which they have replaced with a brand new sparkling one. Being in need of a new kitchen we happily took their old one. So at this moment it is half in and I am looking forward very much to it being complete. Having a nice kitchen means a lot.

So my Monday Moodboard this week is all about kitchens, keeping cheerful and looking forward to the future.

1.Bread Cutting Board
2.Reusable eco friendly snack bag
3.Set of 2 Crochet Round Coasters in Purple
4.Whimsy Breakfast Plate Set

For more Monday Moodboards see fleurfatale's blog.

Button Wednesday - Cats

2010-07-21T13:17:00.004+01:00

It is my aim to post more regularly on my blog and because I am not working over the Summer, I hope I can use this time to do so.

One thing I want to do is dedicate a day to a theme, as many wonderful bloogers already do, and today being Wednesday is Button Wednesday. Before you all jump up and down thinking 'how clever you are Alix' well of course I am clever but not in this particular instance as it is not my idea. Button Wednesday has been created over here on P8 Button and Fabrics blog.

As you may know ('he he he' she laughs!) I make buttons. However, I plan to show other buttons as well.

This my first ever Button Wednesday post is dedicated to just one button (or set). Mainly because I am doing this post in the last 10 minutes before I rush to work.

So the other day I was searching for some very important papers and in doing so pulled out a drawer. And behind the drawer were these buttons.

I do not think they are really old. They are plastic. But I love their white eyes in black bodies.

Now what shall I do with them?

My New Little Sewing Machine

2010-07-17T18:09:00.008+01:00

I was walking to work the other day and I thought I would pop a Charity shop and see if they still had the vintage dress. Of course they didn't. My rule should be 'If you Like It - Buy It' because other people will.

Anyway I saw something interesting in the window. It was a teeny sewing machine.
The lovely shop lady got it for me and I had a play. But it didn't have a bobbin and I know from previous experience of having a Singer with a shuttle bobbin that these things are hard to replace. So I said I would think about it. And so I wrote the manufacturer's name in my notebook and off I went to work.

That evening I did look online and found out that it did not have a bobbin as it never had one. It only did chain stitch and thus was bobbinless.

The next day was Saturday and I have my daughter home and knew that the walk was too long for her little legs and the bus service to that place appalling. So I went round my mum's, abandoned my daughter, and walked to the shop. Oh yes I phoned first and reserved it.

And there the dear little thing was! I popped it into a carrier and went home (having collected daughter and had a cup of tea at my mum's).

I worked out how to thread it eventually, it needs adjusting but works well.

I am happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok so I now own 4 sewing machines - from 1915, 1968, 1996 and now this one from the 1950s.

There is a bit missing from this story about my asking my sister's advice but since she was not much help apart from saying 'buy it or I will'..I will miss her part out.

The sewing machine is made by Grain in the 1950s, and made in the UK.

And I found this lovely site Sewing Machine Collector. Here are some photos from the site. And here is a wonderful report about a Toy Test carried out on machines in the 1950s.

I have been told to add, by my very demanding daughter, that Mary took the first photo.

Branding.

2010-07-16T13:12:00.003+01:00

I am going through abit of rebranding or even branding. So you may see a new banner and if you visit my shop new banners and avatars there.

I am using my new logo which has the fantastic font. I love it and am using it on my tags and button cards.

The banner at the moment is a work in progress. Mainly because I have not yet mastered Gimp. But I am working on it.

It is Christmas (in July!)

2010-07-15T12:58:00.001+01:00

Over on etsy I am taking part in the Christmas in July sales. So pop over and have a look in my shop as I am offering 25% off everything.

Click here to see my etsy shop.

A Plateful of Buttons

2010-07-13T21:10:00.004+01:00

I am making lots of buttons at the moment (as you may have read in earlier posts).

I love making them and think as it is something different, then I ought to concentrate on them. So I have big plans this Summer.

Meanwhile you can find my buttons available in my etsy shop.