Phone Pouch

I got a new phone over half term and promptly began knitting a phone sock for it. Unfortunately, I left it in Wales so I have had to make an alternative. I should hate to scratch it in my bag you understand – any excuse to craft! I have used the leftovers from Katryn’s cushion and managed to get my sewing machine to do a buttonhole, although not perfectly centralised. It’s very easy to find fault with your work when you’re a perfectionist!

I have lined it with purple felt for added protection against scratches, dust etc. It will serve it's purpose very well indeed.

Kids Craft Kits from Wilkinsons

During my half term and Katryn’s recovery from a nasty bacterial infection, she had fun with these craft kits from Wilkinsons. It’s all too common to find that kits for kids are too fiddly or have instructions that make no sense. I often use similar things with the Brownies but these ones are noteworthy because they worked perfectly and were very easy to follow. As an added bonus, they are very inexpensive. Who could quibble at a pound for two puppets or two keyrings? I think the lion puppet looks more like a teddy bear with funny hair, but, really, who cares. We had fun!

    

Upcycled Coca-Cola Can

Inspired by an article I saw on WonderHowTo (click here for more details) I set about making a Coca-Cola can rose this evening. What a marvellous way to upcycle a humble drink can. I even managed to do it without cutting myself, which was no mean feat. This one is not recommended for children! I lost one petal in the process and spent ages attempting to shape it. The post that I linked to above has got a you-tube tutorial showing you how to make them. It’s very easy to follow. If you do take a look you’ll see just how much more practice I need. His rose is much more accomplished and fuller than mine!

Happy Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s day has given me the perfect excuse to make a simple card using wire and stitching techniques. I originally tried to make the whole thing from scraps of wire but it was too difficult to make the structure rigid. Plan B was to stitch the heart onto card instead. It was much easier and possibly even more effective than Plan A!

Anniversary Card from Ruth

Look at the beautiful card that Ruth made us for our anniversary on Thursday. The heart is crocheted (I believe) and is backed with fabric that is trimmed with pinking shears. In the bottom right hand corner she’s stitched a small sequin and bead. Nothing too fussy but this is really effective and we both love it. Thank you, Ruth!

Foam Cushion Seat for Katryn

A couple of weeks ago, Katryn and I hit Dunelm Mill in Wrexham in search of a solution for something she can sit on in her bedroom. Ideally we were after beanbag beans so that I could make her a seat like mine but they only had huge bags so we opted for a foam pad instead. It’s dimensions are 50 x 56 x 7.5 cm so is actually bigger than my bean cushion. She then chose the pink flowery fabric for it and sent me back home to make her seat before her room is redecorated. Here’s a close up of the finished article…

To be honest, I wish I’d gone for the beans because the rigid pad was a pain in the neck. However, the advantage of using foam is that the pad will stand up and tuck away down the side of other furniture quite easily (see the last photo below). Let’s just hope Katryn likes it now. Russell is quite keen as you can see!

Mum takes up crafting…

My wonderful mother is trying out all sorts of arts and crafts at the moment. She’s trying to find ways of relaxing that are also great hobbies. Naturally, I am encouraging the crafting exploits and bought her a whole lot of small kits this weekend. In return, she gave me these cute earrings that she has made. She also made a beautiful bracelet for Katryn, which I should photograph and share. It seems that jewellery making is going to be one of her things. It’s a good job I’ve got a lot of the kit already!