Princess Crafts

Restocking

2012-01-27T12:14:00.000Z

After a much needed hiatus, I'm slowly getting back into the business frame of mind. This week has seen me add a few new memo board designs to my Etsy shop and edit more images for items to be added in the next week or so.

It's been a lovely month off from thinking about things, and I really needed it after such a hectic end to 2011. Eight craft fairs in eight consecutive weekends plus all the regular Christmas prep and normal life as well meant that once Christmas came, I downed tools and refused to pick them up again until I was good and properly ready to do so! I can feel that time is approaching so I'm easing myself into it!

These are the new memo boards I've added to the shop and you'll note that they're not all 'girlie' so if you're needing a gift for a guy in your life, why not take a look? Click the pic to buy online!

Cute dinosaurs

Fishing boats

Colourful birds

Pink vintage roses

Planets and outer space

Crochet bunting

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000Z

It seems bunting is ' all the rage' these days. Everyone's doing it! I got the Cute and Easy Crochet book from the library the other week and got straight into the pattern for crochet bunting which I was keen to make. I didn't follow the pattern's colour suggestions as I wanted to make use of the random odds and ends of wool that I've got in my stash. It was such a quick and easy project and you could make some seriously long bunting if you got too carried away!

Here's how mine turned out

Nine flags in total but there are so many more colour combinations that I could do with these yarns!

I have ideas for creating my own designs of bunting and I think people will be getting these as pressies this year...!

Finished WIP: Ribbed cushion

2012-01-23T11:54:00.000Z

A while ago I posted about a ribbed cushion I was working on, well it has been finised for a week or two now but I've been waiting for a bright sunny day to take some pics. So far that hasn't happened so I grabbed the 'big camera' and had a go at getting at least one good pic. It's amazing what a difference a DSLR can make over a ~~bog standard point and shoot~~ handbag-sized camera!

Clartered in cat hair - the cats love this one!

The ribbed side came out rather well but I didn't have enough to make the other side the same. So I pondered on what to do and decided to make it a basket weave pattern in a chunky cream.

This stitch looks tricky but it's actually quite simple. I saw a great tutorial on Pinterest which got me off to a good start. I think I will be making blankets and all sorts of other items with this stitch!

It's a nice chunky cushion which has become a firm favourite on the sofa. The only problem is that cat hair sticks to it and refuses to come off!

Random Pics

2012-01-16T16:51:00.000Z

Is it me or is January a really long month? On the one hand this is good because I decided to give myself a (much needed) break from a number of things in January. But on the other hand, January is rather a dreary month and at times it feels like it's just dragging on. Shouldn't complain really, as the weather has been quite nice considering the time of year. Cold, but mainly sunny so it's staving off those January Blues everyone keeps talking about.

I've not been doing much crafting really, but there are a lot of ideas ruminating in my mind and once these have formed themselves into something, I'll be sharing what my plans will be! Most evenings and a lot of the weekends so far this year have been spent curled up on the couch watching the telly box and doing some crochet. Utter bliss and such a change from the hectic few months I've had since October! I did want to share a random selection of photos which kind of sum up the goings on of the last couple of weeks.

Teaching myself to basket weave crochet

Fatty Bums admiring my new knitting bag

The nicest shop bought biccies I've tried in a while

Finished my basket weave crocheted cushion

Found a box of Vienetta in the freezer I didn't know was there!

Chocolate cake in a sandwich shaped tin

Teeny weeny pom poms

Rediscovered an old favourite

Normal service may resume shortly, I'm not sure yet. I'm quite liking taking a break from it all and pootling about doing nothing in particular.

WIP: Ribbed cushion

2012-01-09T12:04:00.000Z

After spending the run up to Christmas making things for gifts, I was ready to make a project for myself and after a bit of pondering I settled upon making a crocheted cushion. I've been inspired by one of the girls from Knit and Natter who has made a number of ribbed cushions and so I rooted about in my stash to see what I could find.

I had some lovely dark brown coloured DK (altho it looks purple in the pics for some reason) in my stash which is actually from my Granny's stash that I decided to double up to make it chunky. This meant I spent a couple of hours unwinding and untangling the wool and then reballing it ready for some hooking. It's amazing how therapeutic playing with tangled wool can be...

Ribbed double crochet

Bubble wanted to help model the cover

Squeak was too busy to help...

I don't have enough of this wool to make the second side, so I've decided to make the other side with a cream chunky wool which I grabbed at Hobbycraft over the weekend (£2 per ball!). To make things a bit more interesting, I'm making the cream side using the basket weave technique which another of the girls from Knit and Natter showed me. It might just be my new favourite!

What are you working on at the moment?

Making space

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000Z

I got some great kitchen related pressies for Christmas, including a refurbished Sunbeam Mixmaster (from 1954!) which Mr PC repaired, resprayed and even put my name on!

And I got a brand new food processor and several cake tins and cake decorating equipment.

On Boxing Day I looked at all my new stuff and wondered where on earth we were going to put it all! Our kitchen is ~~tiny~~ boutique and space is at a premium! Cue Mr PC who suggested he could build some extra drawers underneath the existing cabinets. After a couple of days of measuring, sawing, screwing and banging this is what he made:

All the various attachments for my mixers and processors fit in here!

A bits and bobs drawer

This one's full of cake tins!

The top drawer here is one we put in a couple of years ago and it houses the baking trays for the oven

Three fab drawers (and yes that really is the size of my kitchen!)

How about that then?! What genius use of otherwise wasted space! We can't believe it took us this long to think of it!! In an ideal world we would have a much larger kitchen or at least we would refit it so the cupboards are better distributed but we haven't won the lottery yet. In the meantime these drawers will make life easier!

And on the subject of kitchen storage, I thought I'd share a pic of a pan rack which we installed as soon as we moved in. It's great for hanging the pans and all the random things that don't fit in the cupboards! When you have a piddly small kitchen, every inch of space is needed and this does it perfectly!!

It's all over!

2012-01-05T12:31:00.000Z

Christmas was wonderful in our house, lots of great food and spending time with friends and family. Lots of chill out time relaxing with nothing but telly watching to do. And lots of lovely pressies to keep us occupied for a good while!

All the decorations are packed away now and the house has resumed to normality. The living room feels HUGE without the tree in it! This always surprises me every January, I like it! Aside from the odd pine needle here and there, there are only two traces of the Christmas season left:

Poinsettia which is rapidly losing its leaves

Chocolate money soon to be scoffed!

The weather here is atrocious at the moment and I'm sitting here in the middle of the day with the lights on because it's so dark. The garden is so bare it's a depressing sight, and the Christmas tree has been unceremoniously dumped out there til we figure out how to get rid of it.

On the plus side, I still have loads of great telly to watch on the Sky+ box and January always brings new series of some of my fave programmes, so I'll be snuggling with my blankets and crochet in front of the goggle box for the next few weeks!

Hope you had a lovey festive season and the return to reality has not been too hard on you this week.

Christmas Make: Handmade pressies

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000Z

This year saw me and Mr PC giving mostly handmade gifts for Christmas, which although as times was a bit stressful trying to get them all finished in time, it was great and so worth the positive feedback we've had!

These are some shopping bags I sewed up which I couldn't post about til after Santa made his deliveries:

Doggie print bag for a doggie lover

Cute or what?!

Bright and colourful bag perfect for winter time!

My favourite detail in the pattern

Did you make any gifts for Christmas?

Floral footstool

2011-12-29T08:00:00.002Z

A while a go I attened an upholstery workshop and make this delightful cupcake footstool which I love. I love mine so much that I thought I would make one for each of Mr PC's nans for their Christmas presents. I only managed to get pics of one of the footstools before Santa took them away for delivery but I thought I'd share the pics, particularly as I finally found a use for that vintage feel rose print!

Christmas Prep: Christmas Cake Eaten!

2011-12-28T16:38:00.000Z

Hope you all had a splendid Christmas with lots of great food and drink and merriment with friends and family. I thought I'd share a few pics of the finished Christmas cakes as I mentioned before here and here.

And for those of you into 'food porn', here's a pic of the inside. Can you smell the brandy and taste the fruit? I can!!

These are the images that inspired our designs, and I think Mr PC did a great job of laying the decorations on both the cakes!

via pinterest

Christmas Prep: Christmas Cake in Progress

2011-12-21T10:26:00.000Z

Christmas is not Christmas without a decent Christmas cake. All the better if it is home baked, but I have had some nice shop bought ones too. The other night I covered the cakes in marzipan ready for the fondant icing. And, as there were trimmings, we ate them whilst watching the telly! I was going to use the spare marzipan to make something but...

Over the next day or two I'll be decorating these lovelies and then they will be ready for the Christmas festivities!

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-16T08:00:00.001Z

... How lovely are thy branches!

I thought I would round up this Christmassy themed week with my piece de resistance - the Christmas tree!

I am the first to admit that I'm rather ~~anal~~ particular about the way my Christmas tree should look. It all starts with selecting the tree at the tree farm. It must be a minimum of 6 foot, the taller the better really but there must be room for the star on the top. It must be bushy and full from top to bottom with lots of branches. We have a tree stand that takes water which helps the tree last longer and you'd be surprised how much water it soaks up! Watering the tree daily is an absolute must, particularly if you put it up early.

Ready for dressing

The lights go on first and I always ensure to have the wire under the branches with the lights on the top, so they look as if there by magic. Then the tinsel goes on towards the middle of the tree so that it doesn't overtake the decorations themselves. This year I decided not to use tinsel at all and just use the red and gold beads. I'm trying something new and I think I like it without the tinsel! Mr PC, however is most displeased with me putting my foot down on the tinsel front. You can't please everyone...

Decorations at the ready!

I always unpack all the decorations and lay them on to trays according to their size before I start. I put the largest decorations on first and space them out across the tree. The 'special' decorations get pride of place so they can be shown off to their best. Then the smaller decorations go on and then the chocolate ones and candy canes go on last as these are the ones that come off the tree first!

The star goes on the top and the tree skirt gets laid around the bottom once it's all finished.

When decorating the tree last week I joked to Mr PC that I should write a book and call it 'The Only Way to Decorate a Christmas Tree'. He told me he didn't think it would sell very many copies. I can't think why...

Christmas Make: Christmassy Bunting

2011-12-15T08:00:00.002Z

There has been a huge trend in bunting in the last year or so. Everyone's jumping on the 'vintage bunting' bandwagon. Last year I thought it would be cute to make some Christmas bunting and thought it looked nice but wasn't enthralled by it. The process of making it was too fresh in my mind and looking at it just reminded me of the blood, sweat and temper tantrums I had with the sewing machine while trying to sew it together.

This year, however, I've unpacked it and decided that I do really like it after all and am really rather pleased with it!

Cute snowman print

Holly pattern

Bunting is for all occasions, not just summer garden parties!

Christmas Make: Candycane Tree Decoration - Tutorial

2011-12-14T08:00:00.001Z

Last year I posted a tutorial for a quick and easy tree decoration using candy canes, one of my favourite additions to the Christmas tree.

This year I have made them again and so I thought I would repost the tutorial for those who missed it the first time around. Click here to see how you can make this splendidly festive decoration in a matter of minutes.

PS. You can read all of my Christmas themed posts here. Enjoy!

Christmas Make: Window Decor

2011-12-13T10:00:00.000Z

This year I'm going all out on the Christmas decorations. I've spent a lot of time on Pinterest (my preferred method of procrastination) and have ~~pinched~~ incorporated a number of ideas into my decorating and preparations this year.

Today I'm sharing a fabulously cheap and easy way to spruce up your windows for the festive season. It was rather difficult to photograph well but hopefully you can see what I did.

Red and gold glittery baubles

For this window, I used a length of wire and wound it around the curatin pole brackets so that I can still close the curtains without spoiling the decoration. Then I used some ribbon threaded through the baubles and tied around the wire.

These look really great, particularly in the daylight and they look great from the outside looking in too.

Pom pom garland

2011-12-12T22:26:00.000Z

Regular readers will be familiar with one of my newest obsessions - my pom pom maker! I made the pom pom wreath, and I also made some lovely pink and purple pom poms but they were pushed aside while I finished the wreath. They were destined to be made into a garland and now they're all strung together I wanted to show how great they can be as an alternative to bunting.

New memo boards in stock

2011-12-12T18:29:00.000Z

Last week was a very busy week on several levels. I had a two day event over the weekend at Marks Hall and on Sunday night I flew to Edinburgh to spend the week at home with my Grandad. I had to work at double speed to get two weeks' worth or work, crafting and Christmas prep done before I left. This week will be a welcome rest! So here I am in my hometown of Falkirk writing away and feeling rather pleased with myself for having set up a working wifi network to connect my phone and laptop to the interwebs - a great technical revelation for this 4 storey split level house!!

I made 8 memo boards last week so thought I'd share some pics for you. All are 16x20inches and priced at £20 so if you fancy one for a Christmas gift, give me a shout! These will make it to my Etsy shop but not sure when yet.

Manly fishing boats pattern - very bright and cheery colours

I finally found a use for that Ikea fabric I love so much!

My favourite part of this kooky print

A bespoke order for a wee boy's bedroom

Dinosaurs are cool!

A bespoke order for a shoes and handbag lover

Bespoke order, this one is out of this world!

Vintage style rose print

Christmas Market Tomorrow

2011-12-09T15:51:00.000Z

This weekend is the Marks Hall Christmas Market and not only am I excited about the whole Christmassy feel of it, but it also marks the 1st anniversary of my first ever stall at a market! I'll be there again this weekend and really looking forward to helping people with the Christmas shopping :)

However, I am certainly not looking forward to spending two days standing in a marquee with no heating. On the plus side, at least there's no snow this year. Last year it was truly baltic. Here's hoping this weekend is not too cold.

If you're needing a helping hand to get into the Christmas spirit, I definitely recommend the Marks Hall Christmas Market to get you in the mood for the upcoming festive season. Come say hi if you do come along!

Christmas Make: Door Decor

2011-12-08T08:00:00.003Z

We always have a real Christmas tree, and I am very particular about how the tree should look. I always trim a few branches off to make the tree perfect (there are always a few pokey out branches, aren't there?) and I also trim a few at the back so it can go closer to the wall. I'm not talking masses of pruning, but just a few snips here and there.

This year I had a few large pieces and I couldn't bear to bin them. I already have my table centre sorted so I wondered what I could do with the trimmings. Then I had a light bulb moment and thought of making a festive decoration to hang over a door. These cost a fortune in the shops, especially for real tree cuttings but seeing as I already had everything I needed, it was totally free to make!

I wired the cuttings together using florist wire (any thin wire wold work) and then used some spare red and gold baubles and a matching ribbon to finish it off. The possibilities are endless and you could make it to coordinate your Christmas colours. Why not try making one yourself, and have a totally unique alternative to a wreath?

Christmas Make: Pom Pom Wreath - Tutorial

2011-12-07T12:07:00.000Z

In my last post I mentioned how much in love I am with my Clover pom pom maker and that I had an idea for a wreath. Well, it's finished now and I must say I am so pleased with it, I can't tell you how much!!

I saw something similar to this on Etsy and realised that it would be the perfect use of my pom pom maker which up until then was producing pom poms with no real purpose.

I used a length of pipe insulation (the grey stuff around the pipes in the loft) and Mr PC taped it into a circle for me. It was quite narrow so I decided to wrap some wadding around it to pad it out a bit. Then I used some fabric to cover it over so it was pretty on the back as well as the front.

I attached the ribbon first so that it was under the pom poms. Then I got glue happy and started sticking all my lovely green, red and white pom poms on! I used a hot glue gun to attach everything to the wreath but you could sew it if you prefer. For me, the glue was faster, and more fun too!

And there we have it, a modern take on the Christmas wreath! It is currently adorning the inside of my front door and it looks delightful, even if I do say so myself! And the best part is, it hardly cost a thing because I already had everything I needed and the wool was just £1.79 per ball and I estimate I used about two balls of each colour, so all in all it cost just over a tenner which is a total bargain :)

You could certainly make the pom poms in different colours for different holidays and events. And the wreaths could be all kinds of shapes, I think heart shaped would be nice for a wedding.

Shake yer pom poms!

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000Z

My current work in progress involves my new favourite toy - the clover pom pom maker. This wee gadget is addictively (is that a word?) fun to use and so quick! When I was little my granny used to make pom poms using the cardboard circles technique but when I tried this a few months ago it was a total woolly disaster. Enter the pom pom makers which I found on t'interwebs for £6! Now I'm merrily wrapping the wool, snipping it and tying it off before shrieking with delight at the fluffy pom pom results!

Pom poms are easy peasy with this gadget!


Christmassy pom poms

My original idea was to make a ton of red, white and green pom poms in various sizes to put in this lovely glass bowl...

They still need a quick trim before they're perfect

But since seeing a pom pom wreath on Etsy, I'm now making them for my very own wreath! A bit of pipe insulation taped into a circle shape and some red fabric to cover it with a ton of pom poms on top will look fabulous. And so Christmassy! Pics to follow when it's finished!

I'm toying with whether to have pom poms in the bowl too or sticking with the baubles and LED lights I originally earmarked for it. I don't want to do overboard on the pom poms (so not like me to go overboard, I never ever do that, no not me!) so I think I will have to decide once the wreath is made and the other decorations are out.

And, just to show that pom poms do come in other colours, I have made these to turn into a garland for a little girl's room. What 8 year old would not want pink and purple pom poms hanging across their room...? Well if she doesn't like them I'll hang them in my bedroom!

I will have to give these away as they're a Christmas pressie...

But then again, I might just keep them!

New sign

2011-12-02T08:00:00.003Z

A few weeks ago I ordered a laser cut sign to use on my stalls at craft fairs. And although it looked fab, it was a bit bare so my arty sister took it away to spruce it up and here's how it looks now!

A few spangles

3D bow

This adorable sign will be gracing my stall at all my upcoming events. This Saturday I'll be at Plants That Grow near Halstead, Essex. Checkout where else I'll be in the run up to Christmas and come along for some handmade gifts with a difference.

Hooray! December is here!!!

2011-12-01T08:00:00.003Z

I LOVE Christmas. There's no denying it. For me, nothing signifies the start of the Christmas period like a chocolate advent calendar. Yes, I may be a grown up but I still have a chocolate advent calendar. Where I come from, it is the law to have one, regardless of your age. I will still be having one when I'm an old granny. It's just not Christmas without that wee bit of chocolate everyday which you are legally obliged to have for breakfast. (I have been known to eat chocolate for breakfast on many many occasions, but that is technically illicit chocolate eating while advent chocolate for breakfast is nutritionally more acceptable) And it has to be a kiddie one, not a boring grown up version.

This year, I have a Me to You Bear one and Mr PC has a Milky Bar one. I have even replaced my regular calendar with the chocolate one, so it's taking pride of place in my office where it will distract me about 7,693 times a day every day until the last box is open, the last choccie has been scoffed and Santa is on his way!

Mine

Mr PC's

And, just to make sure we have the whole countdown to Christmas covered, we also have an advent candle and another (non-chocolate) calendar which my mum gave us.


Posh advent candle from Laura Ashley

While writing this, I have realised that I'll be away from home 12-16 Dec so now I have a quandry: What to do about my advent responsibilities??? Do I take the calendar with me? Do I empty the boxes out and let myself have one choc each day I'm away? Do I eat them all when I get back? What to do, what to do...

NB. This is a scheduled post hence the first box of the calendar not being opened. Rest assured that by the time you're reading this, the chocolate has been eaten and the candle burned down to number 2!

Christmas Make: Table Centre

2011-11-30T12:00:00.001Z

As the coming weeks are set to be very busy for me, I'm getting even more organised than usual and have made a huge dent in my Christmas preparations. The Christmas cakes are boozing nicely in their tins and they still have about 2-3 weeks before they get decorated. The cards are all written and ready to post and 80% of the pressies are all bought/made and wrapped ready for Santa to dish out. There are few ideas more bouncing around my head which will get put into action over the weekend as Sunday is Tree Buying Day. But more about that next week!

Today I want to show you a quick project that I did the other day which will be my table centre for the Christmas season. I used a pack of plain white candles from Ikea, a bag of cinnamon sticks which I got at the wholesaler (£6 for 1kg, yes thanks! shame they're not edible...), and a few boxes of candy canes plus a few odds and ends from my stash.

I spent a merry half hour with the glue gun and produced these lovelies:

I think these will look lovely grouped together in the middle of the table. I had toyed with making a floral display but after seeing something similar to this on Pinterest I knew flowers were out and candles were in!

Ready to put my feet up

2011-11-25T08:00:00.000Z

A couple of weekends ago, I went to an upholstery workshop at Make Do & Mend and learned how to make a footstool. I had wanted to make one for aaaages so was mega excited to actually do it when the day came. I was amazed how straightforward it is and will definitely be making more for gifts!

Here's how it turned out:


These cupcakes are cute enough to eat!

Queen Anne legs, very shapely!

So this lovely footstool has now taken up residence in my living room and is ready for my to put my feet up which by reckoning will be sometime early January, such a busy schedule in the next few weeks!

Don't like it? Then get rid!

2011-11-22T08:00:00.000Z

This time of year signifies the run up to Christmas and all the excitement of what that brings. When I was little, my mum would use this time of year to have a clear out and would get me and my sister to tidy out our bedrooms and get rid of some things. She used to say we had to make room for anything Santa might bring at Christmas and explained that some boys and girls weren't as lucky as us and might not get many presents from Santa. This was how she got us to clear out old clothes and toys and we would happily take them to the charity shops, knowing that some other children would get the nice toys we liked so much.

This has kind of stuck with me and when I'm having a clear out, I try to find the items a new home. I don't like throwing things in the bin (especially as they end up in the landfill) particularly when they have nothing wrong with them. I might not want it anymore but someone else would probably want it. That's my theory anyway!

After reading A Thrifty Mrs's recent decluttering post, it has spurred me on to have a clear out and get rid of some things. Although I haven't committed to the 90 items that she's ditching, I have found myself getting rid of a a lot of things. I've cleared out my wardrobe, my desk drawers and office and there's now a large selection of items in the charity shops that previously belonged to me. There are also some things that went to the recycling bin or which have been stored away in the 'to be upcycled into something else' pile. I've been slowly decluttering for a few weeks now and it feels liberating to get rid of the stuff that's been dragging me down. This decluttering has also transferred to my email inboxes (all 3 of them), my Facebook and Twitter feeds and even the blogs I'm subscribed to. I've deleted/unfollowed people and organisations that I'm no longer in touch with or interested in or which plain annoy me, which makes way for new additions. I feel like I've shifted some dead weight which was dragging me down and making my social media dull and uninteresting.

There are still things that need gotten rid off but I'm being careful not to take too much more on in the run up to Christmas. I've already earmarked January as the month to get rid of the utter crap that's in the loft. Our house is not the biggest and we do have a storage issue so we cannot afford to hoard stuff that no longer has a place in our lives. It's rather addictive once you get started! For me, decluttering means freeing up space not just in my home but in my mind too. It makes me feel lighter.

I recommend ruthless decluttering on a fairly regular basis in order to keep on top of it. Here's a few questions I ask myself in order to speed up the process:
What is is?
Do I like it?
When did I last use it?
Will I use it again?
Will I miss it?
How can I get rid of it?

Go on, spend ten minutes decluttering and see how much better you'll feel!

Hello...

2011-11-21T11:02:00.000Z

...Is it me you're looking for...?

Yes, I am still alive and no I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. The last ten days or so have been a bit of a whirlwind of activity including: 2 school shopping nights, 1 Christmas bazaar, a trip to High Wycombe to see my in-law family, another trip to High Wycombe to visit Country Baskets (the mecca of Christmas decorations and other supplies) and much required Christmas shopping, 5 days living in Worcester but working in Birmingham, the same 5 days of having to wear someone else's clothes cos I forgot my own (don't ask!), the same 5 days of stupidly late nights and even stupider early mornings, an evening of complete knackered-ness and last but not least, driving in the region of 400 miles to achieve all of this.And that is only the things I can remember, there must be another 5 things I haven't mentioned!

All of this results in a distinct lack of presence in any social media or blogging/reading/commenting. In a way I feel disconnected from some parts of my world, which is hilarious because three or four years ago, I had no involvement in social media apart from occasional pop ins to my Facebook account. How things change... What did we do before social media??

Anyway, I digress. I thought I'd share a few pics of my stall at the weekend and let you all know that I have a few spaces left for bespoke orders before Christmas. So give me a shout if you want a unique handmade gift!

Christmas card holders/memo boards

Lots of woolly goodies ready for winter

I am back to blogging but it may be intermittent over the coming weeks as I have a craft fair every weekend until Christmas as well as having a day job and all the usual pre-Christmas prepping in addition to life in general. We're all in the same boat at this time of year, aren't we!

Behind the seams

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000Z

I work from home for my 'day job' and my home office doubles up as my crafty studio, where I keep most of my supplies. However, when it comes to using the sewing machine, the dining room table is where the work is. Here's a couple of recent pics of my ~~invasion~~ 'sewing studio' in the dining room.

TV dinners for a while...

Freshly ironed fabric ready for projects

I'd love a room dedicated to all my ~~toot~~ creative things where I can have it so perfectly organised and looking pretty. In a perfect world I'd like something like this:

What's your creative space like?

Bring me sunshine...

2011-11-08T12:11:00.000Z

The last few days have been so depressingly gloomy here. So dark all day long! I'm sitting here in the middle of the day, with the lights on, that's how dark it is! (pet hate - having the lights on during daytime) I keep looking out the window for even the tiniest hint of blue sky or sunshine but all I see is this:

Depressing or what?!

So, now that the sunshine seems to have left us bereft, I thought I'd share a few pics of my kitchen windowsill which I took last week when we were still blessed with some blue sky, fluffy white clouds and that big yellow ball in the sky was doing its thing. Although these photos are not specifically of the blue sky, you can just about see it through the blinds. I also think these pics are a spot of bright cheerfulness which we seem to be lacking this week

Cupcake cases in a spaghetti jar - super cute!

Herb plants in mugs

Bright greenery, a reminder of summer

There we have it, a moment of brightness in what is shaping up to be an otherwise gloomy week!

A weekend in the kitchen

2011-11-07T11:35:00.000Z

Wow, what a busy weekend I've had! I spent approximately ten hours cooking and baking in preparation for my turn of the Come Dine With Me competition me and my friends are having. I wanted my menu to be something a bit different and decided to do it tapas style. For those of you that might not know, I was born in Spain and lived there til the age of 7 and then again duting my Erasmus year at uni which means I know a thing of two about good Spanish food!

For some reason I hardly ever cook Spanish recipes, I don't know why. I have always wnated to incorporate them into my regular 'repertoire' - you know, those recipes you know off the top of your head and can throw together in a jiffy. I thought my turn of the dinner party competition was a great chance to make some of the things I know to be the tastiest food in Europe. I made everything from scratch, (with the exception of the bread and the pastry for the empanadas) which is how it took about 10 hours! It was well worth the effort though and I think I have a good chance of winning...

I thought I'd share the menu with you all in case it inspires you to try a few new dishes, or even for you to borrow next time you're hosting a dinner party! If you do use the menu I'd love to know how you get on. I haven't got any pics of the food because I was so involved in the cooking that it never entered my head to take any photos! Oops!

So here it is:

Menú del Día

Entradas

Gazpacho

Chilled tomato and vegetable soup

Ibéricos

Serrano ham and chorizo

Manchego, con higos y miel

Manchego cheese served with figs and honey

Pan de ajo

Garlic bread, Spanish style

Platos Principales

Tortilla

Traditional Spanish omelette

Chorizo con jerez

Sherry-cooked chorizo

Empanadas de atún y de pollo

Mini tuna and chicken pasties

Croquetas de jamón y queso

Ham and cheese croquettes

Patatas bravas

Potatoes with spicy tomato sauce

Albhondigas caseras

Spanish style meatballs

Postre

Tarta de limón

Lemon tart

Bake List: P-p-p-pumpkin Pie!

2011-11-04T08:00:00.003Z

This is the season for all things pumpkin and in true American style, I made a pumpkin pie last weekend, using the tart tin I got for my birthday. Now, I've wanted to make a pumpkin pie for ages but was saving it for the right time of year. It even made it onto my Bake List. I even had a can of American pumpkin purée which I got at the posh deli shop. I was super excited about making this pie!

Pumpkin pie

Imagine my dismay and sheer disappointment when I tasted this scrummy looking pie and discovered that I don't actually like it. I could've cried. Now, I've never actually tasted a pumpkin pie, but there was no reason to know that I wouldn't like it. I mean, it's a pie. With proper pastry and everything. What's not to like? Apparently, everything about it is not to like - taste, smell and texture, bleugh! I didn't even finish the slice I thought it was that bad. Mr PC wasn't keen on it either. Major disappointment.

So now it is cut into slices and in the freezer until I find someone who would like it. It's just too pricey for me to throw out (nearly £5 inc the tin of purée). So, if you like pumpkin pie, give me a shout!

On the plus side, the pasty base was perfect, not soggy or undercooked. A perfect bake, as Mary Berry would say. It just tastes yuk!

Here's hoping the next item off my Bake List tastes better!

Have you ever made something that you didn't like?

PS. Have you spotted my new Bake List page?

Christmas Prep: Christmas Cake Baked

2011-11-03T08:00:00.000Z

Now that I've had my birthday, I can get serious about Christmas. And now that we're into November (omg where did the year go?!) it's time to get the prep well and truly underway! I've mentioned before that I start thinking about Christmas sometime in the summer, but this is the time of year when I step it up a few gears and get everything planned and organised.

October is the month for baking the Christmas cake and last year it was such a success that I've decided to do the same this year. My Granny's special recipe works a treat and it's just not Christmas without this cake! I've already made one for me and Mr PC and one for my sister and her new hubby. I have an order for one for my in-laws and possibly one or two more in the pipeline. That's how good it was last year *merry dance*!!

christmas cake 2010

The secret to this cake is brandy. And LOTS of it! The earlier you make it the better, and it needs weekly feeding with a generous dose of brandy. I guess this makes it unsuitable for designated drivers, but what I usually do it give them a piece to scoff when they get home.

Here's how this year's cake is looking at the moment:

Can you smell it? It's devine!

It's best stored in an airtight tin, and a metal one if you can. Wrap it in grease proof paper to keep it nice and cosy and to stop the brandy seeping out.

This is my most favourite cake tin ever!!

This leads me to ask you this question - Christmas cake: homemade or shop bought?

Christmas Prep: Homemade Pressies

2011-11-02T08:00:00.001Z

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat... and I'm getting organised!!

Last year we decided to have a homemade Christmas, largely due to very tight purse strings and an abosolute abhorration of Christmas the shopping season. This year is the same, we are largely making our presents this year and this time I'm starting early!

This first completed gift is a crochet bag for a little girl we know. It took ages to make considering the size but I think she will like it because it is her favourite colour: purple.

There's supposed to be a flower on the front but my problem is I can't decide which one to use! So I thought I'd ask your opinion. Please let me know which combination works best because I just don't know!

Option 1 - large dark pink flower

Option 2 - small light pink flower


Option 3 - both flowers together


Both flowers together for comparison, the light pink is a fair bit smaller

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Finished WIP: Christmas Stocking #2

2011-11-01T12:35:00.000Z

After last week's sewing session, I was one down, one to go on the stocking front. I learnt many lessons on stocking #1 and felt ready to tackle stocking #2 with these freshly learnt tips and tricks under my belt. For example, I find that if I draw the line I want to sew with tailor's chalk, I can actually keep straight and make the seam even all the way around. What a revelation that was!!

I would say that making the front with three different prints and incorporating a pom pom trim does delay the process somewhat and whilst I know what I like, I still find it difficult to colour/pattern match. These are the questions I always find myself asking: Does it go, or does it clash? If it does clash, does it look good in a mis match sort of way or does it look like a colourblind person put it together? Will I actually like it when it's sewn together and there's no going back? The dilemmas are endless, and Mr PC always tells me to trust my instincts with these things but most of the time my instinct says to get my sister to pair the colours and patterns for me as she's the one with the 'eye' for these things!

This is what stocking #2 turned out like, and I must say I do like it after all!!

The pom pom trim caused some aggro, mainly figuring out how to incorporate it into the seam and still have them pointing downwards. Thank goodness for pins! A lot of trial and error was involved in this one.

The back is a rather fetching tartan pattern with a hint of gold through it which I hope will glint nicely under the light of the tree when the time comes. And the red lining makes it even more festive.

Also, by a stroke of pure luck (ok, actually some rather anal measuring and re-measuring) , the two stockings are the same size and shape! Huzzah!

These babies are ready for some pressies, come on Santa, hurry up!

After Eight Cupcakes

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000Z

After the baking experiment the other week, I decided to make the After Eight Cupcakes again, but make them better. I made sure to have all the ingredients ahead of time (don't you hate it when you get halway through and then have to run to the shop for more eggs, or icing sugar?) and even got some proper After Eights to decorate with. Here they are on my sister's rose plate.

The original cupcakes were a bit slap dash but these have a more polished look (or at least I think so) and the After Eight on the top really sets them off! These might just become one of my 'signature' cakes...

A Splendiferous Day

2011-10-28T12:54:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was my birthday and like a true child at heart, I was mega excited about it!! It was a lovely day and I thought I would share a few pics of some of the great pressies I was lucky enough to receive. There was a pink and cake related theme going on with the cards, wrapping paper and some of the pressies, so I guess people know me well!

Great British Bake Off book, Mary Berry's Cakes and Bakes, pink apron and oven gloves and matching tongs and spatula - these encompass some of my favourite things!

Tarte tin and cake lifter as seen on Great British Bake Off. Tarte au Citron, here I come!!

More lovely books to curl up with on rainy weekends. Particularly excited about the Dawn French book which I've heard is hilarious.

New additions to the book shelf!

Left handed dressmaker's scissors. Any lefty will know what this means to me, I am hoping they will revolutionise my sewing projects. No more struggling with crapola scissors that I can't make cut!

The most recent addition to my handbag wardrobe - tartan Cath Kidston tote! I treated myself with some birthday money, and I love it! I don't usually go for tartan things (unless they're in my family tartan) but this was a must have!

Mr PC and I spent the day in London (a rarity these days) and we had a lovely time. We went to Harrods' Christmas World and I must say I was hugely disappointed with the rubbish selection and poor quality of goods on offer. There was not a single thing I wanted to buy which to be honest, is highly unusual! Actually, there was a really cute cushion with appliqué gingerbread men which I liked but it was £80 so I threw it back on the shelf in disgust and disbelief. It was Made in China and so probably cost a few pence to make...

We then had a delicious lunch in a proper Italian restaurant across the road from Harrods and we pretended we were in Rome. A jaunt round Covent Garden was the afternoon activity and I tasted my first macaroons from Ladurée. I must say, they were delightfully scrummy but far too small for my ~~greediness~~ liking. You'd need to eat at least six to get a proper cake fix!

In the evening we went to see The Wizard of Oz at the London Palladium and it was pretty cool. I was such a kid! I think the dog playing Toto absolutely stole the show, he is so well trained and never missed a command. The way they did the black and white bits and the tornado was really cool and those ruby slippers, well....

The show was great but there are few things which I think were a bit wrong:

Toto is white when in the film he was black
Dorothy didn't have a basket
Most of the Munchins were played by adults
The boys from the Lollipop Guild had scooters, not lollipops - why?
The Munchins were all blue - what's that about?
The Wicked Witch didn't wear a hat so when she got melted there was nothing left of her

All in all it was delightful birthday and this morning I woke up to Mr PC's freshly baked birthday cake!!

A Red Red Rose

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000+01:00

In addition to teacup candles, I also make cake stands from vintage china. Well I wanted to share this delightful two tier cake stand which I made for my sister:

The china is a very simple pattern with just three red roses, and can you believe the two plates are actually different makes? They are exactly the same!

All that's missing are some delightful cakes, so hopefull when I take it to my sister at the weekend, she will ahve baked something to put on it!

Finished WIP: Christmas Stocking #1

2011-10-25T15:11:00.000+01:00

I did it! Last night saw the completion of my first ever Christmas stocking and wow did it take ages..! It turned out better than I expected, considering I have no idea what I'm doing with these things and the sewing machine is still a scary piece of machinery at times.

First handmade Christmas stocking!

I modelled the size on a shop bought stocking which we have used the last couple of years, and I actually did a happy dance when I compared them and saw that my stocking was just the same size and shape!

Using shop bought as a template saved a lot of aggro

This is Mr PC's stocking, mine will be a bit more contemporary than this one but it does mean starting the whole process from scratch again!

I think the pom poms look like mini snowballs

Pics of stocking number 2 to follow! What have you been making for Christmas?

Things I love

2011-10-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

... my husband
... my family and friends
... all the people I knew who are no longer here
... wearing pink
... chocolate in all variations
... cake
... spending time with the people most important to me
... being creative and wish I could make more time for it
... Christmas
... giving presents
... receiving presents
... Scotland and Edinburgh in particular
... dolly mixtures
... weddings
... singing along to the radio but only when no one can hear
... the time I spent at uni, those were fun times
... my cay Lucy who lived to the ripe old age of 20
... driving fast with loud music on
... Spain and the lifestyle they have there
... going on Spa breaks, especially when they are free!
... so many more things that I could sit all day writing this list!!

What do you love and appreciate most in life?

Weekend sewing

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000+01:00

This weekend I shall be forcing myself to sit down and get through the pile of mending jobs that have stacked up recently. I particularly dislike sewing jobs, like mending a hem or sewing buttons back on. Urgh, so dull! But they have to be done and this weekend they will all be fixed, washed and put back into the wardrobes because I am fed up looking at them!

I will also be finishing the christmas stockings which I mentioned last year. I started them earlier in the week and had some real hissy fits about them and I really lost it when I screwed up the ribbon trimming, so I packed it all away and decided enough was enough. I will not let them beat me so this weekend I'm hoping to conquer them! This is what the first one looks like at the moment, it needs the trimming unpicked and resewn before the front and back get sewn together and hey presto, ready for Santa's delivery!

What are you doing this weekend?

Finished WIP: Hand warmers

2011-10-21T08:00:00.007+01:00

Remember the granny stripe scarf? Well I've finished the matching hand warmers! They're not granny striped as I thought the would be too holey so I used a pattern that uses trebles and even learnt how to do ribbing which I'm quite impressed with.

Making the first one was fairly easy but as I modified the pattern, making the second one in the same size was kind of tricky even though I'd counted out all the rows and stitches. I just couldn't get it to be the same and it was driving me potty! I must have unpicked the cuff about 5 times and was getting rather frustrated with it but I got there in the end. I do think I've made them a bit baggy as I hadn't factored in the stretchy-ness of the stitches, but I'll know that for next time.

My current WIP is a granny stripe bag for a Christmas pressie, pics to follow soon!

Super signage

2011-10-20T10:49:00.000+01:00

I've got a brand spanking new sign for my craft stalls! It is really quite splendind and was made especially for me! Wanna see?

It's going to look even more splendid once it's been painted and decorated to match my branding and I can't wait to hang it up!!

If you would like a wooden laser cut sign like mine, give me a shout and I'll put in touch with the lovely Sue who makes them. She's very reasonably priced too, so perfect for some Christmas pressies or even a treat for yourself.

Baking Experiment

2011-10-18T14:26:00.000+01:00

Today I invented a new cupcake! I'm calling it After Eight flavour. Ok, so maybe someone else in the world has already made these, but they it's a new flavour in my world therefore I'm gonna take the credit for it!

I felt the need to bake this morning and I wanted to do something a bit different, so when I found the peppermint flavouring in the cupboard, I had a lightbulb moment and created what has turned out to be some rather delicious cupcakes. The sponge is a light peppermint flavour and the frosting is dark chocolate and peppermint flavoured - absolutely to die for!

After Eight Cupcake

I used an icing nozzle to decorate and then popped a wee silver sugar ball on the top to give them a touch of colour. There's loads of spare frosting so I'm thinking what else I can use it for, altho I see myself baking some more mint sponges to spread it on!

Dodgy piping, need more practice!

What baking experiments have you done, and did they work?

Some theories

2011-10-14T08:00:00.001+01:00

I thought I'd share a few theories I have about things:

If you buy an item that comes with 50% extra free (or similar offer), then the free part has no calories. for example, if you buy a 6 pack of chocolate mousses that comes with 2 extra, then the extra ones are free of calories. This applies to all things, like chocolate, cake, biscuits, ice cream, sweets etc.
Broken biscuits have no calories because the calories have fallen out.
Chips taste much better when eaten off someone else's plate
My chocolate bars are not for sharing but yours are
Some women should not be allowed to drive, especially the ones who drive ridiculously large 4x4s and don't know how to handle them
Cat cuddles cure all woes
A good hug from someone you love is enough to remind you that you're cherished
Regularly doing something you greatly enjoy improves your quality of life, be that sewing, sports, travelling, reading, cooking or gardening
Technology is wonderful until it stops working
Even the most intelligent of people need to watch trashy telly sometimes
Everyone should have at least one friend who they can call in the middle of the night and it not be a problem
Everyone should have at least on friend that makes them laugh so har it makes their belly hurt
A vase of flowers can cheer you up, even if they are not your favourite blooms
Giving flowers feels just as good as receiving them
If you eat the same number of vegetables as you do cakes, that is a fairly balanced diet

I hope that's cheered you up ready for the weekend!

A new obession

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000+01:00

I am slowly but surely becoming obsessed with Pinterest. I find I log on 'for a quick look' and then an hour later I'm still trawling the amazing collection of stuff on there!

For anyone who doesn't know, Pinterest is an online collection of memo boards, or mood boards full or inspiration. You create your own board and then you 'pin' things you like to it which you can then go back to. For example, you can have a board dedicated to recipes you want to try, a board all about ideas for decorating your house, a board all about your favourite films, books, fashions, colours, crafts... the possibilities are endless!

If you are always pulling things out of magazines and filing them away for a rainy day, or always bookmarking things you see on website and then have trouble remembering which link is the one you want, then Pinterest will become your new best friend!! You can sit in the comfort of your favourite chair and be so inspired by what you can find on this website that you might lose yourself for a good few hours. You can look at other people's boards and then re-pin things you like, or you can pin something you find on a website/blog/YouTube for you to remember at a later date. It's very visual and I've discovered some great blogs via Pinterest which I might not have found otherwise.

Imagine a collection of all your favourite things, all in one place...!

Here's a few links to some of my boards I use the most:

Bake, bake, bake!
I like this
Crafty goodness

If you sign up to Pinterest not only will you find loads of fantastic new ideas and things you want to try, I guarantee you will become obsessed with it!! And it you download the app for your phone, say goodbye to boredom!

You can follow me on Pinterest by clicking here.

New Product: Handmade door stops

2011-10-12T11:53:00.001+01:00

The creative cogs have been turning recently and my latest new product range is door stops. So far I have made just one, but there are plans for more coming very soon in some great fabric prints!

I just love this grey and lime green colour combo! And the birdies are super adorable.

This doorstop is filled with rice to make it nice and heavy, which is ideal for propping a door open but not great for posting to potential Etsy customers. The postage costs...! So I'm in the midst of designing a 'fill your own' door stop which means that people can buy the doorstop and then when they get it home, fill it with whatever weight they have: rice, sand, pebbles etc.

I have some great fabrics which will lend themselves to very cute door stops, but the first one I will try this new idea with is this great flowery print:

And, if I can bear to part with it, and the design works, I might make one with this print:

Finished WIP: Granny stripe bolster cushion

2011-10-11T08:00:00.002+01:00

I can finally share these pics of my latest project, now that I've given it to my sister for her birthday present!

A granny stripe bolster cushion. I made this up as I went along and I'm rather pleased with how it turned out! I even sewed buttons on so that the cover can be taken off for washing. Here are the pics!

A few pics from the weekend

2011-10-10T18:05:00.001+01:00

Photoshoot with a difference

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000+01:00

Last weekend my sister came over and modelled all the knitwear which I sell at craft fairs so that I can also list them in my Etsy shop. I'm still messing about with the proper photos, but I thought I'd share some of the 'out takes' from the afternoon's hilarity of coping with the wind, a cat who wanted to join in, and the issues with wardrobe.

That's a lotta scarves! And yes the McCoys were for scack time...

Trying to figure out which way to put the shrug on

The model making her demands "Where are my crisps?!"

Me taking the pics

Such a poser...

The wind caused some issues

Obligatory 'hair in the face' shot

How many models eat crisps on the job?


Squeak the cat wanted to join in but is camera shy	(and yes that's Mr PC)

And this is the dodgiest look of the whole shoot!

Real photos will follow shorlty once I've waded through them and got them into some kind of order!

Get your scarf...

2011-10-06T11:51:00.001+01:00

...you've pulled!

Remember a while ago I posted about the ripple scarf I was making? Well, I got frustrated with trying to get the ripple to work and lost patience with it so unpicked it all (for the 6th time) and turned the scarf into a granny stripe scarf instead! After learning the granny stripe for another (still secret) project, I decided to make myself a scarf in the same style. And I think it turned out rather well. I'm really liking the granny stripe for the moment, so easy and looks great.

I made it fairly narrow so that it could be a scarf for those in between days when it's not really cold but it's not warm either. I'm also thinking it could be an all day accessory instead of just for outdoors. It's a nice length too so hopefully it will look good worn different ways.

I still had plenty of yarn left so I'm now making some hand warmers to match. I thought the granny stripe would make them too holey so I'm following a pattern that uses trebles (or US double crochet) which I found on Pinterest. I'm quite liking how they're shaping up, but I have to be careful to keep counting the stitches as I have a knack of adding stitches without realising! I've also learnt how to make a rib, so there's another stitch style mastered!

Again, I'm hoping these can be all day accessories a the yarn is not too heavy. And they will be so soft that I prob won't want to take them off!!

In other accessory related news, I've fashioned two scarves recently. One is based on the Mollie Makes scarf which you make out of a chopped up t-shirt and the other is from some gold jersey fabric I got at John Lewis.


Mollie Makes scarf - before

Mollie Makes scarf - after

I'm not sure if I like this one, I feel it looks too much like a chopped up t-shirt for me. I'll have to try it with the appropriate outfit and see what it looks like. I also had to modify it slightly as my top was quite big around the body (I'm a big person, but it had also stretched) and so when I first put it on, it came down past my waist and looked daft. So I got the sewing machine out and shortened it a bit. This was one of my fave tops but it was getting old and kinda baggy in an unflattering way and I wasn't ready to part with it so it seemed liked a good candidate for this DIY attempt. The jury is still out though.

This is the gold stripe jersey scarf I sewed up at the weekend.

It looks a bit odd on the hanger but I think it's ok. It looks like those infinity scarves you can buy in the shops for some crazy amount of money but this was nice and cheap! I put a twist in it before sewing the ends together so it's got a bit of shape. This is also hopefully going to be an all day accessory.

And that's it for my latest completed projects! There are lots more to come soon as the sewing machine is now set up at the dining table ready for more action!

Cakey yumminess

2011-10-05T08:00:00.003+01:00

I've realised it's been a while since I last posted about one of my favourite topics: CAKE. This doesn't mean I haven't been ~~eating~~ making cakes, but the lack of cake related posts is really due to some of them being disasters and generally scoffing them before remembering to take any pics!

The most recent baking success was the batch of cupcakes I made for Mr PC in honour of our 3rd wedding anniversary last week. I made Fizzy Orange Cupcakes as per the Cake Days recipe and I must say they turned out rather nicely. You actually use soda stream syrup to get the flavour! I'm not a fan of fizzy orange drinks but Mr PC is and I knew he'd like them so I got baking while he was at work (like a proper housewife). I even had little jelly orange segments to put on the top!

The icing was a bit dodgy in parts as the lemon zest in it was clogging the nozzle, but who cares once you've taken a bite out of it?! (Yes, I used lemon zest in orange flavoured icing cos I didn't have any real oranges)

Other recent baking adventures include the Coconut Meringue Cake from The Humming Bird Bakery Cookbook (predecessor to Cake Days). What a disaster that was!! Right from the beginning it was going wrong. I found the recipe convoluted due to having to fiddle about with the fresh coconut, baking it in the oven and grating it etc. I always wanted to make this cake and was so disappointed in how it turned out that I'm not sure I could even face trying it again. It tasted ok but it wasn't amazing. The meringue frosting separated and then went runny when I mixed it again so that caused some real problems. But as it required 9 egg whites and nearly a whole bag of sugar, I wasn't prepared to throw it out and start again. Needless to say, the cake turned out to be just 2 layers with a bit of frosting on the top, which actually soaked into the sponge before we got a chance to eat it. And the worst part is, I was asked to make it for my father-in-law's birthday... (and I don't have any pics to show how awful it looked)

I've also made some amazing chocolate brownies and these cookies from A Thrifty Mrs but there are no pics as they all got eaten within an hour of them coming out the oven! I will leave you with one pic though, of a victoria sandwich I made for mum-in-law's birthday which looked rather splendid on my posh pink cake plate, even if I do say so myself!

Victoria sandwich with whipped cream and fresh strawberries

You can read more of my cakey stories here.

New Product: Handmade crochet hooks

2011-10-04T08:00:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I briefly mentioned the giant crochet hooks that Mr PC has been making. Well, I thought they deserved a post of their own, particularly as they are set to become a new product line for Princess Crafts.

You might remember this post when I mentioned Mr PC made a giant crochet hook for me to make something using the Hoopla yarn I got. Since then, anyone who has seen this massive crochet hook has been quite intrigued to see one so large and generally asks where to get one and what you can do with it etc. Then Mr PC had a lightbulb moment and said 'Why don't I make some for you to sell in your Etsy shop and at craft fairs?' Cue a trip to the shop for some wood and a few hours in the shed...

18mm crochet hook - £10

I've taken these hooks to two events now and they have proved to be a real talking point with other crochet fans and even those who've never crocheted before. We sold one at the weekend and Mr PC was really rather chuffed with himself. I think now he knows why I do a little 'yipee' whenever I sell something. It feels good when someone actually wants to pay you money for something you made! He gets it now. We've even sold one on Etsy and it went to its new home in Dublin.

18mm next to 4mm hook

We are now offering crochet hooks made to order in a variety of sizes from 15mm to 27mm. These will be in the Princess Crafts Etsy shop as well as at all our upcoming events. So if you're a happy (crochet) hooker, why not try something new and create a giant project with a giant hook!

Sell, sell, sell!

2011-10-03T12:33:00.001+01:00

This weekend saw Princess Crafts set up shop (ok it was only a stall, but shop sounds better!) at the Havering Handmade Farmer and Crafts Market and it turned out to be a pretty good day!

The last few days have been HOT, and I'm talking 25-32 degrees - summer has finally arrived! In October. I didn't expect to sell very many of my handknitted woolly scarves at the weekend on account of the scorching weather, but the scarves turned out to be bestsellers! Hoorah! It looks like the ladies of Gidea Park are preparing ahead of time for the wintery weather (which no doubt will be upon us by next weekend).

We also had some great interest in the giant crochet hooks which Mr PC has been making, but more about them in tomorrow's post.

Seeing as we forgot to take the camera with us to take the customary pics of the event, I had to resort to using my iPhone which is not ideal but enought to give you the gist of what the stall was like. So here it is, in all its glory!

PS. Click here to see the list of events I'll be attending between now and Christmas (perfect opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done!).

PPS. My next event is next Saturday in Colchester!

The Cook List

2011-09-30T11:28:00.000+01:00

Last week I posted my Bake List which is my top 12 'must bakes' which I will attempt to achieve during the next year or so. Today is the turn of my Cook List. these are my top 12 'must cook' recipes which I have never made before. So, in no particular order, here is my Cook List:

The Cook List

1. Lamb shank pie
2. Boeuf bourguignon (as per the Julia Child cookbook from the Julie/Julia Project)
3. Ragú and polenta (as per the Two Greedy Italians)
4. Cloutie dumpling (as per our secret family recipe)
5. Steak and Guinness pie
6. Onion bhajis and samosas
7. Mini beef wellingtons
8. Salmon en croute
9. Chicken breast stuffed with haggis and served with a Drambuie sauce
10. Beetroot chips (like the Tyrells ones you get that look like pot pourri)
11. Sausage rolls, from scratch inc pastry
12. 40 garlic clove chicken (as per Nigella Lawson)

So there it is! Have you noticed how not a single one of these dishes is particularly healthy? I think I shall have to do one a month so not to end up the size of a double decker!

What would be on your Cook List?

Weekend pics

2011-09-27T11:47:00.001+01:00

Last weekend saw me holding my third stall at the Vintage and Handmade Market in Chelmsford and so I thought I'd share a few pics of the stall.

Next Saturday, I'll be in Gidea Park at the Havering Handmade Autumn Fair, so pop in and say hi if you're in the area.

Market preparations

2011-09-22T13:39:00.001+01:00

This Saturday I will be at the Vintage and Handmade Market in Chelmford's Shire Hall so I'm busy getting my stock organised and ready to go. It's always a juggling act trying to get new and existing stock ready while continuing to do paid work and run a household etc. This week has been no different and there is still an element of last minute organising but there are some great new ideas in the pipeline so watch this space, people!

If you're in the Chelmsford area, it would be great to see you on Saturday. The market is full of vintage and handmade stalls so theres's something for everyone. It's free entry and the best part is the vintage tearoom run by the lovely Plum Fairy who serves tea and homemade cakes on beautiful vintage china. So if you're out shopping and fancy a bit of cake and mooch round, come along to the Shire Hall at the top of the High Street, 10-4.

Hope to see you there!

PS. If you do come to the Vintage and Handmade Market then you can get 10% off when you spend £20 with Princess Crafts just quote 'blog'.

Feeding the fabric addiction

2011-09-21T11:46:00.001+01:00

Any crafter/sewer must, at one time or another, admit to a wee bit of an addiction to fabric and prints. Well, today's the day! My name is Kerry and I'm a fabric addict.

I try not to feed this addiction too much but yesterday I visited my local fabric shop of choice, the aladdin's cave of material. *swoon* I had to go to the shop as I've been asked to make another of my royal wedding tea cosies and required the fabric. I was very good though and before I went I did a quick inventory of my stash and earmarked the 'good bits' to become various things which I want to make. So while I was in the shop I made myself stick to the shopping list of royal wedding fabric, wadding, calico, wooden buttons and ribbons for my projects. I was most impressed with myself when I got to the til and realised I only bought one thing that wasn't on my list!! (this is probably beacause I didn't let myself even look at anything else in the shop!) This is it:

Medium sized cupcake print - perfect for a new product idea I've had!

These are my selections from my current stash for some new projects and new product ideas for the Princess Crafts shop:
The photos are a bit rubbish on account of it being so bloomin' dark today!

Shoes and handbags on blue background

Kitchen equipment - retro and modern at the same time

Musical notes

Lime green birides on grey background - scrummy!

Teeny tiny ballet shoes in vibrant pink

Ballerina fairies - I wish this was wallpaper for my office!

I did feed my addiction but managed to do it in a controlled manner, so go me!

PS. Come to see me at the Vintage and Handmade Market this Saturday in Chelmsford and get 10% off when you spend £20 just quote 'blog'.

The Bake List

2011-09-19T15:37:00.000+01:00

The second series of The Great British Bake Off has been amazing foodie telly and the list of things I want to learn to bake has been getting longer and longer! After reading this post on Cake and Feminism I was inspired to write my own Bake List. There's a huge list of things I want to make/eat and so I decided to write the top contenders into a list which I can work my way through (and tick off as I go along!).

There are 12 items on the list (in no particular order) which I think is plenty to be getting on with as I plan to do one a month.

The Bake List

Butteries
Tarte au Citron
Chocolate Eclairs/Profiteroles
Pumpkin Pie
Macaroons (flavour tbc)
Shortbread
Bread Rolls (flavour tbc)
Cheese Twists
Chocolate Pavlova
Tipsy Cake
Bagels
Melting Chocolate Puddings

A Cook List is also in the pipelines and I'll share it once I make the final decisions.

What would be on your Bake List?

Emptying out my brain

2011-09-16T08:00:00.000+01:00

My brain is getting full. Full of ideas, things that need done, things I want to do, things that need planned and things that need thinking about. It is times like this that I look out some paper and a pen and start writing it all down. My iPhone has an app for making lists but there's something about actually writing it down that makes me feel like I've achieved something. And the satisfaction of ticking things of the list, well...

Yesterday I dug out a notebook to start on the list writing. There is so much in my brain at the moment that for the first time ever I've actually written a list of lists that I need to make. So far I have 13 items on this list and these are just the ones off the top of my head, if I put some more thought into it I could probably bring that to 20!

time for a brain dump!

Today I'll be on a long car journey (this is a scheduled post) so the notebook is coming with me and I'll be writing the lists and dumping all the stuff out of my brain to make way for new thoughts and ideas and then everything will stop being a jumbled up mess in my head. Ooh, it feels good even just thinking about that! Please note I will be a passenger as Mr PC will be driving so that I can a) make my lists b) get some crochet work done on a secret project which I will share soon.

Are you a list writer?

Unpacking the woollies

2011-09-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

Now that September is here, the weather is turning autumnal. Oh wait, hasn't it been autumnal all 'summer' long?? Well, now that it is officially the end of summer, thoughts are turning to winter clothing. If you're like me, you'll have a 'summer' wardrobe and a 'winter' wardrobe which get swapped about at the appropriate times of year.

These next few days all my flip flops and sandals will be boxed up and out will come the boots and seriously cosy slippers. Away go the vest tops and out come the long sleeves and the jumpers. And, I will probably treat myself to a few new cardis and some thick zip up hoodie type jumpers to make sure I'm nice and cosy whilst working from home (indoor attire only!).

I'm swithering (uming and ahing) whether to get a new winter coat or whether I can make it last a third winter. The jury is still out. But I do know that there will be plenty of new scarves on the horizon to add to my already large selection. My top fave at the moment has got to be my fuschia pink frilly wool number. And guess what, I'm also unpacking the woollies for my upcoming events and so lots of new frilly scarves (and other knitted items) on the Princess Crafts stall once again!!

They will also be reappearing in my Etsy shop once I get new photos of them all. Here's a pic of my favourite one from last year:

Watch this space, new woollies coming soon!!

Yarn Fairy's latest delivery

2011-09-14T11:38:00.000+01:00

You've heard me mention the Yarn Fairy before, well at the weekend, she paid another visit and left me a small bag of wool related goodness! It even had my name on it...

Here's what was inside!

Some odds and ends c/o ~~my mum~~ Yarn Fairy

This pink is my fave

The Yarn Fairy's latest delivery has added to my ever growing stash and whilst I have no plans for any of these for the time being, they are quite happy residing with all the other yarns until their fate has been decided.

And last but not least, the YF also sent me some surprise Elemis samples! If you know me, you know how happy free samples of Elemis make me! And I had to take a pic while the camera was out:

Happy days!

Has the YF visited you lately?

Now stocked in 3 shops!

2011-09-13T16:34:00.001+01:00

Hello! A wee bit of excitingness for you, Princess Crafts teacup candles are now available for purchase from three retail outlets (shops, to you and me)!!

*happy dance*

Clare at The Traditional Vintage Flower Company has been stocking my teacupcandles for a while now and they receive many lovely comments (*blush*) and some have even gone to new homes!

More recently, I have started renting a space in the cabinets at the fabulous Make Do and Mend shop which is the most splendid of shops in Chelmsford. The lovely Hannah has set up a beautiful shop showcasing local artists and crafters in addition to the great workshops on offer. You can learn to knit, crochet, sew, make felt and even how to upholster a footstool! Go take a look at her website and book yourself a course, you won't regret it! Here's a few pics of the goodies I've got in her shop at the moment:

Sporting the new smaller tags

And, last but not least, I made my first 'wholesale' sale last week and some of my teacup candles will soon be ready for purchase at the Juniper Florist in Sudbury!

Small steps but big progress, so I'm feeling quite impressed with myself this week!

In limbo

2011-09-06T11:17:00.000+01:00

On account of being out of action for 3.5 days (and counting) due to what I have named The Mother Of All Headaches, I'm totally behind on everything, housework, proper work, crafty work, blogging etc. While I continue my unplanned leave of absence from the rest of the world, I thought I'd let you hve a look at some new photos I took last week. These crochet goodies are destined for the Etsy shop and shall be appearing at my upcoming events. I'm quite excited about them and will share more info soon!

(camera not included)

Normal service should resume soon!

Racing against the sun

2011-09-02T11:00:00.001+01:00

Yesterday saw the first sunny day in what feels like an eternity so I decided to do a photoshoot of all my new candles which have been waiting for the nice weather. I realised I left it a bit late in the afternoon and so had to race against the sun as it was moving over the house to the front garden and therefore the house was casting a large shadow in the back garden. Note to self, do it at midday next time, not 3pm!

I was frantically snapping away hoping to get a few decent shots and I was also moving the table around to get it in the sun as much as possible. Late afternoon sun in our garden casts some huge shadows so that was a challenge, but it has made for some interesting photos (at least I think so).

These candlesare destined to be listed in my Etsy shop over the weekend but I thought I'd give you a sneak peek of a few and if you like any of them you can get in touch and have first dibs cos once they're gone, they're gone!

Fabric related happiness

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000+01:00

On a recent trip to Ikea, I picked up some quirky fabric which makes me wonder how best to use it. It's different to what I normally like but the random modern print is pretty cool (and so 'Ikea').

Any ideas what this could be good for?

Food, food mixers and fabric

2011-08-30T16:49:00.000+01:00

Hello! Hope the bank holiday was delightful for you, we had a lovely three days off. The weather was dubious here in Braintree but we had a good one anyway and even managed to have a bbq and eat outside (considering the schockingly bad weather this summer, I felt this was worth a special mention)!

Mr PC and I treated ourselves to an early anniversary celebration and went to Jamie's Italian in Cambridge and stuffed our faces with some great Italian food. I was majorly disappointed that they had run out of calamari before I got to place my order, but the tiramisu was pretty good so I forgave them in the end! Next time, I'm ordering the calamari ahead of my arrival!

While we were in Cambridge, we mooched the shops and spent a while in John Lewis which has to be one of my fave shops for browsing. There's something about John Lewis that makes me want to spend money I don't have... The Kitchen Dept always makes me swoon and I have decided that the Birthday Fairy should bring me this for my birthday this year:

Glittery metallic pink Kitchen Aid? Yes please! *swoon*

I NEED this in my kitchen. I actually stood in the shop and stroked it until the shop assistant asked me if I was alright...

While in the Haberdashery Dept - obligatory on any visit to John Lewis - I happened upon some lovely gold striped jersey fabric which I picked up (half price) for a wee project I found on Pinterest. Pics to follow at a later date. I also grabbed some cute fat quarters which are destined to become something special. I can't tell you what as it may be a pressie for someone, if I can bear to part with it, that is! But here's a pic so you can swoon over it just like I did.

Now it's Tuesday but it feels like Monday and I think I'm suffering Post Bank Holiday Depression, so I'm off to pick up the crochet hook to cheer me up.

PS. Speaking of crochet hooks, I sold my first giant crochet hook on Etsy yesterday, woohoo! Why not buy one and make a gianr crochet project?

I'm sew organised

2011-08-26T11:13:00.000+01:00

Earlier in the week I posted about my (finally) finished sewing box, and the lovely Kath requested some pics once it was full.

Well I got my Organiser Hat on and tidied up my stash last night and got most of it neatly into the sewing box. I was like a pig in poo...

full to the brim with crafting goodies

staple gun, staples, pliers, mini screwdrivers, scissors, string, studs

buttons, bobbins, needles, pins, beads and button maker. fyi the pink pin cushion velcros to the sewing machine!

jar of spare buttons for clothes I prob don't have any more

jar full of ric rac and yes it does say 'fluff' on it!

I've pretty much fitted everything I wanted to into this lovely vintage storage solution. It's not really a 'sewing box' but more of a 'crafting box'. I still have my small sewing basket for threads and scissors etc but this big box now houses all my other paraphenalia. The down side is that the sewing machine pedal doesn't fit but Mr PC has promised to make an insert box which will sit on the bars at the bottom, thereby giving me even more space!

How do you store all your crafty equipment?

Guest Post on Wild Olive

2011-08-23T11:56:00.000+01:00

Today's post is actually over on Wild Olive and it is my very first guest post!

I'm currently sponsoring Mollie's blog (check her out, she's ACE!) and as part of the sponsorship she includes all her sponsors in different themes and giveaways each month. The theme this week is friendship and I had a good idea for a post so thought I would write something for her. When it came to writing it, the post ended up being about something else entirely but that's ok cos sometimes that's the best kind of writing.

I don't usually draft and re-draft my writing but I must say that I did really think about setting the right tone with this piece. I wanted it to be uplifting more than anything else and I did have those creeping feelings of doubt as I pressed 'send'. Now that it's published, I think I got it right after all and I'm rather pleased with it.

So click here to read my post titled The Value of Good Friendship and I welcome your thoughts and comments, good, bad or indifferent.

Behold the vintage beauty!

2011-08-22T14:39:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I showed you a vintage sewing box which was a total ~~impulse~~ investment buy for me. Well, it has finally had its interior makeover with a bit of neon pink fablon! The fablon was a nightmare to find as apparently the company that makes it has gone bust, but thanks to eBay Mr PC found me some. I originally wanted a flowery or stripey pattern but choice was limited and so when in doubt, go pink!

Now all I need to do is reoganise all my sewing and crafting supplies!

Suprise Giveaway - Winner

2011-08-19T16:40:00.000+01:00

And the winner is.... Gem!!

Gem said...: This sounds like a great giveaway : ) I am already a follower xxx; 11 August 2011 12:50

Thank you to everyone for entering and keep an eye out for further giveaways!

Loads of new events coming up!!

2011-08-19T16:30:00.001+01:00

I've got lots of craft fairs and markets booked between now and Christmas and a few more still in the pipeline, so I'm going tobe a busy lady in the next few months!

Take a look at them all on my Facebook page and RSVP if you can come!

Also, if you know of any good craft fairs/vintage markets in the Essex area please let me know!

Finished WIP: Hoopla Mat

2011-08-12T10:49:00.001+01:00

This has been my quickest crochet project in a while and I must say I'm rather pleased with it! In my last post I mentioned that I ran out of yarn, well after a rethink I unpicked it all and started again but this time making the mat in a circle.

At first I was having problems getting it to be flat as it was turning out to be rather bowl-shaped but after finding this video on YouTube I figured out where I was going wrong. So here it is, the finished article!

I took it along to Knit and Natter on Wednesday and as there is a bit of counting involved, I had to unpick a few times cos counting and chatting at the same time is a bit tricky! I was also running out of yarn, so the last round is actually just a round of double crochet instead of the trebles that the other round are made of. And in true irritating style, I ran out of yarn with just 4 stitches to go! AARRGGHH! But I don't think it notices too much really, so hey, ho!

In hindsight, I think the mat would have been a lot bigger if I had used a smaller hook as I used an 18mm (the one Mr PC made me). I think I could have used a 10 or 12mm and got a few more rounds in. So lesson learned for next time!

PS. Have you entered my giveaway yet??

Surprise Giveaway!!

2011-08-11T10:44:00.002+01:00

I'm feeling generous this week and so I've decided to do a giveaway! The gift will be a surprise, so who knows what you would win... I'll give you one clue - it will be a Princess Crafts creation!

So now you're thinking, 'how do I enter?'

Well, there are three ways you can enter the Surprise Giveaway:

Follow/subscribe to this blog and leave a comment on this post. Make sure to leave an email address or another means of contacting you.
Like my Facebook page and leave a comment on this post
Tweet this message then leave a comment on this post "I've entered the Surprise Giveaway on the @PrincessCrafts blog. You can enter too! http://ow.ly/60w07"

Things you need to know:
~ For your best chances of winning, do all three and make sure to leave three separate comments, one for each of the entry methods.
~ Anonymous entries will not be counted, so make sure you leave an email address or that you are easily contactable via your profile.
~ This giveaway is open to everyone and I will ship internationally.
~ The Surprise Giveaway will close at midday Thursday 18th August 2011.
~ The winner will be drawn at random and contacted shortly afterward.
~ If I cannot contact the winner within 1 week of the draw, I will select another winner.

Good Luck!!

Pics from the garden

2011-08-10T11:46:00.000+01:00

Today's post is over on my Garden Diaries page, so click here to take a look!

WIP: Hoopla mat

2011-08-09T08:00:00.000+01:00

I recently discovered Hoopla yarn and have had a bobbin for a while. Mr PC finally got round to making me a super size crochet hook and so this weekend I got working on a new bath mat for the bathroom. I know that's a bit random but I didn't know what else to do with it. As it is actually t-shirt material, I think it will make a good bath mat as it'll be washable.

I've used a whole bobbin here and the mat is only about half the size I want, so I might have a rethink and make it a circle instead. Or I might buy another bobbin but at £8.99 they're not exactly cheap. When I find my thinking cap, I'll pop it on and see what I come up with.

Look how big and chunky it is though!

Back to the super hook made by Mr PC, how about this for a crochet hook!

Now, it may not look that big in this pic but when you compare it to a 3.5mm hook, you can see its mammoth proportions!

Measuring 15mm, it's fairly large and ideal for chunky crochet. It's surprisingly easy to work with at it's quite light. Thank you Mr PC!

Gettin' with the ripple

2011-08-08T12:22:00.001+01:00

Hello, hello! What a lovely weekend that was! Just me and hubby with nothing in particular to do but please ourselves, ah bliss! We popped over to Ickworth House near Bury St Edmunds and had a mooch round there and then a lovely picnic of Spanish tapas (made by me) while using our vintage blue Brexton picnic hamper which is complete with 4 settings of china cups, saucers, and plates. I must say I felt rather smug and very civilised as we saw everyone else had pre-packed supermarket sarnies and paper plates.

Anyway, I digress. Today's post is about getting to grips with rippling!! Learning to ripple crochet is something I've been lusting after for a while and I decided to put it off til I was a bit more 'au fait' with crochet in general. I'd heard it was tricky to get the hang of so was wary but I found some great instructions from Lucy at Attic 24 and after a couple of false starts, I was off! I used some scrap wool to get started and I actually found it easier than I thought. : )

This weekend I was ready to graduate to actually making something, so I've started making myself a scarf for the winter. I'm using some super soft and cosy wool that I got in the sale at Hobbycraft and this is what it looks like so far:

It's not very wide, but that's the plan as I want a fairly narrow scarf which hopefully will go with most things in my wardrobe. The dark pink will be the main colour with the sky blue and duck egg blue being alternated. I'm in love with it already!

The ripples are quite easy to do but this is def a crochet style that needs full attention. There is a lot of counting involved, and I'm not very good at that. It has to be in multiples of 14 too which took some brain cells to figure out. There's not a lot of room for mistakes cos if you miss a stitch here or there it makes the ripples come out wonky. A lot of undoing has been done, but that's what I like about crochet - if you do it worng you can easily pull it out and do it again!

I wish you could feel the gorgeous softness of this scrummy wool...

I can't wait to see how the scarf looks when it's a bit longer!

PS. What are you making at the mo?

What next...?

2011-08-05T13:44:00.001+01:00

Hello, I'm back!

The last week has been a whirlwind of wedding excitement as my wee sister got married in a beautiful castle in our homeland of Scotland. The run up to the wedding was fraught with stress, excitement and (some) drama but once the day came, everything went swimmingly! All year, we've been focusing on the wedding and I for one, wasn't planning any further than that day. The thought of organising past that date was too much for my lttle head. Now it has passed, and the new Mr & Mrs are on their honeymoon (Thailand) my whole calendar for August is free!

So what next?

Well, I don't know yet.

This weekend I shall be thinking about how to get back into my making mojo and of course planning some exciting blog posts. So watch this space, and in the meantime, here is a wee pic of the outstandingly beautiful bride on her fairytale wedding day.

A short pause

2011-07-27T08:00:00.001+01:00

As of today, I shall be taking a short break and pressing 'pause' on crafting, the business and work in general as I'm heading back to the Homeland for my sister's Big Fat Scottish Wedding.

Normal service will resume late next week!

WIP: Becoming a bona fide business lady - update 1

2011-07-26T08:00:00.001+01:00

In my last post re this WIP, I talked about the first steps I took to becoming a proper business. Well, the business course is over with now and for the most part I found it very interesting and helpful. Although, I haven't done anything with my profit and loss or cash flow sheets since then... numbers are just not my forte!

Today I want to update you on the most recent developments:

Princess Crafts products are now stocked in two shops - The Traditional Vintage Flower Company and Make Do and Mend. This makes me feel like a proper business!! And there's a long list of shops still to be contacted for opportunities!
I have two blog sponsorships here and here plus another one in the pipeline for the beginning of August.
I'm organising my very own craft market in August. This scares me but it's so exciting!
I have a number of events booked between now and Christmas plus a few more in the pipeline.
And I'm working on some new ideas for product lines and there is plenty more to come in the next few months!

Phew, that's just the highlights from the last few weeks but it does seem like things are coming together now and hopefully the run up to Christmas (sorry to say the C word!) will be busy and exciting!

Fabric related indecision

2011-07-25T12:03:00.000+01:00

I'm a very decisive person and it is rare that I dither about trying to decide what to do. However this all changes when I visit my local fabric shop. Once I step foot in this fabric filled Aladdin's cave, I am so overcome with indecision that I can spend hours in there umming and ahhing about what to buy.

My most recent visit saw me going with no particualr needs but 'just for a look' and I came home with some fabulous fabrics that are just too nice to be chopped up and made into something! Take a look at these beauties!

Ginormous cupcakes!

Vintage style rose print


Twit-twoo!

I have no idea what I will make with these, but for now I quite like looking at them and admiring their prettiness!

Embracing 'Previously Loved'

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000+01:00

I don't really 'do' second hand stuff. There I said it. Shoot me now. Until last year, I hardly ever went to charity shops except to make donations. But when I started Princess Crafts, I found myself visiting charity shops and the odd antiques centre. I buy a lot of the china I use for my candles in charity shops and I do like the idea of taking something old and turning it into something new. But I'm still very ~~picky~~ selective and I still, on the whole, dislike charity shops. (It's the smell and the depressing nature of most of them that makes me want to spend as little time in there as possible.)

Mr PC has discovered an interest in visiting boot sales and has picked up some good finds. I absolutely refuse to get up so ridiculously early on a Sunday morning (or any morning, for that matter) to plod around a field looking at people's junk. I know one man's junk is another man's treasure, but as I said, I don't 'do' second hand. But he enjoys it and has bought some nice things for me to use for Princess Crafts, for ridiculously low prices.

There are a few good boot sales near us and there is one on a Saturday that starts at 11.30 (much more civilised, I say!) so we went along one day and while the turn out was dire due to the dubious weather, I did spot a lovely mirror which became mine after Mr PC bartered with the lady.

We have a rather dark hallway downstairs, so this mirror is perfect for shedding some light on the subject. It needed a good clean and I ditched the dodgy chain it's meant to hang from and whilst it's not worth anything, I think it looks quite expensive.

I'm slowly adding to my collection of thrifted items and while I don't think I'll be wholly converted from brand spanking new and modern, I am now more open to previously loved items which I can give a new lease of life.

What thrifty finds have you had recently?

Garden Post

2011-07-20T09:56:00.000+01:00

Today's post is over on the Garden Diaries page where I've loaded some pic of the first flowers in the garden. Go take a look!

Finished WIP: Granny Square Blanket

2011-07-19T08:00:00.002+01:00

It is finally finished now and I'm really rather pleased with it!! I made this blanket up as I went along and I think it turned out pretty good!

The blanket measures 1m across and is made up of 36 large granny squares.

I finished the blanket with a large scalloped edging.

Some blanket facts

Weight : 800g
Balls of wool used: 16
Cost to make: £8
Hours to make: approx 40 hours (1hr per square + sewing and edging time)

My 1st Blog Award!!

2011-07-18T11:49:00.000+01:00

The lovely Kath (read her blog here) who I know from Knit and Natter has given me the Versatile Blogger Award which I'm pretty chuffed about. My first blog award! I have to reveal seven facts about myself before passing the award onto seven other bloggers. So here we go:

1 - I am Scottish although I've not really lived in Scotland very much and I was actually born in Spain. People think I have a funny accent and many have tried to convince me that I am: South African, from the West Country, Australian, and even Canadian. This is incredibly annoying.

2 - I am bilingual and have spoken Spanish (as well as English) since I learned to speak. I also speak French and some Italian and have an MA (HONS) in Translation and Interpreting.

3 - I have lived in: Madrid, Puerto Rico, Edinburgh, Granada (Spain), Mons (Belgium), Billericay, and now I live in Braintree. Edinburgh is where my heart is and one day I'll live there again.

4 - I am rubbish at maths and generally steer away from even trying any difficult sums. I think this is to do with the fact that I changed schools as a kid and went from learning British maths then American maths (so different) and then back to British maths. Confusing!! I can actually do the same sum three times using a calculator and get three different answers... And don't even bother asking me about algebra...

5 - I absolutely cannot eat eggs. The mere thought of eating them makes me feel queasy. I can only eat eggs in cakes and in Spanish omelette if I have made it myself. My husband always has scrambled eggs for breakfast when we stay in hotels and it always makes me want to vomit. Bleugh, even just writing this has made my tummy flip over.

6 - I recently learned to crochet and absolutely love it! I have so many ideas of things I want to make and more styles I want to learn that sometimes I don't know where to start!

7 - I am impatient, hate being told what to do, and detest being late. If I am late, it's always because of someone else (usually my husband) and that really annoys me!

Ok, so now that you know a bit more about me, I nominate seven other bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award and they are:

Mrs Thrifty of A Thrifty Mrs
The Girl from Just Me
Clara from Welcome to My World
Hummingbird Vintage
Mrs Biddle from Mrs Biddle's Bits and Bobbins
Sami from Teasemade
Mollie from Wild Olive

The Ugly Side of Perfection

2011-07-16T08:00:00.004+01:00

Recently in the blogging world, there have been murmurings about how blogs only shows the pretty/perfect/idyllic side of bloggers' lives and what an unrealisitc view readers get. To get what I mean, best read A Thrifty Mrs' blog posts and hte comments here and here.

This got me thinking about how blog readers only really get the image we as bloggers choose to portray. Nobody is perfect, and even 'showhomes' get dirty/untidy from time to time but no one is likely to read a blog that's all about how lazy you are with the housework and how crap your life really is.

In order to produce (hopefully) lovely photographs, I usually end up making the biggest mess ever. If I do a 'photo shoot' in the garden, all the chairs and pots need to move so they don't create unwanted shadows. If I take photos in the living room, all my ornaments/vases/candles get shoved out of the way in order to create the blank canvas on which I can place my items. If I take photos in my study then I have to shift all the ~~junk~~ paperwork off the desk. When I take photos for the Garden Diaries, I whiz round the garden tidying up the pots and take the washing line down first. And you can only imagine the state my dining room gets into when I have the sewing machine out! To create the look of tidiness, sometimes the only way to do it is by making a huge mess!

On this note, I thought I'd show you some 'behind the scenes' pics of what my living room looks like this week after Mr PC went to the school fair with all my wares. This stuff all lives up in the loft when it's not in use but for a number of ~~excuses~~ reasons, it's still lying around a week later. I will blame it on my busted up knee which has meant I can hardly stand or walk properly at the moment and therefore plenty of housework chores have gone undone.

Now, anyone who knows me will know that I am a tidy person and they'll probably think that my house is always spick and span. Well this is true to some extent, BUT sometimes life is too interesting for housework and I only do the dusting when we are having visitors!

So here, in all its untidy glory, is my living room!!

Opened boxes and stuff everywhere after a garden photoshoot

Half emptied drawers not put back together yet

Yes that is a mountain of ironing, and there's another lot hanging over the bannister!

Even Bubble is impressed with the mess!

So there it is, the reality of my bloggy 'perfection'!!

Creating a New Market

2011-07-15T10:49:00.000+01:00

I have done a number of craft fairs in the last 6-7 months and have really enjoyed meeting other crafters and also the lovely peeps who buy things from our stalls. I'm tarting to get repeat visitors now which is super exciting!

For me, meeting other like minded crafty folk is a big part of it and I do believe we should all support the handmade market. To my knowledge, there are no craft fairs in my immediate area but this does not mean that there are no artisans looking to sell their wares. After a particularly awful craft fair one weekend, I got thinking about what I felt went wrong with it and how it could have been better. This led me to thinking about what I would do if I was the organiser. And in turn, this has led me to creating my very own craft market!

I may be biting off more than I can chew, and it may go completely wrong and turn out to be a rubbish idea. But then again, it could go swimmingly and be a super successful day which can turn into a regular event..! Who knows, but I'm going to give it my best shot!!

The very first Braintree Food and Craft Market will be on Saturday 20th August 2011 at the Braintree Community Centre 10am-4pm and my aim for this event is to make it fun for all the family. More details on what will be on offer will follow in due course, but for now I'm searching for stall holders so I am unashamedly shouting out to all foodies and crafters in the Braintree/Essex area who would be interested in having a stall at this new up and coming market to get in touch!!

More info about the Braintree Food and Craft Market can be found here but you can also email me: adminATprincesscraftsDOTcoDOTuk

Please please please tell everybody about this market as without public support these events cannot survive so I urge you all to come along, bring a friend and tell everybody you know!!!!

Thank you!

Mr PC runs the stall

2011-07-14T08:30:00.001+01:00

Last Saturday I had a stall booked at a school PTA fair but managed to double book myself with my sister's hen night. I could only attend one event so obviously went to the hen night (I was organising it) which meant that my lovely Mr PC did the stall for me at the school!!

Not many hubbies would do that for their wifey so I am a lucky girl. Mr PC always comes to my events and helps me out so I wasn't concerned about him doing this one on his own altho I did think it might dent his street cred standing there with all my really girlie stuff, seeing as he works at the school! He didn't mind and actually had a pretty successful day! He even took pics of the stall with his fancy new camera, so here they are for you to admire:

Looks good doesn't it? Might get him to do some more stalls...

New Product: Phone covers

2011-07-13T08:00:00.003+01:00

Hello! Here we are, it's Wednesday again, which means we're halfway through the week, woo!!

I've been experimenting with some new ideas and putting my crochet skills to good use and so have created some phone covers. If like me, you hate getting your gadgets bashed and sratched, then these might be right up your street!

Crocheted phone covers

These little pouches fit snug over the phone and will act as a barrier to sratched and scrapes, particularly when in your bag.

Burgandy and light blue - £5


Royal blue with silver fleck - £5

At the moment, these goodies are available exclusively on my Facebook page, so shout if you'd like one for your phone or gadget. I can make them any size you need! More colours and patterns to follow soon so keep an eye out.

Wedding makes

2011-07-12T08:00:00.001+01:00

As I've mentioned, my sister is getting married soon and we had the hen night at the weekend. I thought I'd show some pics of a few things I did for her.

Customised veil with sparkly beads

Customised keepsake box

A few keepsakes for the box

What wedding related makes have you made?

I Do Cookies

2011-07-11T13:06:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I spotted some bride and groom cookie cutters and just had to have them. I first used them for my Royal Wedding Tea Party but the real reason I bought them is cos my sister is getting married soon and so I used them to make cookies for the hen night. I used the vanilla biscuit recipe from The Great British Book of Baking (tie in with BBC2's Great British Bake Off) and I must say they were rather tasty!

I also made some heart shapes just to mix it up a bit.

Decorating these cookies was a challenge. Royal icing is not my friend so I decided to steer clear of that. Last time I made a sugar icing it didn't dry out and they all stuck together. Fondant icing is too much effort for a few cookies. So, I thought I'd be smart and use some 'ready to use' icing from Sainsbury's and I bought a pink tube and a white tube of Silver Spoon Designer Icing.

I've never seen this kind of icing before and am quite impressed to see it comes with three nozzles!

Normally I wouldn't 'cheat' and would make the icing myself, but sometimes life is too short for the aggro icing causes me. So I was feeling quite smug about it all as I was coming home from the shop.

Long story short, this icing is CRAP. I had to squeeze the tube so hard I instantly had cramp and maintaining the pressure is just not possible. The icing comes out really thick and gunky and is almost impossible to control. I did a few test runs with the star nozzle and the stupid icing wouldn't stay put when I tried to take the nozzle away.

I'm pretty nifty with an icing bag so I was unimpressed at how difficult this stupid tube is to use. I decided maybe it was because the icing was too cold, so popped it in some hot water to see if that loosened it up. WRONG. This just intensified the not-quite-set jelly consistency. At this point I was inventing some new swear words and cursing the stupid idea of cutting corners with shop bought icing. I thought the white tube might be different but alas it was the same crapola as the pink stuff...

Crappy icing

So, I ditched the silver spoon crap and dug out some 'icing pens' from my supply box and got to work. Ahh, much better!

See how much fatter the pink stuff is?

The end result was actually quite good, and I'm most impressed at my freehand bow ties on the grooms. I'm rubbish at drawing but they came out quite well. (Altho my mum thought the grooms were penguins...)

The cookies were scoffed at the hen night and everyone asked about the recipe. We also had some adorable cupcakes courtesy of one of the other bridesmaids. These were really good!

Happy Birthday

2011-07-08T08:00:00.001+01:00

Today Princess Crafts turns 1!!

A whole year ago today, Princess Crafts started as a hobby/blog and in that time it has developed into a real business. To celebrate, I have decided to offer a 20% discount on everything in my Etsy shop!

AND for the very 1st person to make a purchase, there will be an additional suprise gift!

Image source

So, head over to my shop right now and see what you fancy! Use promo code HAPPY at the checkout to get your 20% off until Wed 13th July.

Happy birthday to me!

WIP: Granny Squares - update 2

2011-07-06T15:59:00.002+01:00

In a previous post I wrote about my growing pile of Granny Squares and I just thought I'd let you know that these are now all crocheted together and I'm now working on the edging to finish off the blanket!

I have no pics of this current stage as I'm too eager to get it done and show you the finished article in all its glory (a bit like a painter who won't show his work til it's finished).

If anyone knows of a good edging I could use to finish it off, please let me know! Watch this space for the finished pics...

My next crochet project might be to have a go at one of these. I just HAVE to know how to make these ripples!!

The Garden Diaries

2011-07-05T16:44:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I mentioned Mr PC is a bit green-thumbed and likes to grow fruit and veg. Well there's a whole page dedicated to his growing efforts! Go take a look and see what we've got growing in our garden.

This is what our garden looked like in 2008 when we moved into our house:


2008

And this is what is looks like now!!

2011

You'd hardly believe it's the same space...

Apple and Raspberry Cake

2011-07-04T12:21:00.000+01:00

Since we moved into our house three years ago, Mr PC has developed an interest in gardening and mainly 'growing food' as he puts it. This year we have had a bumper crop of raspberries and we can hardly pick and eat them quick enough! I love rasps but rarely buy them as they are expensive and generally tasteless, so having an endless (free) supply has been fab! 7 kilos of fruit and counting!


Rampant rasps

Aside from scoffing them straight off the plants (who, me?) or eating them in a flan, I've been keen to find some other uses for them so when A Thrifty Mrs posted a few days ago with a new cake recipe, I jumped at the chance to get baking! As if I need an excuse...

Apple and raspberry cake = num yummy

And let me just say, it was so good, that there is none left! It didn't even last a whole 24 hours. I urge you to make it!

On the subject of cake, I also made a raspberry cheesecake at the weekend from Cake Days and while it tasted great, it looked rather sloppy. I think this was to do with the bain marie you cook it in which I think caused some water to get in the mixture, making it slightly loose. I guess I'll just have to make it again to get it right...

What have you been baking recently?