Crafty times in the Frugal house

 It's been an age since I did anything crafty other than sewing my ice cream cones and knitting little hats. So yesterday when I came across this blog tutorial I thought why not!!!
 So I took one simple boring Wilko's notebook (75p for 3), added some pages from yesterdays atlas (free) and a roll of double sided sticky tape (been around for donkeys but possible about £1?)

 Almost an hour and the latest episode of 24 hours in A&E on 4OD, and voila!
 A nautical look notebook that would make any sailor proud! I'm having a big coastal decoration vibe on at the moment so this was a lovely tie in project.

 Here are the before and after photos. Which do you prefer?
I'm off for a long lazy bath using one of my luxury rose scented bathbombs from Devon, and a read of 50 shades of Grey to see what all this fuss is about.
x xx

Wednesday's wonders

 I had a pretty uneventful meeting with my consultant, he has decided to not back me for a home birth but wants me in a local birthing unit instead. I'm still planning to attempted a home birth even after his lovely tales of my uterus splitting and my baby suffering from my foolishness. But at least it's over and done with now.
 On our way back from the appointment OH detoured us skillfully into our local Waitrose where it happened to be reduction time. We picked up 2 treacle tarts for 40p, a pack of Pain au Chocolat for 45p and a lovely looking fruit loaf for 39p. So tomorrow I can look forward to a yummy breakfast and some tasty elevenses and afternoon snacks. This baby is finally giving me an appetite and I find myself constantly grazing.

  An earlier visit in the day to the local free book shop found me these beauty's. An old Readers Digest Atlas perfect for some upcoming crafty projects. A vintage book called " The pebbles on the beach by Clarence Ellis", it is all about different types of stones you can find on the seafront and how to find, collect and organise them. It's quite nerdy but fascinating. An old Penguin book about the seashore, it's full of wonderful full page illustrations that are just begging to be used creatively, if I can find the will power to cut it up!!!

 And the forth books is called Super ABC Book. It looks pretty vintage to me and my untrained eye, and is full of wonderful illustrations like the ones in the photo above.

 It has cute little comic strip style storys and counting rhymes that are almost to cute!

I'm really tempted to copy out some of the illustrations, like this piggy, and use them as embroidery patterns on pillows and bedsheets for DD and bumps room.

 My plans this evening are to eat some delicious treacle tart and try some craft ideas out using my new atlas.
 x x x

Sunny Saturday

 When we arrived at the shop this morning I had 2 lovely letters waiting for me. I love receiving post so I was all excited that I had two things to open.
 The first was a free Euro 2012 wall chart I had ordered for my OH. He has given it pride of place in the shops kitchenette so he can keep track of his football.

 And the second was my prize from the lovely Fat Doormouse.
 I had a lovely little letter to enjoy reading with my morning cuppa, and a lovely french fridge magnet. Sadly the envelope was torn to pieces on arrival inside a little plastic bag covered in french writing. According to Doormouse's letter I was also supposed to receive a handmade bookmark but sadly it hasn't made the journey. As you can see from the letter I had to piece it back together to read it. But I did really enjoy receiving it anyway, thank you so much Doormouse :)

 After my post-a-thon DD and I sneaked out the shop to have a look at a local monthly craft fair. We went a little mad and snapped up 4 postcards for 10p each, 2 hair slides for DD at £1.50 and finally three of Thresa's legendary cakes for £2. It has taken all my strength and more to get those three cakes home intact for our pudding this evening!
 While we were out a friend of ours popped in to say hello to OH and say he was back from his holiday in France. He picked me up a french newspaper on his travels which has made for a fascinating gift as we spent a happy half an hour trying to work out what various headlines could be and translating them with google to see if we were right.

 And it's been such a lovely sunny day, we decided to take the scenic walk home and let DD have a good walk. After this awful patch of weather we've just had it was lovely to just stretch some muscle and breathe from fresh air. Funny enough the speed of a 2 year old  toddling is about the same as a 6 month pregnant lady waddling so we managed along very well.

Though we did have to have a few rest stops, but DD insists they were for her stuffed doggy and not for her. Funnily enough it was also stuffed doggy who kept picking treasure up all along the route.
Me; Why is there a stone in your pocket?
DD; Doggy stone
Me; ..and the feather?
DD; Doggy feather.

x x x x

Thursdays doings

  DD has been more awake and alert today so I wanted to try and get back on track with our home school this week. We coloured in the letter B using green pens, pencils and crayons and the finished it off by sticking on green things we found in the craft box. It kept her attention for about half an hour which really impressed me seeing as she is still suffering. She seems to have picked up B and Green very well. It now has pride of place on our learning wall next to the letter A from last week.

 During DD's afternoon nap I whipped up our dinner ready for this evening. We are having a nice Shepard's pie with some mince I found hiding in the freezer. I've added a tins of baked beans with sausages, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a handful of porridge oats. I also added a handful of sliced frozen mushrooms from the freezer stash.

 I was feeling a little bit creative with the mash potato so I added a few drops of green food colouring so it keeps in with our theme. This huge dish will feed us all for two main meals with some veggies. I'm looking forward to OH coming home so I can pop in the oven to warm through and then devour..Om nom nom
x x x

Bits and pieces

  I finished this little ladybird a few minutes ago. DD has become a bit obsessed with ladybirds lately and spot them everywhere we go. When I spotted a free knitting pattern for one online I just had to make it up for her. I knitted all the pieces during her nap yesterday and sewed it up during todays.

 What do you think of this cupboard? OH spotted it in a local charity shop for just £55. Its really heavy and sturdy and just perfect for DD and bumps bedroom. Plenty of storage for all their clothes and bedding with some to spare!!

 It fits just perfectly behind their door so it doesn't take up any playing room! He has such a great eye for things like this. I love it, though I am tempted to decorate each of the drawer fronts and make it really jazzy.

 

 And finally I've added a page to this blog to keep all DD homeschooling stuff together. Please have a looksie if you want, I'm hoping it will grow and cover all her lessons on the course we are trying.
x x x

Finding Fun - Week Five

 So another Finding Fun challenge is upon us, this week our theme is hands. My mind went into crafty overdrive when I saw that theme. First up I was going to try some nail art before DD had gotten up but sadly it was not to be and my plans were foiled.

 Yes. I realise they aren't hands, but DD's pretty painted toes are just so cute we can overlook that one right? I will have to remember how much she enjoyed this as it kept her quiet and calm while daddy was still in bed.

  The next idea I found was hand print animals after a quick google hunt we came up with elephants and giraffes. This is also a double whammy as it meant I could introduce next weeks home school theme which is Jungle. We have added them to our home school wall and DD is so proud of them. Just ask her dolly how many times she's been shown them lol.

Thank you for another selection of fun ideas Carolyn. And an extra thank you for picking me as the winner of last weeks entries. 

x xx

Sunday Outings and Monday's plans.

 Yesterday we visited my parents for the afternoon and we all ended up going to a local restaurant that had recently opened. I would love to say it was a nice meal out but it really wasn't. Two of our meals had be sent back because they were wrong and the whole place was sweltering hot. I certainly won't be returning in the near future :(
 DD enjoyed spending most the time blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk so she was happy.

Our plans for today are to start DD on some basic homeschooling using this scheme here. We still haven't decided anything long term but have agreed that she is ready to start learning now. So today we will be introducing the first weeks theme which is cows with some colouring, rhymes and stories on the bovine theme.
 I have already sorted out her craft box which has been on my list of things to do forever!!! Thanks to a horrible bout of heartburn this morning I was the first one up and able to get it organised in peace. I'm even £9 richer as I found some T***o voucher I didn't even know I had. As well as a Sun bonnet sue embroidery patch to do and an unopened pack of hair slides that I can crochet more hearts and flowers for.
 This afternoon is certainly going to be craft based with two new projects to get on with, my blanket is on a back burner as I'm waiting for some matching white wool to arrive at the local wool shop/
 Hope you all have a lovely Monday



x x x

Finding Fun - Dressing up

 Finding Fun Week 3 is here already :) And the theme this week is Dressing up. So feeling rather crafty this morning we started off by dressing up the Queen of Spoons in this stunning royal purple cape.

 And then we made her a happy dancing audience of paper dolls. DD decided that four was just to many people and ripped hers into partners before drawing on their faces and declaring them done. I may have gotten a little to involved with mine for a grown woman lol. I spent ages making little haircuts and designing their Jubilee outfits. So much time in fact that when I turned round to check what DD was up to ....

She'd made a sofa nest and nodded off. I can only guess in boredom. Poor thing.

 In other news I have had a scary letter through from the tax people but I don't understand it, either we owe them some money from years ago which is going to cause us some fairly substantial woes, or they owe us a really lovely amount which would give us a chance to do some wonderful things sooner than planned. Keep your fingers crossed for me, OH is going to phone them later this afternoon and find out which way our money is flowing.
x x x

Yesterday evenings doings.

While I was entertaining DD and crocheting flower squares to use up my stash and make a nice blanket....

..

OH was digging this wonderful wooden headboard out of our communal bin shed, cleaning it off, giving it a polish and attaching it to our bed. We've needed a headboard for a long long time, and the ones we've been looking at in the charity shops/furniture stores have been around £20 so that's a nice amount saved for a rainy day!!!
 Isn't he a clever chappy? I am so blessed to have him in my life, he's wonderful.
x x x

P.S It's nearly time for my 100th post giveaway to one of my lovely daily readers and followers. I'm getting excited.
x

Photo's of my day

  Our Veggie plants are growing well, and look pretty healthy to me. Having almost owned them for a week I am very pleased they haven't turned brown and crispy.

  OH had a quiet morning in the shop so used his free time to sort out this lovely photo frame and surprised me with it when he got home. It is just perfect for the TV table and has made me smile each time I glance at it. He also had a game come in the shop that I've been desperate to play with ages!!! I am such a spoilt wifey.

And I have finished the pom pon scarf I was knitting for SIL's birthday. I just need to wrap it up and pop it with her card ready for sending. I hope she likes it :)
 I have also been trying my first challenge from the second week of Finding Fun, but feel it deserves it's own post so will blog that in just a mo after my dinner.

 x x x

Crochet hair slides.

 Aren't these sweet? While hunting for some knitting needles earlier in the depths of my craft cupboard I found a huge pack of hair clips. I think I picked them up in the 99p shop a little while before Christmas. Its a pack of 50 plain coloured ones so they definitely needed jazzing up.
 A quick google led me to Little Birdie Secrets and her sweet and simple crochet heart pattern. I whipped these up while waiting for our dinner to cook. A well spent 30 minutes if you ask me.

x x x

Free Pom pon jumper pattern and reveal

2x 200gm balls of Rico Pom-pon in Spearmint. Fits age 2-3

 Here it is, my experimental Pom-pon jumper for DD. Sadly I finished sewing to late this evening to try it on her, but no way am I waking a sleeping toddler lol. All in all I am pretty happy with the result although my sewing skills leave a lot to be desired.
 It's made of 4 separate pieces.
2x 28 pom-pon by 24 rows.
2x 28 pom-pon by 32 rows.

 By sewing the smaller panels and the larger panels together in the way pictured below and folding the piece in half, you will make a very simple modular jumper.

I overlapped the smaller pieces onto the larger by 10 pom-pons. This gave me a nice even square neck with plenty of room for a toddler to pop their head in and out. The edges are really easy to sew up evenly and neatly as each row is nice a chunky, and the sewing stitches are hiding between the pom-pons.

 I realise this pattern is badly written up but I will review it tomorrow once I have had some much needed sleep. If you don't understand something just pop me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP.

x x x

DD's dress reveal.

 Ta dah! Forgive the lateness of the post, I finished sewing it up and promptly nodded off lol. All I need to do is press it into shape tomorrow and it ready for DD to enjoy. I will try and take a snap of her in it shortly. I loved the pattern and sewing it together was easy as pie even for my shocking needlework skills. Can definitely see more of these being made in the future.
x x x

Shopping bargain in April

  

 3 Retro (?) wooden puzzles 50p each.

Oh dear, I haven't been a very good blogger have I? Will you forgive me if I post about my latest charity shop bargains? 

 First I discovered these wonderful wooden puzzles, I say I discovered them, it was actually DD. My DD can spot something remotely duck shaped from a mile away. Behind the duck puzzle were the sheep and polar bear puzzles at the same price. I'm not sure how old they are but they needed a hefty clean when I got them home. The style of the animals is making me think late 70's perhaps. Anyone recognise them?

  Gorgeous sequin sundress with matching bolero and hat. Ages 3-4. £1.50

 Next up this wonderful dress for DD.  It is so light and summery, I'm putting it to one side to take on holiday with us soon. At only £1.50 I'm not worried if it doesn't survive the sand and beach based abuse holiday clothes can get. I'm tempted to take a snap of DD wearing it before we go.

 10 balls of Rico Pom pon in spearmint - £10.99   New Cath Kidston catalogue.

 And finally a sneaky peek in HobbyCraft led me to a bargain pack of wool. I'd been eyeing this wool up at a show I went to in London recently. Sadly they only had pinks and blues left and I wanted a neutral colour so I could make a little something for impending arrival. At £1.10 a ball this wool is better than the show price I saw of £1.25 and miles better than the £3 a ball the local wool shop is charging. I've almost finished my current knitting project (a dress for DD) so expect a post about my spearmint coloured creations soon.
  And after all this shopping I was delighted to find the new Cath Kidston catalogue waiting on my doormat. It will be the perfect read while I'm soaking in the bath this evening.

 Have you found any bargains lately?
x x x

Busy busy busy

All this horrible weather we've been having was keeping DD (and us) far to cooped up. And we all know that there is nothing quite as bad as a bored cooped up (almost) 2 year old. So we splashed out on a trip our local soft play centre. At £4 a time it's only an occasional treat but on this visit we were given a loyalty card. Every 5th visit is now free making it now an average of £3 a visit. I can these this being a firm favorite this winter as the general consensus it that this year its going to be a bad one.

DD and Mummy (me) playing in the ball pit. At first she wouldn't go near the ball pit bit but once mummy climbed in and should her it was safe and actually pretty fun we couldn't get her out.
My first 2 crocheted winter hats for Japan. I'm currently working on a handful of winter knits to send to a friend in Japan to distribute through their church to those in need.Sadly as its now old news japan and its suffering has been forgotten about by many people.
And finally a little bit of nap time crafting. Take one 2012 diary (£1 on local market) and one bag of foam stickers (ELC) and stick on gems (poundland). And hey presto.........
....one much improved diary for my handbag next year. No way could I stare at the that horrible puppy all winter.

DD approves. She loves trying to pick off the foam shapes and pushing the gems like buttons while singing "beep beep beep". I think I will have to reattach several of them next year but who cares if she's happy.

What have you all been making lately?
x x x

Frugal Valentines Decoration Tutorial

Being a quiet lazy Sunday with an OH watching several football matches I've been feeling an urge to craft bubbling away inside of me. So after a bit of imagination and experimenting here is my fugal valentines tutorial. Hope you enjoy.

You will need;

2 Oblongs of card/paper (One plain oblong and one fancy oblong.)

Scissors

Glue, Blutack, Sticky tape.

Step One; Cut out two oblongs the same size. I have used an old mail order catalogue but you could use wrapping paper, magazine pages, telephone books, sheet music or even fabric. Experiment and go wild!!!!

Step Two; Lay the two oblongs on top of each other and make as many or as few cuts along the length as you want. Cut no more than 4/5Th's of the length. Make sure you don't cut all the way to the end or you will end up with lots of little strips with the next step lol. Try to keep the cuts reasonably even.

Step three; Before you separate your two oblongs use your scissors to round off the uncut end. Now do you see why we didn't cut all the way along? These rounded edges will make your heart shape.

Step Four; Separate your two oblongs and lay them on top of each other as pictured above. Take the first strip of your fancy oblong and lay it over the top of the first strip of the plain oblong. The second fancy strip goes under the first plain strip and over the second plain strip. Continue weaving the strips over and under until you have your finished heart.

Step Five; One you have woven all the strips you should have something like the picture above. At this point you can use a dab of glue or sticky tape to secure the loose ends. Also if you find your edges are not quite even you can trim them down to neaten them. Step Six; Now you can really play with your creation. Above I have made several and decorated my front door. You could also use them in scrapbooks or card making, perhaps turn them into a piece of wall art or mobile. Endless possibilities await you.