Hot Air Balloon Craft Project.

Today we finally finished our Easter project! We made a sweet hot air balloon for Minor's room. I wish I had taken photos of the process. I will take you through step by step. Materials: Balloon, paper, glue, water, paint, matches, ribbon or string, egg carton, little people/figurines to go in the hot air balloon basket! 1. Blow up your balloon to a size you like. Diddie or huge. 2. Mix glue and water. I think I did about 1:2 ratio. To be honest I don't think it matters too much. 3. Tear up smallish pieces of paper. It will depend on the size of your balloon. For a regular sized balloon I used paper about the size of milk carton lid. We used our old IKEA catalogue. 4. Dip each piece in the glue mixture and start covering your balloon. Cover around the knot. We did about 3 layers but it could have done with a couple more as the IKEA catalogue is fine paper. It can help to use different colours for each layer so you can tell where you have covered. 5. Place your balloon in an airing cupboard or somewhere toasty warm overnight or until dry. 6. Burst the balloon (snip the knot and keep hold of it) and gently pull it out of the botton where the knot originally stuck out. I then quiclky covered the hole with a couple more layers and left to dry again. 7. Have fun painting it lovely colour and leave to dry. 8. Cut the two ends off your egg carton lid and stick together. I found blue and pink egg boxes in ASDA and Sainsbury. 9.String your ribbon through the egg cartons and tie a match stick to the end (see photo). This is so that you only have to make a small hole in your papiermache balloon and the match will settle horizonatally and will be secure. See photo. I dabbled a little superglue so that I knew the ribbon wouldn't budge when I pushed it through the hole. 10. Make two holes in bottom of balloon and thread the match sticks through. 11. I used fishing wire/thread to then use another matchstick and hole in top to ham from the ceiling. 12. Place your little person inside, hang and enjoy. We spent a while blowing it and watching Kitty and Mimi in their balloon. She's already looking forward to bedtime!

Quand Automne en Saison Revient

Quand automne en saison revient, La forêt met sa robe rousse Et les glands tombent sur la mousse Où dansent en rond les lapins. Les souris font de grands festins Pendant que les champignons poussent. Ah ! que la vie est douce, douce Quand automne en saison revient. SAMIVEL (1907-1992)

Sewing a new sofa cover

It is late once again so I'll keep this brief. I've finished my sofa cover. Can I hear a "yeehaa"! It actually only took me 5 hours from thinking about the pattern to finishing the last stitch. As I said previously I used cheap IKEA curtain liners so it looks a little like a drop sheet. It's given me the confidence to eventually buy some nice fabric. I would alter certain parts of the sewing design were I to do it again. I will post the patterns/stages I used. There were only 5 stages so it really is straightforward. Have you ever made a sofa cover? My mind is now going wild with fabric ideas and fun prints :-)

Autumn Craft ~ Ma saison prefere

Minou and I set about crafting up the autumn season today. I'd seen some pins on pinterest that I wanted us to try out. She was initially more keen on playing either dollies or mamas and papas. However, mention glitter and she's all yours! We constructed a simple pipecleaner tree with added leaves and *glitter*, coloured in an autumn scene and made a cotton wool cloud with ribbon rain. We've been talking about season's recently so it was nice to make it more concrete and practical. All you need: Cotton wool. 3-4 x Pipe cleaners. Blue ribbon. Orange and green paper. We used a paper plate for our cloud. Glue. Glitter and patience (for when a whole tub of glitter is accidentally spilt on the carpet)! Have fun. X

Insomnia

Last night I finally turned out my light at 1am knowing my daughter would wake in 6 hours time. As I lay there my mind floated to the lounge I had just been rearranging. Again. I found the perfect t fit for my sewing machine and set about making it a tiny sewing haven. For some reason in the recesses of my mind I thought about the cheap IKEA curtain liners I had kept hold of for 6 years (yes, 6 years. Once a hoarder, always a hoarder). My mind started visualising my lounge and this IKEA fabric and bingo ~ sofa cover! I began wrestling the pattern and dimensions in my head and then forced myself to shut down and sleep. Fast forward to tonight and I'm giving it a go! It's half done and I've made a mistake which is not too obvious and most of all, its so fun and very satisfying. I have just worked out that 1 year ago I made my first dress for my daughter and since then I've managed to make 3x. Dresses, 2x trousers, 1x poncho, 1x top and half a sofa cover! Once you get the basics the sewing world really is your oyster. Go for it! Make that thing that's been on your mind. Right trying for a bedtime this side of today. And still have laundry and the food to pack up. I think I'll be grabbing my frozen coffee icecubes to chuck in my drink bottle tomorrow as I dash out of the door in a mad rush. Night, slept tight and dream of patterns.

Choices

As I sit and write this I am deciding between cup of tea or glass of wine, BBC iPlayer or movie, admin or knitting. The rain has begun beating the windows, I love that sound. I have been discussing craft based Christmas presents with a friend. We will be making gifts every week for the next few months. First up for me will be two knitted hats for my nieces. I am new to knitting. In my whole life I have only ever knitted a scarf and now this hat. A good friend showed me around the basics and wow I was surprised that once you find your 'tension' groove that you're really on your way. Right off for a glass of wine (decision partly made because l ran out of milk this afternoon)! Knitting: This pattern is really straightforward. Knit and purl on size 3 1/4 needles for 7 rows. Knit and purl on size 4 for many more! Decrease on a knit and purl alternatively for 10 rows. Stitch a few extra rows for a little 'peak'. Sew together. Voila.

Its been a magpie week. trying to find the shine amongst the weeds

it's been a tough couple of days... However, there are always glimpses of shining moments that make the day sing ever so faintly if you listen hard enough and reach down into your soul. My moments of joy today have come from the slow pace of learning to knit. Sitting still with soft yarn moving through my fingers. In listening to my minou reading 'green eggs and ham' by Dr Seuss in her bed at nap time. Hearing her sweet voice try to recite the prose with intonation giving away her delectable humour. It's been in sitting with friends eating rose geranium cupcakes whilst celebrating 3 years since birth of a little friend. I am trying to navigate these currents waves in my life. Having been shipwrecked in choppy times. It has been a serious case of flotsam and jetsam. Filtering through what's left, restocking what has been lost and finding out what this boat actually looks like. It's hard reflecting on the crevices that have always existed. How to fix them? How to move forward? I need the grace of God. I have the grace of God and yet I find it hard to allow in my life.this needs more pondering. Pondering is always good and always instills a sense of hope in me, deep down, in my core. Another one of those moments. X

Daughter, Work, Icecream. in that order.

Sitting here watching my baby sleep, having just held her as she drifted off. I am so grateful that I get to do that with her. My first baby. My first.
I spent the morning focusing on my 'work' because I chose to rather than had to. It was good. I felt a revitalisation. It made the rest of the baby week seem more gleaming. What does that say?...
I missed my girl. I smothered her in kisses when she came back home at lunch.
Where oh where will this year go? How much faster will it go by and where will I/we be by Christmas? Its quite frightening and daunting to think of it like that.
Right the coffee icecream is calling to me and as my daughter is now asleep I shall go indulge...

Pitter Patter

Pitter patter of tiny feet in my womb!

The Perfect Way to Spend a Sunday...

The best remedy when feeling under-the-weather:

+ A tidy home
+ Friends over to eat spicy slow roasted lamb shanks with good wine
+ An impromptu slow dance by my husband in our bedroom surrounded by clean laundry
+ An early night in bed with DVDs

= A slightly cheered soul ready to face another week

Colours!

Its all about the colours!
I love colour at the moment. It boosts.


Colour, colour, colourful.
Brightens up the day x

a day of nourishing

today I plan to nourish.
i'm going to paint a present
cook a hearty batch of food
write a letter or two
phone a friend
and finally go to a food festival with another friend
...
life is good.
nourishment soothes and revives,
nourish yourself.
...

Le Travail

Comme j'en ai marre de traviller TOUS LE TEMPS! Just another trooping-on session (or two, or three) and then I can take a well earned break with Audrina.
Ooh I cannot wait.

Coffee, flowers, music and I am ready to recommence with the work...

* NEWS JUST IN*
I'm off the the Netherlands to see a dear, dear friend! I am so excited I could poop (that's for you Audrina!).
We've had many a fun time. So many memories-too many to count. But just to titillate you...here are a few:

Italian Friends


Umm,...!

I can't wait to have coffee with you, listen to celine and make our broccoli dish!

A bientot mon amie!

Lets Eat!

Well i'm not sure what this blog will be just yet but i'm sure it'll take shape over time.

Okay, its getting there bit by bit.
Right I must go and make supper-we are hungry!

Test

Here is my first test post! Lets hope it works how I wish...