My progress

I will start this by saying that cross stitch is going by the wayside at the moment. It is just that this rainbow loom is taking over :D

I find myself wanting to make all sorts of fun things, though I don't always get them right.

 This bracelet looks gorgeous from the front and then you turn it over....

 I missed a couple if bands so I have two wings and some of the black and yellow bands fell out. I think I will end up pulling it apart and trying again. I want it in one piece.

This is what happens when I try and do difficult patterns with the kids around they keep distracting me.

I showed this one the other day but I couldn't resist showing you again.

 

I have had fun learning how to make rings and bracelets and all sorts of fun things. The kids are having a ball though their father doesn't understand why Lana needs a 10th bracelet! But they are creating stuff and as I look at it she is learning to recognise the patterns and it's not dissimilar to crochet which I would like to teach her soon. She will be comfortable with a hook. 

I had my latest Moreton Bay Symphony Orchestra concert on Saturday. We played an awesome collection of music that included some awesome stuff from John Williams which is extremely difficult to play on the trumpet. Lots of fanfares and fun stuff. We also did fanfare for the common man by Aaron Copeland, which has an awesome trumpet fanfare to start the piece but the timing was difficult.

I have been doing some craft other than bracelets I have now officially finished the second repeat on my blanket. The colours are so lovely and yummy I am finding it exciting to work on. 

I took the blanket outside and tried to get some decent photos of the colours. But since it was only me trying to hold my phone the blanket and the ball of wool it didn't go very easily :D

You can get a much better idea of that pink though. It's not red its a quite rich pink but the camera doesn't like photographing the shade.

The grass was sopping wet so I had to hold it up I couldn't put it down and all. I must have looked funny out there. But the shots are artistic!

Happy Stitching everyone,

I'm going to get out afternoon tea for a bit today it's been neglected again!

Caitlin

Something New - March

 This month is the first time for my something new link party :D

I've been so excited about it! I have actually done a pile of new things this month some I have shown you and some I haven't yet. I'm sorry it will be picture heavy and the linkup will have pictures too. I can't resist the excuse to show photos.

Yesterday I went shopping and ended up in riot because the shop was there and calling my name. They happened to have rainbow looms for making rubber band bracelets. I may have bought one come home and made a large number of bracelets last night. The intention was to teach the kids so they can make things on the holidays which are only a week away!

That was my first bracelet I picked the hardest bracelet in the book to learn on.  I put a couple of new series of designs up on my etsy page. An around the world set, a bunny and chick, and lastly a princess belle parody. 

I finished my first turtle

 On a non crafty front for the first time ever we won a softball grand final. We have been runners up for so long but we just did such a good job.

Also I tried a new recipe, I didn't tell you about it because it was a disaster but I tried it.

It was broccoli and cheese soup but the kids hated it, my pan wasn't big enough and James barely ate anything that night! So a large disaster. But at least I'm trying to vary things in the kitchen. It would be kind of nice to do a version of it as a sauce for a chicken but not as the main meal again. It was too much!
Now if you have got this far here is where you link up. It's the place to celebrate the achievements you have made this month.


How it Works:

1. You must link to a post about something that you have made in the month the linky party is for. So if the post is for March you should have done the 'something new' in March not January. 
2. The post must be about 'something new' you have tried. 
3. It doesn't have to be a special post but it has to include something new but if you want to do a special post you can. It does have to be clear though that it is something new you haven't tried before. 
4. You have until the next linky party goes up to post your link. Which will be on the 28th of each month.
5. It's not required but a link back would be appreciated that way other people get to look at all the awesome things we are trying. :D

An InLinkz Link-up

Time spent...

The time I've spent on many crafts over the years is something I never regret. I have so many memories of picking out colours or fabrics or whatever with my mum and sometimes rarely with my sister.

One of the stand out memories for me about my grandma was the three days I stayed with them so that I could add the crochet edge onto her blanket that she was making for my cousin as she wasn't able to crochet. I also tried to teach her but that wasn't going to happen she couldn't get used to holding only one loop on the hook. I couldn't even get her doing a chain properly!

I went over to mum's the other day and brought along with me a new pattern that I want to make. It's a duffel bag by Ginger Cake. So we were sitting there discussing fabric choices and what will last longer. This meant going and exploring the cupboards downstairs to find the perfect fabric. Now we didn't find enough large bits that didn't already have another purpose when they finally get put together BUT we did find something else.

When I was about 15 or so... it could have been earlier could have been later I can't quite remember. I made myself a doll. Isn't she beautiful?

 The dress was meant to be fancier than this but I ran out of energy and ability. I was too lazy to hem properly. I remember having a conversation with my mum about it and her going well you do what you feel comfortable with. I now want to make another doll if I can find the book this pattern came out of and do a better finish for the dress. Something that is more to my skills now.

I had to do some hair restoration last night as she had lost some and other bits were falling out so there are two different browns in her hair. I don't know why I used blue thread when I first sewed the hair in many years ago but that appears to be the choice I made.

Back to the pattern. I have a piece of calico that we cut up that I will be turning into a trial run of the bag. Calico is the best thing for trying different patterns. I also have lengthened the handles as I want them to run all the way down the bag as I don't like handles to join just in one hem I never trust them not to fall out. I know myself too well and I would pile the bag up with too much stuff.

I have been working on my granny stripe. little by little it's getting bigger. I'm almost finished the second repeat of colours. This does seem to be the craft I'm going to more and more at the moment. It's just so easy to pick up and go without having to set anything up.

So I have a question if you've gotten this far

Have you ever made a rag doll?
Did you make toys for yourself when you were a kid? What did you make as a kid?
Do you have a favourite doll pattern?
I've got about 5 books but I can not find the pattern that makes this doll. All the arms are too straight out. I have to go through mum's cupboards instead of mine I mustn't have stolen borrowed that book.

Happy Stitching :D
Caitlin

p.s. don't forget my something new link up will be going up on FRIDAY!!! the 28th. I need to get into gear and load up the link widget and stuff ready to go.

An Easter Design

Because of Easter coming up I decided to actually make something for it, I don't usually but when these designs came to mind I couldn't resist.

 Meet Bunny and Chick!

They are the same size as my sprite patterns and other animals so they can be used for other projects and matched with them.

I also have another design in my around the world series. But it won't be going up on etsy until I can get some good photos but here is what it will look like.

It's a lady wearing a dirndl from either Austria or Germany. I will have to add this to my string of characters.

If you have a particular character you would really like to see please tell me and I shall see what I can do. Particularly if you know more about a particular outfit from around the world. 

I've also got a third design that is from a new series ... I'm addicted to disney particularly disney princesses. So I couldn't resist starting a princess series.

Although the chick and bunny are already up on Etsy it will take me a couple of days to get the rest of them up.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Happy Stitching,
Caitlin

My busy weekend!

I have had a crazy crazy crazy weekend.

Well maybe not that bad. I sat myself down and managed quite a lot of crochet because I had a really really good book that I wanted to read. Not that it matters that I've read the book 10 times before it's still a good book :D

I'm hooked on Terry Pratchet and his discworld series again. Commander Vimes in Snuff is just sooo clever.

On Saturday afternoon quite without planning it we ended up at the beach. The weather was beautiful and the kids spent 2 hours just playing in the sand and water while I got a chance just to sit and talk.
We went with one of L's friends and her mum which was great as we didn't stop talking the whole time.

C decided to collect rocks and shells from in the water and bring them up. This was his gift to me. I love the colours on the big one, there are some gorgeous purples in it.

Here they are working as a team to bring up an enormous rock that was sitting in the water. They wanted to take it home and were quite upset that they couldn't. I loved the fact that they managed to work as a team to get it up and I did get some good photos. It took all three of them to lift it. 

 Here is my gorgeous granny stripe blanket. I'm a bit further on, I've started the next purple. I'm updating my instagram with photos of this one fairly often. I don't want to bore everyone here with each new colour stripe. You can look me up I'm naughtscrossstitches. I do have a button up on the left.

I asked if James had any left over mdf from working on the car that I could turn into a chalkboard for the kids and this is the result. He sanded down the corners and both surfaces so I could spray paint it with chalkboard paint. 

 This is after one coat. We put a second coat on it and hopefully the kids will be able to use it tomorrow as the weather has been quite hot.

 Happy Stitching,
Caitlin