Crafty Mermaid

I've really enjoyed going through catalogue and taking out beautiful images to reuse in my cards. I think both of these work quite well.

A few card experiments before my trip home (promise I'll be on to new Irish/Spanish photos soon! - but hey this is an online repository for me too!).  I managed to use my sewing machine and use up scraps of fabric that I don't seem to hae the heart to throw out.  I like how they turned out and look forward to sending them to someone soon! I have a card commission so there'll be quite a few card photos coming soon.  I promised to make about 40 thank you cards for a friend who is kindly paying for all the supplies - normally not that necessary but I'm here without my bits and bobs.  Its quite liberating in a way (no guilt buying new bits) and really annoying in others (I don't have a paper gullotine or cutting mat - argh!).

I bought this bright and cheery fabric thinking that it would make a great cushion for my craft room and using the purple I could add to the length to my curtains.  Unfortunately, the green was slightly off and the purple just didn't match.  I'm not as down hearted as I should be as I love these colours and can't wait to get back to NZ and make something with them.  Although if I'm honest, that feeling might have more to do with the lack of a sewing machine here and distance making the heart grow fonder and the head forget that I still have stacks of fabric! Oh and some brown bias binding too!  Sure to come in useful, right? Especially when I'm on the other side of the world for the next 6 months!

I had a very successful thrift shopping expedition just before I left NZ.  I got two pairs of trousers which are immediately wearable and a dress I want to edit into a top and this bright and cheerful clutch.  The trousers made the trip with me but all the other goodies are awaiting my return.  The success of the expedition was down to a good friend (and sewing buddy) of mine who has also moved (although on a more permenant basis) to this side of the world and is now resident in London.  I'm looking forward to seeing her in September which should give her just enough time to figure out where all the cute second hand shops are in London too!

So what's this then?  A parcel in the post from Dainty Button ala Etsy ? A great box containing... Pocket squares! A present for BM for our anniversary.

I finally managed to darn in the ends of my fancy crochet scarf and am quite pleased with the results!

I finally got around to hanging a picture on my (relatively) newly painted craft room .  I created this a few years ago - fancy paper, modge podge, and plastic toy soldiers.

I seem to be obsessed with clouds at the moment!  I refashioned a red fleece to get rid of the brand logo and make something I'm far more proud to wear.  Using some ' created ' felt which I've used in a few other projects .

Flowers for a friend's house warming - straight from the Farmer's market as four sets and arranged!  I really liked how they turned out!

In an effort to use up stash, I started making some bags before I left for my Northern Hemisphere jaunt.  Castles and Balloons were the order of the day.  All of them out of the scraps stash, while bags are repurposed curtains from BM's old house (three moves ago!).  They were too thin to donate for use as curtains as is, so I think a few reusable shopping bags can't go astray.  Of course, due to my trip it'll be months before I get to put handles on them - but at least the main parts are finished and the insides are french seamed so I don't have to make a lining.

On a recent trip to Evans in Lower Hutt, these bad boy bobbles just had to come home with me.  I'm thinking cushions.  Though I might be obsessed with cushions at the moment.

I was very, very late with a gift for a great friend - mostly due to a complete and utter lack of gift ideas. So I went on a shopping spree with the theme of 'comfort'.  It was a cold, cold NZ winter day, which seems a million miles away from my sweltering hot room in Girona, Spain at the moment.  I'm putting this in the category of eye-candy - but really I'm just making sure I don't send the same thing next year!

Some Sarah London wool and added stash from a sale in Spotlight.  I really wanted to make bunting for some strange reason and finally got my head around triangles in crochet.  Of course, I've finished this now and appear to have forgotten to take photos of it - so you can't see the finished product until I get back to NZ in Jan - which seems like such a long, long time.  I really enjoyed making these, easy to whip up on the train and the colours were yummy.