Crafty Mermaid

I was away for work last week and since we've been having a bit of a hard time of it, BM left me this present for when I returned.  I love the map - thanks hon! It was a CD of Emiliana Torrini who sings 'Jungle Drums' on the Iceland ad .

A finished make but I needed to wash off my tailor's chalk which was orange and was leaving a mark.

I made this card for the family of a family friend who passed away unexpectedly recently.  I find myself thinking of the family alot over the last few weeks and am sending my thoughts to them.

We're finally finished with the scaffolding outside our house.  The weatherboards have been widely replace and the front of the house was done completely.   Unfortunately we also have to replace one of the windows and we're waiting on this being made up at the moment.      

I finally got around to photographing a load of the cards I've been making over the last month or two.  The one above is for friends of mine who recently got married. This is a bit of a departure from my normal style.  Not my thing but I am quite happy with it. The quote in the above says 'And the song from beginning to end, I found in the heart of a friend'.  Again a bit of a departure for me but I quite like it. I made this card based on a template (one of the ones I've pinned on pinterest).  I'd say I was quite pleased with it but I've said that twice now! A new year card, not so keen on this.  It was a bit of a quick make but should be OK for a Christmas type card. Another new year card make.  I think this one turned out a bit better - but needs something! And a final new year card - can you tell I'm using up my supplies? 

This last month has been a bit of a crappy one.  Our builders made a small job in to a much larger one and the end cost is over 450% the original 'estimate'.  We did add a little to the list of jobs (insulation in two walls and the discovery of a rotten window) but there's no way the cost should have been that much more. Unfortunately it means our savings are shot through but thankfully we didn't have to go back to the bank and were able to pull it out of money put aside for other things (now on the long finger).  It was also crazy busy in work and thankfully a major part of that is finished.  I'm a bit run down but bouncing back and have been busy making (for my sanity) but haven't really photographed it or posted.  I'm hoping to work through a few photos I took this morning and post them over the next few days (start small!).  We've also had someone staying with us since December when my parents came to visit.  A friend of mine arrived a day a...

Until recently I didn't bother to block my crochet, but I really like the tidyness of how my blocked crochet looks - less homemade and more handmade.  So here's my process, laid out in all its simplistic glory! Materials: 1. Music 2. Ironing Board 3. Iron 4. Spray Bottle 5. Old Towel (to lay crochet on) 6. Thin Teatowel (to place on top of crochet between it and the iron) 7. Pins Warning: unfortunately this only works for natural yarns :( Step 1: Music - I like Imelda May for this! Step 2: Put an old towel on your ironing board (just in case the colour runs and also one you don't need!) Step 3: Pin the crochet to the ironing board and towel. In this scarf I added a pin about every three repeats (or an inch an a half) - there's two pins in the image below - can you spot them?  Usually I add about three pins along the row. Step 4: Spray liberally with water. Step 5: Place tea towel over the crochet so you don...