Be a bit crafty, make your own

Hello. I seem to remember someone asking about how to make the felt hearts I posted about ages ago. Well here goes, it's quite simple, maybe something to do in the run up to Christmas as these can be made with a Christmas theme. Red and green would be good colours to go for. Or indeed any shape you like, they don't need to be hearts, maybe small trees, or parcels, or snowmen. 

Most of the felt I use comes from the Scrapstore, people also give me some, and I have bought some for a couple of quid from The Works, a book and craft shop on the High street. I wouldn't buy a lot to start with, just three or four colours should be enough to mix and match, and you can get a lot of small pieces out of one square sheet. 

I make five hearts all the same so I can string them vertically or leave them single. First I make two heart templates out of a cereal box, two sizes. These can be used over and over again. They are small enough to hold between finger and thumb as you cut around the outline, I use a pair of nail scissors for this. Mine are just over two inches across. 

For each heart you will need a back and a front, so ten larger hearts, plus five smaller hearts for the front. I also sandwich another heart in between them to add a bit of thickness. This can be any scrap as it won't be visible when it is all stitched together. To make single hearts you need five pieces of matching cord or ribbon. 

The small heart needs to be embellished and added to the larger heart first to hold the pieces together and so the stitches won't be seen on the back of the finished heart. You can use any tiny beads, sequins, bits of broken jewelry that you have. You could add some embroidery, French knots, chain stitch, or cross stitch  would be nice.

These are what I have made so far. The white ones are slightly smaller and a bit rounded as I have put a tiny bit of stuffing inside. 

I do a blanket stitch when I sew the two halves together, with either a contrasting thread or matching thread. You need to trap the cord or the ribbon in the middle when stitching around the edge. Start at the top or bottom where the cord enters or leaves. Do a couple of tiny stitches at the end, and stick the needle deep inside and bring it out somewhere close to a stitch on the side, then trim.

You can thread beads in between the hearts, and on the tail at the bottom. Put a loop at the top for hanging.

Have a look in your bit box for anything you can use to embellish your hearts. Tiny buttons would be good, possibly tiny bits of plastic flowers

Hand sewing can be very relaxing, do it while watching TV or listening to the radio. The weather is horrible today so I am staying indoors and getting on with crafting. Have a go at making your Christmas decs instead of buying them.

Happy crafting. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

What a jazzy pair of curtains, and another radio interview.

Hello. Here we have the unveiling of the patchwork curtains, all finished. Don't they look just dandy, I love them. The window is at the back of the house at the top of the stairs. They look nice against the pale blue walls. 

This is my pile of scrappy pieces of cotton, all shapes and sizes. Here is the post I wrote on how to get started. 

Today I finished them off by cutting two pieces of cotton sheet for the backing. I sewed the back to the front with right sides facing, leaving it open at the top. It doesn't matter if the edges are not neat, they can be trimmed off, before turning it right sides out.  

I found four pieces of curtain tape taken off some curtain samples I got from the Scrapstore. Two on each curtain will do the job just fine.

Best to iron it flat, then close up the openings at the top, adding the tape to the back. And there you are, done. I haven't bothered to quilt it, it hangs quite well without. This picture shows one curtain pulled across so you can see the design. 

I'm well chuffed with these, adds a splash of colour to brighten up the plain walls.

This is what was hanging there before, big improvement, eh! I found them in a skip, brand new still wrapped. I'll drop them into the charity shop. 

I had a smashing interview today on BBC Radio Leicester. I really enjoyed it, the presenter, Jonathan was great. It was more like a chat than an interrogation. If you want to listen click on the link and move the slider button across to 2 hours 12 minutes. It is only available for 29 days. I've just listened to it and it made me laugh, he was such a nice chappie.

Tomorrow I'm talkiing to someone on an Irish radio station. Couldn't quite catch the name of it when they asked me on the phone the other day. I hope they speak slowly and clearly so I can understand what they are saying.

I'm just off out now to do three miles, I'll add on the one mile I did earlier with Bella dog, making four. Is everyone else keeping up with their walking?

Thanks for popping in, Catch up tomorrow. Toodle pip

It's a cover up

Hello. A little bit more progress to report today on the summer house. There was a long narrow gap which needed filling, glass or thick clear plastic would have been preferable, but I don't have any. It's narrower at the top than it is at the bottom, such is my cockeyed way of constructing things without measuring. So. I made a frame to fit the gap, then used an unwanted mini greenhouse cover for the glazing. Stapled onto the frame it's a bit wrinkled, but it fits perfectly.  

Four small blocks of wood, one in each corner to hold it together.

Now for the door, I had an idea. I don't want a proper door, I just need something to cover up the opening when I am not about, and overnight. I have a massive sheet of heavy duty grey plastic. I remember scavenging it out of a skip at a factory years ago while my lorry was being unloaded. I think it's what they use for roofing. I measured the opening and cut a piece, adding a bit extra to the length. 

Then I got two old broom handles, I'm going to make a sort of blind. I folded the excess and stuck it down at each end. Insert a broom handle and stitch along it with a big needle and string, to hold it in place.

Screw two coat hooks on the top bar to hang it. This can easily be taken down and rolled up when not in use. Easy to put back when it's time to lock up and leave it.

Screw two more coat hooks half way down and stretch a bungee elastic across to stop it from flapping about.

The gap above the door has been filled in with plastic.

Good eh! A simple idea. I've got all sorts of stuff in my garage, always seem to find something to do the job.
Thanks for popping in.
Toodle pip

Fruit and nut case

Good evening. Another wet day, but not to worry, plenty to do indoors. I must say, it's a pleasure spending time in my living room now with it's much improved layout. I can shuffle backwards and forwards from sewing machine to computer on my wheelie chair. It's got a feeling of much more space, I am not cramped up on one table. More sewing today, no pics of that because there is nothing finished yet. 

Let's talk about healthy food. I bought a lot of fruit on yellow stickers and the easiest and quickest way to eat it is to make smoothies. Yesterday was banana, melon, and grapes, with added yogurt, also yellow sticker at 39p.

Today was mango, apple, and nectarine, plus added yogurt again. There was also a little pot of red berry juice in the pack. 

It was gorgeous. Now what do you do when it sticks to the blender? Lick it off of course.

Someone asked about the exotic fruit. £1 per pack of three, yellow sticker price, 10p. Here it is, the first one is cut open. It's the size of a satsuma with a smooth orange skin.

No idea how to eat it, so I scooped it out with a teaspoon. No pips in it. Tasted very sweet and not particularly fruity. There is nothing to say on the packet what it is.

I ran out of my favourite peanut butter a few weeks ago and can't bring myself to pay the silly prices for an upgrade. My idea is to make some in the food processor. Here we go, one bag of KP nuts, 360 grm, bought from the cash and carry for £1. Nothing else added.

After a couple of minutes it looks the right texture.

I transferred it into a margarine tub and put it in the fridge. Taste wise it would have been a whole lot better if I had washed the salt off first. Oooops, I forgot. Never mind, it will get eaten, and now I know it works I will be making more, with plain unsalted peanuts, or washed salted ones.

Tonights dinner was experimental. As I had messed up the mixer I thought I might as well use it again. A few peanuts are fine in this made up recipe. A can of chick peas, drained and rinsed. One medium size onion, a few radishes and a few button mushrooms, the last limp spring onions, and some chopped walnuts. I added pepper, garlic powder, and turmeric. Chop and mix it up, leaving it a bit coarse. Then add two eggs to bind it. It seemed a bit too wet so I added two spoons of porridge oats. 

Make some scone size patties with it and grill on a low gas for 20 minutes turning them over once.

I had seven for dinner with wholegrain mustard, iceberg lettuce and lentil sprout mix. It was smashing, very filling, and best of all, I know exactly what went in them. Enough mix left for tomorrow. I have noticed that vegetarian food in the freezer and chiller cabinet has gone up in price, so I will be buying less of it and making my own more often.

That's all for tonight folks. Thank you for popping in.
Toodle pip

If you need a new table, make one.

That's better, totally refreshed after my day off. Now I'm back in the swing of things. The skip was taken away yesterday, I didn't expect it to still be here after I came back, but it was. Luckily I had a look in it before it went off on the back of a lorry. I found four bags of children's clothes and towels. They have all been washed today, and folded ready for giving away. The older tatty towels have gone to a friend who has dogs that like to jump in mucky ponds. The better towels will be given to a charity shop, and I have plans for the clothes. They will go with the toys to an organisation that provides women and children with a safe place to live, after a relationship breakdown.   

It's been a glorious day, all the washing dried beautifully. There seems to be a lot of spiders about, all busy spinning their webs. It seems pretty heartless to destroy all their hard work by walking past them, so I have been trying to walk around them. Isn't it amazing how perfect their webs are, it's fascinating to watch them. And how do they find places to hook them up to.

There is a web hanging from this guttering, coming down at an angle to a bush, just outside my back door. I have been ducking underneath it to avoid pulling it down. There must be a good six feet between the two anchorage points. How do they do that?

My garden work table was in need of a refurbishment. It's very handy to have this just outside the back door, for mucky jobs that can't be done in the kitchen, and to save my back by not having to bend down.

It's been here for six years and is showing signs of rotting. Oh dear.

I removed the top, and found some suitable pieces of wood from my stash and nailed the boards to two batons, then nailed it to the two sides. A couple of narrow pieces for each end, some extra nails at all the joins to strengthen it, and Bob's your Uncle. Job well done, a table that's good for another few years. 

After I had finished outside and put everything away, guess what I found in the kitchen. It appeared to be a spider suspended in mid air in the middle of the room. But no, on closer inspection I saw it had attached it's web to the ceiling, and across to the cupboard under the sink. Sorry spider, but I'm going to have to put you outside. There's no way I can be dodging round that one as I cook my dinner.

I'm off to Tesco now, I have a voucher for £3 off, might as well use it before it's out of date. Catch you tomorrow. Toodle pip.

My froggy family

Good evening. I did the usual craft club meet this morning. I hadn't got round to preparing something to work on, it was a last minute decision. I still have some fleece offcuts left, so I quickly pieced together another cat mat with just two colours, black and purple, then cut a piece of old curtain lining to sew them onto. We were making preparations for the display in the church at the weekend, our exhibits have to be delivered on Friday afternoon so they can set it up. I shall be there to help, as I have to take my art pieces for another display. 

My friend sent me an email with this photo, she took it last week, that's Bella the Labradoodle sat on my knee. She is gorgeous, endless energy, and gets so excited when she has a visitor. She loves cuddles, and playing, and treats. 

Here is another bag photo to add to our collection. I forgot I had given one to Carol. Here she is posing with it. She is standing in the garden of a stately home, but I've forgotten which one, she did say. It will come to me in a minute. I am pleased she is finding a use for the bag. 

Someone asked about my new strimmer, I bought an electric one. I already had an extension cable for the mower, and I didn't want to mess about with petrol. I've been tidying the garden tonight, it's nice to be able to work a bit later in the evening. I have no idea how many frogs I have. I don't have a pond but they do in the neighbours garden at the back of mine, so I suppose the frogs come from there. I spotted five tonight. This one is in the runner bean bed.

This one is in the long grass in the middle of the lawn. I keep a section of it long so the cats can lie in it in the sun. I sometimes have to rescue a frog from there and re locate it if a cat finds one. Mayze was looking at this one. 

Two more in the broad bean bed.

There was one in the potato bed but it hopped off before I could get a picture. It was getting dark by that time. Fascinating what goes on in the garden in the evening.
Toodle pip

Free pressies up for grabs

Do not fear, Meanqueen is here. We've had a weird weather day today. It couldn't make up it's mind what it wanted to do. Brilliant sunshine and blue skies one minute, and black clouds with torrential rainfall the next. Bloomin annoying when you want to do stuff outside.

This is my lunch today, I thought I would try grilling slices of polenta. I didn't add anything to it, and I must say, it tasted of nothing at all. It definately needs spices and flavourings to make it palatable. The scrambled eggs with mushrooms was very nice though. More experiments tomorrow.

Who likes this shopping bag? I ran it up on the machine in about half an hour. I must use up some of the fabric I got from the Scrapstore ages ago, no point in it lying around in my storeroom. This very nice posh shopping bag is free to the winner of the prize draw. So if you want to win it, let me know in a comment and I will put the names in a tin or box, or something suitable and draw one out. I will post it to anywhere in the world.

It's a very strong bag, made of thick fabric with a rubbery backing, so it may be waterproof. I have enough fabric for two more, so I'll get sewing pronto and three lucky people will get a pressie coming their way. Closing date 12 noon on Wednesday.

Toodle pip.