Isn't this pretty!

DSC_1408
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

Christmas Day in the snow

DSC_1427
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

I got a new lens for Christmas and tried it out on Christmas Day as the snow was still thick on the ground, unusual for our part of the country.

Xmas gifts

DSC_1337
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

I made these for my co-workers (there's 11 of them). I made bath bombs from scratch, didn't fancy paying £2 each, then wrapped in tissue paper, cellophane, black lace then curling ribbon. It took a while but I'm really pleased with the results. I hope they are too ;-)

Look what I saw in our shopping centre!

Originally uploaded by notimetowork

I coouldn't believe my eyes when I went shopping last weekend to our local shopping centre! Two reindeer!!! Real ones! I've never seen a real live reindeer before, they are so cute! And smaller than I imagined, although they could have been babies!

Flowers to decorate my Christmas gifts

Flowers to decorate my Christmas gifts
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

My Christmas gifts will look soooo elegant this year, decorated with these. A lovely seller on Etsy made these for me and I can't wait to start wrapping - I guess I ought to start actually buying my gifts first though ;-)

How do YOU wrap yours?

DSC_1289

DSC_1289
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

I just made these and only ate ONE!!!!

More bags for my Etsy shop

I seem to sell my bags in multiples, not usually one at a time. My last sale was for 7 bags, which cleaned me out quite a bit. So I've been busy replenishing my stock. These are some I've listed over this weekend.

I've been published!

I've just got an e mail to say that this photo, taken in Fremantle last October, has been accepted for publication into a tourist guide! How cool is THAT! I didn't submit it, they picked it from my Flickr album and asked for my permission to use it. I was apparently shortlisted and I just got an e mail today to say that my photo is included! How cool is THAT?!!!!

I passed my exams!

I passed all of my exams with very respectable marks! After a very short celebration, I have started studying for my next exam, which is in January. All the hard work paid off, thankfully!

Happy Fathers Day

My lovely dad died 8 years ago and not a day goes by that I don't think about him. I always feel a little morose on Fathers Day - does anyone else feel like this?

Word verification

I've now turned OFF word verification as it bugs me no end when I have to keep doing this when leaving comments on other peoples blogs.

In case you don't know what word verification is, whenever you leave a comment on a blog, if it asks you to "type the word shown in the box" (which I can usually never read) then that's word verification!

It slows me down a lot when I have to do this when commenting on blogs and I have to confess, if it takes me a couple of goes to get the word right, then I usually give up!

EXAMS ARE NOW OVER!

No more until January! Now I can start sewing again! Thanks to everyone who sent kind wishes and good thoughts!

A custom order!

DSC_0725
Originally uploaded by notimetowork

For a lady's wedding. She has ordered 10 of these (I think she may have 9 bridesmaids).

Flickr

Two exams done; one to go!

My two exams last Wednesday went well, I think. The first one went better than the second and I have to pass both at the same time or re-sit both. Here's hoping I've passed - I get the results on 13th August (let's hope the 13th is lucky for me!). Next exam is June 12th so still revising like crazy!

Happy birthday Jonathan!

It's my youngest son's 20th birthday today and I made this fake magazine cover on www.magmypic.com. I really have too much time on my hands, don't I?!

MagMyPic

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Missing in action!

Sorry I've not posted for a couple of weeks - I'm studying law and have two exams on 20th May and another one on the 12th June so it's pure revision for me at the moment :-( No time to sew at all although I may just go off at a tangent this next week in a flurry of creativity. I have so many ideas going around in my head and just no time to do anything with them! Does anyone else suffer from the same problem?

My latest one!

I've just put this on Etsy











and I think it's my new favourite ;-)

I'm so fickle.....

This one is my new favourite!

Another cosmetic bag

I can't claim credit for the design of this, as it was inspired by a seller on Etsy (a very talented lady). Yellow is a change for me as I usually go for pink. The bag isn't crooked; it's my poor photographic skills.

Weather in Florida

Nothing to do with quilting or even sewing (well, I suppose it is, indirectly!) but does anyone know what the weather is likely to be like in Florida in mid to late December? Is it T shirts and shorts weather or jeans and cardigan? I'm getting conflicting information from the Internet and would like some first hand advice from any Floridians reading this!!!

I've made some sales!

I've sold some of my bags on Etsy!!!! I'm so pleased, I've sold 11 in total!!!!

I love this Future-Ella fabric!

The other fabric is a Michael Miller vintage. I've listed them in my Etsy shop with all the others.

Don't these look yummy!!!

I'm not really supposed to be eating these but I made them for DH (and I only had one bite, honest!!!). They're a bit big because I didn't have any small cake cases.

Leather shoes!

I just found these on line and kits on Etsy to make them and think they are so cute! You can buy the pattern from http://www.makethemyourself.com or a kit from Etsy. They remind me so much of the very expensive Robeez shoes I bought for my grandson when he was first born. I paid fortunes for them and if I had had this pattern I could have made them for a fraction of the price. My grandson was born with cerebral palsy and doesn't walk and is still only 20lbs in weight even though he's 2 now. I'm considering buying the pattern and making him a bunch of these since he will always be very small and will possibly never walk. He's such a gorgeous little boy too....


And here he is!

















Edited 8th March: I had no idea that leather was so expensive - it would be cheaper just to buy the darned things......

Etsy

I've decided to list some of my bags on Etsy as I just have too many and every time I see a cute piece of fabric, I make a bag from it. Do you think this will sell?

Warning to all UK drivers!

Just a heads up to all UK drivers holding a new photo style driving licence. Please check your licence as apparently they expire after 10 years (and it costs £17.50 to renew it!). This is something which is not widely publicised and if you don't renew, then you can be prosecuted for not having a valid licence.

If you look on the front of your plastic part of the licence, under 4b,there is a date, which is the date on which the licence expires.

Please check now and don't risk a fine!

The picture is a mock up obviously but yours will look similar.

Somebody stop me!!!!

Just another few more bags - I really must stop now - I must have enough! These are all the same size and use a 6" x 3" frame.

Even more bags!

Sorry this pic isn't too great but I took it with my camera phone.

Boy, am I ahead with Christmas presents this year! I must add though, that I'm expecting to be made redundant shortly and I wanted to do all my sewing etc while I still have the money for fabric and stuff :-(

I've had a bagfest!

I seem to be in bag making mode recently - here are some more that I did over the last few days. The bigger ones are make up bag sized and the small one is supposed to be a coin purse but I use the little one myself as a make up bag, since I don't carry much make up round with me :-)

My lunch bag

I made this little bag (and it took me nearly all day today!) to put my lunch in to take to work. Made entirely from scrap bits of fabric too! Nobody else will have one just like this!

Three more bags!

I've made lots of these now - everybody I know will get one for Christmas!

This one is very pink!

I finished this quilt over the weekend and just finished stitching the binding. I feel I am getting better, although I still had puckers on the back of my quilt. It was made entirely from fabric in my stash and I didn't have to buy any fabric specially for it.

But look at my corner!




And I've tried machine stitching the binding down but I don't care for it; I much prefer to hand stitch it down, I think it looks neater.

But I really do wish I could make a single bed size quilt. I just wouldn't be able to quilt it without it puckering though.

I did these a while ago but thought I'd post them here

I made these when I was "into" machine embroidery. I don't do it much now, as the machine is in the conservatory and it's darned cold in there!!! The red and white one was made for a friend who was getting married and it's so not my choice of colours or design! But it's what the bride wanted and she was very pleased with it.

I think this is soooo cute!

I whipped this little bag up the other night in about an hour and I love the fabrics in it! Made from scraps, more or less, too - oh, and a little interfacing. I see more of these in my future and I've sewn some more for Chistmas gifts next year. Yes, I know its a little early but I need to start somewhere!