Making me Smile Today: Colourful Card & Bunting

Playing with bright, colourful, cheerful card is making me smile today turning this:



into this:



I'll confress that if you were to browse through my blog it would become obvious pretty quickly that I have a thing for bunting.  You also wouldn't be blamed for thinking that I'm a little short on creativity right now - because how many times can you reinvent the same idea?  Truth is I'm so short on creativity time right now so sticking with an idea that works is all that I have.  I can't wait to have more time to dream up ideas for cards, gifts, sewing time....  but until then I'm going to keep reinventing what I know works.  Maybe I'm perfecting it?

Thinking about Christmas...

I'm thinking about Christmas actually I'm not just thinking I'm reliving the projects of Christmas past looking for inspiration for this year.

These were sewn maybe four or five years ago they were destine for an advent calander but like many projects didn't... (get finished). I finally stuck some to the front of Christmas cards last year and filled the fabric parcels with little packets of Christmas haribo.

I also experimented with some buttons and a little wadding and turned out these little fabric parcels.

Last year whilst living in Berlin I made myself an advent calendar from felt and some sparkly silver thread, filled it with wee haribo packets and tasty German chocolates as my own Christmas countdown.

I love advent calendars we have two in the family which have been reused year on year for years I can't wait to dig them out closer to Christmas. I think I'm going to make some as house warming seasonal presnts for some friends who have just moved in with their other halfs.  I'd better plan some sewing time into my weekend then.

A Celebration Countdown Card

The celebration that I'm counting down to is my friends wedding which is or was in 42 days. This was my take on an wedding acceptance. I'm confident that it won't plunge fear into the bride to be when she sees the numbers ticking away rather excitement - she's very organised and I'm sure she won't be rushing around at the last minute unlike me. I'll be a touch late for the rsvp by date but hopefully I'll be forgiven.

It's another bunting card with tear of numbers counting down the days until their big day and little washi tape bunting. I think it's quite fun and I hope they love it or at least enjoy it for next 42 days.

I've been so crazy busy - I started a new job - I'm completing training in Edinburgh which is an hour drive each way. My weekends have been full of hen partys, friends, dinners out, evenings out, walking, exploring and a little shopping leaving insufficient time for all of my other favourite things that I had lots of time for when I wasn't working sewing, baking, sleeping!

This weekend however was a catch up weekend. Catching up on some sewing. My sewing projects haven't been helped by my ordering the wrong fabric for hexagon sewing - it wasn't Kona Ash it was Kona Medium Grey that I was using - oops. So there will be more of that hopefully next week.

Cupcakes

I've never made cupcakes.  I have made fairycakes and other cupcake-like cakes before but have never followed a proper cupcake recipe.  But I love cakes and individual portion size cakes are simple, convenient when you're out and about so I wanted to try them because I think they'd be perfect to take along next weekend when I'm off to Edinburgh for a hen weekend.  As I've two friends with birthdays this week this was the perfect time to trial a few recipes and experiment with icing and frosting recipes.

This was my first batch of Hummingbird Bakery Vanilla Cupcakes. No fancy icing - I was a little late in ordering an icing piping kit - fingers crossed it arrives before Thursday. In the oven at the moment I have red velvet cupcakes again following the Hummingbird Bakery recipe and I'm very much looking forward to trying them later and putting one in my bag for lunch tomorrow.

Making Me Smile Today: Rainbows

One of the lovely things about the rain is when it takes a breath, pauses and the sun comes out or when rainbows, beacons of hope and hope break the sky.  When I finally made it home I went on a rainbow search and here are some of my favourites:

Image Credit: shewatchedthesky

Image Credit: xiwang.love

Image Credit: DCMaster

Image Credit: stevendepolo

Its lovely to have something brighten an otherwise grey day and I have got to try to bake a rainbow cake it looks delicious.  I hope something's making you smile today too.

Hexagons

So I'm taking part in a quiltalong a hexalong actually. I certainly wouldn't have thought I'd be taking part in anything as complicated in a quiltalong let a alone one which involves hexagons and paper piecing. I'm full of surprises me. I'm enjoying it though and I love the pretty colours I'm working with. I didn't however know what I'd be doing with all the hexagons that I was sewing but I was enjoying making lots of pretty three hexagon stars.



I didn't want the quilt - maybe a little ambitious - to solely be based on the three hexagon stars so I've supersized my hexagons so that I can experiment.



This decision was encouraged when I spent a little time looking at some of the lovely hexagons that have made it into Lilly's Flickr Group. So this next week I'm going to get a little more creative and experiment with a few other designs.



But for today I'm enjoying finishing a few of these off and looking forward to experimenting next week.

Happy weekend to everyone, enjoy sewing, shopping, baking, dining whatever you're up to.

Making Me Smile Today: An Upcoming Wedding

This is what I got in the post today.  A pretty wedding invitation from my friend Linsey and her soon to be husband Ross.  It's always nice to receive something which isn't a bank statement or a credit card bill but this was extra special because Linsey made the invitations herself.  The pretty origami heart on the front  made from security envelope is lovely.  I always keep security envelopes and have never found the time to turn them into something pretty that can be enjoyed.  I'm inspired now though so I may be putting down my needle and thread and enjoying some paper play soon.  Maybe I'll think of something to rsvp with....