The first cut is the deepest

Does anyone else get that sick- flip flopping butterflies in the stomach-heart hammering fear when they get ready to make that first cut of fabric?

I love the sight of neatly folded piles of fabric, I would love to have a huge cupboard where I can store piles and piles of the stuff!

Alas I don't have a cupboard and can't afford to hoard my stash so I must cut it!

And use it!

And hopefully not ruin it in the process!

I have 3 or 4 projects in my mind...............as of yesterday I have all of the materials I need .............. why have I not started yet?

 I am excited to start! But making that first cut is just too hard!

A monsterously good Saturday

Today the kids and I set to some Halloween crafting. A few days ago I came across a tutorial on Not so idle hands for some super cute Halloween lantern jars.

We made one each! Fraser made a spooky green monster, K made a great pink monster and I made a pumpkin. I took some pics to make a mini tutorial but it isn't nearly as good as the one in the link ;)  so I may just leave it to the expert! I will, however, show off our handiwork!

The only thing we changed was the black faces. I didn't have any black paper so I just got the kids to draw out a face and then I coloured it in with a marker and cut it out. It worked well but I will definitely invest in some black paper for if/when we make some more!

All we need to do now is buy some little battery operated tea lights for the kids so they can have them in their own rooms. I think I may trust myself to put  a real candle in mine!

Hmm the original tute showed them to be finished off with green paint around the top, think I may use some raffia too once we have them painted , but I will wait until I have the battery tea lights! LOL we do NOT need an indoor bonfire for Guy Fawkes!

Sew busy!

Haha see what I did there??

I have been busy sewing some hoodie towels for the kids ( and one for an upcoming Birthday present) I used a tutorial from Deanna's blog (just Deanna ---> over there on the blogs list) sorry I am not clever enough to work out how to link it here.

Anyway they are actually really easy to make and because I used huge bath towels they fit both of the kids, Fraser can still be totally wrapped in his which is great!

here's my sweet model, she was too busy being a supermodel to stand still and also is digging a toungue out pose at the moment!

Into October..

and it is getting colder! woo hoo! We all needed coats on this morning!

Only 84 sleeps til Christmas! It's going in fast!

Kirsten's Hedhgehog!

I was preparing an autumn craft for the girls this afternoon. After finding that half of my paint stock is still packed and in the attic (oops!) I couldn't do the leaf pictures that we had planned, so plan B was to draw hedgehog pics and get the girls to paint them. Then we will cut out the shape and put them on a bigger piece of card with leaves and grass glued on. K was watching me draw the hedghog shapes and wanted to copy me!

I adore her cute hedghog and had to share!

I will share the finished articles when they are dry, which may be around next Autmn LOL

Almost ...................

Autumn! But not quite! we are waiting ......

And skipping!

Introducing .......................

My baby niece or nephew!!!

Here is the beautiful pic from my sisters 12 week scan. This is one laid back bubba! Look at the wee crossed feet!

what will you be?? Who will you look like? I can't wait to meet you!
I am sure you will bring much joy, laughter and happiness to our family. And maybe one or two sleepless nights ....................


Yay can't wait!!

Hello my name is .......................

LeeAnn and I am an addict. I am a complete addict for blogs! Now many could argue it is my terrible nosiness that pushes me into my addiction. I think that is probably fair! It is like a dream to me to get all of these insights into the lives of others! Although that isn't the end of the story.

I love crafty things, this is what draws me to blogs! I look at the lives of all these fabulously crafty people and wish I could have a tiny part f their talent! Well I can try! I love the ideas I get and the tutorials that people provide, how kind!

Alas this is why I will never be able to have a craft blog of my own, I steal ideas from everyone else! LOL I rarely do anything that I have thought of by myself !

I am a strange beast among my friends and family. There are only a couple of people who are "crafty" my SIL who likes card making and is dipping her toe into some light sewing, and Lor who has a degree in art and a future in baking! So I have a little company but I need more! This is where my addiction comes in!

And you know what those handy little blog rolls on the side are for! Yep just more fixes for strangers like me! So I have added a little one of my own, today I was trying to show some ideas I found to Lor, but they were all hopelessly lost among the million other bookmarks I have. I have chosen a few of my favourites so that now they are in a place where I can get to them more easily xx

Still sick!

Yep still sick! Diagnosed sickness now, my old faithful friend! Tonsilitis! Had to take the day off today as I was far too dizzy to be able to stand , let alone drive to do nursery collections. The swelling from my throat must somehow be affecting my ears or something.

I am a lucky girl though! I have the best Mum in the world! She took my baby to playgroup, brought me ice lollies , painkillers and cranberry juice. She then collected the Princess and brought her home in time for her nap, she also brought some yummy soup for me. Once she was awake she called my Mum who came straight back to take her out for the whole afternoon.

My sister collected Fraser from school which left me with a whole day to rest and sleep. Although I am not fully down the road to recovery I can see it on the horizon! I am so blessed to have such good family.

Although it isn't possible to sleep the whole day, even when sick! So what did I do to fill the long quiet hours? I watched Christmas films! Christmas with the Kranks! love it! I even found a Christmas time Diagnosis murder! what luck!! 

To finish off I watched my all time favourite film, You've got mail. I adore it! I want to live it! I want to run that sweet little book store in New York! Buy gorgeous flowers and sniff scotch tape!

I have also been in a craft and sewing overload! Except I am unable to actually do anything so my brain is working overtime. Not helped at all by my short time online earlier where I came across another fabulous crafting mummy blog. Sigh I am hopelessly addicted! I just need to win a million so I don't have to work! Then I can sit at home all day fulfilling my crafting dreams!!

I am now off until Monday, which was planned, I am not milking this I swear! haha so I am looking forward to a couple of days where I can be in the house just me and my baby girl, just like old times. Although she must not miss them as much as I do as she is already asking to go to Playgroup tomorrow instead ......................

Desperate times..........

of course desperate times require desperate measures!

Well as of yesterday I am sick. Yuck! Sore throat, sore ears, sweats , blah blah blah.  So what does a childminder do when she is not sick enough to cancel , but too sick to do a lot of activities with the kids??

Well of course she sets the pre schoolers up with lots of different sized bowls, tubs some with lids, some without, spoons, and lots of uncooked rice. I think it bought me a good 40 mins lying on the couch watching them and trying not to use my poor throat!

Of course there is the inevitable! The mess associated with this activity is quite substantial although very easily cleaned up. The girls set to work with a dustpan and brush each and I finished off.

Made sure to have it done by the time Daddy came home! Although he allows us to make these sorts of messes, they make him jittery and I'm not sure he totally understands how much fun they are!