5 Riotous Successes of the Week

1.  Finally put away the Great Wall of Washing (much bigger than China's)
2. Made a start on a birthday gift for the Hoozel's friend (inspiration collage below)
3. Made a start on the mending pile, stitched up holes in crotch of 2 pairs of pyjamas (why are holes always in crotch area, should I be worried?
4. Completed one item from Crafty To Do list, woop!
5.  Blogged ALMOST every day!

All of the items above are from my crafty stash. The little dress to the right is a Blythe dress and the London Bus is an embroidered reverse applique I made a couple of years ago.

What good stuffs did you do this week?

Music to My Ears

I have been working on my Crafty To Do list and trying to cross off those UFO's.
This little embroidery has been kicking around for almost FOUR years, but now it is complete!







The pattern is from a Japanese sewing magazine, I picked out my own vibrant colours. I have no idea what I will use this for, am thinking a cushion for Boo or Bear.

The cows have returned to the farm at River Cottage for spring and summer. I rather hoped to get some nice close up shots of them, as there are many a wee calf and they are so sweet, trotting to and fro and chasing birdies, quite playful. Alas, they were over the other side of the field today, but I will try again tomorrow.



I leave you with a few shots of the spring landscape around River Cottage and some prettyfull flowers that are in bloom in our garden, including the apple blossom, finally!











A very merry weekend to you!

* Vintage Scrap Quilt
* OMG WTF Banner
* Woven Cloth
* Toiletry bags for Amber and Hazel (started in 2008)
* Christmas Tree Fairy (started in 2008)
* Patchwork Curtain Tie Backs
* Secret project for a special friend 1
* Secret Project for a special friend 2
* Secret project for a special friend 3
* 4 cushion/pillow covers (deadline mid May)
* Elephant bag from Wee Wonderfuls book
* Embroidery (started in 2008)

Button Button Who's Got The Button

If you love everything stitchy, whether it be collage, clothes making, softies and what not, then you will surely love a good button. Red buttons, blue buttons, old buttons, new buttons, buttons are lovely aren't they?
I am a button fiend, I collect them from here, there and everywhere, and I love digging through the button tin to find the perfect button for my project.

I recently stumbled upon the mother of all buttons, from the most perfect button maker. Indeed, a BUTTON MAKER, imagine being able to introduce yourself as a Button Maker 'Hello my name is Tallulah and I am a Button Maker', how wonderful! Anyways, I am not a button maker of course, but Laura Walker is, oh yes.
This incredible artist not only creates the most wonderful buttons, but she also uses them to dazzling effect.



Who would have thought such a beautiful array of buttons could transform an otherwise simple dress?







Laura's buttons are created from ceramics, each intricately formed, in an array of prettyfull hues, there's eye popping red and sweet baby blue's, as well as a lovely selection of neutral colours with delicate patterns.





Indeed, I dare say, there is a button to suit all in Miss Laura's Etsy shop, Veronica Buttons.

There are also pretty ceramic tags....



She also embroiders and creates one of a kind art pieces unlike anything I have ever seen before...



Indeed, a button maker after my own heart. Do pop along to her (not so often updated but charming all the same) Blog and say a cheery hello. Laura also posts photos of her work on Flickr, and you can find out more about her buttons and what not at her very own Website.

Tackling the Mending Pile

The mending pile has grown in recent weeks, so I have been diligently working my way through it.
It is an ever growing task in the Hoola household, on account of 1/ A rather vicious washing machine that is prone to shredding bed linen on occasion and 2/ Our wayward dog Pip who likes to chew ears, eyes and other bodily parts off soft toys.

I settled down at the dining table and set about my tasks. First an old Ikea duvet cover, which for some reason unbeknownst to me never had any fastenings for the opening, resulting in the duvet spilling out each night and thus requiring much stuffing back in each morning, irritating to say the least.
Said duvet cover got the scrap treatment with a variety of pretty fabric ties, and some recently thrifted pillows which were kicking around were treated to a pretty purple crochet trim.





The savaged soft toy pile was attacked with needle and thread.
Boo's rag dolls got new eyes and one leg sewn back on.





Mr Penguin got a new eye patch to cover the gaping hole in his head where Pip had mercilessly attacked him.



Mr Owl has sat atop the mending pile for some time, blind in both eyes following a particulary violent dog attack. He received new eyes made of felt and vintage buttons, and new feet made of felt.



Ambear joined in the fun and made a nifty little felt dress for one of her wee bears (she has a thing about bears).





All in all, a productive mending session was had by all, well Ambear and I at least. Rag dolls were quickly returned to the Boo who promptly set about picking at their new eyes with a plastic fork (le sigh) and the soft toys were placed safely back on the shelf in Ambear's room, out of reach of Pip the Destroyer, and with renewed joy at being able to survey the appaling mess of an 11 year olds bedroom once more, my what a view they have.

What is in your mending pile?

Looking a little bit closer

When the sun is shining, we all troop outside and bask in the glory of Spring, and being bang smack in the middle of a working farm means there is always plenty to see and do.

It is easy to take your surroundings for granted. After all, when the eyes casts themselves upon the same thing each day, that element of joyful surprise is lost, and sometimes the eyes simply do not see what is right there.

With this in mind, I took a stroll around the land and farm at River Cottage with camera in hand. Zooming out and zooming in, looking at my daily views with fresh eyes and a new perspective.
Heres what I found....











Farms are a wonderful source of rust and decay, which close up makes for wonderful and inspiring pattern ideas and neutral colour ways....











Little ones and cheeky smiles are always to be found when the camera is in action...









What can you see when you look a little closer?

Crafty To Do's

I realised just the other day, that I am a perpetual project starter and unfinnisher. I'm not entirely sure that unfinnisher is really the right (or even existant) word, but anyway, you know what I mean. I start things, and don't finnish them. Rather alot, actually. Too much, infact.

Anyhow, this is bad practice I think. Being a busy, working mama to 4, my To Do list is never ending, and I have quite unwittingly created a crafty To Do list to add further weight to my unending sense of being behind. In an attempt to work through it and tie up the loose ends of my stitchy ways, I am committing them to paper and blog, so I can keep track and encourage progress. I was most dismayed to find, upon counting said unfinnished projects, that it is um, quite lengthy.

* Vintage Scrap Quilt
* OMG WTF Banner
* Woven Cloth
* Toiletry bags for Amber and Hazel (started in 2008)
* Christmas Tree Fairy (started in 2008)
* Patchwork Curtain Tie Backs
* Secret project for a special friend 1
* Secret Project for a special friend 2
* Secret project for a special friend 3
* 4 cushion/pillow covers (deadline mid May)
* Elephant bag from Wee Wonderfuls book
* Embroidery (started in 2008)

Now, this list does not include the mending pile, which is another post all together.
So, I concluded I must make a pact with myself to not begin any new projects, until the above list is crossed off.

Then I stumbled upon THIS and I thought I would have a little dig through the scrap bag to see what possibilities might present themselves, and those colourful wee fabric scraps, they were singing to me! Oh yes! All those lovely colours and prints, a wee bit of the fabric from Amber's cushion and scraps from long since made Dotee dolls and what not's, and well those scraps conjure memories, good times and gifts and love and joyful happy happy things.

Such is my willpower, that despite their pleasant song, I said NO to the scraps. Oh I did, I even crossed my arms just so, so that they knew I meant business. I said NO! to them damn it, but they wouldn't listen! Quite before I knew what was happening I was wielding the rotary cutter like a woman posessed and the pile of little rectangles grew, and grew.



Sigh, and so too did the list, by just one more, but rather long winded (I think) project.

* Scraptastic quilt

Have I mentioned that I have never even actually made a quilt? That my entire experience of quilt making consists of the cutting and stitching together of a few paltry strips (which as per the list above remain as such). I am clearly drawn to this quilt making lark, I just need to work out how to find more time to actually make one, and the other stuff, all of it.

For more scrappy scrumptiousness, you should also take a peek at THIS.

Monda Rocks

Gosh, it is busy around the Hoola household these days. I have been toing and froing over work and home, in my haste to cross errands off the never ending To Do list I quite overlooked a most important addition. You see, I ought to have told you already, that my very sweet blog friend Miss Monda is a most talented surface designer, oh yes.
Indeed, she is has partaken in the Spoonflower Project Selvage contest and made it right on into the semi finals with her delightful design titled "Flippers and Kippers", so cute!





Anyways, if as I do, you think that this is quite the most adorable little boys fabric, then do pop along and leave Monda your VOTE, and do hurry as voting is closing on Thursday!

You can see more of her beautiful designs over on her BLOG (where she also features crafty tales of stitchery and most recently, her perfect handmade English wedding).

As if that were not enough spectacularity from one woman (multi talented you see), she also makes super sweet bits and bobs like this....



Which you can find in her lovely Etsy store HERE, pink puss cats with polka dot bows, oh my.

Oh, and some more Monda patterns to tickle your fancy...







Anyhoo, you must excuse me, so much to do, to do, to do...

Write about Magnificent Monda on my blog