Busy, busy, busy

It's been a busy old week. Been trying to get Freyfrey's room finished this week do she can finally move into it (at nearly nine months old I think it's time...) so not much time for crafting.

But, I did manage to find time to make these slippers for my neice's Christmas present. Made with double yarn they should be nice and comfy on her little feet! And I'm sure she's gonna love the big flower on the top too!

They were super quick to make, so am going to make up another pair in the next size up for her too. Will try a different flower next time though as I wasn't too sure about the big ones...

More felt. Different needles.

More felt, but not needling it this time. Instead I've been busy sewing sequins onto it. Hastily trying to construct a stocking for Little J before we head off to NZ for Christmas this year.

It's my first ever Christmas on the beach, DearH is from NZ so it's normal for him, so I thought I'd honour the occasion with a Santa on the beach, only a few more hundred sequins to go...

Feltie doggies

Inspired by the cute doggies on the cover of Mollie Makes, I thought I'd have a go at making one. I ordered all the bits and bobs and when it arrived, waited for a quiet moment when Ff was asleep and then got to work.

The process involved repeatedly stabbing a ball of fleecy wool with a barbed needle until the fibres are all knitted together and it forms a solid shape. From there you can join pieces or different colours together to create your desired shapes.

I fell in love with the lovely designs created by Gretel Parker, check out her blog at http://allaroundus.blogspot.com/
And mine was a pale imitation! But I'm determined to have another go and see what else I can produce. Little J was certainly impressed with the results :0)

It's been a little while...

Things have been busy here, so not much time has been spared for blogging. But we've still had a bit of time for crafting, baking, decorating and fun :0)

Little J went back to pre-school this week, so I was busy preparing some treats for his newly acquired lunch bag. Which I am pleased to report he has eaten all up every day so far! It was a real tug to see him go off, looking so tiny in his little uniform, but the huge smile on his face when he came home made it all ok!

This week I have been hooking up a little jacket for Freyfrey from the lovely Cute Baby Crochet book by Nikki Trench. Having mastered a new stitch I am really pleased with how it's coming along, and will post some pics when I've completed it.

One thing I did have a go at over the summer hols, was a lovely crocheted toadstool doorstop for Freyfrey's new room. I saw one in the new Jools Oliver range for Mothercare and thought I could make one, so I did. And here it is, what do you think?

Labour pains... Christmas cake.

I went on a cupcake decorating course last summer where I learnt how to make decorations and pipe icing onto cupcakes. So in a fit of domesticity I decided that I'd have a go at making and decorating my first ever Christmas cake.

Now, I'm not one for baking. As a bit of a perfectionist I'm never happy with how my cakes turn out... And they rarely turn out well (not that it stops my dear hubbie or kiddies from scoffing the lot). But i gave it a go.

I baked the cake using the celebration cake recipe from the good ol' Be-Ro book. And dutifully covered it in marzipan and white fondant icing. Then came the fun bit... Decorating it.

My mum had leant me a couple of Karen Davies' A Cake for Christmas books and I thought I'd have a go at the Santa and Reindeer cake. I loved the cute characters and it looked quite simple to make. Which was handy as I ended up having labour pains pretty much the entire time I was making them...

I kept it quite simple, and as my cake was a bit smaller than Karen Davies' instructions called for, it's not quite the same as her design. But I was pretty chuffed with the results, and my son thought rudolph's sparkly nose was the best bit! Not bad considering they were all handmade between contractions ;0)

Check out Karen's website here: http://www.karendaviescakes.co.uk/default.asp

Spring newborn lambs.

I made this cute little lamb (from Tone Finnanger's Springtime Gifts book) recently as a gift for my good friend's newborn son. My first foray into soft toys; I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Made from a soft hand towel it had a lovely soft, squishy character when it was finished, and has quickly become a firm favorite with the little one it was made for.

I was pleased with how it came together, and surprised at how easy it was. Apart from the fact I'd used trickery materials that frayed quite a lot, it was pretty straightforward to create. I love Tone's work, she has such a distinctive style. Her Tilda books never fail to impress in this household! You can see a list of her books available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tone-Finnanger/e/B004MPFYXW/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

Let me know what you think!

Jolly, sparkly, Christmas

I don't know if you've seen them, but American co Bucilla create these fantastic felt kits that provide everything you need to make these lovely felt decorations.

I had a go at making a door wreath for Christmas. And after sewing on what felt like 5 million sequins, it was finally finished. The kits are simple to do,as all the designs are printed directly onto the felt. So all you have to do is cut them out, sew, embroider, decorate, stuff and assemble... Phew.

It took a while, but I think the end result was worth it!

A rare five minutes...

I've always loved crafts. From when I was a little girl I've never been happier than when sat down making something. Be that pictures for my teachers or pompom balls for my two baby brothers.

As a family, we never had much money so 'make do and mend' was etched onto our collective psyche. I learnt how to knit at a early age, and can remember being pretty chuffed with myself when I had 'taught myself' how to cast on so I didn't need to ask my mum to do it for me (it quickly became apparent that there was a LOT more to casting on than just wrapping the yarn around the needle...).

I've wanted to create a craft blog for along time, but alas with two very small children it's hard to find the time. Hence the name 'a rare five minutes', which reflects not only the snatched time to write this, but create the crafts in the first place!

So here we go, I hope you like what I create. It's not always perfect, but it is always made from the heart.