Knit 'n' Stitch

This years Knit & Stitch show starts next Thursday in the RDS, Dublin. It runs for four days and an awful lot of people will pass through in that time.

Kate of Create with Kate  was so popular last year that she has taken a much bigger stand this time, which means I get to go and play  help.

She has a huge selection of Sizzix dies in lots of new designs ( I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek!) and also new this year is Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric....... all I can say is if you love Tim then you will want to get some of this! It comes by the metre, in fat quarters, fat eights and jelly rolls. I made a quilt from the jelly rolls but didn't take a photo of the finished thing (how silly!) so if you want to see that you'll just have to come to Dublin!

To show the fabrics I dollied up this mannequin (it will be covered in fabric for the show, this is the naked version)..... the flowers are all cut from the Tim Holtz Jumbo Tattered Floral die and the necklace is made from some old chain I had at home and lots of Idea-ology bits and pieces.

 I used spray starch to give them a little stiffness and sewed layers together - they would be great for jazzing up a winter coat or imagine a bridal bouquet made of these?!

 The leaves are cut from a Coke can using the Tattered Floral die and then coloured with Alcohol Inks & I added scraps of fabric to some Fragments with Mod podge. I love the word bars, they add a statement to the necklace (literally!)

                               If you're coming to the show come and say hello, we will be on stand H50.

Silver linings.

This post is a bit out of the ordinary, but hay-ho.


I am a very optimistic, glass half full, things happen for a reason kind of person. It is truly rare for me to have a bad day. Don't get me wrong, I am not sweetness and light all the time but I do enjoy my life.

So, last Friday was truly crap, and looking back on it, it was just three things that went wrong. They could all be fixed easy enough (though not immediately)  but whatever frame of mind I was in, I went from murderous to blubbering wreck in about ten seconds.

But then last Sunday was a great day. All my kids were home, the weather was wet and windy so we lit the fire and threw ourselves down to watch TV, it was just cosy, no one was fighting and it was a very simple thing that made me very happy.

Why am I rambling on with this? because despite having a Pinterest board full of positive life quotes, and knowing that giving in to worry will only make it worse, there times when I feel completely rubbish and if by chance you are having a rubbish day too, then here is a hug for you and remember that it will pass.

xoxoxoxo

What do you give a Bride who owns a shoe shop?

We were recently invited to the wedding were the Bride owns a designer shoe shop and the Groom is a sound engineer. I was going to make a card but as we all know, that is not my strong point!

Last weekend when I was at the Create with Kate party  I was looking at stamps and dies to see if inspiration might strike. I came across the Brenda Walton dies and remembered that she had a shoe die..... but it wasn't there.
It is called the 'Ballroom Slipper ' die in case you're wondering.
I asked a few of the Ladies if anyone had it and my friend Veronica did. She very kindly cut out and sent me the pieces in the perfect pearlescent white card. THANK YOU VERONICA!!!!!!!

I like how it turned out -

 I used some scraps of Tim Holtz fabric for the shoe lining - it brings in music to incorporate both their interests. ( I used Mod Podge to stick it on which prevents the edges fraying)

 The 'Something Blue' paper line from Prima was perfect for covering the box.

I went around the edges with Perfect Pearls then added lace, flowers, bling and a little bow. Although the shoe is only about 5" long it takes a while to decorate.... but that might just have been because it was fun and kept adding stuff!
I hope the Bride and Groom like it and don't think its the strangest gift they received! (there is a gift card inside the box, we aren't just giving them a paper shoe!)

Have a lovely day!! xx

Happy Halloween!!!

Way back in August I was resisting the temptation to show you my Halloween house for this year..... then something happened to September ( it just disappeared into thin air!) and now all of sudden its October.

So, since we are officially into the spooky month I can show you!

The  lovely ladies in Athlone did the class last weekend and the lovely Killarney Ladies did it last night, and I didn't take one photo! They were all so different when they were finished. The structure is already made so its just a case of decorating it - which we all know is the fun bit!

   

The kit for this house will be available on my Etsy shop in the next day or two - (send me a message if you're interested)

I hope everyone is well and getting back into their crafting after the summer. xxx