Celebrations and Occasions

We love a party in our family! I enjoy planning for presents and surprises while others get the food and games sorted....

Just recently we've had my niece and her husband visiting along with my great-niece, and had her Peppa Pig party (hence the picture of her Peppa Pig jumper in a previous post).

Last week it was the turn of the youngest member of our clan (at the moment). She's mad on Paw Patrol, but could I find a Paw Patrol pattern anywhere? Mulling it over with my spinning group they told me how to transfer a picture using special graph paper with the suggestion of copying it onto acetate first so that the graph lines appear on top of the picture. So here it is!!!

Then there was the small matter of a birthday card. There are plenty of 'Happy 2nd Birthday' ones and some Paw Patrol ones for 3 year olds, but not for a two year old. So what could I do - well let's raise a glass to the good old laptop and some photographic paper!!

That just left Mothering Sunday. All buoyed up with my knitting achievements I attempted to knit a picture 'M', but somehow whatever I did the tension came out all wrong so I was in my sister's local craft shop when I spied a wooden letter that I could cover with fabric - day saved - Ta-dah!


                                               

A couple of years ago it was my elder niece's 30th. I was able to collect pound coins from almost all the years since her birth, but none from the year of her 30th. So I made her a purse and filled it with a selection of coins from all the years that she's been around making up £30 and mounted a pound coin from her birth year and a different coin from her 30th year for her. This year it's the younger one's turn. It's even more tricky as the pound coins from her birth year have now been withdrawn so I'll have to think of something else.... Watch this space!

Doing Two Things at Once

Now I know that when I finished work I promised myself that I’d not rush around anymore trying to juggle multiple tasks, but...... well I must admit this time it was pretty pleasing to realise that I’d ticked two items off my list without realising it!

I got a Kindle as a present the Christmas before last and I’m converted totally. I always thought that I’d never take technology over handling a book, but I’m truly sold on my new-ish toy. I’ll never be able to turn my back on my love of physically turning a page or retreating to the bath with a paperback, however the sheer joy of having virtually any title I want in my hand immediately is both addictive and mesmerising.

I've indulged my butterfly brain over and over by flitting from one book to another, having multiple pages open, never losing my place and all without driving himself mad by leaving two or three (sometimes more) lying around part read. He’s more of a ‘one thing at a time till it’s finished’ kind of guy - suffice to say it’s just not in my nature. Now I can have as many books on the go at a time sometimes reading parts of two at the same sitting without annoying anyone - well with my reading habits anyway.

I'd downloaded Marie Kondo's 'Spark Joy' a while ago, but only dipped into it so decided to read it properly along with Cait Flanders' 'The Year of Less' and came to the conclusion that it was time to tackle my excess 'stuff'.  I won't bore you with the list of tired t-shirts or solo socks that now no longer fight for space in the bedroom or the books liberated from dusty shelves to gladden new hearts.

It was time to tackle the loft.... The loft contains all my craft resources. Having started with plenty of kits from magazines that I will never start (let alone finish) - boot fair - and two smelly fleeces that I will never spin (there are still four left, but let's not talk about those) I was feeling like I was getting somewhere.

Then my sister needed some new cushions so I stopped and made some covers for some old cushions I 'just happened' to have up in that loft... Then my niece rather liked an applique one I gave to my sister so I did a couple for her. What a result - I now have no cushions in the loft AND I got to do some sewing just like I promised myself I would earlier in the year. Two for the price of one without even trying - Howzat!!