Tree Fall

I am going to be honest here and say that in my 'real' life I have only a very small group of friends that I have only known for a couple of years. I also have a very small family, with only my parents reasonably close by. I grew up moving every few years and I never really learnt how to develop and maintain long lasting friendships. Which is one of the reason's that all of you are so important to me. And one of the reasons that I so appreciate being able to share things with you.
You all helped me through my miscarriages so much and I am so grateful for that. And I feel bad asking for yet more. But today we got some bad news about this pregnancy and we don't know what to do.  All we know at this stage is that we have to spend the next couple of days trying to decided whether we have further tests that could mean risking losing this baby. And that no matter what happens next, I won't at any point again be able to just relax about this pregnancy.
I don't want to go on about this, at least not until we know more. But I wanted to tell you, because a huge part of me wants to take down yesterdays post and although I won't, I am going to close the comments for it.

17 weeks

I can't believe that yesterday I hit 17 weeks already! This pregnancy is going so fast. Eeek.
I'm still very up and down with energy levels and sickness but generally I don't feel too bad.
I can feel M-P2 moving every day now but only with little kicks here and there. And I still have to remind myself that that's an actual baby in there kicking me and not my imagination.
I'm definitely beginning to feel more positive about the whole thing, although I can't help still feeling wary and a little detached. But I think that's going to be the case throughout the entire pregnancy, it's just an unavoidable side effect of so many miscarriages. But like I said, I'm definitely more positive and I do like it when I say 'your sister' to Bella. I just think it all feels so different to with Bella, and that it's so difficult to really focus on what's happening when you spend all your time running around after a 2 year old!
At this stage with Bella I pretty much spent my days lying around reading and watching tv, feeling sorry for myself (with the sickness). Can you imagine? I sure as hell can't! Especially on days like today when my 39 weeks pregnant friend and I took our girls swimming this morning, then out to lunch and then to a children's science museum for the entire afternoon. How things change once you're a mom!
I think we're getting there though. I think that we're beginning to enjoy it all a bit more. Although I think that possibly Jim isn't paying quite as much attention as he thinks he is, especially when he says things like "we've still got another 7 months to go". Huh? You might need to think a bit more about that one Jim!

But anyway, on to the important stuff. The first proper belly shot.

Well as proper as you can get when you're taking it yourself!

17 weeks??? If all goes to plan, that's exactly half way through for me!

Miss Araminta comes to stay.

Look who came to live with us this morning.

Isn't Miss Araminta just lovely? And look how well she fit's in...

Isn't she pretty? And aren't I lucky?
I snapped Miss Araminta up when this wonderfully talented young lady offered her up for sale in her new Shop !

As I'm sure you all know,  Lily is Kristy's  very talented 12 year old daughter who decided recently that she was going to take the plunge and set up her own business called Novelty 12. Yes, at 12 years old!
I can't tell you how impressed I am by Lily and her already obvious talent. She completely understands the need to make your own mark in the creative world. It's already about coming up with pieces that are original and unique rather than just following someone elses patterns and I think you'll all agree that she's succeeding! And I'm not just talking about how sweet it is that she wants to be like her mum, or saying look how clever my friend's daughter is. I'm talking about a young lady that really does grasp the whole business side of creating as well as the creative side.  I mean, just look at the tag that came with Miss Araminta.

It more than earns it's place next to some of my other favourite business cards, with it's clean lines and simplicity.

I can't tell you how much I love the fact that we are not only teaching our children to appreciate creativity, but also teaching them that it is a viable business. Not that I'm saying that you should go into  crafting for the money (hah!), but I do think it's vital that our children are taught that handcrafted goods are worth paying good money for and that you are justified in wanting to have an actual career in the arts.
So many of us say that we love to craft but that the whole business side of it stumps and scares us. So how wonderful is it to see someone as young as Lily taking the bull by the horns and going for it. And how wonderful to think that there may be a generation of new crafters that are at  home with both the creative side to crafting and the business side. Handcrafting won't be taken seriously until crafters can stop being embarressed to charge for their time and talents and can stand up and say that we are viable business women and men. And maybe that's something that we can pass on to the next generation.
Which is why I think it's so important to celebrate Lily's new venture and give her all the praise and encouragement she deserves. She has a belief in herself that most of us sadly know disappears with age and I say lets try and keep that belief alive for as long as possible.
But  even if you ignore all of that, I can honestly say that Miss Araminta is one very cool softy! And that as long as Lily wants to create softy's I'm pretty sure this household will be happy to make more space for them!

When push comes to shove...

I often shy away from commissions because I just don't enjoy working with a colour pallet that doesn't appeal to me. And at the moment I'm still very in to bold strong colours that create high contrast pieces. I'm not at all keen on beige's or browns yet (I know it will happen as we drift further in to Autumn) and still feel the need for fresh, summery colours.

So when a particularly demanding customer of mine asked for a cushion in browns and pinks I groaned. Audibly.  In front of her.
Where's the fun in working with those colours? Browns and pinks are so blahhhh. And just not my thing.
So I forgot all about the request. And got on with much more exciting things (oh boy do I have some excitement in store very soon!).

Until this week, when my customer pointed out that I had promised to make her cushion and that it was needed by Friday. As agreed.
So I bit the bullet and started pulling out some brown and pink prints, hoping that inspiration would strike even though I was still feeling immensely underwhelmed.

And I'm shocked to say that it actually did. And pretty quickly too. Although I did use a little artistic license in my interpretation of brown and pink and went more with beige and natural with a hint of pink and rose.  But you know, you have to work it anyway you can. And I'm so glad I did, because I'm really loving this combination.

I ended up using a combination of a Moda print, one of my favourite Kaffe Fassett's and an Alexander Henry print that I've had for a while and am now thinking I should buy a whole lot more of (what if I run out of it?????) along with natural linen (of course).
To offset the lack of contrast between the linen and the prints I've tried to add details with the quilting and  the binding (the Alexander Henry print again). I also added a plain linen border and stitched through it after the whole cushion was finished to add some more interest.
I'm still naturally inclined to pick out the bright, strong colours at the moment, but I've got to say, this cushion? It's really appealing to me too.
It's also making me feel the Autumn vibe kicking in. Which is never a bad thing.

And I liked it so much that I made an extra, which is in the Shop right now (or will be very soon).
And now I just hope that my customer is pleased with it too.
Well Mom?

(this pregnancy thing is feeling more and more real - not only is M-P2 kicking me fairly regularly now but  I also lost the ability to bend in the middle today!)

Meme

1. Do you promote your blog?

Not really. I don't talk about it very much in my real life (other than to my mom and Jim) and although I guess most of my friends know about it I don't think any really read it. No one else that I know spends much time online so I feel a little silly talking about it.  And I don't promote it anywhere else. I often feel that I should though.
 

2. How often do you check hits?

Most days. I'm always interested to see how people find me and I have to admit that I like to see how many people are reading the blog. I don't obsess over it though. I'm a lot worse about how many people subscribe rather than checking the actual hits and have to fight the urge to be a little upset if I lose some subscribers! And yet strangely enough I prefer people to visit the actual blog rather than reading it through bloglines etc because that way I can have a look at their blog too.

3. Do you stick to one topic?

Yes. It's all about me! I do try to stick to crafting, but the whole miscarriage/pregnancy thing has taken over a little. I want it to get back to more crafting though because that's why I started the blog and I think that that's what most people want to hear about, I mean how often do you need to hear how tired I am?!

4. Who knows that you have a blog?
Some friends. Most of my family. You lot. 

5. How many blogs do you read?

Umm, to be honest I don't read lots. For some reason I've never really got in to using Bloglines, I just bookmark some blogs, but I'm dreadful at not updating my bookmarks. I went through a stage where I would read as many as I could find, but then I became stressed by how influenced I was by other blogs and I cut back. I guess I read about 60 on most days.

6. Are you a fast reader?

I am but I also skim a lot of blogs. There are some that I savour every word (who doesn't love everything that Amanda has to say?) and some that I just love the photo's.

7. Do you customise your blog or do anything technical?

I finally discovered how to customise the colours a while ago and I can just about deal with the banner but other than that I'm crap. For goodness sake I still can't put a badge on the blog!! I have no idea why I'm so thick about how to do it!

8. Do you blog anonymously?

Nope. Real names, real photo's, real me. I do worry a little about it all, but I don't stop people on the street looking at me or my child and they are actually there within grabbing distance, so it seems a bit of a waste of time to worry overly about people on line. Probably very naive of me though.

9. To what extent do you censor yourself?

About myself? Not very much. About other people? Totally. I am very aware that it's incredibly unfair to talk about anyone else on my blog and don't do it unless I have something good to say. If Jim and I are having issues (yes, it happens. Often.) and I'm angry or miserable then I just don't post until I've calmed down. And there are huge parts of my family life that I will never talk about because it involves other people that I have nothing nice to say about. But that said, I find it impossible to not talk about the big things that affect my creativity, like the miscarriages or the pregnancy. It would be completely false of me if I didn't discuss those things when they've been such a huge part of my life for the last few years. I am aware that it can make other family members a bit uncomfortable though and I wish it didn't. And I do censor myself if the whole blog is just getting too bloody miserable - I want this to be a happy place, and hate when it gets too bogged down with all the crap. 

10. The best thing about blogging?

The people. Without a doubt. And the support. When I was having miscarriages pre Bella and the blog, I felt so alone and that was the worst thing, but now I know that there are many, many people that understand and that makes a massive difference.
Also the confidence that it's given me. It's totally changed my standard of work (much, much higher) and given me a much greater sense of purpose. I no longer feel that I'm crafting for no reason. Oh and the photography - it's developed my eye in a way that I didn't think possible.
But mainly the people. I am so grateful for the friends that I've been able to make - some new, some rediscovered and all very much loved.


Thanks to Ali for tagging me! I really enjoyed that one and am loving reading everyone elses. I think this is one of my favourite meme's in a while.

My excitement over my 2nd Tri burst of energy was a little short lived I'm afraid. And I'm back to being exhausted again, BOOOO HISSSSSSS!!!. But I'm hoping to get back on track again this week.
Oh and we've had it definitely confirmed that M-P2 is indeed a girl (not in question, just nice to have a second opinion). Yay. But we're surprising ourselves by seriously struggling with names, after thinking that it would be no problem at all!

Bibilicious

Bibs. We're all about bibs around here at the moment. And not just because my beautiful niece gave me the excuse to make some new ones. Or because MP-2 has me thinking about the many, many, many things that  I want to make for her.  Or even because my favourite online gift shop has just ordered a bitrillion from me.
No, we're actually all about bibs because when I haven't been creative for a while and am suffering a little block, or suffering from just too many ideas to know where to start, the best thing for me is to concentrate on something small.
And actually that's a good tip from me. If you find that you're overwhelmed and therefore suffering from a creative block, find something that doesn't require a brand new pattern but that can allow you to get excited again about what you do. It really does help and takes the pressure off.

For me, bibs is a great one. I know the pattern (and for those who've asked - I just drew a pattern out freehand on craft paper and use that), there's nothing complicated that causes brain freeze and it's small enough to be finished in well under an hour. And best of all, there are unlimited fabric combinations that really do allow you to get back in to it all. Perfect and fun.

I wanted these bibs to actually be a part of a babies outfit, instead of just covering it up. When Bella was a baby most of her baby friends wore bibs constantly throughout the day to keep their outfits clean. But I couldn't bear to do that because I couldn't find any bibs that were actually pretty and hated seeing her in an ugly boring bib. So I decided to make some that were as pretty as Bella's actual clothes, and because young babies only drink milk, you don't have to worry about orange food stains!

I know that a lot of people finish their bibs with bias binding ties, but when Bella was a baby it drove me nuts when I had to try and tie up a bib with Bella wriggling around like a big juicy worm. So I use press studs on these bibs, which I find a lot easier. It also means that the bib doesn't rub on the back of the neck.

So that's where we've been for the last few days. Bibs. Lots of them. For boys and girls.
Do you think that there's going to be a lot more baby stuff around here in the oncoming months then ??

(these are all in The Shop  right now)

Weekend...

Oh it's so lovely to be back to (almost) my old self again. And I know that Jim and Bella are relieved to have me back. I'm not sure either of them has been overly impressed with the me of the last 3 months!
We've had another jam packed weekend and have again been focusing on Bella having fun . Which isn't exactly a hardship!

Today was the laziest  day we've had all week though. We watched tv this morning (with a bit of work and housework thrown in) and then ventured out this afternoon to buy Bella some new trainers (pink, but of course) and drink hot chocolate. And that's it. The entire day. Done.

This week we have nursery, some hospital appointments and hopefully a lot more fun (which I'm hoping will include a trip to the cinema to see the Bourne Ultimatum finally - but that's dependent on my staying awake and my 38 weeks pregnant friend not going in to labour!).
Oh and of course, work. Lots more work. And maybe a few more items in the shop. And definitely getting the Princess and the Pea sets finished and sent (I am so sorry to all of you that are still waiting!!!).

(recent thrifty purchases. The 3 jars being the most recent and only 50p each. Score.)

Yet more fun?

Goodness! Bella and I have been having a busy, busy time this week. I swear we've done more in this week than we usually do in a whole month.
We continued with the fun yesterday, spending the entire day out with friends. And I have to say that it included some of Bella's favourite things. Like shoe shopping for example! Yep, that girl loves to shop for shoes. Loves it! And yesterday was no exception - after having her feet measured again (she has really big feet!) we had a few 'discussions'  over which pair to get her, but finally agreed on some pink, sequined, light weight boots (!!!!). And after that excitement (and wearing our new boots) we all trundled off to Borders for hot chocolates and sandwiches.

In the afternoon we went to  one of those places where you buy an unglazed mug (or whatever) and paint it. It's the first time we've done something like that and I have to say that considering the girls are only 2 and a half, they did it really well. And apart from one splashing incident (and my patience briefly snapping, followed by a swift apology) it was a big success.
I must say though that after spending time with a couple of two year olds in a place that is jam packed full of very, very breakable ceramics, we all felt the need to be somewhere that the girls could run riot in without us constantly flinching, shouting or praying! So next it was off to a friends indoor play centre that is rapidly becoming a second home, for a few hours of crazy, noisy play and some dinner cooked by someone else (heaven!).

So it was another lovely day, but I have to admit that when I realised that today was Friday and therefore nursery day, I did breathe a small sigh of relief. Well, it's exhausting having all that fun!

And just look how messy the studio is looking at the moment! That's the real result of having too much fun with my daughter. Not laziness. Really. Honest.

Just the Two of Us..

I'm really aware at the moment that Bella and I only have 5 months left of it being just the two of us and that we need to get some decent quality time in before I'm too big to be any fun anymore.
So with that in mind, I decided to ignore the fact that the day started with both Bella and I coughing and spluttering and set about having us a bit of fun.

We started with a breakfast of crumpets and strawberries (the fact that there was fruit involved allowed me to ignore the heavily buttered crumpets!).

And then moved swiftly on to baking ginger biscuits (our favourite and only egg free recipe).

As you can see, Bella believes in dressing for baking! Alice bands and pearls are de rigeur you know.

And again, you may notice that my child has no apron of her own! If only I knew someone who made children's aprons...

Can you see just how cheeky my daughter is? I have no idea where she gets that from!

And in no time at all, we had biscuits. And believe me we made pretty short work of them. ( Don't worry, she hasn't been fighting, that's eczema on her hand).

After baking (and waiting for the boiler man to finally fix our boiler) Bella and I walked to the shop and bought some snacks and comics and headed off to explore our local graveyard.
What? There's grass and it's quiet.

Don't worry, I did draw the line at actually climbing on the gravestones. Pretty much..

We sat in the sunshine and ate some snacks and drank our juice. And then we wondered around looking at the church (I unintentially gave Bella the idea it was full of bad people! Eek. Scratch that ).

And then we walked to the park and played Bella's first ever game of Pooh Sticks.

Which lasted ages and was great fun for both of us. Although Bella was desperate to go swimming in the stream. Unfortunately what with the shopping trolleys and beer cans there just wasn't room for her too!

So unfair.

And as if that wasn't all exciting enough, we also swung on the swings, slid on the slides and rounded (!) on the round-abouts.  Then it was off to the library where Bella was given a free treasure chest full of books, crayons and colouring books, by the librarian! How cool is that?
And, yes and, I even managed to fit  in some thrifting too!
All in all, a pretty  damn good day! Pretty damned good.

Sweetness

(wow!!! Thank you for all your congrats about our little girl! After months of thinking that it was definitely a boy I'm still trying to convince myself that she really is a girl!)

We had the pleasure of meeting the newest member of our family this weekend - my beautiful niece, Georgia. And because it was a special occasion, a few special gifts were in order.

One of the most useful gifts that I love to make is my baby playmat. It's really durable and really well padded, so it can be put down on any floor without worry.

I made Bella one of these when she was born (although the fabrics weren't as pretty) and it could still be used (although it won't be because M-P2 will have a new pretty one of her own).

I also made some new bibs for Georgia.

I love these new fabrics - the stripe is a Paul Smith and the bottom one is a gorgeous Liberty print that I picked up a couple of months ago and I've been waiting for the right project to use it.

I've backed both of them with a lovely soft, cream chenille and pre-shrunk them so that they can be thrown in the tumble dryer as many times as necessary. My sister-in-law says that Georgia will only be wearing these on trips out, so that they can be admired - and you see, that's just one of the reason's that she's such a good sister-in-law!

As you can see, at the moment they cover pretty much everything! But she'll grow in to them in no time I'm sure.

And of course, the day before we went I also decided that Georgia needed a new blanket/quilt too! I mean, why wouldn't I decide to start something completely new, when I'm tired, sick and short of time?

I knew that I wanted to keep it simple so I chose a piece of Robert Kaufman flannel that I love and used a repro print to border it.

I then decided that it was all too simple and that 7pm the night before we left would be a good time to learn how to freehand quilt! Having never done it before. Ever.
So that didn't work out too well then. Which resulted in me having to cut the top 5 inches off the top of the quilt. Uh huh. Clever.
And even more clever was the fact that it meant that the backing piece was now too small. Meh.
I didn't give up though. Which admittedly was more to do with stupidity than commitment. And chose a new backing, sewed on a new border and decided that good old fashioned, straight machine quilting was absolutely fine!

The upside to my initial craziness is that the new backing worked much better than the original and that the finished size was much more suitable for a newborn.

For the binding I chose a vintage heavy cotton that is one of my favourites and finally sat down a few hours later to sew it on (one of my favourite parts of quilting). I then even managed to get it washed and dried before going to bed!
It would probably be a good thing if I could learn not to make these last minute decisions though!

I am relieved to say that the gifts were very well received though, so it was definitely worth it all. Oh and at least I know how to freehand quilt now!

It was a lovely day and we were so very happy to meet Georgia! And Bella had the best fun playing with her older cousin, not to mention getting to smother her younger cousin with kisses!

Oh and yes, for those you of that asked, we have told Bella that I'm having a baby and we told her yesterday that it was a sister. She talks about the baby in my tummy (and says she has one too!) but I don't think she's really sure about it all yet. And it's still such a long way off (for her) that we don't make too big a deal about it yet.