Spreading the word

It's been a while since I last blogged. You know when time just takes over and suddenly you're months down the line and you wonder where they went. I haven't been idling about, it's been a busy few months in the Raindrops house, with 3 children at school, dance shows and exams, girlguiding activities, work stuff and trying to fit family time into that, too. I've rather neglected my blog and I'd like to put that right!

My intention has always been to use this blog to not only share all the stuff I get up to attempting to make my family life work, but also as a platform for my hobbies that I'd really like to turn into my work. I have dabbled for a while with crafting and making as you lovely readers may know. Now I'd like to seriously take it forward and offer up my items for sale. This blog hopefully will show off what I've made, and along the way I will share some of the skills I've learned while honing my crafts. For example I recently learned how to do a Russian join with yarn. A very useful skill if, like me, you hate the thought of weaving in all those ends. A photo tutorial will follow in the coming months!

I've also added an Etsy shop, which you can see here. Have a look! My Facebook page is still going, there's a link to it on the left there. Exciting times ahead I hope!

Here's an example of some of the things I've been putting together recently.

Some rather cute ballet shoe stitch markers (we are a bit dance mad in the Raindrops house!), though I guess there are many other uses for them too!

And an up cycled headband, made from a grown-out-of dress. You can get the pattern here

I have got lots of exciting ideas and plans for the future. Hopefully some of them will bloom, maybe some won't, but the thing is you have to try and reach out for that happiness, don't you? Life is far too short to waste it on what ifs. 

Enjoy your day! 

Til next time. 

Roald Dahl Day!

I'm not sure if you were aware but this week it was Roald Dahl's birthday. It was a biggy too, 100 years. To celebrate there have been a lot of different activities going on around the country. I hope you have been able to take part, especially if you have little people. We haven't been able to attend as much as we wanted to because of that horrid work thing getting in the way. Even so we were able to get to some story telling, and literacy workshops, craft activities and treasure hunts! It has been great fun, and even as an adult I have enjoyed reliving some of the stories I heard and read as a child, and discovering new ones too. I think there are few people who have had the same impact on our young as Roald Dahl has. And his legacy continues, not just in his writing, but in his charitable works as well. If you want to read more about his Marvellous Children's Charity, the website is here.

Most Primary aged children have been celebrating his birthday this week. my children included. I was given the task of coming up with a costume for my eldest to wear, as she had been requested to dress up as a character from one of the books. (As usual I was given about 5 days notice. Why do schools do that??!) At first she wanted to go as Matilda, but quickly changed her mind when she realised it would be a popular choice with the other girls. So we had a chat about it and decided on the Roly Poly Bird from the Twits and the Enormous Crocodile. 

So I set to it armed with offcuts of fabric, craft paper, card, an old pillow case and a few bendy straws. And I was actually quite pleased with my efforts. 

But most importantly, Eldest was happy. And that's what it's about!

Til next time!

An Aladdin's Cave

On the North Norfolk coast there's a lovely little seaside town called Sherringham. I don't know if you've ever been, but if you get the chance, it's well worth a visit. I've been there several times with the hubs and our little family, and plan to introduce the Littlest to it next summer. I have happy memories of walking along the sea front, with it's brightly coloured beach huts, looking out to sea, stopping in the little cafe for a brew and walking along the high street, past the obligatory English seaside amusement arcades, towards the centre of the town, gorgeous little gift shops, traditional sweet shops but also one of my absolute favourite types of places - those eclectic  little shops that you go in not knowing what you'll find. There's one in Sherringham that I spent hours in (or was, I have no idea if it's still there) tucked away on a back street, and selling all kinds of gorgeous little trinkets,and gifts, items from all ethnicities. A real Aladdin's Cave.
I remember one in Hampton as well, that always drew me like a moth to a flame whenever we travelled through. That was like a curiosity shop, full of things people had discarded for others to find a home for, as well as spaces available for the local crafters and artisans to show off their wares, too. I haven't been to Hampton since before my children were born. I doubt, in today's climate of bargain buys and online shopping, that it is still even there. I hope it is, though.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, this , and all the other little shops and stalls I've spent hours browsing round, was the inspiration for my page, which is why, when you visit my page (and hopefully one day I'll have a website, too) you'll see a higgeldy, piggeldy collection of things I've made, up-cycled or just found to pass on to a new home. I hope you like browsing, just like me! You never know when you'll come across that one perfect thing you were looking for, and maybe didn't even know it.

This little pocket watch was one of those things I found accidentally on purpose.

I was looking for something else, and it caught my eye.

And I love it, and I'm not sure I can be parted from it! I keep looking at it. It reminds me of almost publicly embarrassing myself at my daughters' last dance show, when Biggest played Alice in a beautifully choreographed little ballet performance, and I was so proud.

. 

(But I can't keep everything or else my husband will divorce me and I'll be on telly as Britain's Biggest Hoarder)

So on my page it goes, along with things I've made and things I've up-cycled, and other things I've collected along the way. Come and say hello! 

Time to Dye

Several months ago I was given a Tie Dye kit by the Hubs. It was in response to my complete obsession with hand dyed yarn and other custom dyes, such as those over on Rainbow Fusions (a really lovely page, go and visit it!) I vaguely recall tying marbles into t shirts and dipping in a pan of dye, along with eggs at Easter as a child, although it isn't a practice I've continued. But I do still hold a special place in my heart for that style of art. Tie Dye kits are readily available now and I urge you to give it a go. It's not as scary or complicated as it might seem...though it can be very messy!

I thought I'd share the results of my dying sesh with you all. It did take longer than i anticipated, and getting up early to start it all off without Little People round my feet didn't really work out, as they were up before I got to the dying stage! Incidentally this is totally an activity that you can share with the kids. You just need to be well prepared with messy clothes, aprons, gloves and covers .....the dye gets everywhere! But on my first try I didn't want to be worrying about dying the children ..or the walls...or the floor... (in the end I escaped with a multicoloured bin lid but that's a small price to pay really!)

The dye really does get everywhere but that's part of the fun, and the beauty. There are loads of tutorials and techniques available. or you can make your own up too.

Anything can be dyed, though natural fibres are the best. Most of the items I used were 100% cotton. I had some plain white t-shirts, that were new and bought especially to dye (I don't normally buy white clothing for my children, I hate laundry and spending hours trying to get whites white is just too much effort for me!) but I also had some old clothes, too, including a white school shirt that I've not quite finished altering, so will share another time.

I just wish i could have saved the paper towels, they looked so pretty.

The colours did fade quite a bit, more than I thought they would, but I've learned loads and hopefully next time the results will be even better. Even so I am pleased with my little efforts. And the children are, too, which is really the main thing after all.

Here they are...still abit damp so not pressed yet, but you'll get the idea!

And it's not just tees that can be dyed. Here's a pair of once white leggings, that had started to go grey. Not any more. 

I'm looking forward to doing this all over again, and involving the children, too. This would make a great activity for the school holidays, so I'll have to book a day in half term to have another dying day.

I hope I have inspired you to have a little go yourself! 

You can see more of my makes, finds and little adventures over on my Facebook page. Come and say hello!

Happy (unofficial) Birthday Baby Sis!.

You may remember in my last blog I mentioned my little sister's birthday. If you follow me on Facebook (either personally, or on my page) you may have seen the pictures already. But I just wanted to share it here, too. It is a very special birthday, as my not so little sister (she is bigger than me!) is turning 21 this year. And just like the Queen, she will be having two birthdays, her unofficial one was last weekend, and her real one is in a couple of months. The reason for this was totally practical, as she is away from home at university, and this was the only opportunity we all had to get together.

I wanted a special present, as you can expect, but I was completely flummoxed about what to get her. Then one afternoon I was browsing on Ravelry and I came across a pattern for an Elise shawl. I had seen other people post up pictures of their completed Elises and always thought the pattern was beautiful. I selected some gorgeously squishy yarn in lovely autumnal colours and off I went..
It did take considerably longer that I anticipated. I'm not the fastest hooker in the West anyway, but I found myself with something creative minded people dread. I Lost My Cro-Jo. I don't know why or how but it just went. not good when you have a deadline. Somehow I managed to bring it all round and finished the shawl with a couple of days to spare.

So here it is :

And a closer look at the stitches:

I did enjoy making this on the whole. It is a lovely, rhythmic pattern on a simple two row repeat. If you're a crocheter and want to give it a go, you can find the pattern on Ravelry It is called an Elise Shawl, by Evan Plevinski.(you might note that I have altered the border from the original. I opted not to do the picot border but it is simple to add)

I also made my sister some earrings in similar colours, though I completely forgot to photograph them in my rush to get everything wrapped in time!

That's all for now. I hope you have a great day :)

School's out...

If, like me, you're a parent, I would just like to take this opportunity to offer my sympathies, and hope you are surviving the holidays. Back at the beginning of July, before my girls even finished school for the summer, I was so organised, with lots of things planned  so they didn't get bored. As usual the good old British summer has rather ruined it a little. We have had some lovely weather, but not nearly enough, and trips out to the park with bikes, and walks along the canal , and picnics with friends haven't had chance to happen yet. I only hope the last couple of weeks makes up for it...though it is now August, and we all know what that means! 

Having the children around (as well as trying to squeeze in work) has resulted in very little time making, I hope to remedy this in the not so distant future. I have managed to make a few special things for a special birthday...but since they haven't been gifted, I will spill more on that in another post. 

Today I'd like to share something that is in essence with what I am trying to achieve - making, upcycling and rescuing. I love browsing in all kinds of shops, I think it drives the hubster a bit mad, as I lag behind him spending far too much time looking at some random object (that I usually don't buy) but what I'm actually doing is looking at it, thinking about it, do I want it, can I do something with it. Sometimes (often) the answer is no. But even so, it might spark a little idea that I collect and put away for another time, and maybe get out every now and then, polish, twist about until it becomes clearer and ultimately give me something to work on. I'm full of these little ideas.

So I spent rather longer than I needed to looking at some cute bracelets made with wooden beads. And then they were in my hand and I was paying for them. 

And I thought about them, and they became these:

I've had some positive feedback about these earrings over on my Facebook page and I've added them to my Etsy shop as well. I'm quite pleased about how they turned out. 

I've been trying to promote my Facebook page a little bit recently. I update as often as I can, so please come over and say hello, and have a look at my new makes and finds. 

Have a great weekend. We're off to a birthday party later, a barbecue in honour of a special milestone for my baby sister. 

I'm taking my wellies. 

Have a great weekend. 

It's been a while....

...but I've been busy with life, work, family ...and finally getting on with doing some things I wanted to. I've been introduced to the wonderful new addiction of sock making. it was on my bucket list, and something I had avoided forever. i have no idea why, it just looked so complicated, and what were all those pattern instructions about?? I've discovered that socks can be made on double pointed needles, small circulars and even toe up, 2 at a time - which is one of my next must do's.. Thanks to a very good friend Sharon, who offered to do a knit along with me, and some fabulous indie dyers (Lollipop Guild Yarns, Pollyorange, Truly Hooked. to name a few) my yarny addiction is hitting a new level!

It's not only yarn that has me smiling, I've been busy with other makery, stich markers, earrings and even a little bit of sewing. yes, I'm pleased to announce that I even made myself a little project bag

I'm very pleased with my efforts. And I now have a little bag to replace the tatty plastic bag that was being dragged around everywhere. This is definitely a much better bag to contain my yarny project around with me. Sadly I still remain the world's slowest knitter. , it's really taking me forever to knit these socks, but I'm enjoying being able to take it out of my bag and knit a couple of rounds when I have a spare minute.

I was hoping that I would find those extra few minutes whilst waiting for my son at the new Street class he started a few weeks ago. Sadly not to be, as so far he has resisted my efforts to encourage him away from the apron strings and is refusing to go in alone. So unlike his sisters' who didn't give me a backward glance the first time they went into the dance studio...and continue to give me only a fleeting wave to this day. It's really quite strange how my boisterous, loud, energetic little boy tries to melt into my leg if anyone even dares speak to him. I think it might be a few more weeks until mummy gets the chance to sit and knit while he goes off and does his thing!

Clay Play

Yesterday I finally got round to doing something I've been thinking about for a while, making polymer clay handles for some of my crochet hooks. I've had the clay for a while, but was a bit daunted. I can be a bit cack handed when it comes to modeling and making, I wasn't sure I'd be happy with the results.
It took me a bit of time fiddling and changing things, adding and taking off, and I learned some valuable lessons - such s don't mix the colours too early or it'll just all mix into one! But I had fun and ultimately I was rather proud of myself at the end.
These hooks are for my own use, but I do plan to make more to sell in the near future. And I even had enough clay left over to make a rainbow badge, too :)

Breakfast yoghurt pots

I'd be lying if I said I came up with this idea myself, but it's such a simple and tasty breakfast, and one that's often on our table, I wanted to share it with you. I originally was told about it by a good friend who had, I believe, seen the recipe on the Slimming World website. Now please don't stop reading, thinking that this is diet food, and bound to be lacking something. It's not. What I want to show you is the bones of it, pad it out any way you like, with things you enjoy. See where it takes you.
For our breakfast pots I always start with the basics, and you must too. They are yoghurt, porridge oats and fruit. For 5 servings (3 are for children) I used 500g of natural yoghurt, about 80g of oats, and 120g of blueberries.
You want to start by putting some of your fruit in the bottom of your containers/glasses/beakers. I use plastic beakers because I have 3 children who like to drop things. And they're colourful.  Today I used frozen blueberries, of which I often have an abundance in my freezer. You can use anything you like, fresh or frozen, mix them up or have a single fruit, strawberry and kiwi work well, but blueberry is the run away favourite here.
Next cover the fruit with a layer of oats. Just enough, not too much. Roughly a dessert spoonful. Plain porridge oats, the kind you make porridge from scratch with, and even better is you can buy the cheap as chips stuff, it's just as good.
Then add a generous layer of yoghurt. Any type of yoghurt... Plain, natural, flavoured, Greek style... Choice is yours. Just remember if you are giving to children under 2 that you'll need it to be full fat, otherwise it really doesn't matter.
The next step is to repeat the layers, fruit, oats, yoghurt and optional - add a swirl of honey to the middle fruit layer if you so desire.
I like to top it with more fruit, just to make it pretty. You could add toasted oats or granola too.
Cover with cling film - and this is the hard part - and put in the fridge, for at least overnight, to let everything all soak together.
I make this usually the morning before I need them, and it does take a bit of forward planning. But it's definitely worth it!!

Learning a new skill

You are never too old to learn something new, and whilst I was having a bimble through some of my favourite crafty blogs recently, I came across something that immediately grabbed my attention. Tunisian crochet, otherwise known as Afghan stitch. Definitely something I wanted to try!
It's done with a Tunisian hook, which looks a bit like a cross between a crochet hook and a knitting needle, and it is a little bit like a cross between the two arts in actual fact.
I'm right at the beginning of my Tunisian obsession, and once I master it I'll gladly share my finished pieces. In the meantime if you are intrigued take a look at www.mooglyblog.com, there are some great tutorials available.
Happy hooking!

Broken crayons? No problem!

I posted recently on my Facebook page about recycling old, broken crayons and making them useful again, instead of throwing them out.
Here's how I did it!

You need:
Broken crayons with all paper removed.
A silicon tray/mould  such as a muffin tray, ice cube tray, cake pop mould. Please note it must be silicon.
An oven

Preheat the oven to about 150 c
Organise your bits of crayon into colours and fill the moulds with the crayon pieces. You can really play with the colours here, putting them together as a single colour or a rainbow of colours. Be careful not to overfill the moulds!

Put the tray in the oven and set your timer for 5 minutes. You'll need to put it on top of another tray just in case of spills - you don't want wax on the bottom of your oven! You'll also need to stay nearby and keep a close eye on the wax as it melts. It might take a little longer than 5 min, that's just a guide.  As soon as it has melted, take it out of the oven and set it aside to cool.
Please note, the wax will be very hot and will cause burns if spilt. This is definitely not a job for the children!
Once cool, push the crayons out of the moulds, and set the children free with them, to create their masterpieces. Or just play with them, as my 3yr old likes to do!

An accidental find

My #100happydays photo today is a ball of yarn. I came across it accidentally whilst at the haberdashery stall in the market for something else, but somehow I came home with wool and not the sewing needle for leather as intended.... I was too distracted by the fact I'd found some wool in a lovely shade of blue, almost the same colour, and certainly close enough, to match my eldest's new ballet uniform. I completely forgot to ask for the needle (needed to sew elastic on some new ballet pumps...)
I intend to make a headband for Caoimhe to wear for dancing. Which means I will have to dig about in my stash for some pink wool to make a headband to match Tig's pink ballet uniform too.
The joys of being owned by 2 daughters!

Mummy's Easter Egg

I've been carrying on with my #100Happydays photos on instagram/facebook/twitter and today's picture is my special Easter Egg from my Tornado Tig. It's not easy to see properly because it's covered in cling film (to keep the mini chocs in and little fingers out I should think!) But it is a painted jam jar, decorated by Teaghan Alice aged 2 3/4's (with a bit of help from Grandma!)  The apology is for making me stressed and cross because she is 2 3/4's and is doing it very well!  Even though it isn't my *own* handmade item I would like to share it on Wendy 's blog over on HandmadeHarbour
For Handmade Monday. I haven't posted there for a while so I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone !

100 Happy Days Day 4

Today was a day for making Easter bonnets. Caoimhe started hers yesterday and I put the finishing touches to it today, all ready for her Easter Bonnet parade at school tomorrow.  Tig enjoyed making hers with a bit of mummy help (ok, a lot! ) especially sticking the picture of 'Humpty Duddle' on!

100 Happy Days: Day 2

I am pretty rubbish at meal planning, even though I know it's the way to go in the quest for Domestic Goddessness... Tuesday was no exception.  But some leftover chicken and a few rashers of bacon inspired a chicken and bacon macaroni cheese. It was a hit on all fronts and Caoimhe even asked for seconds. #result.

100 Happy Days.: Day 1

I have been enjoying seeing friends' #100happydays contributions so I thought I'd join in with my own. We've had a busy day today but this made me smile the most. We walked past a busker who was singing My Girl and Tig just had to dance right there in the middle of the pavement. She loves to dance (just like her big sister) it makes her so happy. It makes us all happy :)

Epic Parenting fail!

Well, not exactly. That's a bit dramatic, really. Though I have to be honest and say that recently my Domestic Goddess training has slipped quite a bit. Not sure where time has gone. In a few short weeks it will be Christmas, and then I will be back at work. Not looking forward to leaving my babies behind one little bit!

 

 



Tomorrow my big girl will be 5. Not sure how that happened! It seems like only yesterday I was cradling her in my arms after a very long night, and now she is big enough to be at school, and have a little bit of independence. I guess it won't be long until she has a lot more independence, living away from me and living her own life. How quickly they grow up!

So maybe you'd like to see her birthday cake? Just a sneak preview then....

 



Ok, I'm not actually telling the truth there. That was supposed to be her cake. It's in the Disney Cake and Sweets magazine, and I thought it would be a nice surprise for her, since she loves fairies and Tinkerbell in particular.

 

 

It didn't happen. Not entirely my fault, as she decided she wanted a Moshi Monster cake instead. So I am afraid to say I took the easy way out, and bought it from the supermarket. Still, she will be happy when she sees it, and that's all that matters....right?

 

I've been preparing for Christmas this week as I'm sure you all have been doing too. I have been asked to make the cards for St Michael's brass band  again, so Supplies have been purchased and I will be making those as soon as my ribbon arrives. I've also been preparing for the arrival of a little visitor, our little Christmas Elf, Violet. We are hoping that she will bring the fairies with her when she arrives on the 1st December and they put the decorations up for us, to save us the job. We have some new Christmas decorations from the lovely Jem at Jam Dalory, some personalised ones for our tree..now our little family of five is complete. Some photos to follow...but she has some lovely designs so take a look.

 

Of course I'm linking up with Wendy at Handmade Harbour  (even though I haven't got a make this week to showcase....but I still would like you to take a stroll over there to see what's been happening!) Hopefully I'll get the chance to update on my One in the Oven blog this week...

Have a great week

Til next time!

It's all about boobs!

That wasn't a typo. This post is dedicated to boobs. So if boobs offend you, then please walk away now!
As some of you may already know, I am currently training to be a breastfeeding helper with the Breastfeeding Network, with the hope that once my training is finished, I will be able to volunteer in breastfeeding groups, and even on the postnatal ward, supporting mums who are breastfeeding their babies, and may need a little bit of help or support to do it. The numbers of mums breastfeeding in the UK is quite poor really, when you consider that Mother Nature designed our bodies to perform this function for our newborns. I don't want to get into a whole political debate about the reasons behind this, nor to comment on it further really. Those of you who know me 'in real life' know how I feel about it all already, and really women should be able to make their own decisions, for their own reasons, on how they choose to feed their babies.

That said, I am obviously 'pro-boob' I couldn't deny that even if I wanted to. I am 7 months into my breastfeeding experience with my son, having fed my two daughters to 14 mths and 15 mths respectively. And the very fact that I want to be a Breastfeeding Helper kind of makes it a bit obvious how I feel on the subject!

So this week I want to use my blog to just promote the work that the Breastfeeding Network do. And to show you my boobs. Ok, before you get worried, I do not own a single photo of my boobs, or of me breastfeeding any of my children. So I don't want to show you my actual boobs. Just the ones I made. Phew.

 

The Breastfeeding Network is a charity whose aim is to offer independent information and support to breastfeeding mums and the people who care for them. In collaboration with The Association of breastfeeding Mothers they run a helpline, as well as running their own helpline too., and offer a range of information leaflets on a variety of subjects to do with breastfeeding. They also provide training in some parts of the country for mums, like myself, who want to help support other mums on their breastfeeding journeys. The training I am doing is also in association with Homestart, which is a family support organisation.

 

So why have I been making boobs? BfN helpers and supporters use them with mums to demonstrate hand expressing and also positioning and attachment with the cloth dolls. We were given the knitted boob pattern during a class, but me being me, I had to look and see if I could find a crochet version too! Apparently the charity is always looking for knitted boobs. Each helper is given their own boob during their training) so if anyone would like to help out then you can get in touch with the BfN or comment here, or email me (bluekasha@aol.com) and I'll put you in touch with my course tutor.

I have been looking for a pattern for a 'boob beanie' whilst searching the interweb for crochet patterns. I don't know if you have seen them, but they are for babies to wear on their heads while having their lunch in public. A very clever (and irritated I should think!) Australian  mum came up with the idea due to being sick of all the negativity when she wanted to breastfeed her child in public. You can see it here. It basically resembles a boob. It is getting a bit cooler now, and I'm sure my little boy is in need of a new hat.... ;)

I am sure there are lots of other uses for these fabric bazoomas, especially since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month too. Boobs are amazing things, let's celebrate them :)

 

I'm linking up with Wendy for Handmade Monday as usual. Please spend any spare time you have having a look at the wonderful blogs linked up over there.

(just a quick note to my fellow bloggers... I have had a fair few problems with logging into google this week, so although I have been reading your blogs, I have been unable to post comments. Hopefully that will be resolved this week!)

Have a great week,



A Belated Happy Birthday...

...and also a belated blog post. I originally wrote this blog post this morning (whilst on the school run, I am such a multitasker!) but the blogger app on my phone decided it didn't want to do as it should, and my post was sent into the ether, never to be seen again! So here it is again...

I have wanted to share this week's make with you for several weeks really, but it was a birthday gift, and I wanted the recipient to see it before the Internet did. We have only just managed to get together, so my friend's present was fashionably late in getting to her. But at last she has it in her possession, and I can show it to you.

(Please excuse the picture quality. I wasn't really aware how rubbish the picture was until I have tried to upload it here!)

My friend is a talented jewellery maker, and I know she enjoys handmade things too. I decided to make part of her present for her, and wanted to do something I haven't done before. I have a pattern for a crocheted necklace, which I have had for a few years, and never attempted...in my defence I bought the pattern because it had a lovely flower brooch pattern, not for the necklace, and I have made the brooch a couple of times) I had some lovely pink and pale purple (I guess you could call it lilac!) cotton dk so I dug out a crochet hook and set off to make it. Each of the flowers is hand sewn on, with a button at its centre, I initially was going to use the same buttons, but decided in the end that a variety would be more effective, and I'm glad I chose to do that. I am also pleased that I didn't make as many flowers as there are on the pattern as I think I got the balance just right, more flowers would have looked too heavy I think.
I like the effect of it overall, and I think crocheted jewellery is something I might look into doing again. not sure I'll go for the wire version though, as pretty as it is, I think I like the soft look that using cotton gives.

Of course I will be linking up with Wendy for handmade Monday and as soon as I get a few spare minutes I'll be having a look at the fab blogs showcased there. If you have liked what you have read here, then you will definitely like the bloggers who take part in Handmade Monday, so do yourselves a favour and have a look!

I am hoping to have a new little venture up and running in the next few days. It is in response to a few requests from friends, as well as a new direction my family life is taking...more will be revealed soon.

Have a great week!

A very clever lady :)

 

Not me, I have to say! But my very good friend Angela.  The beautiful boy is admittedly made by me (guess that makes me a bit clever, eh?!) But the changing mat he's lying on was made by Angela as a present for Caelan for his baptism yesterday.  I love it!
I have to admit that this time round I've really not bothered with a changing mat. I tend to use a muslin or towel on the floor (third baby syndrome. .. how many of you double/triple mummies have done the same??) I always carry muslins as they really are the most useful tool in a mummy's arsenal, fab for so many uses, I've even made makeshift sunhats out of them! But since I have frequently had to change one child or other on a cold toilet floor having a nice padded changing mat will probably be a relief for little bums!

Angela also made the cake, and I was thrilled with that too! I just want to say thank you again, you're a very clever sausage :)

 

 

Continuing the mummy theme I have recently started a  breastfeeding helper course with BFN/Homestart which I am enjoying very much. For those who know me this will not come as any great surprise as I am definitely 'pro boobs' Formula milk has it's place for those who can't/don't want to breastfeed but I don't think enough is done to support mums-to-be to make an informed choice about how they feed their babies or support them to actually do it successfully.  I am looking forward to being able to play a little part in changing that and hopefully attitudes towards breastfeeding will change in the future.  It's really been one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. I will be quite sad when Caelan decides he doesn't want boob anymore.  Maybe helping other mums might make that a little bit easier.
I'm linking up with Wendy at  Handmade Harbour  for Handmade Monday even though I'm cheating and didn't make anything this week (except the food for Caelan's baptism! ) and when I get chance I'll be having a wander over myself.
Have a great week. Til next time!