Handmade aprons, Handmade lavender hearts and christmas gifts galore!!!

I have been a busy bunny the last few days! I can´t say how much this has helped with the homesickness and I´m so glad I managed to find the motivation to start it. I am super proud of my apron I´ve made for my utterly gorgeous niece Lola, it was easier than I thought but took a lot of preperation...something I normally steer well away from, but I am now beginning to see the benifits! :)

I´ve seen a set of baking stuff for little ones as well which together I thought would make a wonderful birthday gift for a 3 year old!

I´ve even been designing some wheat bags (see photo) for gifts for the mum´s and auntie´s which I thought would be nice, I´m just not entirely sure if I can put dried lavender in them as well which I think would be a nice touch...so some googling and investiagtion needs to be done! :) But none the less, a nice gift I think when finished.

Along with the Christmas theme I´ve been looking at non-traditional wreaths and how to make one, I came across a nice easy make in an old issue of Sew Hip magazine and so far it looks good...needs a bit further work but hopefully it´ll look great when it´s finished.

So lots still to do and make but I am really happy about these current "makes" - productive days make me very happy :)

Christmas gift ideas...

I think I have a problem...

....I´m Christmas crazy! I look at this picture of the christmas tree and lights and baubles and ribbons and I get all giddy! :) I live in Spain...It´s still ridiculously hot here, I´m actually sat here typing in a short summer dress and I am day dreaming about cold winter nights and the twinkle of christmas tree lights! lol :)

So I have been cracking on with gifts for the family...so far I have finished off Lola´s apron (looks ace!), made some funky keyrings for the girls, made a couple of my signs in Spanish for the family over here and of course my good old staple stocking fillers - Lavender hearts (pictured above) Totally hand sewn in front of the telly and then filled with gorgeous dried lavender and finished off. Takes in all about 15minutes and they are so useful! Hang on the door of the bedroom, hand in your wardrobe, put in your drawers, in your car, in your shoes...the places and uses are endless! Infact I make so many for other people I never seem to have enough for me!!! :)

I´ll get camera happy this afternoon for you and get some shots of the presents I´ve made so far so you can have a sneak peak :) Still not being back at work (term doesn´t start until October here) I have LOTS of time on my hands and I am now trying to use it wisely!

Happy Sunday everyone! x

Christmas cookies :)

Okay...I know I´m Christmas bonkers. Totally Christmas mad. I blame the fact that my mother was as crazy and made sure each and every Christmas was as magical as possible, and ever since I was a small child I have adored Christmas and the run up to my favourite time of year. So I had some spare time this morning and had been thinking about Christmas pressies and things anyway and so decided to make a trial batch of Christmas ginger cookies. (see pic) They are so good I took some round to my better half´s mum, who bless her enjoys my English cooking of cakes and biscuits, so hopefully will enjoy these. I´ve had 6 today already! Not a great idea to help with the diet!!

Today I am planning on finishing my Niece´s apron I have been making her for her 3rd birthday in October. I have it in mind to get her some child´s baking or cooking set as well as she seems to really enjoy cooking with her mum :) I liked the fabric I got from Ikea (amazing quality fabrics at really good prices!) and just tacked pink bias binding around the edges and to make the ties (the ties I doubled the bias binding to make it neater and stronger). Ten minutes to cut out and tac and hopefull not much longer to sew it on Mac!
Happy Weekend everyone! :)

So sad to hear the news today

My fellow blogger, Paul (music is disease) has passed away after a tremendous battle with possibly the worse case of cancer you can get. I was very sad to hear this news as I often read his blog to see how he was getting along. He got diagnoised around the same time a very good friend of mine´s mum did and unfortunately she lost her battle within a few weeks, so Paul´s blog touched a nerve. I know vaguely a friend of his and can see that Paul touched a lot of people, not being particulary religous, but believeing in the power of prayer and positive thinking, tonight Paul I will think of you and send you my best. May you forever more rest in peace and one day be reunited with the ones you love. Sleep tight x

The sun has got his hat on...

So I have had to kick myself in the butt and tell myself to get on with and stop moping about. I was really suffering with the homesickness and felt kinda out of it...so I decided the only thing to cheer me up was good old Christmas! (totally my favourite time of year!!! ...and although no doubt most of you are dreading the words "nearly christmas" for me it never comes soon enough! I am pretty old skool for a twenty-nearer-to-thirty-something and just like the family, the friends, the smells the present giving and the general atmosphere and feeling it gives. SO although the sun has truely still got his hat on...I am here in Sunny Spain dreaming of Christmas :) I am also starting to make a few things for stocking fillers and gifts or loved ones that I hope they´ll love....and slowly and surely it is getting me out of my homesickness tunnel and back into the light (or sunshine! lol) and as per usual little Milo has been sleeping in touching distance throughout :) Bless!

Oh and check out the Etsy shop guys...looking good: www.samsshenanigans.etsy.com

Feeling home sick....

So I have been in Spain, here living for the last year. All in all I love the country, the lifestyle and of course the weather! The downside is everybody else I love lives in the UK. Seeing them once or twice a year is becoming very painful....and I am questioning wether I should stay or go...

decisions...decisions eh?!

Oh! I realised I hadn´t shown you my new make-shift blind I made for my studio (see photo above!) and I´ve attached one of Milo - who has to be in the same room as Mummy if not touching her! lol :) He followsme around like a shadow....even if I´m just popping to the loo! Bless. Hope you guys in the UK are enjoying your bank holiday!

Feeling under the weather but trudging on!!!

I am not the welless (if thats a word?) bunny at the moment. Having problem after problem with my IBS and general stomach/woman bits and today is no better. Sorry...I´m pretty sure you don´t want to hear this but if you don´t know already I had the pleasure of inheriting my mothers way of telling you too much information, so here it is... After popping to the loo earlier I managed to also bring my lunch up (twice! mmmmm yummy!) and have spent the rest of the afternoon snotting up pasta twirls when I blow my nose...gross or what!? My 4 month old kitten Milo looked very concerned with Mummy, and bless him has spent the last 3 hours curled up on the desk here while I type and catch up with business.

SO even though I haven´t been on top form recently, I have managed to make a few lovely things...

Enjoy!